Reviews

I'm not entirely sure why this movie has a less than stellar rating. I watched it on Netflix and honestly was not expecting much, but wound up being very pleasantly surprised.

The opening of the movie has such great physical comedy, I was laughing out loud. It was a really refreshing change from all the sex and fart jokes most movies have (which can totally be funny, but let's face it, are way over done and over-relied upon at this point). I grew up watching (re-runs of) I Love Lucy, so I'm a big fan of physical comedy, which just isn't used as often anymore, particularly with female characters for some reason.

What I really loved about this film was that while it was completely laugh out loud funny, it actually made me care about the characters. Most straight-up comedies (non rom-coms) don't do that. But at the same time, it wasn't so over the top that it felt like it was changing genres or anything. I just actually cared what happened to them, while of course laughing at their ridiculous predicaments.

I've seen a good number of Jaime King's films and, in my humble opinion, this is one of her best performances, both for the comedy and the softly stated drama of her character. Usually when I've seen a lot of one actor's films, it takes me out of the world and I just think of the character as the actor. That didn't happen here.

While I generally like Josh Cooke, I will say that I'm not entirely sure he was the best choice for his role. He did a good job, but something just felt off in believing he was this criminal that could go off at any moment. And, IMHO, it is necessary to believe that in this film. The plot started to get a little stale towards the end, and I think some of it could have been left out, but it moved along quickly enough that I wasn't bored, and ultimately it didn't detract enough from the film to make an impact on my overall opinion of it.

A Fork in the Road is a great movie to watch if you just want something funny, that isn't plain stupid or a stoner/slacker movie. Worth checking out!

When critics and fans heard that Joss Whedon was finally bringing a new show to television, expectations ran high. But when Fox stepped in and meddled, as they so often do, the results were less than stellar. The first few episodes did not get good reviews and were not positively received by a lot of people. But you know what? Those episodes were still better than a lot of the crap that's on TV. They weren't as good as one would expect from the guy who created Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, but they were still good TV.

I remember clearly the night episode 6 of season 1 aired. This was the episode that was supposed to change everything. This was where Joss & co. claimed the series truly found its footing. It was also the night of the BSG finale. My friend and I opted to watch BSG and tape Dollhouse. And boy, after watching both of them, we sure wished we would have watched Dollhouse instead! Episodes 6-13 of the first season truly don't disappoint. They are fantastic, and both the finale and the "coda" episode ("Epitaph One") are mind blowing. I am beyond psyched for season 2 to begin.

A lot of people doubted Eliza Dushku's ability to take on a different character every week. But she's taken on the challenge and done quite a good job. Her strength does lie in slowly unveiling more complex characters, and that's where Joss's writing strengths lie as well, so hopefully together they will find a way to make that happen alongside the weekly adventures (and "Epitaph One" suggests they will). Another actor who's gotten some crap for his role has been Fran Kranz as the egotistical programmer Topher Brink. Both his acting and the role itself have been criticized. But he does a fantastic job. The people who criticize him simply are unable to look ahead and see where his part might take him. Topher seems to have no conscience, but it's in little moments that you are able to see (both through the writing and Fran's portrayal) that he's covering up something else, very possibly something deeper and darker than simple insecurities regarding his skills and/or himself as a person. I'm very excited to see where that goes.

The rest of the cast also does a wonderful job. I didn't think I would like Dichen Lachman but she has done nothing but impress me. Miracle Laurie isn't just an example of defying Hollywood beauty "standards" - she's a damn good actress and her character is quite fascinating. Enver Gjokaj is a previously undiscovered gem who we will no doubt be seeing much more of after Dollhouse. Olivia Williams and Harry Lennix are also wonderful. Tahmoh Penikett does a great job with what he has, but his character is one of the problems I have with the show. He is far too focused on saving Echo, and we are supposed to see him as a hero but he just becomes annoying. Hopefully this will change in season 2. Amy Acker doesn't even need a review because she's possibly one of the most talented actresses on TV today, and her character is just...endlessly intriguing. Trust me, watch the season through and you will see.

Fox has promised to leave Dollhouse alone in its second season, so the show is truly worth catching up on to follow along as it continues. It's a truly fantastic show, a good next step for Joss in his television creations. And I didn't even get to the intrigue of the mythology surrounding the dollhouses!