Five Reasons to Adore Mission Impossible 4

- Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. He reprises his role effortlessly, as effortlessly as he escapes through the maximum security prison cell in the first scene of the movie. Cruise in MI series is definitely the best rival of Daniel Craig 007 for the title of the most suave and gorgeous action star of 21st century Hollywood. If Daniel Craig had his extraordinary moments of composed physical eloquence in Bond movies of late, Cruise cruises with his deft and nimble physical prowess and unparalleled charm. At 50, Ethan in MI4 moves, shakes and rattles the whole police force of Moscow and hums all along the steep walls of Al Burj Dubai, making the audience mesmerized as to how at 50, someone can look and stunt that good!

- The script, which is very tight and multilayered as a fine tuxedo. The movie moves from Moscow, to Dubai and finally to Mumbai and all the while, action sequences, smart dialogues, brilliant suspense sequences and realistic characterizations make the action more believable for mature audiences, a forte which Bond movies have being cashing in of late.

- The dangerous stunts performed by the actors, especially Cruise. The free solo climbing with battery charged gloves with the approaching dust storm, or the combat sequences in an Indian car manufacturing plant with the arch villain Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), even the martial art techniques of Ethan's attractive sidekick Jane Carter (Paula Patton)

- Paula Patton as Jane Carter. A new find indeed, she sizzles with her curves and personality. Stealthy, sharp, smooth, seductive and compassionate, she fits the role of a capable IMF agent pruning the loose ends left by Ethan in his feverish quest to hunt down Hendricks and his NY nuking plans.

- The gadgets yet again, putting gadget creator Q of James Bond to shame. Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) dishing out some mind-blowing gadgets which walk the thin red line between the weirdly unbelievable plasma guns of Men in Black and the boringly un-fascinating concoctions from Discovery Science Channel. Starting from the invisible 3D screen which mirrors a video image, or the trademark Mission Impossible face masks, to the battery operated gloves clinging Ethan precariously over the breathtaking Burj Dubai and the retinal camera of William Brandt ( Jeremy Renner) relaying visual information to Dunn's Macbook.

The gadgets are more stunning and subtle, the stunts are more unbelievable, the story is intricate and extensive without being rushed, and Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt carries the Mission Impossible franchise to yet another lofty milestone, leaving behind a trail of spectacular action in Moscow, Dubai and finally Mumbai, India. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

At World's End Review

Jack Sparrow's back! Along with his nemesis Hector barbossa, and the love couple Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner. These characters provide both plenty of humor that is worth sitting back in your recliner and crack up the pop corn.

At World's End does not really have a complicated plot. Thanks to James Norrington's treachery in Dead Man's Chest, the world of piracy finds itself in danger due to Lord Cutler Beckett's possession of Davy Jones's heart. With Jones and the Flying Dutchman under his control, Beckett has the power to rid the seas of pirates and ensure that the British Crown, the East India Trading Company and himself will have control of the world's seas.

The recently resurrected Barbossa seemed to feel that the only way to stop Beckett is to summon the nine pirate lords of the Brethren Court. Both he and the recently deceased Jack Sparrow happened to be part of the Brethren Court. Because Jack had failed to name a successor, Barbossa needs Jack alive to take part in the meeting of the pirate lords.

Will, who had witnessed a kiss between Elizabeth and Jack in Dead Man's Chest, wants Jack alive for two reasons: he believes that Elizabeth is in love with Jack and he needs the Black Pearl to catch up with the Flying Dutchman. Elizabeth wants to bring Jack back to ease her guilt for luring the him to his death in the last film.

Tia Dalma, the Vodoun priestess who had resurrected Barbossa needs both the latter and Jack for the "pieces of nine" that represent their positions as pirate lords. Those same pieces of nine could free Dalma from her bodily prison, enabling to become her true identity, the goddess Calypso.

There is a lot of double-crossing and backstabbing in this sequel, due to the needs of the main characters, especially by Jack, Will and Barbossa. Another pirate lord, Sao Feng gets into the act because he wants revenge against Jack for sleeping with his female steam pullers, and to ensure his survival against Beckett's purge.

The cast was exceptional as always. What can one say about Johnny Depp? His performance in this movie seemed even better than in the second film. I especially enjoyed three moments by Jonny Depp, his multifaceted performance of the many aspects of Jack's personality in the Locker and his look of horror when Jones managed to fatally stab Will. I had no idea that dear old Jack truly cared about Will.

