The Ramblings of a Minnesota Geek

MMAM - Vol. 53

2012-02-13T23:59:00.002-06:00

There's no way around this.

Underneath this manly exterior of a manly man, there is a itcy bitcy bit of a softie. I know, this is beyond belief! Bewildering, one could say. Impossible! I cannot be infected with mushy feelings! But hark, 'tis is true.

So in commemoration of this 'holiday' thing that is tomorrow, I present Craig Armstrong's main love theme from Love Actually, the one movie in the whole universe someone can throw on at any minute, and hell, I'll start getting so damn emotionally invested I wouldn't be surprised I'd start tearing up. [I mean, I don't do that...]

In all seriousness, Love Actually is one of my favorite movies ever made in all of time and space. And yes, I've visited the future, I know this. And Armstrong's score, villainously only available in a hard-to-find promo disc, is a bit contributing factor in why it's so damn good. Give it a listen, honest, it's brilliant music.

As for me, my Valentine's Day will probably be spent in front of the computer, avoiding homework, watching Greek or Terriers, and eating a heart-shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's. Love can't be better displayed than that, I daresay. How bout y'all: what's your V-Day plans?

Netflix Streaming Has Consumed My Life!

2012-02-12T22:43:00.002-06:00

Damn Netflix Streaming!

A bit ago, I made a proclamation that my having high speed internet access and relatively not too difficult classes would make time for me writing on this here blog. Turns out, I may have spoke too soon. The very thing that I expected would make blogging easier has been my undoing, both in the blogosphere and in my homework doingness. 12 days ago, I started season 1 of a show I caught miscellaneous episodes of on Channel 45 in the wee hours of the night, giddy that I could finally watch six seasons worth all in order. What show may it be?

How I Met Your Mother had always been a fun half hour when I caught random episodes on the tube, so to have the opportunity to watch all available 126 episodes in order - yeah, too good to resist. So for the last two weeks, this series has consumed my life. And it's been terrific!

Turns out I've already seen a good portion of seasons 1 and 2 on the television, so a lot of my watching was just refreshing myself. But then season 3, all the way to the end, was full of material I had never seen before, and made everything so much sweeter.

Season 1 and 2 were decent, with some laughs interestingly more in the middle of the season more than the beginning or ending (which is usually the case with comedies). Season 3 was really well done, I thought, with the introduction of Stella, the gorgeous Sarah Chalke's character. I especially appreciated Ted's dedication to making her watch Star Wars. Any potential wife of mine will have to pass the same test. Their paths diverge in season 4 in a satisfying fashion. I love seasons three and four, but all too often, it felt like there were these promises being made and then obnoxious cop outs - or a plot thread is left behind for episodes on end only to get picked up near or at the finale. Got a bit annoying, frankly. But understandable.

Season 5 was fairly so-so, but season 6, which I read that people felt was largely uneven, I found to be my favorite. It had the most 'hit' episodes for me, and the introduction of John Lithgow as an important figure in Barney's life was absolutely brilliant. I love me some Lithgow.

Overall, if anyone has yet to catch this show, do so now. There isn't a better opportunity. There are some weak episodes, and some that seem a bit redundant or unsure of themselves, but those are far and few in between, overshadowed by some truly hilarious story arcs, one liners, and skits. Even though the show is about Ted Mosby's quest to find his soulmate, it's really Barney and Lily that make this show so damn entertaining, in my humble opinion. Neil Patrick Harris is obviously a very talented comedian, so his presence in even the most shoddy of episodes automatically makes it a bit more fun, and Alyson Hannigan proves herself a worthy comedic and dramatic force even without the brilliance of Whedon dialogue. These two actors own the series.

So, yeah, How I Met Your Mother: watch it. Pronto. But the big question facing me now is this: do I download the aired episodes of season seven and watch those, or wait until the full season is done, do one massive download of all 24 episodes, and spend this time concentrating on a new show? For example, I have these on my radar:

Terriers came and went last year with huge critical acclaim, but minimal viewership. Still, a year later, it's a show that's mentioned a lot by critics and bloggers. Apparently it's great and excellent and amazing and whatever way you can possibly say that it was good. And Netflix has been nice enough to put the entire 13-episode series online! Diss the hell out of the company all you want, but I gotta commend them for offering full series that haven't hit DVD yet. Kudos, guys. Other than knowing it stars that one dude from Grounded for Life and it has something to do with private investigating, I don't know a bloody thing about the series, so I'm sort of eager to see this much-acclaimed show. And the young kid in me is itching to start watching this:

[Photo from 24 Frames Per Second]

Spider-Man: Unlimited. Hated, hated, hated by so many fans of the Web Slinger. From my own memories, I rather think I liked it. Sure, their version of Carnage and Venom were, like, freaky steroid-using villains, but overall, I loved the suit and the futuristic setting. It's been years since I've seen Spider-Man: Unlimited, so to have the chance to watch the complete series again is nothing less than a blessing. Unless I watch it and turns out everyone is right, the show truly is horrible, in which case I'll be madly disappointed.

After that, well, um, turns out every episode of every season of Power Rangers just happens to be Streaming as well, and the complete Godzilla: The Series. Must. . . Stop. . . watching . . .

MMAM - Vol. 52

2012-01-23T13:03:00.001-06:00

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS may not have been everything it ought to be, but Hans Zimmer delivered a damn good score worthy of recognition. He takes the themes established from the '09 original and expounds on them, creating some truly eerie cues that very nicely underline Moriarty's involvement in this "game." But lo and behold, the one musical cue in the movie that made me want to get up and dance was not from Zimmer himself, but instead was a rendition of "Congress Reel." Played during Watson's tag party as Sherlock runs after the Mongolian who evily wants to kill my Future Wife #6 Noomi Rapace, this is some damn fine music.

So I wholeheartedly encourage a listen y'all. Before you know it, you'll have this blasting for a straight hour on repeat as you clean the house or what have you.

To quote a friend's way-too-often-used phrase, "Nice."

Movie Prowlin: 2011 Edition, Vol. 4

2012-01-22T23:46:00.002-06:00

So I made it. 200 movies. My goal was reached. This is the part where I do my victory dance. Overall, I'm pretty damn satisfied with my yearlong viewingness. I saw a majority of everything I wanted to see, and for the most part, I enjoyed what I watched. A lot of rewatches and a lot of TV consumed most of the year. Looking at the list below, I realize that I really gotta get back into the movie reviewing business. I'm really sorta sucking at that. Another goal to strive towards!

With 2011 at a close, it's time to look forward to 2012. By this date, the 22nd, I've seen nine movies, but as of yet I can't particularly say I'll reach 80 like I did the first quarter last year. But I still have the 200 movies seen goal - and the hope to exceed it. Now if I can just stop getting so sucked into television shows...

Movies Watched in 2011: 01 October 2011 - 31 December 2011

165. Straw Dogs [2011]
166. The Help
167. 50/50
168. What’s Your Number?
169. The Thing (2011)
170. From Dusk Till Dawn
171. Red State
172. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II
173. Bad Teacher
174. Halloween II (2009)
175. Drive
176. Paranormal Activity 3
177. Urban Legend
178. Freddy vs. Jason
179. Halloween II
180. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
181. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas
182. The Social Network
183. Easy A
184. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II
185. Superbad
186. Immortals
187. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1
188. The Muppets
189. 30 Minutes or Less
190. Water for Elephants
191. Friends With Benefits
192. Our Idiot Brother
193. Colombiana
194. The Change-Up
195. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
196. Contagion
197. The Descendants
198. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
199. Midnight in Paris
200. The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo

TV Seasons Watched in 2011: 01 October 2011 - 31 December 2011

27. The Vampire Diaries: Season 2
28. 24: Season 8
29. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-08T23:14:00.002-06:00

So I've been a rubbish blogger, I recognize that.

Hell, I've been a rubbish filmgoer.

The good news is that I hit my goal of 200 movies seen in 2011, but was slightly below 2010 with new releases viewed. I blame it on the slim pickings of titles that demanded attention from me. Anyway, it's been over a month since my last post, and I daresay I've been a bit of a busy geek.

First and foremost, why the image of Suncoast at the top of this post? Well, since I was sixteen, I've worked at the local Suncoast Motion Picture Company (sister store of F.Y.E.) at my local mall. Honestly, that place has become a second family. My coworkers and two managers are some of my closest friends, and with the exception of the half dozen or so customers that come in day after day and make a case for mankind's annihilation, Suncoast has been nothing short of heaven since I started.

I get paid to talk about movies and TV. Sell product to the customer, and even - on occasion - watch it on our TV screens. Jobs aren't supposed to be fun, but this job has been above and beyond.

Here's a good example: on one of the many super dead days during this past summer, my bosses and I had one of the most in-depth conversations I've ever participated in about the pro and cons of the 2011 superhero movies. We listed favorites by personal enjoyment and by the whole technical side (editing, cinematography, score, performances, etc.), and I'd say a good 70 minutes cumulative was spent dissecting these (four?) movies. It's days like that, just shooting the shit with my coworkers over stuff we love, that I cherish with all my heart.

And now that's all coming to an end.

A little over a month ago, right around the time I stopped blogging (although that wasn't the primary reason), I received word of the store's demise. Our little shop, one of the very last stores in Minnesota that sold hard-to-find movies at a reasonable price, that hired employees who actually knew what the hell they were talking about, and has been a staple store of a mall overrun with redundant cellphone and jewelry stores, is closing up. The humorous part that we tell our customers is that it has absolutely nothing to do with Netflix or any online companies - I don't know exactly what can be published or not, but the reason we're closing is rather ridiculous.

So for the last month Suncoast has occupied my life. Cherishing each and every last day at that place. Home Numero Dos. To put it mildly, this sucks balls.

And now school has started up again. Which, of course, means high speed internet wherever I go. The Geek will not perish from the blogosphere. Hell, in my blogroll, a site that hadn't a new post since 2009 was just resurrected, so my month absence - eh, ain't a huge deal. But I'm back, baby. Still distracted as usual by school and life -

- like the big question: what the hell am I going to do now?!?! -

- but I'm ready to talk about movies and shows. 2012 is going to be a damn good year. At least, there's more I'm looking forward to this year than 2011. Sorry to any 2011 lovers. Speaking of last year, the Geek's obligatory year-end roundup post(s) will be coming shortly, most likely near the end of the month. There's only two or three films to see before I make a judgment. I will say that as opposed to 2010 when there was a clear winner, I really don't have a clue bout my 2011 list just yet, let alone a bet.

So in summary: school, home #2 closing up shop, and me facing this whole adulthood thing.

In closing, please stay tuned to The Ramblings of a Minnesota Geek. Postings will resume shortly, both of movies and television shows, and I just might start blogging about life junk. Sneak peak: by no choice of my own, I have now entered into a class of the utmost evil. A trickster form masquerading as art. Oh yes, I'm taking poetry. Lords of Kobol, watch over my soul.

Until next time, happy 2012 folks, and hope to talk to y'all soon --

Awesome Andy

MMAM - Vol. 51

2011-12-05T23:54:00.001-06:00

Had the pleasure of watching me some COLOMBIANA the other day, and this song closed the film out. Can't think of anything more suitable. Hate me for saying this, I grant you, but I'm not an enormous Johnny Cash fan; I like some of his work, but not a lot. "Hurt" falls into the category of ones I love. There's something about this song that is just so perfect. Every beat, the way his voice conveys the words, the whole shebang - one stellar song, and one that deserves to be shared today after a long MMAM absence.

I promise, something more cheery next time.

The Watcher: 11/27/11 - 12/03/11

2011-12-03T23:45:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, we've hit the time of year where a lot of shows are taking their month-long hiatus, or slowly but surely closing up their seasons, or thanks to ridiculous scheduling by the super stupid station, have been pushed back or shelved for a later date (as COMMUNITY's about to next week). It's the Dark Days of TV.

DEXTER S06E09 - "Get Geller" (27 November 2011) - Time's running out the season as it comes to a close (feels like it just started), and now the Doomsday Killer team has been revealed to Dexter as a solo murdering spree. Presumably, Travis is suffering through some MPD, and thus has crafted his very own Professor Geller, a la Dexter's Harry. The twist itself was rather obvious for anyone who pays special attention to scene staging or likes to overthink the show instead of just letting showing up to be entertained. But despite the rather lame nature of the twist, I am happy to see Eddie James Olmos depart from the show. He's a strong, brilliant actor, but his skills were hardly being utilized to the fullest extent here. All that amazing energy he had in Battlestar Galactica seems vanquished here, so to allow Colin Hanks to expand his role is only a plus. Additionally, Dexter is pissed. And whenever Dexter is pissed, that lends itself to some riveting television. So I, for one, am excited to see where this story is heading. This, I feel, has been a stronger season than last, and with some lingering plot threads - Jamie's video gamer boyfriend, Quinn falling off the wheels, Deb's therapy session - the next three episodes could provide some very interesting twists. So, overall, I'm pretty glued into the story, and I'm excited to see how Colin Hanks handles Travis from here on out. Score: 8.0/10

COMMUNITY S03E09 - "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism" (1 December 2011) - For most of the episode, I had two thoughts: One, I was glad that the writers were expanding on Shirley, the character I feel is most underwritten in the entire series, and Two, holy mother of God, I love Abed's Batman and Christian Bale voice. When you have Danny Pudi don the cape and cowl, that automatically makes for an electrifying, fun episode. But then the writers amped up the awesomeness by including a 40-second anime scene depicting Jeff Versus Shirley in a death match Foosball game. That was nothing short of amazing, and had me laughing through its entirety. Even in season three, the show doesn't cease with its originality. Also sorta reminded me of the now-canceled MTV show The Hard Times of RJ Berger, which often took a brief from live action each episode and ventured into animation for some spectacular sequences. This was not different in its awesomeness. It's not my favorite episode of the season, but I love that the writers are expanding on character this year, and to have Jeff and Shirley have a history of sorts, and Shirley's actions so instrumental in Jeff's personality was a nice touch. And one final thing worth mentioning: there hasn't been, and are no plans for, a Special Edition The Dark Knight DVD. Trust me, if there was an edition with friggin' audio commentary, that baby would be mine! Although, it did feel nice to have this magical kin moment with the show when I realized they were using the same Steelbook DVD my store sold back in '08. Yay, I officially have an tie with Community. One episode to go, and then a long ass hiatus. NBC, I dislike you, capeesh? Score: 8.7/10

ONCE UPON A TIME S01E05 - "That Still Small Voice" (27 November 2011) - EDIT: Turns out this is the wrong image for this episode, it's actually from the next one. Ooops. REVIEW: These last two episodes haven't been their strongest, but are, I understand, necessary evils to establish the world and characters of the series. In this case we have Jimminy Cricket, who as a character doesn't really make me root for the guy or relate to him with the exception of when he finally stands up for himself against the Mayor. He grew some balls, and I couldn't help but admire the man for it. In fantasy world, though, why on earth was his wish to be a cricket? So he could be free? But a cricket, really? There wasn't anything else he was particularly keen to become? Anyway, the cricket issue aside, it was great to see the Mayor from Buffy season 3, Henry Groner, back on screen. That guy is always amazing. Here's hoping that the mythology establishing episodes can be handled a little bit better in the future. The show is still in its infancy stage, so I don't want to be too hard on it. This is just one of their lesser outings. Score: 7.6/10

SUPERNATURAL S07E10 - "Death's Door" (2 December 2011) - Bobby's been shot, and the brothers are in despair. So these are my general thoughts: despite how much I love Bobby, about time the writers decide to throw the axe down and 'kill him' (as to whether or not he actually is dead remains to be seen). If this was a Joss Whedon show, he would probably have died a long time ago. This season has been rather emotionless, and considering the Winchesters have died at least three times a piece, it's suiting that it's Bobby's turn. And considering the writers dedicated a full episode to Bobby's mind, running against the ticking clock, and giving Sam one last, vital piece of information (not to mention cementing Dean's lust for revenge and desire to eviscerate the Leviathan), I think it's fair to say Bobby will be dead when we return in "Adventures in Babysitting". Jim Beaver gave one hell of an phenomenal performance, as did his partner in crime Rufus. And after seven seasons, we also get some previews of Bobby's past, which were understandably dark and makes sense in character. None of these guys have had all that great of time growing up. Supernatural had to do something drastic to rattle the chess board, and it did. Now let's hope the next thirteen episodes from here make use of this new conflict. Here's to another long ass wait. Score: 8.0/10

The Watcher: 10/30/11 - 11/19/11

2011-11-19T23:15:00.004-06:00

CHUCK S05E02 - "Chuck Vs. the Bearded Bandit" (04 November 2011) - Weirdly an entirely forgettable episode, even with Lepidus (Lost) and Green Arrow (Smallville) in the episode! Score: 5.0/10

CHUCK S05E03 - "Chuck Vs. the Frosted Tips" (11 November 2011) - The Intersect is melting Morgan's brain, making him act like quite the dick, and also deleting important parts of his life, such as his love and adoration towards sci-fi/geeky films. Going down this route gives both the actor and characters some meaty material to chew on, but furthermore, it's actually some pretty interesting storytelling. Chuck seemed to cope with the Intersect rather well without much in the way of sideeffects, but Morgan is going bonkers. And Casey's flirting with Verbanski was great, and I hope to see that more along the season. Score: 7.9/10

CHUCK S05E04 - "Chuck Vs. the Business Trip" (18 November 2011) - It's episodes like these that remind me how I fell in love with the show in the first place. The last year and a half, Chuck has often not been the series I remembered and cherished, but this final season, things seem to be looking up. Casey messing with Morgan with the order and quality of the Star Wars movies was pure genius, and Sarah's desire to have something resembling a normal married life, the nice action scenes mixed with camp and comedy. Also worth noting is that this is the first instance the gang have operated without an Intersect, and they seem to be doing just fine. Will this be the norm for the rest of the series? The gang Intersectless? That would be interesting. It all just clicked this time out, and gives me hope that the series is going to regain its footing. Score: 9.4/10

COMMUNITY S03E06 - "Advanced Gay" (03 November 2011) - A rather so-so episode, it did have some funny moments given to Troy and his 'gift' with fixing things, allowing Donald Glover and John Goodman to eat up the screen so effortlessly. The Troy subplot most definitely saved this episode from being a rather blah outing. That said, I did enjoy Jeff taking out his father issue's on Pierce's father problem, and I especially enjoyed the resolution to that. Chang also surprised by actually being relatively funny! He had some good moments. And, finally, a return appearance of Inspector Spacetime. That alone is worth anything. Score: 7.6/10

COMMUNITY S03E07 - "Studies in Modern Movement" (10 November 2011) - Annie moves in with Troy and Abed, and of course, nothing goes as planned. Personally not an episode I enjoyed all that much, but for the first time in eons, I actually found myself sorta amused by Chevvy Chase. More often than not, I find him one giant annoying old dude, but lo and behold, he actually made me smirk once or twice. And what Troy and Abed due for Annie in the end is pretty nice, and staging the blanket story was rather brilliant. Overall, not great, not bad. Score: 7.5/10

COMMUNITY S03E08 - "Documentary Filmmaking: Redux" (17 November 2011) - Hilarious from beginning to end. Abed filming a documentary on the filming of a Greendale TV promo. All the actors are given some excellent material, none more than Jeff doing a SUPERB impersonation of the Dean. Not one second of this ep was bad. Community gold. Score: 10/10

And what's been going on with DEXTER? Episodes four through seven are under review here, and frankly, I'm a bit surprised at how much I genuinely like these episodes. We were treated to a Dexter who lost yet another person very close to him, but in this instance, the person was someone he believed in, someone he cared about, and as a result, the spirit guide of his father vanished and was replaced by his brother, the Devil basically egging him on. His stint on the show was far too brief, in my opinion, but the presence of Dexter's dead brother added one hell of a great, fascinating layer. It was marvelous to see Dexter's dark side pushed even further than just mentions to his 'Dark Passenger'. So I'm quite pleased with how Dexter is being handled, as I am with Deb. Her character is written very strongly this year, I feel, and never before have we been given a better glimpse at the relationship she and Dex have, and their sorta messed up dynamic together. Plot has largely propelled the story the last few years, so it's great to see characters explored as people instead of how they react to what's been given to them.

Dexter and Deb have been the highlight for me this year, and I've even managed to enjoy Quinn to an extent. I don't think the writers quite know what they're going to do with him instead of having the guy drink and shag a whole bunch, but I've been rather amused with his antics as of late. At least we don't have that ridiculous marriage storyline with LaGuerta and Batista. That was just dumb. The real suckage aspect of season 6 remains Edward James Olmos and Colin Hanks. I just don't care. Everything else is good, that part just isn't. Go away, guys. Otherwise, a pretty strong season, at least compared to last year. Score thus far: 8.8/10

FRINGE S04E05 - "Novation" (04 November 2011) - I love Fringe, and I will continue to watch the show as a lover of all things Fringe, but boy, is this week-by-week (or every two weeks) thing driving me batshit crazy. The way the writers peel off layer after layer in a very deliberate pace - and it's a good pace - I dig that, I like it, and when viewed as a complete 22 episode season, it will probably jive just right. But at this episode-by-episode basis, it's nutters. For example, we've now waited well over a month for Peter's return, with four episodes in between and two weeks off the air because of stupid games, it's understandable that the episode that brings Peter back feels a little underwhelming. But I won't criticize "Novation" for how it handles Peter's return. From a writing and pacing standpoint, it's exactly the way it should be, and I support the writers. But damn, I want more and fast! And finally, John Noble was great during his Peter scenes. Great. Also, some more backstory on Olivia and Nina Sharp's history was very cool. Score: 9.0/10

FRINGE S04E06 - "And Those We Left Behind" (11 November 2011) - By all accounts, this is just your standard Case of the Week story, but one of the things the Fringe writers do so well (when it works) is make one hell of a tight, emotional story that connects fantastically with the B Plot, the Case of the Week element. In this instance, we have an old married couple experimenting with time (48 minutes to be exact) so the husband can try to save his wife. It's a sweet story, full of romance and very much the right story for Peter and Olivia right now, leading to the wonderful final two minutes where Olivia addresses the elephant in the room. She notices the way he looks at her, and acknowledges that she must have been important to him in that other timeline. Peter says she was/is, and needs to find a way to get back to her. I love this final scene, but it also leaves me with a nagging thought: do I really want - nay, does the story demand that - Peter reinserts the previous reality to now? So do these two time streams actually exist, or was Peter's time stream obliterated into nothingness when he was fazed out of existence, so all that remains of that time stream is memories? But if that time stream exists, what does that mean for the universes and their deterioration? I guess I'm just unsure of what direction this whole new reality thing will take, and I just hope and pray the writers handle it delicately and intelligently. Overall, pretty damn good episode. Score: 9.4/10

FRINGE S04E07 - "Wallflower" (18 November 2011) - This is the last frakkin' episode until January 13th? Seriously? FOX, you're one giant douche. I know this wasn't the episode they planned as a midseason finale, but c'mon, why couldn't FOX just frakkin' air the next one? I won't lie and say I have any understanding of network scheduling and that shit, but considering how they move around everything for some frakkin' sports show, why not move stuff around to accommodate the fans? There is dislike going here. With the exception of the moments between Olivia and Lincoln - and I gotta say, I am rather rooting for those two to connect - "Walflower" is a rather insignificant, unimpressive episode. It's laying the foundations for what's to come for sure, with the messed up cliffhanger-y finale, but the episodes meat just wasn't enough. I don't even really remember what all happened other than that there were guns and Peter walking around a Dollar Tree-esque store for supplies and being followed around by one of Broyles' agents. I want more Fringe, and I want it now, FOX! Decent episode. Score: 8.0/10

ONCE UPON A TIME S01E02 - "The Thing You Love the Most" (30 October 2011) - It's all about the Evil Queen this time around, cementing her role as the antagonist by killing her father, betraying a friend, and casting a curse so evil and horrendous it's consequences will be utterly severe. It was good stuff, but I couldn't help but be distracted by the piss-poor CG in a lot of these fantasy scenes. It's really obnoxious. What I found most compelling this hour out is, once again, everything involving Emma and Snow White, and furthermore, the prophetic Robert Carlyle. Robert just exudes coolness with every step he takes and every line he utters. Looking forward to how this character evolves. Most of the stuff with the evil queen, though, I wasn't as engrossed in, oddly enough. I like dark characters, I like seeing them make mistakes and descend even lower into darkness, but there was something about her tale that didn't quite work. Maybe it's the fact it seemed sped up, that the emotional core wasn't there because it was explored and finished in one whole episode. Regardless, still a strong second outing. Score: 8.2/10

ONCE UPON A TIME S01E03 - "Snow Falls" (6 November 2011) - This was quite the success. Plus, I'm a huge sucker for some romances, and Snow White and Prince Charming's tale both in Storybrooke and fantasy land was really well handled, specifically the stuff in Storybrooke. Much like the previous episode, stories that should be allowed to grow organically are pursued and finished in 40 minutes or less, and it's unfortunate the story isn't given the proper time. As it stands, the chemistry and romance between Snow White and James/Prince Charming feels a tiny bit forced, but amazingly, when John Doe wakes up in the hospital and Snow White comes to his aid, it's a touching, highly emotional scene. I may or may not have been choked up. I also have to give props to the writers and makeup artists for creating new creatures and designing this really spectacular fantasy world. The ogres or whatever that Snow White deals with are a good example of good makeup and reimagining a true and tried creature. Basically, "Snow Falls" is one of my top favorite of the series thus far, and makes me excited to see how classic stories are going to be reimagined in this show. Good start thus far. Score: 8.9/10

ONCE UPON A TIME S01E04 - "The Price of Gold" (13 November 2011) - Although I wasn't remotely grabbed in by Ashley's story and the fate of her baby, I was, oddly enough, completely captivated by Robert Carlyle's portrayal of Rumpelstiltsken. And Henry's statements that only Emma can have some sort of effect on him where no one else can is an intriguing concept, and I'm quite excited to see where this leads. A lot of interesting elements are being introduced, I just can't wait to see how they're explained/explored. Emma's character also gets a tiny bit of movement, instead of being a rather neither here nor there character for the last few episodes, she finally gets integrated into the city of Storybrooke, and is deputized by the Sheriff to safeguard the community. I'm okay with this development. Really, I just wanna start seeing more of why Emma is so special instead of all this talk about it, y'know? Still love the show. Score: 7.6/10

REVENGE S01E07 - "Charade" (02 November 2011) - Huh. That's basically all I can say. Nolan's getting busy with the really weird guy from Nikita introduced like forever ago, Emily's lies are beginning to unravel, and the original Emily Thorn shows up on Amanda Clarke's doorstep. Fun times. But all in all, "Charade" wasn't all that compelling. When Emily says things about her relationship with Daniel, her character has been written and portrayed with so much ambiguity I don't know whether or not she's truthful. Is this how it should necessarily be written or is it an oversight? Basically, I'm at a point where I want something to happen with Weird Guy. I'm tired of this pushing and pulling. He's not interesting or dynamic enough to keep up the charade (haha). And finally, Declan. Ugh. He had no right to act self-righteous at the dinner table. Zero. Made me wish he was beaten in a very cruel and uncivil way. But I know he survives long enough for the timeline to match the series opener. Score: 7.2/10

REVENGE S01E08 - "Treachery" (14 November 2011) - Can't say I'm particularly a fan of this new development of the original Emily Thorn making herself a presence in Amanda Clark's life. I'm watching this show to see Emily VanCamp exact her revenge on the people who royally screwed up her life and betrayed her father, but that seems to be taking a backseat to all this Frank/Amanda crap that I personally don't find all that compelling. I understand detours need to be made in order to hit a full season worth of storytelling, but this isn't the writers and actors at their best. Score: 7.5/10

SUPERNATURAL S07E07 - "The Mentalists" (04 November 2011) - Before I started to write this, I had to go back to Wikipedia to remember exactly what the hell this episode was about. All I really remember about "The Mentalists" was that I was quite pleased with Sam's No Bullshit approach to the job since last season, and it really showed up here when he shot the bad guy without a moment's hesitation. It's nice to have a guiltless, pro-action character. The main plot with the medium and the ghosts - nah, just wasn't feeling it. Witches and forces over spirits was better handled earlier this year with the Spike/Cordelia episode. Score: 6.7/10

SUPERNATURAL S07E08 - "Season Seven, Time For a Wedding!" (11 November 2011) - This series tends to do well with their meta comedy episodes, but in this instance, it wasn't really funny, nor all that clever, so I can't help but say "Season Seven, Time For a Wedding!" was anything less than underwhelming. In the category of positives, though, the facial expressions of Becky were fantastic to watch, and I nearly wish I could make a gallery dedicated to the multitude of faces she made throughout the episode. But as for her character, her story, and basically everything about her and Sam - it just didn't jell. To accommodate the meta, I think it would have been a tad more interesting to have Genevieve Cortese come back as Jared/Sam's wife, as introduced in last year's "The French Mistake." Overall, this episode was an misfire, without much in the way of (at least) laughs. Not their best moment, but also not absolutely horrible. Score: 6.2/10

VAMPIRE DIARIES S03E08 - "Ordinary People" (03 November 2011) - It's history time, and Vampire Diaries gives us another flashback episode, but with a twist: the show's version of how vampires came to be. It was a rather messy affair with Michael forcing the change upon his family, and they didn't seem to be too happy about the whole ordeal. The ending didn't really excite me all that much: I am ready for Klaus to be gone, or his arc to change in some way. We've had over a season of build-up for this character, and no matter how captivating an actor the guy who plays Klaus is, I feel it's time for the series to change gears and bring in a new big bad outside of Klaus and Katherine. Time for something new. But still, "Ordinary People" presented an interesting, fresh take on vampire lore, and for that, I am quite grateful. Score: 9.0/10

Andy's Friday Five: 1998

2011-11-18T22:22:00.000-06:00

1998 is really the year of my guilty pleasures. I doubt most of the films in my Top 5 will be on any other, and I'm perfectly fine about that. These films are just, in my humble opinion, bloody friggin' awesome. The category before the Top 5 list a lot of regular titles you'll see on lists, and although they are good - hell, even great films - when compared to the flicks on my Top 5, I just don't watch them as frequently as I do the ones I selected, nor does my heart flutter quite as much. Yeah, yeah, here's me going all mushy over flicks. Anyway, so check out below for my top picks of 1998. Now what are yours?

