My Top 10 TV Shows (All-Time?)

I have watched a lot of TV shows over the years. Most of them piqued my interest because of the plot or the theme (Prison Break, Scorpion), or perhaps it was something familiar (Camelot, Daredevil) or a new take on a familiar genre (Fringe, Parks and Recreation), and some that gained popularity before I got interested (Breaking Bad, Psych).
Some TV shows did not make it past the pilot with me (Battle Creek, Hostages). Other shows, I tried a few episodes but it did not get interesting enough (Continuum, Defiance) or was just badly written (Terra Nova, Touch). While a few others I have watched diligently from pilot to finale (The Mentalist, True Blood). And even some that, in my opinion, got cancelled/finished early (Hannibal, The Borgias).
I made this list, like other reviews from this blog, mainly for replayability and also for the reason that I'd like to know if this personal top ten list will still be the same in a number of years, or would some of the shows listed here be overtaken by some new revolutionary show we haven't heard of yet.
Notes: This list does not include animation and episodic comedic shows; so shows like Adventure Time, Initial D, Attack on Titan, Saturday Night Live, Whose Line Is It Anyway, and the like, even though highly replayable for me, are not included. I also did not include documentaries like BBC Horizon shows and informative mini-series like Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey, although both are favorites of mine.


10. How I Met Your Mother - It was difficult to leave Friends out of this list for HIMYM but I guess both shows could have been 10A and 10B for me. I just give this show a slight edge with replayability.




9. Community - Again it was toss-up between two shows, Community and Parks and Rec. I love Parks and Rec's mockumentary style, but Community just proved to be more defining for me for two reasons: Meta! and Alison Brie.




8. Sherlock - Oh man. Amazing series. More of a feature length TV show than a series. The only knock on Sherlock is that you get to see it only three times in a year.




7. Heroes - People say that only the first season is worth watching. To me, the entire series is worth watching. I'm excited for Heroes Reborn. If you're a fan of the superhero genre, you cannot not be a fan of Heroes.




6. Doctor Who - Tardis. Daleks. Amy Pond. The 11th Doctor. Sci-fi. Fantasy. Adventure. When is Peter Capaldi's contract going to expire, anyway?




5. The Newsroom - Heart-pounding action in a newsroom? You bet. When someone asks me for a show to watch, this is what I always recommend.




4. The Walking Dead - You'll never find another show that develops their characters beautifully and masterfully.




3. Star Trek: The Next Generation - This started it for me. My affinity for all things science fiction started with this show. And this is hands down, the best Star Trek series ever.




2. Suits - Sometimes even great TV shows have an episode or two that aren't that good. Suits has NONE.




1. Game of Thrones - Ah yes. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know of this show. Unless you're Jon Snow, then you know nothing. For the watch.








Honorable Mention:
Grey's Anatomy
The Big Bang Theory
Friends
Parks and Recreation
House M.D.
Battlestar Galactica
Spartacus
Hannibal
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
Doogie Howser
The Twilight Zone
True Blood
Breaking Bad
LA Law
A-Team
Mission Impossible
*just noticed that this could be my Top 11-20 list, and so on..










Hopefuls (to crack the Top 10):
True Detective
Wayward Pines
Penny Dreadful
Tyrant
Halt and Catch Fire
Better Call Saul
Arrow/Flash - perhaps if I get around to watching them, as they come highly recommended
Mr. Robot

It's the Spurs

Well, four straight Finals ain't bad. Who am I kidding, I am devastated. Congrats to the Spurs though, if there was a team i'd want Miami to lose to, it would be my second favorite team, right?

Miami Heat: 2012 NBA Champions

Prometheus



My movie notes and minor spoilers ahead.

