“Don’t you threaten me Hugh. It’s not productive. And it’s not polite.” -Gibbons
When this episode first got going, I thought we were in for another episode that was a chess match between Superintendent Colvin and Wysocki versus the rest of the force. That would have been just fine. Inter department politics are always interesting to me. I personally would have liked to see a little of the Jonesy tow truck scam. This is why police dramas will never get old. There’s always material. Anytime they want, they can go off a tangent that will still keep us interested. But what the episode ultimately delivered was even better. We now know just what type of villain the Chicago PD is up against in Alderman Gibbons.
Finally we get to see the evil side of Alderman Gibbons, and the brilliance of actor Delroy Lindo. Up until this point it was all speculation and what the show told us, but now we see just what he is capable of doing. He was able to get both the Irish mob and the police force under his thumb in swift set of maneuvers. One of my favorite scenes of the episode was where Gibbons and Hugh discussed leverage. Hugh put all his cards on the table whereas Gibbons remained deathly calm. I was told growing up that if you get into a fight with someone and they talk all your best punches and never flinch, yet still come after you, it’s time to flee because you’re dealing with someone that’s not on your level. He will beat you. This is my view of Gibbons. He’s so insulated. The criminals need his protection and the police department needs the money he controls. Gibbons uses both of these groups against each other to further his agenda. The question is, what is his agenda? He’s rich and appears to be happy, but what else does he want? Surely he can retire at this point. Is the crime life that addicting? Is he trying to build an empire of sorts? Does he want to be elected mayor? At this point he’s only made moves to clean up messes. Things could get really ugly when he starts making his own moves to get more of what he’s after. Until we know just what his end game is, I don’t think we know the extent of what he will do to get it.
The other dynamic we have working is Wysocki’s professional relationships. It’s clear both he and Colvin share a mutual trust and respect, but it is that very relationship that endangers the life of him and his partner. Allegiances will be tested inside the department. Wysocki can’t be a successful cop if the rest of the cops freeze him out, yet because he hasn’t done anything to warrant their hate, he isn’t going to submit to them. This puts Caleb Evers in an interesting position. In his voice over in the previous episode, he stated that a successful stint riding with Wysocki will lead you straight to the top. But Evers is seeing the cost of doing business this way. In this episode he asks, “Is it worth it? I want to do my job, but if we can’t even trust other cops to have our backs, this job gets dangerous.” That answer to his question will surely be answered and constantly redefined.
Te struggle between Wysocki and the rest of the cops will be ongoing. As we saw with Moose, Wysocki can’t just take an apology and everything is ok. Moose put his and his partner’s life in danger by freezing them out. This lead to them not catching the criminal and having to resort to Wysocki shooting and killing him. Rather than take Moose’s apology, he punched him in the face further alienating himself. Wysocki’s rigid sense of justice is what makes him a great cop. However, it may be his undoing inside the force.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Shameless - "Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father” Review
“You know when a plane starts going down and they tell you to put your mask on before helping anyone else? Put your mask on Fiona!” -Steve
Shameless’s success is made possible by the way it’s relationships are built. We have a stake in every one of them and yet we don’t know why. Is it because most of us can commiserate with the Gallagher’s way of life? Or is it that in some way we’re jealous of complicated simplicity of their life. Many people are obsessed with getting the next promotion, looking for the perfect person, or trying to find purpose in our day to lives. The Gallagher’s have but one thing to worry about, survival. As simple sounding as the task is, Shameless proves that in the pursuit survival there are speed bumps. These obstacles cause heartache, laughter, and tension, but yet, the drive remains the same. Survive at all costs.
I’m starting to care more about the day to day living of the Gallagher’s. Their survival is incredibly interesting. I’m in no rush to see them better themselves if it means less of the scrambling to treat themselves to illegal delicacies that literally fall off the back of a truck. One of the best touches was when Fiona came home from her night out and seamlessly jumped right in with the faking of Frank’s death. No questions asked. Perhaps rather than wanting the Gallagher’s to improve their situation, we should be rooting for them to find happiness. Tell me you weren’t rooting for Fiona to take the night off with Steve. Tell me you didn’t laugh when all the kids raised their hands to the question if they at one pointed wanted to see Frank dead and seeing Frank be so happy that they answered yes. Frank singing “Family Tradition” at his own wake just perfectly encapsulates the show. We may not understand everything the Gallagher’s are going through, but we wish them well.
There is, however, one grievance I have. Why do all the kids care so much about Frank? Frank tried to sell a vet’s gold watch, rob a blind man, and stick up an old lady to try and get the money. What is something Frank won’t do? I need him to do something redeeming or else the show will become predictable. It can’t just be Fiona cleaning up after Frank episode after episode can it? The Gallagher’s don’t hold many societal norms with high regard, except for family. It’d be extremely hard for me to forgive everything Frank has done and yet continue to risk everything to protect him. Is there something he has done in the past to make himself this beloved by his family? Or is it just the fact that he is family?
Other Thoughts:
- In the ugly world they create for Emmy Rossum, they find a way to make Fiona unbelievably sexy. Her skinny dipping scene was perhaps one of the sexiest scenes on any show this season, period.
- The Kash/Liam/Linda love triangle is starting to get interesting. I wonder how long Liam will keep it up now that its not secret anymore. Kash helped him be ok with his homosexuality and now Liam is starting to be ok finding love in other places.
- Joan Cusack’s character is wonderful. We don’t spend a ton of time with her, but she has so many levels and we care about her. It takes a combination of great acting, writing and directing to pull that off. The sounds and sights they exaggerate when showing the world of Chicago come across as menacing and it makes us understand why the way she is.
- I think the relationship between Steve and Kev could be an interesting one. Two opposite guys both going after the same type of girl. I’m interested to see how much advice Kev is going to give to Steve and if it works. Though I do watching Steve bumble around trying to get to Fiona almost as much as I like the Gallagher’s scrambling to get fed.
Shameless’s success is made possible by the way it’s relationships are built. We have a stake in every one of them and yet we don’t know why. Is it because most of us can commiserate with the Gallagher’s way of life? Or is it that in some way we’re jealous of complicated simplicity of their life. Many people are obsessed with getting the next promotion, looking for the perfect person, or trying to find purpose in our day to lives. The Gallagher’s have but one thing to worry about, survival. As simple sounding as the task is, Shameless proves that in the pursuit survival there are speed bumps. These obstacles cause heartache, laughter, and tension, but yet, the drive remains the same. Survive at all costs.
I’m starting to care more about the day to day living of the Gallagher’s. Their survival is incredibly interesting. I’m in no rush to see them better themselves if it means less of the scrambling to treat themselves to illegal delicacies that literally fall off the back of a truck. One of the best touches was when Fiona came home from her night out and seamlessly jumped right in with the faking of Frank’s death. No questions asked. Perhaps rather than wanting the Gallagher’s to improve their situation, we should be rooting for them to find happiness. Tell me you weren’t rooting for Fiona to take the night off with Steve. Tell me you didn’t laugh when all the kids raised their hands to the question if they at one pointed wanted to see Frank dead and seeing Frank be so happy that they answered yes. Frank singing “Family Tradition” at his own wake just perfectly encapsulates the show. We may not understand everything the Gallagher’s are going through, but we wish them well.
There is, however, one grievance I have. Why do all the kids care so much about Frank? Frank tried to sell a vet’s gold watch, rob a blind man, and stick up an old lady to try and get the money. What is something Frank won’t do? I need him to do something redeeming or else the show will become predictable. It can’t just be Fiona cleaning up after Frank episode after episode can it? The Gallagher’s don’t hold many societal norms with high regard, except for family. It’d be extremely hard for me to forgive everything Frank has done and yet continue to risk everything to protect him. Is there something he has done in the past to make himself this beloved by his family? Or is it just the fact that he is family?
Other Thoughts:
- In the ugly world they create for Emmy Rossum, they find a way to make Fiona unbelievably sexy. Her skinny dipping scene was perhaps one of the sexiest scenes on any show this season, period.
- The Kash/Liam/Linda love triangle is starting to get interesting. I wonder how long Liam will keep it up now that its not secret anymore. Kash helped him be ok with his homosexuality and now Liam is starting to be ok finding love in other places.
- Joan Cusack’s character is wonderful. We don’t spend a ton of time with her, but she has so many levels and we care about her. It takes a combination of great acting, writing and directing to pull that off. The sounds and sights they exaggerate when showing the world of Chicago come across as menacing and it makes us understand why the way she is.
- I think the relationship between Steve and Kev could be an interesting one. Two opposite guys both going after the same type of girl. I’m interested to see how much advice Kev is going to give to Steve and if it works. Though I do watching Steve bumble around trying to get to Fiona almost as much as I like the Gallagher’s scrambling to get fed.
Monday, February 21, 2011
ApeDonkey Power Rankings - 2/21/11
Top 5
1. Middle East - I watch the news one day a year, during the November elections. Election coverage fascinates me. Writing that makes me a little sad because I really miss Tim Russert. Anyway, even though I don't watch the news I usually have a general idea of what is going on in the world, like with the Middle East. I know revolutions are popping up all over the place and it's for a good reason. They are fed up with oppression. They want their freedom and Facebook. I applaud these citizens for standing up and changing a broken system. I wish there was some way I could do the same thing with the BCS. The only issue I have is with the media coverage. Our media has crawled straight up the butt of the Middle East revolutions but they're paying little attention to the mess we have just south of the border. Hey CNN in case you missed it 12 taxi drivers and fares were killed in Acapulco by the drug cartels. I know the Middle East has all that beautiful black gold we so desperately desire but can't we just let them work that shit out themselves. How about we clean up our back yard and the cartels that are ripping the Mexican government a new one. I know we'd rather spend money making sure no one crosses the border and attempts to build us a new freeway on the cheap but I live in Texas. I can damn near throw a rock and hit a cartel member. Of course they'd then chop my head off with a machete and skull fuck my corpse but that's my point. Let's fix the mess threatening us then we'll get to the stuff with an entire ocean between us.
2. Girl Scout Cookies - If there was a black man on the corner trying to sell you something that would make you feel good but ultimately was bad for you and the police would haul his ass off to jail. Put a white girl in a green uniform on that corner and the same officer would help her set up her table. The socio-economic and racial issues aside those crack slinging, sugar pushers are back blocking the entrance to every grocery store coast to coast. They may not get you on the way in but they'll get you on the way out. They know you can't resist a Peanut Butter Patty or Carmel Delights. If they set up a drive thru tent I'd probably eat three boxes a day. I kind of felt sad for the Boy Scouts out last week trying to hock their sad coupon books. I don't think it speaks well of the Boy Scouts' problem solving skills that the best they can come up with for a fund raiser is a coupon book that only their grandparents are interested in buying.
3. Neko Case - I love Neko Case. She's smoking hot, talented and just a badass chick. Her solo stuff and her stuff with The New Pornographers are some of my favorite music. In fact, I didn't think I could love her any more until I started following her on twitter (@neko_case). She has spent the past few days breaking down the awesomeness of Iron Maiden and the struggles of female musicians getting laid on the road. She's very interactive with her followers and funny. I had tickets the last time she came to town. I made the mistake of telling my wife of my plan to make her my kids new step mommy. Weirdly after that conversation our baby sitter bailed on us and I had to stay home with the kids while she took a friend to the show. Probably for the best though, we named our dog Neko and it probably would have been awkward having both a wife and a dog with the same name. One of them was bound to get offended.
4. Basketball Hall of Fame - Congratulations to the Basketball Hall of Fame. You've worked very hard to become the most irrelevant career achievement of all time. My five year service award from HP laughs at you. Apparently, the only real qualifications you need to get in is to either have been a women's coach or friends with Dick Vitale. How ridiculous is it? Van Chancellor is in the Hall of Fame but Rudy T is not. This becomes even more egregious when you learn that the HOF takes in to account all of your basketball accomplishments. So Rudy T. not only has 2 NBA championships, 1 Olympic Gold Medal and 554 NBA wins as a head coach, but he was also a 5-time NBA all star, college All American and averaged 17.4 pts/gm in his NBA career. But Van Chancellor is the HOFer. I would ask someone on the committee to explain how John Chaney, a coach who never led a team beyond the round of 8 is more deserving of election over Guy V. Lewis who coached 5 final four teams but no one knows who is on the committee. Apparently, it's easier to get a list of undercover CIA assets than find out who is making the decision to leave Reggie Miller off the HOF ballot. Great Work.
5. Brandon Phillips - In case you missed it Brandon Phillips in now on twitter (@DatDudeBP). This is a good thing because Phillips in one of those outspoken, unstable athletes who if you listen long enough will inevitably say something inflammatory or stupid. His manager, Dusty Baker and the rest of the Reds organization are already on edge over this development. I can't wait. It's got to be better that the boring crap Ozzie Guillen puts out there. Lets just hope he doesn't start tweeting parenting advice. Scratch that, I absolutely hope he starts handing out advice on fatherhood.
Bottom 5
1. Dunk Contest - So the NBA All Star Weekend just passed and everyone was treated to another riveting game of scrimmage. A game of scrimmage that would make Jeff Van Gundy's head look like a guy from Scanners. The highlight of the weekend was Blake Griffin's Dunk Contest clinching dunk over a car. Or as I like to call it the most contrived, least impressive clinching dunk since last year's contest. I'm old enough to remember 'Nique vs. Jordan and Spudd coming out of no where to win in '86. Even then we knew the contest had no credibility when the '88 title (in Chicago) was handed to Jordan even though Wilkins handed him his ass on the court. Through the years all the props, hype men, fake celebrations et al have turned it into a completely unsavory event. This year looked to be even worse. I didn't watch the contest because I'm not twelve but I did see a video of the Griffin spectacle. I was very impressed how Blake was able to, on the spot, find a choir and a brand new Kia to come out and work as props. This contest is all legit right? Kia didn't pay the NBA a load of cash to be the car used in the dunk and that being the clincher was in no way predetermined right? right.
2. Shift Change - Bad things happen at about 3:00 cst at my local McDonalds. That's when all the hard working Hispanics who do their job well and get orders right the first time go home. They're replaced by a bunch of teenage honkies. That's when ordering something a simple as an unsweet iced tea becomes a complete crap shoot. I know what you're thinking "teenagers, they suck at everything." You'd be wrong though. It's not teenagers that are the problem. It's white people. And I have proof. The next time you're traveling from Houston to Louisiana stop at the McDonald's in Vidor. The first thing you'll notice is the lack of color among the employees. The next thing you'll notice is that it's a complete cluster fuck. I've got 20+ years of fast food patronage experience and I've never seen a worse run place. I guess what I'm trying to say is us white people suck and the suburban white kids inability to not suck is starting to affect my life. Do Better.