I feel that the movie truly belonged to the lovers Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley (Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann). The pair's characters and performances really amazed me. Instead of the naïve and sweet lovers they had portrayed in the first film, the pair had become more complex. It seemed interesting to watch these two deals with each other's insecurities and mistaken beliefs. They actually seemed like a real couple.. Most of the movie critics have praised Knightley for her performance. I do believe that Bloom deserved some of that praise, as well. But because he is a major teen idol, the critics have seemed fit to either ignore him or make insulting comments about his acting.

The movie has its flaws, specially the handling of the Flying Dutchman curse and James Norrington's character. But I must admit that I was surprised that I managed to enjoy it a lot. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan Rises to the Occasion!

Christopher Nolan has made all Batman fans worldwide very happy, but most of all proud. Comic book fans are a very dedicated and loyal crew. They want to boast and beat their chests with pride and need the world to know just how badass Batman truly is. Batman is not the colorful Spider-Man who dances around like Tobey Maguire. Batman is dark and twisted constantly at war with Gotham city.

What if you were 8 years old, your parents take you out to a movie and some loser thug named Joe Chill kills your parents, right in front of you? Would you not be cold, distant, and perhaps even odd? Christopher Nolan has done a fantastic job telling the story as it should be told. "The Legend Ends" on July 20th, but Christopher Nolan has ensured his Dark Knight will live on for a very long time.

Bane: "The Man Who Broke the Bat"

"When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die. "- Bane, speaking to Batman

Who is Bane? Bane is that guy who was born and raised in prison. He is that guy who broke Bruce Wayne's spinal cord. He is a smart and physical freak who has been fighting to survive his entire life.

In Batman The Dark Knight, we witnessed Heath Ledger transform The Joker into the villain we all knew and wanted to see for so long from the comic books.

The question is can Tom Hardy bring Bane to life like Heath Ledger did with The Joker? All signs point to yes, and we can tell from the trailer that Bane is no stranger to death and destruction. Tom Hardy himself described Bane as an absolute terrorist. If he can make that transition on screen, get your popcorn ready! It is sure to be one hell of a ride! Batman The Dark Knight Rises is set to end on a high note. This movie will be the masterpiece to end an already proven and brilliant franchise.

Batman The Dark Knight Rises Cast and Crew

Christian Bale is back for his final Batman movie. He said earlier in an interview that this will be his final movie wearing the Batman costume. Gary Oldman is also returning to play Jim Gordon. Then you have Michael Caine playing Alfred, and Morgan Freeman playing Lucius Fox. The new members for this final installment is Anne Hathaway, who takes on the infamous role of Selina Kyle. For those that don't know that name, you might know her famous alter-ego of Catwoman.

Anne Hathaway gets plenty of screentime in the trailer and is sure to be a hit. Christopher Nolan also adds Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard, who were both in his huge hit Inception. Overall the cast stays the same, lined with star power and an enormous amount of talent. Of course you have Liam Neeson and the above mentioned Tom Hardy.

O and did I mention Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward and many other NFL Pittsburgh Steelers all make their movie debut! With the new additions this is sure to be nothing less than a blockbuster.

Batman The Dark Knight Rises into Box Office Gold!

Batman Begins, which was released back in 2005 pulled in $372,710,015 Worldwide!

Batman The Dark Knight was released in 2008 and is one of the top ten biggest grossing movies of all time! It pulled in a worldwide total of $1,001,921,825. This new and final installment, Batman The Dark Knight Rises is set to break records once again! It has an estimated budget of $250 million, up from the estimated budget of $185 million from Batman The Dark Knight. I think it is safe to say this Batman will rise right into the record books! Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Vampire Diaries: More Than Just a Fantasy

For movie enthusiasts, the Twilight series is one of the most popular fantasy movies in recent times with its introduction of romance between a vampire and a human. It's not exactly an original concept but the author added some extra features like how vampires sparkle and also the concept of a love triangle with a werewolf. Just like in movies, TV shows have its fair share of popular fantasy shows such as True Blood, The Walking Dead and Smallville. One TV show that aims to be another memorable show is the CW's "The Vampire Diaries".

