Well, is a King Moonracer (a lion with wings) a misfit toy or not? That is the question. And this leads to the first shown fight between Axl (Charlie McDermott) and Sean (Beau Wirick). Axl believes so while Sean doesn't think that he is an actual misfit toy. They get into a huge fight, first with words and then with fists, destroying some lovely blow-up decorations they are putting up for other people. They decide to lock Darrin (John Gammon) away to watch the Rudolph special and will make the final decision. Their fifteen year friendship rests on Darrin's shoulders. Yikes.
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) is having tons of trouble getting into the holiday spirit. She's sick of doing everything expected of her: writing the Christmas letter, baking cookies, putting up the tree so she's going on strike, sitting on the couch, in her underwear or pajamas, thrilled with doing nothing. Mrs. Donahue (Jen Ray) is horrified and can't understand her attitude, believing the world will end if she doesn't wrap her garage door as a giant Christmas present.
In the meantime, Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is thrilled to discover Christmas letters from people they barely know. He reads them like a story and can't wait until next year to get the next chapter. No, seriously, he can't wait, calling the Kirkwoods to find out more details, greeting them like they were old friends, wanting to know more about Dale's soccer or Emily's engagement. However, when he tries to write a Christmas letter for the Hecks, he can't come up with anything good. The truth is horrible and he can't lie. I don't think he ever finishes the letter.
When it comes time for Darrin to make a decision, he chickens out, running outside in the snow without a coat on. In the end, he agrees that King Moonracer is a toy, Sean is okay with the solution and then they have a disagreement over if snow angels are unisex or only female, but this ends peacefully.
Mike (Neil Flynn) is having issues of his own that aren't solved as easily as Axl's. He is having trouble finding a fake Christmas tree that is complete and not pink. In the end, they settle for one that is mostly green with a pink top because Mike is driving anywhere else to get another tree. Just when Frankie is satisfied with her own decision Mike pulls the sympathy card by just telling the truth. He didn't really have decorations growing up because his mother died young and then it was just three guys who didn't really care. In fact, he didn't celebrate Christmas until he met Frankie. This forces her to get off her butt and put up decorations though she does fail to wrap the presents, leaving them in their labelled paper bags. Fortunately, the kids are happy and so is she.
Frankie finally gets behind the real meaning of Christmas, making good memories with your family and having them enjoy the holiday because the stuff you think is pointless actually isn't. It is about family togetherness.
This episode should have done just a little more with the family Christmas letter, and Sue really wasn't given much to do, though this was still a good episode and certainly another solid holiday episode for the Heck family, who always do the holidays so well and realistically. Solid acting all around and some funny lines. Brick is really given some hilarious lines as of late. Hopefully that continues. Grade: A-
-"We're getting this tree. It's 50% off."-Mike, making the decision of which tree they should get easier.
-Frankie's mom gets a mention when she sends them some fudge in the mail.
-Brick's horrible Christmas letter includes some intimate discussions between Frankie and Mike, including if Sue was going to lose it with Darrin. Also, Axl's career ended just as soon as it began. I hope not, considering he's on an athletic scholarship. And there are always issues with money.
-Mrs. Donahue believes the smell of cookies is essential in the house.
-Naturally, when Frankie takes off her pants, Axl is horrified.
-When the kids offer her a general apology, Brick swears he will try to stop licking things. That is just disgusting.
-During Darrin's viewing of Rudolph, Sue runs out to report the play-by-play to the guys asking if he can look at outside sources (allowed) or if he can rewind (first impressions only) before making the final decisions.
-It is ridiculous that Frankie needs to drive to a separate store to buy Christmas paper and bows.
-Sue bought Darrin a three-foot tall bear he really wanted. How sweet.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
The Middle: The College Tour
Well, when Sue (Eden Sher) lies and starts to throw up, you're in for an interesting episode. She starts off the episode strong, waking Mike (Neil Flynn) super early so they can begin the endless weekend of college tours and at the first one, she receives tons of brochures on pow-wows and stuff like that because she believed herself to be a native american and that is what she filled out on her forms. Needless to say, she can't believe that she should have filled out Caucasian on the form. At the next college tour, she tries to overcompensate and makes it abundantly clear that she's white and is only interested in clubs for white people. I guess she is asked to leave the campus because Mike is driving in the car, muttering that it was out of their price range anyway. And then, not knowing which tray she should have picked, she drops in distress and runs away in shame and Mike just doesn't get it. Fortunately, her last college tour goes much better and she asks the great question of "If you could start out as a freshman, what would you wish you would know?" which solves the tray question, at least for that school. Along the way, they meet Maddie (Ashlee Fuss) and her super-involved father (Bil Dwyer) who is going to miss his daughter horribly. They make special daddy-pancakes and used to have tea parties, stuff like that. That forces Mike to think and he asks Sue if she wishes that he was more like Maddie's dad and she scoffs at that. She believes that Mike is the best dad in the world. I mean, why else would she have bought him a World's Greatest Dad Mug, mugs don't lie.
While Mike is busy dealing with Sue and her antics, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) gets a call from Axl (Charlie McDermott) stating that his coach is finally going to put in the game. Which does happen, only Axl manages to fumble the ball just nine seconds into his first game. Axl is humiliated and mopes around his apartment, forcing him to take advice from Frankie. It turns out he is so embarrassed because he invited Devin Levin (Gina Mantegna) to the game and that is the play she saw. Luckily, Frankie manages to actually give him some pretty good advice which he is desperate enough to take and calls her and charms her into grabbing some food to eat together. Frankie is pleased with what she has done.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) gets a crappy plot line this week, but at least we get to see some characters that we seldom see much of. He is forced to stay at home, being watched by a variety of oddballs while he is supposed to work on a school project where he must build a car that can go at least fifty feet by itself. He does, only because he has help from these people.
All-in-all, this was a pretty good episode. Mike and Sue had some sweet moments, which are always lovely and it is also touching when Axl can be charming, even if he was prodded to be charming by Frankie. Sure, it would have been lovely if Brick would get a decent plot line, but the acting is always top-notch and there some funny moments. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-Brick's babysitters include the super religious Ruth (Grace Bannon), who wants a bowl of wheat and brings him some of her old toys, which are a block of wood and a rock. Chuck (Greg Cipes) is also there to watch Baby Mike and tells him that school is pointless and he left once he was told to where a shirt. Finally, Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) comes over and over glitters Brick's project car.
-Axl is disgusting as he has never cleaned his place which leads Frankie to buy cleaning supplies and label them as such.
-During their college trip, Mike and Sue stay at a variety of odd places owned by people that are distantly related to them because it is saving them money.
-Frankie foolishly cell phone tapes the fumble of Axl's which only makes things worse.
-Just when I thought we weren't going to see anymore of Devin Levin, she makes a quick appearance and mentions that she wishes Axl had some of this wit on the field.
-Frankie says that even though Mike is emotionless as an Easter island statue, she loves him anyway. And she does. Axl covers his ears, not wanting to hear how much his parents love each other.
-At least Brick didn't set the house on fire or something else crazy like that. We can be grateful for that.
While Mike is busy dealing with Sue and her antics, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) gets a call from Axl (Charlie McDermott) stating that his coach is finally going to put in the game. Which does happen, only Axl manages to fumble the ball just nine seconds into his first game. Axl is humiliated and mopes around his apartment, forcing him to take advice from Frankie. It turns out he is so embarrassed because he invited Devin Levin (Gina Mantegna) to the game and that is the play she saw. Luckily, Frankie manages to actually give him some pretty good advice which he is desperate enough to take and calls her and charms her into grabbing some food to eat together. Frankie is pleased with what she has done.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) gets a crappy plot line this week, but at least we get to see some characters that we seldom see much of. He is forced to stay at home, being watched by a variety of oddballs while he is supposed to work on a school project where he must build a car that can go at least fifty feet by itself. He does, only because he has help from these people.
All-in-all, this was a pretty good episode. Mike and Sue had some sweet moments, which are always lovely and it is also touching when Axl can be charming, even if he was prodded to be charming by Frankie. Sure, it would have been lovely if Brick would get a decent plot line, but the acting is always top-notch and there some funny moments. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-Brick's babysitters include the super religious Ruth (Grace Bannon), who wants a bowl of wheat and brings him some of her old toys, which are a block of wood and a rock. Chuck (Greg Cipes) is also there to watch Baby Mike and tells him that school is pointless and he left once he was told to where a shirt. Finally, Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) comes over and over glitters Brick's project car.
-Axl is disgusting as he has never cleaned his place which leads Frankie to buy cleaning supplies and label them as such.
-During their college trip, Mike and Sue stay at a variety of odd places owned by people that are distantly related to them because it is saving them money.
-Frankie foolishly cell phone tapes the fumble of Axl's which only makes things worse.
-Just when I thought we weren't going to see anymore of Devin Levin, she makes a quick appearance and mentions that she wishes Axl had some of this wit on the field.
-Frankie says that even though Mike is emotionless as an Easter island statue, she loves him anyway. And she does. Axl covers his ears, not wanting to hear how much his parents love each other.
-At least Brick didn't set the house on fire or something else crazy like that. We can be grateful for that.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
The Theory of Everything
Because this is a true story that happened years ago, there are no real spoiler alerts. You can find out about Stephen Hawking's life on Wikipedia, but this shows you how it really was.
The movie basically begins with the meeting of Stephen Hawking (the brilliant Eddie Redmayne) and Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), without too much background information on either of them. He's pursuing a doctorate of physics while she studies away at the romantic languages, hoping to do her thesis on the Iberian Peninsula. They meet and sure, it's a little awkward at first, especially since he's an atheist and she's religious, but it is a good relationship, only to be ruined by his devastating diagnosis of motor neuron disease, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease or ALS. He's given a short life-span of just two more years and does his best to push Jane away though she doesn't. Even the devastated look on her face when he struggles to play coquette, stumbling over his own two feet. But she refuses to give up, not caring that it might be limited, their time together and soon, the two are married but foolishly buy a two-story house with stairs that become his worst enemy. His condition deteriorates enough for him to have a wheelchair, though he insists that it is only temporary and then an electric wheelchair and his speech becomes worse, more muddled and harder to understand. Though Jane believes herself to be a strong person and she is, but she also feels that the children are missing out on having a real father which they sort of are. (Yes, he is able to have children despite losing control of most of his muscles, that one remains unaffected.) Her mother (Emily Watson) insists that Jane join the church choir, which she does, even though that means for an hour a week, she will be out of the house. There, she meets Jonathan (Charlie Cox), who knows what it is like to care for someone. His late wife died from leukemia. He becomes a caregiver and active surrogate father for Robert and Lucy. It is soon obvious that he and Jane have feelings for each other that when Jane has her and Stephen's third child, Timothy, Stephen's mother (Abigail Cruttenden) wonders out loud if it is really Stephen's child. Jonathan does try and keep his distance though Stephen is perfectly okay with him spending time with the family.
Jane faces yet another challenge when Stephen becomes deathly ill while overseas. She refuses to unhook the ventilator and is convinced that he will survive the trip back to England, which he does, much to the doctor's surprise. However, his survival comes at a cost, he can no longer speak. He struggles with the letter chart though, fortunately, Jane finds an excellent speech therapist, Elaine (Maxine Peake) who can actually get through to him. Elaine is even able to find a crude computer-type machine that allows him to talk again. Sort of. However, instead of being super amazed by the machine, Jane is horrified when the voice sounds American.
The ending is sort of sad. Stephen decides to bring Elaine on a trip to America and Jane is upset because he didn't even tell her about it. He has made his choice though it does break his heart. He is freeing Jane to be with Jonathan, which does happen. But he honors her with a visit with the Queen and Jane is thrilled that she had that honor, even if he refuses the knighthood. Never have the words, as he glazes out on his children, "Look what we made," have had a bigger impact, nearly bringing tears to my eyes.
Though the film is pretty straight-forward, almost making the most difficult physics understandable to the average person, it seems almost trite. I kept comparing this to A Beautiful Mind, though Hawking is so different from John Nash. Hawking is intelligent and kind-hearted and has a physical ailment while Nash was super cocky and his ailment was all in his head. Yet, the performances are amazing. Redmayne has spent months researching this role and it shows, it feels like you are actually watching the real Hawking on the screen. Jones is also great in the understated role of the wife with looks that show what she is thinking. They could both win Oscars and they would both be deserved. However, lots are comparing Redmayne's performance to the one of Daniel Day-Lewis's in My Left Foot, and though Redmayne is utterly brilliant, with every muscle twitch done to perfection, Day-Lewis was better in a better, grittier film. (If you want to watch good Redmayne film, I recommend 2011's My Week with Marilyn, forget about 2012's Les Miserables as he was forgettable in that one.) That is not to undermind Redmayne's brilliance. Honestly, I didn't think he was capable of the gravitas needed to pull off this performance, but he does that and then some. It is truly heart-breaking when he struggles to feed himself when Jane throws a dinner party to celebrate him getting his doctorate and then the desperate climb up the stairs while little Robert looks on behind the gate as Stephen can't finish his climb. He gets the choking and gagging scenes correct and Jones is fabulous, fully prepared to pass little Lucy to her mother-in-law as she slaps him on the back so he doesn't choke. Another scene of note is when she gives him baby Lucy to hold, the gestures of how difficult is was for her to let him hold the baby, so that he can support Lucy's head is remarkable. They both deliver completely natural performances. That is the reason to watch the film.
Also interesting to note, Emily Watson, underused in both the film and Hollywood in general, delivered a similar type performance in the good 1998 film Hilary and Jackie where she plays a brilliant cellist who is diagnosed with MS, a fight which she eventually loses. She didn't win the Oscar that year, though she should have.
This film, in addition to the memorable performances, does have great costuming and cinematography, though I don't think they aged Jane properly, but whatever, I know I'm being super nit-picky but, I think I'm becoming harder to please. This is a romantic film, which I love, but the main couple, who you are rooting for from the very start of the film, don't last. Jane couldn't do it anymore, though she loved him and did her best. Stephen marries Elaine and she marries Jonathan, though the two remain friends. And Stephen lived a lot longer than the two years he was predicted, as he is still alive today, fifty years after his initial diagnosis and he is still at work, trying to prove his theories. He has truly lived an amazing, wonderful life. Grade: A-
The movie basically begins with the meeting of Stephen Hawking (the brilliant Eddie Redmayne) and Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), without too much background information on either of them. He's pursuing a doctorate of physics while she studies away at the romantic languages, hoping to do her thesis on the Iberian Peninsula. They meet and sure, it's a little awkward at first, especially since he's an atheist and she's religious, but it is a good relationship, only to be ruined by his devastating diagnosis of motor neuron disease, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease or ALS. He's given a short life-span of just two more years and does his best to push Jane away though she doesn't. Even the devastated look on her face when he struggles to play coquette, stumbling over his own two feet. But she refuses to give up, not caring that it might be limited, their time together and soon, the two are married but foolishly buy a two-story house with stairs that become his worst enemy. His condition deteriorates enough for him to have a wheelchair, though he insists that it is only temporary and then an electric wheelchair and his speech becomes worse, more muddled and harder to understand. Though Jane believes herself to be a strong person and she is, but she also feels that the children are missing out on having a real father which they sort of are. (Yes, he is able to have children despite losing control of most of his muscles, that one remains unaffected.) Her mother (Emily Watson) insists that Jane join the church choir, which she does, even though that means for an hour a week, she will be out of the house. There, she meets Jonathan (Charlie Cox), who knows what it is like to care for someone. His late wife died from leukemia. He becomes a caregiver and active surrogate father for Robert and Lucy. It is soon obvious that he and Jane have feelings for each other that when Jane has her and Stephen's third child, Timothy, Stephen's mother (Abigail Cruttenden) wonders out loud if it is really Stephen's child. Jonathan does try and keep his distance though Stephen is perfectly okay with him spending time with the family.
Jane faces yet another challenge when Stephen becomes deathly ill while overseas. She refuses to unhook the ventilator and is convinced that he will survive the trip back to England, which he does, much to the doctor's surprise. However, his survival comes at a cost, he can no longer speak. He struggles with the letter chart though, fortunately, Jane finds an excellent speech therapist, Elaine (Maxine Peake) who can actually get through to him. Elaine is even able to find a crude computer-type machine that allows him to talk again. Sort of. However, instead of being super amazed by the machine, Jane is horrified when the voice sounds American.