3. Dog Days of Winter - How bad is the sports landscape? I spent most of yesterday working in the yard with my 6 year old. It takes damn near a television catastrophe for me to willing choose to trim trees over sitting my fat ass in the recliner and watching TV. Who's to blame for this black hole of sports? Donald Trump that's who. If not for Trump and him forcing the USFL to try to go head to head with the NFL in the Fall 25 years ago, we'd be getting ready for a stellar spring season of professional football. I'd be at academy buying a new Gamblers t-shirt to wear as I watch my Mike Leach coached team of pass happy pirates obliterate the league again. Leach and Graham Harrell leading the local good guys. Even as a Longhorn fan that sounds like heaven to me.
4. Pink - Holy Shit! I saw a picture of a pregnant Pink this weekend and it nearly cracked my cornea. Truth be told I have a bit of a preggers fetish. There's just something about the way a pregnant woman looks that I find attractive. Maybe it's the fullness of the face, the eternal hope for the life they are carrying or maybe their desire to kill everything that crosses their path. I don't know. Not Pink though. She not only nearly destroyed my love for pregnant women but she damn near killed my desire for women all together.
5. Real Talk - If you ever want the straight poop on something, just ask a 6 year old. They have no filter or regard for your feelings. The brutally honest kid had no problem telling my wife how terrible she looked in dresses when she was trying to find something to wear to an awards show. Then this weekend she was talking to us about death and how long people live. I said something about me living to be about 75 when she abruptly informed me that my stomach was way too fat for me to make it that long and she was not the least bit sad about that. Compassionate to the core that's how we raise them.
1. Middle East - I watch the news one day a year, during the November elections. Election coverage fascinates me. Writing that makes me a little sad because I really miss Tim Russert. Anyway, even though I don't watch the news I usually have a general idea of what is going on in the world, like with the Middle East. I know revolutions are popping up all over the place and it's for a good reason. They are fed up with oppression. They want their freedom and Facebook. I applaud these citizens for standing up and changing a broken system. I wish there was some way I could do the same thing with the BCS. The only issue I have is with the media coverage. Our media has crawled straight up the butt of the Middle East revolutions but they're paying little attention to the mess we have just south of the border. Hey CNN in case you missed it 12 taxi drivers and fares were killed in Acapulco by the drug cartels. I know the Middle East has all that beautiful black gold we so desperately desire but can't we just let them work that shit out themselves. How about we clean up our back yard and the cartels that are ripping the Mexican government a new one. I know we'd rather spend money making sure no one crosses the border and attempts to build us a new freeway on the cheap but I live in Texas. I can damn near throw a rock and hit a cartel member. Of course they'd then chop my head off with a machete and skull fuck my corpse but that's my point. Let's fix the mess threatening us then we'll get to the stuff with an entire ocean between us.
2. Girl Scout Cookies - If there was a black man on the corner trying to sell you something that would make you feel good but ultimately was bad for you and the police would haul his ass off to jail. Put a white girl in a green uniform on that corner and the same officer would help her set up her table. The socio-economic and racial issues aside those crack slinging, sugar pushers are back blocking the entrance to every grocery store coast to coast. They may not get you on the way in but they'll get you on the way out. They know you can't resist a Peanut Butter Patty or Carmel Delights. If they set up a drive thru tent I'd probably eat three boxes a day. I kind of felt sad for the Boy Scouts out last week trying to hock their sad coupon books. I don't think it speaks well of the Boy Scouts' problem solving skills that the best they can come up with for a fund raiser is a coupon book that only their grandparents are interested in buying. 
3. Neko Case - I love Neko Case. She's smoking hot, talented and just a badass chick. Her solo stuff and her stuff with The New Pornographers are some of my favorite music. In fact, I didn't think I could love her any more until I started following her on twitter (@neko_case). She has spent the past few days breaking down the awesomeness of Iron Maiden and the struggles of female musicians getting laid on the road. She's very interactive with her followers and funny. I had tickets the last time she came to town. I made the mistake of telling my wife of my plan to make her my kids new step mommy. Weirdly after that conversation our baby sitter bailed on us and I had to stay home with the kids while she took a friend to the show. Probably for the best though, we named our dog Neko and it probably would have been awkward having both a wife and a dog with the same name. One of them was bound to get offended.
4. Basketball Hall of Fame - Congratulations to the Basketball Hall of Fame. You've worked very hard to become the most irrelevant career achievement of all time. My five year service award from HP laughs at you. Apparently, the only real qualifications you need to get in is to either have been a women's coach or friends with Dick Vitale. How ridiculous is it? Van Chancellor is in the Hall of Fame but Rudy T is not. This becomes even more egregious when you learn that the HOF takes in to account all of your basketball accomplishments. So Rudy T. not only has 2 NBA championships, 1 Olympic Gold Medal and 554 NBA wins as a head coach, but he was also a 5-time NBA all star, college All American and averaged 17.4 pts/gm in his NBA career. But Van Chancellor is the HOFer. I would ask someone on the committee to explain how John Chaney, a coach who never led a team beyond the round of 8 is more deserving of election over Guy V. Lewis who coached 5 final four teams but no one knows who is on the committee. Apparently, it's easier to get a list of undercover CIA assets than find out who is making the decision to leave Reggie Miller off the HOF ballot. Great Work.
5. Brandon Phillips - In case you missed it Brandon Phillips in now on twitter (@DatDudeBP). This is a good thing because Phillips in one of those outspoken, unstable athletes who if you listen long enough will inevitably say something inflammatory or stupid. His manager, Dusty Baker and the rest of the Reds organization are already on edge over this development. I can't wait. It's got to be better that the boring crap Ozzie Guillen puts out there. Lets just hope he doesn't start tweeting parenting advice. Scratch that, I absolutely hope he starts handing out advice on fatherhood. Bottom 5
1. Dunk Contest - So the NBA All Star Weekend just passed and everyone was treated to another riveting game of scrimmage. A game of scrimmage that would make Jeff Van Gundy's head look like a guy from Scanners. The highlight of the weekend was Blake Griffin's Dunk Contest clinching dunk over a car. Or as I like to call it the most contrived, least impressive clinching dunk since last year's contest. I'm old enough to remember 'Nique vs. Jordan and Spudd coming out of no where to win in '86. Even then we knew the contest had no credibility when the '88 title (in Chicago) was handed to Jordan even though Wilkins handed him his ass on the court. Through the years all the props, hype men, fake celebrations et al have turned it into a completely unsavory event. This year looked to be even worse. I didn't watch the contest because I'm not twelve but I did see a video of the Griffin spectacle. I was very impressed how Blake was able to, on the spot, find a choir and a brand new Kia to come out and work as props. This contest is all legit right? Kia didn't pay the NBA a load of cash to be the car used in the dunk and that being the clincher was in no way predetermined right? right. 2. Shift Change - Bad things happen at about 3:00 cst at my local McDonalds. That's when all the hard working Hispanics who do their job well and get orders right the first time go home. They're replaced by a bunch of teenage honkies. That's when ordering something a simple as an unsweet iced tea becomes a complete crap shoot. I know what you're thinking "teenagers, they suck at everything." You'd be wrong though. It's not teenagers that are the problem. It's white people. And I have proof. The next time you're traveling from Houston to Louisiana stop at the McDonald's in Vidor. The first thing you'll notice is the lack of color among the employees. The next thing you'll notice is that it's a complete cluster fuck. I've got 20+ years of fast food patronage experience and I've never seen a worse run place. I guess what I'm trying to say is us white people suck and the suburban white kids inability to not suck is starting to affect my life. Do Better.
3. Dog Days of Winter - How bad is the sports landscape? I spent most of yesterday working in the yard with my 6 year old. It takes damn near a television catastrophe for me to willing choose to trim trees over sitting my fat ass in the recliner and watching TV. Who's to blame for this black hole of sports? Donald Trump that's who. If not for Trump and him forcing the USFL to try to go head to head with the NFL in the Fall 25 years ago, we'd be getting ready for a stellar spring season of professional football. I'd be at academy buying a new Gamblers t-shirt to wear as I watch my Mike Leach coached team of pass happy pirates obliterate the league again. Leach and Graham Harrell leading the local good guys. Even as a Longhorn fan that sounds like heaven to me.
4. Pink - Holy Shit! I saw a picture of a pregnant Pink this weekend and it nearly cracked my cornea. Truth be told I have a bit of a preggers fetish. There's just something about the way a pregnant woman looks that I find attractive. Maybe it's the fullness of the face, the eternal hope for the life they are carrying or maybe their desire to kill everything that crosses their path. I don't know. Not Pink though. She not only nearly destroyed my love for pregnant women but she damn near killed my desire for women all together.
Californication "The Recused" Review
Hank Moody's worst days are when he's not getting in trouble. But "The Recused" wasn't about Hank Moody. Well OK, it was about Hank but Marcy that little foul mouthed power pack stole tonight's episode from Hank and rode it for all it was worth.
As bad and boring as Karen is in every episode, Marcy is conversely that great in every episode and tonight was her apex. How can you not love a woman who says stuff like "don't blame me because you were born with a clit for a cock and a tiny little bean bag for what passes for balls." Her Benjamin Button reference was just as strong later in the episode. If Marcy getting a deal with Showtime to create a show about her waxing the nethers of stars we get more of her on Californication then I'm all for it.
Hank though didn't do anything nearly as exciting as pitching a show to Showtime. Unless, you count Abby. His day started off shitty when he showed up at Karen's to find her at home with her new man, Ben. I liked the way Hank reacted to a new man in Karen's life that he couldn't find a reason to hate. He just got childish and mocking. Bill was an easy target for Hank but Ben is a much bigger challenge. An legitimate artist in a field Hank actually respects and the father of a the talented lead singer in Becca's band. It's bad times for Hank's eternal love for Karen. But at least his eternal love didn't have to go golfing with Abby's boss, Lloyd and his anal fissure.
A humorless corporate stiff attorney isn't like trying to stick a square peg in a round hole. It's like trying to stick a square peg where there is no hole. The worst part of it all is Hank had to just take it minus a few passive aggressive jabs because he's Abby's boss. Probably a small price to pay for sleeping with Abby though. She recused herself earlier in the episode after her and Hank started sleeping together. Don't worry though Hank, all it took was pissing in the sand trap on the 15th hole then wrestling with Lloyd to lure Abby back as your Lawyer. I think it was pretty obvious her job was in much greater jeopardy with Lloyd representing Hank that it is with her representing him with a conflict of interest.
Anyone remember how Lisa Bonet made you reconsider what you though about Peter Frampton's "Baby I Love Your Ways?" Well now her daughter, Zoe Kravitz has done the same with Skid Row's "I'll Remember You." Now I never really hated the Skid Row song but I definitely would rather hear Zoe's acoustic version now.
The episode closes with Karen sitting between Ben and Hank. Both of them reaching over to hold her hand while the girls play their show. At that moment, it seems as though she realizes "oh shit, what am I going to do?" Come on though, it's been three years now and we all know Karen and Hank will never work out. It's time to let Karen move on with Ben. Personally, I'm kind of tired of the whole thing.
As bad and boring as Karen is in every episode, Marcy is conversely that great in every episode and tonight was her apex. How can you not love a woman who says stuff like "don't blame me because you were born with a clit for a cock and a tiny little bean bag for what passes for balls." Her Benjamin Button reference was just as strong later in the episode. If Marcy getting a deal with Showtime to create a show about her waxing the nethers of stars we get more of her on Californication then I'm all for it.
Hank though didn't do anything nearly as exciting as pitching a show to Showtime. Unless, you count Abby. His day started off shitty when he showed up at Karen's to find her at home with her new man, Ben. I liked the way Hank reacted to a new man in Karen's life that he couldn't find a reason to hate. He just got childish and mocking. Bill was an easy target for Hank but Ben is a much bigger challenge. An legitimate artist in a field Hank actually respects and the father of a the talented lead singer in Becca's band. It's bad times for Hank's eternal love for Karen. But at least his eternal love didn't have to go golfing with Abby's boss, Lloyd and his anal fissure.
A humorless corporate stiff attorney isn't like trying to stick a square peg in a round hole. It's like trying to stick a square peg where there is no hole. The worst part of it all is Hank had to just take it minus a few passive aggressive jabs because he's Abby's boss. Probably a small price to pay for sleeping with Abby though. She recused herself earlier in the episode after her and Hank started sleeping together. Don't worry though Hank, all it took was pissing in the sand trap on the 15th hole then wrestling with Lloyd to lure Abby back as your Lawyer. I think it was pretty obvious her job was in much greater jeopardy with Lloyd representing Hank that it is with her representing him with a conflict of interest.
Anyone remember how Lisa Bonet made you reconsider what you though about Peter Frampton's "Baby I Love Your Ways?" Well now her daughter, Zoe Kravitz has done the same with Skid Row's "I'll Remember You." Now I never really hated the Skid Row song but I definitely would rather hear Zoe's acoustic version now.
The episode closes with Karen sitting between Ben and Hank. Both of them reaching over to hold her hand while the girls play their show. At that moment, it seems as though she realizes "oh shit, what am I going to do?" Come on though, it's been three years now and we all know Karen and Hank will never work out. It's time to let Karen move on with Ben. Personally, I'm kind of tired of the whole thing.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Big Love "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." Review
"Are you and Renee Clayton being lesbians together?" Nancy Davis Dutton
I have no reason for starting this review with that quote except that it made me laugh out loud. The real stars of this week's episode "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." were Jeanne Tripplehorn and the disintegrating relationships in the Henrickson house hold. Seriously, if Tripplehorn isn't nominated for an Emmy for her performance this season it will be a terrible oversight. She and the writing for her character have been outstanding this season.
Poor Barb can't win for losing. When she's squarely in the Henrickson polygamy camp her mother and sister won't have anything to do with her. Now that things are falling apart they are coming after her because she has formed a relationship with a "radical" free thinker like Renee Clayton. I can't think of a worse place to be than in a room with Nicki and Bill on one side and Nancy on the other. I love what Barb is doing. I think long time fans of the show have been dying for her to finally tell Bill what he can do with half the bullshit he puts her through. And very smart of Barb not to trust Nicki with her financial welfare. Barb has always been written as the most level headed, intelligent character on the show. Those attributes are a big reason fans are so happy to see her making her own way.