Vampire Diaries follows the story of a girl, Elena, torn between her romance for two vampires who happens to be brothers. Looking at that plot alone, people may judge it as a copycat of other several vampire stories. While it may not be that original in terms of its concept, the show makes up for it in their storylines and subplots. It doesn't exactly focus on the trivial facts about vampires but on the relationship of every character, especially the main character, who finds out she is a descendant of another vampire and whose life has changed when the people around her has been affected by the presence of the vampires. Elena, played by Nina Dobrev, finds herself in the company of Stefan and Damon who tries to capture her heart. But the decision is not easy to make for her as she has fallen in love with both of them. The other characters in the show have also captured the interest of the viewers with their own storylines which are in some way connected to each other in the greater side of things. One of Elena's best friends, Bonnie is a witch who grew up under the care of her grandma and another one of her friend is Caroline who was turned by a vampire and fell in love with a werewolf, Tyler, who happens to be one of their friends. We have seen these characters grow throughout the show's run especially when Bonnie strives to have more power as a witch and finds out about her mother is alive all these years. We also see Caroline's maturity as she makes her transition from a human to a vampire. We see how she struggled with helping her boyfriend turn to a werewolf and try to keep their relationship even if vampires and werewolves were not supposed to be together. Elena also has her own set of problems especially in dealing with her parent's death and the added responsibility of taking care of her brother whom she only has left after their guardian passed away.

One of the major reasons why this show continues to keep viewers watching is that it incorporates real life problems and situations into the show. Most people like to watch drama and this show has plenty of it. There's romance, betrayal, action and a hint of humor to mix it up a bit. While this show might have vampires and other supernatural beings as the main cast of the show, it is something that humans have enjoyed in their TV viewing. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Amazonas Film Festival Earning Recognition

While the Cannes and Sundance Film festivals may both be well known, they are certainly not the only festivals dedicated to the screening of new flicks. The Amazonas Film Festival, now in its ninth year, is rapidly gaining attention. The festival is held in Manaus, Brazil, each year in early November and features award-winning movies from around the world. Screenings for the festival take place at the spectacular Teatro Amazonas. This Belle-Époque opera house served as the inspiration for the epic film by Werner Herzog, "Fitzcarraldo."

The opening night of the festival featured "Colegas," a Brazilian film. The film was penned and directed by Marcelo Galvao and illustrates a poetic view of life from the viewpoint of three people with Down syndrome. In total, more than thirty films will compete in the festival. Each of the movies will be competing for the prestigious Flight Over the Jungle award and will compete in several different sections. Those sections include a competition for short films produced in the Amazonas, an international feature competition, a Brazilian short film competition, and a screenwriting competition. The film that garners top honors at the 2012 festival will receive a cash prize.

Eight films were submitted to compete in the International Feature Competition category. The films hail from a diverse array of countries. The American feature "Compliance" is one of the films submitted for this category. Another submission is the Danish movie "Teddy Bear."

Much like the movies submitted to compete in the festival, the list of jurors chosen is also quite diverse and includes Romanian film producer and director Tudor Giurgiu, Brazilian screenwriter and director Sergio Machado, Argentinian actress Eva Bianco, and Brazilian actor Leonardo Medeiros. The President of Honor for the 2012 Amazonas Film Festival is Zelito Vianna. In addition to screening Vianna's film "Villa-Lobos: A Life of Passion," the festival also pays tribute to the bi-centennial anniversary of the Palme d'Or that was won by the Brazilian film "The Prayer of Promises." In 1962, the film became the first and only film to date to win the award. The film was also the first film from South America to receive a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The weeklong film festival serves as a gathering for movie industry insiders, filmmakers, journalists, and cinema enthusiasts from Brazil and from the rest of the world. The spectacular Amazonian rainforest serves as the backdrop for the festival. A number of initiatives have been instituted by the festival to educate local audiences about the film industry. Such initiatives have included screenings at hospitals, bus stops, community centers, and even remote villages situated along the Rio Negro River.

Films that score top awards in the festival can ultimately mean significant amounts of money for filmmakers and the opportunity to succeed in the Brazilian film industry as well as on an international level.

One of those films vying for a top prize is "Jonathas' Forest." The film is directed by Sergio Andrade, a native of Manaus, and is set apart by a divergence from the magical realism that is typically a centerpiece of many Latin American films. At the same time, the film still manages to invoke a transformative atmosphere that affects outsiders as well as Amazonas natives.

