Brand New Shows for Fall 2015 part 1

While all-time favorites are keeping their ratings up-- some already starting to say goodbye as their final season kicks off-- there is a new slew of shows that have already premiered.

1. Heroes Reborn

This much-anticipated reboot of the old Heroes franchise did not disappoint. Over the summer, a series of short episodes came out online, entitled Dark Matters. The first episode takes off from that but presents things mostly from the point-of-view of Noah Bennet, a.k.a. The Man with the Horn-rimmed Glasses. He's the only major character from the old series that has appeared so far. They are keeping things mysterious with Noah, so that kept my interest piqued.

Also appearing in the first episode is Zachary Levi. Chuck fans will get a tad disoriented with his character here. We all loved him as Chuck, right? He was adorkable. Here, he is the total opposite, and I am not quite sure how to take it. I think he needs to convince me more that his Heroes Reborn character is bitter enough to turn evil. I need to see more anger, Zach!

The new Evos (evolved humans, humans with powers) were interesting too. I especially liked Katana Girl. She is so kick-ass. The Vortex Boy (?) played an evil Peter Pan in Once Upon a Time, so I was a bit unnerved to see him vulnerable and bullied. You see, as The Pan, he had this smirk and a sneer that you could almost see in this new character; the these two characters are (again) exact opposites of each other.

In any case, I will be watching more Heroes Reborn.


2. Limitless

Taking off from the 2011 Bradley Cooper starrer of the same title, Limitless proved interesting -- at least the first episode was. I liked the pace and the character development. I just hope it does not just follow the normal-cop-paired-with-special-person formula I have been seeing a lot of lately-- hello, Almost Human, and Intelligence -- get my drift? Yeah, these shows got axed already after one season. There is another new one, Minority Report (more on this later). But then there is Cracked which is on its second season already, but then Perception got cancelled after three. So I guess there is hope yet. Going back to Limitless, I hope the show-runners will take care of this one. I was sore after they cancelled Almost Human.


3. Blindspot

Yep that's Lady Sif all inked up. Jamie Alexander's character here is another kick-ass woman. I've never been really crazy about her, actually, ever since I saw her in Kyle XY. Her upper lip is much too stiff-- and I mean that in the literal way. Her eyes are very expressive though. The premise of Blindspot got me interested to see more.


4. Minority Report

To be honest, though this first episode is well-made and the pacing is exciting, I found the premise too forced. I saw the film it was based on and I actually liked it. But the film version of Minority Report ended the story of the three special kids. I hope the series can put more substance into the premise. I'm willing to give this series a try but it won't be at the top of my must-watch list.

Let me end this here, for now. Part 2 will feature Scream Queens, Rosewood, and The Muppets.

Heneral Luna

Before anything, let me just say that I'm not a huge fan of Tagalog films -- lalo na yung over-commercialized overly dramatic sigawan-sampalan-fests with copied or predictable plots.

That said, I highly recommend this movie. This one, I actually liked.  Here is my review and I will do my best not to spoil it.

I loved the symbolisms. You have to see it to get what I mean. Otherwise, I will be spoiling it.

I loved the touch of Filipino humor in it. I'd heard other people not liking that, but I found it made the movie reachable and better understood. My favorite scene was when he tried to talk to the American.

I think teachers should tell their students to watch it. I think every Filipino should watch it. Take note: students get a 50% discount, even Masteral students. Just bring your ID.

It asks you pointed questions and makes you feel insecure about your own nationalism. All of a sudden, you're thinking if you love your country enough.

It makes you appreciate how people in your life can be level-headed and reasonable, especially when others are being petty and selfish.

Watching the movie, my only complaint would be on the obvious budgetary restrictions. They tried to make it all seem realistic, but you could see where they had to cut corners.

But even with those, I still give this movie ***** -- yes, 5 stars. So watch it already.

ADDENDUM:
Here are some tidbits about Antonio Luna that shows how kick-ass he was. Some of it were in the movie: http://www.filipiknow.net/facts-about-antonio-luna/