Was there a less surprising turn than Nicki getting drunk on power. She's gonna make sure everyone knows it's her time and she's now BWOC (Big Wife on Compound). She isn't going to let poor Margene do anything, ever. Especially if it involves a scandalous song like "Bridge Over Troubled Water." I don't think she liked the reworked divorce agreement and pre-nup too much. I did thoroughly enjoy her "right now I want to punch you in the face." I'm a big proponent of telling people you want to punch them in the face so that was right in my wheelhouse.
That Ben is quite the chip off the ol' block isn't he? He's turned out to be quite the little know it all prick. Can't we just trade him in for half a season of Amanda Seyfried? I'm about as disinterested in Ben as Barb and Bill were in his "How to Problem Solve a Marriage" literature. Good decision going after Crazy Rhonda, that doesn't have the potential to blow up in your face. At least we know he gets his poor decision making honest. By the way, what kind of crazy strip clubs are they running in Utah? I've been to my share of those places but I've never seen one that lets the strippers sing their own songs. I'm kind of intrigued now.
I can't decide if the Lois and Frank scenes were the sweetest, saddest or scariest shit I've ever seen. I kept waiting for Lois to chop his head off or for Frank to strangle her deranged ass. There's got to be a murder suicide on the horizon for these two.
How little do I care about the Cara Lynn and her teacher stuff? I didn't even realize the two of them had kissed last week. It's the final five episodes of the final season. I don't need new characters and their story lines taking away from the great stuff going on inside the Henrickson household or from great established characters like Alby.
Speaking of Alby, he has got to have the most finely tuned gaydar on the planet. He never misses. I would not want to be Verlain and having to pay Alby back for a poorly executed job with "favors." The scene with Bill, Don and Alby didn't measure up and really seemed forced and out of place.
So where are we headed. Judging from the previews, things really start to heat up with Alby. Just as I predicted it appears Bill is making a power play with Juniper Creek. Things can get ugly in a hurry with Alby and his gang of Hummer jockeys. I want to see Barb continue her journey of self realization. Bill can either get on board or be stuck dealing with Nicki all by himself. Margene must have been a big Melrose Place fan because she's got it bad for Grant Show and you know he naive ass is going to find herself putting everything in jeopardy again chasing her lusts.
I have no reason for starting this review with that quote except that it made me laugh out loud. The real stars of this week's episode "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." were Jeanne Tripplehorn and the disintegrating relationships in the Henrickson house hold. Seriously, if Tripplehorn isn't nominated for an Emmy for her performance this season it will be a terrible oversight. She and the writing for her character have been outstanding this season.
Poor Barb can't win for losing. When she's squarely in the Henrickson polygamy camp her mother and sister won't have anything to do with her. Now that things are falling apart they are coming after her because she has formed a relationship with a "radical" free thinker like Renee Clayton. I can't think of a worse place to be than in a room with Nicki and Bill on one side and Nancy on the other. I love what Barb is doing. I think long time fans of the show have been dying for her to finally tell Bill what he can do with half the bullshit he puts her through. And very smart of Barb not to trust Nicki with her financial welfare. Barb has always been written as the most level headed, intelligent character on the show. Those attributes are a big reason fans are so happy to see her making her own way.Was there a less surprising turn than Nicki getting drunk on power. She's gonna make sure everyone knows it's her time and she's now BWOC (Big Wife on Compound). She isn't going to let poor Margene do anything, ever. Especially if it involves a scandalous song like "Bridge Over Troubled Water." I don't think she liked the reworked divorce agreement and pre-nup too much. I did thoroughly enjoy her "right now I want to punch you in the face." I'm a big proponent of telling people you want to punch them in the face so that was right in my wheelhouse.
That Ben is quite the chip off the ol' block isn't he? He's turned out to be quite the little know it all prick. Can't we just trade him in for half a season of Amanda Seyfried? I'm about as disinterested in Ben as Barb and Bill were in his "How to Problem Solve a Marriage" literature. Good decision going after Crazy Rhonda, that doesn't have the potential to blow up in your face. At least we know he gets his poor decision making honest. By the way, what kind of crazy strip clubs are they running in Utah? I've been to my share of those places but I've never seen one that lets the strippers sing their own songs. I'm kind of intrigued now.
I can't decide if the Lois and Frank scenes were the sweetest, saddest or scariest shit I've ever seen. I kept waiting for Lois to chop his head off or for Frank to strangle her deranged ass. There's got to be a murder suicide on the horizon for these two.
How little do I care about the Cara Lynn and her teacher stuff? I didn't even realize the two of them had kissed last week. It's the final five episodes of the final season. I don't need new characters and their story lines taking away from the great stuff going on inside the Henrickson household or from great established characters like Alby.
Speaking of Alby, he has got to have the most finely tuned gaydar on the planet. He never misses. I would not want to be Verlain and having to pay Alby back for a poorly executed job with "favors." The scene with Bill, Don and Alby didn't measure up and really seemed forced and out of place.
So where are we headed. Judging from the previews, things really start to heat up with Alby. Just as I predicted it appears Bill is making a power play with Juniper Creek. Things can get ugly in a hurry with Alby and his gang of Hummer jockeys. I want to see Barb continue her journey of self realization. Bill can either get on board or be stuck dealing with Nicki all by himself. Margene must have been a big Melrose Place fan because she's got it bad for Grant Show and you know he naive ass is going to find herself putting everything in jeopardy again chasing her lusts.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday Night Lights Series Review w/ Guest Blogger Tony Prock
The Tim Riggins mantra "Texas Forever" fits guest blogger Tony Prock to a T. As a displaced Texan in California and Hawaii these days, Tony's heart and soul never stray from the Lone Star State. I'm sure the story of small town Texas football made Tony both look back fondly on youth and long for home. Friday Night Lights is the perfect remedy for a guy stuck out in the land of wine, cheese and poi. Tony writes a great blog at Pigskin n' Politics and you can follow Tony on twitter at @Tony_Five_O
How would you rank the 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights?
1, 3, 4, 5, 2
Season 1: Simply the best. As soon as Street got hurt, you knew...and I mean, KNEW that Riggs and Lyla were going to hook up. The entire rehab of Street was so spot on. He had to give hope to countless paraplegics who saw the show. Similar to "Remember the Titans (will watch it anytime, anywhere), his re-channeled energy to excel at wheelchair rugby is infectious. His departure requires Matt Saracen to take on the role of QB1. Saracen's awkwardness is so realistic it is compelling. Zach Gilford offers up some of the very best and appropriate acting of the entire cast. This season is just chock full of real life incidents (Buddy Garrity's infidelity, Rigg's alcoholism, Tyra's broken home, Lyla's forced independence) which captivate the viewer and pull you in. You want to be a part of Dillon, TX. They make you long for their simple lives, which offer all of the complexities of the lives of our own.
Season 3: This season could be known at the power struggle season. There is a QB power struggle between Saracen and JD McCoy, the young 5 star prospect. There is a coaching power struggle between Coach Taylor and Coach Aikman, fostered and fueled by Joe McCoy, the typical wealthy "I get what I want" overbearing father. These issues are presented in real life format, as all of us have to deal with political pressures. The controversy and power struggle takes center stage between Coach Taylor and Tami as the boosters, led by Buddy Garrity, are looking to install a "Jumbo-tron" at the school's football stadium. Tami, who is now principal of the school, wants to allocate the funds for what she deems as more appropriate academic issues. This causes strife between their professional and personal lives. What I love about this season is how the writers planted the seeds for the show to turn in its direction. Because the Panthers did not win the state title the year prior, there are seeds of doubt surrounding the capability of Coach Taylor, and his replacement with Coach Aikman is all but a foregone conclusion. You can see Tami's unhappiness with losing in her bid to utilize the funds in a more appropriate manner. Changes are on the horizon and all but a guarantee.
Season 4: The new characters introduced this season bring a very real persona to the screen. Vince Howard and Luke Cafferty energize a team which starts the season quite slow and seemingly crappy at football. Coach Taylor is facing a polar opposite in East Dillon. No budget, no facilities, no fan-base, and a no-talent football team aside from Howard. In a typical storyline, the writers use football to turn Howard's life around and Coach Taylor is a paramount influence in this capacity. Let's jump back to Cafferty for a moment. The brilliance here of Cafferty being exposed as the player who is using a fake address (perpetrated by the Dillon Panthers, not Cafferty) to attend Dillon is used not to undermine Dillon or the Cafferty family. No, it is used to show the true allegiance of Buddy Garrity. It is Garrity who, in the end, realized his true colors were aligned with Coach Taylor, not the Dillon Panthers, as they appeared to be all along. I cannot stress enough how impacting this element was to this season. With Cafferty officially zoned to go to East Dillon, the Lions now have their one-two punch to thwart the Dillon Panthers playoff hopes, and that is exactly what they do. The one aspect of this season I wish would not have occurred is the prison sentence of Tim Riggins. You knew all along it was going to happen. He and his brother, Billy, running a chop shop out of their auto repair shop, was destined for a messy ending. The season ending with Riggs being led away to jail left a sour taste in my mouth. I suppose it was bound to happen, but it was very cliche to say the least.
Season 5: The season where everyone gets what they want. Don't get me wrong, I loved this season. It could have easily been my second favorite to Season one. But, let's get real for one second: Tami wins out over Coach Taylor and his five year contract to coach the "Super Team," which will be the one created from the merging of the best players from the now defunct East Dillon Lions with those already in place at Dillon. But, put this aside for now and the subsequent college offers which would be waiting for Coach Taylor as this contract played out. Just how did she get selected to go to Pennsylvania in the first place? Let me get this straight: A counselor to principal back to counselor lands a gig as a Dean at a university in the northeast? Come on. No really. Come on. That just would not happen. Sorry, I digress. So, Tami gets her way for the first time in a long time when it comes to the professional careers of the Taylor family. Julie ends up with Matt in Chicago but we cannot tell if they are married. Quick side note: Coach Taylor's stares are legendary. One Matt Saracen asking Coach Taylor for his daughter's hand in marriage (after he proposed no less) produces one of the greatest GTFO stare moments in the history of this show. You would think Saracen told Coach that he and Jules were expecting based on his stoic reaction. Continuing on: Riggs gets his plot of land and is building his dream home in Texas (forever). The Lions won the state championship based on the ring on the finger of Vince Howard. I have to ask here, what happened to JD McCoy? Wouldn't he be challenging Howard for QB1 at this juncture? Anyhow, that is a minor complaint. I would have appreciated an update from Smash Williams, Jason Street, and Lyla Garrity to close out the series. These characters participating once again at this juncture would have made this finale that much better. I am sure Hollywood politics prevented this from happening to a certain extent. Whatever. In the world of @tony_five_o, I would have appreciated closure here. That being said, I would be thrilled at a movie picking up with Coach Taylor yelling at his latest gaggle of misfits on that Pennsylvania field. Ahhh, who am I kidding. Pennsylvania forever? Nope, just doesn't sound right.
Season 2: My least favorite simply due to the writers going down a very worn path from previous shows. The stalker/rapist of Tyra and subsequent manslaughter "heroism" of Landry Clark seemed quite Melrose Place-ish, as did many of the other elements this season. One of my biggest complaints from this season is the writers and how they make fun of Christianity. As if Lyla going through all of the pitfalls in Season 1 would not provide a platform and possible catapult from some personal soul searching, it is compounded by the typical negative Hollywood slant on the situation. She is deemed weird for doing so and I find that offensive. We are talking about a small Texas town, the epitome of a Christian stronghold. This is typical Hollywood and it is getting old. Christians are not the problem, writer dolts. Your intolerance, however, is. And if one is offended by my politics in this review, take it up with the writers as they opened the door. Moreover, Lyla would not be ostracized over this, but more than likely heralded in some fashion. Ever notice in these shows that no other religion is ridiculed? All of this being said, man can she sport a pair of William Rast jeans. You are welcome J. Timberlake.
Did you think Friday Night Lights made the correct decision by bringing in new cast members after graduating their first group? Were they successful in this transition?
I loved the fact that they brought in new cast members. I felt the transition was cool...especially after season 3.
What’s one story line you wish the show would have focused more on?
I wished they could have kept the viewer in the loop on the professional career of Jason Street.
What’s one story line you wished the show would have spent less on or left out altogether?
The murder of the stalker/attacker of Tyra
Who was your favorite character not named Eric or Tami Taylor?
Once we get past the hottie factor of Lyla Garrity and Tyra Colette, I'd go with Matt Saracen. The character is played spot on and developed brilliantly over the course of the series. Everything he dealt with from his dad to his dementia suffering grandma seemed quite realistic. A close second is Riggs, Buddy Garrity, and Landry Clark. Each portrayed brilliantly. Coach Taylor made me wish I was a football coach. That is how good Kyle Chandler was at his job.
Did you have any pet peeves when it came to the show?
My only pet peeve was all of these kids, aside from the McCoy's and the Garrity's (pre divorce), seemed quite poor...yet they all sported designer denim...from Diesel to William Rast. Just a curious observation of possibly failing to keep it as real as possible.
How would you rank the 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights?
1, 3, 4, 5, 2
Season 1: Simply the best. As soon as Street got hurt, you knew...and I mean, KNEW that Riggs and Lyla were going to hook up. The entire rehab of Street was so spot on. He had to give hope to countless paraplegics who saw the show. Similar to "Remember the Titans (will watch it anytime, anywhere), his re-channeled energy to excel at wheelchair rugby is infectious. His departure requires Matt Saracen to take on the role of QB1. Saracen's awkwardness is so realistic it is compelling. Zach Gilford offers up some of the very best and appropriate acting of the entire cast. This season is just chock full of real life incidents (Buddy Garrity's infidelity, Rigg's alcoholism, Tyra's broken home, Lyla's forced independence) which captivate the viewer and pull you in. You want to be a part of Dillon, TX. They make you long for their simple lives, which offer all of the complexities of the lives of our own.