Director Craig Zobel's film "Compliance" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Since that time, the film has managed to create no small amount of controversy in the theatrical and festival worlds. It was released in the United States by Magnolia. Another film to appear at the Amazonas Film Festival is "The Zebra." Fernando Javier Leon Rodriguez scored an award for the Best First Feature film for his work in this movie. Another contender includes "The Angels' Share" by Ken Loach. The film focuses on a band of Scottish loners who make the decision to work together in order to accomplish a whiskey heist. Following the premiere of the film at Cannes, rights to the movie were procured by Sundance Selects.

While "The Other Son" is certainly not a blockbuster film, it has received plenty of positive reviews. This film by Lorraine Levy tells the story of an Israeli boy and a Palestinian boy who are swapped at birth. The Danish film "Teddy Bear" by Mads Matthiesen centers around the tale of a bodybuilder. It has already received plenty of acclaim, including the World Cinema Directing award at Sundance.

The Amazonas Film Festival has become the premiere centerpiece for South American films. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

The Evolution Will Be Televised: 60 Years Later And We're Still Watching TV

It's impossible to explain to our children just how much the world has truly changed since you or I were kids. They experience movies and radio with only the most peripheral of differences than we did - most of which involve cosmetic improvements and frequency of access. Television, however, has made phenomenal leaps and bounds. It's as if we were driving horse and buggies while they've been handed flying cars.

During its prime, the television - feared by many as the device that would put an end to the need for radio - was a financial investment tantamount to buying a house, a vehicle, or kitchen appliance. It wasn't just an LCD or plasma screen propped up on a bookshelf like a photograph in a frame. It was a massive piece of furniture. Called a television 'set', it contained elements borrowed from radio systems for audio, a small electric motor, a spinning disc, a group of glass tubes to convert power, a gelatin-based vacuum tube to project an image, and a wooden cabinet to house it in. Over time record players and actual radios were added to the cabinet which constituted the first self-contained entertainment 'unit'.

It was Lo-Fi mono audio, the pictures were in black and white, and you required an antenna to 'catch' broadcast signals from the local network carriers - up to 12 of them (the #1 on the television's manual 'dial' was for emergency broadcasts only). There was no remote control. That dial had to be cranked by hand and a list of TV shows was printed in a book you bought at the supermarket every week called a 'TV Guide'. The networks would start broadcasting at 6 AM and 'sign-off' at midnight following the evening news. They'd go dark after the performance of a canned version of the national anthem before being replaced by a test pattern - featuring the feathered head of a politically incorrect drawing of a Native North American. Though television now can still be a major financial consideration, it's because the TV is the size of a sheet of GypRoc and is mounted on your wall like artwork. It's a precision device projecting thousands of pixels per square inch in 4,000,000 colours with up to 7.1 surround sound audio and high definition visuals streamed into your house through a cable no thicker than a piece of licorice. No more antennas. No more manual dialing through 500 channels instead of 12. Television networks rarely ever go off the air - it cost them too much money to be dark from midnight to 6AM. Television is now 24 hours/365 days of the year. And, yet, there's less on TV now than when I was growing up. Certainly less quality entertainment at any rate.

Because there was less airtime - most certainly for children who attended school - we were limited to an hour or so before heading out in the morning and after school was broken up between home-work, playing outside until dinner, and playing outside until dark. We really only watched TV for less than three hours on a weekday. When you include the time spent doing same on weekends between the times Mom and Dad had other plans for us cleaning our rooms, playing board games, shopping, visiting family, we may have only caught TV a few more hours Saturday or Sunday. And according to the good folks at 'Morals R Us' these hours were eating our brains.

They may have been right. When I add up the hours of television available to me they seem disproportionate to the unending number of things I remember watching. School days started with a kids' variety program called 'Rocket Ship 7' hosted by Dave Thomas out of WKBW-TV in Buffalo (interesting trivia note: he is the father of 'Angel'/'Bones' TV actor David Boreanaz). Like similar shows being broadcast in that era on stations all across North America, the show featured skits, birthday greetings, puppets, a talking robot, and the latest, cheaply licensed kids fair. We watched the Christian-based 'Davy & Goliath' and 'Gumby' stop motion animation shows, Looney Tunes, Merry Melodies, 'Popeye', 'The World of Oz' and occasionally 'The Three Stooges' and 'Little Rascals' shorts.