Previous Entries:
1990 | 1995 | 1997 | 2000

I Still Love These Movies, But They Don't Take the Cake

Lost in Space - Just had the pleasure of rewatching this recently, and with the exception of a really bad Gary Oldman, I frakkin' LOVED this. The story was tight and intelligent, the kid roles were tolerable, the leads were fun, Matt LeBlanc did a hilariously bad Han Solo impression, the miniature effects were really well done (highly detailed), the SPFX was spiffy and hold up even now over a decade later, and frankly, I love Lost in Space enough that I want a damn sequel.

GODZILLA - Since the age of 3, I have loved Godzilla more than nearly anything else, a love rivaled only by Batman. I like this movie, but it's more a remake of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms than it is remotely a Godzilla film.

Can't Hardly Wait - Teen sex comedy. <3 Furthermore, this flick is basically one giant 'Hey, it's THAT guy!' celebrity cameo fest. For realziez.

Halloween: H20 - Could have been sooo much better, but for what it is, this seventh film of the franchise ain't terrible. Boasts one hell of an ending. But the Michael Myers mask...ugh, I cringe to this day.

Deep Impact - Move aside Armageddon, I choose this world-ending-by-asteroid film over you any day of the week.

Saving Private Ryan - Without fail, whenever this film is playing on TNT, I always tune into the scene where a soldier gets a knife slowly pushed into his heart, and by God, does that just irk me. As for the whole movie, well, it's fantastic. Don't watch it often, but when I do, it's always a heart-pounding experience.

American History X - Also just saw this fairly recently, and was mighty impressed.

Meet Joe Black - Dunno what it is with me and liking films that include manifestations of Death. Though, I'm quite confidant the inclusion of Claire Forlani has something to do with my like for this movie.

Andy's Favorite Five of 1998
5. Run, Lola Run

Similar to choice #1, Run, Lola Run (that sorta rhymed) was a result of class assignment. We watched it together about three or four years ago, and it was just another one of those 'falling in love' moments. This is one of those instances where a clever idea and a creative director come together to make one hell of a fascinating movie. It's basically one story told different ways three times, each time with factors that create a different endgame in the 20 minutes the redhead, Lola, is allotted to save her boyfriend, Manny, who honestly doesn't seem worth the hassle. But it is what it is. The inventiveness of the situations, and surprisingly, the emotions that come out of it - especially during the bank scenes, where revelation after revelation hits Lola - is surprising, fresh, raw, and real. For someone who wants action, they'll get plenty of that; for someone looking for good story and characters, there's still that, too, which is even more impressive given its small runtime. Run, Lola Run is an experience. Much like 24. Oooooh! Now THERE'S a show: Lola - 20/4. Alright, I'm sold. Wait, what was I saying? Yes, Run, Lola Run: one hell of a wild ride that you'll want to get on again and again and again.

4. The Mask of Zorro

Every frame, every line, every track, every performance: frakkin' phenomenal. The Mask of Zorro is one of those movies, for me, that no matter the amount of hateration someone else throws on it, no matter how much someone points out whatever flaws it may have, or no matter someone just disagreeing flat out that this flick has any redeeming value - I will be unfazed. I love this movie. I fell in love instantly at the age of eight, and at my ancient age of 21, I'm still head over inexpensive shoes in love with it. There is not one bad beat in the whole film. The cinematography is gorgeous. Catherine Zeta-Jones is gorgeous. Anthony Hopkins is awesome. Antonio Banderas is awesome, hilarious, and can kick major ass. The sword battles - which I admit helped my eight year old self fall in love far easier than the 'talkie' scenes - are spectacular, swift in motion, beautiful and mesmerizing to watch. There's revenge, there's morality, there's romance, there's action/adventure, there's humor. That's what you get when you have a fantastic cast and crew on hand. Martin Campbell directs this beautiful film, a man who, until Green Lantern, I was pretty confidant could do no wrong; Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio prove right here that they are the cleverest screenwriters around, and each of the actors display their rightful star power with every scene. Love, love, love, love, LOVE me some Mask of Zorro. So you can only imagine how much I was looking forward to its sequel. Yeah, that didn't sit well with me...

3. Mulan

Confession time: I'm 21, in college, and I still sing those damn songs from this flick. "I'll Make a Man Out of You", for instance. So bloody catchy. There's not a lot of Disney movies I love or enjoy, but Mulan is one of the titles that I can't get enough of. When I found it in the $5 bin at Half Price Books, there probably wasn't a happier person on the planet at that time. I'll just list some stuff I love about my favorite Disney flick: the voice of Eddie Murphy as Mulan's dragon guardian Mushu. This is one of Murphy's funniest roles, and Mushu simply looks awesome. I want my own Mushu. The character of Mulan is interesting. This girl who really sucks at adhering to the cultural 'norm' of what her gender should do in society, and out of her compassion for her father, takes up his position in the army to fight in a war, considering she's never even been in battle before [leading to the awesome 'We Are Men' montage]. She's written extremely well, and moreso than coolio dragon Mushu, it's her journey that keeps me coming back for more. The animation is exquisite. At least for me, this is the style I like and appreciate. And how they animated the Huns - man, I was petrified as a kid by the main bad guy, his bright, evily yellow eyes, long flowing black hair, and one hell of a sharp, scary blade. And the climax in the heart of China - spectacular! Explosions, sword fights, even cross dressing in a Disney flick - Mulan is FUN!

2. The Faculty

Pure enjoyment, nonstop from beginning to end. Not only does the cast of people involve make me fall in love with the film alone - Elijah Wood, Kevin Williamson, Robert Rodriguez, Josh Hartnett, Jean Grey - but the movie itself is hilarious, intelligent, intense, and simply awesome. Apologies for using 'awesome' as a descriptive way of talking about a film, but really, it applies. Look at that photo to the left, how does this super-sized alien that wants to take over the planet, starting at a school, not look awesome? For some, this regrettably probably looks rather rubbish, and I don't blame them, but there's something about this film that just clicks with me. A really damn good aliens-invading-my-high-school flick, with a clever script filled with Kevin Williamson trademarks: smart twists, interesting characters, clever/witty dialogue. And, just to compliment how much I love monster suit designs, they give us that gorgeous thing photoed left. Yes, I very much want an action figure of that. So, in conclusion, The Faculty is right up my alley. I love aliens, I like high school stories when they aren't directly related to me, and combining aliens and high school is a pretty nifty idea, and could be entertaining as hell if executed right. The Faculty is executed right.

1. Pleasantville

This is perhaps the most unexpected inclusion on the list. I saw this for the first time as part of a class assignment. Something about symbolism, I figure. Point is, as I was watching it, I fell in love. So much so, that the next day I made a trek over to Sam's Club, and bought this baby for less than $4. If that DVD has a commentary, I probably listened to it. For about a good week or two, I was fully enamored by Pleasantville and everything pertaining to it. I loved the black & white, I love Tobey and Reese, I loved how characters gained color and changed, I loved the different ways a person can interpret the film, how you can tackle it from different perspectives and it somehow works within that structure/theory. It's a movie that's both innocent fun and multilayered. And, even more awesome, the more times I watch it, I pick up on new things. Frankly, it's been awhile, but I hope to remedy that really soon. Pleasantville was a welcome surprise, a flick I didn't expect anything from, and lo and behold, became an instant favorite of mine. This is my Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

2011-11-17T23:55:00.000-06:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Jason Isaacs, Maggie Smith, Bonnie Wright, Matthew Lewis, John Hurt, Michael Gambon
Written by Steve Kloves
Directed by David Yates
Release: 15 July 2011
Warner Bros., 130 mins., Rated PG-13

Plot: It's Harry vs. Voldemort as the ultimate showdown comes to the front at Hogwarts.

So this is it, this is the end. I chose not to review Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 when it first hit theaters in order to take some time and digest the film, and as time went by, it just made more sense to wait for the home video release in order to tackle the film in a more thorough manner. Now that time has come, and with it, the end of the Harry Potter adventure, and the end of anticipation for whatever’s next in the release pipeline.

To say there’s an emotional attachment to this final film is a bit of an understatement. Like many fans, I’ve been glued to the hip to Harry Potter since the first few books, and have diligently seen every one of the movies no fewer than ten times a piece. The character of Harry Potter, and his journey to overcome Lord Voldemort, has been as personal a journey for me as it has been for him. So what this film represents is the end of a magical era, and it’s a sad one. Months later, as I rewatch the film on home video, its power and emotional strength are still very much there. What I am to do here is really take a hard look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, the good and the bad, and give one last goodbye to The Boy Who Lived.Right away, in the opening three minutes, David Yates makes some brilliant decisions. First, even before the company logo, a quick, forty-second recap of Voldemort’s ‘win’, his possession of the Elder Wand, the moment where any audience member not knowing anything about the book will be thinking, ‘Oh, shit, Harry’s screwed.’ It reiterates the importance of the wand, and also provides a quick refresh for anyone who forgot a detail or two. Secondly, we open the film very somberly by concentrating on newly crowned Headmaster of Hogwarts Severus Snape. No dialogue, just a couple of lingering shots of Alan Rickman playing Snape to utter perfection. By all means, his expression gives off the impression of an emotionless man, but thanks to the brilliance of Rickman, you can just tell there’s something behind his eyes, something sad, something off-putting. Opening the final film on Snape is a stroke of genius, and it’s presented so utterly beautiful, I can’t imagine a better way to bring the series to an end. And, of course, in the same way this is Harry’s movie, this is also very much Snape’s movie. Everything about him and his allegiances and choices are revealed here, so it’s fantastic to see him get his due. The openings of these last two movies have been fantastic: showing the kids preparing to leave their homes, and giving the spotlight to the “bravest man” Harry has ever known.

The next twenty minutes fly by at a blink of an eye. Harry is given some extremely important information about wand lore and allegiances by Ollivander (John Hurt), exposition given in a very engaging manner (kudos to screenwriter Steve Kloves for making what could have been a dull scene into something strong and, in a way, creepy), and meets with Griphook, played by an scene-stealing Warwick Davis. From the midnight release to the writing of this piece, I remain completely impressed by Warwick. His performance of Griphook is nuanced, and actually reminds me of Rickman in his ability to create an odd discomfort during the silences between words. As much as I like the Harry/Olivander scene, Harry’s bargain with Griphook is an exchange that never fails to remain gripping. Then we break into Gringotts, and break out thanks to a very pissed off albino dragon. Here we find out an interesting piece of information concerning Harry and the Horcruxes, an element I’m 90% sure isn’t in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2: Harry can ‘sense’ the Horcruxes, an device that is highly beneficial in that it limits exposition and cuts down on time.

The liberties Kloves takes to make the identification and destruction of Horcruxes easier I actually have no problem with. Actually, I find it rather brilliant. Something that will be said a lot and deservedly so is that, in my humble opinion, this is Steve Kloves’ best script of the series. There are tiny moments that make such an impact, and the way he adapts Rowling’s work is, at times, a stroke of brilliance. Apologies for getting ahead of myself, but while I’m on the topic, two specific parts Kloves incorporates I love are: in the Room of Requirement, Harry asking Malfoy why he didn’t tell Bellatrix he recognized him [note: in the book, I believe Malfoy genuinely couldn’t recognize Harry under Hermione’s jinx, although I may be wrong], and during the background heavy scene with Alberforth in the book concerning Albus’ past mistakes, Kloves sums it up so brilliantly by Harry stating very plainly, “I don’t care what happened between you and your brother. I trusted the man I knew.” It addresses that element from the book without outright dismissing it, and reinforces Harry’s trust in people and his belief in Dumbledore. Great moments.
After the Horcrux has been recovered, Ralph Fiennes is permitted to let loose his insanity as he slaughters all the goblins at Gringotts (including poor double-crossing Griphook). Fiennes is extraordinary in chilling audiences with an untamed Lord Voldemort, angry beyond comprehension and lusting for blood. Intercutting Voldemort’s wrath at the bank with the trio’s fall into the lake is a pretty good move, accomplishing two things at once. This sets up the rest of the movie: Hogwarts. Harry, tapping into Voldemort’s mind, gets a clue or two about another Horcrux at Hogwarts and knows he needs to go back, and Voldemort realizes he needs to start checking on his Horcruxes and keeping his snake, Nagini, safe.

Here we come to the Alberforth scene. Caesar himself Ciaran Hinds gives a wonderful performance as Alberforth Dumbledore. Thanks to some of the best makeup work of the series, Hinds looks like an exact replica of Michael Gambon. By all accounts, these two actors are, as far as I’m concerned, brothers. Physically, the similarities are uncanny, and Hinds even gives a similar speech rhythm. The scene with the trio and Alberforth could have made the film drag, but surprisingly, it doesn’t at all. And thanks to Alberforth, this brings us to…

The return of Neville and Harry’s come back tour to Hogwarts! Poor Matthew Lewis has been on the sidelines for the majority of the series (although, to be fair, he’s been given some great moments, specifically in Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix), but here he shines. Proactive, rebellious, mischievous, heroic – the buffoon the trio have grown accustomed to is no longer, instead replaced by an action hero, the leader of the Hogwarts resistance. Lewis shines during his speech to Voldemort, the perfect story beat for the character seven films in the making. Whatever his future prospects are, I sincerely hope Lewis continues to pursue acting. Deathly Hallows, Part 2 very much shines a light at the unsung heroes of the series: Snape, Neville and even Ron (c’mon, here’s given more to do here than ever before, I’d say).
Speaking of hero moments, Harry gets this AMAZING one when he walks out of an assembly and counters Snape, berating him in front of the students, and the remainder of the Order of the Phoenix arrive. It’s such a powerful, ‘Yeah Harry!’ moment. It’s like him being a rockstar, him saying, ‘I’m Harry Potter, dude, and I’m going to bring you and VoldeyFace down!’ On a more serious note, it's just a really powerful scene, Harry confidentially standing out amongst his peers and confronting Snape, and a minute later, that small exchange between Harry and McGonagall - another fantastic scene that makes me so completely happy seven movies later.From here on out, it's all war. And the only thing I'll mention about it, aside from the super obnoxious uber-dark coloring of the image (even the Blu-Ray is a tad too dark for my liking), is one minute and thirty seconds of awesomeness that amounts to what the CD track listings refer to as "Courtyard Apocalypse." The trio need to find Voldemort, and they run through the raging war happening around them to get to him. Alexandre Desplat is given full reign to make this sweeping, highly emotional sequence, effectively punching me in the stomach with its beauty, its chaos, its danger, and its adventure. The full feeling of war and its consequences are best represented in this minute and thirty seconds, I feel, than most of the other battle scenes. It's chilling, frankly. Another round of kudos and applause to director Yates and everyone on crew.

Now we fall into some super big sequences, and I’ll try to be as brief as possible:

- Harry goes to the Pensieve and Snape’s past, his choices, his allegiances, and his heroism is revealed. Some notes: Alan Rickman is magnificent. The editing is fantastic. The music is gorgeous. And the emotion is sweet, tragic, heartbreaking, and admiration. We fall in love with Snape and, in a way, condemn Dumbeldore’s betrayal. This scene is perfect, and the seconds when Harry comes out of the Pensieve I count as one of the most pitch-perfect, extraordinary moments of the entire damn series. Harry taken aback; Harry clutching his heart; Harry seemingly unfamiliar with his surroundings; Harry sitting down, the camera lingers from front and behind as this new information sinks in. Bloody terrific.

- The Resurrection Stone and the walk through the Forest. More of the best stuff the series has ever given. Not a single iota of a bad note here. Radcliffe shines.

- King’s Cross. Mostly good, but c’mon, what’s up with Harry saying “sir” and “Professor” to Dumbledore? By all rights, Harry should be FURIOUS. This man betrayed Harry, has, as Snape put it, been raising him as a lamb for slaughter. Dumbledore comes across as the biggest prick in the Potter universe at this precise moment, and Harry’s polite with this git? The book makes reference to Dumbeldore’s betrayal nearly being nothing compared to the news he had to die, but still, that bit of fiery, angry Harry from Order of the Phoenix should have come out and yelled at him. But instead the whole conversation is rather reserved, and doesn’t feel like it really goes anywhere. There should be talk about the Hallows, there should be a bigger emphasis on what Harry’s choosing to go back into, etc. A decent scene, but one that could have benefited from a greater emotional punch. That said, the withering, decaying piece of Voldemort’s soul was nothing short than awesome.

And the FINAL final battle begins! Harry and Voldemort locked in one hell of a brutal battle. Voldemort beats and punches Harry upwards and downwards. The brutality of their physical, wand-less battle is much appreciated, and adds to the heavy emotion of this final duel. This is the first time, really, that Harry and Voldemort just went crazy on one another. After all the shit that Voldemort’s done to Harry, after all the sacrifices, it’s just him and Voldemort. For Voldemort, all the rage of being thwarted by this young boy who possesses nowhere near the power that He does is given release. So it makes sense from a character and story point that Voldemort just doesn’t “Avada Kedavra!” Harry one last time, but instead decides to, dare I say, play with him. I fully applaud the choice to expand their battle, and it’s they hit so many right beats. Like one of the major departures from the book, when Harry and Voldemort are flying outside Hogwarts and crashing into the building, holding onto one another, their bodies become one. It’s one hell of an amazing visual, and it’s so completely perfect for this scene. Not only is it gorgeous to look at, but it perfectly visualizes Harry’s inner struggle/question for the last three or four films: how much am I like Voldemort? How much of Voldemort is in me? Since Order of the Phoenix, Harry’s been asking that question – with the utmost fear – a lot. And here we get to see that. Of course, with the exception of the whole Horcrux business, the two couldn’t be more different, as mentioned by Dumbledore and many others quite often, but it’s a wonderful thing that thread is brought up again in the middle of this intense action sequence.

But that marvelous moment passes, and the two fall to the courtyard. What follows is two minutes of extraordinary magic: A) Harry and Voldemort face to face in the courtyard, down and dirty, unrelenting in their attack, B) Ron and Hermione attacking and subsequently running from Nagini, and C) Neville getting his ‘hero’ moment. Complimented by Alexandre Desplat’s wonderful score and some terrific editing, this sequence of events is basically perfect. Now with Nagini gone, and the part of Voldemort’s soul in Harry has been obliterated, Harry is free to finish Voldemort off.
This is it. This is the moment. All seventeen years of Harry’s life comes down to this moment. And Voldemort, not understanding of what’s happening to his body, decides to ignore it, that he’s a more powerful wizard, and presses on. This monumental, gigantic, epic, emotional victory could have been one of the most spectacular, fist-in-the-air, ‘YES!’ yelling moments in cinema. Instead, it sorta comes off flat. And I think that sort of comes from a lack of coverage, of all things.

Yates’ penchant for wide shots serves him well when establishing locale and showing off the gorgeous set designs and scenery, but he fails to go in for the close-up when it would benefit him greatly. The battle at Hogwarts has many examples of this. The death of Fred would have more impact if his body wasn’t so obscured by his grieving family members. If we were given a shot of Fred’s lifeless body, head-on, it would be far more effective and emotional like the full shot of Lupin and Tonks, instead of coming across rather flat. Now in regards to Voldemort’s death, there are some medium shots, and then a close up of the Elder Wand flying out of his hand and then his disintegration. Composer Desplat does his best in making this the grand moment it ought to be, but I think by staying a bit too far away from Voldemort, from now getting close up to get that moment of ‘NOW he’s finished!’, they (sort of) robbed the audiences of this ginormous moment. Or, in a different scenario, Voldemort’s skin is cracking, Harry grabs the Elder Wand, and in one last spell, directs it at Voldemort, and Voldemort falls back, dead. Something that gives Harry the proper moment of victory, because right now, it honestly don’t feel like Harry delivered the final blow, and that’s an important part of any good guy vs. bad guy story, that final blow. As a friend of mine said, we needed that “final FUCK YOU, VOLDIE!”

Oh, and as a sidenote - because that's what this scene felt like - the Molly vs. Bellatrix was hugely disappointing. It's included in the film most likely because of fan demand, as is Molly's famous line, but it's presented here with all the passion of Rupert Grint enthusiastically kissing Emma Watson. Translation: none.

So I loved the battle. It was visually represented very beautifully, and the performances were extraordinary. But there was an emotional tie that was ultimately lacking. Unfortunately, it continues till the end of the film. Post-battle, in the partially demolished Great Hall, a moment that would have benefited hugely from jubilation, as in the book, instead feels awkward. After, what, 20 years in the timeline of Harry Potter, the wizarding world is free of Voldemort permanently? This is something that deserves celebration, that demands joy and yells of happiness and lots of pats on the backs and congratulations. I understand that Yates and crew wanted a more quiet, restrained, post-apocalypse stillness, but it just doesn’t work here. An element that could have helped it would be more naturalistic dialogue, instead of these awkward glances, hugs, and name giving. May feel right on paper, but it didn’t translate well.

And then the final scene on the bridge with our trio. Radcliffe has some great dialogue, and it was wonderful to have a scene with just the three of them, conquering heroes having survived a kill or be killed battle that decided the fate of the wizarding world. To just have these three is something extraordinary and brilliant. But that motherfrakking final shot. They’re posing. Hand in hand, posing. Not saying a bloody thing. Just standing there. On a bridge. I would have preferred a hug. It makes no sense. I can completely accept spells to give a soul a body, or instruments being vessels for aspects of a soul, or statues coming to life, but there is something wrong, awkward, and fake about these three standing there, not saying a thing, holding hands, and looking off in the distance. Don’t know if it’s just me, but it instantly pulled me out of whatever emotion that could have been grabbed from the scene, and just feels completely and utterly weird.

That said, I have no problem with the older Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, or Malfoy. The only nitpick I can give is that the quick Malfoy shot isn’t given any connection. Harry doesn’t glance at Malfoy or anything; the Malfoy shot literally is just thrown in there. Otherwise, fantastic final scene for the series, and a marvelous final shot. Harry’s happy and living the normal life. All is good.I could say a lot more, but then I'd feel like I'm babbling, so I'll conclude with this (and one kickass final poster that I desperately want to own):

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 is basically great. It doesn’t lag, the music is thrilling, somber, and action-y, the editing gives the film an unrelenting pace, the action is intense, and the performances are magnificent. Like truly magnificent. Looking at the two halves as one film – something I hope to do one day – it’s definitely the series at its most confident. Kloves, Yates, Haymen, and Warner Bros. know this is their last one, their last chance to get it right, and everyone delivers, from the bottom of the production totem pole to whoever’s at the top. With the exception of the things I noted, I could not have asked for a better film, and that extends to the first part, as well. This movie delivers.

Rating: 9/10 = A fitting end to the HARRY POTTER saga, it's full of action, drama, twists and turns, and is must-see entertainment.

If you haven't already, watch this NOW (!), then rewatch the entire series from beginning to end. Months later, how do y'all feel about the final film?

Paranormal Activity 3

2011-11-03T17:23:00.003-05:00

Paranormal Activity 3

Starring Jessica Tyler, Brian Boland, Chloe Csengery, Christoper Nhcolas, Lauren Blittner, Hallie Foote
Written by Christopher B. Landon
Directed by Ariel Schulman & Henry Joost
Release: 21 October 2011
Paramount, 85 mins., Rated R

Plot: Sequel sequel to prequel prequel.

For years, every Halloween the Saw franchise was the reigning victor in the box office, presenting a tightly woven narrative with gory death traps, making it a cash cow for the studio. In 2009, Paranormal Activity, an independent production made for a reported $15,000, dethroned Saw VI, rounding out its theatrical run with $107.9 million.

Despite no original plans to continue the series, Paranormal Activity 2 hit theaters the following October, surpassing its predecessor in box office and delivering more effective chills.

And now, a third installment enters theaters with a record breaking $54 million opening weekend. Suffice it to say, Halloween now belongs to Paranormal Activity.

Going back in time even further, before Paranormal 2, the third film (and second prequel) is set in 1988, shown through old, discarded VHS tapes, chronicling exactly what shenanigans young Katie and Kristi are up to with that pesky demon that will inevitably cause them trouble later in life.

Video recorded by Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith), boyfriend of the sisters’ mother Julie (Lauren Bittner), he sets up three cameras: one in their room, one in the children’s bedroom, and one downstairs covering the kitchen and living room (humorously duct taped to a fan). As the nights roll on, the cameras pick up unusual images and weird exchanges between Kristi and an invisible entity.

Paranormal Activity 3 is highly effective in its ability to build tension. The moving camera attached to the fan may be the single most brilliant invention of the entire trilogy, making audiences cling to every inch of the frame to see what may be coming and when.

This device is brilliantly used during a scene involving a ‘ghost’ and a babysitter. Although the film has a bit of a slow burn until the unusual phenomena begins, it does allow viewers to get to know Dennis and Julie, and even become fans of both of them, especially Dennis (whose reactions to everything are comedic gold). In fact, it’s with a long, intimate scene with them that delivered the most effective spine-chilling freak out of them all.

Another runaway success is the utterly natural, realistic performances of the child actors playing Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) and Katie (Chloe Csengery). Not one bit of their performance feels phoned in, and because of the level of realism with these two, when the demon becomes aggressive it’s absolutely horrifying. And not just because it’s a bit scary, but because we come to care for the kids and don’t want bad things to happen to them.

That’s quite the accomplishment when typically, audiences are or more or less rooting for the demon. The casting here is nothing short of exquisite, boasting the most likable and personable cast of the trilogy.

The film is one long tense production that culminates in a chaotic crescendo. It’s the scares and the characters that make Paranormal 3 a success, but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely perfect.

As opposed to the previous two, this one doesn’t feel quite as complete, and when the end credits roll, the theater was collective in their reaction of, “That’s it?” There should have been, and could have been, more to the story, or more scares. It just seems to end awfully sudden.

Following in the footsteps of Paranormal 2, a few more layers of its mythology is unraveled, this time involving a strange symbol that may be connected to the demon. The last film was very mythology heavy, but all its twists and turns made sense in the context of the narrative and added up to the original film’s framework really well. What’s brought to the table in the closing minutes of Paranormal 3 doesn’t nearly jive as well, coming out of left field more than making sense in the context of what has come before.

Paranormal Activity 3 isn’t perfect, but it’s highly effective in its scares, it’s tense from beginning to end, and offers the most likable cast of actors in the whole trilogy. Where the series will go from here is uncertain, but judging from phenomenal box office receipts, a fourth helping is all but certain.

Red State

2011-11-02T11:15:00.001-05:00

Red State

Starring Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Kyle Gallner, Michael Angarano, Nicholas Braun
Written & Directed by Kevin Smith
Release: 01 September 2011
SModcast Pictures, 88 mins., Rated R

Plot: Three teens are held captive by religious fundamentalist Abin Cooper and members of his Five Points Church, and are meant to die for their sinning nature.

Right around the time Kevin Smith was prepping Clerks II, info starting popping up about a script he wrote that was unlike anything he had ever written. Called Red State, he called it a "different kind of horror movie." Here we are, two films later, and we finally have the film in our hands. All the hype surrounding it, all the anticipation, and it's finally here. And because of that anticipation and expectation, Red State unfortunately fails to be as good as it probably is.