Season 3: This season could be known at the power struggle season. There is a QB power struggle between Saracen and JD McCoy, the young 5 star prospect. There is a coaching power struggle between Coach Taylor and Coach Aikman, fostered and fueled by Joe McCoy, the typical wealthy "I get what I want" overbearing father. These issues are presented in real life format, as all of us have to deal with political pressures. The controversy and power struggle takes center stage between Coach Taylor and Tami as the boosters, led by Buddy Garrity, are looking to install a "Jumbo-tron" at the school's football stadium. Tami, who is now principal of the school, wants to allocate the funds for what she deems as more appropriate academic issues. This causes strife between their professional and personal lives. What I love about this season is how the writers planted the seeds for the show to turn in its direction. Because the Panthers did not win the state title the year prior, there are seeds of doubt surrounding the capability of Coach Taylor, and his replacement with Coach Aikman is all but a foregone conclusion. You can see Tami's unhappiness with losing in her bid to utilize the funds in a more appropriate manner. Changes are on the horizon and all but a guarantee.
Season 4: The new characters introduced this season bring a very real persona to the screen. Vince Howard and Luke Cafferty energize a team which starts the season quite slow and seemingly crappy at football. Coach Taylor is facing a polar opposite in East Dillon. No budget, no facilities, no fan-base, and a no-talent football team aside from Howard. In a typical storyline, the writers use football to turn Howard's life around and Coach Taylor is a paramount influence in this capacity. Let's jump back to Cafferty for a moment. The brilliance here of Cafferty being exposed as the player who is using a fake address (perpetrated by the Dillon Panthers, not Cafferty) to attend Dillon is used not to undermine Dillon or the Cafferty family. No, it is used to show the true allegiance of Buddy Garrity. It is Garrity who, in the end, realized his true colors were aligned with Coach Taylor, not the Dillon Panthers, as they appeared to be all along. I cannot stress enough how impacting this element was to this season. With Cafferty officially zoned to go to East Dillon, the Lions now have their one-two punch to thwart the Dillon Panthers playoff hopes, and that is exactly what they do. The one aspect of this season I wish would not have occurred is the prison sentence of Tim Riggins. You knew all along it was going to happen. He and his brother, Billy, running a chop shop out of their auto repair shop, was destined for a messy ending. The season ending with Riggs being led away to jail left a sour taste in my mouth. I suppose it was bound to happen, but it was very cliche to say the least.
Season 5: The season where everyone gets what they want. Don't get me wrong, I loved this season. It could have easily been my second favorite to Season one. But, let's get real for one second: Tami wins out over Coach Taylor and his five year contract to coach the "Super Team," which will be the one created from the merging of the best players from the now defunct East Dillon Lions with those already in place at Dillon. But, put this aside for now and the subsequent college offers which would be waiting for Coach Taylor as this contract played out. Just how did she get selected to go to Pennsylvania in the first place? Let me get this straight: A counselor to principal back to counselor lands a gig as a Dean at a university in the northeast? Come on. No really. Come on. That just would not happen. Sorry, I digress. So, Tami gets her way for the first time in a long time when it comes to the professional careers of the Taylor family. Julie ends up with Matt in Chicago but we cannot tell if they are married. Quick side note: Coach Taylor's stares are legendary. One Matt Saracen asking Coach Taylor for his daughter's hand in marriage (after he proposed no less) produces one of the greatest GTFO stare moments in the history of this show. You would think Saracen told Coach that he and Jules were expecting based on his stoic reaction. Continuing on: Riggs gets his plot of land and is building his dream home in Texas (forever). The Lions won the state championship based on the ring on the finger of Vince Howard. I have to ask here, what happened to JD McCoy? Wouldn't he be challenging Howard for QB1 at this juncture? Anyhow, that is a minor complaint. I would have appreciated an update from Smash Williams, Jason Street, and Lyla Garrity to close out the series. These characters participating once again at this juncture would have made this finale that much better. I am sure Hollywood politics prevented this from happening to a certain extent. Whatever. In the world of @tony_five_o, I would have appreciated closure here. That being said, I would be thrilled at a movie picking up with Coach Taylor yelling at his latest gaggle of misfits on that Pennsylvania field. Ahhh, who am I kidding. Pennsylvania forever? Nope, just doesn't sound right.
Season 2: My least favorite simply due to the writers going down a very worn path from previous shows. The stalker/rapist of Tyra and subsequent manslaughter "heroism" of Landry Clark seemed quite Melrose Place-ish, as did many of the other elements this season. One of my biggest complaints from this season is the writers and how they make fun of Christianity. As if Lyla going through all of the pitfalls in Season 1 would not provide a platform and possible catapult from some personal soul searching, it is compounded by the typical negative Hollywood slant on the situation. She is deemed weird for doing so and I find that offensive. We are talking about a small Texas town, the epitome of a Christian stronghold. This is typical Hollywood and it is getting old. Christians are not the problem, writer dolts. Your intolerance, however, is. And if one is offended by my politics in this review, take it up with the writers as they opened the door. Moreover, Lyla would not be ostracized over this, but more than likely heralded in some fashion. Ever notice in these shows that no other religion is ridiculed? All of this being said, man can she sport a pair of William Rast jeans. You are welcome J. Timberlake.
Did you think Friday Night Lights made the correct decision by bringing in new cast members after graduating their first group? Were they successful in this transition?
I loved the fact that they brought in new cast members. I felt the transition was cool...especially after season 3.
What’s one story line you wish the show would have focused more on?
I wished they could have kept the viewer in the loop on the professional career of Jason Street.
What’s one story line you wished the show would have spent less on or left out altogether?
The murder of the stalker/attacker of Tyra
Who was your favorite character not named Eric or Tami Taylor?
Once we get past the hottie factor of Lyla Garrity and Tyra Colette, I'd go with Matt Saracen. The character is played spot on and developed brilliantly over the course of the series. Everything he dealt with from his dad to his dementia suffering grandma seemed quite realistic. A close second is Riggs, Buddy Garrity, and Landry Clark. Each portrayed brilliantly. Coach Taylor made me wish I was a football coach. That is how good Kyle Chandler was at his job.
Did you have any pet peeves when it came to the show?
My only pet peeve was all of these kids, aside from the McCoy's and the Garrity's (pre divorce), seemed quite poor...yet they all sported designer denim...from Diesel to William Rast. Just a curious observation of possibly failing to keep it as real as possible.
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena "Reckoning" Review
Here's what I know after this week's "Reckoning" episode. Don't cross Lucretia. We already knew that though. And keep your home brew secure. You never know who's trying to tamper with it.
All our major players from Blood and Sand took a huge step towards becoming the characters we got to know last season. All season Lucretia has been the subservient dutiful wife with barely a glimmer of the deceitful conniving Matriarch of the house of Batiatus. That changed in a hurry. I wasn't ready to believe the death of Gaia as the catalyst for her transformation but then her confession proved she had just been hiding behind a veil of dutifulness. I never doubted her loyalty to Quintus but I wasn't completely convinced she didn't act with ulterior motives until this episode. Any doubt I had about her loyalty and love for Quintus was washed away by the look on her face as she gave herself to Crixus in an attempt to give Quintus a son.
She obviously knows as well as we do that Quintus, while a man of great aspirations isn't quick to action unless provoked to the extreme. Lucretia desperately wanted him to confront his father but even the treat of banishment wasn't enough for him to stand his ground against Titus. Though Quintus is prone to take matters to greater extreme Lucretia has always been more willing to take matters into her own hands. If Titus had seen this in her he probably would have banished her long before.
The tournament of Batiatus gladiators provided some of the best action this season. Even though they fought with wooden weapons and lives weren't being lost in the arena, the fighting was intense. Doctore though not sold on the merit of the tourney has definitely fully embraced his new position and cracks that whip with keen authority. With his wife now dead, I look for an even less forgiving Doctore in the Ludus.
I want to congratulate Gannicus on being the least likable champion of the House of Batiatus. Now move over because there's a new king in town. I wish they hadn't made Crixus' victory a result of Gannicus being distracted because I'd much rather have seen him humbled by the upstart. I think they've done a nice job evolving the friendship of Crixus and Barca. A friendship we will see carry on through to Blood and Sand.
So what do we have in store for us in the finale? Well we know there will be blood and lots of it. We know Crixus will arise from the games a star. I have little doubt Gannicus will not survive. Whether it's an honorable death in the arena or at the hands of Doctore, we're not sure. At some point he has to find out about Gannicus' relationship with his wife, right? By the time of Blood and Sand Doctore's heart ans soul are pure granite. Is it the death of his best friend or his betrayal that turns his heart to stone?
How does Quintus deal with Tullius now that Titus is out of the way? I don't think we'll get the satisfying destruction of Tullius at the hands of Batiatus we want. It's just a gut feeling but I think Tullius is going to fall to Solonius. We know that Solonius fills the vacuum left by the absence of Tullius in Blood and Sand.
Regardless of what they have in store for us, I'm not ready for it to end. I say we have another go with these characters. How about Spartacus: The Minor Deities of the Arena. When can even follow that with Spartacus: Lesser Immortals of the Arena.
All our major players from Blood and Sand took a huge step towards becoming the characters we got to know last season. All season Lucretia has been the subservient dutiful wife with barely a glimmer of the deceitful conniving Matriarch of the house of Batiatus. That changed in a hurry. I wasn't ready to believe the death of Gaia as the catalyst for her transformation but then her confession proved she had just been hiding behind a veil of dutifulness. I never doubted her loyalty to Quintus but I wasn't completely convinced she didn't act with ulterior motives until this episode. Any doubt I had about her loyalty and love for Quintus was washed away by the look on her face as she gave herself to Crixus in an attempt to give Quintus a son.
She obviously knows as well as we do that Quintus, while a man of great aspirations isn't quick to action unless provoked to the extreme. Lucretia desperately wanted him to confront his father but even the treat of banishment wasn't enough for him to stand his ground against Titus. Though Quintus is prone to take matters to greater extreme Lucretia has always been more willing to take matters into her own hands. If Titus had seen this in her he probably would have banished her long before.
The tournament of Batiatus gladiators provided some of the best action this season. Even though they fought with wooden weapons and lives weren't being lost in the arena, the fighting was intense. Doctore though not sold on the merit of the tourney has definitely fully embraced his new position and cracks that whip with keen authority. With his wife now dead, I look for an even less forgiving Doctore in the Ludus.
I want to congratulate Gannicus on being the least likable champion of the House of Batiatus. Now move over because there's a new king in town. I wish they hadn't made Crixus' victory a result of Gannicus being distracted because I'd much rather have seen him humbled by the upstart. I think they've done a nice job evolving the friendship of Crixus and Barca. A friendship we will see carry on through to Blood and Sand.
So what do we have in store for us in the finale? Well we know there will be blood and lots of it. We know Crixus will arise from the games a star. I have little doubt Gannicus will not survive. Whether it's an honorable death in the arena or at the hands of Doctore, we're not sure. At some point he has to find out about Gannicus' relationship with his wife, right? By the time of Blood and Sand Doctore's heart ans soul are pure granite. Is it the death of his best friend or his betrayal that turns his heart to stone?
How does Quintus deal with Tullius now that Titus is out of the way? I don't think we'll get the satisfying destruction of Tullius at the hands of Batiatus we want. It's just a gut feeling but I think Tullius is going to fall to Solonius. We know that Solonius fills the vacuum left by the absence of Tullius in Blood and Sand.
Regardless of what they have in store for us, I'm not ready for it to end. I say we have another go with these characters. How about Spartacus: The Minor Deities of the Arena. When can even follow that with Spartacus: Lesser Immortals of the Arena.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Friday Night Lights Series Review w/ Guest Author Danny Vara
It's not a common occurrence that a show like Friday Night Lights comes along. It is perhaps my favorite show to ever grace my small screen. In my on going quest to provide readers with fans critical opinions of the show, I invited Danny Vara (@heydannyv on twitter) to answer some all encompassing questions about the show. There are spoilers a plenty here, so save this for April after the DVDs come out or once it finishes airing on NBC.
How would you rank the 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights?
1,5,3,4,2
I watched about half of season one a few months ago and I forgot just how much was packed into that season. It was the season we were introduced to these really well-written characters that felt real to the audience. The season we discovered just how hot the women had to be if Connie Britton was only the third hottest.
I remember David Barron wrote about the show and was going to point out on a week-by-week basis all of its inaccuracies regarding Texas high school football. That was the one and only time I’ve ever left an angry comment on the Chron. I highly recommend you read what Barron wrote after the first season was done and my comment which is the first one underneath his writing. Pretty funny looking back on it now. And for the record, I and all my sportsflashers at 610 back when 610 was relevant never read “wire copy.” I think that practice stopped in the 50’s. Anyway hard to believe that was four years ago. Four years ago if you had told me that in 2011 I’d be an intellectual property paralegal whose only airtime involved a food show and I was weeks away from getting married with the Friday Night Lights theme song playing a prominent part I would have told you you were crazy. Now I say, Texas Forever.
Did you think Friday Night Lights made the correct decision by bringing in new cast members after graduating their first group? Were they successful in this transition?
The show absolutely had to bring in a new group and I think they pulled off the East Dillon angle about as well as can be expected. The new group had some bumps in the road, but Michael B. Jordan as Vince Howard was the tent pole that lifted up the newbies. Without him the show would not have been nearly as successful these final two seasons.
What’s one story line you wish the show would have focused more on?
I wish we would have found out what happened to the McCoys. They were such an integral part of season three and somewhat in season four yet they were given the murder plot treatment and dropped off the face of the earth. Tied in with that, could have been some sort of explanation as to why Dillon fell off the map football-wise this season. This show, without explanation, dropped things as it saw fit and that’s fine, but the McCoys was a tough arc to see without real resolution.
Aside from the Landry murder plot, what’s one story line you wished the show would have spent less on or left out altogether?
I know Cory and Barry mentioned some murder angle in season two, but I can’t recall that because I bulk erased much of season two out of my mind years ago. The one storyline that was unnecessary and went nowhere was in a word: Epic. First, Epic’s name. I mean, Epic?! Really?! Oookay, I’ll play along. Another troubled kid for Tami to help out. Okay, I’ll still play along because I guess something is going to happen. But nothing ever happened. Epic was hungry. Epic was a liar. Epic was good with babies with physical deformities. Epic didn’t like other teachers. I think the last season of a show with a cast as large as this didn’t need the insertion of this character at all. What? We needed to be reminded Tami was a caring, thoughtful school counselor. Ummm, pretty much the entire series you hit us over the head with that, but we cared about those characters as much as we cared about Tami. No one cared about Epic from the first scene to the last time Tami uttered her name to the principal to check on her. Epic storyline, hardly.