When we came home for lunch it was a revolving world on either CHCH (out of Hamilton) or CTV (out of Toronto). I recall catching 'The Flintstones', 'Rocket Robin Hood' and any number of Canadian made game shows starring host Jim Perry - most notably 'Eye Bet' and 'Definition' - as well as a Canadian children's variety show called 'The Uncle Bobby Show' featuring a cardigan wearing old Brit. After school there was a juggling act of homework, outdoor activities or watching another children's variety show called 'Commander Tom' which was the afternoon version of 'Rocket Ship 7' featuring most of the same shows though they also included longer programming with 'The Addams Family', 'The Munsters' and 'Batman'.

Saturdays were a barnstorm of Hanna-Barbara cartoons and live-action children's shows like 'Scooby-Doo', 'Hilarious House of Frightenstein', 'H.R. Puffenstuff', 'Liddyville', 'Get Smart', 'The Hudson Brothers' Razzle Dazzle Show', 'The Powder Puff Derby', 'The Monkees', 'Gidget', 'The Brady Bunch', 'Gilligan's Island', 'The Wacky Races', and more Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies than we could ingest.

Evenings brought us sitcoms and dramas: 'Party Game', 'Mary Tyler Moore', 'The Carol Burnett Show', 'The Trouble With Tracy', 'Starsky & Hutch', 'Love Boat', 'Sanford & Sons', 'All In The Family', 'Love American Style', 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', 'Bewitched', 'The Dean Martin Roast', 'Streets of San Francisco', and, of course the national standard - 'Hockey Night In Canada' on Saturday nights. Sunday was a bit of a drag with mornings filled with religious programming but we usually caught the weekly 'Movie For A Sunday Afternoon', 'The Wonderful World of Disney', and 'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom'.

Today, TV's need to fill 24 hours worth of programming - paid or created - means an assembly line of reality based shows, repeats of expensive dramas and syndicated shows from our near past (rather than our distant past... something we have to pay extra for on another set of cable channels). I love having more choices now, but I hunger for the shows that defined my childhood - even if some of them were cheesy as hell and barely hold up to repeat viewings.

But I don't yearn for them - only the way they made me feel. I still watch television as a respite from writing and dealing with the maddening battle to make a living as a hungry parasite on the back of the entertainment juggernaut. There are still good shows out there depending on your tastes. My current favourites are a mixed bag of sci-fi, sitcoms and reality shows:

1) Mike & Molly
Premise: Two middle class working stiffs - a school teacher played by Melissa McCarthy ('Bridesmaids') and a Chicago patrol cop played by stand-up comedian Billy Gardell - find each other at an over-eaters anonymous meeting where they soon realize they're too set in their ways to ever stop eating and decide to make the best of it together.

McCarthy and Gardell have great chemistry together as his oafish character completely misunderstands every situation which leads to some socially awkward encounters. It's 'King of Queens' without the angst. There's also a little bit of Honeymooners magic in this one as Gardell and his cop sidekick Carl, played by Reno Wilson, spend their time plotting one ridiculous idea after the other in an effort to get Wilson's character a date - without him screwing it up because he's a self-centred, loudmouthed Mama's boy that lives with his grandmother. This past season Mike & Molly were planning a wedding while Carl falls in love with an opthomologist played by Holly Robinson Peete (ex-21 Jump Street). The supporting cast of regulars is outstanding - especially Molly's over-sexed, widowed, party-packing mother played by Swoosie Kurtz, the local Rastafarian restaurant owner that Mike & Carl take advantage of every episode played by Nyambi Nyambi, and Mike's bigoted, self-loathing divorced mother played by the brilliant Rondi Reed (the therapist on 'Roseanne'). Light-hearted and giggle funny all around.

2) Two And A Half-Men 2.0
Premise: Ashton Kutcher's billionaire software developing Playboy philanthropist takes over Charlie Sheen's former haunt as the headmaster of a beach-front hedonism house still occupied by the free-loading Alan Harper played by the ubiquitous Jon Cryer and his idiot savant son Jake played by Angus T. Jones.

