Dear Marshmallows: The ‘Veronica Mars’ Movie Is Getting Good Reviews

We’re 5 days away from the release of the Veronica Mars movie. Can you stand it? I can’t wait. When are you going? I’m going Friday night and it’s going to be 100 minutes of me punching those I’m going with. I just re-watched the entire series; I genuinely believe the show remains ahead of it’s time.

Anyways, the movie has been screening for critics this week and made it’s SXSW premiere yesterday. And? Well, the reviews have been coming out and they’ve been fantastic. Like, glowing. Which, I never had any doubt Rob Thomas and co would deliver anything less than the fans deserve, but you never know. The thing is though, from the reviews I’ve read, all critics were fans of the series. I’m really interested but afraid of what non-fans are going to say. The thing with this type of movie-based-on-a-TV-show thing is that this was made for and by the fans so it should cater to the fans and I don’t want to hear anyone else’s opinion who isn’t a fan. You know what I mean? With that said, if you go into the movie having never seen a second of the show and come out having enjoyed the film, PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch the series.

‘Veronica Mars’ Trailer Is Here: Why I Hope It Caters To The Fans

Attached is the trailer – an actual trailer, which is welcomed after months of clips on clips on clips – for the Veronica Mars movie. Watch it, come back, and we’ll discuss…

On The New Arrested Development Season, Our Expectations & Leaving Things Alone

In the last few weeks, all anyone with a Twitter account and a love for hyperboles could talk about is the Netflix season of Arrested Development. And then it was released and we watched it and, well, the response has been…well, how about that Isla Fisher?!…

We’re in a very weird time right now where the way we dissect things is instantaneous and without reflection. We watch or listen or read things now to be the first to tweet or Instagram that we are watching or listening or reading something but are we really? For some we are, for other’s it’s just being able to get their thoughts out there first. Remember watching TV without live-tweeting it? Life was very peaceful. But that’s not the way it works anymore. At the same time, our beloved shows don’t stay dead anymore. And in correlation with nostalgia and our expectations, reviving the things we once loved is a very ambitious, irresponsible and exciting thing to do. Come to think of it, those 3 words is exactly how I would describe the new season of Arrested Development.

Let’s get this out of the way: the new season of Arrested Development has moments of sheer brilliance (Kristen Wiig has Young Lucille is PERFECTION) that are too few and far between whatever is actually happening. As a whole the season is uneven and nonsensical but hilarious and fun all at the same time. I’m not making any sense am I? Well the Netflix season  doesn’t either. From the timeline to Portia’s wig, everything is a mess and nothing feels quite the same, but why would or should it really? Does it work? Should it even have happened? Those are two questions everyone wants answered but you can’t answer those because that’s all about how you interept the product. I’ve seen some people claim that the entire thing was brilliant, and some are left lying on the cold hard ground. It’s all up to you.

I wish I could pretend I loved this Netflix season of this beloved show of mine but I can’t. I can’t ignore that more than a handful of the episodes I was half-watching because what am I supposed to do with an entire episode about a character I really don’t care about? It’s like if Friends had a spinoff show about, hmmm, Joey, who is arguably the most uninteresting character and you take him out of the setting we loved him in and gave him new people to interact with that weren’t Ross or Monica or…oh wait…

Arrested Development‘s brilliance was always the story of the entire family and how they interacted together. I understand that this was done because of the actors busy schedules (I have my questions about this because, um, most of them aren’t that busy…) but I could’ve waited and that is really my biggest problem here. Sure, I love the show and wanted another season but I could’ve waited another year.

What it all comes down to is asking if this was necessary. Was it necessary? The answer I’ve come to after a week of watching 14 episodes that we’re 15 minutes too long for their own good is that it wasn’t. Of course, I’m saying this in hindsight so it doesn’t really count but if you had asked me this before I would’ve said the same thing. It’s what I said when they announced the Veronica Mars movie. “I’ll show up, I’ll be there opening night, of course, but that doesn’t mean I needed this”. Maybe, what turns me off the most about this season is that it tarnishes the “what if?” factor. We all imagine what the charcters from our favourite shows would be doing in the future, but that doesn’t mean we really need or should know as fans of Sex & The City know all too well. Sometimes it’s just better to leave things alone and leave it to your imagination.