The ending is sort of sad. Stephen decides to bring Elaine on a trip to America and Jane is upset because he didn't even tell her about it. He has made his choice though it does break his heart. He is freeing Jane to be with Jonathan, which does happen. But he honors her with a visit with the Queen and Jane is thrilled that she had that honor, even if he refuses the knighthood. Never have the words, as he glazes out on his children, "Look what we made," have had a bigger impact, nearly bringing tears to my eyes.
Though the film is pretty straight-forward, almost making the most difficult physics understandable to the average person, it seems almost trite. I kept comparing this to A Beautiful Mind, though Hawking is so different from John Nash. Hawking is intelligent and kind-hearted and has a physical ailment while Nash was super cocky and his ailment was all in his head. Yet, the performances are amazing. Redmayne has spent months researching this role and it shows, it feels like you are actually watching the real Hawking on the screen. Jones is also great in the understated role of the wife with looks that show what she is thinking. They could both win Oscars and they would both be deserved. However, lots are comparing Redmayne's performance to the one of Daniel Day-Lewis's in My Left Foot, and though Redmayne is utterly brilliant, with every muscle twitch done to perfection, Day-Lewis was better in a better, grittier film. (If you want to watch good Redmayne film, I recommend 2011's My Week with Marilyn, forget about 2012's Les Miserables as he was forgettable in that one.) That is not to undermind Redmayne's brilliance. Honestly, I didn't think he was capable of the gravitas needed to pull off this performance, but he does that and then some. It is truly heart-breaking when he struggles to feed himself when Jane throws a dinner party to celebrate him getting his doctorate and then the desperate climb up the stairs while little Robert looks on behind the gate as Stephen can't finish his climb. He gets the choking and gagging scenes correct and Jones is fabulous, fully prepared to pass little Lucy to her mother-in-law as she slaps him on the back so he doesn't choke. Another scene of note is when she gives him baby Lucy to hold, the gestures of how difficult is was for her to let him hold the baby, so that he can support Lucy's head is remarkable. They both deliver completely natural performances. That is the reason to watch the film.
Also interesting to note, Emily Watson, underused in both the film and Hollywood in general, delivered a similar type performance in the good 1998 film Hilary and Jackie where she plays a brilliant cellist who is diagnosed with MS, a fight which she eventually loses. She didn't win the Oscar that year, though she should have.
This film, in addition to the memorable performances, does have great costuming and cinematography, though I don't think they aged Jane properly, but whatever, I know I'm being super nit-picky but, I think I'm becoming harder to please. This is a romantic film, which I love, but the main couple, who you are rooting for from the very start of the film, don't last. Jane couldn't do it anymore, though she loved him and did her best. Stephen marries Elaine and she marries Jonathan, though the two remain friends. And Stephen lived a lot longer than the two years he was predicted, as he is still alive today, fifty years after his initial diagnosis and he is still at work, trying to prove his theories. He has truly lived an amazing, wonderful life. Grade: A-
Saturday, November 22, 2014
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One
As if I couldn't hate Jennifer Lawrence any more than I already do, I managed to find more hate. (Sarcasm, of course.) She can sing. I mean, she's not going to be the next Carrie Underwood or Ariana Grande, but her singing is more than acceptable.
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is in District 13, which managed to survive by hiding underground but she is confused and wants Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) back. But the President of District 13, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) needs her to rally the remaining districts to rebel against the Capitol and the nasty Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland), great first name, by the way. She is reluctant to at first, until Coin gives in to her demands, which include rescuing the other victors, in addition to Peeta, this includes Johanna (Jena Malone) and Finnick's (Sam Clafin's) girlfriend, Annie (Stef Dawson). Plus, her sister, Prim (Willow Shields) gets to keep her old cat Buttercup, in an area where cats aren't allowed. After some hesitation, Coin gives in and Katniss begins her mission, including exploring the heavily bombed District 8, where the long forgotten baby issue is brought up again. At the makeshift hospital, where Katniss promises she will fight for them, one woman asks her what about the baby, and Katniss even manages to look sad as she says that she lost it. Of course, she was never pregnant in the first place, and if she was, it is perfectly plausible that she would miscarry after everything her body went through in Catching Fire. But Snow finds about Katniss's visit and bombs the hospital, leaving Katniss furious and completely on the side of rebellion. Beadie (Jeffrey Wright) has even figured out a way to get the messages through to the districts which is good. However, Peeta is being used as a sort of pawn, urging the fighting to stop altogether. Too many people will die, on both sides if this continues. Guess what? He's right. The Peacekeepers kill many, but the people, despite being suppressed and overworked, fight right back, bombing the Peacekeepers and breaking a damn which makes the electricity in the capitol go out, which means that the long-awaited rescue mission for the victors can begin.
Gale (Liam Hemsworth), naturally, joins the fight. He is by Katniss's side every step of the way, and is one of the soldiers who goes on the mission to rescue the victors while Katniss tries to distract Snow and Finnick broadcasts the deep, dark secrets of how Snow has remained President for so long. The secret? Poison.
Gale returns, and doesn't understand why even if Snow knew they were there, he did nothing to stop them. Johanna is fine, despite a shaved head and Annie is fine but Peeta, though he looked better than I thought, something is wrong as he immediately attacks Katniss and nearly succeeds in choking her. I thought the film would end there, but it doesn't, lucky for us. Plutarch (Philip Seymour Hoffman) explains that Peeta had been drugged, using Tracker Jackets and his memories have been compromised. They probably planted false ones in there, erasing his true memories, meaning he now sees Katniss as an enemy.
Though Coin declares this a victory and Panam will be next, Katniss, unable to speak thanks to her injuries and the neck brace, sees Peeta in his own room, restrained, banging himself against the edge of the bed while Katniss watches, distressed.
This film is pretty good, not as good as the first two, but good nevertheless. However, it felt incredibly long despite being nearly half an hour shorter than the first two. Still, the acting is brilliant, with Lawrence turning in another top notch performance and Hutcherson is great in this smaller role, trying, in vain, to get Katniss to think for herself. The cinematography is haunting, and editing flawless and the scenery brilliant, so when it is destroyed, it is truly devastating.
Even the new cast additions are great, in addition to an always spectacular Moore, Patina Miller and Natalie Dormer are great, more great roles for strong female characters.
Harrelson and Tucci continue to be great in their limited roles. However, sure Katniss is still strong, but her heart is battling between two guys and she needs to pick one of them. While I want this to happen, she is strong enough not to need a man, though her character proves differently. I want to pick neither of them, choosing to be by herself, at least for now. And Peeta is right. She is being used by District 13 as a means to an end, but she does believe in the cause. Of course, she does things in her own way, refusing to perform on demand. Grade: B+
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is in District 13, which managed to survive by hiding underground but she is confused and wants Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) back. But the President of District 13, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) needs her to rally the remaining districts to rebel against the Capitol and the nasty Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland), great first name, by the way. She is reluctant to at first, until Coin gives in to her demands, which include rescuing the other victors, in addition to Peeta, this includes Johanna (Jena Malone) and Finnick's (Sam Clafin's) girlfriend, Annie (Stef Dawson). Plus, her sister, Prim (Willow Shields) gets to keep her old cat Buttercup, in an area where cats aren't allowed. After some hesitation, Coin gives in and Katniss begins her mission, including exploring the heavily bombed District 8, where the long forgotten baby issue is brought up again. At the makeshift hospital, where Katniss promises she will fight for them, one woman asks her what about the baby, and Katniss even manages to look sad as she says that she lost it. Of course, she was never pregnant in the first place, and if she was, it is perfectly plausible that she would miscarry after everything her body went through in Catching Fire. But Snow finds about Katniss's visit and bombs the hospital, leaving Katniss furious and completely on the side of rebellion. Beadie (Jeffrey Wright) has even figured out a way to get the messages through to the districts which is good. However, Peeta is being used as a sort of pawn, urging the fighting to stop altogether. Too many people will die, on both sides if this continues. Guess what? He's right. The Peacekeepers kill many, but the people, despite being suppressed and overworked, fight right back, bombing the Peacekeepers and breaking a damn which makes the electricity in the capitol go out, which means that the long-awaited rescue mission for the victors can begin.
Gale (Liam Hemsworth), naturally, joins the fight. He is by Katniss's side every step of the way, and is one of the soldiers who goes on the mission to rescue the victors while Katniss tries to distract Snow and Finnick broadcasts the deep, dark secrets of how Snow has remained President for so long. The secret? Poison.
Gale returns, and doesn't understand why even if Snow knew they were there, he did nothing to stop them. Johanna is fine, despite a shaved head and Annie is fine but Peeta, though he looked better than I thought, something is wrong as he immediately attacks Katniss and nearly succeeds in choking her. I thought the film would end there, but it doesn't, lucky for us. Plutarch (Philip Seymour Hoffman) explains that Peeta had been drugged, using Tracker Jackets and his memories have been compromised. They probably planted false ones in there, erasing his true memories, meaning he now sees Katniss as an enemy.
Though Coin declares this a victory and Panam will be next, Katniss, unable to speak thanks to her injuries and the neck brace, sees Peeta in his own room, restrained, banging himself against the edge of the bed while Katniss watches, distressed.
This film is pretty good, not as good as the first two, but good nevertheless. However, it felt incredibly long despite being nearly half an hour shorter than the first two. Still, the acting is brilliant, with Lawrence turning in another top notch performance and Hutcherson is great in this smaller role, trying, in vain, to get Katniss to think for herself. The cinematography is haunting, and editing flawless and the scenery brilliant, so when it is destroyed, it is truly devastating.
Even the new cast additions are great, in addition to an always spectacular Moore, Patina Miller and Natalie Dormer are great, more great roles for strong female characters.
Harrelson and Tucci continue to be great in their limited roles. However, sure Katniss is still strong, but her heart is battling between two guys and she needs to pick one of them. While I want this to happen, she is strong enough not to need a man, though her character proves differently. I want to pick neither of them, choosing to be by herself, at least for now. And Peeta is right. She is being used by District 13 as a means to an end, but she does believe in the cause. Of course, she does things in her own way, refusing to perform on demand. Grade: B+
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
The Middle: Thanksgiving IV
Thanksgiving has arrived and once again, this spells disaster for the Hecks.
Because of the conditions of the Heck house, including the tiny table and no sink, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) decides to have the dinner at a restaurant. Sue (Eden Sher) isn't pleased to hear this but she is more concerned with Mike (Neil Flynn) not liking Darrin (John Gammon). This only gets worse as the meal continues.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) is finally forced to give Devin Levin (Gina Mantegna) a ride home from college. It's a complete set-up from Frankie but apparently Devin Levin is distantly related to Frankie's garage hairdresser. He is furious at first, though his disappointment soon sort of fades. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is also bringing Cindy (Casey Burke) whose weirdness is cemented in this episode. Yes, its a Thanksgiving to remember.
First, there is a line at the restaurant and Sue tries to warn Darrin to step it up a notch to impress Mike. Cindy mentions that she would like the stuffed flounder inside the toy machine. Brick spends all of his allowance and birthday money to try to win it for her. She grows bored and leaves to eat. She gets a large wedge of cheese and when asked how it is, she mentions that she's had better. Things turn from bad to worse when Darrin eats the last of the turkey and though he later offers it to Mike, Mike promptly replies that he's fine. Things even seem to be going well between Devin Levin and Axl, as she loves the Colts and even can beat him at sugar packet ball, forcing him to drink some dirty turkey water. And there is so much food, Axl probably eats too much.
But this is the Hecks, and the smoke detector goes off, and, just as Brick finally gets his claw on that flounder, the electricity goes out. This means that everyone in the restaurant must go outside into the snow. Mike tells Darrin that he won't like anyone who tries to take his little girl away from him. But he is pleased when Darrin says that he will try and be better. Frankie has already her traditional speech on how everyone should be grateful that they have so much while others have so little. She is wondering if she does actually have anything to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, Mike throws a snowball at her which launches a huge snowball fight. She is happy again, Mike is happy. All is well, for now.
Sure, the Devin Levin plot and flashbacks come out of nowhere, but I have been asking for them to give Axl another love interest, and Devin does have potential but she is too smart for him, seeing right through his crap, leaving him hanging at the end. I doubt we will see her again. But Sue and Darrin are still going strong, and they are my absolute favorites. Cindy, on the other, completely forgets about the flounder, leaving Brick stinging.
Sure, this was also an odd Thanksgiving for the Hecks, as they don't have any family members over, which makes me sad because they have some great, funny characters on both sides of the family. There are tons of funny moments in this episode, without a doubt the funniest so far this season. Of course, the acting remains top notch, and Mike has his fair share of great looks in this episode. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Devin Levin is comfortable in her own skin, changing her clothes in the car, eating Funions, talking sports with Mike and can cook anything on a hot plate, including Brownies.
-Axl first tells her that he has a girlfriend, but later tries to recant that by saying that he got a text over dinner saying that she died, but it wasn't sudden, as she was in a coma. He leans in for a kiss, but she is just reaching over for her basketball bag.
-The actress who plays Devin was made famous in the decent and surprisingly touching Christmas movie, Unaccompanied Minors. Just thought you guys might like to know that.
-When Darrin grabs the last piece of turkey, Mike is right behind him and the waiter tells him that there is no more turkey, Darrin merely says, tough break.
-In order to get Mike to like him, Darrin tells the staff that today is Mike's birthday, which is the worst thing he could have done. Mike hates being the center of attention. He takes the candle on the cake and instead of blowing it out, he sticks it in the cake, leaving the staff stunned.
-When Mike wants to know who is at fault, Sue, Axl and Frankie immediately finger point to Darrin.
-Darrin puts ranch dressing on his turkey leg and then tries to wash it in his water jug before giving it to Mike. Disgusting.
-Cindy says that her parents will pick her up when they get back Kentucky. Yikes.
-Brick never does join the family for dinner, getting served his drinks at the toy machine.
Because of the conditions of the Heck house, including the tiny table and no sink, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) decides to have the dinner at a restaurant. Sue (Eden Sher) isn't pleased to hear this but she is more concerned with Mike (Neil Flynn) not liking Darrin (John Gammon). This only gets worse as the meal continues.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) is finally forced to give Devin Levin (Gina Mantegna) a ride home from college. It's a complete set-up from Frankie but apparently Devin Levin is distantly related to Frankie's garage hairdresser. He is furious at first, though his disappointment soon sort of fades. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is also bringing Cindy (Casey Burke) whose weirdness is cemented in this episode. Yes, its a Thanksgiving to remember.
First, there is a line at the restaurant and Sue tries to warn Darrin to step it up a notch to impress Mike. Cindy mentions that she would like the stuffed flounder inside the toy machine. Brick spends all of his allowance and birthday money to try to win it for her. She grows bored and leaves to eat. She gets a large wedge of cheese and when asked how it is, she mentions that she's had better. Things turn from bad to worse when Darrin eats the last of the turkey and though he later offers it to Mike, Mike promptly replies that he's fine. Things even seem to be going well between Devin Levin and Axl, as she loves the Colts and even can beat him at sugar packet ball, forcing him to drink some dirty turkey water. And there is so much food, Axl probably eats too much.
But this is the Hecks, and the smoke detector goes off, and, just as Brick finally gets his claw on that flounder, the electricity goes out. This means that everyone in the restaurant must go outside into the snow. Mike tells Darrin that he won't like anyone who tries to take his little girl away from him. But he is pleased when Darrin says that he will try and be better. Frankie has already her traditional speech on how everyone should be grateful that they have so much while others have so little. She is wondering if she does actually have anything to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, Mike throws a snowball at her which launches a huge snowball fight. She is happy again, Mike is happy. All is well, for now.
Sure, the Devin Levin plot and flashbacks come out of nowhere, but I have been asking for them to give Axl another love interest, and Devin does have potential but she is too smart for him, seeing right through his crap, leaving him hanging at the end. I doubt we will see her again. But Sue and Darrin are still going strong, and they are my absolute favorites. Cindy, on the other, completely forgets about the flounder, leaving Brick stinging.
