My Top Cancelled TV #2

Arrested Development

"You tricked me."
"I *deceived* you. "Tricked" makes it sound like we have a playful relationship."

At George Bluth's (Tambor) retirement party, he is arrested and the family accounts are frozen.  Michael Bluth (Bateman), the responsible member of the family, takes control of the company and tries to keep the family together.  He lives in the Bluth Company model home, their last remaining asset, with the rest of the family, and drives a stair car.

He is hindered at every turn by his dysfunctional family.  His father tries to stay in control while in prison, while his booze-soaked mother, Lucille (Walter), manipulates everyone.  His older brother, Gob (Arnett), rides a Segway and performs as an unlicensed magician.  His younger brother, Buster (Hale), has many degrees but no knowledge, and still lives with their mother.  His twin sister, Lindsay Bluth Funke (de Rossi), is a self-absorbed "activist."  Lindsay's husband, Tobia Funke (Cross), is a disgraced therapist and wannabe actor, who wants to join the Blue Man Group.  His niece, Maeby Funke (Shawkat), has no boundaries and wants to cause a scene.

With an incompetent lawyer, Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler), an adopted brother, Annyong (Justin Lee), family "friend" Lucille 2 (Liza Minnelli), and a slew of business rivals... can the Bluth family ever win?

Arrested Development had a small but loyal following.  Since it was cancelled, people have been clamoring for a movie or a reunion.  The cast routinely talked about returning to the show... and now Netflix is giving fans the chance to see the things that are happening with the Bluth's.

I discovered the show during Season 2, and fell in love.  I didn't end up watching Season 1 until a few years later. My favorite episode is "Good Grief" in Season 2 (my favorite season), which parodies "The Peanuts,"  specifically the sad sack walk.

The jokes have taken on a life of their own... the chicken dances, "I've made a horrible mistake," etc.  I look forward to seeing the Bluth's again in May 2013.

Arrested Development (2003-2006, 2013)
Created by: Mitchell Hurwitz
Starring: Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth
Portia de Rossi as Lindsay Bluth Funke
Will Arnett as Gob Bluth
Michael Cera as George Michael Bluth
Alia Shawkat as Maeby Funke
Tony Hale as Buster Bluth
David Cross as Tobias Funke
Jeffrey Tambor as George Bluth
Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth
Ron Howard as Narrator

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

"How are we supposed to know what's going on? 

"It's all Greek to me."

Toula Portokalos (Vardalos) is unhappy with her life, working in her family's Greek restaurant.  Everyone in her life believes she will never marry.  With a little help from her mother, Maria (Kazan), Toula is allowed to take college courses, and uses her new knowledge to help her Aunt Voula's (Martin) travel agency.  While working at the travel agency, she meets Ian Miller (Corbett), a school teacher.  They fall in love and begin dating, but her Greek family does not approve.

Her father, Gus (Constantine), wants a nice Greek son-in-law... but half-heartedly agrees to the match.  When Ian and Toula get engaged, can he cope with her large family and can she figure out where she fits in the family?

"Put some windex on it."

In the 1990s Nia Vardalos performed a one-woman show in L.A. based on her life.  The show became a success and drew the attention of prominent people in Hollywood, including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.  Vardalos was approached to write and star in the film, with Hanks and Wilson producing.  The film became a sleeper-hit and is still funny over a decade later.

The characters feel comfortable and familiar, while still being brand new.  Vardalos is the star as Toula, who is easy to identify with, especially with all the activity that whirls past her.  But it is her family that steals the show.  Broadway vet Andrea Martin is a stand-out as Aunt Voula.  She is eccentric and a commanding presence that you enjoy watching.  Michael Constantine is funny as Gus Portokalos, who gets some of the best lines.  The family as a whole is loud and entertaining, and a consuming presence in the film.  It is consistently funny, no matter how many times you see the film.

The film's success led to a TV adaptation called "My Big Fat Greek Life."  The show featured most of the original cast, with Steven Eckholt replacing John Corbett... but it didn't translate well to TV and only 7 episodes made it to air.

The sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 debuted in 2016.