The movie is good. Unlike many reviews suggest, the film knows exactly what it is. The pacing and clear story divide is very deliberate, and, I feel, actually quite effective. The story evolved from its thriller/horror roots and instead became an all-out bullet melee. Enjoyment aside - and I did, enjoy - the film just didn't seem to push the boundaries enough, for me. It's one of those instances where the film, good as it is, failed to deliver on its own premise. Three horny teenage boys caged by Abin Cooper and his ministry to pay for their sins in front of the congregation is a horrifying scenario, and Smith could have easily milked it to make everything more intense, more cruel, more effective. In fact, with the exception of a number of unexpected deaths, Red State seems to play it safe, weirdly enough.

To the films detriment, and it pains me to say this, but Abin Cooper and his flock don't come across as actual, dimensional characters/people. They feel like caricatures, the result of some sort of Looney Tunes sketch mixing some swearing and blood into the equation. I knew this was a possibility, but I assumed that Smith, being an intelligent writer and possessing a keen knack for writing exquisite dialogue and very real characters, would overcome such a hurdle. Unfortunately, because of the caricature feeling that comes from the people of Five Points Church, they don't come across nearly as threatening as they should, especially Cooper. I will say that all reports about Michael Parks being splendid in the role are indeed true, but that doesn't stop him from not coming across as a legitimate threat. It sucks Smith's script failed to give these characters dimension, but in the grand scheme of the whole movie, it could be argued it wasn't entirely necessary. By the fifty minute mark Red State becomes an all-out blood war, where every life is expendable. The characterization of Cooper's clan is secondary to the bullets and the plot points.

In the category of dialogue, Smith once again doesn't disappoint. Especially when the ATF come into the scene, the dialogue is classic Smith. One of my favorite exchanges of the year occurs around the 50 minute mark when Goodman and his right-hand man are trying to communicate with Cooper and his clan.

But all in all, despite my affection for Parks, my love for Kevin Smith, and my general good feeling towards Red State, it just doesn't feel like enough. Incomplete, would be a good word for it. And I don't mean to say that Smith should have lingered at the war zone instead of cutting to a dialogue heavy scene; I think the last act is fine. Just the whole movie doesn't reach the heights of greatness, of horror, of tension, that it should. All this being said, Red State is a movie that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to fans of Kevin Smith. However, I wager it has a very specific audience, and a large portion of people will have no inclination to check out a film that has fowl-mouthed horny teens, crazy religious nuts, blood splatter, and really no message in the end. But hell, it's still worth seeing.

Rating: 7.5/10 - Not Smith's best outing, but there enough done right to make Red State worth checking out, from script to screen, it's a labor of love, and feels like it.

MMAM - Vol. 50

2011-10-31T23:11:00.002-05:00

We close out the month of October with a favorite song of mine which is (quasi)Halloween-ish. This will not be the last time the BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER musical makes its way on this feature in some fashion. So instead of ending the month with another spooky score from a slasher film or what have you, I'd defying expectations by playing this pretty!

You've been pwned.

And also, let's take a second and applaud the whole '50' thing. 50 of these, man! 50! One or two more and we'll hit 50 The Watcher's, as well. Wowzers. Y'know?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

The Watcher: 10/09/11 - 10/29/11

2011-10-29T23:14:00.003-05:00

BREAKING BAD S04E13 - "Face Off" (09 October 2011) - And that's how Gus meets his end. Gruesome. Terminator-y. Two Face-ish. Delicious. Another iteration of the message that whenever one walks the path of vengeance, you basically end up getting screwed in the end. Gus' desire to see Tio and everyone associated with him exterminated led to his own demise. Sweet, beautiful justice. And Tio's vengeful eyes when he blew the three of them up - yikes! All I can say is bravo Vince Gilligan, for mapping out a superb thirteen episode fourth season. Yes, there may have been some less-than-stellar episodes in the early rush, but once "Hermanos" came about, the series was just relentless with one spectacular episode after another. The last three have been particularly jaw-dropping, defining moments of television. "Face Off" was a gorgeous culmination of all the threads built up this season. Walt has been pushed so over the edge he has transformers into Heisenberg completely, with his gorgeous "I won" spoken over the phone to Skylar perfectly solidifying his going over the deep end. Getting Jesse on his side by poisoning Brock and implicating Gus was pure genius. Hell, the whole thing was pure genius, but also left a lot up to chance. But speaking of Gus, that was one gorgeous end for him. If Gus had to go, he had to go strong, and glad Gilligan delivered. Espositio delivered as well, providing a fantastic sendoff, performance-wise, for Gus. Another element worth mentioning is the choice of music. Stunning. As soon as the western-style track played as Gus began his walk to the nursing home, I knew it had to be mine. Awesome awesomeness.

Great finale. Hard to believe it's all over with, and now we have to wait for another year...or more. Can't wait to watch Walt's descent into darkness come full circle, and become the monster he was trying to kill all year long. Where will all the characters end up? What are their arcs? Is the show being frickin' split in two? Dislike. It's been a wild ride. Thank you, Vince Gilligan. Score: 9.8/10

CHUCK S05E01 - "Chuck Vs. the Zoom" (28 October 2011) - Decent season premiere. For the last two years, Chuck has forfeited any type of seriousness to the proceedings, instead choosing to up the camp at every possible interval. This premiere seems to be a step in the right direction, as the camp and the serious drama actually work well together. I may not understand or be fully behind the whole drama concerning Chuck getting Sarah the perfect house because, c'mon, it's not like that's something everyone can do for their girlfriends. So, Chuck, take a break in that regard. But Chuck finding his place in the unit when Morgan is now the Intersect and his skills aren't as obvious, that was some good drama I can get behind. In the end, it's Chuck's brain that saves the day, and I can absolutely endorse that. With Morgan now an integral part of the team, and Chuck and Sarah safely married and minus the relationship drama of season four, I think this fifth and final year - miraculous that it got this far, really - will shape up to be pretty spiffy. The end alludes to the government needing to lock down Carmichael Industries, but for what purposes? What kind of threat does Chuck pose? And the most important question of all, did anyone else hardly recognize Luke Skywalker? It took a lot of concentration and echoes of the Joker's voice to achieve that, 'aha! That's Mark Hamill!' moment. Score: 8.6/10

COMMUNITY S03E04 - "Remedial Chaos Theory" (13 October 2011) - The first ten minutes or so were chuckle worthy, the makings of a fine Community episode. But then around the thirteen minute mark (when the fire started), "Remedial Chaos Theory" became a laugh-out-loud riot that didn't let up, becoming one of the funniest episodes of the show ever. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. And I'm also a sap for the whole romance subplot thing, so the small moments between Troy and Britta made me smile, and I was jealous as hell (but happy) with the Jeff/Annie kiss. Britta has surprisingly been a strongly written character thus far this season, and has been loads of fun instead of her typical stuck up self. I'm digging her. In fact, I'm even not minding Pierce, who was great in all of the timelines, although I especially loved it when he made a effort to take back Troy's gift out of guilt. Shirley will always be the one I like least in the batch, but she was still fun, as well. But c'mon, this episode has to be awesome for the sole fact there's a replica Raiders of the Lost Ark giant boulder! How more awesome can Community get? Yeah, hilarious, awesome episode. Score: 9.3/10

COMMUNITY S03E05 - "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps" (27 October 2011) - Another hilarious Halloween episode. Not nearly as fun from beginning to end like last year's zombie infestation, but this time it was the rapid paced, witty, self-referential dialogue that hit home. The sight of Britta and Annie in scantly clad clothing didn't hurt matters, either. Each of the stories had their own trademark humor, with Britta providing the hilarity in Annie's super awesome gory werewolf/vampire tale, and Abed plainly stating what you should do in horror movies when faced with a Cabin in the Woods scenario, and Pierce's funny story that sees Troy and Abed as two gangsta thugs, which was LOL-hilarious. In fact, it's those two who offer most of the hilarity in this episode. When the mad scientist (aka Pierce) sows them together (a la Human Centipede), Troy and Abed develop psychic powers! Absolutely brilliant. Great episode. Score: 9.8/10

DEXTER S06E02 - "Once Upon a Time" (09 October 2011) - "Fuck balls, you're serious." See? Another instance of this season already showing an exceptional humorous side. And Jennifer Carpenter's Deb gets a whole episode to shine, showcasing in these fifty minutes why we love her. Deb's response to Quinn's marriage proposal was classic Deb, and her response to whoever's recommendation of her as Lieutenant was also a brilliant Deb moment. That's where that hilarious opening quote comes from. Deb and all her reactions, and Jennifer Carpenter, for being a amazing actress, make this episode. Everything else deserves a shoulder shrug. Batista not getting the promotion is a bummer, but I hope he stays gentlemanly and doesn't pout over this. LaGuerta is kinda not worth mentioning, so... And I dunno about y'all, but judging from the few scenes Colin Hanks and Eddie Olmos have together, I already don't care for them. Hanks' dependent relationship with Eddie is just pitiful, and I don't like my villains pitiful. They are ruthless, cruel, sadistic, and really freakin' weird. They are not Colin Hanks whimpering as Eddie J Olmos hurts himself for Hanks' sins. Bugger that. Mos Def shows off his acting skills as Brother Sam in a role I eagerly look forward to being expanded. The writing team are still not remotely subtle with their comments on believing in something and religious and God, etc., but Mos Def, Deb, and a burdenless Dexter just happy to be on the hunt makes me giddy. Score: 7.8/10

DEXTER S06E03 - "Smokey and the Bandit" (16 October 2011) - A rather forgettable episode, truth be told. I had to look up what happened, nearly two weeks later, to recall the events. Well, there's the whole drama between Deb and LaGuerta which is entirely obnoxious. There's the drama of Deb and Quinn, which only makes me wish Deb could quick Quinn's ass for being a douchebag. But the one piece of drama that does interest me is Deb acclimating to her new position, and all the pressure and procedure that comes with it. Out of all the characters, even Dexter, she's had the most growth, and it's great entertainment to see how she handles it all. The other big plot of the episode is Dexter vs. the Tooth Fairy. Not much stellarness in that category, but it does pose to Dexter what his future as a serial killer will be. Apparently, a really fucked up, not-all-that-great future. Let's hope for some more sophisticated writing in the future. But the episode ends on a jaw-dropping note, as the crazy religious nuts have cut and tied bodies together and put them on horses walking about in public. Pretty messed up. My interest has now perked. Score: 7.5/10

DEXTER S06E04 - "A Horse of a Different Color" (23 October 2011) - Now this was a good episode, and with some surprising momentum in relation to the killers that leaves me a bit puzzled (in a good way) where the story will go after the next episode. There's a wonderful, honest moment with Dexter and Brother Sam as the man of god tells his story of his father, of prison, of finding faith. It's a marvelous scene with Mos [Def] giving one hell of a fantastic performance. I loved every second of Deb and Dexter time; it's great seeing these two together more than ever before. More scenes like those! I'm surprised as hell that Miami Homicide is already on the tail of Eddie Olmos and Dex is onto Colin Hanks. With them implicated here and next week, where is the story heading? "A Horse of a Different Color" boasts some gorgeous imagery, such as the ending scene involving the slain waitress in Angel wings, and the rather rubbish CG locusts. Still not sold on the Doomsday Killer(s), but now I'm mildly open to see where it goes. Pretty damn good episode. Score: 9.0/10

FRINGE S04E04 - "Subject 9" (14 October 2011) - There is no other show that causes some anger when the Next Time trailer announces a two week delay for a new episode. Ugh. I love Fringe and support it entirely, but this is why it's almost better to absorb the show on DVD for back-to-back viewings. Anyway, with "Subject 9", Peter finally returns thanks to this blue electrical energy thing reaching out to Olivia and another Cortexiphan subject channeling said energy thingy. This episode serves both to push the story and also reiterate the horrors Walter and William committed decades ago, and the consequences it has for the grown up kids now. These last few episodes have worked to establish this new universe without Peter, a universe that felt fine, frankly, and Peter's official absence wouldn't be that entirely horrible, because as far as I understand it, there's no going back. This is the final, established timeline of events, a new world that cannot be changed. Or at least this is how I understand it. It will be interesting to see Peter reassert himself back into the team. For now, season four has thus far been uneven, but we still have loads to go. Entertaining episode that leads into, hopefully, the awesomeness. Score: 8.7/10

PERSON OF INTEREST S01E04 - "Cura Te Ipsum" (13 October 2011) - Well, that Linda Cardellini definitely likes to play doctor, doesn't she? I'm sure I'm not the first person to say something, so, er, sorry for the lack of originality. Overall, not a bad episode. I enjoy watching Jim Cavizel kick ass, although it seems inherently fake, like the actors are just waiting to be tossed around and hit their cue correctly. Doesn't add for some nice realism. Nonetheless, we got ourselves some action scenes. Just some more random notes: I think it's my exposure to Breaking Bad that has made me not so welcoming of shows that use music at inappropriate places or to add tension in scenes that could benefit from simply relying on powerful performances. This episode had such multiple instances, like the last scene, which could have been very strong if it was just left to Cavizel and the guest star to talk it out, but the overdone music took me right out of the scene. Speaking of Cavizel, is this how he normally talks? Sorta air-y? And if I was a trained combat guy like him, I would think about standing a bit further away from the person you're following and knows your face, cos you ain't that sneaky. It was great to see some classic Ben Linus at work here as Finch lies to the police detective gal. Oh, Michael Emerson, you are awesome. Score: 7.8/10

ONCE UPON A TIME S01E01 - "Pilot" (23 October 2011) - What a wonderful surprise! I've been eagerly anticipating this premiere, but also approaching it with some dread. The wonderful premise could possibly not hold up in the show, and thus the episode would be rather rubbish and not worth watching. Or, of course, it could be great but ratings would suck and cancellation would hit it quicker than lighting doing its zapping thing. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. A really well structured premiere episode, setting up the characters, the dilemma, and the potential stories to be covered in the series. By episodes end, I didn't want it over, I wanted to find out more, see where the story goes. That's a pretty good sign, because none of the other premiers quite grabbed me like this. Only the basic surface level of the series was covered in these 42 minutes, reliant on introducing Snow White, the sleeping prince, Emma and her role, the son she gave up, the antagonist, the fortuneteller, and the two universes dependent on each other, but it was a thrilling 42 minutes. It's great to see the eerily similar (and gorgeous) Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Morrison together as mother and daughter, and I can't wait to see what the series has in store for us. The first real super success of the Fall, I'd say. Score: 9.5/10

REVENGE S01E04 - "Duplicity" (12 October 2011) - Not the shows strongest episode to date, but it's still in the early stages so I'll forgive it. But with "Duplicity", I realized how much more the series could benefit from being more Breaking Bad-ish. The first area where I felt this was when Emily was had unexpected dinner with Jack, and once it's revealed that Daniel was watching from outside, we cut to commercial. Frankly, I want to see that conversation. So little of Revenge is spent on Emily Thorn as a person, her psychology - all she is is revenge. Oh, look, that's the title of the show! Yes, but even The Punisher has a complex psychology and his main thing for a whole movie was revenge. What I'm saying is that I like the show, but it could be so much better. Since not much happened here, I'm going to use this opportunity to voice my dislike of Ms. VanCamp's desire to show Thorn's posture in only two ways: fake happy or all revenge-y. Add some layers to Emily Thorn, don't just let her be a one-note. I do like that we're exploring the lives and relationships of characters that are wrapped up in Emily's grand scheme, but still, I'd like to see some real characterization to Ms. Thorn aside from 'I want revenge on the people who fucked my father over.' This episode was a bit of a dud, not really surprising or delicious, but perhaps necessary in regards to plot progression. Anyways, I'm excited for next weeks. Score: 7.1/10

REVENGE S01E05 - "Guilt" (19 October 20111) - I really don't like when shows use something from later in the episode as a 'teaser' and pull that whole 15 Hours Later thing. They should be able to tease us, pull us, without resorting to that. Thus, Lydia's whole thing didn't seem remotely tense because we knew bad shit was heading her way by the end of "Guilt". Emily and Daniel shag. Score: 7.8/10

REVENGE S01E06 - "Intrigue" (26 October 20111) - Looks like Emily's going to need to up her game and cover her tracks better. Hopefully this will lead to some great drama, but I'm already looking forward to when Emily gets her hands dirty again. I liked the scene where Jack professed his fixation to Emily, as well as her silent cry on the dock after he left. Character moments like that are much appreciated. Turns out Lydia's only in a coma. Why can't that bitch just be dead? And what the frak is up with this friend of Daniel crap? Is this going to be as bad a subplot as Dana Walsh in the last season of 24? A good episode with fine moments for characters to shine, but simultaneously, it ain't the best. Score: 8.2/10

SUPERNATURAL S07E04 - "Defending Your Life" (14 October 2011) - An episode that had so much potential, but didn't end up fulfilling said potential. Dean is thrown a question or two by the God Osiris to 'show' the defendant's guilt, and is almost forcibly killed by the apparition of Jo, but for some reason, it didn't feel enough. "Defending Your Life" didn't push the envelope, didn't push up the drama or the twisting of our emotions like it should have. Instead, it was done and over with in 43 minutes without feeling like anything was accomplished, or that Dean grew at all. The most fascinating element of the episode was Sam admitting he doesn't feel guilty anymore. This is awesome, in that we finally have a angstless Sam, a Sam who does what he needs to do, and understands that everything that happens is necessary for the greater good. He's guiltless. I can totally get behind that. On the opposite spectrum, we have a super guilty Dean who just seems to whine a lot. Out of the two brothers, it's Dean, I feel, that hasn't grown all that much since the beginning. It's season seven, folks, Dean needs to become something more - or at least different - than what he is now. Score: 7.6/10

SUPERNATURAL S07E05 - "Shut Up, Dr. Phil" (21 October 2011) - It was great to see Charisma Carpenter and James Marsters back together on screen again. It was not great, however, to see Cordelia and Spike kissing. That's just grossy. Everything about "Shut Up, Dr. Phil" was great, though. Sam and Dean had some fine scenes here, and when Charisma and James were onscreen doing their pissmatch thang, everything just clicked. A hugely fun episode, and thus far one of my favorites this year. Score: 9.5/10

SUPERNATURAL S07E06 - "Slash Fiction" (28 October 2011) - This episode has a few good things going for it. One, Bobby getting his flirt on with the police gal we've seen before this season and, I think, last year or the year before that. Two, Leviathan Sam and Dean on a weirdly hilarious killing spree. And three, Sam finding out about Dean's killing of Amy, but this good point is overshadowed by his rather lackluster response. All in all, it's an episode that could have been a lot cooler and epic in scale, but ended up being nothing but a one-off story. Sam and Dean are fugitives of the law, but by episode's end, with the exception of the Leviathan still on their trail, the brothers are once again regarded as officially 'dead' to the world. A bit disappointing. I was hoping it would be a season long thing, this manhunt for them; it would add another layer of tension to every episode, whether or not they'll be caught. Not the strongest episode, but not the worst, either. Score: 8.1/10

Andy's Friday Five: Annual Halloween Viewing

2011-10-28T23:31:00.000-05:00

Oh yes, it's Halloween time, baby! That means marathons of the Friday the 13ths, Nightmare on Elm Streets, Screams, and nine out of ten of the Halloweens. And, of course, school work somewhere in between all that movie watching. Best time of the year, ladies and gents. Best month of the year, too. Goodbye obnoxious hot weather, and hello cold, breezy windy wind!

Alright, so I may or may not be able to watch every film from every horror franchise I love because of time, but below I list five horror movies that are mandatory Halloween treats. No matter what, I have just got to watch 'em, or it's simply not Halloween, y'know? These movies are instrumental in making Halloween great.

5. Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI, the most perfect blend of comedy and horror, making it not only easily accessible to new viewers without any understanding of previous Friday films, but also the most enjoyable. The other movies have a certain degree or boringness to them. Unless you're truly in love with Jason Vorhees, and the 'atmosphere' that seems to take forever to establish, the Friday films, to me, become a bit of a hassle. This sixth installment breaks that mold. From beginning to end, it's fantastic fun. The writing and acting is, at this point, the best of the series, and when Jason Vorhees is resurrected for some teen killing mayhem, he truly comes across as an unstoppable, brutal, killing force. When he's not thrown into comedic situations, such as the poor paintball gamers who run into him in the woods. The film also boasts a rather brilliant way to conclude Jason's reign, at least this time. It's inspired and rather ingenuous. So for its clever writing, funny dialogue, tolerable characters, and brutal antagonist, Jason Lives is must see Halloween viewing.

4. From Dusk Till Dawn is nothing short of brilliant. The first hour plays like a tense family drama mixed in with the story of two quick-to-kill robbers (George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino). Once this family of three, held hostage by Clooney and Tarantino, arrive at a bar, the film turns into utter chaos and carnage. Turns out, all the workers at the bar - even the band - are vamps, and it's feeding time! What follows is blood, guts, and dismemberment galore. It's beautiful in its own little way. Not only is the battle royale an absolute joy to watch, but by this point, Tarantino's fantastic script has gotten us to care about each and everyone of these characters. And for anyone who actually ends up not liking these people we follow, they're heavily rewarded by the battle that ensues for the final 45 minute run. The film doesn't take itself seriously at all, and it helps that everyone involved clearly are game players and want to have a good time and make a good movie. They definitely succeed. From Dusk Till Dawn is a pleasure from beginning to end, one of those films you make popcorn, sit back and relax, and enjoy. Mandatory.

3. Troll 2 is one of my more recent pleasures. Hell, I'm not even sure if 'pleasure' is the right word. There's something about this movie that just grabs you and refuses to let you go. May it be certain scenes that are nearly unbelievable in that they actually exist in this world, or dialogue that make me crack up laughing, or the actions of the little kid dude who takes drastic actions to get his family out of Nilbog. Point is, Troll 2 is terrible, terrible, terrible. It's not the absolute worst thing in the entire universe, but yes, it's a stinker. But it also boasts something not all terrible movies can: it's a hell of a lot of fun. Hell yes. Give me the bad script. Give me the outrageously bad 'acting'. Give me that seductive corn! Give me the goblins and the green planty goo! Give me a ghostly apparition of a dead grandfather/uncle/whatever. Give me a hour and a half of pure enjoyment. Troll 2 is the ultimate in fun. It demands a group viewing where you either all laugh and have fun, or come together in mockery. It's a horror movie of a different kind, and cannot be missed.

2. Trick 'r Treat was one of those films that was hyped up a lot before its release, and luckily, live up to the hype absolutely. Anthology pieces are great, and to concentrate one on All Hallow's Eve is just fantastic. The traditions of Samhain must be respected, and the super creepy Sam (pictured above) ensures that they are. With the exception of my number one, there's not another on this list I respect nearly as much as this. In this state of horror, it's what we needed. The script is clever, there's a wide range of talented actors given great parts, the cinematography is beautiful and, when necessary, utterly creepy. A success through and through. And, surprisingly, it's creepy factor continues to shine through with each subsequent viewing. Do yourself a favor: if you haven't had the privilege of checking out Trick 'r Treat yet, remedy that immediately. It's not Halloween without this film, nor...

1. Halloween, John Carpenter's original, and still, after 50+ times seeing it, helluva effective. Out of all the slashers in horror history (next to Ghostface), Michael Myers continues to freak me out yet fascinate me. His story is utterly compelling. I will watch this franchise through great times (Halloween 4) and bad times (Rob Zombie's Halloween II), because Michael Myers is the most interesting of killers. Ten movies later, and Michael Myers continues to be utterly frightening. All thanks to the 1978 original. Atmosphere. Score. Performances (within question; some of the girls are annoying as hell). Editing. Script. Lighting. Set design. Cinematography. Every element of filmmaking is used to extraordinary effect here, coming together to make a movie that is scary, is tense, is heart pounding. Words of love for Halloween is spread all around the blogosphere, so I'll limit to what I say to this: this is horror at its finest, and everyone owes it to themselves to see this before they die. This is the Birth of Evil right here, folks. And He ain't going away.

So now that I've listed my five mandatory Halloween films to watch, what are some of yours?

MMAM - Vol. 49

2011-10-24T15:11:00.000-05:00

IT'S HALLOWEEN TIME! All week at the Ramblings of a Minnesota Geek, I will be posting Halloween related goodies, cos I love Halloween and it's, like, the coolest holiday of, like, ever! Today we kick off with our nearly fiftieth Much Music Awesomeness Monday being all super Halloween-y. Enjoy the awesomeness!

John Ottman did the score for HALLOWEEN: H20, and although apparently a good percentage of his work didn't make it to the final film, this theme persevered, and it's an absolute beauty. John Carpenter's original theme is still there in all its glory, but with a more freaky atmospheric twist from Mr. Ottman. Love.

Andy's Friday Five: 1997

2011-10-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

Wow. Turns out that 1997/1998 are super busy years of movies that I love, so making the lists for this year and next have been the toughest thus far. Amped? You should, like, totally be.

Previous Entries:
1990 | 1995 | 2000

1997
A pretty stellar year of movies it looks like, frankly. I feel slightly ashamed at the amount of flicks I haven't seen from 97, chief amongst them Starship Troopers. It's floating around Syfy here and there, so I catch glimpses, but I eagerly look forward to the day when I see the whole shebang from beginning to end.

Still in My Que
The Fifth Element
L.A. Confidential
Event Horizon
Starship Troopers
RocketMan
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Donnie Brasco

Nearly Made the List:
I Know What You Did Last Summer - A lot hate it, some love it; I fall into the loving category. There's something inherently fun and not too serious about this Scream-inspired slasher flick, and looking back at the movie all these years later and seeing recognizable names just makes me laugh. Freakin' Anne Heche is in this movie, man!

The Lost World: Jurassic Park - A pretty dyno-mite sequel, if I say so myself. The pacing is quite off, making this epic feel long as hell, but for the whole world I would never take back a T-Rex wrecking havoc in Los Angeles, or the gripping double Rex scene that causes the team's cars go overboard. A pretty damn good sequel, just not hugely enjoyable.

Chasing Amy - One of Smith's best, although it's oddly one I don't revisit often. I feel I should remedy that. And with a cheap Blu-Ray roaming around Best Buy, that's all but certain.

Kull the Conquerer - Blame it on my love for Kevin Sorbo in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but Kull the Conquerer is all kinds of fun, and when I found it in the $5 Wal Mart bin, there wasn't a seconds hesitation. That baby was mine! So, years and years later, does the flick hold up? Oh God, yeah. The special effects are craptacular, mind you, but the fun, laid-back script and 'let's go bonkers!' performances is the type of crazy that should not be missed.

Liar, Liar - One of the very, very few Jim Carrey movies I love. Best line: "I'm kicking my own ass!"

Princess Mononoke - Confession: I very strongly dislike Anime. So, yeah, huge surprise when I quite in fact fell for this flick.

Good Burger - Included on the list more for nostalgia factors, as I had the pleasure of revisiting this film within the last few months, and it does not hold up. Wow this was bad. Can't believe I used to love, love, love, love Good Burger. I still miss Kenan & Kel.

Air Force One - "Get off my plane!" Harrison Ford as the President. Gary Oldman as bad guy. Heaven.

Andy's Favorite Five of 1997
5. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Do I really have to name the reasons for loving this movie? Doctor Evil. Seth Green. Austin Powers. Easily escapable death trap. Liquid hot "magma". Seth Green. Elizabeth Hurley. Mike Meyers. Fat Bastard. Basal. The whole movie is one giant hilarious gag after another. I love the whole trilogy, and a small part of me wants to see the series continue, although I know that probably isn't a very good notion. But still, wow this movie was funny. One of my first true laugh-out-loud film experiences.

4. Good Will Hunting
Lots of hype surrounding this one, and it actually delivered, surprisingly enough. Everything about this flick is really, really well done, from the direction to the performances from, and especially, Damon and Williams. I think this is one of the few times I respected Robin Williams as a actor, and since I saw this film in a post-Bourne world, I guess I really just wanted to see Will to just stop pouting, say enough of this shit, and use his intelligence to create some spectacular fiction scenes. Anyone with me on that?

Um, anyway, what I love more then anything about this film is the script. There is that exquisite monologue Williams delivers, but the entirety of the movie is well structured, the characters are intricately given dimension, and in the end, although the flick isn't dealing with some big scale story like the Apocalypse or whathaveyou, Good Will Hunting felt like quite the experience. Oh hell, guess I'll have to go back and rewatch this one now. [searches for Blu-Ray...]

3. Hercules
The movies above didn't stand a chance: this Disney flick had a CGI hydra! And Hercules sliced their heads off, making more heads sprout up! At one point there was, like, a hundred Hydra heads! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?!!?

