Bones (2005-present)

I don’t normally get into forensic shows, but a few of the writers at EW were practically drooling over these characters, so I decided to give the series a try.  After a few episodes I became hooked.  Yes, the bones and decomposing bodies are creepy, but the characters are actually quite well-rounded and interesting.  Here is the premise according to IMDB:  “Brilliant, but socially inept, forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperence Brennan (Emily Deschanel) works at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington DC. After consulting for him on a FBI case, she is approached by cocky yet charming ex-Army Ranger turned Special Agent, Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to help the Bureau solve crimes by identifying human remains that are too far gone for standard FBI forensic investigations. Brennan’s empirical, literal view of the world causes friction with Booths emotive, instinctive attitude creating a volatile relationship. However as their case load increases the symbiotic partnership produces results and with the support of Brennan’s “Squint Squad”, murderers, past and present should be on the look out.”

I believe that the show gives good insight into the world of very intelligent and often social-inept people such as the character of Dr. Brennan and many of her colleagues.  The character of Booth gives a nice contrast and challenge to their world as the Philistine type character that many nerds resent from their pasts (usually high school) and often their present.  This series will not change your life, but it is fun to watch, if a bit gruesome.  They are investigating corpses after all.  4 out of 5 monkeys

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The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)

I know, I know, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie and with a book as long as The Time Traveler’s Wife, it is hard to fit in all of the content.  But I was a bit disappointed with at least three things that they left out from the book, two of which could be easily remedied with a few extra scenes.  Maybe they shot them and they just didn’t work, but I would like to express my frustration in this post none-the-less.  First, for those who have not read the book, here’s a little bit about the story itself.

The Time Traveler’s Wife tells the love story of Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana) and Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams), two people seemingly destined for each other, who have one very big obstacle to overcome in their relationship.  Due to a genetic anomaly (much better described in the book of course), Henry is forced to travel through time.  He has no control over when and where and often ends up in dangerous situations where he has to steal to survive (he travels naked and in the city of Chicago, you put the rest together).  The twist is that Henry firsts meets Clare when she is a little girl, after he already knows her as a grown women.  One could go cross-eyed thinking too in-depthly about that one, so just go with it.  The thing that made the book so interesting is that you got to see Clare and Henry struggle through all of the normal issues that couples deal with (insecurities, wants of a career vs. spending time with your loved one, etc.), while throwing the whole time traveling scenario in their to make it all that much more complicated.

SPOILER ALERT:  One of my objections to the film involves the ending of the book, so if you haven’t read the book, you may not want to read any further.  First off, the character of Gomez (the best friend) is given so much more to do in the book, not to mention the fact that he is in love with Clare.  They don’t address this at all in the film, which is a shame because I believe that it would have added some nice tension.  One scene of Gomez making the moves on Clare would have been all we needed.  Secondly, Clare deals with a lot of angst regarding Henry in her teen years (she has been in love with this guy since she was kid) and some of the ways that she goes about trying to seduce him would have been wonderful to see in the film. This however would have required more than one scene, so I understand to some extent the omission.  The plot point I am the most frustrated with though is the ending of the book.  In the book, Clare sees Henry one last time when she is very old and it’s beautiful.  I don’t know why they chose to have their last meeting be when they were both still young.  The book ending had so much more power to it, it encompassed the theme much more fully and would have been a GREAT ending to the movie.  The way the movie was shot, the ending felt very lack-luster, like one was shrugging their shoulders at the end, “Oh well.”

On a positive note, I thought the whole wedding sequence was both entertaining and endearing, probably the best sequence in the film. I also thought Rachel McAdams was perfectly cast as Clare (how could you not fall in love with her?), so I give them points for that.  Eric Bana went back and forth in his ability to convey the complexities of Henry, but it wasn’t painful.  I realize that I am being a stickler since I enjoyed the book so much, but I can only give this film 3 out of 5 monkeys.  Not painful, but not great either.

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I Love You, Man (2009)

An enjoyable comedy with cringe-worthy moments and projectile vomiting, I Love You, Man stars Paul Rudd as Peter Klaven and Jason Segel as his potential “man friend” Sydney Fife.  The character of Peter is similar to many men in my life, males that feel more comfortable in the presence of women.  Peter prefers his relationships to women and allows his guy friends to go by the wayside.  Sounds like a dream guy, someone who would be devoted to you and not distracted by guys night out and football games.  Peter begins to feel insecure about his relationships after proposing to his girlfriend Zooey (Rashinda Jones) and realizing that he has no best man to stand with him at the wedding.  So, he decides to go on a quest of male friendship and after many failed attempts (and one intense man-kiss), he finally meets Sydney and a whole new world opens up to him.  Sydney has his faults (and immaturity’s), but these two characters are the types of guys that I would wish to be friends with, just not in the man cave. The movie is worth seeing just for the billboards that Sydney creates for Peter to promote his real estate business.  They are just awesome.

4 out of 5 monkeys

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