1. Visually stunning, almost bordering on epic.
2. SPOILERS: Dragon Tattoo lady was good, but imagine if it was ScarJo giving birth to an alien covered with just tissue-like clothing.
3. Fassbenderneato was amazing as David. I would imagine it is difficult to portray an android that's bordering on having no emotions at all to feeling disdain and disappointment to your human counterparts.
4. Overall, the story was good and had existed with the Alien mythology.
5. SPOILERS: Just too many plot holes that needed answering, i.e. Why did David spike the vodka drink? Why did the engineers leave star maps to what should have been their top secret military facility? Was the black goo the end game weapon for destroying earth or was it the long-headed aliens? Did David have prior knowledge of the engineers, their technology, and their targets?
6. Replayability: extremely high

Additional note: Read a funny piece online about Elizabeth Shaw's supposed SMS messages with the engineers. Do not read it unless you have already watched the movie.

Another update: Io9.com has just released a "All of Your Lingering Prometheus Questions, Answered!" page with an interview from screenwriter Damon Lindelof which answers at least some of my plot hole questions.

4 out 5 DREIs

Chronicle

I really wanted to start of my 2012 reviews with the Avengers movie. However, i'm putting my review of that movie on hold until I see it again in HD. So instead of a review about a super-secret-boy-band, how about a few notes about a "refreshing new take" on the superhero movie genre. Assume spoilers.

1. I thought that the first half of the movie started rather slowly. The pace could have gone a little bit faster with them developing their superpowers.
2. This movie reminded me too much about Repeaters. Where one person in their group ultimately turned to the dark side. Actually, that plot device have been used more than enough times already.
3. I particularly liked the handheld camera feel of the movie. The story never really was intended to be told/shown on a grander scale. Otherwise, it would have just been another I Am Number Four.
4. Nothing too groundbreaking, replayability is just at two or three times viewing. But I agree with all critics that it really was a refreshing take on this genre.

3 DREIs



http://thatsyogarbage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/chronicle_p.jpg


1 - DREIs: "Avoid Like The Plague" Why did we watch this in the first place? (i.e. Bangkok Dangerous, The Hottie and the Nottie, Scorpion King 2, etc..)



2 - DREIs: "Shite" No need to see this movie unless you have absolutely nothing else to do. Movies with high expectations but falls short on almost everything. (i.e. Righteous Kill, Max Payne, The Island, etc..)


3 - DREIs: "Okay" Good movies that could have been better. Usually gets half good reviews, and the other half so-so. The experience will also depend also on who is watching. (i.e. Clone Wars Animated, Fast and the Furious, The Devil Wears Prada, etc..)


4 - DREIs: "Great" Almost all facets of the movie were masterfully done. Great in almost all aspects. (i.e. 300, Dark Knight, Transformers, Slumdog Millionaire, etc..)


5 - DREIs: "Revolutionary" It will change the entire concept of filmmaking and how films are made from this point on. It will serve as the new gauge for movies of the same genre. (i.e. The Matrix, LOTR, The Godfather, etc..)

Back To Life

First post for 2012. Wala lang. Movie reviews coming.

NBA: Miami Heat 2010-2011

1. I'm writing this on the same day that Miami lost Game 6 to Dallas in the NBA Finals. I'm still pissed about the entire series. I've always said two things: (a) Miami can win it all if they get out of the east and (b) the better team always wins in a seven-game series. I've always thought Miami was the better team. Waaaaay better. Pissed is probably an understatement.

2. However, I am still calling this season a success. Since "The Decision" I have always thought of this season in terms of level of success at (exits): 1st-Round - End of the World; 2nd-Round - Failure; ECF - Threshold; NBA Finals - Success; Championship - Exceeds Expectations.

3. The Chicago and Boston series was as revelatory as the Dallas series. Early demons have been exorcised from the Boston series, the new kid on the block has been silenced in the Chicago series, and character has been questioned in the Dallas series. I could have never imagined such a polar reaction from people towards Miami in the playoffs. From sportswriters: "Mentally Tough" "Clutch" "Coming Together" "Best Defensive Team" to "Disappearing Act" "Hero Ball" and "Bad Shot Machine"

4. I believe Spoelstra when he said: "We have enough." The Heat really did. For next season, they really don't need to add another game changer. Probably a center and a point who can fill specific roles. But just another year of playing together and we can see the start of the Dynasty. Yep, I called it.