[Answer: REALLY FRAKKIN' AWESOME, ANDY!!!]

And Hades: now that was a fun interpretation of the character, and James Woods gives him such a wickedly awesome voice. It's perfect. Genuinely, 100% perfection. Perhaps my love for the Disney flick stems from cherishing the Kevin Sorbo Hercules series, but really, they're two entirely different universes. Not the least of which is the costume design - which, I wager, this would be more in line with something a Greek warrior would wear instead of Sorbo's lack of shirtiness. But this is beside the point - Hercules is gosh darn tootin' fun. My affection for monsters adds to the enjoyment factor, the script's funny, and there's even a stellar down-to-the-wire Underworld sequence (!). Hercules floats my fancy.

2. Titanic
At seven, when I first saw this four hour epic, all I really cared about was the pretty special effects of the final act. Everything involving the older Rose, and most of the Jack/Rose stuff, I just didn't care about. Over the years I've rewatched the movie in full only a handful of times, but chunks quite frequently. And the more and more I expose myself to Titanic, and block away the fact it's the highest grossing movie ever (next to Gone with the Wind) and is the most cherished and mocked film in cinema probably ever, I actually tend to like it more and more, sorta transforming into love. It may not be a perfect film, but damn to hell, it's a pretty impressive one. The Jack/Rose relationship is surprisingly very well defined and shown, and of course the last act remains ever impressive as a feat of digital accomplishments. I still don't care about the older Rose/Bill Paxton bit, but it's a necessary evil, a story device to get us to 1912. So all in all, against my seven year old self, turns out I actually quite like this flick.

1. Scream 2
This isn't a popular opinion, but this is one of those rare times I feel the sequel is superior to the original. Mind you, I'm not saying the original is a piece of garbage that can easily be dismissed; nay, kind friend. I love Scream, and that film is about as perfect as it comes, but I think Scream 2 comments on our culture better, boasts bigger scares and tense scenes, and is about the most unpredictable of the bunch (although I didn't see the reveals in Scream 4 coming). Regardless of the agree/disagree nature of this opinion, I do feel that Scream 2 should get wider recognition for all it does right instead of being simply disregarded as, 'it's good, but it's not the original'. Timothy Olypfantastic alone rivals the stellar performance of Matthew Lillard from the first one. Neve Campbell gives her best work in the series up to this year. This is just one of those sequels that don't feel like a letdown, where the tension remains the same, the characters are consistent but continue to grow, the scares and reveals are unpredictable, the music's strength still holds power, the editing is tight, etc. All those things Scream 2 has, and shows off in spades. Frak. Now I really wanna watch it again.

Jessica Chastain Triple Feature: The Tree of Life, The Debt, The Help

2011-10-12T14:12:00.000-05:00

Out of nowhere this gorgeous yet-spectacular actress Jessica Chastain showed up in, like, a bazillion movies over the summer, with two or three scheduled before the end of the year. This girl's everywhere. So, in honor of her awesomeness and prettiness, three of her flicks have been reviewed today. I should just make a mention that I laughed a lot when I read reviews of The Tree of Life Blu-Ray saying the mother was played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Oh, ha with the ha. Anyway, Jessica has the fortune of being in three very distinctly different (in a good way) films, and manages to be a demanding presence in each one of them.

Long review short - all three films reviewed below should be seen. Alrightey then? Onto the awesomeness of Andy reviews!

The Debt

Plot: Lies and deceit from a 1960s mission haunts the survivors in the present.

I was forced into The Debt for some quality mother/son time, and it was surprisingly worth it. All I knew was that it was a thriller, and Helen Mirren was in it (which is always nice). And as the movie got going, I saw that Sam Worthington was also present and accounted for, mumbling his lines as per usual but luckily they’re to a minimum. And then, in the first few minutes, it’s Julius Caesar from Rome (Ciaran Hinds), back from the dead only to be dead again as soon as he arrived! This sets itself up for the main mystery: the awesome Tom Wilkinson tasks Helen Mirren to solve a problem that could have some serious repercussions on them in the present, something good ol’ Ciaran Hinds just didn’t want to be a part of. It was by this point I also realized it was a mystery and a thriller.

And once we flashback to the younger versions of Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Ciaran Hinds to see the stunningly gorgeous Jessica Chastain (in the first role I ever saw her in), the brute Sam Worthington, and Xena-alumni Marton Csokas, The Debt becomes a film you can’t take your eyes away from. It’s the 1960’s, and the three characters are united to bring down a big bad Nazi guy who killed a bunch of folks – but not before inflicting horrible, horrible forms of torment. Worthington resigns himself to standing around pinning after Chastain, occasionally saying a line or two and remaining all around stoic. Csokas seems to enjoy himself as the handsome lead who just wants to complete the mission successfully. And Ms. Chastain – well, she definitely has that being pretty thing down, but lo and behold, she is a marvelous, tremendous actress. There are two or three scenes where, for the sake of the mission, she allows herself to be touched by the Nazi they’re targeting, and her reactions: they are the type of things that stick to your mind long after the film is over with.

When The Debt cuts back to contemporary times with our older leads, it’s not nearly as exciting as watching the 1960s counterparts do everything they can to see the mission through thick and thin, but Helen Mirren carries the last act heroically. She confronts of a demon from her past, engaging in a fight in a bathroom that is as brutal as any Jet Li film. Not as creative and well-choreographed, no, but there’s a certain amount of rising tension that stems from their encounter, and when they finally draw blood on one another, it’s pretty gruesome.

When all is said and done, The Debt works. I was grabbed by the narrative, although I wasn’t too fond of the ‘twist’ that brings us into the third act, and when I left the theater, I can honestly say I enjoyed myself. The 1960s flashbacks, which occupy a good 60% of the movie, is definitely its strength, but the last ten minutes are, perhaps, the most memorable long after you leave the theater (and, let’s not forget, Chastain’s awesomeness). To put another way, this is a thriller I’ll have in my home video collection.

Rating: 8.5/10 – An engaging mystery/thriller with boasting a standout performance, a tense mission, and some super engaging character dynamic that flares up in the flashbacks but sorta fiddles in the present.

The Help

The Help is one of those unexpected movies that creep up on you. In my case, I had zero interest in seeing it, despite the casting of future wife Emma Stone. However, when the opportunity to see the film for free presented itself, I am never one to pass up such an offer. And I am not remotely disgruntled about seeing it. The Help was fun beginning to end, thanks largely to a smart script and some wonderful performances.

First, attention must be brought to the two outstanding performances of the film: Octavia Spencer as Minny, a maid who always has some witty remark to say and isn’t always successful at biting her tongue. Spencer’s facial reactions, her mannerisms, and most of all, how she delivers her lines make her the most memorable aspect of the film. Her “eat my shit” scene will forever be one of the summer highlights (and that reminds me, the mother of Bryce Dallas Howard’s character Hilly, Sissy Spacek, is just as hilarious in this moment). Giving Octavia Spencer a run for her money is Jessica Chastain as Celia, a woman who has no idea about anything and whose own naiveté and free-spirited self provides just as many laugh out loud moments as Minny. Halfway through the film, the two characters unite in one house, and every scene with the two of them together is priceless. Their dynamic makes this movie.

As for my dear Emma Stone, who I love and cherish, she surprisingly felt very much like a side character. Now, I understand the movie’s called The Help, and thus the primary focus is on Viola Davis’ Aibileen and Octavia’s Minny, and Stone’s Skeeter Phelan is more a conduit to get their story told to the world, but I feel that Stone’s character wasn’t given enough room to breathe to become her own person. Instead, her trademark Stone quirkiness (which is at a minimum) accomplishes the job, more or less. And in regards to feeling like a side character, Skeeter’s love interest subplot is hardly worth mentioning, because the film surely doesn’t seem interested in it at all. Those seven minutes of screentime amount to nothing, and could easily be exercised from the film without missing a single beat.

Bryce Dallas Howard’s Hilly was also great, with Bryce giving a greatly comedic performance: funny when stupid crap happens to her, obnoxious when she gets all prejudice, and obnoxious when she gets all Stepford Wives-y. It’s because of these actresses’ that The Help is successful, that there’s a heart and soul to it.

To be frank, and I might get some flake for this, but Viola Davis just didn’t cut it as Aibileen. Her character never felt honest, and because of that, I just didn’t care about Aibileen at all. Minny, Hilly, Celia, Skeeter (sorta), even the maid who asks Hilly for some money to pay for her kid – all those characters I cared for beginning to end. Maybe it was the script, or the sort of tired performance from Davis, but Aibileen just didn’t cut it.

The script’s well written, full of humor and drama (although The Help feels more humor-y then drama-y), and doesn’t overplay its hand. As in, the comedy doesn’t go too farfetched, and the drama doesn’t feel too Hallmarkish. As I said, Skeeter’s romantic subplot could have been exercised entirely, and perhaps Aibileen should have been given a bit more life to her instead of feeling fairly paint-by-the-numbers. All in all, The Help was a good movie. The ladies make it memorable.

Rating: 7.5/10 – There’s a few clunkers here and there, but for the most part, THE HELP is a resounding success, made enjoyable by the wonderful performances from the female leads who are hilarious and heartfelt.

The Tree of Life

Plot: Space, something, something, earth, something, something, angry father, something, pretty!, something, something, dinosaurs?, something, opera music pretty!, something, something, WTF? I think whoever couldn't follow the series finale of LOST will effectively have their brains blown out watching this.

The Tree of Life is a difficult movie to discuss. There are images circulating in my head two weeks after seeing it, images I’m sure I might never stop thinking about. But as for the actual content, I don’t feel anything but disappointment, really. When I look back at The Tree of Life, I don’t contemplate over whatever the hell Terrence Malick was trying to convey, if anyone. I just think of the striking visual imagery, the dynamic of Brad Pitt’s strict stereotypical 1950s father and the careing and giving mother, played by Jessica Chastain to their eleven year old son Jack, who must have one hell of an Oedipus complex.

Whatever Castor saw in his evaluation of Malick’s screenplay, whatever amazing feelings or thoughts Malick inspired in his apparently brilliant script, I don’t think it’s here in the finished product. Hell, with the exception of the O’Brien family crazy house, there’s very little emotion or sense in the whole enterprise, I feel.

In regards to the cinematography, well, in a word, it’s stunning. Yes, to say that each shot is like a painting come to life would not be an exaggeration. Even close ups of characters or dinner scenes have a rich freshness to them, as if they’ve never been shot from whatever angle Malick desired and each new shot is something entirely unique onto itself. The camera definitely calls attention to itself. Malick’s like a child, so amazed by the world and where he could film, the camera is positioned anywhere and everywhere he could think of, moved in any fashion possible. This lends itself to a kinetic energy that is exciting and interesting. When the film slows down for the more dramatic scenes, the ones that typically include characters whispering instead of talking at a normal chit chat voice, Tree of Life is just as visually stunning. There are so many times during the Creation of the universe sequence that I was just amazed at how they filmed this. There is truly some of the most amazing cinematography in Tree of Life.

But that all comes to naught if there’s no emotion – or even point – to the movie. Now I entered the film knowing what I was getting into. I knew that Malick loves nature, that he would film the world in ways that have never been done before. I knew, based off Castor’s script review, that there are moments of contemplation, made deliberately for contemplation, that this isn’t just your typical run-of-the-mill movie and forces you to think. But, honestly, I think that was left on the page. I don’t feel any of that translated onto screen. It comes across as a heartless, directionless movie. Acts or shots that are supposed to have meaning just don’t. The whole last 20 minutes – hell, everything with Sean Penn’s grown up Jack – no number of theories will convince me there’s something worthwhile there. If there is any emotion, anything worth thinking about, it’s the hour chunk with the O’Brien family as a young Jack deals with adolescence and his desire to not become his father. Whatever big themes, ideas, or statements Malick was trying at – just ain’t there.

That said, though, Tree of Life is one of those flicks that when someone reads a review, they shouldn’t make a decision based off that. As you can tell, I didn’t like The Tree of Life nearly as much as other parties did, finding the flick a bit heartless but visually beautiful. There’s a huge possibility that I misread scenes, or maybe something just went over my head and the reader will encounter something life changing when they see the film. At the very least, Malick’s controversial experience should be…experienced. Does it all add up to something? Does the last 10 minutes make a lick of friggin’ sense? Would you re-edit the first hour like I would?

For a better (or complimentary) look at the meaning of life or whatnot, I’d say check out Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain.

Rating: 5.5/10 - If there's something there in the script, then I would strongly recommend Malick to restructure this film to give what needs to have meaning meaning, to give life to his script instead of shooting pretty pictures and cobbling them together in hopes of it making sense.

MMAM - Vol. 48

2011-10-10T16:20:00.002-05:00

In commemoration of Gus from BREAKING BAD, and in celebration of finishing its fourth season yesterday, today's Much Music Awesomeness Monday is "Goodbye" from some band I never heard of - Apparat. Their music plays as Gus makes his walk to the nursing home to confront Tio. In the context of the show, it's one of the most spine-chilling, tense walk anyone has ever made. Also gives the whole thing a sort of western feel, no? Perfect music choice. Perfect. Give it a listen!

Geek Newsroom: Green Lantern, The Thing, Drive, The SImpsons

2011-10-09T23:55:00.006-05:00

News Feed

If you missed the six-episode premiere season of AMC's The Walking Dead, every episode is now on Netflix Streaming just in time for its second season premiere a week from today.
The first casualties of Fall 2011 TV programming are: The Playboy Club and Free Agents. The first winners of Fall 2011 TV programming are: The New Girl, Up All Night, 2 Broke Girls, and Whitney.
Also winning: The Simpsons. After difficult conversations involving price cuts for the principal voice cast, the series was given a two season commitment by FOX - complete with those budget decreases. (TVLine.com)
Other good news: the possible resurrection of Arrested Development in the form of a 10-episode season, each episode concentrating on one member of the Bluth family, and a movie, which the series would lead into. Yay?
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil director Eli Craig wants a sequel with the titular heroes hitting up Yale (Slashfilm)
Woman sues the makers of Drive for not being Fast & Furious. Yeah, she's nuts. (BeyondHollywood)
Orlano Bloom wants back in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise...probably because he hasn't made a worthwhile film since At World's End? Actually, what has he been in? (CBM.com)

DVD/Blu-Ray Releases

Zookeeper

Rosario Dawson. The singular, only, #1 reason why I have any interest int his garbage. Unless your wife and children are forcing you to watch this under threat of something really, really bad, don't bother.

Horrible Bosses

Had the pleasure of checking out this super funny comedy two weeks ago, and it's definitely worth price of purchase. And in this Blu-Ray/DVD combo? What's not to love? It's a funny movie, Jennifer Aniston looks hot for the first time since ever, and Kevin Spacey kicks ass.

Green Lantern

So, this ain't a first-day buy for me. I'll get it...eventually. I didn't hate the movie and I didn't love it. There's a lot of middle area where the film could use humungous amounts of improvement. And from the sound of a few reviews, the picture quality of this release is rather lacking, so there's another deterring factor. Basically, if you loved Green Lantern this summer, of course pick it up. If this is a blind buy, don't. Rent first, suss out of you like it. Though, I am interested in this 'Extended Cut', see if it adds anything new... Oh! And Best Buy will have an exclusive Blu-Ray Steelbook, if anyone's interested in that. I would be. [Review]

The Tree of Life

It's been two weeks since I saw this and I still have no flippin idea what to say about it. One interesting thing worth mentioning is that Tree of Life is only being released in this DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'd say a step in the right direction. Besides, this flick is made for Blu-Ray - I'm sure the creation of the universe shots would look gorgeous in HD. Won't be picking this up. Don't really mind if I ever see this flick again, frankly.

New Releases

The Thing
Ramona Flowers vs. an alien identity face changer thingy? I'm all in. But before I see this prequel/remake, I have a inkling I should check out John Carpenter's The Thing. I haven't heard anything negative about that 1980s flick, so I expect good things. And I don't intend to do any 'what's better?' when I see this 2011 update, just to see the similarities and differences. Anyone else wanna see this?

Footloose
Looks bad. Is it bad that I'm excited about that? Is it also bad that I sorta think the flick would be a tad more tolerable if Zac Efron was still the lead? (I promise you, this ain't no Efron crush or anything, just think the boy has some genuine talent...sometimse)

The Big Year
Normally, I see Steve Martin's name and the ticket sold itself. Unfortunately, I can't really see the appeal of The Big Year. It's almost Bucket List-y, but less interesting. Might be more funny. So this is a theatrical skip for me, sadly. Might rent it someday, though. Sorry, Steve.

The Watcher: 10/02/11 - 10/08/11

2011-10-08T23:19:00.001-05:00

Just want to take a moment and say that over a month ago was the one-year anniversary of The Watcher. Let's take a quiet moment and acknowledge the awesomeness of that. Satisfied? Alright, moving on. Review time!

[And I know loads of you guys read these reviews, but just gotta say sorry Terra Nova, Person of Interest, Nikita, or The Secret Circle aren't reviewed. Oh, and the premiere of American Horror Story. I'm already well behind on my viewing. Apologies.]

BREAKING BAD S04E12 - "End Times" (02 October 2011) - "Crawl Space" was the epitome of Breaking Bad at its ultimate best. The series also has a knack for not going the expected route. "End Times" did not proceed anywhere near as chaotic, violent, or intense as "Crawl Space" led me to believe, expecting the next two episodes to be nothing more than Walt vs. Gus in a fight to the finish. Instead, after this amazing cliffhangery episode, there's another silence before the storm. Walt's getting into position, masterminding his method to get rid of Gus. Gus may or may not have poisoned the kid of the girl Jessie's involved with, but Walter gives a convincing argument to Jessie - convincing enough that Jessie and Walt are on the same team again, leading us to the sure-to-be-jaw dropping season finale next week, which I'm both excited and sad to see. "End Times" was another exhilarating episode, proving that Gus is even more difficult to kill then expected. How will Walt and Jessie get their opportunity? Score: 9.1/10

COMMUNITY S03E03 - "Competitive Ecology" (06 October 2011) - I've read a lot of reviews of "Competitive Ecology" where the viewers liked the banter between Jeff and the group, supposedly reminiscent to the kind of dynamic/arguments they had back in its freshman season. Maybe it's been too long since I watched those episodes, but "Competitive Ecology" wasn't exactly a stellar episode, nor did the core group really impress me. Hell, I found myself more interested in Todd then anyone in the group - despite the supreme hotness of Brita and Annie. You know it's a weird episode when you get more chuckles out of Pierce or - gasp! - even motherfrakkin' Chang. I dislike Ken Jeong to the point where I would make a thorough website dedicated in honor of my dislike for him if only I had HTML skills, and I think his continued inclusion in the show is to its detriment, but hell if I didn't find his insane, outrageous, barmy subplot somewhat amusing. I think I grinned. I think I chuckled. Maybe this is another case of comedies being funnier when watched in consecutive order instead of week-to-week, but "Competitive Ecology" was very 'meh'. Score: 5.1/10

DEXTER S06E01 - "Those Kings of Things" (02 October 2011) - The writers don't often turn comedic with Dexter Morgan, but when they do, it work. "Those Kings of Things" has more laughs than the last two seasons combined (which I know probably isn't a fair thing to say, given the subject matter of those seasons), making it a fun premiere to a show's sixth series. It feels not too long ago Julia Stiles was just discovered by our serial killer and taught in the way of revenge, and now here we are, fast forward a year or so later as Dexter looks for schools for Harrison, Deb's living with Quinn and a possible marriage proposal on its way, and Batista is being promoted for whatever reasons that I don't care about. In a nutshell, I liked this premiere. I laughed. I loved everything involving Dexter's high school reunion: the awkward conversations, the unexpected blowjob from a hot ex-classmate, and indulging in his extra-curricular activities with a wife murderer, which also lends itself to solidifying the show's theme of religion this year. Dexter's victim is religious, leading to a conversation before his imminent death about forgiveness and the sin of killing. Furthermore, Dexter enrolls Harrison in a Catholic school (funny, but far too blatant, writers!), and two new baddies are introduced - Colin Hanks and Edward James Olmos, who like to quote Scripture before a kill. All other subplots I'm not hugely in love with, with the exception of Batista's sexy sister/cousin/whatever who watches over Harrison. Everything else - well, when one watches Dexter, you sorta know what you're getting into: good plotlines, bad, bad ridiculous subplots, gruesome kills, soul searching that may lead nowhere. It's just part of the shows DNA. But I'm excited to see how Dexter tracks down these Bible thumpers and eventually interacts with them. And Deb, who has perhaps the most substantial character growth of anyone else in the series, will hopefully go some interesting places this season that don't directly involve her romance with Quinn. So, show me more, Team Dexter. Score: 8.1/10

FRINGE S04E03 - "Alone in the World" (07 October 2011) - Last week's episode of FRINGE showed what this new type of format could bring to make the series fresh and exciting again. Although it would be nifty to have Peter back, last week proved that the series doesn't need him. Like the Observers said, his part of the story was finished. Perhaps it would be best for Peter to be just gone from the show after successfully making the bridge that will save both deteriorating universes? Because, and I apologize to any Peter fans here, I'm just not feeling the vibe of this "Where's Peter?" stuff. Let's start saving the universes instead of concentrating solely on Scientific Matters of the Week. So as you can tell, I was less than in love with this week's monstrosity, a being that latches itself onto a young boy's psyche which results in the death of lots of people and nearly became a city-wide virus. Big threats, connected to Walter's emotional story, but I didn't feel a thing for it. What I did like, though, was the dynamic between Lincoln and Olivia - again, although I have doubt she feels the same way he does. Damn my sappy undertones! I also liked Walter confessing to the young boy in his lab what happened to the Other Peter when he crossed over to the Other Side, and the consequences of that. At least the writers have now set up a viable reason why Walternate wants this universe decimated. Still a faithful viewer, but season four - which just might be its last season if viewership doesn't improve - is thus far off to a rocky start. But next Friday promises some big development in the whole Peter Bishop department. Score: 6.4.10

REVENGE S01E03 - "Betrayal" (05 October 2011) - With "Betrayal", we add another layer, and possibly alley, to Emily's revenge scheme with the revelation of Victoria's romantic relationship with Emily's father. Not a jaw-dropping, huge twist, but definitely one that may benefit Emily down the line, as evidenced by the final scene as feelings towards her late affair lingers still. That's a plot line that I am excited to see develop. The sappy side of me also wants to see Emily/Amanda reconnect with her childhood friend, what's-his-name, the bar dude. I get her reasoning for not revealing herself to him, but damn, am I already looking forward to the moment when who she truly is gets outed - since I doubt she'll ever be upfront about it. The scene where she finds out he named his boat "Amanda" was especially touching. As for her revenge this week, it wasn't hugely satisfying, but it was another step. Three episodes in, I'm engaged in the overall plot - with the minor exception of Emily's romance with Victoria's son, primarily because I feel the chemistry between the two leads is rather lacking - but I hope Ms. VanCamp will be able to show a wider range of skills instead of the skulking 'I have a sinister plan' expression she's been obligated to show thus far. Still, I'm glued. Score: 7.5/10

SUPERNATURAL S07E03 - "The Girl Next Door" (07 October 2011) - Regrettably, the rich and urgent cliffhanger of last week's episode - Sam and Dean in an ambulance being sent to the hospital under charge of the Leviathan - gets resolved in the first ten minutes, leaving the rest of the episode to fall into the "Monster of the Week" format. That part is disappointing, as I was really looking forward to the Winchesters doing their own Halloween II-esque cat & mouse game with the Leviathans, so the very much alive Bobby swooping in to save the day was a bit of a bummer. Still, "The Girl Next Door" gave us multiple things I liked, and one aspect I particularly did not like, which I will touch on first: Dean's murdering of Amy (Pond, haha) and subsequent letting-her-son-go thing. Immediately I wasn't a fan considering my love for the name and character of Amy Pond, so the whole murdering her thing did not set well with me. And then, under the rules in which he decided to kill her, he elected not to kill the son, even though by those rules he should have. Whatever, Dean. More reason to love Sam over you. And speaking of loving Sam, I loved, loved, LOVED the flashback's of a 1998 Sam meeting Amy for the first time - ignorant in the ways of talking to girls, showing his kickass side to Amy, and his youngster smooch. Whenever Supernatural delves more into Sam, I am all for that, and "The Girl Next Door" delivers in spades. Also to their benefit: the casting of the gorgeous Jewel Staite as Amy Pond. Sci-fi geeks will recognize her from Firefly and Stargate: Atlantis. Ain't she pretty? So an overall really good episode spoiled by the dumbassness of Dean. Score: 9.4/10

Andy's Friday Five: Best Doctor Who Series 6 Moments

2011-10-07T23:36:00.000-05:00

Howdy!

It will be a week tomorrow that DOCTOR WHO ended its sixth series, leaving my heart shattered into a million pieces at the prospect of waiting nearly a whole year for the next thirteen episode series. But for now, let's take a fond look back at what just ended and celebrate some scenes that are particularly worth praise. So here we are, the final week before the Geek continues his 'year in film' Friday Five, giving DW fans my favorite moments from Series 6.

Also, apologies. I didn't realize until I finished this that four out of the five scenes listed below involve River Song. Blame Moffat. He knows how to write her. And when she's onscreen, the show is just so damn much. And before continuing to read, be aware, as the title of this posts suggests, there are spoilers. Stay away if you haven't seen the entire season! So, anyway, my favorite moments:

Favorite Doctor Who Series 6 Moments

5. The Amy Reveal. It doesn't happen often, but there are times when a show does something so unexpected, so shocking, that that moment when it happens will forever be engrained in your mind. This is one of those moments (and #4). Now, I'm obsessive with spoilers. I'm dumb and I seek them out. But nowhere did I read anything about this. I was as clueless as anyone who stayed away from spoilers. When it was revealed that Amy Pond was in fact not with Rory and The Doctor onboard the TARDIS, that she hasn't been since possibly pre-America (aka the season premiere), that was a shocker. That was a "holy crap!" moment. Amy Pond was a ganger the entire time! And all that business about POSITIVE/NEGATIVE pregnant? Well, she IS pregnant, but she's being held captive somewhere else, completely and totally fooling The Doctor for months! Wow, now that was a doozy. Absolutely brilliant execution. In one quick stroke, two subplos from the five previous episodes are explained visually in a jaw-dropping scene. Clever, Moffat, clever.

4. Here Comes River. And speaking of clever, I was absolutely oblivious to this change of events. This Mels person showed up out of nowhere, ruining a perfectly fine episode with "Let's Kill Hitler", supposedly being a best friend of Amy and Rory's. Now maybe my noggins just don't work super quick and I didn't put two to two together in seconds, but when Mels was shot and she started glowing her pre-regeneration glowiness: wow. Another one of those "holy shit!" moments. Because of the surprise, because of the retrospective 'duh' and brilliance of the whole thing, the death of Mels and emergence of River Song will forever be one of the most amazing and clever things to come from this series. I remember when I first watched it, I had the most giant grin in all of Mankato. This. Was. Brilliant. Unfortunately, after the bit that follows (choice #1), River becomes sorta obnoxious for the remainder of the episode until her emotional sacrifice at the end. Still, one helluva episode, and one helluva surprise.

3. The Mighty Warrior. Whenever we're given the opportunity to analyze who and/or what The Doctor has become, I love it, I cherish it. To examine the darkness and the danger of this Time Lord, to see how he started off as nothing more than a man who wanted to see the universe and now turns armies away at the mention of his name - it's bone chilling, and it's exactly the kind of analysis of the character that I want Moffat to explore. Like it or hate it, The Doctor is one of the more complex 'protagonists' on television, and by all means, he should be looked into. When Davros told The Doctor that he fashions people into weapons, that he announced The Doctor that 'Destroyer of Worlds', when Donna recognizes the darkness in The Doctor in "The Runaway Bride" and tells him he needs people to keep him in check - those are perfect moments. The Doctor has darkness, let's explore it. The Doctor's adventures have changed the way the universe looks at him, let's explore it. Hell, let's just say I love this scene and quote River who said it so eloquently:

"This was exactly you. All this, all of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor? The word for healer and wise man, throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word "Doctor" means mighty warrior. How far you've come. And now they've taken a child, the child of your best friends, and they're going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down. And all this, my love...in fear of you."

