Last night, 9 seasons of How I Met Your Mother culminated in an hour long series finale. The episode began with Ted Mosby still never having even laid eyes on the titular mother, so I went into already concerned. How were they going to give me all of the moments that I wanted to see between Ted and the mother? It just wasn’t possible.
SPOILERS FOLLOW: My worst fears were realized.
Bummer #1) After a season of Barney and Robin’s wedding, we find out that 3 years later they got a divorce.
Bummer #2) Robin gets too preoccupied with her job and basically never sees the gang anymore, breaking Lily’s heart (and mine).
Bummer #3) The mother dies. Yeah, you read that right. On a show called How I Met Your freaking Mother, the mother dies.
Bummer #4) After sitting through 9 seasons worth of story telling, Ted’s kids tell him that it is so obvious why he has been telling them all these stories. It has not been to tell them how he met their mother, but how he may still have feelings for their “Aunt Robin”. This was mainly a bummer because I never really “got” Ted and Robin.
Whilst I am beginning to come around to the finale a little bit more, I was initially crushed. This entire show has been building up to Ted meeting his soul mate, the one. Or at least that is what I thought.
I have to at least respect that they hoodwinked all of us, because, yes, in theory it makes sense that this has been leading up to Ted ending up with Robin seeing as how the show has mainly centered on their on again, off again thing.
SPOILERS OVER
Mainly, the finale got me thinking about series finales in general. Has there ever been one that has been universally adored? In short, no.
I have to imagine that this is in part due to the fact that when you build a relationship, whether in real life or with a TV show (personally, my favorite kind of relationship), and you loved that person/show, the goodbye is always going to be the hardest part.
That is why I am trying to look on the HIMYM finale with some optimism and instead think of all the good times we had. And not that I wanted to throw my TV out the window over this crushing major disappointment (*salute* Major Disappointment.)
In short: No. With the exception of the recent 00’s Buzzfeed lists that I have seen.
I suppose the recent rash of 90’s nostalgia makes sense. After all, it was about 10 years ago that 80’s nostalgia was in full swing and boy, did I ever rock some 80’s music and clothes in high school. It only seems fair that the 90’s have their turn.
Really all this nostalgia for the 90’s makes me feel old because it is the first decade that I actually remember, having been born in 1987. But I have decided to just embrace nostalgia and not get down on how old I am getting (AHH!) and enjoy videos like the one below that sends up one of my fav movies from the 90’s. Like, whatever.
It has always been my philosophy that summers at the movie theaters are the best summers. It’s a big dark, air conditioned room that smells of popcorn and shows the biggest movies of the year. What’s not to like?
Most summers, I am prepared with my list of must-see-opening-weekend movies followed by the movies for which I can bear to wait a week. However, as I reflect back on the past few months, I find their offerings to be lacking. We didn’t have that movie that everyone seemed to be talking about, at least not in a good way. The movie that you ran out and told all of your friends to see.
This could be a result of Hollywood’s determination to remake and sequelize anything and everything (Iron Man 3, Despicable Me 2, Star Trek 2, Man of Steel, Monsters University, Fast & Furious 6, etc.). That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy some, if not all, of these movies, but let’s spice it up a little, people!
Am I being too cynical about this summer’s fare? Am I am alone in feeling disappointed?
Are you stressed out beyond human endurance? Do you feel like your entire future depends on the outcome of a few essays and exams? Is your room so full of books, papers, and processed junk food that it looks like you’re preparing for the Rapture? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be suffering from Finals Week. We here at Fangirly know that academia can be a hard pill to swallow, so we’ve compiled a list of the best TV and movies to help you survive your last week before summer vacation!
1) Veronica Mars Season 2- Nothing puts your academic woes into perspective like watching this show about a teenage PI who manages to pull off a 4.0 GPA, work part-time at her fathers detective agency, and look good on a budget, all without breaking a sweat. After seeing VM graduate with honors AND figure out who orchestrated a tragic bus crash, you might think twice before whining about your course load.
2) It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia- Should the worst happen and you totally bomb the biggest week of your semester, you can take comfort knowing that you are still way, WAY smarter than these idiots.
3) Dracula (1931)- I bet you weren’t expecting this one! This primordial horror flick will help you break up the monotony of studying by allowing you to indulge your long-standing crush on Renfield (Dwight Frye). Oh wait, that’s just me? Ok, forget I said anything. Seriously.