Sure, this was also an odd Thanksgiving for the Hecks, as they don't have any family members over, which makes me sad because they have some great, funny characters on both sides of the family. There are tons of funny moments in this episode, without a doubt the funniest so far this season. Of course, the acting remains top notch, and Mike has his fair share of great looks in this episode. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Devin Levin is comfortable in her own skin, changing her clothes in the car, eating Funions, talking sports with Mike and can cook anything on a hot plate, including Brownies.
-Axl first tells her that he has a girlfriend, but later tries to recant that by saying that he got a text over dinner saying that she died, but it wasn't sudden, as she was in a coma. He leans in for a kiss, but she is just reaching over for her basketball bag.
-The actress who plays Devin was made famous in the decent and surprisingly touching Christmas movie, Unaccompanied Minors. Just thought you guys might like to know that.
-When Darrin grabs the last piece of turkey, Mike is right behind him and the waiter tells him that there is no more turkey, Darrin merely says, tough break.
-In order to get Mike to like him, Darrin tells the staff that today is Mike's birthday, which is the worst thing he could have done. Mike hates being the center of attention. He takes the candle on the cake and instead of blowing it out, he sticks it in the cake, leaving the staff stunned.
-When Mike wants to know who is at fault, Sue, Axl and Frankie immediately finger point to Darrin.
-Darrin puts ranch dressing on his turkey leg and then tries to wash it in his water jug before giving it to Mike. Disgusting.
-Cindy says that her parents will pick her up when they get back Kentucky. Yikes.
-Brick never does join the family for dinner, getting served his drinks at the toy machine.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
The Middle: The Sinkhole
Well, the Hecks might be back on TV, but things aren't looking good for them.
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) tosses a fork into the sink and it falls to the ground. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) accidentally broke the family lawnmower and Sue (Eden Sher) lacks a physical education credit and might not be able to graduate and thus go to college.
Yes, things certainly suck in the Heck household, but then again, when don't they?
Axl (Charlie McDermott) opts to actually help Brick get out of trouble, and tells him to steal Mike's (Neil Flynn's) wallet. Which he does and no one notices because he's the kid no one notices. But that idea comes back to bite him. He actually loses Mike's wallet and then adds to his plan and steals Mike's car keys which leads Mike to think he's losing his mind.
Then Mike decides to mow the lawn and discovers a bookmark. But then Brick looks like the hero, presently Mike with both his wallet, found near the mailbox and his car keys. Then, the family starts going though his wallet, which he's had since he was a boy. He has a picture of his high school girlfriend, Genie, and no pictures of Sue, but he does have some of Brick and Limestone, the old cat at the quarry. And the location of the death napkin is revealed. It's in Mike's wallet. Frankie tries not to let them read it, but Sue and Axl are too curious, and, just as I predicted, the napkin ends up in a bowl of milk, ruined. Frankie, then, at the request of her children, starts writing another one and urges them to look around the house to see if there is anything, but there is nothing they really want. Because everything sucks. Of course, Axl can't stand Brick taking all the glory for finding the wallet so he spills the beans but Mike doesn't get mad at all. That shouldn't have happened.
Sue does get into a gym class, however, instead of a normal sport, they are doing this ridiculous dance with wood sticks. Sue is horrible so Frankie suggests that she become a stick person, clanking them together in time, but this goes even worse, she trips someone but worse, someone gets taken away to the hospital on a stretcher. That quick scene was absolutely hilarious.
Sue tries to get her parents to help her practice but that doesn't go to well, either. However, a miracle happens. Somehow, someway, at the end, she performs a brilliant performance to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off". Her friends are pleased.
This was a great episode, with many call backs to previous episodes, including the old quarry cat and the often referred to death napkin. Plus, Brick's tick of saying he's lying is gone, replaced with something else. Sue's thermometer, measuring her amount of money set aside for college is also there. But there are some holes, including Sue's miraculous recovery in gym class to why in the world is Axl at home instead of being at college?
That being said, it was still one of the better episodes of the season so far. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Sue doesn't earn much money at Spudsy Malones.
-We get a few glimpses of her friends, Becky (Jessica Marie Garcia) and Ruth (Grace Bannon) whom we haven't seen much of lately. They are great characters, always good for a laugh.
-She argues that Wrestlerettes should count as a sport, even though she just made it up, but wasn't everything made up at one point?
-Axl is so sweet, he actually thinks he's responsible now. He's not.
-Because of the broken sink, Frankie is forced to wash dishes with the neighbor's hose and urges her family to drink out of the container and serves breakfast in a community bowl, another funny gag.
-At the end, the family works together to wash the dishes in the bathroom, Brick dumping the scraps of food into the toilet, Axl scrubs them in the shower, Sue drinks them with the hair dryer and Mike stacks in them in the laundry basket. Teamwork, people, teamwork.
-No, seriously, why isn't Axl at college? I can't think of any logical reason for his presence.
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) tosses a fork into the sink and it falls to the ground. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) accidentally broke the family lawnmower and Sue (Eden Sher) lacks a physical education credit and might not be able to graduate and thus go to college.
Yes, things certainly suck in the Heck household, but then again, when don't they?
Axl (Charlie McDermott) opts to actually help Brick get out of trouble, and tells him to steal Mike's (Neil Flynn's) wallet. Which he does and no one notices because he's the kid no one notices. But that idea comes back to bite him. He actually loses Mike's wallet and then adds to his plan and steals Mike's car keys which leads Mike to think he's losing his mind.
Then Mike decides to mow the lawn and discovers a bookmark. But then Brick looks like the hero, presently Mike with both his wallet, found near the mailbox and his car keys. Then, the family starts going though his wallet, which he's had since he was a boy. He has a picture of his high school girlfriend, Genie, and no pictures of Sue, but he does have some of Brick and Limestone, the old cat at the quarry. And the location of the death napkin is revealed. It's in Mike's wallet. Frankie tries not to let them read it, but Sue and Axl are too curious, and, just as I predicted, the napkin ends up in a bowl of milk, ruined. Frankie, then, at the request of her children, starts writing another one and urges them to look around the house to see if there is anything, but there is nothing they really want. Because everything sucks. Of course, Axl can't stand Brick taking all the glory for finding the wallet so he spills the beans but Mike doesn't get mad at all. That shouldn't have happened.
Sue does get into a gym class, however, instead of a normal sport, they are doing this ridiculous dance with wood sticks. Sue is horrible so Frankie suggests that she become a stick person, clanking them together in time, but this goes even worse, she trips someone but worse, someone gets taken away to the hospital on a stretcher. That quick scene was absolutely hilarious.
Sue tries to get her parents to help her practice but that doesn't go to well, either. However, a miracle happens. Somehow, someway, at the end, she performs a brilliant performance to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off". Her friends are pleased.
This was a great episode, with many call backs to previous episodes, including the old quarry cat and the often referred to death napkin. Plus, Brick's tick of saying he's lying is gone, replaced with something else. Sue's thermometer, measuring her amount of money set aside for college is also there. But there are some holes, including Sue's miraculous recovery in gym class to why in the world is Axl at home instead of being at college?
That being said, it was still one of the better episodes of the season so far. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Sue doesn't earn much money at Spudsy Malones.
-We get a few glimpses of her friends, Becky (Jessica Marie Garcia) and Ruth (Grace Bannon) whom we haven't seen much of lately. They are great characters, always good for a laugh.
-She argues that Wrestlerettes should count as a sport, even though she just made it up, but wasn't everything made up at one point?
-Axl is so sweet, he actually thinks he's responsible now. He's not.
-Because of the broken sink, Frankie is forced to wash dishes with the neighbor's hose and urges her family to drink out of the container and serves breakfast in a community bowl, another funny gag.
-At the end, the family works together to wash the dishes in the bathroom, Brick dumping the scraps of food into the toilet, Axl scrubs them in the shower, Sue drinks them with the hair dryer and Mike stacks in them in the laundry basket. Teamwork, people, teamwork.
-No, seriously, why isn't Axl at college? I can't think of any logical reason for his presence.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Birdman
This was a fascinating film.
First of all, the film appears to be filmed in real time which makes the special effects all the more impressive. Everything is done in long shot, which makes the acting even more brilliant. If there are any edits, they are so seamless I couldn't tell they existed.
Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) used to be a famous actor, playing the title superhero character, Birdman, but now his career is in the toilet though he is trying in vain to revive it. He has a play by a personal hero, Raymond Carver. He has rewritten it for the stage, directing the adaptation and is even starring in it. However, the other guy in the play needs to be replaced and is, with Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) who is excellent, but being on stage is normal for him, which means that he is not normal. He can act, but takes everything on stage too seriously, even going as far as attempting to have sex with his girlfriend, Lesley (Naomi Watts) on stage. Naturally, she is furious.
Riggan's personal life is also in turmoil. His daughter, Sam (Emma Stone) has only recently been released from rehab. Riggan hasn't been a bad father, just an absent one who alternated between extreme praise and abandonment. She's now his assistant though Lesley is not a fan. He is also having a relationship with the other leading lady, Laura (Andrea Riseborough) who wishes she was pregnant with his child, though her body has other ideas.
There is also Jake (Zach Galifianakis), Riggan's lawyer, who is worried about money all the time.
Riggan also has his own personal demons, included a voice in his head, something which his ex-wfie (Amy Ryan) wants to forget his said. He doesn't like technology, hasn't adopted to the times as his daughter blatantly tells him. He hates twitter and doesn't have a facebook, so it is his own fault that he's invisible, forgotten.
Though the film revolves around Riggan, the supporting characters also shine, including some great scenes between Norton and Stone, who get together even though he's afraid he won't be able to please her sexually. Watts and Riseborough are also great, though who knows if anything will happen after their incident.
The last character that matters is the elderly play critic, Tabitha (Lindsay Duncan) who promises to drown his play because she hates that his Hollywood-type can take over Broadway. The problem is, she hasn't seen it yet. But she can't wrap her head around how artistic Hollywood can be.
Now, I won't give away the ending, though I predicted about halfway through that it would have a Black Swan-type ending but you can be the judge of that.
This may have been a brilliant film, and it was, with realistic sets, actually filmed on location, something you don't see that often, this film was not perfect. Laura deserved more screen time, that relationship should have been explored a little more. And some screens toward the ending are just odd, especially when he flies. But the acting is great, with realistic characters and it helped that the close camera angles gave the audience the chance to see every emotion sketched across their face. This film will be showing up at award shows later this season, and I hope that more than just Keaton get nominated. This is certainly Stone's best work in her expansive, young career and Norton is a revelation. Keaton is also excellent as the man slowly going mad but trying to keep it together because his career depends on this. Grade: A-
First of all, the film appears to be filmed in real time which makes the special effects all the more impressive. Everything is done in long shot, which makes the acting even more brilliant. If there are any edits, they are so seamless I couldn't tell they existed.
Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) used to be a famous actor, playing the title superhero character, Birdman, but now his career is in the toilet though he is trying in vain to revive it. He has a play by a personal hero, Raymond Carver. He has rewritten it for the stage, directing the adaptation and is even starring in it. However, the other guy in the play needs to be replaced and is, with Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) who is excellent, but being on stage is normal for him, which means that he is not normal. He can act, but takes everything on stage too seriously, even going as far as attempting to have sex with his girlfriend, Lesley (Naomi Watts) on stage. Naturally, she is furious.
Riggan's personal life is also in turmoil. His daughter, Sam (Emma Stone) has only recently been released from rehab. Riggan hasn't been a bad father, just an absent one who alternated between extreme praise and abandonment. She's now his assistant though Lesley is not a fan. He is also having a relationship with the other leading lady, Laura (Andrea Riseborough) who wishes she was pregnant with his child, though her body has other ideas.
There is also Jake (Zach Galifianakis), Riggan's lawyer, who is worried about money all the time.
Riggan also has his own personal demons, included a voice in his head, something which his ex-wfie (Amy Ryan) wants to forget his said. He doesn't like technology, hasn't adopted to the times as his daughter blatantly tells him. He hates twitter and doesn't have a facebook, so it is his own fault that he's invisible, forgotten.
Though the film revolves around Riggan, the supporting characters also shine, including some great scenes between Norton and Stone, who get together even though he's afraid he won't be able to please her sexually. Watts and Riseborough are also great, though who knows if anything will happen after their incident.
The last character that matters is the elderly play critic, Tabitha (Lindsay Duncan) who promises to drown his play because she hates that his Hollywood-type can take over Broadway. The problem is, she hasn't seen it yet. But she can't wrap her head around how artistic Hollywood can be.
Now, I won't give away the ending, though I predicted about halfway through that it would have a Black Swan-type ending but you can be the judge of that.
This may have been a brilliant film, and it was, with realistic sets, actually filmed on location, something you don't see that often, this film was not perfect. Laura deserved more screen time, that relationship should have been explored a little more. And some screens toward the ending are just odd, especially when he flies. But the acting is great, with realistic characters and it helped that the close camera angles gave the audience the chance to see every emotion sketched across their face. This film will be showing up at award shows later this season, and I hope that more than just Keaton get nominated. This is certainly Stone's best work in her expansive, young career and Norton is a revelation. Keaton is also excellent as the man slowly going mad but trying to keep it together because his career depends on this. Grade: A-
Saturday, November 1, 2014
St. Vincent
This is one of the best films of the year so far.
Vincent MacKenna (Bill Murray) isn't a likable character. As his young charge, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), puts it, he drinks too much, smokes and gambles but for those who he cares about, he is truly noble.
Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) is his new next door neighbor and she needs someone to watch her son because she is new at work and works long hours. She's a CAT scan techinican, a job which makes her miserable. She's trying to start again because her unattractive husband managed to have several affairs behind her back. So she pays Vincent to watch her son.
Vincent teaches Oliver how to fight, to get back at the nasty bullies at his private Catholic school, how to gamble so they can win it big, which manages to happen, just once though, and how to speak up for himself. Sure, he shouldn't be bringing a child into a bar or to the tracks but Vincent has a hidden secret. His wife is suffering from early onset dementia and doesn't even recognize him anymore, but he visits her, disguised as a doctor and does her laundry every week. But the man is broke and his wife is in danger of being evicted from her lovely home and has a lone shark (Terrance Howard) after him.
Then the film takes an even darker turn. Vincent suffers a stroke and needs physical therapy to recover which he does.
But Maggie is sued by her ex for full custody and that doesn't go well because of everything Vincent has done with Oliver but fortunately, this movie ultimately has a happy ending.
Sure, Vincent's wife dies and he doesn't hear about it, but Maggie forgives Vincent whom Oliver sort of hails as a saint and they end eating around the table as a big, dysfunctional but happy family.
Murray and McCarthy have excellent support from Naomi Watts as Daka, the pregnant Russian prostitute who is fired from her job as a dancer because of her condition, though she seems happy with having a baby and cries when her daughter is born. She also isn't shy, having no problem breast feeding the baby at a table with young boys present.
Chris O'Dowd is also great as the priest who teaches Oliver about saints and religion but is blind to the bully problem happening in his own classroom. He is a Catholic, which is the best religion because they have the most rules.
Sure, the plot has been done before, a grumpy old man softens with the a little help from his friends, but the acting truly shines. Everyone is great. It is nice seeing McCarthy playing something different from what she normally does but Murray is certainly the best, giving an excellent performance that should capture the attention of the awards. Even the Australian Watts manages to nail a Russian accent and get Vincent to eat vegetables and clean up his dump of a house and weasels her way into having a job taking care of him while he finishes recovering.
There are problems with the film, like the timeline is off, just slightly. And Oliver forgives the bully too easily, though I'm glad they became friends, bonding over their absent fathers. Who knows if Maggie's ex will let have full custody in the end or not, though Oliver wants to have a relationship with his father even though he thinks they are doing just fine without him. Daka's daughter might or might not be Vincent's but Oliver doesn't get involved with other people's affairs, which makes sense in a way. The lone shark also just disappears after Vincent suffers a stroke right before his eyes, never getting his money back. And how does Vincent pay for everything when he is beyond broke? Still, the film was greatly enjoyable with snappy remarks and brilliant acting all around. Grade:A-
Vincent MacKenna (Bill Murray) isn't a likable character. As his young charge, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), puts it, he drinks too much, smokes and gambles but for those who he cares about, he is truly noble.
Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) is his new next door neighbor and she needs someone to watch her son because she is new at work and works long hours. She's a CAT scan techinican, a job which makes her miserable. She's trying to start again because her unattractive husband managed to have several affairs behind her back. So she pays Vincent to watch her son.
Vincent teaches Oliver how to fight, to get back at the nasty bullies at his private Catholic school, how to gamble so they can win it big, which manages to happen, just once though, and how to speak up for himself. Sure, he shouldn't be bringing a child into a bar or to the tracks but Vincent has a hidden secret. His wife is suffering from early onset dementia and doesn't even recognize him anymore, but he visits her, disguised as a doctor and does her laundry every week. But the man is broke and his wife is in danger of being evicted from her lovely home and has a lone shark (Terrance Howard) after him.
Then the film takes an even darker turn. Vincent suffers a stroke and needs physical therapy to recover which he does.
But Maggie is sued by her ex for full custody and that doesn't go well because of everything Vincent has done with Oliver but fortunately, this movie ultimately has a happy ending.
Sure, Vincent's wife dies and he doesn't hear about it, but Maggie forgives Vincent whom Oliver sort of hails as a saint and they end eating around the table as a big, dysfunctional but happy family.
Murray and McCarthy have excellent support from Naomi Watts as Daka, the pregnant Russian prostitute who is fired from her job as a dancer because of her condition, though she seems happy with having a baby and cries when her daughter is born. She also isn't shy, having no problem breast feeding the baby at a table with young boys present.
Chris O'Dowd is also great as the priest who teaches Oliver about saints and religion but is blind to the bully problem happening in his own classroom. He is a Catholic, which is the best religion because they have the most rules.
Sure, the plot has been done before, a grumpy old man softens with the a little help from his friends, but the acting truly shines. Everyone is great. It is nice seeing McCarthy playing something different from what she normally does but Murray is certainly the best, giving an excellent performance that should capture the attention of the awards. Even the Australian Watts manages to nail a Russian accent and get Vincent to eat vegetables and clean up his dump of a house and weasels her way into having a job taking care of him while he finishes recovering.
There are problems with the film, like the timeline is off, just slightly. And Oliver forgives the bully too easily, though I'm glad they became friends, bonding over their absent fathers. Who knows if Maggie's ex will let have full custody in the end or not, though Oliver wants to have a relationship with his father even though he thinks they are doing just fine without him. Daka's daughter might or might not be Vincent's but Oliver doesn't get involved with other people's affairs, which makes sense in a way. The lone shark also just disappears after Vincent suffers a stroke right before his eyes, never getting his money back. And how does Vincent pay for everything when he is beyond broke? Still, the film was greatly enjoyable with snappy remarks and brilliant acting all around. Grade:A-
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
The Middle: Halloween V
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) begins the episode by looking under the sofa for the Halloween candy she bought in March but hid from herself so she wouldn't eat it all. Yet, she still can't find it. Instead, the Hecks will be handing Easter eggs that Frankie put behind the frosting, thinking that by the time she was done with the frosting, she would be too sick for the eggs and she was right.
Sue (Eden Sher) needs money for college and has even created a suemometer to measure her earnings and so far she's not doing great despite having a job serving potatoes to people. So she comes up with an awesome plan that screams Halloween, showing It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in a pumpkin patch. Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) loves the plan while Courtney and Debbie (Brittany Ross and Natalie Lander) spin it into their own idea. They will show Poltergeist in a graveyard. Now, to no one's surprise, people don't come to Sue's gig. Of course Brad shows up but after pulling on Sue's heartstrings with his plea on how much time he spent on his costume, she lets him go. But Sue doesn't give up. And, luckily, finally someone shows up. He (Jerry Hardin) couldn't figure out his TV because it had too many buttons. He even donates fifty dollars to her cause though she insists he doesn't have to. Despite this bust, she thinks that her plan for earning money is totally doable. She's crazy, but whatever.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) invites his friend Cindy (Casey Burke) over to the house just to hang out and to Mike (Neil Flynn) and Frankie's shock, it seems to be working at first. They even put their arms around each other in an awkward fashion. But then, for some bizarre never explained reason, Brick goes trick-or-treating. Apparently, he did ask Cindy but she didn't want to go, so he went without her. Once he arrives home, his parents lecture him on how he should behave around women and how he must be chivalrous. What I didn't like is that, according to the Hecks, that means the man never gets to have his way. And it never ends.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) doesn't have that much to do but he is brilliant nevertheless. He needs to write a paper about Pearl Harbor and thinks that watching the movie is a great way to review. At his parents insistence, he goes to the library and finishes the paper with two whole minutes to spare. But then, he is locked in. This focuses him to spend some time alone, bonding with the Shakespeare sculpture that he calls LeBron. He's never been alone before, which scares him and he's worried about his future. He doesn't know about business and that's his major. But luckily, he falls asleep and then goes home to eat leftover Halloween candy and contemplate his future. Frankie and Mike assure him that he doesn't have to figure out his future right now; he's only a sophomore after all.
This was still a great episode, though the Halloween plots were quite odd and it bothered me that Brick never told anyone that he actually changed his mind. And Sue is always optimistic which is nice but unrealistic especially over something as unobtainable as college is for her but Axl actually wasn't annoying for once so there is improvement somewhere. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Cindy has an older sister and doesn't know what her parents do for a living. She's odd, maybe even odder than Brick which is really saying something.
-Brad's costume is fantastic. He's half Sandy, half Danny, from Grease, of course, and it took him eight hours to piece together that costume.
-Axl assumes that Shakespeare was a feather salesman because he was holding a feather in his hand.
-Axl can't dial the phone in the library because it is a rotary phone, ancient to him. A great gag scene.
-Where the heck is Darrin? He lost boyfriend points for not showing up to Sue's picture show, regardless of how stupid the whole thing was.
-Cindy only wants to eat shrimp, so Mike goes to Frugal Hoosier to buy some and they must be eaten within the hour. Unfortunately, after that whole ordeal, she only eats one of the shrimp.
-At the end of the episode, the family quizzes Brick on what he should do while waiting at a girl's house for her to get ready, he finally says that he should talk to her parents. He can't believe that that is the right answer, that was just his joke answer.
-Courtney and Debbie even dare to have kettle corn at their movie showing.
-Axl finishes his paper with a Ben Affleck quote.
Sue (Eden Sher) needs money for college and has even created a suemometer to measure her earnings and so far she's not doing great despite having a job serving potatoes to people. So she comes up with an awesome plan that screams Halloween, showing It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in a pumpkin patch. Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) loves the plan while Courtney and Debbie (Brittany Ross and Natalie Lander) spin it into their own idea. They will show Poltergeist in a graveyard. Now, to no one's surprise, people don't come to Sue's gig. Of course Brad shows up but after pulling on Sue's heartstrings with his plea on how much time he spent on his costume, she lets him go. But Sue doesn't give up. And, luckily, finally someone shows up. He (Jerry Hardin) couldn't figure out his TV because it had too many buttons. He even donates fifty dollars to her cause though she insists he doesn't have to. Despite this bust, she thinks that her plan for earning money is totally doable. She's crazy, but whatever.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) invites his friend Cindy (Casey Burke) over to the house just to hang out and to Mike (Neil Flynn) and Frankie's shock, it seems to be working at first. They even put their arms around each other in an awkward fashion. But then, for some bizarre never explained reason, Brick goes trick-or-treating. Apparently, he did ask Cindy but she didn't want to go, so he went without her. Once he arrives home, his parents lecture him on how he should behave around women and how he must be chivalrous. What I didn't like is that, according to the Hecks, that means the man never gets to have his way. And it never ends.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) doesn't have that much to do but he is brilliant nevertheless. He needs to write a paper about Pearl Harbor and thinks that watching the movie is a great way to review. At his parents insistence, he goes to the library and finishes the paper with two whole minutes to spare. But then, he is locked in. This focuses him to spend some time alone, bonding with the Shakespeare sculpture that he calls LeBron. He's never been alone before, which scares him and he's worried about his future. He doesn't know about business and that's his major. But luckily, he falls asleep and then goes home to eat leftover Halloween candy and contemplate his future. Frankie and Mike assure him that he doesn't have to figure out his future right now; he's only a sophomore after all.
This was still a great episode, though the Halloween plots were quite odd and it bothered me that Brick never told anyone that he actually changed his mind. And Sue is always optimistic which is nice but unrealistic especially over something as unobtainable as college is for her but Axl actually wasn't annoying for once so there is improvement somewhere. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Cindy has an older sister and doesn't know what her parents do for a living. She's odd, maybe even odder than Brick which is really saying something.
-Brad's costume is fantastic. He's half Sandy, half Danny, from Grease, of course, and it took him eight hours to piece together that costume.
-Axl assumes that Shakespeare was a feather salesman because he was holding a feather in his hand.
-Axl can't dial the phone in the library because it is a rotary phone, ancient to him. A great gag scene.
-Where the heck is Darrin? He lost boyfriend points for not showing up to Sue's picture show, regardless of how stupid the whole thing was.
-Cindy only wants to eat shrimp, so Mike goes to Frugal Hoosier to buy some and they must be eaten within the hour. Unfortunately, after that whole ordeal, she only eats one of the shrimp.
-At the end of the episode, the family quizzes Brick on what he should do while waiting at a girl's house for her to get ready, he finally says that he should talk to her parents. He can't believe that that is the right answer, that was just his joke answer.
-Courtney and Debbie even dare to have kettle corn at their movie showing.
-Axl finishes his paper with a Ben Affleck quote.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
The Middle: The Table
Finally! An episode focusing on Sue (Eden Sher) and Darrin (John Gammon), but Darrin is Darrin and everything is ruined. Sure, they start off super sweet and cute and then, icing on the cake, Darrin gives Sue a key to his heart necklace which is so romantic. Deciding to do something nice for Darrin, Sue steals his phone so she can find a picture of the two of them together, but instead finds a picture of his ex-girlfriend, Angel, to whom he also gave the same necklace. Sue isn't pleased and breaks up with him, more or less in the heat of the moment as he gave that necklace to his mother as well. Later, Sue feels that she was too hasty, which she basically was because Darrin isn't the brightest bulb in the box and because Angel liked the necklace, he naturally thought that Sue would too, and she did. But she wants to be the only one with that key, and I don't blame her. However, her lines from John Green's The Fault in Our Stars fail to make an impression, she turns to The Notebook. But Darrin only wants to hear what she has to say, and she declares her love for him and he loves her too, they are back together. All is right in that world.
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) and Mike (Neil Flynn) are celebrating their twenty-something wedding anniversary and Frankie decides to buy this beautiful dining room table off of Craig's List. Mike decides that they are working so hard they deserve something nice. But this is the Heck family, it turns out to be a bust. It is a beautiful table but it's a doll table so that wonderful plan is ruined. They still have their nice moment when Frankie arranges a picnic on the dining room floor for Mike when he comes home because as long as he's around, it doesn't matter what sort of table they have. Mike throws the stuff off the tiny table and begins ravishing Frankie. Another sweet ending.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) and Hutch (Alphonso McAuley) need more money so they decide to get more people there and turn their house into a frat house. Like Frankie and Mike's plan, this turns out to a bust. Too many people and these people trash the house, and even break the old, aged Heck family dining room table. In the end, they get Kenny (Tommy Bechtold) back. Sure, he's super weird and only places video games, but he will pay his rent on time and leave them alone.
Brick's (Atticus Shaffer's) plot is minor but also hilarious. He starts a podcast discussing fonts, his passion. And he starts off truly believing that it will work but he quickly grows tired with the whole and cancels it after less than a week. Jimmy Kimmel is upset when it gets cancelled, but he is most certainly alone.
This is probably the strongest episode so far this season and who even cares what the key to my heart necklace was a metaphor for. At first I thought virginity, but then that would just be weird, giving it to his mother and all. I love happy endings and they are so great together. And Frankie and Mike are pretty great too. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-"Why do we have to pay for water? It falls from the sky. It's like they're stealing from God."-Axl to Hutch when they are wondering why they must pay for all their bills.
-Axl is glad that so many things are free at home, but Frankie says that will end next summer. Axl isn't worried, he knows that she won't follow through. Frankie reluctantly knows in the backroom.
-Italics demonstrate emotion, according to Brick.
-He ends his podcast on a classy note, as the type of font shows more of who are you than the words you are actually writing.
-Darrin fills Sue's room with balloons and they don't pop for a while but they worm through them to meet up with each other. He pops some balloons with his key necklace that he gives back to Sue.
-When Darrin says that he needs some space, he locks himself out of the house and wants Sue to go away so he can ring the bell for his mom.
-When will we meet Darrin's family? That should be hilarious.
-What is the thing with photo blankets? I think they are sort of lame, but whatever. I will forever root for that couple.
-That being said, they should probably give Axl a new love interest some time soon.
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) and Mike (Neil Flynn) are celebrating their twenty-something wedding anniversary and Frankie decides to buy this beautiful dining room table off of Craig's List. Mike decides that they are working so hard they deserve something nice. But this is the Heck family, it turns out to be a bust. It is a beautiful table but it's a doll table so that wonderful plan is ruined. They still have their nice moment when Frankie arranges a picnic on the dining room floor for Mike when he comes home because as long as he's around, it doesn't matter what sort of table they have. Mike throws the stuff off the tiny table and begins ravishing Frankie. Another sweet ending.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) and Hutch (Alphonso McAuley) need more money so they decide to get more people there and turn their house into a frat house. Like Frankie and Mike's plan, this turns out to a bust. Too many people and these people trash the house, and even break the old, aged Heck family dining room table. In the end, they get Kenny (Tommy Bechtold) back. Sure, he's super weird and only places video games, but he will pay his rent on time and leave them alone.
Brick's (Atticus Shaffer's) plot is minor but also hilarious. He starts a podcast discussing fonts, his passion. And he starts off truly believing that it will work but he quickly grows tired with the whole and cancels it after less than a week. Jimmy Kimmel is upset when it gets cancelled, but he is most certainly alone.
This is probably the strongest episode so far this season and who even cares what the key to my heart necklace was a metaphor for. At first I thought virginity, but then that would just be weird, giving it to his mother and all. I love happy endings and they are so great together. And Frankie and Mike are pretty great too. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-"Why do we have to pay for water? It falls from the sky. It's like they're stealing from God."-Axl to Hutch when they are wondering why they must pay for all their bills.
-Axl is glad that so many things are free at home, but Frankie says that will end next summer. Axl isn't worried, he knows that she won't follow through. Frankie reluctantly knows in the backroom.
-Italics demonstrate emotion, according to Brick.
-He ends his podcast on a classy note, as the type of font shows more of who are you than the words you are actually writing.
-Darrin fills Sue's room with balloons and they don't pop for a while but they worm through them to meet up with each other. He pops some balloons with his key necklace that he gives back to Sue.
-When Darrin says that he needs some space, he locks himself out of the house and wants Sue to go away so he can ring the bell for his mom.
-When will we meet Darrin's family? That should be hilarious.
-What is the thing with photo blankets? I think they are sort of lame, but whatever. I will forever root for that couple.
-That being said, they should probably give Axl a new love interest some time soon.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Mystic River (2003)
This film was great. Dark, but brilliant.
Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) is a murderer and he murders the wrong man, Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins).
Dave has scars from his kidnapping as a child where he was abused and held captive for four days. And when he shows up at his house at three in the morning with blood on him, he doesn't tell his wife, Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) the truth. In reality, he killed a child molester, but he tells his wife that he was mugged.
However, unfortunately, that same night, Jimmy's eldest daughter, Katie (Emmy Rossum) is accidentally murdered by the younger brothers of the guy she's seeing and the son of a guy who turned on her father and then he killed him. But Katie's murder isn't out of cold blood. The young boys just found the gun and wanted to scare her, yet, she ends up dead.
