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2014 Emmy Nominations Preview: Comedy

June 26, 2014

jmunney Awards Shows, Emmys, Television Leave a comment

The Emmy nominations will be announced on July 10, with the ceremony then taking place on August 25. I am going to be running through my wish lists in most of the major categories, as well as offering predictions of the likely actual nominees.

When making my wish lists, I do not confine myself to the categories that shows and performers were actually submitted in. If a show submits as a comedy but should have submitted as a drama, then I will consider it as a drama. Or if an actor submitted as a lead but really should have submitted as supporting (like Rob Lowe every year for Parks and Recreation), or vice versa, then I consider them in the more appropriate category. If there is some wiggle room for what the appropriate category is, then I will probably go by the actual ballot. Although, there still remains difficulty with recurring cast members who do not appear in every episode, who may appear enough to be considered Supporting, but may also appear infrequently enough to be considered Guest. Also, if there are certain performers who declined to submit, I may still consider them.

My selections are mentioned roughly in order of how deserving I believe them to be, starting with who I believe deserves to win. I will try to limit myself to the typical Emmy number of six nominees per category, though I may find it necessary to go beyond that figure in a few fields.

If there are any particularly acclaimed shows missing from my choices, then there is a good chance I do not watch those shows and cannot fairly comment on their worthiness.

Comedy Series
Wishlist
Review presented an ingenious concept geared towards a perfectly suited lead performance, resulting in one of the best comedy debut seasons of all time. Louie had perhaps its least comedic season yet, but it had a whimsical touch in its formal daring, wringing laughter out of existentialism. Community got back to its roots while continuing to demonstrate that it is so far removed from anything else on the pop culture landscape. With so many shows aiming to be “authentic,” Broad City actually managed authenticity by being goofy and direct. The Neighbors broke out of its inauspicious roots to become one of the most satisfyingly unlikely fourth-wall-breaking shows of all time. I struggled with the final slot. I could have gone with Veep, a show I admit is good, but one I have only seen a couple of episodes of, since it is just not for me, so I can’t fairly judge it. A number of animated sitcoms could easily make it in on merit, and in the past, I have considered cartoons with live-action, but this year I have decided that there is enough of a difference between the mediums to consider the likes of Rick and Morty and Bob’s Burgers separately. The Middle, ABC’s little show that could, also made a case for itself, but it wasn’t its strongest season. Ultimately I went with Silicon Valley, Mike Judge’s heartwarming blend of satire, awkward comedy, and raunch.

Predictions
–The Big Bang Theory
–Girls
–Louie
–Modern Family
–Orange Is the New Black
–Veep

Lead Actor
Wishlist
Andy Daly (Review) burrowed deep into the soul of Forrest MacNeil to create a man who is so lovable because of how open he is to any experience but also a little scary for the same reason. In getting into an even darker period of Jeff Winger’s life, Joel McHale (Community) continued to deliver some of the best dramatic work on any sitcom. He also had time to show off his stand-up skills in an insane context that only Community can provide. Louis C.K. (Louie) continued to be Louis C.K. Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley) had a whole lot of weird affectations and wonderful nervous energy. Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) was actually given multiple opportunities to portray the growth of Sheldon Cooper. And, finally, I would pull for a co-nomination for the most important sketch comedians of the moment, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (Key & Peele).

Predictions
-Louis C.K., Louie
-Don Cheadle, House of Lies
-Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
-William H. Macy, Shameless
-Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
-Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Lead Actress
Wishlist
Ilana Glazer is lovely and amazing on Broad City. I’ve only seen a couple of episodes of Veep, but that’s enough to know that Julia Louis-Dreyfus deserves all the praise heaped upon her. Suburgatory has always been a show that has struggled to have a consistent tone (often purposely so), and Season 3 was its least assured, but Jane Levy did her best to keep everything grounded. Abbi Jacobson has the less showy role on Broad City, but it’s also the trickier one, and arguably the more difficult one. Amy Schumer goes Inside herself to make the most pointed comedy of the moment. My last choice was a battle of leading ladies whose shows have had better seasons. I considered Amy Poehler (I mean, how could I not, she’s Amy Poehler), but her performance lately has put too much faith in weaker material. Meanwhile, Season 3 of New Girl was kind of all over the place, but in a way that oddly helped Zooey Deschanel, as it forced her to play to a wider than usual range of styles.