This reboot of the series - about to roll into its 10th season - should have died on the operating table when Chuck Lorre excised the tumour that was Charlie Sheen and had his character killed in the show. But something magical has happened. This is a quieter and gentler "Two And A Half Men". Where Cryer and Sheen had worked in tandem to pump up each week's level of debauchery, humiliation and gross outs, Kutcher plays it straight as a level headed businessman trying to navigate his way around a new relationship with a divorcee while his ex-wife attempts to both destroy his billion dollar company and his manhood. Cryer's character, meanwhile, spends every waking hour trying to stay relevant enough that Kutcher doesn't boot him out of the house and onto the street. There's enough of the old show still in check as Cryer continues to winnow on about being regular, masturbating, and dealing with his mother - still played with Cruella DeVille aplomb by Holland Taylor - who has just entered into a new senior citizen phase of her life as the lesbian lover of Georgia Engel (of 'Mary Tyler Moore' fame). No more prostitutes and parties for this show. Just First World problems for the crew from here on in.

3) Continuum
Premise: North America has become incorporated as big business takes over the running of government. In 2076 a civilian terrorist organization begins assassinating key players in this new world order. After being caught and sentenced to an execution, they manage a remarkable escape - 60 years into the past. Their plan is to begin dismantling the future by preventing it in the past. Alas, a fly in their ointment is a bulldog by-the-book cop played by Rachel Nichols ('Star Trek' the reboot; 'Amityville Horror' the reboot) who gets dragged into the time machine against her will and must now track down the terrorists and bring them to justice.

This is 'The Sarah Connor Chronicles' gone sideways. Nichols' character, Keira, is a fish deeply out of water and her only allies in this Brave Old World are another detective - played by the brooding hunk Victor Webster - and a 17 year old kid (played by teen sensation Erik Knudson) who built the network infrastructure and technology that would one day run the world from which Keira has just been torn from. She has lost her family and still has to find the strength to bring these criminals to their knees. But things are not as black and white as they seem. We're two episodes in and tension is mounting as the lines are becoming blurry as to whether Keira's fighting on the right side or the wrong side of the terrorist cause. Only time will tell. Bonus points for the show being set and identified as Vancouver in the show; a time traveling cop show that's not set in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. Yay! The city's locale also takes great advantage of casting availability as many former 'Stargate' alumni co-star including Lexa Doig and Tony Amandola (appearing at the Polaris convention in Toronto this summer) plus former X-Files 'Cancer Man' William B. Davis as the 'future' version of Erik Knudson's Alec Sadler.

4) Last Man Standing
Premise: "Home Improvement" gets a 21st Century facelift as Tim Allen moves from Wisconsin to Colorado, runs a sporting goods store instead of a TV show, and has to raise three daughters instead of three sons.

Not much new territory for Allen as he continues his reign as the king of backyard, hot-rod loving cavemen. However, the ensemble cast makes the difference here with Nancy Travis ("So I Married An Axe Murderer") playing Allen's better half and the three daughters giving him obvious amounts of comedic grief. He tones down the stupid-husband premise (though he does crush a boat with a Sherman Tank in one episode) and becomes straight-man for the funny subplots with his family and co-workers. The show did an unprecedented 24 episodes in its first season and has been renewed for a second season. He's doing something right here, kids.

5) Two Broke Girls
Premise: A low-income waitress named Max (played by Kat Dennings) living in Brooklyn, New York befriends a fallen heiress named Caroline (played by Beth Behrs) whose father has lost the family fortune after his failed Bernie Madoff-like Ponzi scheme lands him in jail - and her with nothing but the clothes on her back and her favourite horse to show for it. The two become roommates and co-workers at a local restaurant but they dream of rising above their own poverty by starting a cupcake making business (you can't make this stuff up!)

Believe it or not this is a clever and witty 'buddy' show from the mind of failed comedienne Whitney Cummings (don't believe me? Just watch her own self-titled sitcom). The show is driven by the two lead actresses who act as a female version of The Odd Couple. Dennings' Max plays up the self-loathing, down-on-her luck underclass 'broad' while Behr's Caroline plays less Paris Hilton and more Reese Witherspoon's character in Legally Blonde. Max firmly believes her station in life will always be a lowly waitress while Caroline, who has tasted success, believes her business smarts and Max's cupcake making prowess will lead them out of the shadows of squalor. They attempt to co-exist in their obviously different approaches to life and hijinx ensue. The supporting cast is truly negligible as these young ladies steal every scene - except when the horse is on screen. Best line of the show so far from Max: "Hey, Equestrian Barbie... your horse has done the impossible. It smells worse than Brooklyn".