Jimmy is furious and sends out his goons to find out the truth and Celeste brings her suspicions to Jimmy instead the cops, Jimmy confronts Dave and he, reluctantly, admits that he killed Katie because he feels that it will save his own life but it doesn't. Jimmy stabs him to death anyway and then tosses his body out to the river, just like he did to his former partner who turned on him all those years ago.
The problem lies within the investigation itself. Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) is the third member of the trio of Jimmy, Dave and Sean and the most straight-laced of the three with a fancy job as State Police Detective but his home life is troubled. His wife, for reasons unknown, took off and calls him, saying nothing every so often and hasn't even had the courtesy to tell him what she named their daughter. Though they reconcile at the end, the reason is never explained as to why she left in the first place. That is mostly a personal nit pick of mine. Sean and his partner, Whitey (Laurence Fishburne) are on the case, shocked that the Markums knew nothing of Katie's plan to run away to Las Vegas with her boyfriend. Dave is the suspect that Whitey is focused on but it isn't until they finally listen to the 911 tape that the truth is revealed, just a little too late to save Dave's life. And though Jimmy basically tells Sean that Dave is dead because of him, no body is found though the murdered molester has been found and he wants to question Dave about that murder. So Jimmy gets away with murder and his Lady Macbethish wife, Annabeth (Laura Linney), seems fine. In fact, she's offended that Celeste would ever think that Dave was a murderer.
Though the plot is universally depressing and the happy ending is certainly not one in my book, the acting is fabulous. Penn and Robbins both deserved the Oscars they won and Harden more than deserved her nomination. Each has expressive faces and their eyes bore into the souls of their characters. The pained expressions on their faces tell the story and what each character is thinking. The film also has a gritty realism that I like, without the shiny polish Hollywood filled its films with.
However, if you want to watch a happy film, this is not the film for you though the acting is forever noteworthy. Grade: A
Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) is a murderer and he murders the wrong man, Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins).
Dave has scars from his kidnapping as a child where he was abused and held captive for four days. And when he shows up at his house at three in the morning with blood on him, he doesn't tell his wife, Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) the truth. In reality, he killed a child molester, but he tells his wife that he was mugged.
However, unfortunately, that same night, Jimmy's eldest daughter, Katie (Emmy Rossum) is accidentally murdered by the younger brothers of the guy she's seeing and the son of a guy who turned on her father and then he killed him. But Katie's murder isn't out of cold blood. The young boys just found the gun and wanted to scare her, yet, she ends up dead.
Jimmy is furious and sends out his goons to find out the truth and Celeste brings her suspicions to Jimmy instead the cops, Jimmy confronts Dave and he, reluctantly, admits that he killed Katie because he feels that it will save his own life but it doesn't. Jimmy stabs him to death anyway and then tosses his body out to the river, just like he did to his former partner who turned on him all those years ago.
The problem lies within the investigation itself. Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) is the third member of the trio of Jimmy, Dave and Sean and the most straight-laced of the three with a fancy job as State Police Detective but his home life is troubled. His wife, for reasons unknown, took off and calls him, saying nothing every so often and hasn't even had the courtesy to tell him what she named their daughter. Though they reconcile at the end, the reason is never explained as to why she left in the first place. That is mostly a personal nit pick of mine. Sean and his partner, Whitey (Laurence Fishburne) are on the case, shocked that the Markums knew nothing of Katie's plan to run away to Las Vegas with her boyfriend. Dave is the suspect that Whitey is focused on but it isn't until they finally listen to the 911 tape that the truth is revealed, just a little too late to save Dave's life. And though Jimmy basically tells Sean that Dave is dead because of him, no body is found though the murdered molester has been found and he wants to question Dave about that murder. So Jimmy gets away with murder and his Lady Macbethish wife, Annabeth (Laura Linney), seems fine. In fact, she's offended that Celeste would ever think that Dave was a murderer.
Though the plot is universally depressing and the happy ending is certainly not one in my book, the acting is fabulous. Penn and Robbins both deserved the Oscars they won and Harden more than deserved her nomination. Each has expressive faces and their eyes bore into the souls of their characters. The pained expressions on their faces tell the story and what each character is thinking. The film also has a gritty realism that I like, without the shiny polish Hollywood filled its films with.
However, if you want to watch a happy film, this is not the film for you though the acting is forever noteworthy. Grade: A
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Jane the Virgin: Pilot
This was a delightful debut, certainly one of the strongest pilots I've seen.
Jane (Gina Rodriguez) has her life all planned out. She is waiting to have sex with her boyfriend, Michael (Brett Dier) because her grandmother (Ivonne Coll) has warned her throughout the years that once she loses her virginity, she will never be able to get it back. She is working hard as a waitress at a local hotel owned by Rafael (Justin Baldoni) whom Jane has kissed years ago, and she is also taking classes so she can become a teacher.
Unfortunately, life has other plans. Thanks to a frazzled and heart-broken gynecologist (and Rafael's sister), Dr. Alver inseminates Jane with Rafael's frozen sperm. She realizes her mistake almost immediately when she goes to see her next patient, Petra (Yael Grobglas), also Rafael's wife. But knowing that there is only a twenty percent chance that Jane will actually get pregnant, she says nothing, but that twenty percent takes hold.
Jane faints on a bus and thus goes to the hospital where she is informed that she is pregnant. Naturally, she doesn't believe the test and her mother, Xiomara (Andrea Navedo) insists that another one is taken but the result is the same. Her mother believes that it is an immaculate conception and starts praying at her daughter. Yet, at the same time, once the truth is revealed, she is fine with her daughter having the abortion, but everything is a lot more complicated.
Rafael is a cancer survivor and that is his only sperm, his only chance to have a biological child and Jane, herself, is the child of a teenage parent. Her mother was just sixteen when she had Jane and Alma (grandmother), despite being extremely religious, wanted her young daughter to have an abortion but luckily that didn't happen, though now she is forced to live with that guilt.
Michael does propose, moving up their time line, not because he wants to have sex with her, though he does but he also wants to spend the rest of his life with her, have children together and yes, have sex with her. Side Note: I thought you had to have sex first before you have children.
He is not thrilled when he hears her news and Jane gets it. Of course he doesn't want to raise another man's child, but he supports her final decision. Jane decides to have the baby but give it to the father because he is in a happy, loving marriage. Too bad that part isn't true. Petra might have stayed glued to Rafael's side during his chemotherapy, but now that he is healed and completely healthy, she is cheating on him and he wants a divorce though she is blackmailing him to stay in the marriage by saying that Jane won't give them the baby if something is wrong in paradise.
So Jane is engaged to Michael and everything is fine, for now, but you know it won't last, especially considering that Xiomara has just re-met Jane's biological father (Jaime Camil) now a famous telenovela star and he is furious that she kept her daughter from him.
Sure, the show is completely crazy and fortunately, something like that could never happen in real life. Dr. Alver should not have gone to work that day because she can't focus but Jane didn't hear what she said about the insemination because Jane is also tired. Now, I'm certainly not blaming the victim because that mistake is absolutely horrible. Dr. Alver knows that she is in major trouble and Jane might sue her which I hope happens because that mistake is unacceptable.
But the acting is wonderful with Rodriguez being the stand-out, making Jane a fully fleshed out character and Xiomara is another one to watch.
Sure, the show isn't perfect, with one too many grilled cheese name drops and seriously, with everything else going on, you have to include Michael spying on the hotel manager (Michael Rady) who is also sleeping with Petra. FYI, Michael is a detective so it is on a professional level that he is spying and it is just odd that Jane's father is a telenovela star though that could certainly be interesting.
However, it shows both sides of the pro-choice debate, something that is so refreshing to see and something that rarely happens in Hollywood, though I knew going in that she was going to have the baby. I am worried about the direction this show is going in, because you know that she is going to fall in love with the bio dad and together they will raise the baby but I wish that she would stay with her fiance and have the baby with him, but alas. Either way, I'm intrigued and can't wait for the next episode. Grade: A-
Jane (Gina Rodriguez) has her life all planned out. She is waiting to have sex with her boyfriend, Michael (Brett Dier) because her grandmother (Ivonne Coll) has warned her throughout the years that once she loses her virginity, she will never be able to get it back. She is working hard as a waitress at a local hotel owned by Rafael (Justin Baldoni) whom Jane has kissed years ago, and she is also taking classes so she can become a teacher.
Unfortunately, life has other plans. Thanks to a frazzled and heart-broken gynecologist (and Rafael's sister), Dr. Alver inseminates Jane with Rafael's frozen sperm. She realizes her mistake almost immediately when she goes to see her next patient, Petra (Yael Grobglas), also Rafael's wife. But knowing that there is only a twenty percent chance that Jane will actually get pregnant, she says nothing, but that twenty percent takes hold.
Jane faints on a bus and thus goes to the hospital where she is informed that she is pregnant. Naturally, she doesn't believe the test and her mother, Xiomara (Andrea Navedo) insists that another one is taken but the result is the same. Her mother believes that it is an immaculate conception and starts praying at her daughter. Yet, at the same time, once the truth is revealed, she is fine with her daughter having the abortion, but everything is a lot more complicated.
Rafael is a cancer survivor and that is his only sperm, his only chance to have a biological child and Jane, herself, is the child of a teenage parent. Her mother was just sixteen when she had Jane and Alma (grandmother), despite being extremely religious, wanted her young daughter to have an abortion but luckily that didn't happen, though now she is forced to live with that guilt.
Michael does propose, moving up their time line, not because he wants to have sex with her, though he does but he also wants to spend the rest of his life with her, have children together and yes, have sex with her. Side Note: I thought you had to have sex first before you have children.
He is not thrilled when he hears her news and Jane gets it. Of course he doesn't want to raise another man's child, but he supports her final decision. Jane decides to have the baby but give it to the father because he is in a happy, loving marriage. Too bad that part isn't true. Petra might have stayed glued to Rafael's side during his chemotherapy, but now that he is healed and completely healthy, she is cheating on him and he wants a divorce though she is blackmailing him to stay in the marriage by saying that Jane won't give them the baby if something is wrong in paradise.
So Jane is engaged to Michael and everything is fine, for now, but you know it won't last, especially considering that Xiomara has just re-met Jane's biological father (Jaime Camil) now a famous telenovela star and he is furious that she kept her daughter from him.
Sure, the show is completely crazy and fortunately, something like that could never happen in real life. Dr. Alver should not have gone to work that day because she can't focus but Jane didn't hear what she said about the insemination because Jane is also tired. Now, I'm certainly not blaming the victim because that mistake is absolutely horrible. Dr. Alver knows that she is in major trouble and Jane might sue her which I hope happens because that mistake is unacceptable.
But the acting is wonderful with Rodriguez being the stand-out, making Jane a fully fleshed out character and Xiomara is another one to watch.
Sure, the show isn't perfect, with one too many grilled cheese name drops and seriously, with everything else going on, you have to include Michael spying on the hotel manager (Michael Rady) who is also sleeping with Petra. FYI, Michael is a detective so it is on a professional level that he is spying and it is just odd that Jane's father is a telenovela star though that could certainly be interesting.
However, it shows both sides of the pro-choice debate, something that is so refreshing to see and something that rarely happens in Hollywood, though I knew going in that she was going to have the baby. I am worried about the direction this show is going in, because you know that she is going to fall in love with the bio dad and together they will raise the baby but I wish that she would stay with her fiance and have the baby with him, but alas. Either way, I'm intrigued and can't wait for the next episode. Grade: A-
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
The Middle: Major Anxiety
Axl (Charlie McDermott) actually has to figure out his life. Hutch (Alphonso McAuley) already has his life figured out; he's going to be an engineer. Axl first decides on Buddhist studies but naturally, his parents immediately nix that idea because he won't be able to find a job or make a living using that degree. He then decides upon engineering so he and Hutch can suffer together, but then he learns that engineers don't work on trains and also decides that that isn't for him. Apparently bridges and buildings just don't have the same ring to them as trains. Sue (Eden Sher), proving that she is the bigger person, even helps him find a major by making him take a girly quiz on Kicking It Teen Style.com which proves that he is a social person but the career chooses include manicurist and handbag stylist.
Later, they bond on the roof where Axl says that Sue isn't the worst sister a guy could have. She's good at helping people something that Sue loves to do. She wants to major in psychology and Axl steals that major. She is furious and then slips down the roof and is hanging on to the edge, threatening to go to his college. In the end, Mike (Neil Flynn) tells him that he will be majoring in business. All along, Axl wanted someone to tell him what to do and finally someone did.
In the meantime, Brick (Atticus Shaffer) decides that he wants to be popular. Frankie (Patricia Heaton) tells him that this means he must put down the book and actually talk to people. He tries this, barely. In shop class, he asks a girl to pass him a tool and she doesn't respond. But, nevertheless, he does decide to go to the Fall Fling. Mike and Frankie make sure he has his cell phone and ticket before dropping him off. I thought that they would just spend the whole night in the car and it's true, no sooner than they get home, Brick texts them saying that he's having a horrible time so they go to pick him up. When he finally gets in the car, he only has one shoe and has no idea where the other one is. He gets his romantic ending, just as I predicted. A girl, Cindy (Casey Burke), who is tall and odd looking comes to his house the next day to return his shoe and then promptly invites him out for fro-yo. He declines though Frankie pushes him to go out with her, snatching the book out of his hands. I think things just might work out between the two of them, after all she likes Planet Nowhere.
This was the best episode so far this season though I do have some nitpicks. First of all, I thought Brick worked out his relationship with that girl from North Carolina but I guess they dropped that plot line completely from the show, which I'm fine with, I just wish they had mentioned something about it. And Brick managed not to lose his cell phone for over a whole year, that's impressive.
That being said, it was still the funniest episode in some time with hidden little gags, like when Frankie is showing Brick how to dance with a girl and Mike mimicking her hand posture in the background. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Sue gets a great minor plot line. She starts drinking coffee and it has her bouncing off the walls. The funniest bit is when she dumps a huge lump of nutella in her mug.
-But she breaks the bad habit after a mere two days and she does crash pretty hard.
-Darrin (John Gammon) makes an experience during the Heck family talk show to help Brick. He believes that it will be good exposure for the band.
-Axl uses his book of majors as a plate. That's a good use for it.
-Axl even manages to give Brick some good advice, saying that he needs to start looking for friends at the bottom of the heap.
-"Over the years, I've become quite fond of you."-Axl's best line to Brick.
-Frankie and Mike decide to make out in the car when they wait for Brick, but Mike has to come to her because she hurt her neck while she was sleeping. It's cute, charming and endearing and fortunately, we don't get to see it.
Later, they bond on the roof where Axl says that Sue isn't the worst sister a guy could have. She's good at helping people something that Sue loves to do. She wants to major in psychology and Axl steals that major. She is furious and then slips down the roof and is hanging on to the edge, threatening to go to his college. In the end, Mike (Neil Flynn) tells him that he will be majoring in business. All along, Axl wanted someone to tell him what to do and finally someone did.
In the meantime, Brick (Atticus Shaffer) decides that he wants to be popular. Frankie (Patricia Heaton) tells him that this means he must put down the book and actually talk to people. He tries this, barely. In shop class, he asks a girl to pass him a tool and she doesn't respond. But, nevertheless, he does decide to go to the Fall Fling. Mike and Frankie make sure he has his cell phone and ticket before dropping him off. I thought that they would just spend the whole night in the car and it's true, no sooner than they get home, Brick texts them saying that he's having a horrible time so they go to pick him up. When he finally gets in the car, he only has one shoe and has no idea where the other one is. He gets his romantic ending, just as I predicted. A girl, Cindy (Casey Burke), who is tall and odd looking comes to his house the next day to return his shoe and then promptly invites him out for fro-yo. He declines though Frankie pushes him to go out with her, snatching the book out of his hands. I think things just might work out between the two of them, after all she likes Planet Nowhere.
This was the best episode so far this season though I do have some nitpicks. First of all, I thought Brick worked out his relationship with that girl from North Carolina but I guess they dropped that plot line completely from the show, which I'm fine with, I just wish they had mentioned something about it. And Brick managed not to lose his cell phone for over a whole year, that's impressive.
That being said, it was still the funniest episode in some time with hidden little gags, like when Frankie is showing Brick how to dance with a girl and Mike mimicking her hand posture in the background. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Sue gets a great minor plot line. She starts drinking coffee and it has her bouncing off the walls. The funniest bit is when she dumps a huge lump of nutella in her mug.