Funny and memorable, definitely worth revisiting or checking out for the first time.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) 95 minutes
Director: Joel Zwick
Starring: Nia Vardalos as Toula Portokalos
John Corbett as Ian Miller
Lainie Kazan as Maria Portokalos
Michael Constantine as Gus Portokalos
Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula
Louis Mandylor as Nick Portokalos
Gia Carides as Nikki
Joey Fatone as Angelo
Ian Gomez as Mike
Bruce Gray as Rodney Miller
Fiona Reid as Harriet Miller

Fun and Fancy Free

"You know, you worry too much. In fact, everybody worries too much."

Jiminy Cricket (Edwards) navigates through two stories.  First, to cheer up some friends, he plays the record of "Bongo."  Bongo is a circus bear that dreams of life in the wild.  When he escapes the circus, he falls for a bear named Lulubelle and finds an enemy in Lumpjaw.  Can all his circus training help Bongo survive the wild?

When the record ends, Jiminy goes to Luana Patten's birthday party.  At the party Edgar Bergen and friends, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, tell the story of "Mickey and the Beanstalk."  When the magic harp (Gordon) of Happy Valley is stolen, everyone in the valley suffers.  Mickey (Disney), Donald (Nash), and Goofy (Colvig) are short of food and hope, until Mickey brings home some magic beans.  The beans grow overnight and transport the trio into the sky, to the castle of Willie the Giant (Gilbert).  Can they save the Harp and escape the Giant?

In the 1940s, Disney was short on cash and animators, due to WWII and an animators strike.  To continue churning out pictures, Disney opted to release "package films," which featured multiple short films that were tied together into a full length feature.  Fun and Fancy Free was the only "package film" that relied on 2 long pieces of animation, instead of numerous short films.  Both pieces were conceived as larger pieces of work, but were ultimately shortened.

As a child, I would often watch Mickey and the Beanstalk, which was released as a stand-alone short, and was a part of my grandmother's considerable Disney collection.  I loved the film, especially watching Mickey, Donald, and Goofy enjoying the enormous feast.  It is a fun, and not too scary, film... with silly little songs and a villain that enjoys fluffy pink bunnies (who doesn't like fluffy pink bunnies).

Bongo was also released as a stand alone film, which I enjoyed as a child.  None of the characters talk, but you barely notice because the animation is fun and inventive.  The story is narrated beautifully by Dinah Shore, who also gets to sing a bit... but the part I remember the most is the "Say It With a Slap" (it is catchy).

Anyway, while reading my favorite Disney commentary, Waking Snow White, I discovered that the two were supposed to be seen together.  Fun and Fancy Free manages to seamless pull the two films together by using Jiminy Cricket to transition the film.  He opens by wandering through a house singing "I'm a Happy-Go-Lucky Fellow."  Then, he turns on a record of Dinah Shore reading Bongo.  Afterward, he sees an invitation to Luana's party and goes over there.  He is mostly out-of-sight during that sequence, but does make a few appearances.

An enjoyable experience, but I understand why Disney released the films separately later.  They are more memorable on their own, and don't need to be seen together.  The animation is great, as usual, and worth checking out (especially since this is one of the times Walt Disney voiced Mickey Mouse).  Check out the link above to "Waking Snow White" which features a more thorough look at the film and animation.

Fun and Fancy Free (1947) 70 minutes
Starring: Edgar Bergen as Himself, Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd
Dinah Shore as Narrator
Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse
Anita Gordon as Singing Harp
Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket
Billy Gilbert as Willie the Giant
Clarence Nash as Donald Duck
Pinto Colvig as Goofy
The King's Men
The Starlighters

Fun Size

"You might want to put your mask on. You’re about to be an accessory to a major crime."

Wren DeSantis (Justice) is focused on getting out of town and away from her crazy family.  She dreams of going to her late father's alma mater, but can't convince her mother, Joy (Handler) that it's a good idea.  Joy is dating a college guy named Keevin (Pence) and avoiding parenthood, while Wren's brother Albert (Nicoll) stops speaking and continually pranks people.  Her best friend, April (Levy), is obsessed with her image and popularity.

On Halloween, Aaron Riley (McDonell), the most popular guy in school, invites Wren to his Halloween party.  However, Wren is stuck taking Albert trick-or-treating and drags April along.  They lose Albert in a haunted house.  Albert, dressed as Spiderman, befriends convenience store clerk Fuzzy (Middleditch), and go on quest for vengeance.  Wren and April team up with debate team nerds Roosevelt (Mann) and Peng (Chau) to find Albert.  Can Wren find her brother before her mom gets home?


