Monthly Archives: March 2014

Once Upon A Time in Wonderland: Where Did We Leave Off?

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Today at NGN we’re celebrating the return of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland with the return of the lovely Leah and her OUaTiW posts! 

I want to offer you all an apology for abandoning my Once Upon a Time in Wonderland recaps over the past few months. Some things in my life made it so that I was behind on watching the episodes, and then I got so behind I wasn’t able to catch up. I’m back now, though, and plan to be around for recaps through the end of this season.

To prepare for the show’s return, I thought I’d pick three plot points that I feel will have the biggest impact on the second half of Season One and discuss them!

1. The Red Queen Is Anastasia
Possibly the biggest surprise of this season thus far has been the reveal that the Anastasia who broke Will’s heart is also the Red Queen who has been working against Alice all along. It was revealed that Anastasia and Will were once happily in love, dreaming of making a life together even if they had to steal to survive. Their lives were changed when Will and Anastasia snuck into a royal ball, where Anastasia became enamored by the glamorous world of the royalty and nobles. They were both thrown out of the ball when discovered, but not before Anastasia spotted the crown jewels and had an encounter with the king, who was very curious about her. She decided to steal the jewels but was caught in the act by the king, who had a proposal for her: become his queen. She accepted, and when she was presented to the kingdom as the new queen, Will was in the crowd, betrayed and heartbroken.

As we learned at the end of the midseason finale (“Home”), Anastasia’s love for Will has been the motivation for everything she’s done during the season. She has been trying to capture Cyrus and his wishes so that she can use his power to break the laws of magic and somehow get Will back.

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TV Time: New Girl 3.18

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Title Sister III

Two-Sentence Summary Abby moving in with Schmidt causes Jess to push Nick into letting her officially move into his room, which proves to be stressful for both parties. Meanwhile, Cece tries to prove that Abby isn’t right for Schmidt, and Winston trains for his police academy fitness test.

Favorite Line “Coffee for one, a sundae for one, and your most tasteful, story-driven adult film. Preferably a period piece…Do you have anything in the Byzantine era?” (Jess)

Episode M.V.P. It’s been a while since I loved Zooey Deschanel as much as I loved her in this episode. Her exuberance in the hotel room was hilarious, while still being strangely believable. Haven’t we all felt that way after being around someone (or even just people in general) for far too long? Jess may be an extrovert, but even us extroverts need some “me time.” And of course Jess’s “me time” would include singing Judy Garland songs, crying over tiny minibar bottles, and watching period-piece porn. (The fact that she was looking for Byzantine-era adult films and not stereotypical Regency romance made it even better.) I also thoroughly enjoyed Jess’s last scenes with both Abby and Nick. Deschanel and Linda Cardellini had great chemistry together, and I will always love her comedic chemistry with Jake Johnson. The deadpan way she told him to fix his hippie feet was absolutely perfect, and I can’t get enough of Jess’s quiet interjections whenever Nick says something ridiculous (like when he was trying to tell her about the pilgrims massacring each other).

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TV Time: Castle 6.17

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Castle 6.17

Title In the Belly of the Beast

Two-Sentence Summary Beckett is tasked with going undercover to infiltrate a drug ring, but things take a turn for the worse when the woman she’s pretending to be is revealed to be a contract killer. The situation grows even bleaker when an old foe is revealed to be the head of the operation that holds Beckett’s life in its hands.

Favorite Line “Dear Rick, I don’t know how much time I have even to write this letter. What I do know now is that I’m in this and the only way I’m gonna make it out alive is to see this through. I’m sure everyone is looking for me, and if they figure out I was here, CSU is gonna search this house. They’re gonna look for blood, and they will find it. Which will lead them to this letter. Babe, it’s your letter, and I hope you never have to read this and I can tell you all of these things in person. But if something happens and I don’t make it, I need you to know that our partnership, our relationship, is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. You’re an amazing man, and I love you with all of my heart. Always.” (Beckett’s letter to Castle)

My Thoughts It’s been a while since Beckett’s life was in immediate danger on Castle, so I’d almost forgotten just how horribly tense and emotionally gripping those kinds of episodes could be. This season has seen Castle in more life-or-death situations, and, while I liked the role reversals at the time, there’s nothing like a good “Beckett in danger” plot to remind me why the more dramatic Castle episodes are so often my favorites. I think it’s because these episodes allow Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic to shine. Fillion’s ability to portray the quiet desperation that comes from protectiveness and love is matched perfectly by Katic’s skills at showing controlled terror and fierce resolve.

The more dramatic episodes of Castle are often responsible for pushing the show’s mythology forward in major ways as well, which was certainly the case with “In the Belly of the Beast.” This episode rewarded you for paying attention—not just during the hour but during the last six seasons. It used the show’s history to make each plot twist resonate and to land each emotional blow with stunning force.

I liked that this episode began with a moment of domestic bliss because it helped build the tension while still setting up an important theme for this episode: Beckett is different than who she was when she first went back down the rabbit hole of her mother’s case. She’s happy. She has a man in her life who loves her, who has built a life with her. Yes, the “font” discussion was playfully sexy in a way we don’t see nearly enough with these two (but if I had my way, entire episodes would be spent watching them talk about fonts in heated whispers and no crimes would get solved ever). However, the scene did more than just give us that hilarious Fillion reaction to being abandoned just when he was starting to get hot and bothered. It reminded us that Beckett has something to lose now, but she also has something to draw strength from.