-But she breaks the bad habit after a mere two days and she does crash pretty hard.
-Darrin (John Gammon) makes an experience during the Heck family talk show to help Brick. He believes that it will be good exposure for the band.
-Axl uses his book of majors as a plate. That's a good use for it.
-Axl even manages to give Brick some good advice, saying that he needs to start looking for friends at the bottom of the heap.
-"Over the years, I've become quite fond of you."-Axl's best line to Brick.
-Frankie and Mike decide to make out in the car when they wait for Brick, but Mike has to come to her because she hurt her neck while she was sleeping. It's cute, charming and endearing and fortunately, we don't get to see it.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The Middle: The Loneliest Locker
Frankie's (Patricia Heaton) a bad mother. Even if a toy is noisy and ridiculous, you shouldn't take it off your son's lap and hide in the basement. But that's what she did, ruining Brick's (Atticus Shaffer's) childhood, forcing him to reading book after book because it is quiet.
Despite that, Frankie doesn't want to crush Sue's (Eden Sher's) dream of attending a private, perhaps out of state college. In order that her dream even has a chance of coming true, Frankie and Mike (Neil Flynn) get another job or pick up more hours. Mike picks up other hours at Little Betty (who knew he was still working there?) and Frankie works from home as a flight attendant which sounds a lot better than it actually is. Her kids are loud and don't understand that they need to leave her alone when she is on the phone. Mike believes that they should tell Sue the truth and crush her dreams while Frankie believes that she needs to have hope. Besides, crushing her dreams could send her down the wrong path while Mike believes that honesty is the best policy and thinks that Sue can handle the truth.
This ties into the play that Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) has tapped her to write. Her play should have had potential. It's about a new girl in high school suffering from a myriad of illnesses including both bulimia and anorexia. The play is just odd and horrible and they fight over the ending with Sue wanting a hopeful one while Brad prefers a sadder but realistic one which inspires the above mentioned debate Mike and Frankie have. Poor Frankie ends up missing the play because she has to re-route passengers. Naturally, Sue is furious and blows up at Frankie once she arrived home. She is mad, and Frankie is mad right back. Frankie finally admits that she is working so hard and missing everything so Sue can go to college. Sue is heart-broken that her parents are working so hard and knows that even if she wants to go to a private college, she knows that it is just a dream. She just wants her parents to be present because she loves them so much. Though Frankie and Mike agree that they would work less but secretly, they want her to have her dream because she is so sweet and kind and generous. But I think a third job will kill Frankie.
This episode was better than the premiere as it usually is and it nearly touched on something special, Sue realizing that dreams are wonderful but rarely happen in reality and though she normally has her head in the clouds, she does have a better grip on reality than her parents believe and wants attention more than money. A relationship more than monetary things. She is slowly growing up, too bad that probably won't last in this show. Unfortunately, the relationship she has with Axl is still just as childish as ever, arguing over stupid things like who stole the shower curtain? And Brick's plot line is basically left unfinished. He needs a better plot line, stat. Still, it was funny in sad, pathetic sort of way seeing the final product of the play which is potentially the worst thing I've ever seen. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Axl's apartment is unfurnished so he steals crap from around the Heck house all day long, even going as far as stealing the middle cushion from the sofa.
-Because of that, Mike steals all three cushions from Axl's sofa and blackmails him back by forcing him to attend Sue's play. Each hour he sits there, he gets a cushion back.
-For the record, 8 x 8 equals 64, not 72 Axl, the look on Hutch's (Alphonso McAuley's) face is priceless. Axl, you're in college now, and yet you don't know simple math. I pity you and it confuses my brain a little. You need to learn.
-The play is completely horrible, with a dream within a dream sequence and multiple endings. Mike liked the third one best.
-I actually like the middle seat, Joan (a passenger Frankie is talking to on the phone) because that means I am very far away from the windows and can't really see outside them, thank goodness.
-Also, Joan, if you are taking a flight at the last minute, please at least attempt to be flexible.
-Did Darrin attend the worst play ever? He better have of else he loses brownie points from me.
-Of course you have sprinkles Frankie, you almost always do.
Despite that, Frankie doesn't want to crush Sue's (Eden Sher's) dream of attending a private, perhaps out of state college. In order that her dream even has a chance of coming true, Frankie and Mike (Neil Flynn) get another job or pick up more hours. Mike picks up other hours at Little Betty (who knew he was still working there?) and Frankie works from home as a flight attendant which sounds a lot better than it actually is. Her kids are loud and don't understand that they need to leave her alone when she is on the phone. Mike believes that they should tell Sue the truth and crush her dreams while Frankie believes that she needs to have hope. Besides, crushing her dreams could send her down the wrong path while Mike believes that honesty is the best policy and thinks that Sue can handle the truth.
This ties into the play that Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) has tapped her to write. Her play should have had potential. It's about a new girl in high school suffering from a myriad of illnesses including both bulimia and anorexia. The play is just odd and horrible and they fight over the ending with Sue wanting a hopeful one while Brad prefers a sadder but realistic one which inspires the above mentioned debate Mike and Frankie have. Poor Frankie ends up missing the play because she has to re-route passengers. Naturally, Sue is furious and blows up at Frankie once she arrived home. She is mad, and Frankie is mad right back. Frankie finally admits that she is working so hard and missing everything so Sue can go to college. Sue is heart-broken that her parents are working so hard and knows that even if she wants to go to a private college, she knows that it is just a dream. She just wants her parents to be present because she loves them so much. Though Frankie and Mike agree that they would work less but secretly, they want her to have her dream because she is so sweet and kind and generous. But I think a third job will kill Frankie.
This episode was better than the premiere as it usually is and it nearly touched on something special, Sue realizing that dreams are wonderful but rarely happen in reality and though she normally has her head in the clouds, she does have a better grip on reality than her parents believe and wants attention more than money. A relationship more than monetary things. She is slowly growing up, too bad that probably won't last in this show. Unfortunately, the relationship she has with Axl is still just as childish as ever, arguing over stupid things like who stole the shower curtain? And Brick's plot line is basically left unfinished. He needs a better plot line, stat. Still, it was funny in sad, pathetic sort of way seeing the final product of the play which is potentially the worst thing I've ever seen. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Axl's apartment is unfurnished so he steals crap from around the Heck house all day long, even going as far as stealing the middle cushion from the sofa.
-Because of that, Mike steals all three cushions from Axl's sofa and blackmails him back by forcing him to attend Sue's play. Each hour he sits there, he gets a cushion back.
-For the record, 8 x 8 equals 64, not 72 Axl, the look on Hutch's (Alphonso McAuley's) face is priceless. Axl, you're in college now, and yet you don't know simple math. I pity you and it confuses my brain a little. You need to learn.
-The play is completely horrible, with a dream within a dream sequence and multiple endings. Mike liked the third one best.
-I actually like the middle seat, Joan (a passenger Frankie is talking to on the phone) because that means I am very far away from the windows and can't really see outside them, thank goodness.
-Also, Joan, if you are taking a flight at the last minute, please at least attempt to be flexible.
-Did Darrin attend the worst play ever? He better have of else he loses brownie points from me.
-Of course you have sprinkles Frankie, you almost always do.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Hairspray (2007)
This is a delightful, light-hearted film.
Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) is a girl with dreams as big as her hair. She wants to be famous while her mother, Edna (John Travolta) wants her to take over the laundry business from her. Luckily, her father Wilbur (Christopher Walken) encourages her. So she auditions anyway and manages to make her dream start to come true.
However, it is more than just Tracy's size standing in her way, she also is totally for integration. Negro Day on her beloved Corny Collin's Show (James Marsden is Corny) is her favorite day; she wishes that it was every day. Station Manager Velma (Michelle Pfeiffer) is against change and doesn't like Tracy. Tracy is, after all, more talented than her bland daughter, Amber (Brittany Snow). Tracy even befriends Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) and his younger sister Little Inez (Taylor Parks), hoping that Inez can join her on the show next.
When I first watched the film I thought it was pretty predictable until the end when Tracy doesn't win her coveted title of Miss Hairspray, but Inez does instead. But she gets the guy, Link Larkin (Zac Efron). He finally decides that love and doing what is right are more important than his career. He leaves the nasty Amber and gets together with Tracy. Epic win.
But this film isn't about the plot, its about the songs and they are amazing. It is also perfectly acted and casted with each actor fitting their roles beautifully. Travolta should have been Oscar nominated for this role, different from anything he had ever done before but he is spectucular. Walken is hilarious as the joke show owner and supportive husband and father. I wish that Kelley and Blonsky would be offered more great roles like these ones because they are certainly capable of much more than they are given. Even Allison Janney provides great laughs as Penny's (Amanda Bynes's) religious mother, who ties up her misbehaving daughter in her bomb shelter with the stern warning of not to touch her canned tuna. Queen Latifah is also great as the host of Negro Day and, more importantly, mom to Seaweed and Inez. Her spread encourages Edna to spice up her sagging marriage with Wilbur, though Velma tries to thwart that as well.
Despite putting a light-hearted spin on the whole matter, this film also tackles racism and problems within Hollywood. Velma is furious when the negroes perform the same song as the nicest kids in town performed on Corny's show, but Motormouth Maybelle (Latifah) says that they wrote it so of course they should perform it. Velma hates the suggestive moves that the blacks have on their show and believes that even if children like their music, they should be taught otherwise because they are children and don't know any better. Despite Tracy's dream being within grasping distance, she tosses it all away to march for equal rights because that is more important in the whole scheme of things. There is even an interracial relationship between Seaweed and the naive Penny though her mother will probably never forgive her.
It encourages those who are different to take a chance. Tracy encourages her mother to finally leave the house and Edna likes what she sees. But even leaving the house was a huge risk and adventure for her. It's a good thing that Tracy sees beyond her own front door. Grade: A-
Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) is a girl with dreams as big as her hair. She wants to be famous while her mother, Edna (John Travolta) wants her to take over the laundry business from her. Luckily, her father Wilbur (Christopher Walken) encourages her. So she auditions anyway and manages to make her dream start to come true.
However, it is more than just Tracy's size standing in her way, she also is totally for integration. Negro Day on her beloved Corny Collin's Show (James Marsden is Corny) is her favorite day; she wishes that it was every day. Station Manager Velma (Michelle Pfeiffer) is against change and doesn't like Tracy. Tracy is, after all, more talented than her bland daughter, Amber (Brittany Snow). Tracy even befriends Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) and his younger sister Little Inez (Taylor Parks), hoping that Inez can join her on the show next.
When I first watched the film I thought it was pretty predictable until the end when Tracy doesn't win her coveted title of Miss Hairspray, but Inez does instead. But she gets the guy, Link Larkin (Zac Efron). He finally decides that love and doing what is right are more important than his career. He leaves the nasty Amber and gets together with Tracy. Epic win.
But this film isn't about the plot, its about the songs and they are amazing. It is also perfectly acted and casted with each actor fitting their roles beautifully. Travolta should have been Oscar nominated for this role, different from anything he had ever done before but he is spectucular. Walken is hilarious as the joke show owner and supportive husband and father. I wish that Kelley and Blonsky would be offered more great roles like these ones because they are certainly capable of much more than they are given. Even Allison Janney provides great laughs as Penny's (Amanda Bynes's) religious mother, who ties up her misbehaving daughter in her bomb shelter with the stern warning of not to touch her canned tuna. Queen Latifah is also great as the host of Negro Day and, more importantly, mom to Seaweed and Inez. Her spread encourages Edna to spice up her sagging marriage with Wilbur, though Velma tries to thwart that as well.
Despite putting a light-hearted spin on the whole matter, this film also tackles racism and problems within Hollywood. Velma is furious when the negroes perform the same song as the nicest kids in town performed on Corny's show, but Motormouth Maybelle (Latifah) says that they wrote it so of course they should perform it. Velma hates the suggestive moves that the blacks have on their show and believes that even if children like their music, they should be taught otherwise because they are children and don't know any better. Despite Tracy's dream being within grasping distance, she tosses it all away to march for equal rights because that is more important in the whole scheme of things. There is even an interracial relationship between Seaweed and the naive Penny though her mother will probably never forgive her.
It encourages those who are different to take a chance. Tracy encourages her mother to finally leave the house and Edna likes what she sees. But even leaving the house was a huge risk and adventure for her. It's a good thing that Tracy sees beyond her own front door. Grade: A-
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Murphy's Romance (1985)
I'm not going to waste my time on the plot of this film because it isn't worth it.
James Garner is Murphy Jones, the title character, but he isn't the star of the film. That is Sally Field's Emma Moriarty. She is divorced from her cheating and stealing ex-husband, Bobby Jack (Brian Kerwin) but in the end, fate makes kicking him out of her new ranch house again easy. He impregnated a teenager and has young twin sons with her. This means that she is easily able to end up with Murphy, a widower who is much beloved in the town.
Garner was nominated for an Oscar for this role and he doesn't even do much. Still, the film wasn't that serious and I wasn't in the mood for anything that heavy, but this film also fails as a rom-com with only one funny scene in the whole film-the one where Murphy and Bobby Jack both are getting Emma to turn around and dance with them.
I didn't like that Emma tried to somewhat make things work with Bobby Jack. He cheats at poker, even when it is just a fun game with family and steals money from Emma's wallet and she barely causes a fuss about it. She also keeps urging Murphy to get remarried, never thinking that he likes her. I mean, why else would a guy buy a horse to get her home business going and stay over to eat her dinner every night, along with her son (Corey Haim) and ex-husband? Also noted, normally the woman is tight-lipped about her age, but in this case, it is Murphy who doesn't reveal his true age until the last line of the film. Spoiler Alert: he's sixty.
I thought the film was pretty well acted, not well enough for an Academy Award nomination and the film was also real, with a grimy set and dust everywhere because this is the desert after all. Sure, the film is filled with stock characters but that can work and it mostly does for this film. That being said, I've already almost forgotten about the film and that is never a good sign. A film should either be brilliant or awful, but I'd remember it regardless. A film should never strive to be mediocre, and that's exactly what this film is, mediocre. Grade: B
James Garner is Murphy Jones, the title character, but he isn't the star of the film. That is Sally Field's Emma Moriarty. She is divorced from her cheating and stealing ex-husband, Bobby Jack (Brian Kerwin) but in the end, fate makes kicking him out of her new ranch house again easy. He impregnated a teenager and has young twin sons with her. This means that she is easily able to end up with Murphy, a widower who is much beloved in the town.
Garner was nominated for an Oscar for this role and he doesn't even do much. Still, the film wasn't that serious and I wasn't in the mood for anything that heavy, but this film also fails as a rom-com with only one funny scene in the whole film-the one where Murphy and Bobby Jack both are getting Emma to turn around and dance with them.
I didn't like that Emma tried to somewhat make things work with Bobby Jack. He cheats at poker, even when it is just a fun game with family and steals money from Emma's wallet and she barely causes a fuss about it. She also keeps urging Murphy to get remarried, never thinking that he likes her. I mean, why else would a guy buy a horse to get her home business going and stay over to eat her dinner every night, along with her son (Corey Haim) and ex-husband? Also noted, normally the woman is tight-lipped about her age, but in this case, it is Murphy who doesn't reveal his true age until the last line of the film. Spoiler Alert: he's sixty.
I thought the film was pretty well acted, not well enough for an Academy Award nomination and the film was also real, with a grimy set and dust everywhere because this is the desert after all. Sure, the film is filled with stock characters but that can work and it mostly does for this film. That being said, I've already almost forgotten about the film and that is never a good sign. A film should either be brilliant or awful, but I'd remember it regardless. A film should never strive to be mediocre, and that's exactly what this film is, mediocre. Grade: B
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Black-ish: Pilot
It is about time that network TV has a sitcom with a minority cast. Sure, it has been done in the past, but not recently and that is just a shame. Now, this season, ABC has two, this one and Cristela, which I will probably review later, once that show premieres.
Andre Johnson (Anthony Anderson) narrates, saying that he has come a long way from the Hood. And he has, he even gets a promotion at his advertising firm, becoming the senior vice president of the urban division. He was looking forward to this promotion but is unhappy that he's in charge of black stuff.