2. "Guys, I mean us. RUN!" The next two points are possibly the funniest bits of Doctor Who this series. Just when The Doctor saves the earth and his plan to eradicate The Silents are taken into effect, his master plan rebounds and he and everyone else are in terrible danger. Classic Who. As The Doctor reveals his brilliant plan to The Silents, there's such a kickass, "you go, Doctor!" vibe to the whole thing, no doubt thanks in part to Murray Gold's rousing score. And then there's this funny exchange as The Doctor realizes exactly how in trouble they are. This leads us into possibly the best action scene of any Doctor Who episode. A super sexy River Song blasting away at the Silents, The Doctor doing something with his sonic to defeat the bad guy (cue River/Doctor bantering, which is always fun!), and Rory realizing that "stupid face" was none other than him, and not The Doctor as he mistakenly believed. What a gorgeous, beautiful scene. Action, comedy, drama - that's why this show succeeds.

1. "Is killing you going to take all day?" Talk about laugh-out-loud funny. Another one of those grinning moments. River, programmed by The Silence since a young girl to kill The Doctor, seizes plenty of opportunities to kill him, but The Doctor's always one step ahead of her. This is a brilliant Laurel & Hardy type sketch, where River shoots to kill, only for The Doctor to reveal he took the magazine, or replaced a gun with a banana. This is definitely Moffat's funniest script to date, and it shows no brighter than this scene - which is odd for a dramatic, action-packed episode. Check out this link and watch the clip on YouTube. May be, for me, the funniest thing since Supernatural's "The French Connection", which you should watch (and rewatch) here. Just brilliant. All of these moments are brilliant. True testaments to the creative and clever people working behind the scenes and in front of the camera.

*All images from the spectacular Sonic Brio

So those are just some of my favorite moments from Doctor Who Series 6. What are yours? Voice your opinions below!

The Watcher: Doctor Who Series 6, Episode 13

2011-10-05T16:19:00.001-05:00

Transmission date: 01 October 2011 (BBC One/BBC America)

Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston. Written by Steven Moffat, directed by

Plot: Resolution of The Doctor's death ain't so easy.

So here we are, the thirteenth and final episode of the sixth series of Doctor Who, penned by the show runner, tying up (some) loose ends and bringing a resolution to The Doctor's death, as seen in the first six minutes of the premiere, "The Impossible Astronaut". By this point, I've watched the episode in its entirety three times, and select scenes way too many times to count, and overall, I still don't quite know where I stand with "The Wedding of River Song."

It's a jam-packed episode. There's pterodactyls flying around London, Winston Churchill is Caesar, The Doctor is a captive soothsayer with a beard (a la "Day of the Moon"), Area 52 is in located in an pyramid, and Amy Pond is leading the charge to save all of time with River Song's help. And River Song - she absolutely flat out refuses to kill The Doctor in the split second before he 'dies' in "The Impossible Astronaut" (which this episode takes place in between) and thus a whole new reality is formed around this fixed point of time where all of time is happening at once on 22 April 2011 at 5:02 pm. Day or night, winter or summer, it's that date and time. So right off the bat, I gotta say I really liked how this alternate reality came about. River flat out refusing to do as time dictates she does to save the man she loves. That said, for some reason I find my patience thinning the first twenty minutes as The Doctor reveals to Churchill how time's gone all wibbley-wobbly. But still, it lends itself to one of my favorite scenes, at Lake Silencio as The Doctor tells River she is forgiven always and forever for what she has to do. And then Matt Smith's hilarious expression as he realizes that River's messed up with a fixed point in time...yeah, that was a golden WHO moment.

Another great moment: The Doctor making excuses to postpone the moment for as long as possible - to help Rose Tyler with her homework, or attend all of Jack's stag parties, or meet up with an old friend. Truthfully, I never watched an episode with this Brigadier individual, so the importance of this moment was lost on me until checking online. It's a really sweet, powerful moment as The Doctor realizes that this must happen, that time waits for no one, and that "it's time." The way Matt says that statement, wow it pulls at my heart.

Let's talk about the resolution to The Doctor's 'death'. Instead of the Gangers as many surmised, it was instead the Teselecta that proved to be The Doctor's salvation. Interestingly enough, both the Teselecta and the question "Doctor who?" were brought up (and asked) in the mid-season premiere, "Let's Kill Hitler", so more than anything, this episode works as a sequel to that. So I'm super happy it wasn't the Gangers, because that would have been just silly, but I find the Teselecta only marginally better. I guess I just really wanted the resolution to be more...epic? More timey-wimey? More brilliant? I didn't want his salvation to be contingent on something relevant to this series, but something The Doctor in his wisdom came up with on his own. I was nearly sold with The Doctor's statement to Dorium that time demanded he be at the lake so he "dressed for the occasion", but something still feels wrong about the whole affair. The Doctor is still alive, and time isn't something to just...kinda ignore that. I guess I have a problem with the syntax?

Still, it's creative, it's cool, and I guess it's one of the elements I can look over. There are questions I'm going to posit below that I have more of an interest in then this. But this also brings me to the 'marriage'. First and foremost, what a weird, DOCTOR WHO-y wedding. River didn't quite seem to know what she was getting into, The Doctor's just bossin' everyone around, and I don't quite understand why he had to perform the ceremony if all he was going to whisper to her was to look into his eye. If he had, indeed, whispered his name, then I understand why, but this revelation? Doesn't exactly call for a wedding. Not like I'm complaining. Series 6 is more or less CONFIRMING what fans have already speculated, so at least we're reaching fulfillment with particular elements regarding River.

As we learn more about her, I hope River maintains the same sense of mystery and adventure that's been a part of River since her first appearance in "Silence in the Library." When we see her next - Alex Kingston's schedule permitting - will she be his wife? Will it be an earlier version of River? There are so many possibilities, I'm excited. Although, frankly, I'm okay if they limit the times she says "Hello, sweetie", and get back to her ass kicking awesome that we saw in "Day of the Moon". Now that's the River Song I'm in love with.

Alright, so we covered The Doctor's journey to accepting his death and coming up with a plan to save himself involving hiding in a robot while the fixed point in time takes its course, and River is revealed to be the one who 'murders' The Doctor and becomes, questionably, his wife. As for Amy and Rory, they get their own side story here, but at least they get to play. I liked how Amy remembered The Doctor and everything that happened between them thanks to her prolonged exposure to the cracks in time. I'm a bit curious as to how Rory Williams became a member of the task force, although I should assume River had a hand in picking her parents for the operation. [Sidenote: it was also nice to get confirmation about what the eyepatches are for] The bit of romancy lovey dovey stuff between Amy and Rory was great, and when all of time and reality came back together again, I LOVED when Amy realized she was The Doctor's mother-in-law. A bit awkward, since the first time she met River she snogged The Doctor right after. Oh, Doctor, if only you took the chance...

..though, I am curious to see how Moffat will take the River/Doctor relationship. I know, I seem like I'm repeating myself. I'll stop. Moving on...

Speaking about Amy, Karen Gillan was awesome this episode. The late night conversation with her daughter when they discuss the aborted timeline is just...fantastic. I love her vacant expression, her mournful and hurt voice. Wonderful performance, Ms. Gillan. I can't wait to see how you two come back into the fold in Series 7.

The scene on top of the pyramid as The Doctor argues with River over the universe was great. So many emotions, dramatic and comedic beats are hit, it's definitely an episode highlight. On one hand, I'm not a fan of The Doctor snapping at people, but simultaneously, it adds to the tension (and comedy) of the scene. River sending out a beacon - a distress call for The Doctor - is a wonderful thing, and makes sense (why didn't The Doctor try doing that before? Pride? Didn't think of it? He cashed in on favors in "A Good Man Goes to War"), but it doesn't really go anywhere.

Rory: "I'm not sure I understand."

Amy: "Um, we got married and had a kid and that's her."

And finally - I said this before but I'll say it again - just how cool is it that this entire episode takes place in mere seconds of "The Impossible Astronaut"? I LOVE it when that happens!

On the technical side of things: 1) It was so completely obviously a Steven Moffat script. Time has gone wibbley. River features prominently and says "sweetie" a few hundred times or so, and there are reversals of things that have come before (see: "The Pandorica Opens"). 2) Set design, special effects, make-up, the whole bit was superb [minus the incredibly fake Lake Silencio; I'm thinking they should have filmed all of that right then and there when they were on location]. The digital shots of the new timestream, the set design of the strange cavern The Doctor finds Dorium's head in (decorated with carnivorous skulls), and of course, the awesome freakiness of The Silence. Still the best stuff on TV. And let's not forget Murray Gold's score, ladies and gentlemen. He may not have produced as many notable themes this season as he had last year, but it was still magnificent, creepy, action-y, and strong. Editing was tight and to the point, and the cinematography was quite gorgeous. But I gotta ask: where's Toby Haynes? I loved that guy.

So, before moving further, some questions left in regards to the last two seasons. If anyone has answers, bad or good, feel free to share:

Why did The Silence blow up the TARDIS in "The Pandorica Opens"?
What is the name of the not-so-verbal, seven foot tall aliens that shoot lightening out of their fingers and speak on behalf of the Silence? Despite constantly being referred to as the Silence, they are not the Silence, instead Silents, subscribers to the order.
What do The Silence want with their own TARDIS? Why? For what purpose?
Why does it feel like we're missing a lot of important stuff in between the two-part premiere?
What did The Doctor whisper in River's ear in "Let's Kill Hitler"?
So The Silents used the astronaut suit to keep a young Melody Pond alive or whatnot, as seen in "Day of the Moon", and they just decided to use the same suit to fulfill what is presumably a prophecy (see below) for a grown up Melody Pond to kill The Doctor with some green energy blast thing? Ooookkkaaaayy.
In "Closing Time", Madame Kovarian meets up with River and basically tells her what's about to happen - the whole 'impossible astronaut will rise from the deep and strike the Time Lord' dead business, which River rebukes as just a 'story'. Okay, what? It's a story? If it's a story, why did The Doctor never hear about it? It's a frakkin' story about his death! I'm sure that would draw his attention. How old is this story? Made up right then and there?
If everyone forgot The Doctor existed in the closing minutes of "The Big Bang" when The Doctor reset the universe, how does River have a TARDIS journal, let alone even know who The Doctor is?
What's the terrible secret The Doctor knows or will find out that the Silence wants...silenced?

And this leads us to the final scene, where Dorium supposedly 'reveals' the biggest, oldest question in the universe: "Doctor who?" Despite being utterly awesome and very 'duh' simultaneously, and giving us hope that as the series readies for its 50th anniversary the show will tackle who The Doctor is and what makes him tick, I can't accept this is the question: the oldest question, the question the religious sect the Silence are so concerned about. Dorium admits that they don't necessarily want The Doctor dead, they just don't want him around, so why do they give a damn about him? Side tangent: there's still a hell of a lot we don't know about the Silence, and I hope Moffat is leading towards something instead of just making it all up as he goes along. And although that's a pretty nifty question to ask and thus analyze, it certainly isn't the most important, let alone the oldest question, in the universe. Unless it pertains to this next point...

Anyway, the point of this scene is that The Doctor recognizes he's been making too much noise, and with the universe thinking him dead, is going to venture around a little bit quieter. Other than that, we really don't know what's going on. Thanks to leaked photos of the Christmas Special being filmed (and her confirming the news anyhow), we know Karen Gillan is back, but how do we get from The Doctor 'saving' them in "The God Complex" and deciding that it's a good idea, after all, to bring the Ponds along? And to what capacity will we see River Song? It's a pretty spiffy final scene, and regardless of my hesitation to accept "Doctor who?" as the official oldest, most important question of the universe, it does make me amped for Series 7...which we won't be seeing for a long, long, long, long, long ass time.

Dorium also offers up some clues as to where The Doctor's future will take him, and the possible end of his Eleventh form. Here's hoping we see conclusion to the two-series-long mantra "Silence will Fall" and some follow up to Dorium's warnings. So we're left with this rather scary final shot of Matt Smith as The Doctor until Christmastime, where it looks like we're getting the Doctor Who version of The Chronicles of Narnia. Obviously, I'll be there, eager and happy as ever, but then there'll be the dread of knowing I won't get my Doctor fix for ten months after that. Perhaps it's time to start at the beginning and work my way up?

It appears Series 5 and Series 6 are just two parts of a much larger plan. There's still plenty left unresolved, and there are of course loads of hints as to what will come next for The Doctor, presumably culminating in the 50th anniversary in 2013. I applaud Moffat for having a vision, and for tying River's backstory in the broader tale of The Doctor hiding back in the shadows (for however long that lasts...). Let's just hope that when all is said and done, this whole web of plots and subplots and mysteries will make sense and be gratifying.

I'm sure I'm missing something to talk about, but there's just so much that goes on in this finale, I can't cover it all. Hopefully I'll have more time with the Series 6 overview tomorrow.

One final thing: the title. Now, I'm not a huge fan of this whole wifey stuff, from episode four to episode thirteen (even if they're entirely different animals), but I liked this title. For one, it's not just about the maybe/maybe not wedding, it holds multiple meanings: it's because of River that

There will be a Series 6 overview published later this week, so be on the lookout for that. So, Moffat, thanks for a zaney season full of twists and turns, hyped episodes that didn't fully deliver, spectacularly written scripts and performances, outstanding special effects, and hours of pure, unadulterated enjoyment. Now, let's ponder: "Doctor who?"

Grade: B +

Tuesday Cap - Vol. 35

2011-10-04T19:14:00.002-05:00

Title: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

Notes: From this point on, the FRIDAY THE 13TH series became zanier and more cartoonish instead of sticking to its horror roots. And not too surprisingly, it's from this point on that I really began to dig the series. The first three films were barely tolerable, and films four and five were just long and super boring. JASON LIVES is the first time I really fell for a Jason film, and the next two after this are just icing on the cake with their absolute craziness and (possibly misplaced) humor. But this is where the FRIDAY movies are fun, enjoyable. Plus, JASON LIVES has one of the coolest endings - if not the coolest - of the entire series. No longer content to be tormented by Jason, Tommy hatches a plan to keep Jason submerged in the lake forever. Well, until the next sequel. The climax is epic, unlike anything that came before it, and for the first time (ironic considering this is one of the less serious of the FRIDAY flicks) Jason really felt like a pretty big threat.

How about you guys? Fancy any of the FRIDAY flicks? What other films should I cover for the month of October? General Jason thoughts?

MMAM - Vol. 47

2011-10-03T23:25:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the Series 6 finale of DOCTOR WHO that aired Saturday (expect a really, really long review later this week), I have some of Murray Gold's music for you today.

If you're looking at this and then deciding not to bother with the tracks, that is the wrong choice. Give 'em a try. This series boasts the best music on television since Bear McCreary's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA work ended and Michael Giacchino signed off on lost. Murray Gold is awesome. Take a listen to the tracks, please:

"The Life and Death of Amy Pond"

"I Am The Doctor"

"Vale Dacem"

"All the Strange, Strange Creatures"

Wooo! DOCTOR WHO!

If I knew how to make banners, I would totally do a spiffy one with a TARDIS on the side saying DOCTOR WHO WEEK. Why oh why do I know nothing of Photoshop?

The Watcher: 09/23/11 - 10/01/11

2011-10-01T23:35:00.005-05:00

The Watcher is now being moved to Saturdays to accommodate the wide range of shows I watch Thursday and Fridays. Thus, for this week, you've got double helpings of Fringe, Nikita and Supernatural! Awesomeness, no? Honestly, it's a little sad not to see Smallville included on the list below. After 10 years, it's all over. Blimey. No spoilers, no reviews, nothing.

BREAKING BAD S04E11 -"Crawl Space" (25 September 2011) - Wow. One of the best episodes of Breaking Bad ever, I believe. There is not one single bad not in its body. Riveting from beginning to its ohmygod end, "Crawl Space" is just one of those experiences where your jaw drops, your mind is buzzin' a thousand miles a second, and you understand you're watching truly great writing, acting, and directing right this second. Those final four minutes are a thing of beauty. The drums in the background. Bryan Cranston's spine chilling laughter as he realizes there's no way out. And most of all, the emotion that Betsy Brandt conveys when she looks at Walt with horror and fear as he looses his mind - the shot of her bend down and then back away will forever be etched into my memory. What a outstanding episode, leaving me excited as pizza to see how this wraps up and sad the season is almost over. Wowness. Score: 10/10

FRINGE S04E01 - "Neither Here Nor There" (23 September 2011) - After an explosive third season, possibly the strongest of any science fiction series I've seen since Firefly, Fringe returns with a iffy premiere that I don't really care one way or another for. In fact, here we are days later, and I can't recall much of the plot. There's a funny bit with Walter asking Astrid to video tape a victim's anus for clues concerning their death, and hints that Peter's presence may still be banging around in Walter's head, but overall, meh. I did like the bunker that now stands as the bridge between both worlds, where these two universes can meet and assist, etc. That will lend itself to some interesting stories, along the way. No appearance of Walternate, yet - interested to see where that goes now that Peter is gone. This revised version of Lincoln Lee was great as always, and I hope to see him grow into the Other World's more kickass Lincoln Lee as the season progresses. "Neither Here Nor There" felt very much like a Pilot, minus Peter. We see this whole new world through Lincoln's eyes. Olivia is still that reserved, stoic individual because without Peter that closed wall never crumbled, and because of that, Olivia doesn't really become the anchor of the hour - it's Lincoln. Not a wholly successful premiere, but it's great to have Fringe back. If this is the final season, I really hope there's a plan in place. Now that the two universes have converged and are working together, more or less, where does this go? Is the ultimate endgame saving the earth from itself? Undoing the damage the Walter's have committed? Score: 7.8/10

FRINGE S04E02 - "One Night in October" (30 September 2011) - Now this is more like it. Firstly, props must be given to Anna Torv for portraying two distinctly different Olivia's, both with their own physical and mental quirks. Without difficulty, one could look at the two Olivia's and instantly tell who is who, and not because of some telling sign like the hair - it's Anna Torv's exquisite performance that sells these two individual versions of the same person. Great job, Ms. Torv. This week's case looking at the different choices of one man from both worlds is both fascinating and utterly rich - in Our World, the man in question is a professor of murders, and in the Other World, he's a serial killer. Like Dexter...sorta. It's shown that through choices and experiences, although they are fundamentally the same man with the same cravings and desires, it's those experiences that form the choices that make our lives different from another. When the two professors come face to face, it's great writing and great acting on screen in full awesome glory. And we got the return of Other World kickass Lincoln Lee! Yay! With more hints of Peter's eventful return to the world thanks to a not-so-thorough job from an Observer, I'm as psyched as ever for more Fringe. Score: 8.9/10

NIKITA S02E01 - "Game Change" (23 September 2011) - Nikita was the surprise show of last fall, with every indication being that it would be mildly entertaining with a far-too-skinny Maggie Q in the lead. Turns out, the new and revamped Nikita was super entertaining, with two strong female leads that were very well fleshed out, boasting great action sequences, engaging character dynamics, and so-so B plots. Point is, I liked the show, and with the once allies Nikita and Alex now on opposing sides, the whole glue of the show has turned over from a year ago, surely to bring up interesting stories. First and foremost, the frenemy dance between Nikita and Alex at the end was definitely an episode highlight, and I hope to see similar battles happen again. Ex-Division operatives Michael and Birkoff also are given great moments to shine, and Birkoff gives us the single best laugh of the night. With the exception of the Nikita/Alex feud and the Magneto-esque vibe of the Percy-caged scenes, "Game Change" didn't feel all that much like a game changer. Instead, felt like a back burner episode instead of a premiere. Nikita needs more of the "umphf" to make it must-watch TV. Still, excited to see where this goes, what with changing allegiances every other episode and possible new organizations to explore. Score: 6.7/10

SUPERNATURAL S07E01 - "Meet the New Boss" (23 September 2011) - In a season where Sam was soulless, anarchy was all the rage in Heaven, the Mother of All came to the surface, and Purgatory was the #1 hotspot on everyone's list, the final story to be told was Castiel's slippery slope into going loco. "Meet the New Boss" shows the repercussions of Castiel's misbguided journey to be the New God in town, to right the wrongs God did when It vacaed over two years ago. In less than forty minutes, Misha Collins successfully shreds the fun, free-spirited Castiel we all know and love and replaces him with a mean, devilish, vengeful Angel with a bit too much power in his hands. Catiel is truly frightening. And then to make matters even more messed up, Sam's hallucinating, not knowing what the hell is real or not, giving us a (surprise!) appearance from Lucifer, taunting Sammy that everything around him is nothing more than an illusion. Obviously not true, but one hell of a gorgeous torture device. In the end, as Castiel winds down his killing spree weeks later, the power becomes too much for him, his host body is about to explode, and he sees his wrongdoings. In what appeared to initiate a season-long arc for redemption, Castiel instead became consumed by the Leviathan who decided to stick around in the meat suit instead of being flushed out like the other Purgatory inhabitants. Uh-oh. A strong opening that allows Misha Collins to shine. Now I just hope Dean doesn't continue to be as obnoxious as he was last year. And guest appearance from Death! Always something special to watch. Score: 9.5/10

SUPERNATURAL S07E02 - "Hello, Cruel World" (30 September 2011) - What's this? Four episodes in a row now that are all linked together without standalone adventures? It's pretty nifty, if I say so myself. "Hello, Cruel World" is a great episode that sees the departure of Castiel (presumably) early on as his vessel is about to explode thanks to the mighty power of Leviathan (am I the only one who felt bad for the dude who's the vessel? That guy's wife and kid will never know what happened to him), and the possible demise of Bobby (yeah, sure, whatever). Two episodes in, and already you can see the series having showing its balls. It amazes me that even after seven seasons, Supernatural doesn't cease to impress me. The fallout of this Purgatory plot brings us Leviathan, multiple Big Bads that swim through the water system and infect people, using them as hosts to further whatever their leaders big plan is. We're still early in the season, so details on the Leviathan are scant, but already they are an impressionable, lethal foe that definitely feels like a worthy adversary. The Winchesters are going to have their hands full. And the pre-season comments from the showrunner about how this year will have Sam and Dean on the run a lot more makes perfect, beautiful sense here: the Leviathan are everywhere, and they have a bone to pick with the Winchesters for some yet-unexplained reason. Basically, the boys are screwed. This season will be awesome. I'm also curious as to how Castiel's 'death' will be dealt with, what this means for Heaven and the whole Angels on earth/where's God? business. Excitement! Also, everything involving Sam's hallucinations of Lucifer was absolutely awesome, and it's great to have Mark Pellegrino back on the show. And finally: Benito Martinez! Always makes me happy to see Shield vets get some work. Score: 10/10

TERRA NOVA S01E01/S01E02 - "Genesis" (26 September 2011) - Well, you can definitely tell two things with the series premiere of the mucho expensive Terra Nova: 1) Steven Spielberg's hands are all over this baby, and 2) it looks expensive. Hopefully the money invested in this thirteen-episode premiere season will be worth it, but "Genesis" doesn't do much to make one super excited. Not to say I didn't enjoy myself - I quite did. But there doesn't seem to be enough unique qualities to make Terra Nova stand out. The family dynamic that is at the heart of the series already feels a little stale, a little forced, not really real or fluid (especially in regards to the teenage son who I would not mind get toned down a peg or two). Part of me wants to forgive that based solely on the fact a series about dinosaurs with dinosaurs in it is being transmitted on national television, and it's going a long way in making me overlook the less great elements of the premiere, like the choppy second half or lack of 'real'ness to the characters and dialogue. The important part is that I liked what I saw with Terra Nova, disgruntles aside, and the subplot involving the symbols carved into the rock would make me tune in again no matter what. I want to see where this is going. The only disappointing thing is that with all the hype and money put behind the production, we didn't get a product that pushed the boundaries more. Although, I guess it makes sense that the better wager is to stay safe with a series boasting a hefty budget. Oh, and the special effects were very pretty. Score: 7.5/10

Movie Prowlin: 2011 Edition, Vol. 3

2011-09-30T23:58:00.004-05:00

Compared to this time last year, I'm up only a small percentage in my movie watching. Interestingly enough, I think my theatrical viewing has decreased, and my Netflix/Redbox renting increased. Additionally, I have really sucked with the reviewing of anything. And for that, I apologize. There was plenty of intention along the way, just no dice. I'm hoping, as we enter the final months of this year, that this site will be alive again with reviews of both movies and television on a daily basis, and with my wibbley wobbly mentality, the Minnesota Geek just might be a worthwhile site.

Newly resolved and the like, I now present to you all the flicks I watched in the third quarter. As always, if you want a review of something from yours truly, just let me know and I shall review it (or revisit it and then review it, depending on how much I remember of the flick). And finally, I really hope to meet my goal of over 200 films watched by years end. So here's me being like Thomas the Train Engine: I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Movies Watched in 2011: 01 July 2011 - 30 September 2011

120. Transformers: Dark of the Moon [3D]
121. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
122. The Eagle
123. Hall Pass
124. Arthur
125. Beastly
126. Good Burger
127. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
128. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
129. Captain America: The First Avenger
130. Captain America: The First Avenger
131. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
132. Cowboys & Aliens
133. Crazy, Stupid Love
134. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
135. Star Trek (2009)
136. Dracula 2000
137. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
138. Bridesmaids
139. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
140. Ratatouie
141. Limitless
142. Fright Night [2011]
143. Friends with Benefits
144. Conan the Barbarian [2011]
145. One Day
146. 13 Assassains
147. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
148. Kung Fu Panda 2
149. Shark Night [3D]
150. The Debt
151. Red State
152. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
153. Blue Valentine
154. Your Highness
155. Something Borrowed
156. Horrible Bosses
157. Attack the Block
158. The Tree of Life
159. Cherry
160. Last Night
161. Conan O'Brian's Can't Stop
162. Troll Hunter
163. Wet Hot American Summer
164. The Squid and the Whale

TV Seasons Watched in 2011: 01 July 2011 - 30 September 2011

21. Being Human: Series 3
22. Breaking Bad: Season 2
23. Breaking Bad: Season 3
24. House: Season 4
25. Warehouse 13: Season 2
26. Life Unexpected: Season 1

...and I'm off to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival! w00t!

MMAM - Vol. 46

2011-09-26T12:48:00.002-05:00

This wasn't the music I was going to use today, but honestly, I can't get this track out of my head.

The thing is, SIGNS "Main Theme" freaks the hell out of me.

The hairs on my arm stand up, my body tenses, my eyes dart around looking for something supernatural coming my way, and I prepare to get the frak outta Dodge. This is bone chilling music, but yet --

-- it's beautiful. Amazing, really. One hell of an brilliant, beautiful, amazing piece by James Newton Howard. Like or hate the flick - wow, James did a majestic job.

So it gets major props from me. Frakkin' scary as hell, but also extremely beautiful (and dramatic) to listen to. Think I'll have this on iTunes repeat today...

Geek Newsroom: Transformers, Spider-Man, Dark Knight Rises

2011-09-25T15:30:00.005-05:00

Hello all! Welcome to a new feature. It's a work in progress, just experimenting to see how well this turns out. Tentatively titled 'Geek Newsroom' - and I'm open to suggestions if anyone has a way cooler name (which isn't difficult to achieve) - this (hopefully) weekly Sunday feature will give a preview of the upcoming releases of the week as well as a short rundown of notable movie news the previous week.

News Feed

Anne Hathaway in full Catwoman outfit on the set of The Dark Knight Rises (CBM.com)
Kiefer Sutherland and Tim Kring team up at FOX with Touch (TVLine.com)
Could this Fringe Observer be the next Lex Luthor? (CBM.com)
So that Lone Ranger movie might not be so dead after all (Deadline.com)
Get ready for some universe hoppin' in Thor 2 (CBM.com)
Kai's Top 5 Great Villains from Bad Movies (ManILoveFilms.com)
Premiers of Fringe & Supernatural weren't spectacular, but not bad, either (TVLine.com)
Easy A director Will Gluck sold comedy about exiled Angel (Deadline.com)
Watch these Sci-Fi Shows before Netflix Collapses (GiantFreakinRobot)
Those Star Wars Blu-Ray sets are doing okay... (Variety.com)
Super awesome sci-fi/fantasy mash-ups (blastr)
Community's brilliant homage to Doctor Who: Inspector Spacetime! (YouTube.com)
AM lists the Top 10 John Williams Scores (Anomalous Material)

DVD/Blu-Ray Releases
Transform ers: Dark of the Moon

Hitting DVD/Blu-Ray on Friday, it's worth mentioning for any interested buyers that Paramount's releasing this bare bones, AVATAR-style, with a bonus feature heavy release scheduled for November. So if you want the movie and just the movie, go right ahead and pick up this baby, but if you're like me and love the bonus content, unfortunately you'll have to wait. [Review]

Ben H ur - 50th Anniversary Blu-Ray Special Edition

Had the pleasure of seeing Ben-Hur for the first time a few months ago, and frankly, I loved it. One of the few classics that truly do hold up years and years later. And now it's hitting Blu-Ray in a special edition Gift Set. The reviews have been stellar. Consider this bought - although I would prefer not having the Gift Set.