Did you have any pet peeves when it came to the show?
My series long pet peeve is very minor, but how many last-second, double-reverse-statue of liberty-fumblerooski-flea flicker-dance to “Single Ladies” (wait, different show)-halfback pass to QB from 60 yards out can a team win with? According to the Dillon and East Dillon record books that number is 42. I will say I thought the final football scene in season five was perfectly directed.
My season pet peeve for the last two seasons is the same Barry had. It’s the same pet peeve I had with Lost or any other show where the possibility existed of a surprise appearance from an old face. Get their names out of the opening f’n credits! I assume it’s a Screen Actors Guild thing or something, but it kills those surprises.
One more thing…we could have used more or just some of Jess’ dad in season five after such a pivotal role in season four. And was there really no way we could get some more of Smash’s mom? She was such a great character and I hated that we never got to see her even briefly catch up with coach. For a brief second in the series finale at the end I thought they were showing us Raiders training camp and Smash, but it was just Jess coaching. At some point a heart-to-heart between Smash and Vince would’ve been welcome.
Who was your favorite character not named Eric or Tami Taylor?
This is a great question because there are so many characters that such a wide range of the audience can identify with from Saracen to Buddy to Riggins to Street to Tyra. I tried to make a case for Tyra, but it’s impossible not to choose Matthew Saracen. I don’t even know where to start. His relationship with his grandmother? Mom? Dad? Julie? Coach Taylor? Or the relationship that gave us great conversation after great conversation. Obviously I’m talking about his relationship with Lance, I mean Landry. I’m glad we had one more conversation between those two in the series finale and it summed everything up well when Landry pondered how four years ago they were trying to figure out how to talk to Julie Taylor and now Matt was asking for her hand in marriage. The guy was forced to grow up quickly at home and on the field and he did it with such genuine emotion and conviction that I’m willing to forgive his fling with his grandmother’s nurse. He also gave us the single best acting performance in the show’s history in season four’s “The Son.” When I look back at the handful (and by handful I mean at least 40) times this show made me tear up Saracen seemed to be in most of the scenes. How can you not go QB1 with this question?
How would you rank the 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights?
1,5,3,4,2
I watched about half of season one a few months ago and I forgot just how much was packed into that season. It was the season we were introduced to these really well-written characters that felt real to the audience. The season we discovered just how hot the women had to be if Connie Britton was only the third hottest.
I remember David Barron wrote about the show and was going to point out on a week-by-week basis all of its inaccuracies regarding Texas high school football. That was the one and only time I’ve ever left an angry comment on the Chron. I highly recommend you read what Barron wrote after the first season was done and my comment which is the first one underneath his writing. Pretty funny looking back on it now. And for the record, I and all my sportsflashers at 610 back when 610 was relevant never read “wire copy.” I think that practice stopped in the 50’s. Anyway hard to believe that was four years ago. Four years ago if you had told me that in 2011 I’d be an intellectual property paralegal whose only airtime involved a food show and I was weeks away from getting married with the Friday Night Lights theme song playing a prominent part I would have told you you were crazy. Now I say, Texas Forever.
Did you think Friday Night Lights made the correct decision by bringing in new cast members after graduating their first group? Were they successful in this transition?
The show absolutely had to bring in a new group and I think they pulled off the East Dillon angle about as well as can be expected. The new group had some bumps in the road, but Michael B. Jordan as Vince Howard was the tent pole that lifted up the newbies. Without him the show would not have been nearly as successful these final two seasons.
What’s one story line you wish the show would have focused more on?
I wish we would have found out what happened to the McCoys. They were such an integral part of season three and somewhat in season four yet they were given the murder plot treatment and dropped off the face of the earth. Tied in with that, could have been some sort of explanation as to why Dillon fell off the map football-wise this season. This show, without explanation, dropped things as it saw fit and that’s fine, but the McCoys was a tough arc to see without real resolution.
Aside from the Landry murder plot, what’s one story line you wished the show would have spent less on or left out altogether?
I know Cory and Barry mentioned some murder angle in season two, but I can’t recall that because I bulk erased much of season two out of my mind years ago. The one storyline that was unnecessary and went nowhere was in a word: Epic. First, Epic’s name. I mean, Epic?! Really?! Oookay, I’ll play along. Another troubled kid for Tami to help out. Okay, I’ll still play along because I guess something is going to happen. But nothing ever happened. Epic was hungry. Epic was a liar. Epic was good with babies with physical deformities. Epic didn’t like other teachers. I think the last season of a show with a cast as large as this didn’t need the insertion of this character at all. What? We needed to be reminded Tami was a caring, thoughtful school counselor. Ummm, pretty much the entire series you hit us over the head with that, but we cared about those characters as much as we cared about Tami. No one cared about Epic from the first scene to the last time Tami uttered her name to the principal to check on her. Epic storyline, hardly.
Did you have any pet peeves when it came to the show?
My series long pet peeve is very minor, but how many last-second, double-reverse-statue of liberty-fumblerooski-flea flicker-dance to “Single Ladies” (wait, different show)-halfback pass to QB from 60 yards out can a team win with? According to the Dillon and East Dillon record books that number is 42. I will say I thought the final football scene in season five was perfectly directed.
My season pet peeve for the last two seasons is the same Barry had. It’s the same pet peeve I had with Lost or any other show where the possibility existed of a surprise appearance from an old face. Get their names out of the opening f’n credits! I assume it’s a Screen Actors Guild thing or something, but it kills those surprises.
One more thing…we could have used more or just some of Jess’ dad in season five after such a pivotal role in season four. And was there really no way we could get some more of Smash’s mom? She was such a great character and I hated that we never got to see her even briefly catch up with coach. For a brief second in the series finale at the end I thought they were showing us Raiders training camp and Smash, but it was just Jess coaching. At some point a heart-to-heart between Smash and Vince would’ve been welcome.
Who was your favorite character not named Eric or Tami Taylor?
This is a great question because there are so many characters that such a wide range of the audience can identify with from Saracen to Buddy to Riggins to Street to Tyra. I tried to make a case for Tyra, but it’s impossible not to choose Matthew Saracen. I don’t even know where to start. His relationship with his grandmother? Mom? Dad? Julie? Coach Taylor? Or the relationship that gave us great conversation after great conversation. Obviously I’m talking about his relationship with Lance, I mean Landry. I’m glad we had one more conversation between those two in the series finale and it summed everything up well when Landry pondered how four years ago they were trying to figure out how to talk to Julie Taylor and now Matt was asking for her hand in marriage. The guy was forced to grow up quickly at home and on the field and he did it with such genuine emotion and conviction that I’m willing to forgive his fling with his grandmother’s nurse. He also gave us the single best acting performance in the show’s history in season four’s “The Son.” When I look back at the handful (and by handful I mean at least 40) times this show made me tear up Saracen seemed to be in most of the scenes. How can you not go QB1 with this question?
Five for Friday - SI Swimsuit Models
The SI Swimsuit issue came out earlier this week so just for your viewing pleasure here are on the 5 hottest models in this year's edition. Remember this is my opinion. If you have a different set of 5 you think are the hottest then you're wrong.
Brooklyn Decker
Jessica Gomes
Julie Henderson
Kate Upton
Irina Shayk
Brooklyn Decker
Julie Henderson
Kate Upton
Irina Shayk
The Office - "Threat Level Midnight" Review
“It’ll take a lot more than a bullet the brain, lungs, heart, back and balls to kill Michael Scarn.” -Michael Scarn (as played by Michael Scott)
OK, I love the Michael Scarn movie, Threat Level Midnight, but why are we seeing this? 3 years ago this would have been a great episode, but The Office has shied away from episodic gag episodes. They’ve been very narrative heavy the last few years. Are we seeing this just for some nice cameos? If so, a Roy cameo would have been nice seeing as how Jim said he did the movie just to impress a receptionist(Pam). Which would put Roy in the picture. Or is it really just an extended metaphor of the evolution of Michael Scott?
It’s really nice to see Michael Scott be self-aware. It’s why we love him as a character and where he differs greatly from David Brent. But self-awareness was always present. It’s the ongoing maturation of Michael as a person which will ultimately land him Holly. She puts up with a lot of his silly antics, but occasionally she just can’t keep the charade up any longer and has to bring him down to earth. The scene where he calls her a “real pain in the ass” was perhaps the best example of where Michael is as a character. He rambles and says some hilarious ideas he has other than his movie and then yells at Holly when she doesn’t immediately take his side. Before Michael wouldn’t have expressed his frustration, instead he would have tried to “fix” something that wasn’t really broken. Then as he storms off, he has the self awareness to still tell Holly he loves her. He’s not afraid of losing her and that is a profound change in his character.
Anybody else notice the lack of Gabe? No way he lets the whole company take the time to watch this movie. Did anybody miss him? I didn’t. I really enjoyed seeing Erin sit next to Andy and become excited when she heard him do an accent on screen. In fact, I really just enjoyed the whole company being together in the conference room. I’m not sure I loved the timing and placement of this episode in the series, but I sure didn’t mind sitting back and enjoying the laughs.
OK, I love the Michael Scarn movie, Threat Level Midnight, but why are we seeing this? 3 years ago this would have been a great episode, but The Office has shied away from episodic gag episodes. They’ve been very narrative heavy the last few years. Are we seeing this just for some nice cameos? If so, a Roy cameo would have been nice seeing as how Jim said he did the movie just to impress a receptionist(Pam). Which would put Roy in the picture. Or is it really just an extended metaphor of the evolution of Michael Scott?
It’s really nice to see Michael Scott be self-aware. It’s why we love him as a character and where he differs greatly from David Brent. But self-awareness was always present. It’s the ongoing maturation of Michael as a person which will ultimately land him Holly. She puts up with a lot of his silly antics, but occasionally she just can’t keep the charade up any longer and has to bring him down to earth. The scene where he calls her a “real pain in the ass” was perhaps the best example of where Michael is as a character. He rambles and says some hilarious ideas he has other than his movie and then yells at Holly when she doesn’t immediately take his side. Before Michael wouldn’t have expressed his frustration, instead he would have tried to “fix” something that wasn’t really broken. Then as he storms off, he has the self awareness to still tell Holly he loves her. He’s not afraid of losing her and that is a profound change in his character.
Anybody else notice the lack of Gabe? No way he lets the whole company take the time to watch this movie. Did anybody miss him? I didn’t. I really enjoyed seeing Erin sit next to Andy and become excited when she heard him do an accent on screen. In fact, I really just enjoyed the whole company being together in the conference room. I’m not sure I loved the timing and placement of this episode in the series, but I sure didn’t mind sitting back and enjoying the laughs.
Community - "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" Review
“I told Pierce a thousand times! I never wanted to meet LaVar in person! I just wanted a picture! YOU CAN’T DISAPPOINT A PICTURE! I hate you Pierce! I hate you so much!” -Troy
What I love, and all of us love about Community is just how rich the characters are. They all have a unique voice, a complex set of problems and obstacles, and yet they all seem to work together perfectly in this show. Community celebrates the differences of each character and allows for them to make discoveries about themselves and the other characters in each episode. The show isn’t about them studying for Spanish class, it’s about why they choose to study with each other. Because we like these characters so much, it’s always so nice when we get an episode that is largely just the study group. No ways of trying to figure out how to make Chang fit in or Jeff trying to self-sabotage a relationship he’s in with this week’s current flavor. Just the group.
The use of Pierce in Community is continuing to be interesting. Is he the bad guy? Is he necessary for the success of the show? In this episode they acknowledge that he is the most disliked and even recounts that the idea of shooting a documentary on Pierce wasn’t inherently interesting. However, the writer’s have found a solution to dealing with Pierce. We become interested in his excursions because of the reactions to the other characters circumstances. If you want an actor to come across as crazy, don’t have him play crazy, rather show all the other people react to him like he’s crazy. So with Pierce, we don’t really have to care about him. As long as the others care about Pierce, we will also. It does not give the show carte blanche to do what ever they want with any character, because then we will cease to care about the show as a whole.
It seems like every week we have a new favorite character on the show. That’s a testament to the show’s brilliant writing and the excellent performances of the actors. This week Troy was particularly strong. He played all the emotions tonight. He acted goofy in front of the camera, went on a mad rant about hating Pierce for introducing him to LaVar Burton, and even gave a strangely moving performance of the Reading Rainbow theme while bawling on the floor of the restroom. It was also nice to see him do so well in an episode where he doesn't interact with Abed. We love the relationship they have, but I don't want it to become a crutch for the show.
Community’s ability to be creative and innovative with their story telling all while allowing their actors to flourish is the reason this is the number one comedy on television.
What I love, and all of us love about Community is just how rich the characters are. They all have a unique voice, a complex set of problems and obstacles, and yet they all seem to work together perfectly in this show. Community celebrates the differences of each character and allows for them to make discoveries about themselves and the other characters in each episode. The show isn’t about them studying for Spanish class, it’s about why they choose to study with each other. Because we like these characters so much, it’s always so nice when we get an episode that is largely just the study group. No ways of trying to figure out how to make Chang fit in or Jeff trying to self-sabotage a relationship he’s in with this week’s current flavor. Just the group.
The use of Pierce in Community is continuing to be interesting. Is he the bad guy? Is he necessary for the success of the show? In this episode they acknowledge that he is the most disliked and even recounts that the idea of shooting a documentary on Pierce wasn’t inherently interesting. However, the writer’s have found a solution to dealing with Pierce. We become interested in his excursions because of the reactions to the other characters circumstances. If you want an actor to come across as crazy, don’t have him play crazy, rather show all the other people react to him like he’s crazy. So with Pierce, we don’t really have to care about him. As long as the others care about Pierce, we will also. It does not give the show carte blanche to do what ever they want with any character, because then we will cease to care about the show as a whole.
It seems like every week we have a new favorite character on the show. That’s a testament to the show’s brilliant writing and the excellent performances of the actors. This week Troy was particularly strong. He played all the emotions tonight. He acted goofy in front of the camera, went on a mad rant about hating Pierce for introducing him to LaVar Burton, and even gave a strangely moving performance of the Reading Rainbow theme while bawling on the floor of the restroom. It was also nice to see him do so well in an episode where he doesn't interact with Abed. We love the relationship they have, but I don't want it to become a crutch for the show.