And his son, Andre, Jr. (Marcus Scribner) is trying out for field hockey, which devastates him, thinking that basketball should be his sport. Andre reaches a boiling point when Andy announces that he wants a bar mitzvah. He announces a family meeting and says that he's truly going to keep it real.
He does have other family members. Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross) is his doctor wife, who is mixed race. Andre accuses her of not being really black, which upsets her, because no one bothered to inform her hair or butt. Zoey (Yara Shahidi) is the oldest daughter, who hasn't been able to put her phone down throughout the entire episode. The twins, Jack and Diane (Miles Brown and Marsai Martin) are just adorable. When they describe another girl in their class, they say it is the one who always smells like mushrooms instead of just stating that she's the only other black girl in their class. Rainbow is thrilled that they don't see color while Andre doesn't understand why they don't simplify things. He ruined what I would consider to be a great moment in parenting.
He almost loses his job when he takes the bad part of urban, the riots and shootings, etc and puts it together in a presentation at his largely white firm. Fortunately, his wife rips him a new one and says that sure, he might hate his job but he would be even more mad if a white guy got the position over him. He realizes that he has made a mistake with everything and needs to be more supportive of his children, because he is giving them a better life than his own. He throws a huge party for Junior and Junior admits that he just wanted to make a sport, get his foot in the door because he is a freshman and wants to make an impression and feel a boob. "Can't blame him for that," Pops (Laurence Fishburne) says. He is the typical thirteen-year-old boy and that's just great.
Everything works out too quickly after building somewhat slowly, but this show has potential. I wish that the supporting cast would have been used more rather than nameless guest stars. But the family chemistry is real and Fishburne and Anderson play off each other brilliantly. The roles are perfectly suited toward each of them, but Anderson does need to be more serious and less goofball. The other children, Zoey, Jack and Diane need to be more developed because they could be interesting characters. And yes, the family is rich. Certainly upper upper middle class, so this show will not be as realistic as The Middle, but hopefully it will be better than Modern Family. It does need to improve and have better jokes, but I will continue watching for at least a few more weeks. Grade: B
Andre Johnson (Anthony Anderson) narrates, saying that he has come a long way from the Hood. And he has, he even gets a promotion at his advertising firm, becoming the senior vice president of the urban division. He was looking forward to this promotion but is unhappy that he's in charge of black stuff.
And his son, Andre, Jr. (Marcus Scribner) is trying out for field hockey, which devastates him, thinking that basketball should be his sport. Andre reaches a boiling point when Andy announces that he wants a bar mitzvah. He announces a family meeting and says that he's truly going to keep it real.
He does have other family members. Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross) is his doctor wife, who is mixed race. Andre accuses her of not being really black, which upsets her, because no one bothered to inform her hair or butt. Zoey (Yara Shahidi) is the oldest daughter, who hasn't been able to put her phone down throughout the entire episode. The twins, Jack and Diane (Miles Brown and Marsai Martin) are just adorable. When they describe another girl in their class, they say it is the one who always smells like mushrooms instead of just stating that she's the only other black girl in their class. Rainbow is thrilled that they don't see color while Andre doesn't understand why they don't simplify things. He ruined what I would consider to be a great moment in parenting.
He almost loses his job when he takes the bad part of urban, the riots and shootings, etc and puts it together in a presentation at his largely white firm. Fortunately, his wife rips him a new one and says that sure, he might hate his job but he would be even more mad if a white guy got the position over him. He realizes that he has made a mistake with everything and needs to be more supportive of his children, because he is giving them a better life than his own. He throws a huge party for Junior and Junior admits that he just wanted to make a sport, get his foot in the door because he is a freshman and wants to make an impression and feel a boob. "Can't blame him for that," Pops (Laurence Fishburne) says. He is the typical thirteen-year-old boy and that's just great.
Everything works out too quickly after building somewhat slowly, but this show has potential. I wish that the supporting cast would have been used more rather than nameless guest stars. But the family chemistry is real and Fishburne and Anderson play off each other brilliantly. The roles are perfectly suited toward each of them, but Anderson does need to be more serious and less goofball. The other children, Zoey, Jack and Diane need to be more developed because they could be interesting characters. And yes, the family is rich. Certainly upper upper middle class, so this show will not be as realistic as The Middle, but hopefully it will be better than Modern Family. It does need to improve and have better jokes, but I will continue watching for at least a few more weeks. Grade: B
The Middle: Unbraceable You
It's finally back! And Sue (Eden Sher) miraculously got her braces off.
Sue, poor girl, has been wearing her braces diligently for eight years. Yes, that should be a world record, and finally, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) is fed up. She's sick of the orthodontist sucking their bank account dry and the orthodontist (Richard Kind) is worn down. And she makes a huge point of pointing that her teeth are clear for the first time since she was nine. But her happiness is short-lived. She has weak, soft bones and after just two days, her teeth start shifting again. She is devastated and has never even kissed Darrin (John Gammon) with her straight teeth. Sue believes that the universe is against her and is completely and utterly defeated.
On top of this, Frankie pulls off her worst moment yet. She forgets when the school year is supposed to begin, meaning that Sue misses the candle ceremony and a bunch of other important stuff.
Mike (Neil Flynn) is probably the only one who isn't shocked by his wife's stupidity, but he has his own worries, with Axl (Charlie McDermott) beating him at basketball for the first time ever. At first, he is thrilled, but winning quickly becomes old when it continues to happen. It doesn't really comfort him when Brick (Atticus Shaffer) says that that is the natural order of things. It isn't until Bill Norwood (Pat Finn) and his nephew come over and the guys can play as a team that Axl and Mike feel better about the whole thing, though Mike is certainly aging, his bones are creaking.
Sue doesn't want to go back to the orthodontist, Dr. Niller, but she does and luckily, he has a solution that doesn't involve putting braces back on her teeth. She just has to wear a retainer for the next year. The Year of Sue as she has dubbed it. So despite her quick depression, Sue bounces back. She always does.
Though I love Sue's eternal optimism, I wish that just this once, her unhappiness would last for more than part of an episode. The world is always pushing her down and she bounces back up so quickly. I love that, but it is getting old because that is what always happens. It's predictable. I also wish I could have seen Darrin's reaction, that would have been priceless.
I also don't buy Frankie being that dumb. She isn't that smart, and missed too much of her dentist school but seriously, being a week off and then having no one notice until that Friday, that is just sad. In the past, the school has called the Hecks to tell them that one of their children is absent from school. And the Donahues are their neighbors, certainly, they would have noticed before Friday. And Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) should have called her. So that isn't funny, its stupid.
That being said, there were still several funny moments, all of which are appreciated. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Brick has an interesting plot line. Seventh grade is a big change for him and he feels that he needs a new book bag. He tries several, the funniest of which is when his huge guitar case falls down the stairs and opens, spilling the contents. He finally finds an old pizza delivery carrying case which he thinks will do the trick.
-Brick announces that Axl will replace Dad, Sue will replace Mom and because he's a mistake, he doesn't replace anyone. I think that this is pretty close to accurate, though Sue will never be as clueless as Frankie. And Axl isn't as humble as Mike though Mike also has his inflated moments.
-Once Sue's braces are removed, the family celebrates by eating all the bad things like caramel corn and gummy worms. Frankie insists that they eat something green, like the jolly ranchers.
-Sue still has enough confidence to run and win the position of Sergeant in Arms, leading the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
-When eating out at a restaurant, Sue loses her retainer in the garbage. The episode ends with the family digging through a dumpster to find it. Sue is gross and puts one in right away without washing it first, but its not even her retainer.
-The episode starts out with such promise. The Hecks finally know how to relax and not bother anyone else. Brick even took up another hobby of croquet, hitting a ball back and forth between one bracket.
-This season is going to be great, though I have a feeling that only Sue's plot lines will actually matter. I hope I'm wrong.
Sue, poor girl, has been wearing her braces diligently for eight years. Yes, that should be a world record, and finally, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) is fed up. She's sick of the orthodontist sucking their bank account dry and the orthodontist (Richard Kind) is worn down. And she makes a huge point of pointing that her teeth are clear for the first time since she was nine. But her happiness is short-lived. She has weak, soft bones and after just two days, her teeth start shifting again. She is devastated and has never even kissed Darrin (John Gammon) with her straight teeth. Sue believes that the universe is against her and is completely and utterly defeated.
On top of this, Frankie pulls off her worst moment yet. She forgets when the school year is supposed to begin, meaning that Sue misses the candle ceremony and a bunch of other important stuff.
Mike (Neil Flynn) is probably the only one who isn't shocked by his wife's stupidity, but he has his own worries, with Axl (Charlie McDermott) beating him at basketball for the first time ever. At first, he is thrilled, but winning quickly becomes old when it continues to happen. It doesn't really comfort him when Brick (Atticus Shaffer) says that that is the natural order of things. It isn't until Bill Norwood (Pat Finn) and his nephew come over and the guys can play as a team that Axl and Mike feel better about the whole thing, though Mike is certainly aging, his bones are creaking.
Sue doesn't want to go back to the orthodontist, Dr. Niller, but she does and luckily, he has a solution that doesn't involve putting braces back on her teeth. She just has to wear a retainer for the next year. The Year of Sue as she has dubbed it. So despite her quick depression, Sue bounces back. She always does.
Though I love Sue's eternal optimism, I wish that just this once, her unhappiness would last for more than part of an episode. The world is always pushing her down and she bounces back up so quickly. I love that, but it is getting old because that is what always happens. It's predictable. I also wish I could have seen Darrin's reaction, that would have been priceless.
I also don't buy Frankie being that dumb. She isn't that smart, and missed too much of her dentist school but seriously, being a week off and then having no one notice until that Friday, that is just sad. In the past, the school has called the Hecks to tell them that one of their children is absent from school. And the Donahues are their neighbors, certainly, they would have noticed before Friday. And Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) should have called her. So that isn't funny, its stupid.
That being said, there were still several funny moments, all of which are appreciated. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Brick has an interesting plot line. Seventh grade is a big change for him and he feels that he needs a new book bag. He tries several, the funniest of which is when his huge guitar case falls down the stairs and opens, spilling the contents. He finally finds an old pizza delivery carrying case which he thinks will do the trick.
-Brick announces that Axl will replace Dad, Sue will replace Mom and because he's a mistake, he doesn't replace anyone. I think that this is pretty close to accurate, though Sue will never be as clueless as Frankie. And Axl isn't as humble as Mike though Mike also has his inflated moments.
-Once Sue's braces are removed, the family celebrates by eating all the bad things like caramel corn and gummy worms. Frankie insists that they eat something green, like the jolly ranchers.
-Sue still has enough confidence to run and win the position of Sergeant in Arms, leading the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
-When eating out at a restaurant, Sue loses her retainer in the garbage. The episode ends with the family digging through a dumpster to find it. Sue is gross and puts one in right away without washing it first, but its not even her retainer.
-The episode starts out with such promise. The Hecks finally know how to relax and not bother anyone else. Brick even took up another hobby of croquet, hitting a ball back and forth between one bracket.
-This season is going to be great, though I have a feeling that only Sue's plot lines will actually matter. I hope I'm wrong.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Red Band Society (Pilot)
“They can never cut into your soul. That is what makes you
yourself.” Leo (Charlie Rowe) says this to Jorgi (Nolan Sotillo) before Jorgi
undergoes major surgery.
This show is certainly a tough pill to swallow and yes, I
have issues with it, but there were parts, mainly the above mentioned line,
that truly touched me.
Red Band Society
occurs almost entirely in the hospital setting, albeit a beautiful one. The
rooms that the teenagers live in have personality and they are big, bigger than
my dorm rooms in college. Dash (Astro) has cystic fibrosis, a disease so rarely
mentioned in Hollywood. It’s inherited and is fatal. Also, though this isn’t
mentioned in the show, it renders the men sterile. Still, people with this
disease are living longer now than ever before. Emma (Ciara Bravo) has an
eating disorder. Her ex-boyfriend, Leo, has cancer and part of his leg has been
removed.
And then there are the new kids. Kara (Zoe Levin) has an
accident in cheerleading practice and sprains her wrist but it turns out to be
much more. She has an enlarged heart and because of her drug use, the chances
of her getting a transplant aren’t great.
Jorgi has come up from Mexico because Dr. McAndrews (Dave
Annable) is the best and he won’t take no for an answer, so McAndrews makes
some space for him, making him Leo’s roommate. Leo doesn’t take the news that
well, but the two bond too quickly.
Even Kara sort of even turns her bitchy act around, though
she still has a long way to go.
The whole thing is narrated by young Charlie (Griffin
Gluck), who is in a coma after some accident that occurred when his father was
visiting him unexpectedly. His father then lost his visitation rights but still
sees him by volunteering as a music therapist.
My issues are numerous. Like how in the world does Kara get
away with smoking cigarettes at cheerleading practice and in the hospital. This
comes back to bite her in the ass. And she’s just allowed to go into Emma’s
room and eat her food, and she is plain nasty to Emma, but they help each other
out. Sort of.
Then there is the scene when Kara is unconscious and visits
with Charlie who wants two things. He wants pizza and to tell his dad that it
wasn’t his fault. That was just odd, and each coma is different. Sure, Charlie
might be able to hear everything but that doesn’t mean it is like that across
the board. The show gets out of reality and into something metaphysical. I hope
every show doesn’t have something like that.
The kids all have a party on the roof that night, Kara’s and
Jorgi’s first night there, so they can have fun before Jorgi’s surgery, the
beer is courtesy of Charlie’s father and Emma looks to be leaning toward Jorgi
over Leo which will certainly make things interesting.
Octavia Spencer is top-billed as Nurse Jackson, who doesn’t
take crap from anyone and she is great. The acting is actually pretty good,
with mostly unknown talent. And mechanically the show functions beautifully,
and yes, I will continue watching this show, though you know a death will
happen at least once this season and they better be doing everything correct
medically, or else I will be super mad at them. But there was that touching
moment that made me teary. Grade: B+
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Billy Elliot (2000)
First of all, I would highly recommend watching this film on DVD with subtitles because sometimes the accents can be difficult to understand.
It is 1984, northeastern England when the coal miners are on strike which can get particularly ugly. Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) is just a young boy with a love for music and plucking out tunes on the piano for fun. Not that his father, Jackie (Gary Lewis) or elder brother, Tony (Jamie Draven) understand. Billy takes boxing lessons which he doesn't really like nor is he truly talented at it. But then the chain-smoking Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters) starts teaching her ballet classes there. He starts taking them and practicing around his house, privately of course. Because his father is furious when he finds out. Then Mrs. Wilkinson decides that Billy has true potential and begins teaching him privately and secretly without asking for any money.
Things seem like they might actually work out but then Tony gets arrested the morning of Billy's big audition and a nasty argument ensues between Tony, Jackie and Mrs. Wilkinson and Billy's talent is squashed. In fact, the piano is smashed for firework that winter thanks to the strike. Christmas is a sad, depressing affair. It is only because Billy's friend, Michael (Stuart Wells), struggling with his sexuality, wants to learn some ballet that Billy is able to resume. His father sacrifices his scruples and goes back to work before the strike is over, much to Tony's dismay. But Jackie must put Billy's needs first. He is finally on board with Billy's true dream and recognizes that Billy is immensely talented.
So Billy has his big audition and though he impresses the judges, they remain stoic throughout so Billy thinks that he has blown his one opportunity and punches another boy in the dressing room, something the board does not take lightly. But they also ask Billy the question of what he feels like when he dances and his answer is brilliant, he feels like he is flying which lands him a spot.
He goes away to London to fine his craft. The union caves and the strike is over so his father and brother go back to work and Mrs. Wilkinson is thrilled at her young pupil.
The film ends over a decade later with Tony, Jackie and Michael attending one of older Billy's (Adam Cooper's) performances because they wouldn't miss it for the world.