5. The season was such a roller coaster from the 9-8 start to the 22-1 December to getting the second seed, alll the way to the NBA Finals. Kudos to getting through adversity but dangit I'm still pissed.

6. My most notable games of the season:
(1) The Christmas Day Game where my brother lost a bet and he had to run half naked in the street.
(2) The Houston game where the big three all got 30 and 10. Yes, you read that right 30 points and 10 rebounds for each of the big three.
(3) The January Clipper game at Staples. Yes, the Heat lost but I was there. I saw Lebron, Wade, and Bosh play live. I was there.
(4) The Washington game, where they were down I think 12 with less than a minute to go and thinking to myself, "If this is a championship caliber team, they should find a way." I think they won in OT.
(5) Game 4 of the Chicago series. I turned the TV off with three minutes left in the 4th, only to find out later they won.
(6) It wasn't Game 2 of the NBA Finals that the Heat lost control and you can see them unraveling. It was Game 4 that the Heat lost the championship.

7. On to the offseason and next year. Who are the unrestricted free agents anyway?

Chor: The God of Tanders

1. A very well made movie. You'd think that a Thor movie would be hard to make but they made it work.


2. Not as epic as say, Iron Man or Dark Knight, but more likely in the level of the Norton Incredible Hulk. Actually, the Thor movie is way better than the Hulk movie.

3. This movie could have been legendary if they added 15 to 20 minutes more of fight scenes. I know that would already have tripled the entire movie budget but nah I'm a movie viewer and that's what I would have wanted.

3. Bakit ang Earth hindi kasing-ganda ng Asgard? Kasi may magic. You actually look forward to Asgard scenes. Kudos to the creative and production team, Asgard looked amazing.

4. Is it me or did Natalie Portman look Black Swan crazy? Is she going to be Black Swan to my eyes for the rest of her career? (Just like Hilary Swank will forever be a boy) I hope not.

5. Kat Dennings! But she didn't show her side boob from hell..

6. Loki. Not the scariest villain but the movie pulled off the Loki persona - mischievous and scheming. But I didn't like the part where he had a fight with Thor, an actual fight. In the Marvel universe, I think he would have been killed with a single strike from Myowmyow.

7. In comics, Thor is always the difference maker. More of like a Deus Ex Machina for storylines. I'm excited to see how the Avengers movie will use this character - a god or a faulted human?
 
8. Overall, good movie and has a lot of replayability. 3.5 DREIs.
 
 
 
 
 
 
1 - DREIs: "Avoid Like The Plague" Why did we watch this in the first place? (i.e. Bangkok Dangerous, The Hottie and the Nottie, Scorpion King 2, etc..)
2 - DREIs: "Shite" No need to see this movie unless you have absolutely nothing else to do. Movies with high expectations but falls short on almost everything. (i.e. Righteous Kill, Max Payne, The Island, etc..)
3 - DREIs: "Okay" Good movies that could have been better. Usually gets half good reviews, and the other half so-so. The experience will also depend also on who is watching. (i.e. Clone Wars Animated, Fast and the Furious, The Devil Wears Prada, etc..)
4 - DREIs: "Great" Almost all facets of the movie were masterfully done. Great in almost all aspects. (i.e. 300, Dark Knight, Transformers, Slumdog Millionaire, etc..)
5 - DREIs: "Revolutionary" It will change the entire concept of filmmaking and how films are made from this point on. It will serve as the new gauge for movies of the same genre. (i.e. The Matrix, LOTR, The Godfather, etc..)

Entries to the Movie Review Vault

Black Swan - Good, could have been great. 3 DREIs (could have been two if without the m scene, could have been four if it had a better ending)

Tron Legacy - Amazing visuals. Should have seen the first to "properly" enjoy the mythos. Saw it on IMAX 3D. Not much with storytelling but good replayability. 4 DREIs.

Sanctum - Edge of your seat suspense. Is it a disaster movie or an action movie? At least the pace was gripping in spite of a bad script and bad acting. Good popcorn movie but no replayability. 3 DREIs.