Predictions
-Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
-Lena Dunham, Girls
-Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
-Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
-Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
-Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black

Supporting Actor
Wishlist
The top of this field is a dead heat between two men marked by abnormal social interactions, one old reliable and one new and exciting. Every year that Community has been on, I’ve been pulling for Danny Pudi, and amazingly, he is still showing new nuances to his performance, particularly this year as Abed adjusted to a new normal in Troy’s absence. The late Christopher Evan Welch (Silicon Valley) was bewildering, and riveting, going on about sesame seeds and cicadas. Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) was deader than deadpan. Jim Rash (Community) rapped in a peanut costume. Ian Patrick (The Neighbors) is wise and alien beyond his years. Also on The Neighbors, Simon Templeman may, as an alien named Larry Bird, have been giving the most meaningful performance of the modern male in crisis. Here is a category in which I have to go beyond the prescribed 6 slots. Albert Tsai (Trophy Wife) was the personification of delight as BERT! I could very easily have gotten to 10 spots here, as I considered Timothy Simons, whose go-for-broke style is impressive no matter how cynical Veep is or isn’t, as well as Zach Woods (Silicon Valley), who proved that awkward comedy still has unexplored, endearing territory. Ultimately, I stopped myself at 8 and gave my last spot to Parker Young, who perfectly embodied the unique mix of silly and sincere on Enlisted.

Predictions
-Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
-Ty Burrell, Modern Family
-Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
-Tony Hale, Veep
-Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
-Christopher Evan Welch, Silicon Valley

Supporting Actress
Wishlist
I’m a little concerned that I’m being complacent with my top picks here, but I guess that’s because my co-winners (as in Supporting Actor, I’m calling it a tie) didn’t quite live up to the impossibly high standards they’ve set for themselves. Alison Brie (Community) had her best material in earlier seasons, but she lacked a strong narrative progression of her own those years; in Season 5, she really got to show off Annie Edison’s maturation. Toks Olagundoye (The Neighbors) didn’t get to play any Jersey Housewives in Season 2, but she did – upon learning how a pregnancy test works – ask the question, “What does it tell you if you poop on it, the weather?” Michaela Watkins (Trophy Wife) didn’t need to stoop to cliché to play kooky. Initially I thought that Gillian Jacobs didn’t have that much to do in Season 5 of Community, but having mustard on her face was the perfect showcase for her, and then I remembered she also got to play some great emotional beats in forcefully dealing with Troy’s departure. Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) continued to somehow find the realness in Dalia Royce, one of the most seemingly unrealistic characters ever created. Aidy Bryant mostly plays variations of herself on SNL, but she plays that part really well.

Predictions
-Julie Bowen, Modern Family
-Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
-Anna Chlumsky, Veep
-Allison Janney, Mom
-Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
-Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie
(And if there’s a seventh nomination: Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black)

Guest Actor
Wishlist
We already knew that Mitch Hurwitz (Community) is one of the greatest TV writers of all time; now we know he’s also a mighty fine performer; the Koog approves! Charles Grodin was the funniest part of a season of Louie that wasn’t primarily comedic. Billy Eichner basically played himself on Parks and Recreation, and that was a good thing. Skip Sudduth (Louie) played the perfect teacher for young Louis C.K. It is now becoming a yearly tradition that I say a particular Community guest star should become a regular; this year, that guest star was Chris Elliott. Drake was the best host of SNL Season 39.

Guest Actress
Wishlist
Shannon O’Neill was a force of nature on Broad City. Gaby Hoffmann was a force of nature of a different sort on Girls. You could really see the power in Amy Landecker‘s eyes as Louie‘s mom. Maria Thayer (Review) seems so sweet, so it was an absolute delight to see her play completely off-the-rails as free spirit Eliza. June Squibb was at her June Squibb-iest on Girls. Melissa McCarthy (Saturday Night Live) played a wacky game show contestant and a woman bent on avenging her father’s death, among others.

Writing
I don’t have a full wishlist in this category, but I did want to mention that I am pleased that Review submitted its best episode (also the best half hour of comedy of 2014): “Pancakes; Divorce; Pancakes,” and I would love it if by some miracle it ends up being recognized.

Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 6/24/14

June 24, 2014

jmunney Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment

Each week, I check out FUSE’s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
2. Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
3. Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
4. Nico & Vinz – “Am I Wrong”
5. Jason Derulo ft. Snoop Dogg – “Wiggle”
6. Charli XCX – “Boom Clap”
7. Calvin Harris – “Summer”
8. DJ Snake & Lil’ Jon – “Turn Down For What”
9. Pharrell – “Happy”
10. Disclosure ft. Sam Smith – “Latch”
11. John Legend – “All of Me”
12. Paramore – “Ain’t It Fun”
13. Ed Sheeran ft. Pharrell – “Sing”
14. MKTO – “Classic”
15. OneRepublic – “Love Runs Out”
16. Sia – “Chandelier”
17. Nicki Minaj – “Pills N Potions”
18. 5 Seconds of Summer – “She Looks So Perfect”
19. Kongos – “Come With Me Now”
20. Rixton – “Me and My Broken Heart”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Chandelier
2. Summer
3. Fancy
4. Happy
5. Come With Me Now
6. Latch
7. Turn Down For What
8. Stay With Me
9. Am I Wrong
10. Ain’t It Fun
11. Boom Clap
12. Problem
13. Love Runs Out
14. Sing
15. All of Me
16. Pills N Potions
17. Wiggle
18. She Looks So Perfect
19. Classic
20. Me and My Broken Heart