Community’s ability to be creative and innovative with their story telling all while allowing their actors to flourish is the reason this is the number one comedy on television.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Parks and Recreation "Media Blitz" Review
I have to admit I might give up listening to John & Lance in the morning if Crazy Ira and The Douche were to move here.
No offense to Community but Parks and Recreation is the funniest show on television right now. Ron Swanson is in the 2007 Tom Brady zone right now. Everything he does kills. I just laughed out loud while he typed the words "rectangle, America, megaphone, Monday, butthole." Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is the most awkwardly funny person since Michael Scott and Tom (Aziz Ansari) is a dead eye comedic sniper right now.
The best part of tonight's episode is that we finally got to see Ben (Adam Scott) step out of his straight guy persona and completely lose his mind in every medium possible. When confronted about his disastrous stint as an 18 year old mayor on a popular radio show, Crazy Ira and The Douche, Ben shows that he may not be as cool and collected as he appears out of the media. The Douche by the way is played by the very funny veteran of The League, Nick Kroll. As the media blitz to create buzz around the Harvest Festival continues, Ben's outbursts become more outlandish. At one point lifting his shirt to show host Perd Hapley his birthmark in order to drive home the point that he's not perfect. It's more than obvious Ben is haunted by his past failure.
Lucky for Ben, he's got Leslie and Tom to fall back on. An appearance on Joan Callamezzo's show wraps up the day for team. Tom is always on point to butter up Leslie's rival in the media Joan. For all of Leslie's awkward goofiness she somehow always knows the right move to fix a problem. When she is being grilled by Joan about Ben's ability to oversee the Pawnee's budget, Leslie knows the time is right to Ben to defend himself. And so the Harvest Festival is saved once again.
Let's not forget Chris' offer to take April with him to Indianapolis to be his assistant. Her response "sounds boring but I don't have anything tying me here so OK." No way are Ron and Andy going to let April get away that easy. Plus I'd have to drive to Pawnee and kill them if they did. Andy agrees to do all the jobs April hates for a month if she'll stay in Pawnee. Ron who knows he'll never find a suitable replacement for April takes it upon himself to make sure Andy succeeds. Of course, Andy runs into a number of Andy problems along the way.
I love Andy. He's dumb, sweet and completely naive in all the right ways. The character is ten fold better than he was in Parks first season. I'm glad he and April reunited. I don't see this as one of those relationships that changes the dynamic of the show. Neither character are central to Parks but rather the kind of role players that make a series.
Chris (Rob Lowe) cracks me up in small doses but as far as his relationship with Ann, I don't care very much. She finally confronted him about what is going to happen to their relationship when he has to move. All that was resolved was an agreement that they needed to address the subject.
Another excellent episode from Parks this week.
No offense to Community but Parks and Recreation is the funniest show on television right now. Ron Swanson is in the 2007 Tom Brady zone right now. Everything he does kills. I just laughed out loud while he typed the words "rectangle, America, megaphone, Monday, butthole." Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is the most awkwardly funny person since Michael Scott and Tom (Aziz Ansari) is a dead eye comedic sniper right now.
The best part of tonight's episode is that we finally got to see Ben (Adam Scott) step out of his straight guy persona and completely lose his mind in every medium possible. When confronted about his disastrous stint as an 18 year old mayor on a popular radio show, Crazy Ira and The Douche, Ben shows that he may not be as cool and collected as he appears out of the media. The Douche by the way is played by the very funny veteran of The League, Nick Kroll. As the media blitz to create buzz around the Harvest Festival continues, Ben's outbursts become more outlandish. At one point lifting his shirt to show host Perd Hapley his birthmark in order to drive home the point that he's not perfect. It's more than obvious Ben is haunted by his past failure.
Lucky for Ben, he's got Leslie and Tom to fall back on. An appearance on Joan Callamezzo's show wraps up the day for team. Tom is always on point to butter up Leslie's rival in the media Joan. For all of Leslie's awkward goofiness she somehow always knows the right move to fix a problem. When she is being grilled by Joan about Ben's ability to oversee the Pawnee's budget, Leslie knows the time is right to Ben to defend himself. And so the Harvest Festival is saved once again.
Let's not forget Chris' offer to take April with him to Indianapolis to be his assistant. Her response "sounds boring but I don't have anything tying me here so OK." No way are Ron and Andy going to let April get away that easy. Plus I'd have to drive to Pawnee and kill them if they did. Andy agrees to do all the jobs April hates for a month if she'll stay in Pawnee. Ron who knows he'll never find a suitable replacement for April takes it upon himself to make sure Andy succeeds. Of course, Andy runs into a number of Andy problems along the way.
I love Andy. He's dumb, sweet and completely naive in all the right ways. The character is ten fold better than he was in Parks first season. I'm glad he and April reunited. I don't see this as one of those relationships that changes the dynamic of the show. Neither character are central to Parks but rather the kind of role players that make a series.
Chris (Rob Lowe) cracks me up in small doses but as far as his relationship with Ann, I don't care very much. She finally confronted him about what is going to happen to their relationship when he has to move. All that was resolved was an agreement that they needed to address the subject.
Another excellent episode from Parks this week.
Perfect Couples "Perfect Crime" Review
One of two things happened tonight. Either Perfect Couples is finally starting to find its niche and had their best episode so far or tonight's subject matter really connected with me and my fear of opossums.
I'm kind of thinking it was maybe both.
"Perfect Crime" dealt squarely with the evolving gender roles in today's society. Dave was feeling emasculated because Julie never needing him to handle "man stuff" for her, like shutting up the punk kids making too much noise in front of their house. Vance had more ideas than Amy on how the planning of their wedding should be handled. Amy however is an "expert on all things hick" and was instrumental in the disposing of Dave's dead opossum.
The opossum stuff really killed me, in a good way. The guys reaction whenever they saw the dead animal was spot on. Dave's paralyzing fear gave me the biggest laughs mostly because I have the same paralyzing fear of opossums and all rodents for that matter. I once sat in my car for nearly an hour waiting for a opossum rooting in the hedges to finally wander off.
Olivia Munn's Leigh is growing as a character but the writers still haven't found the right tone for her. They at least haven't figured out how to best use Munn's talents to really make her character essential to the show's comedy. Right now she's just a side bar and a reason to have Rex around. Having Rex around though is essential. He's easily the best character on the show right now. His lacrosse playing, upper crust, macho persona is great. He got just the right amount of cheese and buffoonery to make the macho attributes hilarious.
I'm kind of thinking it was maybe both.
"Perfect Crime" dealt squarely with the evolving gender roles in today's society. Dave was feeling emasculated because Julie never needing him to handle "man stuff" for her, like shutting up the punk kids making too much noise in front of their house. Vance had more ideas than Amy on how the planning of their wedding should be handled. Amy however is an "expert on all things hick" and was instrumental in the disposing of Dave's dead opossum.
The opossum stuff really killed me, in a good way. The guys reaction whenever they saw the dead animal was spot on. Dave's paralyzing fear gave me the biggest laughs mostly because I have the same paralyzing fear of opossums and all rodents for that matter. I once sat in my car for nearly an hour waiting for a opossum rooting in the hedges to finally wander off.
Olivia Munn's Leigh is growing as a character but the writers still haven't found the right tone for her. They at least haven't figured out how to best use Munn's talents to really make her character essential to the show's comedy. Right now she's just a side bar and a reason to have Rex around. Having Rex around though is essential. He's easily the best character on the show right now. His lacrosse playing, upper crust, macho persona is great. He got just the right amount of cheese and buffoonery to make the macho attributes hilarious.
The ApeDonkey Manifesto: New Laws & Regulations
I huge part of ApeDonkey's mission is to make this country and this world a better place. As a part of that mission we've already given you a list of people you absolutely can't trust and the reasons you should always choose chocolate over vanilla.
Now it's time to address the laws that govern this country. I'm of the opinion there are way too many laws in this country. The bigger problem though is we have the wrong laws. Congress seems much too concerned with making moral choices for adults. How about Congress sticks to building roads and I'll work on making better moral choices.
My point is we waste way too much time and money on the wrong things. So as part of The ApeDonkey Manifesto for a better America, a better World, I've come up with some laws and regulations not created to imprison people but to make us a better society.
Now it's time to address the laws that govern this country. I'm of the opinion there are way too many laws in this country. The bigger problem though is we have the wrong laws. Congress seems much too concerned with making moral choices for adults. How about Congress sticks to building roads and I'll work on making better moral choices.
My point is we waste way too much time and money on the wrong things. So as part of The ApeDonkey Manifesto for a better America, a better World, I've come up with some laws and regulations not created to imprison people but to make us a better society.
- To the mom who "needs" a gigantic, unparkable, gas guzzling Suburban or SUV if that ilk to lug your two kids all over town. Sorry but that's not gonna happen. If you want a bigger vehicle then you need to put in the work and produce a few more kids. Once you get to 3, 4 or 5 kids the ban is lifted and you can then upgrade to a behemoth. Until then it's sedan city.
- There will be and immediate ban on importing music from Canada. Alanis Morissette, Rush and Nickelback among others have done enough damage. Yes we'll have to sacrifice some great acts like Neko Case, AC Newman and The New Pornographers but no one said making America great again wasn't going to be painful.
- I'm a big fat guy but even I can see that we have a huge problem with obesity in the country. From this point on restaurants will now have to charge by the calorie. Fatty wants that chicken fried steak, fries and a piece of chocolate cheese cake then fatty's gonna have to pay dearly for it.
- There will only be three options for disposing of the deceased. 1) Cremation 2) Donated to science 3) If you really must be buried then it will be done out in the Arizona/Nevada/New Mexico desert. We only have so much land let's stop filling it up with dead bodies.
- No more cats as pets. Until someone makes a convincing argument that cats actually have any affection for the person who sustains their life, they're out.
- Gambling will be legalized in all 50 states. I'm an adult. I think I can make the determination if it's morally corrupt to play blackjack. Mr. Congressman maybe you should think about the morality of getting fat off of the dollars of Nevada, Louisiana and New Jersey lobbyists.
- Only one awards show per industry. That means you can have the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys but no more AMAs, SAG awards, Golden Globes, MTV whatever awards. Your awards show sucks stop cluttering up my television.
- Tyler Perry will be immediately deported to parts unknown. You're at least 7 bad productions over the line pal.
- Douchebaggery will be a 2nd degree felony.
- Everyone will be required to work a blue collar job for a minimum of three years. It humbles you and teaches you how to treat people.
- Gay marriage will be legal. It's completely unfair that a gay couple can spend ten years together and not have to go through the price gouging, soul crushing process of divorce.
- Dallas, LA and Miami will immediately be de-annexed and become thunderdome states.
- "Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" will be written into the Bill of Rights. You're not 8, I don't care what someone calls you or says about you. Get over it.
- Education will be funded first. Educate the people and together we'll figure out how to fund everything else.
- One of our new motto's will be "Stupidity is a part of nature. Ignorance is not."
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Justified "The Life Inside" Review
Tonight's Justified was kind of like Raising Arizona only less funny and more white trash.
Raylan got back to the business of doing US Marshal work tonight. Charged with transporting a pregnant inmate to her OB/GYN appointment, Raylan looks to have a pretty uneventful day. Yeah right.
The moment they enter the Doctor's office Raylan and everyone watching knows the dirty fella waiting for his wife to show up is going to be a problem. And off we go, fugitive hunting time. The dirty criminal, who we now know as Jess, and his former EMT accomplice take the pregnant fugitive, Cassie to a cabin where they plan to deliver the baby. Unbeknown est to Cassie, Jess has no intentions of letting her go once they get the baby.
Meanwhile, Raylan and his partner Deputy Marshal Gutterson are hard at work trying to figure out who the real father and likely architect to this escape really is. It doesn't take them long to figure out it's an inside job.
Jess's partner Van it turns out isn't all that keen on killing a woman minutes after she gives birth and even less keen on letting Jess cut her baby out while she's still alive. By the time Raylan and Gutterson arrive on the scene Jess has killed Van in a struggle and has a gun on Cassie's unborn child. From here we learn two things, if you shoot a man in the part of the brain Raylan calls the apricot, it's lights out. He has no chance of getting his own shot off. We also learn that Gutterson is a damn fine shot.
So that was the episodic portion of tonight's episode but what about the serial story lines. We get just a glimpse of the Bennetts tonight to remind us who this season's bad guys are. Mags drinks some cider and tries to get close with Loretta. I have to admit Mag's cider looks tasty and I damn sure want to try her apple pie. We also learn there is some history between the Bennetts and Givens.
Raylan and Winona continue to grow closer though neither seems to trust the other completely. I knew there was something I liked about Winona though, Natalie Zea born in Harris County, Texas. I'm all in pulling for the hometown girl. Looks like her latest ex, Gary, has every intention of stealing her from Raylan again though. I don't know how he did it in the first place but if there's one guy I don't want to have to compete with for the affections of a woman, it's Raylan Givens. The dude is witty, smooth and wears the best hat on television.
Boyd continues to claim he's given up his life of crime but as Raylan says "the more you say that the less I believe you." And of course, Ava and Boyd are shacked up together. Ava seems exactly like the type of girl who would hook up with her dead husband's brother. The same brother who recently made several attempts on her life. I guess that's just life in the back woods of Kentucky.
Raylan got back to the business of doing US Marshal work tonight. Charged with transporting a pregnant inmate to her OB/GYN appointment, Raylan looks to have a pretty uneventful day. Yeah right.
The moment they enter the Doctor's office Raylan and everyone watching knows the dirty fella waiting for his wife to show up is going to be a problem. And off we go, fugitive hunting time. The dirty criminal, who we now know as Jess, and his former EMT accomplice take the pregnant fugitive, Cassie to a cabin where they plan to deliver the baby. Unbeknown est to Cassie, Jess has no intentions of letting her go once they get the baby.
Meanwhile, Raylan and his partner Deputy Marshal Gutterson are hard at work trying to figure out who the real father and likely architect to this escape really is. It doesn't take them long to figure out it's an inside job.
Jess's partner Van it turns out isn't all that keen on killing a woman minutes after she gives birth and even less keen on letting Jess cut her baby out while she's still alive. By the time Raylan and Gutterson arrive on the scene Jess has killed Van in a struggle and has a gun on Cassie's unborn child. From here we learn two things, if you shoot a man in the part of the brain Raylan calls the apricot, it's lights out. He has no chance of getting his own shot off. We also learn that Gutterson is a damn fine shot.