Mindflesh - A psycho-erotic thriller dealing with alternate realities laced with gore and weird sexual fantasies. In spite of that - HELL NO. 1 DREI.

Mulholland Drive - Probably one of the few rare movies na pinagisip muna ko ng matindi bago ko nagets. It turns out I may have still been wrong about the movie. I was thinking it was about the whole idea of your "life flashing before your eyes" in a singular moment. I may be wrong, I may be right. The thing about this movie is the director did not clarify anything and just let the viewers endlessly speculate. 3.5 DREIs.



1 - DREIs: "Avoid Like The Plague" Why did we watch this in the first place? (i.e. Bangkok Dangerous, The Hottie and the Nottie, Scorpion King 2, etc..)



2 - DREIs: "Shite" No need to see this movie unless you have absolutely nothing else to do. Movies with high expectations but falls short on almost everything. (i.e. Righteous Kill, Max Payne, The Island, etc..)


3 - DREIs: "Okay" Good movies that could have been better. Usually gets half good reviews, and the other half so-so. The experience will also depend also on who is watching. (i.e. Clone Wars Animated, Fast and the Furious, The Devil Wears Prada, etc..)


4 - DREIs: "Great" Almost all facets of the movie were masterfully done. Great in almost all aspects. (i.e. 300, Dark Knight, Transformers, Slumdog Millionaire, etc..)


5 - DREIs: "Revolutionary" It will change the entire concept of filmmaking and how films are made from this point on. It will serve as the new gauge for movies of the same genre. (i.e. The Matrix, LOTR, The Godfather, etc..)

Wade Does One More Thing I Wish I Could Do

Dwyane Wade wins custody of sons

MIAMI -- When the Miami Heat ended practice Sunday, Dwyane Wade went home to his sons.

That will be a regular event going forward.

Ending a long and often-vengeful fight, a Chicago court has awarded Wade sole "care, custody and control" of his two sons. The boys arrived in Miami on Friday, shortly after the ruling was filed, and Wade told The Associated Press that "a huge weight is off my back." (more)

More Test Photo Blogging

My babies minus one

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Thirty-five Year Old Threshold

A doc friend once told us that smokers have an absolute threshold on when to quit smoking.

"Quit when you're 35, and by the time you reach 40, your lungs will be like a 19 year-old's."

It's under the premise that if you go beyond 35, your body will already be to old or weak to heal itself from smoking abuse.

So me and prof have been saying to ourselves, 35 cold turkey.. Cold turkey-five.. Cold 35. Let's do this.

(Here's to wishing that e-cigarette technology will be perfected by then...)

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Test Blogging from my Samsung Android

Test Blogging from my Samsung Android

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Pomplamoose - Another Day

Great music + Nataly Dawn's eyes.

End Of Planets

Lately, my 5-year old has been trying to put her mind around the fact that our planet and to an extent the entire universe will inevitably die or cease to exist. She calls it "the end of all planets."
I asked her where she got the idea and she told me it came from nowhere and that she suddenly got curious about life on planets ending. I didn't buy it. No 5-year old thinks about this stuff. She probably got the idea from a movie or a TV show or something and it just brewed in her little mind Inception-style.
Anyway, for a couple of days now, she has been asking me curious things like: "Daddy when will it happen?" and "How will it happen?" and even questions like "What will we do when the end of planets is here?" (She even asked if the same thing will happen on Pandora and what will Jake and the Na'vi do about it.) You can feel that she's really unsettled by these thoughts. Well the sweet thing about it is that her somewhat fidgety mind came from the fact that she is scared for her family. "I am scared kasi eh, I don't know what will happen to us and what will happen to Sooz." (Sooz or Suzie is her one-year old little sister.)
It is difficult to answer these questions in the way that a five-year old mind will understand. I was tempted to just tell her "Don't worry about it. It won't happen for a long time." But the scientist in me urged me to explain this to her as best as I could. It was like accepting a challenge and I obliged. However, it is particularly difficult to explain all of these with a sense of time on when it will happen. The entire universe has been in existence for around 13.7 billion years. So barring any nuclear holocausts, killer meteors, or zombie infestations, I think human life can exist for at least another 13.7 billion years (it may or may not be on another planet) given that cosmologists still consider our universe to be a young universe. It may take at least that time for the universe to stop expanding and collapse again on itself. That is almost FOURTEEN BILLION YEARS. It's no googleplex, but can a child even grasp that number?
So in the simplest of terms, I told her that, yes, the universe will die of natural causes, and that this will not happen for a very long time. A very long time in fact that everyone you know right now will have gotten old and their children would have children, and their children will have children, and so on. I told her not to be scared because everyone you know would have lived long and fulfilling lives.
After my explanation (she may have understood most of it, she may have not), she just told me "Daddy, I hope it doesn't happen in the night para we're prepared." Yep, this is my daughter. And I am her silly over thinking father.