What Won TV? – June 15-June 21, 2014

June 23, 2014

jmunney Television, What Won TV? Leave a comment

In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.

Sunday – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Louie
Tuesday – Fargo season finale, oh yah
Wednesday – Jeopardy!
Thursday – Comedy Bang! Bang!, even though men aren’t funny
Friday – The Half Hour: Chris Gethard
Saturday – Orphan Black Dance Party

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 6/21/14

June 21, 2014

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

Each week, I check out VH1′s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
2. Calvin Harris – “Summer”
3. Nico & Vinz – “Am I Wrong”
4. Rixton – “Me and My Broken Heart”
5. Katy Perry – “Birthday”
6. Paramore – “Ain’t It Fun”
7. Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake – “Love Never Felt So Good”
8. Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
9. Sia – “Chandelier”
10. Ed Sheeran ft. Pharrell – “Sing”
11. Ingrid Michaelson – “Girls Chase Boys”
12. Phillip Phillips – “Raging Fire”
13. Magic! – “Rude”
14. Lorde – “Tennis Court”
15. Sara Bareilles – “I Choose You”
16. Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
17. Disclosure ft. Sam Smith – “Latch”
18. Kongos – “Come With Me Now”
19. MKTO – “Classic”
20. OneRepublic – “Love Runs Out”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Chandelier
2. Summer
3. Fancy
4. Come With Me Now
5. Latch
6. Stay With Me
7. Tennis Court
8. Am I Wrong
9. Ain’t It Fun
10. Birthday
11. Love Never Felt So Good
12. Problem
13. Love Runs Out
14. Sing
15. I Choose You
16. Rude
17. Girls Chase Boys
18. Classic
19. Raging Fire
20. Me and My Broken Heart

Best Episode of the Season: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 9

June 19, 2014

jmunney Best Episodes of the 2013-2014 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Television Leave a comment

Season Analysis: When you get used to the insanity of Always Sunny, it becomes increasingly difficult to note what is unique about any particular season’s stretch of insanity. And I’m saying this as someone who hasn’t watched all nine seasons, but only the last three.

“Flowers for Charlie”
The lack of hard science in the novel Flowers for Algernon makes it ripe for being picked apart. That story of a man with a low IQ becoming super-intelligent, only to revert to his original state, does not need a detailed explanation, because that is not really the point, but a version of that story that focuses a great deal on the science would be problematic if it did not have an adequate explanation. In It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s version, the scientist (Burn Gorman, who was one half of the best part of Pacific Rim – the other half, of course, being Charlie Day) and his assistant running the experiment to increase Charlie’s intelligence are given plenty to do, so it is only natural that their methods should be explained. And it is perfectly Sunny to have that explanation be a ruse in which Charlie was merely led to believe that his intelligence was increased. His fake Chinese and chess skills were wonderful displays of how confidence and thoroughly realized bullshit can be just as enthralling as actual talent.

This Is A Movie Review: 22 Jump Street

June 18, 2014

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Leave a comment

The team behind 21 Jump Street made the ingenious decision of making its ill-advised adaptation of an old TV show about ill-advisedly adapting an old TV show into a movie. Making 22 Jump Street about the ill-advisedness of sequels is not an ingenious decision; that is not because it is the wrong idea, but because it is the obvious (albeit correct) idea. That is to say, for 22 Jump Street to work, it has to go beyond that ill-advisedness concept. This movie does acknowledge the ridiculousness of sending Officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) back to school again to infiltrate a drug ring again. But whether it acknowledges it or not, being essentially the same movie all over again is bound to induce some fatigue. There are the same constant jokes about how they look too old to be in school cranked up to 11, as well as the same initial role reversal. The latter is not as inspired this time around, though, as Jenko joins the football team and is anointed the big man on campus, which is in line with the role he was used to prior to 21 Jump Street. But at least Schmidt is not with a group of outcasts per se, so much as an alternative crowd, which he wins over with an impromptu performance at a poetry slam that earns him the nickname “Maya Angelou” (which effectively works as a loving tribute to the late poet laureate).