So that was the episodic portion of tonight's episode but what about the serial story lines. We get just a glimpse of the Bennetts tonight to remind us who this season's bad guys are. Mags drinks some cider and tries to get close with Loretta. I have to admit Mag's cider looks tasty and I damn sure want to try her apple pie. We also learn there is some history between the Bennetts and Givens.
Raylan and Winona continue to grow closer though neither seems to trust the other completely. I knew there was something I liked about Winona though, Natalie Zea born in Harris County, Texas. I'm all in pulling for the hometown girl. Looks like her latest ex, Gary, has every intention of stealing her from Raylan again though. I don't know how he did it in the first place but if there's one guy I don't want to have to compete with for the affections of a woman, it's Raylan Givens. The dude is witty, smooth and wears the best hat on television.
Boyd continues to claim he's given up his life of crime but as Raylan says "the more you say that the less I believe you." And of course, Ava and Boyd are shacked up together. Ava seems exactly like the type of girl who would hook up with her dead husband's brother. The same brother who recently made several attempts on her life. I guess that's just life in the back woods of Kentucky.
Modern Family "Princess Party" Review
"The truth is little guy, I am rich but not with money. I've got my abs. I've got my hair and I've got a super sweet job driving that limo outside." Bobby Sullivan
It's time for Lilly's birthday party and all the crazies in the Pritchett clan are coming out to play. Claire and Mitchell's mom, Jay's ex, Dede, played by Shelly Long, is coming to town for the party and she has a way of bringing out the worst in everyone. Modern Family always works best when they bring out their worst.
Dede shows up at Phil and Claire's house with Claire's old high school boyfriend, Bobby Sullivan in tow. Bobby is played by the excellent Matt Dillon. Dede always looking to get something neglected to tell Bobby that Claire was married when she invited him to dinner.
There's some pretty funny quien mas macho? banter between Phil and Bobby before and after dinner but the real comedy is going on at Mitchell and Cam's house. Cam is upset because Mitchell didn't invite his alter ego Fizbo to entertain at Lilly's party. Instead hiring a princess to entertain. I thought court jester Fizbo was genius. I would have hired him on the spot.
You know it's a good party when Gloria shows up whacked on Xanax and tequila. Cam is gold tricking the princess to break character. Then berating her with a story about being lit on fire and still making balloon animals as he was being loaded into the ambulance. The party really gets going when Dede shows up with Bobby leading to a great line by Claire. "You win. I'm screaming at a princess party, Mom."
Modern Family continued their comeback from a sub par first half of the season with another solid episode tonight. On a night when Phil doesn't have the biggest part it's imperative to get a performance like this out of Cam. Although Phil was classic Phil exclaiming "I've got Gloria. I've got Gloria" as Gloria and Dede were rolling around on the ground fighting.
It's time for Lilly's birthday party and all the crazies in the Pritchett clan are coming out to play. Claire and Mitchell's mom, Jay's ex, Dede, played by Shelly Long, is coming to town for the party and she has a way of bringing out the worst in everyone. Modern Family always works best when they bring out their worst.
Dede shows up at Phil and Claire's house with Claire's old high school boyfriend, Bobby Sullivan in tow. Bobby is played by the excellent Matt Dillon. Dede always looking to get something neglected to tell Bobby that Claire was married when she invited him to dinner.
There's some pretty funny quien mas macho? banter between Phil and Bobby before and after dinner but the real comedy is going on at Mitchell and Cam's house. Cam is upset because Mitchell didn't invite his alter ego Fizbo to entertain at Lilly's party. Instead hiring a princess to entertain. I thought court jester Fizbo was genius. I would have hired him on the spot.
You know it's a good party when Gloria shows up whacked on Xanax and tequila. Cam is gold tricking the princess to break character. Then berating her with a story about being lit on fire and still making balloon animals as he was being loaded into the ambulance. The party really gets going when Dede shows up with Bobby leading to a great line by Claire. "You win. I'm screaming at a princess party, Mom."
Modern Family continued their comeback from a sub par first half of the season with another solid episode tonight. On a night when Phil doesn't have the biggest part it's imperative to get a performance like this out of Cam. Although Phil was classic Phil exclaiming "I've got Gloria. I've got Gloria" as Gloria and Dede were rolling around on the ground fighting.
Survivor: Redemption Island Recap and Analysis Episode 1
“Man it feels so good to play with you amateurs. You give away so much. You don’t even know enough to keep your mouth shut. Thanks for the memories.” -Boston Rob
Survivor is back and this shaping up to be a great season already. This is Survivor’s 22nd (2 a year over 11 years) so the question is always, “How do you keep it fresh?” Survivor has responded by adding to wrinkles to the game. The first is that both Boston Rob and Russell Hance will be returning to the game to play against each other. They are regular contestants with no special provisions. It would seem too obvious to just vote these two very strong players out first, so Survivor installed their 2nd wrinkle: Redemption Island. After you are voted out, you go to Redemption Island where you await the next contestant who’s voted out and there you have a duel to see who stays.
I have a lot of questions surrounding Redemption Island. First, does the duel take place right away when the 2nd member shows up? This would not allow for strategy to be talked. I think Survivor is always better when more players are playing a strategic game. Second, will there be a hidden immunity idol on the island? This seems unlikely as one person may find it, hide it, get eliminated and it’s gone forever. It would also seem like a third life given to a contestant who already hasn’t proven worthy. Third, when will the survivor of Redemption Island be released back into the game? It has to be post merge, but not too much after. I doubt the producer’s have a set time. I think they’ll release the player when it will most benefit the narrative. Fourth, will the other players know who’s been eliminated every challenge. I hope that they don’t know. It’ll make for more drama when they arrive back. It will also keep people from counting on a vote. Which leads me to my last question, can the Survivor be on the jury? This would make me think that they’ll be released before the next person voted out hits the jury. I know all these questions will be answered soon, but I think this element will be very dynamic.
As for the episode itself, I don’t think Survivor could have asked for a better premiere. They’ve done a great job of casting. We have lots of opinionated people and some very beautiful girls. Boston Rob’s team, Ometepe, lost the first challenge and the events that ensued were extremely entertaining. Kristina found a hidden immunity idol and wanted to make a big play early by using it to vote out Boston Rob. The problem was that she only had two other people on board. Boston Rob, being the savvy veteran that he is, anticipated that she would find it so he and his alliance already planned to split their vote to get rid of either Francesca (if Kristina played it), or Kristina (if she held onto it). Phillip, the loud mouth ex federal agent, told the girls he was with them until he heard different. At tribal council he heard an answer that he didn’t like, told Rob the plan and that Kristina had the idol. I’ve never seen so much action on a first tribal council. Kristina kept the idol and Francesca was voted out.
Kristina made the right move in not playing the idol. With Phillip’s declaration of voting for “Franchesqua” she knew it’d go her way so she has three more days guaranteed without having to play it. If she feels she needs to play it next week, another 3 days. Thus she’s guaranteed 6 days by not playing it as opposed to just 3 by playing it. Philip made the right move in abandoning the girls, but he’s still on the outside of Rob’s very large alliance. Rob can’t continue with an alliance of 7. He’ll need to pick out a select core from that group and Phillip’s only hope is to be a part of that.
As for Zapatera, Russell’s tribe, things couldn’t be better. They built a great shelter and won the first challenge. Russell made a declaration that he’s a changed player. That it would be stupid to play the game the same way. It should be noted that Russell was able to get to the finals in his second season because no one had the luxury of seeing him play. The all-star season was filming while his was airing. If other players had a chance to scout him, no way he lasts that long. So his tribe members are wise to his tricks and it looks like they’re going to vote him out at first chance. Russell’s best chance is to ingratiate himself with a core of four people, tell them his game plan and be candid. He can’t do all the backstabbing he did before. He is going to have to play the game differently.
I’ll pick who I think is going to win every week. I’ll keep that pick until they’re voted out. This first one is a crap shoot, but if I had to blindly pick a winner I’ll go with Mike, the ex military soldier on Zapatera tribe.
Survivor is back and this shaping up to be a great season already. This is Survivor’s 22nd (2 a year over 11 years) so the question is always, “How do you keep it fresh?” Survivor has responded by adding to wrinkles to the game. The first is that both Boston Rob and Russell Hance will be returning to the game to play against each other. They are regular contestants with no special provisions. It would seem too obvious to just vote these two very strong players out first, so Survivor installed their 2nd wrinkle: Redemption Island. After you are voted out, you go to Redemption Island where you await the next contestant who’s voted out and there you have a duel to see who stays.
I have a lot of questions surrounding Redemption Island. First, does the duel take place right away when the 2nd member shows up? This would not allow for strategy to be talked. I think Survivor is always better when more players are playing a strategic game. Second, will there be a hidden immunity idol on the island? This seems unlikely as one person may find it, hide it, get eliminated and it’s gone forever. It would also seem like a third life given to a contestant who already hasn’t proven worthy. Third, when will the survivor of Redemption Island be released back into the game? It has to be post merge, but not too much after. I doubt the producer’s have a set time. I think they’ll release the player when it will most benefit the narrative. Fourth, will the other players know who’s been eliminated every challenge. I hope that they don’t know. It’ll make for more drama when they arrive back. It will also keep people from counting on a vote. Which leads me to my last question, can the Survivor be on the jury? This would make me think that they’ll be released before the next person voted out hits the jury. I know all these questions will be answered soon, but I think this element will be very dynamic.
As for the episode itself, I don’t think Survivor could have asked for a better premiere. They’ve done a great job of casting. We have lots of opinionated people and some very beautiful girls. Boston Rob’s team, Ometepe, lost the first challenge and the events that ensued were extremely entertaining. Kristina found a hidden immunity idol and wanted to make a big play early by using it to vote out Boston Rob. The problem was that she only had two other people on board. Boston Rob, being the savvy veteran that he is, anticipated that she would find it so he and his alliance already planned to split their vote to get rid of either Francesca (if Kristina played it), or Kristina (if she held onto it). Phillip, the loud mouth ex federal agent, told the girls he was with them until he heard different. At tribal council he heard an answer that he didn’t like, told Rob the plan and that Kristina had the idol. I’ve never seen so much action on a first tribal council. Kristina kept the idol and Francesca was voted out.
Kristina made the right move in not playing the idol. With Phillip’s declaration of voting for “Franchesqua” she knew it’d go her way so she has three more days guaranteed without having to play it. If she feels she needs to play it next week, another 3 days. Thus she’s guaranteed 6 days by not playing it as opposed to just 3 by playing it. Philip made the right move in abandoning the girls, but he’s still on the outside of Rob’s very large alliance. Rob can’t continue with an alliance of 7. He’ll need to pick out a select core from that group and Phillip’s only hope is to be a part of that.
As for Zapatera, Russell’s tribe, things couldn’t be better. They built a great shelter and won the first challenge. Russell made a declaration that he’s a changed player. That it would be stupid to play the game the same way. It should be noted that Russell was able to get to the finals in his second season because no one had the luxury of seeing him play. The all-star season was filming while his was airing. If other players had a chance to scout him, no way he lasts that long. So his tribe members are wise to his tricks and it looks like they’re going to vote him out at first chance. Russell’s best chance is to ingratiate himself with a core of four people, tell them his game plan and be candid. He can’t do all the backstabbing he did before. He is going to have to play the game differently.
I’ll pick who I think is going to win every week. I’ll keep that pick until they’re voted out. This first one is a crap shoot, but if I had to blindly pick a winner I’ll go with Mike, the ex military soldier on Zapatera tribe.
Black ApeDonkey: Netflix Reviews - 2/15/11
The American - Must See - If you like great 70's movies like The Day of the Jackal, The Conversation and Three Days of the Condor, then you should love this movie. George Clooney plays Jack an American assassin and custom arms maker who has fled to rural Italy to escape Swedish assassins. The film's controlled deliberate pace is a perfect compliment for a character forever looking over his shoulder paranoid of who may be waiting around the corner. Clooney and director Anton Corbijn have done a masterful job of molding a character in Jack who is meticulous, proud and profoundly lonely. The kind of lonely only a man living in a foreign land, whose only companionship is found in the bed of a hooker and the conversations with a local priest. Clooney and his understated portrayal is the perfect choice as an American abroad leading an isolated existence. I really loved this movie. 
Machete - See it - Robert Rodriguez is not the master of subtlety. He is pretty good at integrating comedy and violence. Machete isn't on the same level as Desperado but with Danny Trejo dropping lines like "Machete don't text." It's a good change of pace film. Machete the character is an ex Federale exiled in the US after escaping from the clutches of Mexican drug lord Torrez played by Steven Seagal complete with an outstanding Mexican accent. When he's set up to be the fall guy in a Texas politician's publicity stunt, Machete goes to work exacting his revenge. You'll recognize everyone in the movie from Lost alumni Michele Rodriguez and Jeff Fahey to Cheech Marin and Lindsay Lohan. I was less than impressed with Robert De Niro's portrayal of Texas Senator John Mclaughlin but then I remembered this is the same De Niro that makes Focker and Analyze _____ movies now. As a side note to Jessica Alba. If you're the worst actress in a movie that includes Lindsay Lohan, you're pretty bad. I promise you won't sprain your cerebral cortex watching this movie but you'll be entertained and have a lot of fun.
Collapse - See it - Michael Ruppert has a pretty accomplished resume. Especially, when it comes to illegal drug trafficking. He is a graduate of UCLA and for LAPD who spent years trying to expose the CIA's involvement with funding programs through illegal drug trafficking. He seemed like a logical choice for Chris Smith to approach for a documentary about illegal narcotics. It seems though they found a man in the throws of a new mission. Ruppert believes we are on the precipice of an apocalyptic economic collapse based on our insolvent banking system and reliance on oil. Personally, I could sit an listen to Ruppert speak on the subject for days. His passion and presentation of evidence, wrong or right, is captivating. He's the kind of guy you can sit in front of a camera and just let him go. I'm not sure director Smith actually did much more than that. This movie was recommended to me by fellow documentary aficionado @seanincypress. I sent him a message about half way through to celebrate what a beautiful nut Ruppert was. His reply was "If 20 percent of what he says is true, we're fucked." Whether or not you buy what Ruppert is selling, he is infinitely entertaining to watch speak on the subject. 