I saw previews for this film, and was intrigued... mostly because of Jane Levy.  Last year a friend encouraged me to watch a new show called "Suburgatory."  I wasn't impressed with the previews, but the presence of Alan Tudyk was enough to convince me to watch the show.  I'm still loving the show, and am mostly impressed with Levy's portrayal of Tessa.  Levy has not appeared in many films, but I expect to see her more in films.

The film was produced by Nickelodeon, which explains the humor of the film... which relies heavily on sight gags and toilet humor.  It is definitely not a kids film... but teens will enjoy it.

The film was funny, with a large cast of capable actors/actresses.  Jackson Nicoll, who portrays Albert, doesn't speak for the majority of the film, but still manages to deliver a solid performance and is the funniest character in the film.  Victoria Justice carries the film well, and is surrounded by strong comedy stars.  Funny, but could be better / cleaner.

Fun Size (2012) 86 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for crude and suggestive material, partying, and language
Director: Josh Schwartz
Starring: Victoria Justice as Wren DeSantis
Jackson Nicoll as Albert DeSantis
Chelsea Handler as Joy DeSantis
Josh Pence as Keevin
Jane Levy as April Martin-Danzinger-Ross
Thomas Mann as Roosevelt
Thomas McDonell as Aaron Riley
Osric Chau as Peng
Thomas Middleditch as Fuzzy
Johnny Knoxville as Jorgen

Skyfall (2012)

"Some men are coming to kill us. We're going to kill them first."

When a computer hard drive containing the identities of undercover agents is stolen, MI6 is reeling.  Soon their base is bombed and the culprit begins unveiling the undercover MI6 agents.  They move the base underground, and M (Dench) is under pressure from Gareth Mallory (Fiennes) to retire.

Meanwhile, M sends James Bond (Craig) back into the field to find the hard drive and who is behind it.  With gadgets from Q (Whishaw) and backup from field agent Even (Harris), Bond heads to Shanghai to stop Patrice (Rapace), the mercenary that stole the hard drive.  But when the threat is from M's past, can Bond set aside his personal feelings and get the job done.


Skyfall marks the 25th James Bond film (if you count the 1967 comedy spoof of Casino Royale and the unofficial Never Say Never Again... otherwise it is the 23rd official film) and the 50th anniversary of the series.  The film was delayed during the MGM financial crisis, but was ultimately worth the wait.

Daniel Craig continues to portray a darker / grittier Bond.  This is Craig's third Bond film (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace), but is not a sequel to those films.  Craig is joined by Judi Dench, who has appeared in 7 Bond films.  Since Craig took over the Bond role, the character of Q has been absent.  But they decided to bring the character back for this film, with a remodel: making him young and a hipster.  The new Q is portrayed by Ben Whishaw.  The film also introduces two other recurring characters, which are revealed at the end of the film (and I won't spoil it for you).

Another solid James Bond film.

Skyfall (2012) 143 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language and smoking
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig as James Bond
Javier Bardem as Silva
Judi Dench as M
Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory
Naomie Harris as Eve
Berenice Marlohe as Severine
Ben Whishaw as Q
Ola Rapace as Patrice
Rory Kinnear as Tanner
Albert Finney as Kincade

Argo

"You really believe your little story's gonna make a difference when there's a gun to our heads?"
"I think my story's the only thing between you and a gun to your head."

When the American embassy in Iran is overrun, only 6 employees escape the building.  They seek asylum in the home of the Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor (Garber).  Back in the USA, the CIA tries to find a way to rescue the 6: Bob Anders (Donovan), Joe (McNairy) & Kathy (Bishe) Stafford, Mark (Denham) & Cora (DuVall) Lijek, and Lee Schatz (Cochrane).  As they come up with a solution, the Iranian's release a video with conditions for the release of the hostages.

They have a series of bad ideas, including having the 6 pose as teachers or ride bikes across the border.  Agent Tony Mendez (Affleck) has a better "bad idea": make them a film crew.  He will fly into Iran, with passports and other documents for the 6, and fly back to the states with them.  His boss, Jack O'Donnell (Cranston), agrees and Tony heads to Hollywood to make the plan a reality.  To make the plan a reality, he travels to Hollywood to create a fake production company and start buzz for their fake film "Argo."  He is aided by makeup artist John Chambers (Goodman) and producer Lester Siegel (Arkin).  Can they create a believable story to get the Americans back home?