The separation of Schmidt and Jenko works to set up a love story of sorts, in which the former must work through his neediness and the latter his insensitivity. This leads to the two of them frequently being mistaken for a gay couple, most notably in a therapy session with a psychology professor (a perfectly cast Marc Evan Jackson) who had them pegged as “partners” as soon as he met them. This could be construed as gay panic, that most tired of bro-comedy gags, but it is actually quite the opposite. Neither Schmidt nor (the formerly ignorant) Jenko would really mind being mistaken for gay. If anything, 22 Jump Street emphasizes how okay they are with this a bit too much. But it does lead to a triumphant moment in which Jenko gets to hilariously display what he has been learning in a human sexuality course and how open-minded he has become now that he he no longer carelessly throws around homophobic pejoratives like he did in high school.

Most of the lampshade-hanging sequel gags are not imaginative enough to make 22 Jump Street an unqualified success. But there is one crowning success in this regard: the climactic chase scene through campus, which features some of the most conceptual humor in modern mainstream American cinema. Schmidt and Jenko drive through the most expensive areas of campus, even though they could have very easily taken a route that would have led to far less damage. Schmidt cries out how upset their superiors will be over having to pay for such expensive damages and the parallel implication here is obviously that movie studios will ultimately regret having the most expensive stunts for their comedy sequels when they are completely unnecessary. I was cracking up throughout this sequence, though the audience I saw it with responded more vigorously to the broader moments, courtesy primarily of a frighteningly committed Ice Cube (returning as Schmidt and Jenko’s captain). (SPOILER-Y item of note: Cube’s role is more similar to his in Ride Along than it is to 21 Jump Street, as Schmidt dates a girl who turns out to be the captain’s daughter. This connection is only magnified by the resemblance between Amber Stevens – who plays his daughter – and Tika Sumpter – who played his sister in Ride.) A cap is placed on the sequel meta-ness with a montage that plays during the credits that seems to provide a definitive answer regarding any potential further sequels. It is the strongest sustained segment of the whole film, and it wins my vote for funniest scene of 2014. That intensity cannot be maintained for the entirety of the running time, but it presents a closing argument of sorts that makes the hour and fifty minutes that precedes it wholly worth it. B

One More Point of Note: For a movie so aware of being a sequel and that even includes a gag about a contract dispute with an actor, it is a bit jarring that Brie Larson does not reprise her role from 21 Jump Street and that her absence is never acknowledged. Although, I suppose that, as a huge Brie Larson fan, I was just more inclined to notice that than anyone else.

Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 6/17/14

June 17, 2014

jmunney Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment

Each week, I check out FUSE’s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
2. Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
3. Nico & Vinz – “Am I Wrong”
4. Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
5. Jason Derulo ft. Snoop Dogg – “Wiggle”
6. DJ Snake & Lil’ Jon – “Turn Down for What”
7. Pharrell – “Happy”
8. Calvin Harris – “Summer”
9. John Legend – “All of Me”
10. Disclosure ft. Sam Smith – “Latch”
11. Paramore – “Ain’t It Fun”
12. Ed Sheeran ft. Pharrell – “Sing”
13. OneRepublic – “Love Runs Out”
14. 5 Seconds of Summer – “She Looks So Perfect”
15. Sia – “Chandelier”
16. MKTO – “Classic”
17. Rixton – “Me and My Broken Heart”
18. Bastille – “Pompeii”
19. Kongos – “Come With Me Now”
20. Katy Perry – “Birthday”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Chandelier
2. Summer
3. Fancy
4. Happy
5. Come With Me Now
6. Latch
7. Turn Down For What
8. Stay With Me
9. Pompeii
10. Am I Wrong
11. Ain’t It Fun
12. Birthday
13. Problem
14. Love Runs Out
15. Sing
16. All of Me
17. Wiggle
18. She Looks So Perfect
19. Classic
20. Me and My Broken Heart

What Won TV? – June 8-June 14, 2014

June 15, 2014

jmunney Television, What Won TV? Leave a comment

Sunday – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, featuring Right Said Fred
Monday – Louie
Tuesday – Fargo, with the most tension-filled episode of television of 2014
Wednesday – Clueless Gamer, with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, on Conan
Thursday – Comedy Bang! Bang!
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – Orphan Black