Lately, I have been beset with a most alarming problem in that getting myself to catch up on all of my shows has become somewhat of… a chore. Believe me, no one is more surprised than myself, but as my DVR and Hulu queue become more full, I become less inclined to catch up with a large percentage of my shows.
The question I now pose is: Does this mean I need to give up those shows? There are still a select few that I watch that night or at least the next day (New Girl, Parks and Rec, Happy Endings). Coincidentally, the shows that have begun to feel like homework are all shows that are generally regarded to be waning in their quality as of late (Revenge, Vampire Diaries, etc.) and I know that I am not the only person out there who is losing interest. But I also know, that shows can come back with an exhilarating vengeance and that it could be just some weird mood on my part that is causing my ennui.
What is a TV lover to do? When do you give up on shows that you once loved?
My love of all things Jane Austen is well-documented and thorough, so it should come as no surprise to you that I recently spent a Sunday watching the 5 hour 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Imagine my (non) surprise when this marathon viewing only fueled my urgency to watch the 2005 adaptation within the hour.
This is what I love about adaptations. The 1995 version will forever be my favorite because of its fidelity to the novel, its general humor and lightheartedness, and the Colin Firth-iness of it all, but I cannot deny that the passion and sweeping romantic splendor that Joe Wright infused into his adaptation gets to me, despite some of quibbles with it. For example, I become incensed when Charlotte Lucas lectures Lizzie about her plight in having to marry Mr. Collins and how upset she is because it zaps out every ounce of Austen’s commentary on that character, which is that women did that all the time back then and they were perfectly contented to do so. I am willing to recognize, however, that this would have worked against the passionate, romantic vibe that Wright and co. were setting for the film.
It is due to this example and several others, that, in the opinion of this humble reader and movie-goer, one novel can never have too many adaptations. As long as said adaptation is bringing something, anything, new to the table, it will always be valid. I find it fascinating to see what tones directors set or what story arcs the writers decide to focus on.
I get the argument that Hollywood can’t think up any new ideas anymore and I get that you may not want to pay money to see yet another story that you have seen before. But I don’t think I want to live in a world where the possibility of new Harry Potters doesn’t exist, nor one in which a perfect adaptation of my favorite Austen work, Persuasion, can be produced.
What are your thoughts on adaptation? Is enough, enough? Or do you feel as I do that the more the merrier?
We’ve had Golden Globes, SAG, PGA, DGA, WGA, and all those other G’s and A’s, but now it’s time for the mack daddy, the big one. Yep, it’s Oscar, biotches. All other awards kneel before him. I’m still not a hundred percent sure how he got all the clout, but he did. Don’t ask stupid questions!
With the big show looming over us this weekend, we thought we would give you our picks for the big five categories. And the Oscars will go to…
Best Picture
Amour
Argo
Beast of the Southern Wild
Django
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Ellen’s Pick: Argo – I got a chance to see all of the best picture nominees with the exception of Amour, and I’ve got to say, it’s a fairly tight race this year. Silver Linings Playbook seems to be gaining some ground, but I think that that after Ben Affleck’s snub in the Best Director category, the voters are going to give it to Argo.
Whitney’s Pick: Beasts of the Southern Wild – Ok, I get that this one is a long shot, but for me is stood out among all the other nominations. The award will probably go to Amour, or Argo, or Zero Dark Thirty, but the last time I checked, none of those other films managed to produce a star half as adorable as Quvenzhané Wallis. That includes you, Ben Affleck!
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight
Ellen’s Pick: Daniel Day-Lewis – Had Lincoln not come out this year, I would like to think that Bradley Cooper could have taken it this year because he does a really great job at being funny and sympathetic. But alas, Daniel Day-Lewis reigns supreme and he is THE guaranteed pick of the night.
Whitney’s Pick: Daniel Day-Lewis – After five nominations and two wins, you would think DDL would give somebody else a chance. We get it, you were beyond awesome in Lincoln, and totally deserved that Golden Globe. I, however, would be more impressed if your character wasn’t the most beloved American president of all time. If you get nominated for playing, say, Lyndon B. Johnson then we’ll talk.