Prior to this film, Ben Affleck had already proved his talent as a director.  His first film, Gone Baby Gone, garnered an Oscar nomination for Amy Ryan.  His follow-up, The Town, scored an Oscar nomination for Jeremy Renner.  Both films were well received by critics, and did well in the box office.  So expectations were high for his third film.

The story is based on the "Canadian Caper," which was a classified CIA operation.  The screenplay, which one the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, is based on Tony Mendez's "The Master of Disguise" and Joshuah Bearman's "The Great Escape."  The filmmakers take a few liberties with the story, changing details to add to the suspense and to condense the time frame.  After the film there are notes on the screen with more information about the actual events.

The film grips you from the beginning and keeps you on the edge of your seat.  The final scenes are gripping and offer a satisfying ending.  And it won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2013, despite a directing snub for Affleck.  The cast is strong and delivers solid performances.  Alan Arkin is a standout as Lester, and received an Oscar nomination for the role.  Affleck is good in the lead role, although it is easier to focus on the performances of his co-stars.

I look forward to seeing more films from Affleck... and am intrigued to see what he will do next!

Argo (2012) 120 minutes
Rated: R for language and some violent images
Director: Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez
Bryan Cranston as Jack O'Donnell
Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel
John Goodman as John Chambers
Victor Garber as Ken Taylor
Tate Donovan as Bob Anders
Clea DuVall as Cora Lijek
Scoot McNairy as Joe Stafford
Rory Cochrane as Lee Schatz
Christopher Denham as Mark Lijek
Kerry Bishe as Kathy Stafford

Rise of the Guardians

"So, the Big Four all together: Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and the Easter Kangaroo."
"Say WHAT? I'm a bunny!"

The children of the world are protected by the immortal Guardians, led by the Man in the Moon.  The Guardians also bring joy to the children through their secondary jobs: North (Baldwin) is also known as Santa Clause and lives in the frozen tundra of the North Pole, Tooth (Fisher) is the Tooth Fairy and works with her "baby teeth" hummingbirds to collect teeth and memories from the children of the world, Bunnymund (Jackman) is the Easter Bunny who wields a boomerang , and Sandy the Sandman who gives children peaceful dreams.  When they are confronted by Pitch (Law) the Boogeyman, who plans to dispose of the Guardians and keep children in fear.

As Pitch makes his presence known, the Man in the Moon appoints a new Guardian: Jack Frost (Pine).  Jack is seen as a troublemaker and doesn't have any memories of his life before.  Also unlike the other Guardians, he is invisible to children.  Can Jack and the Guardians save the children, or will the world be lost to darkness.

In 2011, author William Joyce wrote a series of children's novels called "The Guardians of Childhood."  The series was popular enough for Joyce to work with Dreamworks on a film based on the characters of his books.  The events of the film take place 200 years after the books.  The books setup the 4 Guardians, so the movie does not spend much time with the characters... Joyce wanted the film and books to be companions, but not carbon copies.

The story has an intriguing premise: re-imagining iconic childhood mythology.  The characters are funny, without resorting to bathroom humor.  North gets some of the best laughs, along with his team of Yetis and elves (even without saying a word or spewing non-sense sounds).  Tooth's hummingbird baby teeth are cute, but Bunnymund's giant stone eggs and baby eggs with legs are disturbing.  The voices fit the characters well.  Jude Law is simultaneously as menacing and charming as Pitch.  Alec Baldwin is endearing with a heavy Russian accent as North.  Isla Fisher is quirky and multitasking as Tooth.  Hugh Jackman gives Bunnymund an edge, but isn't too afraid to show a softer side.  Chris Pine carries the film well.

There are some plot holes, but overall the story, while predictable, works.  Young children probably won't enjoy the film, but everyone else should enjoy it.  The animation is good, good enough to be nominated for a Golden Globe for animation (although it did not receive an Oscar nomination).

Rise of the Guardians (2012) 97 minutes
Director: Peter Ramsey
Starring: Chris Pine as Jack Frost
Alec Baldwin as North
Jude Law as Pitch
Isla Fisher as Tooth
Hugh Jackman as Bunnymund
Dakota Goya as Jamie Bennett