Notable Comics

Batman: The Widening Gyre

Don't like Kevin Smith movies? Fine. Check out Kevin Smith comics. He's written for The Green Hornet, the upcoming Bionic Man comic (based off his old script), Daredevil, and a successful run on Batman. The Widening Gyre is his latest work with the Caped Crusader, and it's all kinds of awesome. If you have an inkling of interest, do it. You will not be disappointed.

Superman #1

Yes, I'm picking and choosing what comics to include, but c'mon, it's a friggin' huge list. As part of DC's New 52 initiative, Superman's getting an makeover (although I'm still fuzzy if this is a re-imagining or a continuation of the line with a sort of blank slate), and I wager this premiere issue will tackle the Sup's status around Metropolis and more romantic angst between him and Lois Lane.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #2

A lot's happened to the Ultimate Spider-Man line since 2001, and now Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, is dead, and young Miles Morales picks up the pieces. Truthfully I haven't had a chance yet to check out the new series, but I'm curious to see where Brian Michael Bendis (Powers) takes the line.

New Releases

50/50
Been eagerly looking forward to this film for awhile, so the chance of me seeing it this weekend is pretty high. I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I can mostly tolerate Seth Rogen, the script seems funny and dramatic, and there's very little about this flick that doesn't look appealing.

Dream House

...Whereas this, I really couldn't care less about. Now I dig Daniel Craig, and have always fancied Rachel Weisz since The Mummy in '99, but this just doesn't look remotely appealing. If I do see this, it will most likely be via Redbox rental or through some other estranged means.

What's Your Number?

Maybe there's a part of me that doesn't mind painfully bad movies (e.g., I made the choice to watch Something Borrowed last weekend), but this looks weirdly appealing. As in, there's a good chance I'll see it in theaters. I'm not expecting much at all, honest to blog (shameless Juno-isms, blame classes), but Anna Farris is mostly funny, I gots me a man crush on Chris Evans, and it looks like it might not be all bad.

Margaret

Apparently Margaret has been in post-production Hell for years, and the company is just now throwing it out on the release schedule. Not my cup of tea, but I can't say seeing Anna Paquin's name attached to the flick didn't peak my interest.

Courageous

Made a quick look at the Wiki page, and in the Plot category there's a Bible quote in lieu of an actual, decent plot summary. Yeah, I'm skipping entirely with a wide smile. Maybe I'll throw on Justified instead.

The Watcher: 09/16/11 - 09/22/11

2011-09-22T23:59:00.001-05:00

I was able to catch up on last weeks titles, and are reviewed below. I'm thinking I might have to change The Watcher to Saturdays in order to accommodate Thursday shows - of which there are many I watch - and would not be able to write about if I want these posts to be on time (rare that may be). So, who knows what will happen. Maybe I'll write about Thursday shows in the following weeks column. *shrug* The good news is: Supernatural premiers tomorrow night! Supernatural premiers tomorrow night! And no force on this earth will stop me from watching its awesomeness.

BREAKING BAD S04E10 - "Salud" (18 September 2011) - Wow. One beautiful word that perfectly summarizes the experience of watching this episode. Breaking Bad has always excelled at nail-biting, seat-gripping suspense/tension, and "Salud" is the show at its best. Not only in regards to the tension the series manages to hold for ten solid minutes, but also the drama that came out of a heartbreaking, rather emotional monologue from Walt to Walt, Jr. regarding his behavior over the last year. It was a truly remarkable scene for Bryan Cranston, and a wonderful turning point for Walter. Hopefully, with his realization it was he who caused a lot of the damage that has been done, Walter will go down a new path that will lead to some interesting elements of character. The real star of the episode was, of course, everything that transpired in Mexico, and Jesse's ultimate owning moment as he tells the manufacture's what's what. There's even a gleaming moment of Gus expressing something akin to pride of young Jesse Pinkman. So, those last ten minutes when Gus exacts his well timed revenge. Oh, that was gripping. Sweet, gripping, wonderful television. Giancarlo Esposito gave one of his finest performances of all time here, next to "Hermanos" (which this is a quasi-sequel to, really). With only three episodes left, I'm both excited and sad to see the series departing. As it stands, Breaking Bad has never been more...wow. Score: 10/10

CHARLIE'S ANGELS S01E01 - "Angel with a Broken Wing" (22 September 2011) - This new, up-to-date series of CHARLIE'S ANGELS is light and fluffy and doesn't have a really engaging bone in its body. I never watched an episode of the original series, but I did quite love the Drew Barrymore/Lucy Liu/Cameron Diaz film (not the sequel), and I would love nothing more than to see that on TV screens every week. This, this I don't want. There's no sense of realism to any of it, and no amount of flashy cars, yachts, or hand held camerawork will give it an edge that I want. The script definitely has no agenda other than to be a harmless, 42-minute episode of girls dressed up all pretty-like, laughing like they're the bestest friends ever, and (most likely) half hearted plots. The premiere episode has two very dramatic elements that could have been beautifully exploited - an unexpected death in the opening minutes and a revenge subplot. It's basically a PG, Disney-esque version of the Angels, and that ain't what I want. For fans of the original series, this update (re-imagining isn't the right word for this) is probably right up their alley. For me, this isn't what I was looking for. With the new addition of Eve to the Angels, there's a chance the show might be more interesting (she seems to fill the Barrymore role), but I think I'll wait to see how the show evolves before I take the plunge again. Score: 7.0/10

NEW GIRL S01E01 - "Pilot" (20 September 2011) - Frankly, I'm surprised as hell. One enjoyable Pilot that wastes absolutely no time in throwing the audience into the premise of the series. Hell, the content that would take up a normal 22-minute Pilot was over and done with by minute five. Jessica was moved into a new place, and she was already in the process of bonding with the guys. It felt more like any normal episode of the series than a premiere, but maybe that's a good thing. And also surprising is how utterly likable Zooey Deschannel as Jessica. Maybe she's just made some bad movie choices as of late, but I've found my love for her to be waning lately, so it was nice to just fall head over shoes in love with her again. But, er, can someone do something about that hair? Please? The cast has a nice chemistry, and judging from this one episode alone, I think the series can work. I'll be checking in to see how the series progresses, but overall, solid premiere. Score: 9.1/10

PERSON OF INTEREST S01E01 -"Pilot" (22 September 2011) - There wasn't one beat in the Pilot I did not like. Lo and behold, here we have the first real "I love this" show of the Fall 2011 season. This is what happens when an millionaire/billionaire (?) and a man with Batman's training combine their talents to save people, both little cases and big cases. Both men have a troubled, dark past, and both men have lost something. They are committed to saving lives and doing the right thing. With the powerful performances from Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson, brilliant writing by Jonathan Nolan, and a very cinematic vibe from director David Semel, PERSONS OF INTEREST feels fresh, something that I am eager to see developed to hopefully a long run. Finally, a procedural I can get behind! And the "Pilot" gets major props for casting the absolutely gorgeous Natalie Zea as the good guy/bad guy. So, so pretty. Plenty of mystery to sustain a series. Guys fighting injustice and fine writing - I'm sold. Score: 10/10

REVENGE S01E01 - "Pilot" (21 September 2011) - Any casual comers to the Minnesota Geek recognize that I love revenge films. So when ABC announced a new series hitting Fall 2011 called, what else?, Revenge, naturally I was sold. And the utterly gorgeous Emily VanCamp (Everwood) in the leading role? Double sold! Luckily, the opening episode was pretty entertaining. There are some 'ugh' points, but overall, the positives definitely outweighed the negatives. The good news is, the series can definitely sustain at least one season. There's plenty of room for Emily's character, Emily/Amanda to wibble and wobble through for 22 episodes, but I don't know if the series can really last being a...y'know, series. So I'll look at Revenge as an extended miniseries. Ms. VanCamp perfects the line of sweet, innocent Emily Thorn to the world around her, and the dark, ass-kicking nature of Amanda. Because every show needs some sort of romantic subplot, there's something involving an old guy friend of Amanda's that might lead to something [there was a wonderful scene involving the man's dog that recognized her, while he did not]. Emily's target is a rich family that framed her father and destroyed his life. From the looks of things, she's going to integrate herself into their lives and stir up mischief. I can deal with that. My only 'ugh' is that we're following the rich - a group of folks I'm not particularly fond of watching. But right now I'm intrigued, and Revenge will be on my weekly list of shows to see. Solid pilot. Score: 9.1/10

RINGER S01E01 "Pilot" (13 September 2011) - Like many folks, I'm excited at the prospect of Sarah Michelle Geller coming back to television. Hell, I'm just happy she's acting in some capacity that isn't a Scooby Doo sequel. So here we have Ringer, a series that definitely benefits from Geller's wide range of talents as she's assigned the task of playing two characters, one of them trying to pass off as the other while the other is supposedly dead. It sounds complicated, but it isn't, and the ending minutes twist wasn't all that twsity. Yes, this is a solid vehicle for Geller to start in, and with her and co-star Nestor Carbonell, I have faith this might be a decent, entertaining show. That said, I am a bit lost (hehe, see what I did there?) on how Ringer expects to have any sort of longevity, ratings-aside. This is a story that can't hold on for more than two or three seasons, max. If they want the series to continue, the premise will need to change quickly and the whole show dynamic will end up being something entirely different by, say, halfway through season two if not sooner. Strong performances and solid writing aside, I do have a problem with the cinematography of the "Pilot." Too many mirrors shots. There is subtlety, and there is blatancy. This is nothing like the beautiful use of mirrors in Black Swan; this is just obnoxious. Overall, the Ringer "Pilot" was well crafted and will prompt me to check out further episodes, but I think this might be the (beginning and) end of me reviewing it, unless the next two episodes really grip me. Good luck, Mrs. Geller. Score: 7.8/10

THE SECRET CIRCLE S01E01 - "Pilot" (15 September 2011) - A lot happened in 42 minutes, inevitably giving it a bit of a rushed feeling, but hell, I really dug the Secret Circle pilot, and I will definitely be coming back for more. And no, it's not just because I have a newfound crush on Britt Robertson (Scream 4), but because - and trust me, this is a surprise - I find the story to be genuinely compelling. Yes, there are some tried and true stereotypes here: the bad girl who wears provocative yet sorta harsh clothing and isn't a fan of Cassie, the bad guy dressed all in black and has great supernatural power, etc. But y'know, I can deal. I want to see what happens to Cassie, and to further surprise matters, I'm now vouching for a Cassie/Adam (Thomas Dekker, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) romance [after all, it's written "in the stars", apparently]. It wasn't an amazing pilot, and some of the actors (and the theme song) has already gotten on my nerves, but I was impressed. I didn't expect to like it, let alone want to continue checking it out, but lo and behold. So until I become bored or the series does something astronomically stupid, which is quite possible, expect The Secret Circle to be a part of The Watcher. Score: 8.7/10

Favorite Episode of the Week: "Salud", Breaking Bad
Standout Performance: Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad
Best Premiere: Persons of Interest

Tuesday Cap - Vol. 34

2011-09-20T23:32:00.002-05:00

Title: Solomon Kane

Notes: Regrettably, Solomon Kane hasn't made its way to North America, but just about everywhere else in the world. However, when news broke that the flick was making its way online, well - lets just say that I really needed a sword & sorcery fix. For anyone who hasn't heard of this series, based off a relatively acclaimed graphic novel franchise, I'd recommend you do so. Solomon is a warrior looking for redemption, so already you have an interesting, complex character right there. In addition to Solomon's quest to redeem himself, he faces off against demons, Apocalyptic Big Bads, and other forces of darkness that seek to take over the world. Similar to this year's Conan in that respect: evil is basically rampant and a cool, sword-wielding, kickass type of dude comes around to beat the shit out of it. Solomon Kane isn't exactly a film looking to be loved and adorned by its straight forward, edginess - nay, it instead wants to be fun and entertaining and show off extravagant special effects. In that regard, Kane is solid gold. I can safely say I loved and enjoyed every second of this fantasy 'epic', and I wouldn't be opposed to another flick in that universe (which I wager is doubtful, despite mixed reviews). Anyone else care enough to hunt down Solomon Kane? If you haven't, and you like your sword & sorcery epics, this is definitely for you. C'mon: swords! Magic! Demons! End of the World stuff! Giant Evil Monster thingy! Love at first sight.

MMAM - Vol. 45

2011-09-19T13:20:00.000-05:00

I am shamefully late to all forms of contemporary music. One such song, which I think is at least two years old, is MGMT's "Time to Pretend", which I initially heard in SEX DRIVE and then popped up at a bunch of other flicks. After all, that's what happens with popular songs - they show up everywhere, and then audiences get sick of it. Like Flo Rida's "Right Round". At least I think that's the title.

Anyway, so a few days ago I found out that this was the song I dug from SEX DRIVE, and have been blasting it in my dorm room quite a lot. Luckily the roomie isn't around or else he would most likely be 'Grrrr!' So enjoy the awesomeness of "Time to Pretend", or if you're sick of this two or whatever year old song, enjoy the skippiness! If it's any consolation, I was initially gonna put the INVADER ZIM theme for this week, but I thought fifty seconds wasn't long enough awesomeness for y'all. Cheers!

Scenes I Like A Lot - (500) Days of Summer

2011-09-18T16:19:00.004-05:00

The Movie:
(500) Days of Summer

What's Up:

After months without seeing Summer, Tom runs into her on a train and she invites him to a party. She gives the invitation innocently, but Tom runs a different scenario in his head. He envisions a scenario where Summer invited him to rekindle their relationship, to talk to him one on one. He sees her being more intimate with him - a hug, a brush of hand, long gazes, etc. This is what he expects, but reality...nah, not even close to the same. Director Marc Webb and screenwriter Scott Neustadter beautifully craft this scene that depicts both Tom's expectations and what actually happens at the party.

Why I Dig It:

What's not to love? I want to mention how utterly brilliant the split screen device is used. First time I saw this movie in the theater, I had chills because of how awesome - and honest - this was. There are at least a hundred instances where I can relate to Tom's mentality and the reality of the actual event. Not only was this splendidly written and realized, but it hits home, and I love it for that. Hell, the entirety of (500) DAYS OF SUMMER I salute for being so bloody honest, yet finding a surprising balance of drama and comedy in all this misery and suckiness. And let's not fail to mention Joseph Gordon-Levitt who is, once again, awesome in the role of Tom, making each stolen glance or satisfied chug of wine as hurtful as the situation. In the end, I relate, I love how the scenario is visualized, and I love how this utterly engaging scene - which could have been really boring - helps push Tom into a different direction where he gets his life in order. I love this movie.

This is totally mine, and I LOVE it!

2011-09-17T20:37:00.000-05:00

Yeah, that's hanging up on my dorm room wall...

If you don't know what that is, A) shame on you, and B) that's the TARDIS exploding, as painted by Vincent Van Gogh in the DOCTOR WHO episode "The Pandorica Opens". See, The Doctor met Vincent in an earlier Series 5 episode. They bonded. Later on, he had a vision. The TARDIS, The Doctor's time travel machine, exploding, basically eviscerating all of reality. That's bad. Vincent drew the painting as a warning for The Doctor, a painting that survived thousands and thousands of years until River Song (Alex Kingston, "ER") was able to get her hands on it and present the painting to The Doctor. Ultimately, the fate of the TARDIS was inevitable, leading to one hell of a jaw-dropping cliffhanger and questions that still have yet to be answered.

But most importantly --

It's so PRETTY!!!!

If anyone else is interested - and I know ya are - I also have up an SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD poster, two other DOCTOR WHO's, and one HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS with Harry and Voldemort's face meshing into one. It's pretty awesome.

Alright, back to my regularly scheduled doing homeworkness.

Actually nah. It's the weekend. I'm gonna watch some more INVADER ZIM, and then maybe take a peak at BURN NOTICE after three people told me with absolute enthusiasm that I will love it. We'll see.

And finally: if you haven't watched DOCTOR WHO. Yeah. You should.

Simply Script: No. 10

2011-09-17T17:04:00.000-05:00

CLERKS

Script by Kevin Smith

INDECISIVE CUSTOMER
I don't think your manager would
appreciate...

 RANDAL
(turning the page)
I don't appreciate your ruse, ma'am.

 INDECISIVE CUSTOMER
I beg your pardon!

 RANDAL
(reading on)
Your ruse. Your cunning attempt to
trick me.

 INDECISIVE CUSTOMER
(defending herself)
I only pointed out that you weren't
paying any attention to what I was
saying.

 RANDAL
(turning page and reading)
I hope it feels good.

 INDECISIVE CUSTOMER
You hope what feels good?

      54.


 RANDAL
I hope it feels so good to be right.
There is nothing more exhilarating
than pointing out the shortcomings
of others, is there?

The INDECISIVE CUSTOMER wears a face that belies utter
disbelief in the audacity of this most lackadaisical video
clerk. The unmoving newspaper illustrates the total
disinterest of the news-hungry RANDAL. The INDECISIVE
CUSTOMER shakes her head in disgust and throws the movies
back onto the wall.

 INDECISIVE CUSTOMER
(in a huff)
Well this is the last time I ever
rent here...

 RANDAL
You'll be missed.

 INDECISIVE CUSTOMER
(losing it altogether)
Screw you!

Andy's Friday Five: Kevin Smith

2011-09-16T23:55:00.001-05:00

Kevin Smith is one of those love him or hate him filmmakers. Hell, there's some who wouldn't even call him a filmmaker. Personally, I love the guy. And not because I enjoy me a dick and fart joke. It's not that. Sure, I enjoy the occasional dick and fart joke, but it's not as if the entirety of a Kevin Smith movie is about that. It may be surprising to some to say that Smith's movies have heart. They're raw, honest. I don't feel like I'm being spoken down to. These are exceptionally crafted, character driven movies that have a style all their own, and never feel corny or phoned in. I respect Kevin Smith, and I like the work that he does.

Thus, now after having just had the opportunity to watch his recent flick RED STATE, I present for today's post my five favorite Kevin Smith movies in order of loveness. Once you take a gander, I'd love to hear your thoughts on his flicks. Next week, hoping to get back to the 'Year in Movies' thing I was trying to cultivate. Until then, enjoy, and check out RED STATE!

1. Clerks II, here Kevin Smith accomplished what is normally impossible: made an sequel that is, in this bloggers opinion, superior to the original. In fact, I look at this flick as Smith's crowning achievement - his best told story, most visually pleasing presentation, and flick that boasted the best performances. This is a real, honest, raw, and quite friggin' hilarious day in the life of Dante and Randal as they make life changing decisions in their 30's/40's (?), reaching the end of their ropes and finally choosing to make some forward movement in their directions. The clerks' story is nicely padded by the absolutely spectacular Rosario Dawson, who fits right in with the Kevin Smith universe and makes it impossible for any man in existence not to fall in love with her. Jay and Silent Bob even have their own integral part to play in the narrative, culminating in a great, 8-minute prison sequence that is just mesmerizing to watch. All in all, everything is simply done right, I feel, with Clerks II. Smith had a story to tell, and he accomplished that expertly. The best script he's written, the best movie he's made, this is his best.

2. Dogma is another one of Smith's 'controversial' films, but that entirely depends on the viewer. Obviously, consider this is my number two, I'm not offended by anything here; instead, I'm head over TARGET-shoes in love with it all. Specifically Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as the two Angels trying to get back into heaven after a loophole is revealed to them. To say they own this movie is an understatement. Everything without them is still fun in its own right, but once these two get back on screen, Dogma has a energy about it that sucks you up. One of my favorite Kevin Smith scenes is featured here: Damon and Affleck's banished Angels visit the Heads of Moobys, as in the chair heads behind the Moobys franchise, and they wreck vengeance upon them in a tense, hilarious 7-minute monologue.

3. Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a movie that was hit with a lot of negative press over its title, and unfortunately ended up not doing well box office-wise, which is a real shame. I'm a real sucker for those romantic comedies/dramas that see two friends realize that they may have a thing for each other. Cliched to the max, but I'd rather watch that scenario play out a dozen times than see another Katherine Heigel romcom. And take that cliche and give it to Smith - you got a compelling movie (not to mention a load of cultural references, which there are many). A slimming Seth Rogen and comedy gold Elizabeth Banks are awesome as Zack and Miri, respectively. You believe they're best of friends, and the chemistry between them is brilliant. Once again, there's loads of scenes I love, but above them all is probably the Brandon Routh/Justin Long cameo. Watch this movie just for that, if for no other reason. Naked women are great and all - and the movie has that plenty - but Zack and Miri's story, as told by Smith, is hugely entertaining, and contains just the same raw honesty of his Clerks II.

4. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is the ultimate geek movie. First and foremost, anyone who is a fan of Smith's films will find interconnected subplots and characters from other flicks popping up over here, making this an big budget inside joke, basically. Luckily for me, I love his flicks, so that extra flavor of pointing and going "aHa!" is just gravy on the top. Secondly, it's cameo city. I'm not going to ruin it, but anyone who was popular back in 2000/2002ish show up in cameos or extended roles. Thirdly, geek culture is front and center here. No series/saga is left untouched. It's hilarious. It's Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes making a buddy movie, and we're all invited to the fun journey. Not for everyone, but this flick does more good than bad.

5. Clerks at the bottom of the list is probably blasphemy, but at least it's on the list, right? I'm not nearly in love with the original as I should be, but it has loads of great scenes in it, and Kevin Smith's dialogue is crisp and brilliant as ever. Dante and Randal are characters I love, and their debut is actually quite solid filmmaking. Nice use of hand held, nice framing, etc. Only thing a bit dodgy about the whole thing is the lighting, which can be dark at times (although understandably so). What I love about this movie is the dialogue and the characters, and mesh them together and you got gold. Conversations about Death Star contractors, number of people Dante's slept with, paying attention to customers at your store, etc. - pretty entertaining stuff at the hands of Smith. And Jeff and Brian, the actors playing Randal and Dante, are instantly likable. My only lack of love stems from not being entirely engulfed in the film as I am with Smith's other works. Perhaps I'm not as grabbed onto the situations, or it does hit home personally for me yet (although Randal's video store stuff does mightily so), but nonetheless, I love and respect the original.

How about y'all? Speak your mind about Kevin Smith!

The Watcher: 09/09/10 - 09/15/11

2011-09-15T23:46:00.003-05:00

Two shows end end this week, which is kinda sad. There were two new shots that premiered this week that I wasn't able to watch this week, but will hopefully be viewed and reviewed by next. Fall is upon us, and with it, the return of many shows I hold dear. I won't be reviewing all of them (like COMMUNITY or BIG BANG THEORY), but I think there's maybe seven shows I'll still be following, if not more. So for those who care, The Watcher will be reviewing SUPERNATURAL, FRINGE, NIKITA, CHUCK, DEXTER, WALKING DEAD, and probably a few others I forgot. Anyone else excited? Or too bummed from the departure of TRUE BLOOD? Still got a few more BREAKING BAD episodes to go, so be happiez!

BREAKING BAD S04E09 - "Bug" (11 September 2011) - Not up to par with last weeks, but damn, if that wasn't a brutal - but honest - fight between Jesse and Walter. But frankly, about damn time. Walter has no ability to talk to people, always coming off as an ass, so good for Jesse to finally give up and just beat Walter. The scene involving the shootout at Gus' place was also particularly awesome, as Gus walks out into the stream of bullets, arm raised, mocking the shooters. A pretty intense scene, riveting both in performance and screenwriting. Excited to see where this season is heading (I feel like I say that every week, but it's true, man!) Score: 8.0/10

TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY S04E10 - "The Blood Line" (09 September 2011) - So here we are, the end of the line. TORCHWOOD is over for the foreseeable future. The ratings were fine, but I don't know if they were impressive enough to warrant a season renewal by Starz, or if Davies would be interested enough to shop the series to another network. Point is, for right now, this is the end of TORCHWOOD, and although 'The Blood Line" is fine entertainment on its own, the whole MIRACLE DAY series rather blew. Not the series at its brightest moment. Although I said it was enjoyable, "The Blood Line" still is far from satisfactory, not offering nearly enough information and tying the whole shebang up far too quickly after spending nine episodes building this new world. Since this is the last TORCHWOOD review for a while, I'm going to spend my time on it.

The first two episodes of MIRACLE DAY started well enough. Set up of characters, dilemma, tone, etc. Fine, loved it. Then episode three came around, and things just sucked until episode seven. Although the characters moved around a lot, and this Category One/Two/Three thing was introduced, those episodes felt like nothing happened. No forward momentum. And y'know, now that the entire series is out to see, those episodes didn't amount to anything. What was accomplished in four episodes could have been condensed into one solid, gripping hour and left a whole lot of mythology and action and backstory to come up to the front. Primarily, episodes three-seven are just frustrating. Missed opportunities, lazy writing of what could have been a thrilling narrative, and a general lack of direction. And when we get to the finale, and a large chunk of stuff is unexplained and no one has any answers for it (including Jack), it feels like Davies and his crew went into this without a full story, which I know isn't his style, so what gives?

So instead of complaining about what didn't work with MIRACLE DAY, what did work? Well, Jack was well written, and Gwen shined this series brighter than ever before. She was truly a force to be reckoned with. I appreciated where Oswald Danes ended up, and even though it was a bit of a tease and feels a bit like a cop out, the revelation at the end of "The Blood Line" of Miracle Day being just one part of a much larger plan - yeah, that was pretty cool. Some of the actions scenes were pretty nice, and as time went on, I really dug Rex and, to an extent, Esther. The only thing these characters needed was more opportunities that would allow them to shine. Truthfully, there were some nice twists along the way; I enjoyed seeing some more Jack backstory, including the scene in "Immortal Sins" that I always wanted to see [Jack being endlessly killed over and over by pesky people].

But still: why did Jack turn mortal when everyone else become immortal? It comes across as more of a plot device than a logical consequence of The Blessing. And yes, here I am talking logic about a sci-fi series. Why did Jack's blood do anything anyhow? As Jack said multiple times in the course of the series, it's not his blood that makes him special. Bloody hell! And after spending episodes setting up this frakked up world where Category Ones were burnt to 'death', "The Blood Line" doesn't address how the world is coping with suddenly being mortal again, or if there are any legal proceedings going on concerning what just happened the last three months, etc. The whole world changed, and it's not even addressed.

All this said, "The Blood Line" was still pretty cool. I loved the twist involving the blood transfusion, and I LOVED when Gwen killed Jack. BRILLIANT. And Gwen's voice over monologue is just as chillingly brilliant as Eve Myles' acting. So freakin' cool. Oswald's fate was nice, too, and I loved Chapiro's reaction to finding out who the mole was (I hope he survived the blast).

In the end, TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY will be looked at as a series with missed opportunities, and I don't foresee me revisiting the episodes often. I might rewatch the episodes in one big sweep, just to see if seeing them in order one after another in quick succession will change my mind. Until this, Torchwood, it was great having you back. I hope this isn't the end. See you soon. Score: 7.5/10 | Season Score: 6.7/10

TRUE BLOOD S04E12 - "And When I Die" (11 September 2011) - Here endith the series' most cohesive, competent, entertaining season to date. With lots of deaths. But judging from the theme of this episode, I'm guessing not a lot of dead people are going to stay peacefully dead in Bon Temps. As for "And When I Die", it was a pretty entertaining and satisfying conclusion to the Season of the Witch (as showrunner Alan Ball likes to call it) storyline. First, guess it's worth mentioning all the deaths. We have Jesus, killed by Marnie-as-Lafayette. It sucks that Lafayette has something he loves taken away from him, but on the plus side, he did have, what, two seasons worth of Jesus' affections? That's longer than most characters get on this show. And then, of course, Tara getting a part of her head blown off. Pretty gruesome, but cool simultaneously. Of course we know she's coming back, but the how should be pretty interesting. I did love that Sookie was so full of rage she killed Alcide's ex with the shotgun. Any opportunities to darken her character or make her character tougher, I'm all for. With regards to cliffhanger endings, what exactly is going on with Sam and that wolf thingy? Why of all the cliffhangers they could have given the character, they went with that? Felt sorta...anticlimatic. But at least he had a nice funeral scene over Tommy's grave with his new romantic interest (who I hope returns next season).

Sookie tells both Eric and Bill that she loves both of them loads, but she can't be involved with either of them. Sadness. But good for her. She needs to get out of this supernatural world - although we know it will pull her back in - but any forward momentum in regards to character growth is a major plus. Bill and Eric also get some blood on their hands in an tense and graphic scene where they kill the 400-year old vampire chick who was pulling Bill's strings for the earlier part of the season. That was pretty cool, and also was nice to see the two vamps work together. Jessica and Jason have a none-relationship relationship filled with sex, so although Jason wants something more, he's still getting a pretty good deal. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but what happened with the faerie stuff from last week? Did that have any momentum? I wished Alan Ball concluded these storylines before moving onto the next thing, sometimes.