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Ellen’s Pick: Jennifer Lawrence – Gotta give it to my girl, JLaw. Homegirl’s got a solid chance of winning and rightly so. Chastain and Watts could prove to be dark horses, but the voters seem to be digging the year’s only quasi-light fare this year.
Whitney’s Pick: Jessica Chastain – Honestly, this is more of a guess then anything else. Wallis and Watts seems pretty unlikely, and of the three remaining nominees, I think Jessica Chastain is all over it.
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Ellen’s Pick: Robert De Niro – In what I see as the closest race of the night, I’m going to go with who I think the Academy likes the most, which leaves me with ol’ Bobby De Niro. But, really, don’t hold me to this one because it is anyone’s game at this point.
Whitney’s Pick: Tommy Lee Jones – Again, this is a wishful thinking pick. In Lincoln, Tommy Lee knew how to steal and scene and wear a wig, two qualities I look for in a man (ask anybody).
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Ellen’s Pick: Anne Hathaway – This one is hers to lose. I will be SHOCKED if she doesn’t get it. Some people are saying Sally Field could prove to be an upset because… she’s Sally Field, but it’s going to Anne Hathaway.
Whitney’s Pick: (Duh) Anne Hathaway- I would be lying if I said I didn’t love ALL of the Supporting Actress noms, but it’s totally going to be Anne. She absolutely deserves it, after the Academy snubbed her twelve years ago for The Princess Diaries. This is your year, girlfriend!
There you have it? Do you agree? Disagree? Who do you WANT to win? Let us know in the comments! And Happy Oscars, everybody!
It’s that time of year again, people. The Oscar Nominations were announced at the crack of dawn this morning by Emma Stone and host Seth MacFarlane. I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and offer up some of my thoughts on the nominations:
A personal surprise to me was that I need to see very few movies to catch up with the nominated films and performances before February 24th. Among those films is Amour, Life of Pi, The Master, The Impossible, and almost all of the animated film nominations.
Most shocking snubs have to be Ben Affleck (Argo) and Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) for Best Director. Affleck’s showing was generally lauded by critics and seen as a sure bet.
Beasts of the Southern Wild was great. I really did like it. But, I was a bit surprised to see Benh Zeitlin on the list. As was he, from what I have read. I think he was nominated in part for the performances that he was able to get from his actors including…
Quvenzhane Wallis! I was pretty excited to see her among the nominees, even though she is considered quite a surprise. Her performance was amazing for her age (I believe she was 6 at the time of filming) and she is just dag gum adorable.
I really liked Silver Linings Playbook and was happy to see it all over these nominations. Cooper and Lawrence were sure bets, but De Niro and Weaver came as surprises to a lot of people.
Not a lot of people saw Django Unchained making it on to the list, but I was happy to see it there. Adds some spice!
There you have it! This year should be pretty good. Not too many sure locks for the winners (which could change as we get closer to ceremony). And judging from the nomination announcement, Seth MacFarlane is going to be quite the live wire as host. Check out the video below for some of his and Emma Stone’s zingers. I’ve also included the full list of nominations.