It's Not A Beautiful Day

This too shall pass.

Endure.

It's A Beautiful Day

The Great Conundrum

My affinity for numbers, time, space and everything in between have always led me to believe that man's conundrum wasn't really Science vs. Religion but rather Mathematics vs. Religion. Math as the real nemesis of Religion with mathematics (being the so-called universal language) as the great unifier and religion as the great divider.
As I think of this, my thoughts turn to quantum theories and cosmology - in the vicinity of a Black Hole, once past the event horizon, traditional ideas of time and space skew and warp exponentially to an almost incomprehensible level. However, to an extent, everything is still mathematically calculable even with the enormous rate of change. But that is only to an extent.
There is a point within a black hole called the Singularity, conventionally thought of as being in the middle of it, where the black hole begins (or ends, depending on your school of thought). It is at this point where all known mathematical formulas fail, certainty no longer exists, even probability as a concept is questionable, the normal is abnormal or is both, truth and fallacy exist at the same time. In essence, at this singularity, everything is unexplainable.
Some mathematicians believe that we should think of it as beyond the human brain's comprehension (or a hardware limitation for that matter) and that we were not meant to understand it in the first place.
Perhaps, this is where religion and faith parallels itself with the credence of the universal acceptance of mathematics. There is always a point where understanding something is not a prerequisite of its existence.
Perhaps.

And So It Ends. And So It Begins.

"And so it ends. And so it begins." - Ira Winderman

And So It Ends

Notes on the 1st-round ouster of the Heat:
1. Down 0-3 was such a big hole. That Game 3 Paul Pierce buzzer beater was a heartbreaker.
2. I really thought Wade could do this. But it seemed his whole season was epitomized by a desperation 3 with the game tied and lots of time left on the last possession of their ultimately last home game - he really did not get to the hole that much.
3. No one on the roster did get to the hole that much. To Boston's credit, their defense made the Heat a jump-shooting team and forced a lot of turnovers. Not an easy thing to do since the Heat are 2nd in the entire league in taking care of the ball during the entire regular season.
4. The thing that struck me most about this series was how much Kednrick "Perpetually-Pissed" Perkins and Glen "Ticket Stub" Davis outplayed JO, UD and Beasley. Really. Think about that for a moment.
5. Buti na lang Rasheed Wallace was playing for the Celtics, kung hinde, baka na-sweep pa ang Miami.
6. Buti naka isa (Game 4). At least, hindi na sweep.
7. With Miami out, who do I root for now in the East? Orlando? Cleveland? Ah alam ko na. The SPURS.


Ans So It Begins

So now the anticipation of Heat fans shifts to the offseason. No one really has any idea how this summer is going to turn out for this franchise. I'm reading really good articles regading how much more cap space the Heat will have over other teams. That Miami can sign 2 superstars and another all-star caliber player.
Yes, Lebron is the holy grail of free agents. But no one is really pegging him to leave Cleveland. Why would he? He's been there all his life and he has a winning team. So if the probable happens, and Lebron stays with Cleveland, I just hope that Riley signs the next best FA - Chris Bosh.
My personal FA priorities in order (no Bron) - Bosh, Boozer, Stoudemire. I really don't have anything good to say about Amare Stoudemire's defense. Be it post or help. In fact, he rarely plays it, that he's not just a liability, he's a weakness. Boozer, on the other hand, can only play the 4 but would be a much better fit, I think, with Miami's offensive and defensive strategies. Bosh meanwhile will be the best 1-2 punch partner to Wade not named Lebron. He can slide from 4 to 5 and will be the next celebrated big man in Pat Riley's history - from Kareem, Ewing, Mourning, to Shaq. I know that's a huge list, but Bosh will have that potential in Miami.
Here's hoping for the best. I have to say this again - In Riles we trust.