So all in all, an pretty damn good season with great performances, sometimes awesome story beats and sometimes godawful WTF? worthy plots. But it's definitely TRUE BLOOD at its strongest, and the characters show a clear progression which I'm finding quite interesting to watch. Onto next year...which already seems so far away. Yet, also feels like season 3 just ended, and then season 4 was already upon us, and now that just ended. Yikes. Time flies. See ya next year. Score: 9.2/10 | Season Score: 8.7/10

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

2011-09-14T23:34:00.002-05:00

Conan the Barbarian

Starring Jason Moma, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols, Rose McGowan, Ron Pearlman, Leo Howard, Bob Sapp
Written by Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, Sean Hood
Directed by Marcus Nispel
Release: 19 August 2011
Lionsgate, 112 mins., Rated R

Plot: Conan kills his way to the sinister king Zym who killed his father and massacred his village.

Remakes, remakes, remakes. But y’know what? I don’t mind a remake of Conan the Barbarian. The original 1982 film with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan is less than perfect, and the property is interesting enough that modern audiences just might find themselves enjoying the ride, so all in all, I’m happy to see the Barbarian on the big screen again. So how did it fair?

Like the original, Conan the Barbarian 2011 is a revenge story. As a boy, he watched his father burn to death right in front of him, and he vows vengeance to kill the man and everyone connected to his father’s murder. 20 years later, said man who did the killing is now a King and is on his way to achieve Godhood: he just needs to kill some “pureblood” girl to complete the spell and he’ll be all powerful and stuff. Really, the plot is just loosely there. This film is about Conan killing his way to the bad guy, leaving a trail of bodies behind, and the audience having a fun time watching. So, it definitely succeeds in that regard.

Taking over for Schwarzenegger is the muscular Jason Moma, who brings a sense of fun to the role and is entirely believable as a kickass action hero. Then again, it’s not like he’s entirely foreign to the role, after slicing some heads in HBO’s Game of Thrones and saving universes in Stargate: Atlantis. Watching Moma exact vengeance, woo the gorgeous female heroine, and take his bloody revenge is the best aspect of the film and entirely worth the price of admission alone. Basically, Moma owns. As the love interest (which is weird for being a monk), Rachel Nichols is the object of the Bad Guy’s desire – humorously named Zym [note to bad guys: don’t name yourself Zym; I kept wishing the ‘ittle green alien from that Nick show would appear and zap Zym to pieces] – and although she is important to the plot, she unfortunately isn’t given much more than to look pretty and be in distress (although she is given a moment or two to fight, which is appreciated).

The bad guy is hilariously performed by Stephen Lang (Avatar), who indulges in overacting like nobody’s business. He and Ron Pearlman, who plays Conan’s late father, must have arrived on set either for the paycheck or the bloody fun of it. Lang’s bad guy Zym is aided by his daughter Marique, played by Rose McGowan (Charmed), a sorcerer whose makeup is absolutely frightening to look at. Note to ladies: if you don’t want to get hit on during Halloween, congrats, you found your costume.

Conan 2011 is competently directed by Marcus Nispel, who is no stranger to remakes (Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre). His take is less atmospheric than the original (which was longer paced, created dread for Conan’s victims), but it is grittier and bloodier. Grit aside, it does seem a bit more fun. And that’s the thing about Conan 2011 that I love and don’t love: it is fun and enjoyable, but it could have been so much more. So it all comes down to this: if you’re looking for a sweeping epic with a brooding barbarian lusting for revenge, it doesn’t exactly deliver. If you want a fun, action-packed flick that is highly entertaining and doesn’t require a lot of thought, than Conan delivers. Unfortunately the box office return as rather dismal, and the outlook for a sequel is rather bleak, so go out and enjoy Conan while you can.

Rating: 7.5/10 = Not bad entertainment at all, but there is definite room for improvement. That said, CONAN is fun, and the sword fights are pretty cool. Plus, Jason Moma rocks as Conan. If these reasons are enough, than CONAN's your movie.

Tuesday Cap - Vol. 33

2011-09-13T19:58:00.002-05:00

Title: Back to the Future II

Notes: Y'know, it's not my second favorite, but I sorta wished that screencap came true: I would absolutely love to see JAWS 19. Pretty sure I might be one of very few, but personally, more half-quality shark films for me! Although I will always love Marty and the Doc, I wasn't a huge fan of the future aspect, oddly enough. I didn't very much care about the characters or time being all wibbely wobbly and Biff becomes a multi-gazillionaire. Nah, not my cup of tea (which is weirdly why I love Back to the Future III: time travel and westerns...sorta feel like they go together). I still respect the hell out of Part II, and will attempt to defend it to my grave if anyone wants to go all 'grr' at it, but my least favorite of the trilogy...but still, that JAWS scene is brilliance.

General thoughts on BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II?

MMAM - Vol. 44

2011-09-12T22:12:00.003-05:00

To commemorate the release of the STAR WARS SAGA on Blu-Ray this Friday - for good or bad - today I will be giving the big salute to John Williams and his magnificent work on all six films. The guy deserves the kudos. I am so pleased that Williams was available to score all of 'em; it just wouldn't feel right if he wasn't present for the Prequels. Just imagine a world without "Duel of the Fates." Yep, it's a sad world. Anyway, dedicated to the Prequel Trilogy, here is...

"Duel of the Fates", Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace

"Across the Stars", Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones

"Battle of the Heroes", Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

The Watcher: 08/26/11 - 09/08/11

2011-09-08T23:28:00.006-05:00

BREAKING BAD S04E07 - "Problem Dog" (28 August 2011) - Hank's final scene where he details his investigation to his peers makes this episode worth it. Frankly, I wasn't entirely impressed by the Walt/Skylar scenes, and I haven't been for a long while, but I did love seeing Jesse just spill the beans and say what's what at the therapy meeting and Hank getting closer to the truth (although I have no doubt there will be many obstacles in his way). Obviously, my main source of happiness is Hank finally on Gus' trail which will ultimately lead him to Walt and most likely create some gorgeous drama. But I'm also intrigued where this whole scenario will take Jesse. Thankfully there's a little forward progression with his guilt-ridden character, but I sorta want him to reach his destination already, or a inkling of how he will turn out. By no means do I want a Walt vs. Jesse end to this season. Ugh. Score: 8.5/10

BREAKING BAD S04E08 - "Hermanos" (4 September 2011) - Now there's a breathtaking, utterly intense episode. For the first time in two seasons, we get a closer look at Gus - how he came to be who he is, his emotional state, a look at his ability to multitask and lie on the spot convincingly, it's simply a marvelous episode in the categories of writing, directing, and (especially) acting. There's already so many marvelous reviews of "Hermanos" out there that really delve deep into the intricacies of the episode, so I'll leave you to searching those up. But this was a masterpiece of an episode. Bravo, guys. Gus commanded the screen before. Now, I am absolutely freakin' glued. A man who wants revenge is a dangerous, addicting thing. Only thing I can do without is Walt mumbling and being all submissive. I want his dark side to take over now, I want that transformation to badass to begin. That said badass who killed those two guys in the penultimate season three finale. C'mon, Walt, make me interested in you again! Score: 9.7/10

RESCUE ME S07E08 - "Vows" (31 August 2011) - Not bad. Not bad at all. Going back to the shows humorous roots before an expected dramatic turn. A lot happens in "Vows": Colleen and Black Shawn get married [which is hard to actually believe, because it feels like just yesterday when she was still a smart-mouthed teen], Tommy and Janet renew their vows, the team enters an fire and it don't look like all of them are coming back. Sheila even is given a surprising amount of time to develop, and true to character, her appearance is both hilarious and heartfelt. As an penultimate episode to a series, it feels fitting, and fairly conclusive. Lots of funny bits with Tommy's unintentional racist remarks, time spent with the Gavin family, fighting drinking, and sweet romantic moments. RESCUE ME ain't getting soft on us, is it? [see next episode] Overall, "Vows" is a series highlight. Score: 9.6/10

RESCUE ME S07E09 - "Ashes" (07 August 2011) - I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't "Ashes." Weirdly, it both felt like a series finale and just another episode. There is definitely a feeling of closure, yet also that the story could easily go on. So after the final cliffhangery moments of "Vows", there is a fatality, but just not as extreme as I suspected. Peter Tolan and Denis Leary are both geniuses of misdirection, and the opening minutes is the duo at their absolute best. Lou stands in front of five coffins and gives a speech to hundreds of funeral attendees, and then the reveal comes. Brilliant, brilliantness. Beautifully misleading. Oddly, though, part of me would be interested to see how that world would turn out. Sure, killing off the main guy would probably be the easy way out, but simultaneously, the way Tommy Gavin is, it felt right that he would perish on the job and at his personal best. And the way "Vows" was setup, it seemed like doom was on the horizon for Tommy.

There was doom, but in a different way: emotional turmoil. His best friend is gone, and with his death, 62 Truck is basically ripped apart, and "Ashes" shows the characters together for the final time. Even with that element of drama, though, there is a surprising about of funny in "Ashes". For example, the whole bit involving the urn with the ashes spraying all over the guys in the truck - hilarious, especially when the cop came over. And Tommy having to deliver his son - despite how unlikely that whole series of events was - was comically genius and well acted. Basically, the most surprising thing about "Ashes" is that it is an happy ending, in a way. Yes, someone died, but with that death, positives came out of it. A child is born, the firehouse family splits but stays the same, Tommy decides to forego drinking, etc. The episode acknowledges that he has a long way to go still, and he needs to maintain making the choice to stay sober, but here we get to see Tommy make the choice not to drink, and his speech to the new firefighter recruits shows that he understands his problems won't be saved by a bottle. There is evolution to Tommy Gavin, and it's been interesting to see. I also loved Tommy's ghostly visitation at the end - one of my favorite elements of RESCUE ME has been the visions of dead people.

So here we are. The final episode of RESCUE ME. It's been a helluva ride. Ups and downs, positives and negatives, there's no denying the show is something unique, though. Thank you Denis Leary, FX, Peter Tolan, and everyone involved in the production of this show. It's been a great seven years. Score: 8.7/10 | Season Score: 8.0/10

TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY S04E08 - "End of the Road" (26 August 2011) - I'm writing this over a week after the episode aired, and hell if I remember what happened. So I checked the net, and now I remember that Wayne Knight blew himself and some other people up in a air, and that alien technology has finally found its way into the narrative in the form of that thingy Jack's looking at on that there screencap. More political mumbo jumbo, more stuff about operatives working for The Families inside the CIA, etc. You can tell that there is some form of movement, but again, just not enough. When Jack figures out what the object in the floor is, he is completely worried, very un-Jack like, and we get the sense that this thing is directly tied to Jack, or whatever this thing is, it ain't good, and Jack needs to get away from it for some super awesome reason. But there isn't one. I can't wait for the Big Reveal to happen, and then everything we've watched - including the ridiculous, seemingly pointless episodes - will have meaning we didn't know about before. Hopefully. As it stands, "End of the Road" is an step in the right direction. Now let's see where this goes. Score: 7.3/10

TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY S04E09 - "The Gathering" (2 September 2011) - With only one episode left to go before the season finale, the series is moving its ass to put all the pieces in the right places. Why couldn't they have done this episodes ago, man? So yes, a lot happened in "The Gathering", but the rub is, there should have been some natural progression to this whole string of events, instead of it all just happening in 55 mins. Speaking of 55 mins., how on earth is this whole thing gonna be wrapped up in 55 mins.? Russell T. Davies isn't Steven Moffat - he likes things all finished and wrapped up at the end of a series, so how can there be a natural conclusion to this thing that still has so much unexplained/up in the air? Better be a damn brilliant 55 min. finale.

So here we are. 'The Gathering." Team Torchwood is now at Buenos Aires/Shanghai with the intent on discovering what The Blessing is, how to stop it, and save the world for not dying. Well, Gwen wants to stop the Miracle so she can save her father. Rex is working outside the system to bring the Miracle down and not tip off the CIA operative (but that doesn't work too well). Jack still seems connected to how this Blessing came to be, although I still don't understand the specifics of The Blessing. Hell, we really don't know too much of anything right now. Like I said, better be one hell of a brilliant 55 min. season finale. Score: 8.9/10

TRUE BLOOD S04E10 - "Burning Down the House" (28 August 2011) - Like most episodes of this series, episodes can be broken down into pro/cons. Pro: I genuinely liked Tommy's death scene, and can't wait to see how Sam reacts to it. Sookie is now in the thick of this Antonia business. Actually, speaking about Antonia, Fiona Shaw is absolutely excellent here. Great performance. Ms. Shaw, and I especially like how Marnie and Antonia are now at odds with one another...sorta. Jason needs to make up his mind about Jesse pronto before my patience goes kaput. Oh! And I almost forgot about the opening scene, probably the best part of the ep: Sookie using her supernatural powers to stop the bloodfest at the convention center or whatever from claiming Bill and Eric's lives. As a consequence, Eric regains his memories, and a rift is made between the two love birds. Interesting. Where are they gonna take this? Score: 8.0/10

TRUE BLOOD S04E11 - "Soul of Fire" (4 September 2011) - Lots of good, some bad. First the good: loved the awesomeness of Sookie surrounded by a ring of fire [DISLIKE: Sookie being helpless], loved that Sookie used her mojo faerie juice to stop Antonia from dustin' her vamp friends. Didn't mind Eric and Bill being stupid and choosing to sacrifice themselves as long as it meant Sookie was safe, but I loved when Pam was in utter disbelief at their stupidity. Liked the Jesse/Jason scenes, as usual. Liked Jesus getting his inner mojo on, and the nifty special effects and makeup involved in that. Loved that Marnie got a bunch of bullets in her now, and I loved Eric snatching out that one obnoxious redneck's heart. Also loved Sammy taking his revenge for Tommy's death. That was pretty cool. So a lot of good elements. What I don't like: the big episode-ending twist that sets up the finale. Really, show? Really? Sheriff Andy's V addiction brings him to...getting shagged by a faerie and vowing to protect her (which will most likely put him at odds with Sookie next week)? Now that's just dumb. Still not too sure what the hell to feel about Eric and Sookie not really talking to each other or really even acknowledging the tender romance they had mere days ago. Meh. Whatcha gonna do. Overall, a good season with lots of positives and a few groan worthy moments. Let's hope the season finale makes all those UGH! subplots/scenes worth it. Score: 9.1/10

Shark Night 3D

2011-09-07T16:34:00.003-05:00

Shark Night 3D

Plot: Over-age stereotypes vaca in digital shark infested waters.

I’ve come up with a half dozen different ways to start off this review, but they all seemed to be a way too wordy and failed to really hit home what I wanted to say. So here it is: Shark Night 3D sucks. It really, completely, 100%, honestly does. If anyone watches the Syfy Channel anymore (now that’s a rant for another day), I guarantee you’ll find more enjoyment from their Original Movie crapfests. They excel at bringing Z-grade storytelling, ‘acting’, special effects, music, the whole bit. Yet despite the fact they make really, really bad movies, I’d rather give ‘em a go before watching Shark Night again.

What did I expect? I expected sharks on a human-chomping frenzy. I expected a movie to live up to its title. I didn’t pay for the ticket with the hope I’d be met with dimensional characters or a halfway solid plot. Hell, I’d be plenty satisfied if the plot was paper thin, so as long as we got the sharks. The title says it all right there: Shark Night. The poster promises shark bites. We did not get this. The creative team behind Shark Night couldn’t even follow through with the premise.

I want shark attacks, and what’s here instead are quick five second shots of some of the most painful big budget digital effects in recent years. Oh, and a dozen or so dorsal fin shots that never hold the same menace as that 1975 film. Point is, the sharks are hardly in this movie. Instead we’re treated to human beings that I reluctantly attribute the concept of ‘characters’ to, personifying the very definition of stereotypes.

Again, if the creative team gave us sharks – and lots of ‘em – I could care less about the ‘nerdy’ guy who we recognize as a nerd because he has glasses but has abs of steel that would make Captain America jealous, or the black guy who is using the nerd just so he could pass class while concentrating his efforts in sports. Or the redneck hillbilly stereotypes. Or the gorgeous blond girl with a fuzzy past and intimacy issues. Or the super, super, super senior college student played by an actor I’m pretty sure is in his 40’s. I could overlook a number of these ‘elements’ if they just gave us some bloody sharks!

Alas, the cumulative runtime of them onscreen is probably no more than 5 minutes. I think there’s one genuinely decent scene with the sharks, but that’s about it (if you really have to see it, I’ll leave this nondescript so you can enjoy it). So very little in the way of sharks, cardboard cutouts of individuals often referred as ‘characters’ in good movies, crappy digital effects, a ridiculous script, it all comes down to this: is it at least fun?

Honestly, no. Not even in a ‘this-is-so-so-bad, it’s-sorta-good’ kinda way. Piranha 3D somehow achieved that; My Bloody Valentine 3D accomplished just that in spades. The final judgment of this reviewer is to skip Shark Night 3D at all costs. [And yes, I did see this in 3D, and boy was it not worth it; sorta makes me want to go back and time and see Jaws 3D just to compare] If at some point you are forced into going or decide to sacrifice yourself by seeing it, just do yourself a favor and stay ‘till after the credits: there’s a music video that is far more entertaining than the feature itself.

Rating: 2/10 - Watch anything else. Syfy Channel Original junk, SHARK ATTACK 3, what have you; just not this. Unless you're doing your own Rifftrax commentary! Upload that. Should be neat.

Tuesday Cap - Vol. 32

2011-09-06T23:49:00.003-05:00

Title: The Village

Notes: If you feel the need to riff on Shyamalan, go right ahead. Lord knows I did it after THE LAST AIRBENDER ended. But THE VILLAGE is a weird movie. On one hand, I am genuinely pissed that we didn't get a proper creature feature. That's what the trailer made it out to be, that's what it damn well shoulda been. And Mr. Phoenix looked just stoned or utterly bored the entire time, sorta like how James Franco looks like these days. Bryce did an amazing job, also worth noting. And this scene, pictured above, freaks me the shit out. Honestly. M. Night shot this scene spectacularly. I turn cold, chills crawl up me spine, and I'm glued to the screen. I also think this is the first time I ever got freaked out by an creature in daylight, so M. Night deserves kudos for that alone. On the other hand, it is a pretty shitty movie. When the big reveal is...revealed, and the credits roll and the audience is allowed to think about the whole flick - well, it doesn't hold up. The kinda badish but weirdly believable Howard/Phoenix romance is nice and all, but still...very meh. Actually, the whole movie is meh. And this is also one of the first instances where M. Night's signature one shots actually work to the films detriment. Right now the scene where William Hurt is talking to the schoolchildren or whoever about these skinned animals on the floor springs to mind - it's excruciating to watch because the entire time I'm mentally yelling at M. Night to cut to a different shot to make Hurt sound better! So all in all, THE VILLAGE is a mixed bag for me. Surprisingly I still find myself throwing it in the DVD player, perhaps out of genuine likeness to it or morbid curiosity, I dunno. But I'll still never buy THE HAPPENING.

General thoughts on THE VILLAGE?

MMAM - Vol. 43

2011-09-05T21:37:00.003-05:00

Saw HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 again over the weekend, figuring it would be my last time to see a HARRY POTTER flick on the big screen basically ever. Fifth or sixth time seeing it, not sure, but still bloody amazing. To celebrate the POTTER franchise, here are two tracks from the DEATHLY HALLOWS soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat that cannot be missed.

"Courtyard Apocalypse" is nothing short of brilliant. It invokes the tragic, seemingly helpless and dire mood of the Hogwarts battle, and when complimented by the visuals of our trio running around fighting miscellanious Death Eaters...well, it makes my skin chill. Amazingness.

"Showdown" isn't nearly as OMG THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!, but the last two minutes as Harry and Voldemort fight and then fly over Hogwarts castle is pretty brilliant. Nicely solidifies the intimate nature of the Tom Riddle/Harry Potter punch and slapfest, but also makes not of the epic good versus not-good overtone of the whole affair.

Not the best soundtrack of the franchise, but Desplat did great. I still wonder what John Williams would have done with this final piece. And if anyone is painstakingly waiting for a DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 review, I'm holding off until the DVD/Blu-Ray release. That flick deserves to be dissected and given proper time to compose a thorough, critical, yet loving review. So until then, continue to contribute to its billion dollar grossingness. Or send that money my way to help pay for tuition. Either is great. Enjoy!

Andy's Friday Four: Super Summer

2011-08-26T23:03:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, it’s Andy’s Friday Five, but blame the studios for not being courteous enough to not bestow us with a fifth superhero flick. So four it is. I was going to include James Gunn’s Super as part of the equation, but really, any argument to support its inclusion would just falter. It’s a mentally deranged man who ‘fights crime’ as inspired by superheroes; he’s not heroic or superpowered in any fashion. As such, here we are.

May gave us our first bite of the superhero helping: Marvel’s iteration of the Norse God of Thunder, Thor, hit multiplexes with very positive reviews. It was a sign in the right direction for Joe Johnston’s Captain America, which at this point still lacked an adequate theatrical trailer and was clouded a bit in the secrecy world. Millions were made, Marvel was happy, and a month later Marvel hit gold again with a prequel to the X-Men franchise. Not nearly as profitable as Thor, but every bit as clever and great, Marvel had another success. DC and Warner Bros., not so much. GREEN LANTERN is a brilliant property that ultimately is still struggling to recoup its sizable production cost because of piss poor decisions. 3D didn’t add a thing, and the starpower of Ryan Reynolds and the sexiness of a one Blake Lively didn’t seem to really matter. The last superhero film of the summer was another one of those, ‘will it be a success or a huge shit storm?’ Captain America isn’t necessarily a popular character, and the public’s feedback to the films heavy patriotism was still uncertain. To the surprise of many – myself included – CAPTAIN AMERICA became, and still is as of this writing, a financial and critical success. Fans and critics dug its ‘40s vibe and the presence of a pure, uncorrupted hero of the people.

1. X-Men: First Class

I would love to write something brilliant to sum up why X-MEN: FIRST CLASS is at the top of my list, and I will, but I fear it won't be nearly as successful as this. Over at FlixChatter, Ruth took it upon herself to write 40 reasons why she loves the film, and frankly, that's one hell of a spot on list. The moment when Erik experiences serenity for the first time in decades and is fully able to unleash his near unlimited power; Henry Jackman's brilliant score; the stellar interplay between Erik and Xavier. Matthew Vaughn shot some absolutely stunning scenes, made all the more exhilarating by great editing which makes the movie fly by. The script is brilliant. The whole affair is brilliant.

FIRST CLASS boasts remarkable rewatch value, that much is certain. Stripping away all other X films, and looking at FIRST CLASS as a sole, stand alone endeavor, from beginning to end, it's one perfect story. The main big flaw is that there's not enough time to really do the Erik/Xavier friendship true justice. But what we have here, boy is it stunning. The story. The actors. The music. The editing. The director. The costume design. The special effects. The makeup. I enjoyed FIRST CLASS the most, and I think technically, it triumphs over the others.

2. Thor

Take Spider-Man's mantra of "With Great Power comes Great Responsibility", and apply that to the God of Thunder with acting out issues. And a ticked off and tired elderly father who gets pushed too far and banishes this young God of Thunder to teach him a lesson. Family dynamics, betrayals, character building, sacrifices, friends and world destroying mechanisms - it's great to be the movie THOR.

There's a lot happening, both in story and on screen, and I love that. Kenneth Branagh shoots the hell out of this film, making it possibly the most visually stunning of these pre-AVENGERS productions. The script isn't nearly as complex as I would like it, but there's just enough complexity in the Asgard material to appease me. Everything with Loki, for example: tremendous. That said, not a huge fan of everything that happened on earth, but I can deal. I do wish Thor's transformation from arrogant prince boy to hardened, Man Who Would Be King was padded out better. As it stands, it feels like whatever change he underwent happened primarily so he can shag Natalie Portman. Change like that doesn't last for too long. Hehe, funny sentence.

Similar to FIRST CLASS, THOR excels in multiple departments, and is both technically amazing to look at and listen to, as well as one hell of an enjoyment fair that demands rewatches. Another Marvel success.

3. Captain America: The First Avenger

Well, they did it. They actually did it. The writers and director made an genuinely good, realistic-like CAPTAIN AMERICA movie. That's quite the accomplishment. They should be proud of that right there.

Chris Evans is splendid as Steve Rogers, and Hayley Atwell is not only hot as Peggy Carter, but is also a strong female role that I wish had a bit more to do. It's obvious Hugo Weaving had a bit of fun with his Red Skull performance, which I'm sure he didn't have to do too much work to make. When I walked out of the theater, I was pleased, and pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.

The major flaw of Steve Rogers was still there, though: he doesn't have enough dimension. What you see is what you get. Perhaps it might be refreshing to given a character like that for once since the emergence of 'broody' superhero films, but I want some substance to my character. I thought there was great material with Rogers when he was a publicity puppet to boost morale for the troops, but sadly, I just couldn't connect with the character enough. Still, Evans: I love you, man.

CAPTAIN AMERICA is a nice throwback to the 1940s, complete with great set designs and costumes. The action is competently shot and edited together. I enjoyed the presence of a young and innovative Howard Stark. Also dug the callbacks to THOR mythology. But even though I genuinely do like the movie, a second viewing wasn't as favorable. Hopefully that was just a fluke, and when I see it again (hitting DVD in mid October) that same sense of fun from the first screening will be there. As it stands, CAPTAIN AMERICA is in the middle, for me. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. There's lots of good, and there's lots of *shrug*.

My apologies to Joe Johnston and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFreely if I offended you. No matter what, you guys crafted a good, entertaining movie!

4. Green Lantern

What the hell? Did they really think this was good enough to invest $200 million + in?

No, guys. No.

It all starts with the script. And this is not a confidant script. If GREEN LANTERN was written back during the 2007 Writer's Strike, I very well could forgive it for the screenwriting imperfections and general laziness, but it wasn't. The writers were given time to develop it, and were given a sizable enough budget to let their imaginations take them anywhere. Instead, what they wrote was a halfhearted, dullish, faceplam-worthy script that doesn't remotely reach its full potential.

Something I love about superheroes is the complexity of them. Thor started off as an arrogant git who had to be exiled and stripped of everything that made him who he was so he could rebuild himself, his character, into a good person; Charles and Erik start off as close friends but their ideologies force them to separate, but Erik, under the monicker Magneto, never loses respect for him; and even Steve Rogers has a tiny bit of complexity, being the short, skinny boy without an ounce of strength selected to be the powerful symbol of America, and the weight that must hold. Enter the GREEN LANTERN universe, where an being - human or alien - is given power only limited by ones imagination, fueled by the Power of Will. Hal Jordan, the protagonist, is filled with fear, but instead of being paralyzed by it, he becomes reckless and rash. Yet he's what the ring thought to be a individual worthwhile of the Lantern's power. Hal's battle to overcome fear and fight the ultimate vessel of fear should be harrowing, complex, real, difficult, and amazing to see. Instead, it's handled with all the subtlety and attention of TWILIGHT.

I have a lot of negative things to say about GREEN LANTERN, even though my initial review - although expressing my disappoints - was generally favorable. With time, and two rewatches, I've grown to see a lot of unfortunate decisions that were made. And particularly I hate the FANTASTIC FOUR-esque vibe that permeates the production. It feels like a big budgeted Saturday morning cartoon, and if that's what you wanted out of GREEN LANTERN, then I guess you were happily rewarded. No, I didn't want another DARK KNIGHT from this franchise, but what I wanted was a nice character piece that knew the appropriate times to use comedy in the film and when to leave it behind. There are a few successes and good ideas in GREEN LANTERN, but they're just not enough.

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The two biggest successes of 2011 were two films I didn't have much faith in. Imagine that. Next year, Joss Whedon will most likely wow and amaze us with THE AVENGERS and Marc Webb better make a worthwhile AMAZING SPIDER-MAN to warrant the "starting over" (as was coined in the latest EMPIRE magazine). If there's other superhero movies coming out next year, hell if I remember right now. So, my list and comments, agree or vehemently disagree?