–Ellen
Best Picture Amour Argo Beasts of the Southern Wild Django Unchained Les Miserables Life of Pi Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight
Best Actress Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Michael Haneke, Amour
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Original Screenplay Amour, Michael Haneke Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino Flight, John Gatins Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal
Best Adapted Screenplay Argo, Chris Terrio Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, Life of Pi, David Magee Lincoln, Tony Kushner Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell
Best Animated Feature: Brave Frankenweenie ParaNorman The Pirates! Band of Misfits Wreck-It Ralph
Best Cinematography Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey Django Unchained, Robert Richardson Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski Skyfall, Roger Deakins
Best Costume Design Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran Les Misérables, Paco Delgado Lincoln, Joanna Johnston Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood
Best Documentary Feature 5 Broken Cameras The Gatekeepers How to Survive a Plague The Invisible War Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary Short Inocente Kings Point Mondays at Racine Open Heart Redemption
Best Film Editing Argo, William Goldenberg Life of Pi, Tim Squyres Lincoln, Michael Kahn Silver Linings Playbook, Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers Zero Dark Thirty, Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg
Best Foreign Language Film Amour, Austria Kon-Tiki, Norway No, Chile A Royal Affair, Denmark War Witch, Canada
Best Makeup and Hairstyling Hitchcock, Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane Les Misérables, Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Best Original Score Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli Argo, Alexandre Desplat Life of Pi, Mychael Danna Lincoln, John Williams Skyfall, Thomas Newman
Best Original Song
“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice, music and lyric by J. Ralph
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from Ted, music by Walter Murphy; lyric by Seth MacFarlane
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi, music by Mychael Danna; lyric by Bombay Jayashri
“Skyfall” from Skyfall, music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
“Suddenly” from Les Misérables, music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
Best Production Design Anna Karenina, Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright Les Misérables, Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson Life of Pi, Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock Lincoln, Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
Best Animated Short Adam and Dog Fresh Guacamole Head over Heels Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare” Paperman
Best Live Action Short Asad Buzkashi Boys Curfew Death of a Shadow Henry
Best Sound Editing Argo, Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn Django Unchained, Wylie Stateman Life of Pi, Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton Skyfall, Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers Zero Dark Thirty, Paul N.J. Ottosson
Best Sound Mixing Argo, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia Les Misérables, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes Life of Pi, Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin Lincoln, Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins Skyfall, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson
Best Visual Effects The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White Life of Pi, Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott The Avengers, Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick Prometheus, Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill Snow White and the Huntsman, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson
We’ve had TGIF, Must See Thursday, and One Saturday Morning, but is the current best night of television. After exhaustive hours spent doing research for this study, I feel safe in declaring Tuesday the best night of television.
First, let’s look at the close runner-up and former champ: Thursday. It is still fighting a good fight, but where I used to not have enough DVR capabilities to get in everything I wanted and I couldn’t wait to get home and watch it all, I’m feeling a bit more ambivalent. I enjoy watching 30 Rock and The Vampire Diaries and I still rush home for Parks and Recreation, but this is not the “Must See” night that it used to be.
Dethroning the once great Thursday is the quick and scrappy Tuesday. It’s appeal may come from the fact that all of the shows I am loving are still fresh and only in their first or second season (with the exception of Happy Endings in its third). Let’s look at my personal lineup: Raising Hope, Hart of Dixie, Ben and Kate, New Girl, Happy Endings, Emily Owens, M.D., and The Mindy Project. All of these have something to get excited about and are showing great promise.
So what night of TV is getting you most excited? Are you Team Tuesday?
Let’s put aside all of the studies that talk about how you shouldn’t fall asleep watching TV or how watching something on your tablet or smartphone is even worse. It happens. Let’s get past it.
I may be a rarity, but I can’t fall asleep unless there is something playing, otherwise I spend hours thinking of what I have to do the next day or (don’t judge) coming up with fantasy-like scenarios in my head. Get your minds out of the gutter! Completely innocent fantasy-like scenarios. If I have something playing, it gives me something to focus on besides my own thoughts. The trick is finding something subdued and mindless enough to not completely get me invested.
If you are like me and need some TV-melatonin, here are my steps to sussing out the candidates:
1. Something funny. This is my personal preference, but I like to keep it light and I don’t want anything that has potential to be scary. There’s a time and a place for your zombies and serial killers and it’s not right before I fall asleep. I don’t trust my head.
2. No intricate plots. This rules out your procedurals, intense dramas, or anything where you are going to want to know what happens at the end. Of course, this may be obsolete if they fall into the next category…
3. Something you’ve have seen. Funny or dramatic, if I haven’t seen it, I’m still going want to watch the whole episode and maybe a couple more after that.
Among my candidates are Family Guy (basically all jump cuts anyway, but a little too bright), second season of Parks and Recreation (I’ve seen it a million times), and Arrested Development (ditto).
While all those are great, though, I have found the perfect show for me to fall asleep to is Mystery Science Theatre 3000. If you haven’t heard of this show, first of all, shame on you, but it is essentially a guy and his robot pals mocking really awful movies. It’s perfect because the movies usually don’t have any semblance of a plot to follow, the volume is pretty consistent, and I can fall asleep quietly laughing that the gang’s humorous commentary.
Do you have a better sleepytime show? Am I the only that does this? Am I the only one who has thought about it this extensively?
Seriously, is it even possible?
Whilst I am beginning to come around to the finale a little bit more, I was initially crushed. This entire show has been building up to Ted meeting his soul mate, the one. Or at least that is what I thought.
Fangirly 