Black Swan - Must See - At this point Black Swan has been reviewed to death. I saw it a few weeks ago and forgot to include it in my reviews. However, with the Oscars approaching I want to at least touch on the major contenders. The first thing this movie did was prove my theory that you could make a movie focusing solely on Natalie Portman's face and I'd happily spend two hours watching it. She is completely mesmerizing on screen. Every worry, fear, lust and pain is right there to behold as she finally embodies the black swan. Not only should she be the favorite for Best Actress but she should win going away.If I were making the selection, Darren Aronofsky would win for Best Director as well. Aronofsky reminds me a lot of David Lynch in the late 80's early 90's. He has a knack for creating tension between the audience and what is on the screen. So much so, you're never really comfortable in your seat. Black Swan like most Aronofsky movies isn't a film you can watch once and know exactly what you've just seen. It's a film you have to absorb into your conscience and piece back together to finally understand.
I don't think Black Swan has much of a chance to walk away with Best Picture. It lacks the slick film making and cultural relevance of The Social Network. Nor does it have the publicity momentum and historical importance of The King's Speech. What it does have that neither of those films produced is a "WOW" moment. A few moments on film that are so completely engrossing and incredible you simply lose your breath.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Lights Out - "Combinations" Review
“You don’t last 2 minutes in my world, bitch. Tell your daughters to pray for you.” -Javier
Clearly we as the audience care about Patrick “Lights” Leary, but do we care about what he cares about? Patrick has many battles he has to fight both literally and figuratively. Maybe I’m too impatient, but I want to see him box. I know that’s not what the show is explicitly about but Lights Out would stand to benefit from some episodic plots dealing with fighting. I don’t suggest him fighting in a match every episode until he defeats Death Row Reynolds, but we need to see him progressing physically. We need to believe that when he fights Javier, it’ll be a fair fight.
The main issue is that we just don’t care about Patrick’s wife all that much. Teresa doesn’t have a lot of friends left in the show after her visit with Patrick’s sister, Margaret. If we are to care about Patrick trying to get his wife back, we must first want them to get back together, and the only reason we want that, is because Patrick wants that. Teresa needs a big win. And soon. The fight we care about is between Patrick and Javier, not between Patrick and Teresa. Unless the family is more danger than they are, I don’t particularly care about his quest to save them. We seem to be at an impasse between Patrick and wife about him fighting and as long as he keeps training, the problem won’t go away. There are 3 realistic story telling options at this point: Patrick stops fighting (which he won’t or there’s no show), Teresa changes her convictions (which she shouldn’t since it’s the foundation of the domestic conflict), or we drop the home life angle until something upsets the balance. Obviously I’m in favor of the third option.
I am interested in Johnny’s story line. He adds a darkness to the Leary family. I enjoy seeing him simultaneously trying to curry favor with his brother Patrick, while trying to get his old job back with the fighter Lights Leary. It was particularly interesting when Johnny stood up to his dad. He reminded his father of a piece of advice he once gave to him, “You want the fight, you pay the price.” Up to this point Patrick’s dad has been altruistic and full of integrity. I wonder if there’s more to this story. Maybe Johnny learned some tricks from his dad in the boxing promoting world.
As of right now, I need more risk. Patrick took a risk taking the fight and he “lost” his family, but he’s still allowed to see them all the time and it looks like Teresa is growing sympathetic. What about the financial troubles? Are the Leary’s able to use more credit because he’s close to a million dollar purse? There’s no urgency from the show. They seem content on taking there time, but I think they need to pick up the pace. Something needs to tip the scales and upset the balance. The show can’t tread too much water or else the audience interest will start to wain.
Other thoughts:
-Not sure what to make of the newspaper writer angle. I had thought that the writer’s story will be redundant with the show. That Mike would be best served creating controversy, maybe as a mouth piece for Word. That we didn’t need him telling us what we’re already watching, but then they wrapped him up this episode. Maybe it’s just a point made on the state of affairs of newspaper writing.
-Barry Word is so excellent. The opening scene was perfect. I could listen to Reg E. Cathey talk all day.
-What happened to Brennan? You can’t just end the previous episode with an ominous handshake between Word and Brennan and then not even make mention of it? I really hope there’s more to all this.
Clearly we as the audience care about Patrick “Lights” Leary, but do we care about what he cares about? Patrick has many battles he has to fight both literally and figuratively. Maybe I’m too impatient, but I want to see him box. I know that’s not what the show is explicitly about but Lights Out would stand to benefit from some episodic plots dealing with fighting. I don’t suggest him fighting in a match every episode until he defeats Death Row Reynolds, but we need to see him progressing physically. We need to believe that when he fights Javier, it’ll be a fair fight.
The main issue is that we just don’t care about Patrick’s wife all that much. Teresa doesn’t have a lot of friends left in the show after her visit with Patrick’s sister, Margaret. If we are to care about Patrick trying to get his wife back, we must first want them to get back together, and the only reason we want that, is because Patrick wants that. Teresa needs a big win. And soon. The fight we care about is between Patrick and Javier, not between Patrick and Teresa. Unless the family is more danger than they are, I don’t particularly care about his quest to save them. We seem to be at an impasse between Patrick and wife about him fighting and as long as he keeps training, the problem won’t go away. There are 3 realistic story telling options at this point: Patrick stops fighting (which he won’t or there’s no show), Teresa changes her convictions (which she shouldn’t since it’s the foundation of the domestic conflict), or we drop the home life angle until something upsets the balance. Obviously I’m in favor of the third option.
I am interested in Johnny’s story line. He adds a darkness to the Leary family. I enjoy seeing him simultaneously trying to curry favor with his brother Patrick, while trying to get his old job back with the fighter Lights Leary. It was particularly interesting when Johnny stood up to his dad. He reminded his father of a piece of advice he once gave to him, “You want the fight, you pay the price.” Up to this point Patrick’s dad has been altruistic and full of integrity. I wonder if there’s more to this story. Maybe Johnny learned some tricks from his dad in the boxing promoting world.
As of right now, I need more risk. Patrick took a risk taking the fight and he “lost” his family, but he’s still allowed to see them all the time and it looks like Teresa is growing sympathetic. What about the financial troubles? Are the Leary’s able to use more credit because he’s close to a million dollar purse? There’s no urgency from the show. They seem content on taking there time, but I think they need to pick up the pace. Something needs to tip the scales and upset the balance. The show can’t tread too much water or else the audience interest will start to wain.
Other thoughts:
-Not sure what to make of the newspaper writer angle. I had thought that the writer’s story will be redundant with the show. That Mike would be best served creating controversy, maybe as a mouth piece for Word. That we didn’t need him telling us what we’re already watching, but then they wrapped him up this episode. Maybe it’s just a point made on the state of affairs of newspaper writing.
-Barry Word is so excellent. The opening scene was perfect. I could listen to Reg E. Cathey talk all day.
-What happened to Brennan? You can’t just end the previous episode with an ominous handshake between Word and Brennan and then not even make mention of it? I really hope there’s more to all this.
Glee - "Comeback" Review
“Who’s more rock and roll than Justin Bieber? No one. That’s who.” -Sam
Glee walked a fine line tonight. It was able to touch on aspects of things I both love and hate about the show. This was by no means Glee’s worst episode, far from it, but it is still standing in it’s own way from being great.
Let’s start with one of Glee’s biggest problem: Sue Sylvester. Glee is searching for a way to use Sue. We love Jane Lynch’s portrayal of her, but all the jokes are becoming hackneyed and we know the Glee club will not be disbanded anytime soon and the abuse on the students is more implausible than the kids spontaneously breaking into song. The success of the show lies within the relationship of the kids and their quest for regionals. There was way too much of the adults in this episode and the show is going out of its way to make Will and Sue likable again. I’m not unhappy about the appearance of pediatric cancer patients. Glee has proven that it can use material like this very effectively, as evidenced by Sue caring for her disabled sister, but this came across as pandering. It just seemed like they were using them to build the likability of Will and Sue. I didn’t buy it and I didn’t like it. If we care about one adult relationship, it’s between Will and Emma and that appears to be off the radar.
Now credit given where credit is due. Aside from the obvious question of how did Oral Intensity get this far without a coach, I like the idea of Sue being the coach there. It will essentially allow the show to focus back on New Directions while still allowing Sue to be a road block that we don’t have to deal with week in and week out. Hopefully with Sue being out of the spotlight we can get more Kurt. The lack of Chris Colfer is inexcusable. I worried about the show’s split focus and tonight Glee suffered. Kurt is just to interesting and dynamic to leave out of any episode. We need him back at McKinley High ASAP!
As for what I did love about this episode, count me a fan of just about every number on the show tonight. They served a purpose and moved the story. The rendition of “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent was especially on the money. Here we have Rachel Berry singing another Idina Menzel joint. I think it would have been funny if when she was on the cast Rachel just one time said, “Has anyone ever told you you look exactly like Idina Menzel?” Maybe that’s only funny to me. I’m with Glee. Justin Bieber is an epic talent and I’m surprised it took this long to get some of the Beebs on the show. Sam could use a little more dance lessons if he really wants to be The Justin Bieber Experience. Maybe Harry Shum Jr. can teach him some things. It’s clear Tina is learning a little something from him as she booty bumped with Brittany during Lauren’s song.
I also really love anytime the show chooses to focus on the whims of high school students and how it effects their relationships. I really like the love triangle between Sam, Quinn, and Santana. Or is it between Sam/Quinn/Rachel/Finn/Santana? More of a love pentagon I guess you could say. I don’t find all the make up break stuff annoying because it emulates the real life of students. Further, anytime we get to see more of Naya Rivera, I’m a fan. I believe that she can be the answer to the show’s “Sue Crisis.” Santana should just embrace the full time role antagonist. It will focus the show and allow for tension in the group itself. Too many outside influences are watering down the narrative.
Other thoughts:
-Though I’m not exactly sure where the plot line began, I thought it was a nice bit of humor to have all the girls start dressing like Brittany who was just copying Rachel. It seems like it was all a set up for Finn to say that Rachel was the real trend setter. Which leads me to my next point....
-An original song is exactly what this show needs! We’ve heard all sorts of different covers of rock, rap, showtunes and this would really add a lot. I don’t know if I love that Rachel will be writing and performing her own song. I hope it’s more of a group effort.
-Sue’s voice over’s while she’s writing in her diary are annoying. Don’t talk down to the audience. We know Sue is going to try and take down the Glee club, just show us. Don’t tell us and then show us. Redundant.
-Did I see the words “Avatar On Ice” in print? I’d for sure watch that.
Brittany line of the week: “I wore a tank top today because I thought it was summer. No one taught me how to read a calendar.” -Brittany
Kurt line of the week: NONE BECAUSE HE WASN’T IN THE SHOW!
Glee walked a fine line tonight. It was able to touch on aspects of things I both love and hate about the show. This was by no means Glee’s worst episode, far from it, but it is still standing in it’s own way from being great.
Let’s start with one of Glee’s biggest problem: Sue Sylvester. Glee is searching for a way to use Sue. We love Jane Lynch’s portrayal of her, but all the jokes are becoming hackneyed and we know the Glee club will not be disbanded anytime soon and the abuse on the students is more implausible than the kids spontaneously breaking into song. The success of the show lies within the relationship of the kids and their quest for regionals. There was way too much of the adults in this episode and the show is going out of its way to make Will and Sue likable again. I’m not unhappy about the appearance of pediatric cancer patients. Glee has proven that it can use material like this very effectively, as evidenced by Sue caring for her disabled sister, but this came across as pandering. It just seemed like they were using them to build the likability of Will and Sue. I didn’t buy it and I didn’t like it. If we care about one adult relationship, it’s between Will and Emma and that appears to be off the radar.
Now credit given where credit is due. Aside from the obvious question of how did Oral Intensity get this far without a coach, I like the idea of Sue being the coach there. It will essentially allow the show to focus back on New Directions while still allowing Sue to be a road block that we don’t have to deal with week in and week out. Hopefully with Sue being out of the spotlight we can get more Kurt. The lack of Chris Colfer is inexcusable. I worried about the show’s split focus and tonight Glee suffered. Kurt is just to interesting and dynamic to leave out of any episode. We need him back at McKinley High ASAP!
As for what I did love about this episode, count me a fan of just about every number on the show tonight. They served a purpose and moved the story. The rendition of “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent was especially on the money. Here we have Rachel Berry singing another Idina Menzel joint. I think it would have been funny if when she was on the cast Rachel just one time said, “Has anyone ever told you you look exactly like Idina Menzel?” Maybe that’s only funny to me. I’m with Glee. Justin Bieber is an epic talent and I’m surprised it took this long to get some of the Beebs on the show. Sam could use a little more dance lessons if he really wants to be The Justin Bieber Experience. Maybe Harry Shum Jr. can teach him some things. It’s clear Tina is learning a little something from him as she booty bumped with Brittany during Lauren’s song.
I also really love anytime the show chooses to focus on the whims of high school students and how it effects their relationships. I really like the love triangle between Sam, Quinn, and Santana. Or is it between Sam/Quinn/Rachel/Finn/Santana? More of a love pentagon I guess you could say. I don’t find all the make up break stuff annoying because it emulates the real life of students. Further, anytime we get to see more of Naya Rivera, I’m a fan. I believe that she can be the answer to the show’s “Sue Crisis.” Santana should just embrace the full time role antagonist. It will focus the show and allow for tension in the group itself. Too many outside influences are watering down the narrative.
Other thoughts:
-Though I’m not exactly sure where the plot line began, I thought it was a nice bit of humor to have all the girls start dressing like Brittany who was just copying Rachel. It seems like it was all a set up for Finn to say that Rachel was the real trend setter. Which leads me to my next point....
-An original song is exactly what this show needs! We’ve heard all sorts of different covers of rock, rap, showtunes and this would really add a lot. I don’t know if I love that Rachel will be writing and performing her own song. I hope it’s more of a group effort.
-Sue’s voice over’s while she’s writing in her diary are annoying. Don’t talk down to the audience. We know Sue is going to try and take down the Glee club, just show us. Don’t tell us and then show us. Redundant.
-Did I see the words “Avatar On Ice” in print? I’d for sure watch that.
Brittany line of the week: “I wore a tank top today because I thought it was summer. No one taught me how to read a calendar.” -Brittany
Kurt line of the week: NONE BECAUSE HE WASN’T IN THE SHOW!
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