6) Saving Hope
Premise: An upwardly mobile surgeon - played by Michael Shanks (Stargate; and husband of Lexa Doig seen in 'Continuum') - and his soon-to-be surgeon wife played by Erica Durance (Smallville) find themselves caught in a life or death struggle as Shanks' Charlie Harris suffers a brain trauma in a car accident. As he sinks into a coma he finds himself having an out of body experience observing the hospital patrons as a third party. Shanks narrates the show as he watches the daily drama in the hospital and must also watch Durance's Alex Reid respond and cope with the possibility of losing her life partner while still having to keep her shit together so she can do her job. The staff, including an ex-boyfriend, rally around her. This might turn out to be the most awkward love triangle since "Ghost". It'll be interesting to see how this show can maintain premise's momentum before having to either kill Dr. Harris or revive him so that he can do the ghost whisperer thing from there on.

Returning shows:

7) Big Bang Theory - a group of nerdy friends, and a hot non-geek next door neighbour try to navigate the world of social interaction. Still one of the most intelligent sitcoms on TV. Bravo to Chuck Lorre for stunt casting his old 'Roseanne' acting buddies AND shoe-horning geek celebrities into the weekly plots. With Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: Next Generation) as a semi-regular there are plot possibilities galore [how about having him take Penny on a date... leaving Leonard in a jealous funk? Thereby putting Sheldon's new found friendship with Wheaton at jeopardy]. Adding the ladies to the plot has also been a welcome relief as there are only so many 'Babylon 5' jokes one can take (or even understand). But, Chuck... you gotta address the broken elevator in the apartment building. Why not make the celebrity guests pose as an elevator repairman every now and then? It worked for 'Frasier's weekly talk show callers...

8) Pawn Stars - Rick Harrison, Corey, the Old Man and Chumlee The Idiot run a Vegas pawn shop. You could not script a better 'reality show' than this redneck three ring circus set on the Vegas strip; People selling useless shit for cash and a dysfunctional family trying to deal with their own fame. It's television gold and makes the Antiques Roadshow... well... British and boring. Don't miss the spin-off show 'American Restoration' featuring one of the Pawn Star regulars. It's less of a soap opera, but the pop culture antiques that are rebuilt and brought back to life is the payoff at the end of every show.

9) Auction Hunters - forget Storage Wars, Storage Hunters, Pawnathon, American Pickers or Canadian Pickers. Those are all small potatoes. It's any wonder the people on them are even in business given how excited they get over finding things that only yield $100 or $200 margins after sale. The Auction Hunters duo has no time for penny ante crap. They're going to storage auctions and buying big ticket items: boats, tanks, cars, weapons, you name it. The best was the shark cage they found - which, upon demonstrating it to a potential buyer - plunged to the bottom of the ocean when it hit the water. A $15,000 deal turned into $500 worth of scrap metal. Their hauls usually net them tens of thousands in profits and sometimes they LOSE thousands. That's some reality show 'drama' I can get behind.

10) Hollywood Treasures - here's the ultimate in geek porn. Collectibles movie fan and self-made millionaire Joe Maddelena takes us on a pop culture safari every week in search of people who want to sell off their movie and television memorabillia usually in the form of props, costumes, vehicles and in the most recent episode: the entire District 12 village used in 'Hunger Games'. Joe and his team track down the most iconic of these objects, authenticate them then either buy them directly off the owners at bargain basement prices in cash or convince the owners to place them in auctions from which Maddelena's company get a percentage of the profit.

Episodes have featured the original Panavision camera George Lucas used to film the original Star Wars ($550,000), the cane that Jim Carrey used in 'Batman & Robin' ($12,500) and the Judy Garland ruby slippers used in The Wizard of Oz for close-ups ($2,000,000). Maddelena also hustled the on-screen stunt version of Bumble Bee, the Camero from 'Transformers' from a junkyard for $20,000 and turned it over to a collector for $40,000 cash. Check this out when it's on - not just eye candy, but some pretty cool behind-the-scenes trivia about the objects and their origins as well.

Though I miss the simplicity of TV from yesteryear, I do not miss the reruns - even if shows did have longer seasonal runs (usually 21 to 24 shows on average). To that end, modern TV viewing allows us the chance to PVR and watch at our leisure and many cable networks are finally learning that firing up new brands during the summer is proving to be a smart idea. I'll report back soon with more new series highlights as the summer TV season gears up. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.