Temple Grandin (2010)

I finally got around to watching "Temple Grandin" last night, and it was a terrific movie.  The movie definitely earned all the Emmys it won.  Claire Danes starred in this biopic about a bright autistic woman, Temple Grandin.  Temple's mother (played by Julia Ormond) pushed for her to have a normal life and refused to have her institutionalized as a child.  This movie focused on Temple's life from high school through her early success in her chosen career as a researcher in animal husbandry.  The movie was very well done, the story is inspirational, and the acting was terrific.  This made-for-television movie gets 4 ½ out of 5 stars.  You should definitely make time to watch this film.

Brothers & Sisters Season 5 Premiere

"Brothers & Sisters" has definitely taken a turn for the worse.  I'm not going to sugar coat this one.  I really despised the first episode of the new season.  Instead of killing Robert off quickly (which everyone knew about since Rob Lowe not so quietly left the show), they had him lingering in a coma in the first episode.  To top that off, Rebecca left her marriage to Justin and the show just as quickly.  In addition to the departure of Tommy (due to his drug addiction off the set), that leaves three major characters that are missing.  There's no way this show will return for another season.  It's one thing to watch a show about a family wealthy from their business with their petty quabbling, and it's another to watch them magically find land worth millions and live with all their failed marriages.  This season premiere was the most disappointing of all the shows on television (including pilots that will probably not make it).  Sally Field is too good for the crap they are now penning for this show.  Hopefully, the show will be good enough so I can stick with it through the end.

Desperate Housewives Season 7 Premiere

"Desperate Housewives" was one of my favorite shows on television for a while, but the season premiere really made me dread the upcoming season.  Paul Young returned to the neighborhood after being released from prison, and that should provide some interesting drama.  Vanessa Williams also might be moving into the neighborhood, which should bring more cattiness to the block.  Other than that, the premise of the show fell flat.  Susan was looking into doing soft porn for money (no surprise to me), and Gabby and Carlos were keeping secrets from eachother (no surprise again).  The breakup of Bree and Orson just left me feeling depressed.  I'm guessing that this could be the last season for this show.

Wall Street (1987)

In light of the sequel appearing in theatres this weekend, I decided to finally sit down and watch the original "Wall Street."  Michael Douglas earned an Oscar for his role while Charlie Sheen had a serious performance with real-life father Martin Sheen playing his dad in the film.  It followed the rush of the greed and stock market envy of the 1980s.  The film did a great job of investigating insider trading and the effect of money and greed on the human soul.  I thought the movie was well-done, very insightful for its time, and had a great ending.  I'd give this modern classic 4 out of 5 stars.

Grey's Anatomy Season 7 Premiere

"Grey's Anatomy" returned after the shooting spree at Seattle Grace in the season finale.  No surprise deaths occurred between seasons.  In the premiere, the surgeons were seeing a therapist to determine whether or not they could be cleared for operations again.  It was obvious that the physicians were dealing with the PTSD in different ways, some much more destructive than others.  Meredith was still hiding her miscarriage while her twisted sister was delving into something much more serious.  Lots of relationships were strengthened or broken by the traumatic event.  I won't reveal which ones in case you didn't see the episode yet.

Community Season 2 Premiere

Betty White guest starred as a crazy anthropology professor on the season premiere of "Community."  This sitcom is about a bunch of misfits from different walks of life who got together in a study group at a local community college.  In the premiere, Troy set up a Twitter account to track all the crazy things Pierce (Chevy Chase) said.  There were also shenanigans involving Brita, Annie, and Jeff, but you should watch the episode to see how that panned out.  It was great to see this show back for a second season.  The potential for Senor Chang to join the study group could provide for some great laughs later on this season. 

Modern Family Season 2 Premiere

After "Modern Family" took home many Emmys after its first season, everyone was looking forward to its second season premiere.  The episode played up the idiosyncrasies of its varied characters and had a great story.  Phil and his family had a story that revolved around a station wagon reminiscent of the one from National Lampoon's "Vacation."  Jay tried to save son-in-law Cameron from another home project disaster caused by the clumsiness of Mitchell.  Gloria struggled with Manny choosing potential girlfriends over his own mom.  The show continues to create great laughs, and the opening episode proved why Eric Stonestreet deserved the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.  ABC's Wednesday night shows knock the competition right out of the park.  I'm glad these series are all back for a second season.

Cougar Town Season 2 Premiere

"Cougar Town" is another underrated show that made its second season premiere last night.  Courtney Cox plays Jules, a 40-something wine-loving divorcee who is overly attached to her son who is about to go off to college.  Her best friend Ellie (Christa Miller) is bitterly sarcastic and a great character.  Her other younger friend (Busy Phillips) is a ditzy blonde who is always getting picked on by Ellie.  Add a lurking ex-husband to the mix along with new boyfriend Grayson, and you have a whole lot of funny drama.  In the season primere, Jennifer Aniston (Cox's costar from "Friends") made a guest appearance as Jules's new age therapist.  True to fashion, Jules smothered her therapist the way she smothered her son.  Hopefully, the second season will not disappoint even though son Travis may not be a series regular once he goes away to college.

The Middle Season 2 Premiere

The season priemere of "The Middle" was by far the funniest show I have seen in a long time.  I'm not sure why this show is so underrated.  In case you don't follow this show, it tells the story of a family with three children living in the middle of nowhere in Indiana.  The oldest child (Axel) is a typical lazy teenage boy, the middle child is a girl (Sue) who tries desperately to be popular, and the youngest child (Brick) is very unique.  This first episode featured the rush that happens on the first day of school.  Frankie (Patricia Heaton) tried to get her family more organized and "normal" in this episode.  As a great surprise, Heaton's costar from "Everybody Loves Raymond" (Doris Roberts) made a cameo as Brick's new teacher, and she was disapproving of Heaton's mothering style.  This is a great show to start watching each week.

Cop Out (2010)

I'm wondering how a Kevin Smith and Cullen Brothers film starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan could turn out to be such a dud.  Bruce Willis was not the only top actor who got sucked into "Cop Out".  This was supposed to be a funny cop flick, but it fell flat, especially in comparison to "The Other Guys."  To sum it up, two cops got suspended, while suspended one gets robbed, and then they end up dealing with a major Mexican drug ring.  While there were a few funny jokes, there were not enough to redeem this film.  I would recommend watching either one of Bruce Willis's real cop movies or one of Kevin Smith's earlier creations.  This film gets 2 ½ out of 5 stars.