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The Best of the 2014 Oscars

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The 2014 Oscars were a little long and a little predictable, but they were also a lot of fun. There wasn’t a lot of surprise to be found in the night’s winners, but my Oscar-predicting credibility is thankful for that fact. There also weren’t a lot of surprising or shocking moments within the ceremony itself, but sometimes even a relatively tame award show can still be a thoroughly entertaining one.

It may have been the fact that the Oscars gave me a wonderful evening of laughing and talking about movies with my sister and my best friend, or maybe it’s the lack of sleep (or high amounts of caffeine in my bloodstream) talking, but I think these were my favorite Oscars in terms of entertainment value in quite some time. It probably helps that I really love Ellen DeGeneres and her particular brand of comedy—and I also really love pizza.

Today I want to focus on some of the evening’s best moments—from the speeches that moved me to the fashions that made me green with envy.

Best Performance By an Ensemble in a Selfie:

oscar selfie

Where else but the Oscars would you be able to take a photograph featuring three of Hollywood’s biggest heartthrobs, multiple living acting legends, and two of the biggest ingénues in the business? My favorite thing about the whole “selfie” bit was that it felt like everyone involved was having so much fun with it (my personal favorite being Jared Leto sprinting across the theater to be a part of it). I like seeing celebrities who genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves at big events and in each other’s company, so kudos to Ellen for taking that sense of enthusiasm and turning it into millions of re-tweets.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (2/23 – 3/2)

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After the Sochi Olympics ended with their stirring closing ceremonies last Sunday, many television shows returned from their hiatuses to join shows that were still airing in competition with the Winter Games. Monday’s Castle gave much-needed depth to Beckett and Alexis’s developing relationship. Tuesday’s New Girl continued to explore the effects of Abby’s presence on Jess and the rest of the characters, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine featured revealing performance evaluations and a great look at Jake and Gina’s friendship. Nashville returned on Wednesday with some amazing musical performances. Thursday’s Parks and Recreation gave us competing anniversary gifts from Ben and Leslie, and Scandal was back with more twists and turns than ever.

There were some really great TV moments that aired this week—from Nashville‘s newest band playing their first gig at the Bluebird to the introduction of a much-needed romantic interest in Mellie’s life on Scandal. But the best of the best came from Parks and Rec. Leslie’s anniversary gift to Ben was perfect, but not even the gift could top Ben’s reaction to it. I’m not sure anything will ever be better than Adam Scott sitting on a replica Iron Throne.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

Nerdy Girl Predicts: The 2014 Oscars

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Gravity will probably walk away with the most Oscars tonight, but I don't think Best Picture will be one of them.

Gravity will probably walk away with the most Oscars tonight, but I don’t think Best Picture will be one of them.

After months spent sitting in darkened theaters and on comfortable couches watching movie after movie, the film fanatics’ Super Bowl has arrived—it’s Oscar Sunday! More than any Oscars in recent memory, this one has a number of important categories that might still be too close for anyone to call ahead of time. From a Best Supporting Actress race for the ages to a Best Picture group without a clear favorite, this year’s ceremony is more difficult to predict than usual, but I think that’s going to make it even more fun to watch.

Below are my picks for all 24 categories, with analysis (and my sentimental favorites) for each of tonight’s major awards. Let me know in the comments what your ballot looks like, and don’t forget to join me on Twitter, where I’ll be dissecting everything from the red carpet fashions and Ellen’s sure-to-be-fabulous hosting skills to the night’s big winners and losers.

Picture
My Pick: 12 Years a Slave
My Wish: Her
My Thoughts: No movie I saw in this past year made me think or feel as deeply as Her, but I know it doesn’t stand a chance against the big boys in this category, despite its originality. In the three-horse race between 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and American Hustle, I expect the Academy to choose the emotionally potent historical drama (a favorite genre of theirs over the years), and the choice is not without merit—12 Years a Slave was fearless and filled with strong performances.

Actor
My Pick: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
My Wish: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
My Thoughts: As much as I would love to see DiCaprio (my favorite actor since the age of 10) finally take home an Oscar for what many are calling his best work to date, I don’t think anyone is taking this Oscar from McConaughey. His physical transformation was astounding, but it was the emotional commitment he gave to this role that floored me. Also, his trademark charm helped make Dallas Buyers Club not just an emotionally compelling film but also a surprisingly warm and entertaining one.

Actress
My Pick: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
My Wish: Amy Adams (American Hustle)
My Thoughts: I still haven’t seen Blue Jasmine, but I’m not sure there’s been a performance more universally accepted as the best in its category this year. This award has been Blanchett’s since the film was released. As much as I’d love for Adams to finally get Oscar recognition in a year in which she served as the sexy but surprisingly vulnerable heart and soul of my favorite ensemble of the year (and turned in another excellent performance in Her), I’m sad to say it’s just not going to happen this year.

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