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 6/14/14

June 14, 2014

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

Each week, I check out VH1′s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Calvin Harris – “Summer”
2. Nico & Vinz – “Am I Wrong”
3. Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
4. Paramore – “Ain’t It Fun”
5. Rixton – “Me and My Broken Heart”
6. Katy Perry – “Birthday”
7. Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake – “Love Never Felt So Good”
8. Ingrid Michaelson – “Girls Chase Boys”
9. Phillip Phillips – “Raging Fire”
10. Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
11. Sia – “Chandelier”
12. Sara Bareilles – “I Choose You”
13. Ed Sheeran ft. Pharrell – “Sing”
14. Neon Trees – “Sleeping With a Friend”
15. Lorde – “Tennis Court”
16. Magic! – “Rude”
17. Kongos – “Come With Me Now”
18. Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
19. John Legend – “All of Me”
20. MKTO – “Classic”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Chandelier
2. Summer
3. Fancy
4. Come With Me Now
5. Stay With Me
6. Tennis Court
7. Am I Wrong
8. Sleeping With a Friend
9. Ain’t It Fun
10. Love Never Felt So Good
11. Birthday
12. Problem
13. Sing
14. All of Me
15. I Choose You
16. Rude
17. Girls Chase Boys
18. Classic
19. Raging Fire
20. Me and My Broken Heart

This Is A Movie Review: Edge of Tomorrow

June 12, 2014

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Doug Liman, Edge of Tomorrow 3 Comments

Edge of Tomorrow is a lot like a video game, and this is the first movie for which that is a compliment. I’m not the first critic to make this observation, but I still feel compelled to mention it, because it is an observation that ought to be repeated. Tom Cruise plays Major William Cage, who is stripped of his rank and forced into the front lines of battle in a war against an alien race known as the Mimics. Cage is burned to death by the blood of an unusually large Mimic, and this sanguinary transition grants him the ability to repeat the same day over and over. It may sound like it is just repeating the same time-looping concept that Groundhog Day perfected over 20 years ago, except with aliens and giant mechanical suits, but it actually proves that this is an idea that is far from exhausted.

Edge of Tomorrow is not based on a video game (in fact, it is adapted from the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka), but it feels like it is based on EVERY video game. Or, at least every video game with a consistent storyline in which you can’t save your progress. The environment and plot turns of each repeated day remain the same, so Cage knows, for example, after a few loops that a fellow soldier will be crushed by a plane. So he pushes him out of the way, but that results in Cage being crushed by the plane. Whenever one challenge is overcome, several more present themselves. All of his deaths are certainly frustrating, but they are all followed by a more rewarding round through the game.

No effort is spared with the black comedy of Cage’s demises, as a series of whimsically edited montages present him crushed, exploded, run over by a Humvee, and shot in the head several times over. If you have ever hated Tom Cruise, you will surely enjoy him getting wrung through the ringer, but I implore you to try to actually like him by appreciating his unbridled energy.

I have been a fan of Cruise for a while, so he does not need to win me over, but he hustles as hard as he can to convince everybody else. The supporting cast shines as well, particularly (obviously) Emily Blunt as Rita Vrataski, a sergeant who was previously infected with the time-looping Mimic blood. Her heroic exploits have earned her the nickname “Full Metal Bitch.” It is a somewhat annoying moniker, but she no doubt lives up to it. After meeting her in battle in the first loop, we are re-introduced to her (over and over) with an admiring shot of her in a one-arm plank in the training center. The role is a tricky one, as she is expected to take absolutely no gumption from Cage (she’s no GI Jane trying to prove herself, it is just a given how awesome she is regardless of her gender) but also work at a disadvantage, considering that Cage keeps building up experience that she can never match.

Bill Paxton has more fun than any other actor this year as the sergeant in charge of Cage. He kills it with a relish that suggests he has been waiting years for a role in which he can put Tom Cruise in his place. Noah Taylor provides some expositional flavor as Dr. Carter, the only character that Cage and Vrataski can confide in regarding the time looping.

With a male and a female co-lead, it would seem inevitable that Edge of Tomorrow would throw romance into the mix. That did not strike me as the best idea, as the relentlessness of the Mimics made it so that there really could not be enough time to focus on love. Although, considering that Cage can always start over, he more or less had all the time in the world. Unsurprisingly, spending the same day again and again with Rita leads Cage to fall in love with her. So the real issue here with any potential romance is that she only has a day to develop feelings for him. For the most part, EoT recognizes and abides by this limitation. It does get around it a little bit in a way that may seem to be forcing the issue but is actually justified by the chemistry between Cruise and Blunt that is informed by the effect that Vrataski has on Cage during all his loops. A final comparison to Groundhog Day is worth making: Phil Connors’ repetitions allow him to learn how to be the ultimately selfless person that everyone loves, while William Cage is in a lonely endeavor in which he knows that the fruits of his efforts may never be fully recognized by anybody. B+

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