The Watcher: 08/18/11 - 08/25/11

2011-08-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

BREAKING BAD S04E06 - "Cornered" (21 August 2011) - I watched "Cornered" two days ago, and I sit here Wednesday evening typing away, I realize I don't quite remember what the hell happened. I understand the necessity of a slow burn, of allowing the plot and characters to grow naturally before all hell breaks loose or wherever Vince Gilligan is gonna leave us at, but six episodes in, I'm just not feeling it. At this point last year, I think we got that pretty spectacular shootout, or at least Hank beating on Jesse. What we have here is Walter White being scared and paranoid, and sizes up his ego to Skylar by saying he's the motherf***er in charge of operations. Skylar scurries off, wants to leave, but can't. Hank is intrigued in this Heisenberg business which I hope will see him in a collision course with our dear ex-chemistry teacher. And Jesse impresses Mike with his brains, surprise, surprise. Will Jesse be pitted against Walt? That seems to be the natural evolution of this arc. After all, Walt hardly ever comes off as caring to Jesse, always berating him and being generally a dick, so I wouldn't blame Jesse for acting out against him. Guess we'll see. Just when Skylar was becoming tolerable again, the writers do this to her - make her insufferable. Ugh. A decent episode, but I want more. Score: 7.5/10

RESCUE ME S07E07 - "Jeter" (24 August 2011) - Those were some amazing World Trade Center shots, and that was one great speech from Lou about the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11. I'm really digging the resurgence and importance of that day on the show, how it's made Tommy how he is and frakked up Sheila's life. Speaking of Sheila, she had a nice row at Tommy about invasion of privacy, which in this case was a letter Jimmy wrote in the event he never returned home. "Jeter" seemed to be the episode where the light-bulb clicked in Tommy's head, and it was either let go of what happened that day - all the guilt and horror - and move on with his life, or hurry up and die already as to stop causing misery for those around him. I'm very interested to see where this series ends, cos I really don't have a clue. I don't want it to just end. I want a clear cut direction concerning where Tommy Gavin is going or where he'll end up. As for the whole Lou eating thing is concerned, out of all the subplots that have longevity, why did it have to be this one? Score: 8.7/10

TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY S07E07 - "Immortal Sins" (18 August 2011) - After what seems like an impossibly and unnecessary long time, we finally, finally get a episode that deserves the TORCHWOOD name. Leave it to Jane Espenson to pen the episode to do it. "Immortal Sins" isn't perfect, but compared to the crap we've been dealt the last four or five episodes were nothing happens and nothing has been accomplished, this is friggin' gold. The biggest and greatest thing of all about "Immortal Sins" isn't the flashbacks that show Jack's connection (and possible unintentional starting of this whole damn Miracle Day thing) to the event or a new layer of mystery and intrigue with the single shot of the three men making a pack in the form of the triangle (last seen in episode 2). Nah, the best part of "Immortal Sins" is the car ride conversation between Gwen and Jack. For so long now, these two characters felt like guest stars to their own show. They run around and do stuff, but they don't feel immensely important or even like their heart is in it. Here, Espenson remedies that. Gwen and Jack are very blunt, drawing the line of where they stand very clearly. Their conversation is the most honest thing I've seen all year, I think. Jack yearns to live, and if tearing her face off her skull will help him do it, then he will; and Gwen won't hesitate to kill Jack if it means saving her family. It's a chilling set of scenes, but it's so brilliant, and so raw and honest that if nothing else this "Miracle Day" series, it will be the thing I remember. Off that train of thought, it does sorta suck that this whole Miracle Day thing happened because of a scorned lover and three men interested in power. I mean, I get it - the mystery and power of immortality. But at the same time, TORCHWOOD is about aliens and advanced technology (which I guess it applies to), not pissing matches or corrupt pharmaceutical companies. Hopefully this is a sign that TORCHWOOD will become that show I know and love again these final three episodes and deliver something grand. Barrowman and Miles were extraordinary this week, and definitely deserve a nod. Now, once again we have male gay sex. I got no problem with that, but Jack is constantly described as open to all possibilities. So when are we gonna get Jack hooking up with an alien? C'mon, please? Score: 8.0/10

TRUE BLOOD S04E09 - "Let's Get Out of Here" (21 August 2011) - Anna Paquin is smoking hot in this weeks episode, but the question is: is she hot enough to make me completely forgot this whole Lafayete/Mavis/medium thing? It's pretty stupid after all. That can't be all there was to it. The build up to this event has been a long time coming - halfway through season three - so there absolutely needs to be more! It cannot possibly all be resolved by now. Nada. Negatory. Anyway, moving on to other matters. Last week's very nice finale, with Paquin giving a eloquently stated "fuck" as she falls to the grass, shot and bleeding, is quickly resolved as Bill gives her some of his blood, which results in the fantasy threesome world depicted above. Possibly the two luckiest actors alive, yes? After dream world, Sookie inserts herself into the fight once more, attempting to stop Antonia from controlling all the vampires and going on a killing frenzy. Some pretty neat stuff, frankly, and I look forward to seeing how this all develops. In the same category of giving kudos, I gotta give props to the writers this season: with the exception of this medium/Lafayete/Jesus shit, this has been a competently written, acted, and directed year. So, here's a cyber round of applause. From the looks of it, the season is going to end strong with plenty of carnage, romance, and more mystical mumbo jumbo. Sign me up! Score: 9.1/10

Fright Night

2011-08-24T18:55:00.001-05:00

Fright Night

Starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Imogen Poots, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Tori Collette
Written by Marti Noxon
Story by Tom Holland
Directed by Craig Gillepsie
Release: 19 August 2011
DreamWorks, 106 mins., Rated R

Plot: Charley Brewster investigates his next door neighbor, Jerry, who happens to be an vampire intent on getting his killing a goin.

Take DISTURBIA but instead of a serial killer, the neighbor is a VAMPIRE serial killer. That's the basic premise. But once the premise is settled in, and it's up to Charley and his hot girlfriend to save the town from Jerry and his cunning nefariousness, they ain't so similar anymore. For one, FRIGHT NIGHT boasts this odd charm about it. Sometimes, it seems as though the scripts winking at the audience, acknowledging the vampire genre and its current marketable state (e.g., TWILIGHT, which even gets a mention!), and other times, it's as if FRIGHT NIGHT is going full on satire/overboard by spewing CG blood all over the place, a la KILL BILL. And somehow, the film balances a comedic, not-so-serious tone, with a dead serious, shit is going down vibe without one or the other contradicting or really pulling a person out of the experience.

I attribute all this to the brilliant Marti Noxon, screenwriter of this 2011 reboot, and veteran of Joss Whedon's masterpiece BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and mastermind of the short lived FOX series POINT PLEASANT (review here). Thanks to the very clever script and some great performances which clearly say, 'this script is fun, I wanna have fun, let's have some fun', FRIGHT NIGHT is lots and lots of fun.

Frankly, I didn't quite know what to expect going in. After all, never saw the original, and dunno if I want to now after seeing this (although I gather they are two entirely separate experiences). But what we have here is a horror film worth watching. There's Colin Farrell as vampire Jerry, and he can play sinister. Granted, if I was in the directors chair, there are some changes I would make to his performance, but overall, Farrel brings on the creepy and the sinister, making Jerry a frightening presence despite the name. Definitely near the end, where Jerry's patience is running thin and he just wants to rip some throats, Farrel definitely delivers the "GRRRRR!" During the scenes where he's actually trying to be charming...well, damnit, he's charming. The awesome Anton Yelchin who wowed me in CHARLIE BARTLETT, ALPHA DOG, STAR TREK, and TERMINATOR SALVATION continues to "wow." I love this guy, and you should love this guy. Perfect comic timing, and a perfect understanding of drama. Any casting director can't go wrong with this guy. And David Tennant. The Doctor in DOCTOR WHO himself, walking around in eye liner, a robe, a wig, and swearing frequently in his signature Scottish accent. Loved him. Brilliant. Hilarious. Owned the film right out of Colin Farrel's grasp.

I'll say it right now, with all the biasesies of the universe, David Tennant owns this movie. He doesn't pop up until quite a ways in, but when his Peter Vincent persona does make his debut, it's great fun. He's a drunk, he's a fake, and when he's actually confronted with real vampire shit, he pussies out and allows others to fall victim so he can live. Luckily, David Tennant being David Tennant, he didn't take the role just so he can wear eye liner and a wig: he gets his badassery on, and it's glorious when it happens.

Not like I'm over selling that, by any means. Another surprising element was there being a strong female lead present. Imogen Poots plays Charley's girlfriend but-maybe-not-really-a-girlfriend Amy,

Worth mentioning before I sign off this review, but I elected not to indulge in the 3D prices. Sorry folks, but I just ain't into that anymore. Unless something ginormous and game changing comes around. But as my 2D picture played, there were multiple instances that might benefit from 3D, and the director happily throws items at the camera to create that "Woah!" effect. So what I'm saying is that if you wanna take the 3D plunge, it just might be worth it. Not a guarantee, but at the very least, it appears as though they're trying. If you decide the 2D route, I promise you aren't missing much, and the flick works just fine as is.

In review: David Tennant was awesome as Peter Vincent. The movie is a brilliant balance of serious vampire mayhem and comedy "ha-haness". Loads of cartoony bloodshed. Faithful to vamp mythology with the exception of one 'ittle thing. TWILIGHT riff. Farrell freakiness. Yelchin greatness. Imogen hotness. Fast paced and clever. Well worth your time.

Rating: 9/10 = FRIGHT NIGHT is all about having fun at the movies. It can be genuinely creepy at times, but it relies more on jokes, cartoonish blood, and a quick pace and that's just fine with me.

Friends With Benefits

2011-08-24T10:05:00.001-05:00

Friends With Benefits

Starring Justin Timberlake Mila Kunis Patricia Clarkson Jenna Elfman Bryan Greenberg Richard Jenkins Woody Harrelson
Written by Keith Merryman, David A. Newman, Will Gluck, Harley Peyton
Directed by Will Gluck
Release: 22 July 2011
Screen Gems, 110 mins., Rated R

Plot: Jamie and Dylan engage in a strictly sexual friendship minus the romantic entaglement thing, but of course, those pesky feelin's come out bubblin'....

Chemistry and script. In order for these romantic comedies or dramas to succeed, you absolutely one hundred percent need these two. Of course, every film requires these components: a shit movie would inevitably follow. However, when dealing with this specific genre, there’s certain expectations and troves the film must abide by. 96% of the time (pulled the number out of my ass; not official by any means) girl ends up with boy, the film ends with a kiss and a pop song that reassures the audience that everything will be alright, and the couple presumably live happily ever after. The two leads – er, characters – realizing their attraction for one another, overcoming any hurdles in their way, and ending up together is the genre’s DNA. Watching that same formula repeated infinite number of times can be entertaining for only so long, so there you have it – chemistry and script. Without those two supremely important elements, your romantic comedy or drama is going to fall flat on its face, be a load of utter bullshit, and be excruciatingly difficult to watch.

Earlier this year, the topic of two friends entering a strictly sexual relationship minus all the emotionally touchy-feely lovey-doveyness came out to mixed results. No Strings Attached featured two likable leads, and was actually entertaining despite the gigantic odds against it. And although I enjoyed it, upon further reflection and especially after seeing this, it didn’t quite deliver on its promoted premise. Plus, Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher can’t hold their own against the comedy greatness of Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake.

I don’t say that out of biased love for Kunis who is beyond gorgeous or enjoyment of Timberlake’s music (which I don’t actually like), but because Kunis and Timberlake posess genuine chemistry, and the screen sizzles with energy and excitement when the two are on the screen. Often, the writers/director throws in a scene or two of the characters just sitting around talking about whatever amuses them, and they giggle and laugh and find common ground. It’s meant to be a character building moment, but hardly ever do they come across as anything but contrived moments forcing the audiences to find personality in these cardboard characters. Not the instance here. Maybe it’s the writing, maybe it’s the directing, or maybe it’s simply Mila and Justin, but dialogue and character interaction is one of the many strengths FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS has in its arsenal.

Another great component is that it takes the SCREAM route. The conventions of the romantic comedy are discussed, ripped apart, and mocked more than once in the movie. Hell, you even got Jason Segal and Rashida Jones in a faux romantic comedy (in the world of BENEFITS) that indulges in every cliché imaginable: setting, dialogue, characters, music). Funny aside: I momentarily imagined the Segal/Jones enterprise as another ingenious marketing tool for THE MUPPETS; but different companies and al that sorta doesn’t make that possible….) I don’t think this is going to be a huge spoiler to reveal this little bit, but in the end, Mila and Justin end up together. The finale is a true romantic cliché. But it works. The characters and film acknowledge them, and move on. It’s a part of the story, it doesn’t dictate the story.

That sense of fun is all over the flick. I laughed, chuckled, and grinned often. The chemistry between Timberlake and Kunis is perhaps the strongest and authentic all year. The script is self-referential, crude, dirty, and clever all in one. No, FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS isn’t the embodiment of romantic comedy perfection, but it’s a pretty darn stellar film when all is said and done. I loved these characters, and I didn’t want the ending to come because I didn’t much fancy the idea of parting with them. I don’t know if the characters will stay romantically involved, but hell, it’s guaranteed that the sequel – following the demise of that relationship or the continued growth of it – would be just as entertaining and hilarious as the beginning of it.

I have some nice things to say about the film, indeed. As for negatives, the only thing that I found myself displeased with was the ridiculous-yet-mandatory crux in the relationship. That thing – event or phrase or what have you – that separates our lovers from fully indulging in their romantic notions. Basically, one is pissed off and the other one is stubborn or sad and don’t communicate. In the end, there’s the resolution of happiness. It’s difficult to tackle that annoying clichéd obstacle, but similarly to the whole ‘handling-a-tried-and-true-formula’ it all depends on how the writer(s) tackle the matter that makes the difference. Unfortunately, they aren’t all that successful in delivering a believable, realistic obstacle. It feels very forced, and that’s an immediate pull out.

Of course not all will love FRIENDS. I went in with low expectations. Frankly, the prime motivator here was Mila Kunis. She’s hot, she’s feisty, and she knows how to deliver comedy. It’s just a surprise that not only did Timberlake deliver a great performance and Woody Harrelson was hilarious in his underused role. Low expectations help, and in this case, I probably shouldn’t hype it up too much. Just go in with the hope of a fun, raunchy flick, and you’ll get exactly that.

In the case of FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS versus NO STRINGS ATTACHED, FRIENDS wins. The characters are more real and personable, the script is clever and funny, and most of all, I enjoyed my time more.

Rating: 8/10 – FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS succeeds in presenting two immensely likable characters accomplishing the impossible: making us believe in this scenario, these characters, and their words with absolute conviction. Loads of fun, don’t miss.

Tuesday Cap - Vol. 31

2011-08-23T12:46:00.000-05:00

Title: Alligator

Notes: I won't criticize anyone for not having seen this little gem, but if Creature Features are your thing, one really ought to check this out. Years ago, when the Sci-Fi Channel was actually good and something worth talking about, they played ALLIGATOR and its sequel, cleverly named ALLIGATOR 2. In the last two years ALLIGATOR hit the DVD world, and unfortunately, part 2 did not. These two flicks have a certain charm to them. The writers, director, and actor all know they're not making one of the greatest movies of all time, but they aim to make the bestest alligator-on-the-loose flick they can with their limited budget. The writing sucks, and the actors kinda just show up for the roles, but I like to think it's all part of the bigger plan of channeling this deliberate B-movie vibe. A bigger budgeted homage film, in a way. As for the alligator, the real star of the piece, well - he doesn't disappoint. When the alligator gets loose - and I don't really think that's a spoiler people - it causes some fantastic mayhem, including a poor birthday and wedding surprise. Not great, but very good, if anyone wants to throw on some hammy Creature flicks and rekindle the good ol' days of these classics you can't do so without ALLIGATOR. Seriously, Netflix it, then download the sequel. If you haven't heard of it 'till now, you're welcome for introducing you to it. Go watch and enjoy. Really, run!

MMAM - Vol. 42

2011-08-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

So I suck. I haven't blogged, but I have been lurking around blogs liked Rachel's Reel Reviews, Man I Love Films (man, I love that site), and Random Ramblings of a Demented Doorknob. If these sites aren't already on your blogroll, stop reading this pronto (but come back) and add 'em. You won't regret it. Alright, now that I've done my sucking up to those guys, time to bring this blog back into style, and what better way to do so than with a new edition of Much Music Awesomeness Monday(s)?

I'm in school mode (big surprise considering school resumes in mere hours), and for some reason, I associate school with AMERICAN PIE even though with the exception of the first, none of the films are really don't center around school. That aside, here's the opening song from AMERICAN PIE 2 from Blink 182. You can also blame the girlfriend for this. We downloaded a CD called "The Edge" with a bunch of punk/rock music from the 90's, and it rekindled my love for the band. However, I could have easily done without enduring Hoobastank's damn "The Reason." Bloody hell, shoot me now.

Enjoy!

Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-07-29T14:22:00.000-05:00

Starring Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci, Dominic Cooper, Sebastian Stan
Script by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFreely
Directed by Joe Johnston
Release: 22 July 2011
Marvel Studios, 124 mins., Rated PG-13

Plot: Scrawny, shorty Steve Rogers is selected to be the first Super Soldier to win WWII, but ends up facing an enemy far more powerful than they realized.

Captain America is The Man. He’s the character who represents what it means to be a hero. He epitomizes patriotism – the little man who wants nothing more than to fight for his country, to fight for freedoms and liberties, to stand up against bullies, and to show the red, white, and blue in a funny outfit that just might outfunny Superman’s. Captain America is Steve Rogers, a dude who physically is no way capable of being in a battlefield, let alone leading men. He is courageous, generous, polite, stubborn, and full of vigor to fight the good fight when necessary. Unfortunately, Captain America is also a bit of a one-note character that doesn’t lend himself to be all that interesting. Amazingly, director Joe Johnston and the (probably) many writers onboard crafted a film that – although not great by any means – is more entertaining than it has any right to be.

Right off the bat, I gotta say, Chris Evans did a wonderful job. He embodies Steve Rogers so freakin’ well, it’s a bit weird. Unlike Ryan Reynolds who is able to bring his trademark wisecracks but not fully capable of embodying Hal Jordan, Evans is perfectly able to indulge in his brilliant comic timing (when applicable; the funny is far and few in between) all the while completely being Steve Rogers. A while ago an little something like that would have gone unnoticed by me; guess that goes to show that GREEN LANTERN did make a impression – just not the right one. Anywhoozles, I suggest the casting directors on these Marvel films need raises – there has been some spot on casting 1999: the X-MEN movies, Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth and his six pack, Sam Jackson, and now Chris Evans. There’s a lot of brilliance going on behind the Marvel film department. Another standout performance, thanks to a standout, powerful female character is the gorgeous Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Rogers’ love interest and basically boss. Here the infatuation between both parties feels organic instead of the contrived “I wanna hump you!” vibe you get from Natalie Portman’s lustful glances at Thor. Ms. Atwell, and Ms. Carter by extension, are great additions to the movie, and are just as strong and memorable as a Super Serum mascot.Just as great but used less is Tommy Lee Jones who can do this military role sleepwalking, but surprisingly seems to be having a bit of fun with it. At the very least, it’s Jones that delivers the best lines of the film.

The action scenes are wonderfully done. Around the hour mark Steve goes behind enemy lines to liberate some military hostages, and it’s a thrilling sequence as the facility starts to explode around him. We’re also treated to a montage of Captain America fights as he gains popularity among the U.S. military and strikes fear for the German and Hydra division. Sure, I wouldn’t have minded a bit more exploration in Steve’s missions, but I’m satisfied enough with what we were given. The final fight between Steve and Red Skull is also impressive(ish), sorta coming off INCEPTION like as the two punch each other around a descending ship. Ultimately there just isn’t enough action beats in the movie.

Which is a weird thing to say cos I really liked the first 30 minutes of build up to Steve becoming all Super Serumed. I enjoyed seeing the digital small Chris Evans (which really wasn’t all that distracting) get his face punched in and not back away from a fight, or mumble when talking to a gorgeous military woman, or be all ‘I don’t like bullies’ to Dr. Abraham Erskine (Tucci). All that stuff was good; the perfect amount of time spent on setting up Rogers and Howard Stark and Erskine’s Super Soldier genetics. And then I absolutely loved when Captain America became basically a war publicity whore – thrown out there to big crowds to encourage civilians to support the war monetarily, or have some movies based off his character as he kicks some Nazi ass. Having the Captain do this with his abilities first, before becoming the hero we all know about, was genius, and one of the best parts of the movie.

The best part of the movie is right after Steve gets imbued with his new powers, and the movie – highly immersed in the sort of grandiose 1940s/1950s action movies – cultivates the clichéd and contrived dramatic beat of the bad guy throwing a kid off a building or something, but this time the bad guy throws the kid into the water. It’s used time and time ago, cos of course Batman or whoever is gonna let the bad guy go so he can catch the kid. But CAPTAIN AMERICA has a clever script. Rogers looks to the water and the kids says, “Go get him! I can swim!” Motherfrakking brilliant, and the biggest laugh of the movie.

Just to make a quick note: concerning rewatch value, I saw CAPTAIN AMERICA twice in one week. With the exception of the great hostage rescue action piece, and the montage of the Captain in battle, the film actually was a bit boring. Not even Hugo Weaving’s amusing German accent was enough to fully sustain my interest. It’s unfortunate, especially considering the enormous rewatchability of THOR’s messed up family dynamic, or IRON MAN’s drunken hero.
In the end, CAPTAIN AMERICA is worth seeing. Of course it is, if you’re following the Marvel superhero films. As has been noted on nearly every site, this is the last flick before Joss Whedon delivers THE AVENGERS to the world next May, so attendance feels basically mandatory. As a standalone movie, THE FIRST AVENGER surprisingly works quite well. The nods to the past (THOR) and future (AVENGERS) is nicely balanced without one element overshadowing another, and the film definitely has its own legs. Ultimately it’s not my favorite production from Marvel Studios, but that is truthfully no fault to the writers, directors, actors, etc. It’s just that Captain America, the character, just ain’t interesting enough. Or at the very least, extend the runtime to allow us more Steve Rogers in the suit. All that said, hopefully Joss can infuse some dimension into the character. After all, Rogers is thrown into an entirely new environment as the film closes, so Joss has more to work with than the writers here. But all in all, complaints aside, I enjoyed my time.

One last comment: why the hell do the world-ending missiles HAVE to be labeled? “New York”. “Berlin”. Mega Facepalm.

Rating: 7/10 = As a pre-AVENGERS flick, it’s a must see, and although everyone involved in this production quite obviously love the material and put their best work into it, the titular hero just doesn’t grab the viewer enough.

BATMAN - The Dark Knight Rises Teaser...Rises

2011-07-23T14:05:00.003-05:00

So...over the weekend, Warner Bros. seized the opportunity of millions of fanboys being out at the multiplex to enjoy the last HARRY POTTER movie evah to spring upon boys and girls the teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan's last evah Batman film, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. And teaser it is, not giving us too much to go by (only after a good two or so weeks of filming, really) but just enough to make us Batman geeks salivate and ponder what each shot means.

Still, it's more than what we were given with THE DARK KNIGHT teaser trailer, which consisted simply of voice over dialogue from the film juxtaposed against a firing Batman symbol. Absolutely, positively, mind-boggling frustrating, mind you, that teaser trailer. Sure, lived up to the phrase 'teaser' alright, but for a Bat fan - blimey, I wanted to rip me hair out! More, more, more! And I reckon as the marketing of DARK KNIGHT RISES ramps up, I'll be pretty much the same...

First brand new footage from THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. And it's Gordon. In a hospital bed. Looking quite unwell. Major suckage. Is this a result of engaging Bane? Or something a lot more simpler, like a police situation gone wrong? Whatever the situation might be, the boys at Batman On Film gave a pretty good comment - here we see the one truly good character of the two films battered and broken: a shocking, devastating sight. It's here we also get our first bits of dialogue, delivered by Gordon (and just as awesomely written as Gordon's DARK KNIGHT monologue, that to this day continues to send chills up and down my spine).

"We were in this together. And then you were gone. Now this evil rises. The Batman...HAS to come back."

So presumably some really tough shit went down in Gotham, and presumably this "evil" Gordon refers to is Bane. If Bane gets the label of "evil" - something the Joker didn't quite manage to do - than he must truly be one indestructible, sadistic, menacing sight to behold, leaving carnage in his path.

Now here's the interesting part. We hear Bale's voice reply (cut to footage of what I believe to be either a flashback of a bearded Bruce Wayne, a young Ra's al Ghul, or something involving a imprisoned and hairy Bane), "What if we doesn't exist anymore?" The interesting part isn't so much the dialogue (which suggests plenty), but that the voice is very distinctly Bruce Wayne, not Batman, and the visual evidence suggests that that is very much Bruce Wayne sitting next to Gordon's hospital bed, and that is very much Gordon addressing Bruce Wayne as Batman. Cool. So, maybe, possibly, Gordon is let in on Wayne's little secret? If so, I am completely all for this. Every time I watch that scene in THE DARK KNIGHT where Gordon talks to Wayne during the whole hospital bizznazz, I really want Wayne to just don his gravely voice and be all, "I'm Batman!" Funny note aside, it would just be really interesting to see how - if at all - Gordon interacts with Batman now knowing his full identity. Like I said: cooooooooll.

"He must, he must."

The Batman needs to come back, no matter what. That's what Gordon's saying. Shit is at a all-time high shit level, and Batman needs to save Gotham's collective asses from Bane and whoever else is terrorizing the city (hopefully minus fear toxins...). Alright, I'm game. It's also sorta cool that it could be/will be Gordon that brings about Batman's resurrection.

Is this Bane crawling out of the tunnel? Is this the tunnel connected to Wayne Manner? A tunnel connected to the League of Shadows, somehow? (c'mon, I really, really think they're making a return this time 'round) There's also a shot that was difficult to get a screencap of where a man is doing push-ups in a prison cell. The man in question has hair and facial hair, so it can't be Bane (unless it's an earlier appearance), so I'm guessing either a Bruce flashback or Ra's al Ghul.

And here's Bane. Motherfrakking freaky. The mouthpiece reminds me of some sort of sci-fi alien creature thingy...or a shark. Who is Bane looking at? Batman? What exactly does that mouth contraption do? [sorry, a bit rusty on my Bane mythology; don't kill me]

Visual information: 1) That looks really cool. 2) If we're to take this symbolically, Gotham City is in a even worse state than in THE DARK KNIGHT, crumbling underneath its own corruption and evil. With Batman's absence, that evil is more powerful and widespread than ever, and Bane's presumed uprising will probably be the final push. This whole bit is a nice trick: the decaying city of sin and greed looking up to the heavens for an answer. Although I do wonder if there is significance to Batman's symbol being white instead of, say, black (representing 'The Dark Knight'). Will Batman now be viewed as a White Knight, in a way, to the citizens of Gotham?

PRETTY! Huh, maybe it's my screencap software, but that looks more like a vanilla ice cream come than the pure white background of the trailer. Note to self: do investigate. Also, now I'm craving some ice cream. Hmmmmm; yum yum. Still dunno how I like the title; just doesn't feel right, y'know? BATMAN RISES would have been a better title, and a finer bookend - BATMAN BEGINS, THE DARK KNIGHT, BATMAN RISES. Now doesn't that sound a lot better?

The final shot: Batman preparing to take on Bane. It's wet, the Bat's pumping himself up, and there's some random dude on the middle right frame. Well, the good news is that the shot successfully makes me giddy beyond all imagination. Just these two seconds are enough to make my noggin' work. So where's the fight taking place? Is it the newly remodeled Batcave, as one suggested? Is it connected to the League of Shadows somehow? Or is it just some random, damp place where Batman faces his adversary? Is this his first fight with Bane or another one? Something to take note of the teaser, there's an emphasis on Bane and no mention of Selina Kyle, perhaps suggesting that Selina doesn't fit the bill of antagonist this time around. This seems to be Bane's film...at least thus far.

Alright, so, I've exhausted my noggin' on this teaser trailer. 20 July 2012 seems so far away, a whole year from today, and I can't bloody wait. Well, I can, yes, but the excitement, the anticipation - let's just say it's at a pretty big high. But I need to learn to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the next year, because this is the end. Much like HARRY POTTER's journey has just concluded, this film marks the end of Christopher Nolan's tale, and that's a sad, sad, sad thing, indeed. No more Bale as Batman, no more clever storytelling, no more stunning visuals (unless Alfonso Cuaron took over a Batman flick, doubt we'll get someone of Nolan's caliber again). Leave your thoughts (if any) below, and join me with the excitement factor for the next year as THE DARK KNIGHT RISES continues filming, teases with some brilliant marketing, and eventually is released to the world.

Another scary thought: yikes, I'll nearly be done with school by the time RISES comes out. Blimey, I'll have to figure out what to do with me life!