Win or Go Home Time

Notes at the end of the regular season:
1. Twelve games above 500 for Miami - way better than I expected.
2. Dwyane Wade's career FG% dropped a little this season, and at times seemed to be coasting on both O and D. But, you can't deny his greatness with almost single-handedly keeping Miami at the 5th spot.
3. This was supposed to be Michael Beasley's year. He showed flashes of offensive brilliance but never showed any grit or determination like Haslem. Come to think of it, if they can get an all-star caliber PG, PF or C for him - Miami should JUMP on it. Immediately.
3.a. On a side note regarding Beasley - his potential seemingly decreases as his NBA career advances: From draft day potential to current/realistic potential - from Shawn Kemp (Sonics) to Carmelo Anthony (offense only) to Glen "Big Dog" Robinson (Bucks) to Chris Gatling (Nets) to Corliss Williamson (Detroit/Kings) to Matt Freakin Bonner.
4. D-Wright is a good kid. He just makes bad decisions - DUI and the "sex" scandal. Can't believe he's known as mister-5-inches now. Ouch.
5. JO has been better than expected, I just hope his knees hold up in the playoffs.
6. If Wade is the absolute priority this offseason, an all-star PF/C should be next and resigning Haslem should be a very, very close third. Yes, he is that important.
7. The Rafer Alston experiment ended at the right time. Carlos Arroyo seemed to be real professional with the way his minutes were handled and how he proved to be a natural leader this side of Wade. I still believe in Mario Chalmers - even more so than Beasley, think about that for a second.
8. Strong way to end the season. Boston in Round 1. (I wanted Boston instead of ATL in the first round - I felt Wade and co. had a better chance with them old guys than Smoove and Crawford in a seven game series)
9. Seven games in Round 1 and the season will be a success. Reach the second round and Miami exceeds all expectations.
10. Playoffs, baby!

League-wide notes:
1. I can't believe a team as dysfunctional as Chicago made the playoffs. Sure they caught a few breaks towards the end of the regular season (Jamison elbow to Bosh face), but it just goes to show you Rose's brilliance and Noah's heart.
2. The Cavs are GOOD. Hopefully they don't win it all this year so Miami has a window for Lebron. Blech. I know, never gonna happen. I can dream, right.
3. The Spurs won 50 games, yep. But no one is really counting on them to win the championship much less reach the WCF. Duncan and the Spurs are my second favorite team. Although looking at Duncan, it seems that age has caught up to the best power forward to ever play the game. Hopefully he still has a few more productive years left and they make a splash at this year's playoffs.
4. I honestly believe that Gilbert Arenas is one stupid-@$$ mo-fo. Probably thought he could get away with it.
5. Kawawa ka naman, Greg Oden. Na-injure ka na, nagka scandal ka pa. Actually, dein. Hindi ka pala kawawa. "Anlaki" mong tao eh. Mas kawawa si Dorell "Mr. 5-Inches" Wright.

My Picks:

Regular Season MVP (in order)
1 - Lebron James
2 - Kevin Durant
3 - Dwyane Wade
4 - Dwight Howard
5 - Matt Bonner

DPOY - Dwight Howard
ROY - Tyreke Evans
COY - Scott Brooks
MIP - David Lee

All-NBA 1st:
D. Wade
K. Byrant
K. Durant
L. James
D. Howard

All-NBA 2nd:
S. Nash
J. Johnson
C. Anthony
D. Nowitzki
A. Bogut

All-NBA 3rd:
-wag na-

All-NBA Defense:
R. Rondo
D. Wade
G. Wallace
L. James
D. Howard