 

 

About Amanda Seyfried

(This came up in my Google search for a picture. I’m ready to talk about this when you are)

I find her fascinating. Not in the way I find, say, Beyonce and Jay-Z fascinating and I would sell my body for years and years and years to become their friend, but in the way that I can’t get enough of her even though she’s so vanilla to me.

Amanda Seyfried works just as much, IF NOT MORE, than any other young actress today. Look at her IMDB list, or you may not even have to because you can recall most of the movie’s she’s been in the just the last 3 years. Let’s do this together? I swear I’m not on IMDB right now. Ready? Go! Chloe, Red Riding Hood, Les Miserables, Letters To Juliet, Gone, In Time, The Big Wedding, Jennifer’s Body. I’m probably forgetting something major too. But you get my point. Amanda Seyfried WORKS a lot. She works twice as much as anyone really wants her too. I mean, I think we as a collective group are all “meh” on her. But then again, my favourite, Paltrow, was just voted the #1 most annoying person when the Kardashians and Chris Brown are alive and well, so I’m probably wrong in guessing how society feels.

But even as much as she works, not a lot of people know who she is. For the most part, we all still call her Karen from Mean Girls, which says more about how good she was in that and how absolutely mediocre she’s been in everything since that she hasn’t been able to change our minds. I have to like her because I am a Veronica Mars fan, but she comes in at the bottom of my favourite list from that show. AND YET, she works more than anyone else. WHY? It’s like, “Okay, we couldn’t get Emma, Anne, Anna, Kristen or Rachel but Amanda can fit us in between two other projects!” “GREAT!”. 

The other thing I find so fascinating about her: she has a mouth on her. Similar to that of Jennifer Lawrence or Mila Kunis. She’s super sassy, funny and quick but it doesn’t come across as either of those qualities. She comes off as rude, superior and dumb, right? But she’s not. If you read her print interviews where you can’t see her eyes glossing over from being so bored, she’s likable. Take the quote from her Allure interview that’s making the rounds about her comparing singing to deep-throating? If Jennifer or Mila said this, we’d be in love with them all over again. Coming from this one, it feels crass and weird.

Amanda Seyfried is that girl in the library who would stare at you from across the room and you never found out her name but you never forgot her. She probably does a mean keg stand though.

 

I Don’t Need A ‘Veronica Mars’ Movie, But I’m Excited For It

I’m sure you’ve already heard the news, but incase you haven’t: Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell started a Kickstarter campaign for the Veronica Mars movie this morning. If the Kickstarter reached $2 million (it’s already well past $1 million), you could officially consider the movie in production. Basically: Twitter shit it’s pants.

A VM movie had been discussed for years and years since it’s cancellation in 2007. They were really serious about it at one point and then the studio backed out and they kept trying but it never went anywhere so Kristen & Rob kind of gave up. Then this happened. Kind of historic and amazing, right? I mean, it’s just an interesting story how they had to get the project going.

Now, a few months ago I wrote a piece complaining about all these TV shows coming back or fans campaigning to save their show. I asked, what’s wrong with 3 really great seasons of a really great TV show (in reference to Arrested Development)? I’m excited for the upcoming new season of AD, of course, but I was fine without. Same goes for this Veronica Mars movie: I’ll be there opening night (I’m so excited) but I didn’t need it. (Remind me how I feel about this if and when they cancel Happy Endings, thanks).

The possibilities though! How’s it going to work? I can’t even talk about it because, you know.

I never watched or even had any interest in VM until last year when my good friend Julie made me watch the series. I ate seasons one and two up in a matter of two weeks. And then there was season 3 – the third and final season. I never finished it. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. The third season had it’s moment, sure, but it just didn’t work and those first two seasons were so perfect that I didn’t want to ruin it. “It’s a TV show, get over it” – is what normal people would respond with. I know, I know. But, you dont understand!

This post is better if read it like it’s being told in a Veronica voice-over.