The plot in this film has been overdone, over and over again and this one fails to break new ground though it is enjoyable thanks mostly to Bell's excellent breakthrough performance. He deserved more credit for this role than he received. He truly dances and then the film comes to life because the film sags when he isn't moving, feeling the music in his soul. Walters is the one who received an Oscar nomination and she is quite good though Lewis deserves some credit as the father who finally realizes how important it is to support your child, especially one who longs for his mother. (She died before the film began.) Even Nan Heywood provides some good lines as the slightly senile grandmother who could have been a good dancer if she had the training.
Fortunately, the music is also good and I probably wouldn't even mind owning the soundtrack. The set is also realistic. But I do wish the viewers would be provided with some background information on the strike and the reasoning behind it because it plays a vital role in the film. Grade: B+
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Citizen Ruth (1996)
Alexander Payne's first film is definitely one to watch. This is one of the few Hollywood films that is actually pro-choice.
Ruth Stoops (Laura Dern) has issues. She huffs paint, cleaning fluids and glue and she doesn't understand birth control at all. She has had four children all of whom were taken away from her. In the past eighteen months, she has been arrested sixteen times for huffing something, six times she was placed in a rehab facility but that clearly didn't work. She also awkwardly claims to the judge that she was only an unfit mother for two of her children, not for all four of them. And now she's pregnant again, father nowhere in sight.
The judge charges her with harming her unborn fetus and that has results he could have never imagined. She is 'rescued' by some pro life religious people, the Stoneys, Gail (Mary Kay Place) and Norm (Kurtwood Smith). They have two children, Sheryl (Alicia Witt), who is bad, sneaks out of the house to party and even is brave enough to have her boyfriend (or some random guy) sleep over at her house while her parents have choir practice. Their younger child is a miracle. Or so they claim.
They are thrilled that Ruth is going to clean up her act and have her baby. Yet, she blatantly tells the nurse at the clinic that she wants an abortion. She is strongly advised against that and is even shown a video describing abortion. She is stunned and mentions meekly that she has slept in a dumpster so many she slept on dead babies which truly does sadden her.
But she can't stand begging women at the clinic not to have an abortion. She sneaks away and gets high and punches the miracle baby in the face and Gail is furious. Fortunately, Diane (Swoosie Kurtz) decides that the Stoneys don't have to take all of the responsibility themselves, plus she has experience with working with drug addicts. But Diane is actually a plant. She is actually firmly pro-choice and is delighted when Ruth decides that she actually wants an abortion.
But the pro-life people get together and raise money. Ruth is thrilled with the offer and immediately changes her mind. Fortunately, Harlan (M.C. Gainey) decides to get money off the table; he will personally donate 15,000 dollars (the same amount) so Ruth can have her free will back again.
Each side is adamant that she side with them while Ruth's voice sort of gets left out. I predicted that this could all just end if she has a miscarriage and then that happens. While that is probably for the best given that Ruth continues to drink and huff fumes while she was pregnant, it still felt cheap. But Ruth isn't able to tell Diane the news. Instead, she decides that she will have the abortion and just take the money and run. Jessica Weiss (Tippi Hedren) arrives and they fly her to the clinic in a helicopter and then bulletproof limo, all the while there are protesters from both sides surrounding the clinic. And Ruth just knocks out the guy guarding the bathroom window and runs away, even though her story has made tons of headlines and her face has been featured on the news, she is still able to get the money and run away. No one even notices which is just sad. They are like politicians, so focused on their side winning that they don't actually listen to what the people (in this specific case Ruth) actually wants. And Ruth was still debating the issue because each side had valid points and I do feel that she was upset and sad by the miscarriage though that didn't last long because money is the main thing she wants. Ruth is also not as stupid as some of the characters believe. Sure, she blows Diane's cover, but her childhood was rough and she wishes that she could have turned out better. Who knows what will happen, but for now each side has a good fight, which they love and Ruth has money so she will probably overdose and die by the time they find her.
In addition to discussing a good issue, the film also has good performances with Dern being especially brilliant and the supporting cast which includes Burt Reynolds as an odd sort of character who might be having an inappropriate relationship with one of the babies he saved and Kelly Preston as Diane's lesbian lover. And I loved the gritty realism of the film including the gross act that is huffing which colors Dern's mouth gray. Sure, this film isn't perfect with a few odd exchanges between Norm and Ruth that probably should have been addressed or left out of the film. This is a film that people should see and think about. Some people make the right choices for the wrong reasons while the common man gets ignored. Grade: A-
Ruth Stoops (Laura Dern) has issues. She huffs paint, cleaning fluids and glue and she doesn't understand birth control at all. She has had four children all of whom were taken away from her. In the past eighteen months, she has been arrested sixteen times for huffing something, six times she was placed in a rehab facility but that clearly didn't work. She also awkwardly claims to the judge that she was only an unfit mother for two of her children, not for all four of them. And now she's pregnant again, father nowhere in sight.
The judge charges her with harming her unborn fetus and that has results he could have never imagined. She is 'rescued' by some pro life religious people, the Stoneys, Gail (Mary Kay Place) and Norm (Kurtwood Smith). They have two children, Sheryl (Alicia Witt), who is bad, sneaks out of the house to party and even is brave enough to have her boyfriend (or some random guy) sleep over at her house while her parents have choir practice. Their younger child is a miracle. Or so they claim.
They are thrilled that Ruth is going to clean up her act and have her baby. Yet, she blatantly tells the nurse at the clinic that she wants an abortion. She is strongly advised against that and is even shown a video describing abortion. She is stunned and mentions meekly that she has slept in a dumpster so many she slept on dead babies which truly does sadden her.
But she can't stand begging women at the clinic not to have an abortion. She sneaks away and gets high and punches the miracle baby in the face and Gail is furious. Fortunately, Diane (Swoosie Kurtz) decides that the Stoneys don't have to take all of the responsibility themselves, plus she has experience with working with drug addicts. But Diane is actually a plant. She is actually firmly pro-choice and is delighted when Ruth decides that she actually wants an abortion.
But the pro-life people get together and raise money. Ruth is thrilled with the offer and immediately changes her mind. Fortunately, Harlan (M.C. Gainey) decides to get money off the table; he will personally donate 15,000 dollars (the same amount) so Ruth can have her free will back again.
Each side is adamant that she side with them while Ruth's voice sort of gets left out. I predicted that this could all just end if she has a miscarriage and then that happens. While that is probably for the best given that Ruth continues to drink and huff fumes while she was pregnant, it still felt cheap. But Ruth isn't able to tell Diane the news. Instead, she decides that she will have the abortion and just take the money and run. Jessica Weiss (Tippi Hedren) arrives and they fly her to the clinic in a helicopter and then bulletproof limo, all the while there are protesters from both sides surrounding the clinic. And Ruth just knocks out the guy guarding the bathroom window and runs away, even though her story has made tons of headlines and her face has been featured on the news, she is still able to get the money and run away. No one even notices which is just sad. They are like politicians, so focused on their side winning that they don't actually listen to what the people (in this specific case Ruth) actually wants. And Ruth was still debating the issue because each side had valid points and I do feel that she was upset and sad by the miscarriage though that didn't last long because money is the main thing she wants. Ruth is also not as stupid as some of the characters believe. Sure, she blows Diane's cover, but her childhood was rough and she wishes that she could have turned out better. Who knows what will happen, but for now each side has a good fight, which they love and Ruth has money so she will probably overdose and die by the time they find her.
In addition to discussing a good issue, the film also has good performances with Dern being especially brilliant and the supporting cast which includes Burt Reynolds as an odd sort of character who might be having an inappropriate relationship with one of the babies he saved and Kelly Preston as Diane's lesbian lover. And I loved the gritty realism of the film including the gross act that is huffing which colors Dern's mouth gray. Sure, this film isn't perfect with a few odd exchanges between Norm and Ruth that probably should have been addressed or left out of the film. This is a film that people should see and think about. Some people make the right choices for the wrong reasons while the common man gets ignored. Grade: A-
Monday, September 1, 2014
When the Game Stands Tall
This movie was pretty decent, not the best film about football (Remember the Titans is much better) but not the worst movie I've seen this summer.
De La Salle is a Catholic High School in Concord California. And yes, they do recruit students from around the area because the program is so beloved, probably bending the rules about scholarships. After all, when the film starts, they have won every single game for the last twelve years. That year (2003) they win their twelfth straight state championship, but trouble is brewing. The juniors are not as close knit as the graduating seniors are. And then the beloved coach, Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel) has a heart attack which devastates his eldest son, Danny (Matthew Daddario) who just wants some sort of attention from his father.
And then, they lose the first game of the next season (2004). Forgive me if I don't feel too bad for you guys. This is the girl who went to a high school where the football team was horrible. Out the forty games I attended throughout my high school marching band career, we won just seven of them. Losing humanizes you. But it devastates the team, all of them shed tears afterwards as though their whole lives are ruined. You can't always win and I was glad that a team from Washington state was finally able to stop them.
They lose the next game as well and Coach decides that something must change. The two key players have issues. Tayshon (Jessie Usher) is cocky and extremely full of himself. He cares only about himself and hasn't learned to care about the team first. Chris Ryan (Alexander Ludwig from The Hunger Games) is a senior going for the state record of most touchdowns but his father, Mickey (Clancy Brown) is cruel and cares only about the record and when his son fails him, he becomes abusive. Fortunately, Coach takes the team to hospital for veterans which teaches them some valuable lessons and they manage to win the next game playing against intense heat and a team with more than three times the players. And the victories continue until they return to the state championship which the tone sort of switches as the last game focuses on whether Chris will get his record or not. In the end, he chooses not to get that last touchdown. The team will still win regardless and he loves the team more than his father. They are a team. Another state championship for a school who may have the talent and the heart but I always root for the underdog and De La Salle is never the underdog.
The film should be about more than just football and it sort of hints at that. Like when Terrence Kelly, a great player heading off to Oregon but is shot and killed just before he can leave in a shooting that I feel was a set-up. And it should focus slightly more of Bob's relationship with his wife, Bev (Laura Dern). After his heart attack (the man's a smoker, yikes, but I guess he quits after he nearly dies), he apologizes and calls himself a liar. He preaches to the boys about being better men and be devoted to their families while he ignores his family in favor of the team. He tries to devote more time, and at first, its easy because he hasn't been cleared for duty. Who knows what happens after he returns to coaching full time.
Though the film is all over the place and it misses leading the viewer to something special, the film is not a waste of time, not really. It is nice seeing characters grow up and change right before your eyes and it is nice when they put the team before themselves, but can these guys really be as good as they seem? Still, the acting is decent but it makes me long for the fantastic TV series Friday Night Lights. That show managed to create real characters with flaws and issues. They are not always nice and squeaky clean and at times, they are even the underdogs. Still, despite all these issues, it does tell a great story but I feel that this film would have worked better as a made-for-TV film because it is much more of a feel good film than anything else. Grade: B
De La Salle is a Catholic High School in Concord California. And yes, they do recruit students from around the area because the program is so beloved, probably bending the rules about scholarships. After all, when the film starts, they have won every single game for the last twelve years. That year (2003) they win their twelfth straight state championship, but trouble is brewing. The juniors are not as close knit as the graduating seniors are. And then the beloved coach, Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel) has a heart attack which devastates his eldest son, Danny (Matthew Daddario) who just wants some sort of attention from his father.
And then, they lose the first game of the next season (2004). Forgive me if I don't feel too bad for you guys. This is the girl who went to a high school where the football team was horrible. Out the forty games I attended throughout my high school marching band career, we won just seven of them. Losing humanizes you. But it devastates the team, all of them shed tears afterwards as though their whole lives are ruined. You can't always win and I was glad that a team from Washington state was finally able to stop them.
They lose the next game as well and Coach decides that something must change. The two key players have issues. Tayshon (Jessie Usher) is cocky and extremely full of himself. He cares only about himself and hasn't learned to care about the team first. Chris Ryan (Alexander Ludwig from The Hunger Games) is a senior going for the state record of most touchdowns but his father, Mickey (Clancy Brown) is cruel and cares only about the record and when his son fails him, he becomes abusive. Fortunately, Coach takes the team to hospital for veterans which teaches them some valuable lessons and they manage to win the next game playing against intense heat and a team with more than three times the players. And the victories continue until they return to the state championship which the tone sort of switches as the last game focuses on whether Chris will get his record or not. In the end, he chooses not to get that last touchdown. The team will still win regardless and he loves the team more than his father. They are a team. Another state championship for a school who may have the talent and the heart but I always root for the underdog and De La Salle is never the underdog.
The film should be about more than just football and it sort of hints at that. Like when Terrence Kelly, a great player heading off to Oregon but is shot and killed just before he can leave in a shooting that I feel was a set-up. And it should focus slightly more of Bob's relationship with his wife, Bev (Laura Dern). After his heart attack (the man's a smoker, yikes, but I guess he quits after he nearly dies), he apologizes and calls himself a liar. He preaches to the boys about being better men and be devoted to their families while he ignores his family in favor of the team. He tries to devote more time, and at first, its easy because he hasn't been cleared for duty. Who knows what happens after he returns to coaching full time.
Though the film is all over the place and it misses leading the viewer to something special, the film is not a waste of time, not really. It is nice seeing characters grow up and change right before your eyes and it is nice when they put the team before themselves, but can these guys really be as good as they seem? Still, the acting is decent but it makes me long for the fantastic TV series Friday Night Lights. That show managed to create real characters with flaws and issues. They are not always nice and squeaky clean and at times, they are even the underdogs. Still, despite all these issues, it does tell a great story but I feel that this film would have worked better as a made-for-TV film because it is much more of a feel good film than anything else. Grade: B
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Game Change (2012)
Campaigns are hard. They are time consuming and cost tons of money. And you could still lose. That's exactly what happened in 2008 for Arizona Senator John McCain (Ed Harris).
He managed to talk Political Analyst Steve Schmidt (Woody Harrelson) into advising his campaign and things turn around for him. But then it is time for McCain and his team to pick his running mate. He wants Joe Lieberman, but this is immediately nixed as it will lose support for him not gain it. Instead, Schmidt feels that a woman will give him the best chance. He settles on Alaskan governor, Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore). She accepts the offer. Her life has forever changed.
Palin is certainly a Republican and focused mom of five. And she seems average enough, wearing a sweatshirt and blue jeans when she takes her kids to a community fair. She is also staunchly pro-life, never mind if the pregnancy is from rape or incest or will endanger the mother's life. She opposes stem-cell research but promises to put aside her differences to support John McCain's point of view.
Though word didn't leak about this announcement and at first, it seems like Palin is the right choice. She relates well to people and they love her but it quickly becomes clear that she is the wrong pick for Washington. She knows almost nothing about foreign policy, believing the Queen of England is the head of the government, which isn't true. She believes that Hussein was responsible for 9/11 not Al-Qaeda. The background research down on her wasn't enough, not at all. And her husband was a member of the Alaskan Independence Movement, a group with the sole mission of getting Alaska out of the union. Former White House Correspondent Nicholle Wallace (Sarah Paulson) tries, in vain, to prep her for interviews. But Sarah just misses her family, including her son, fighting for his country, pregnant teenage daughter and infant son with Down Syndrome. Her interview with Katie Couric is an epic disaster, turning her into the fodder of Saturday Night Live and the criticism of the nation.
Fortunately, spending some time with her family and husband, Todd (David Barry Gary) gets her back on track. And her debate with Joe Biden is an amazing comeback for her, but something changes. She seems to be advancing her own agenda which severely hurts the campaign. She can't believe that the group has surrendered Michigan to Obama and she refuses to do a commercial about supporting stem-cell research even though she promised to back McCain's viewpoints. She won't make an appearance with someone who is pro-choice and she is furious when she finds out how much the clothes they dressed her in actually cost.
And then, when the inevitable happens, instead of following centuries of tradition, she prepares a speech praising McCain and everything he has done for this country. Fortunately, she doesn't deliver this speech. Schmidt and Wallace take pride that in forty-eight hours, no one will know her name. That's not true, though her popularity has massively died down.
The story has a frame of an interview between Schmidt and Anderson Cooper. Cooper asks if he regrets his decision of asking Palin to be Vice President. He just answers that you can't go back and change things, meaning yes, he made the wrong decision and it cost McCain the campaign.
The film is also pretty darn accurate according to the real Schmidt and Wallace who actually watched the film. McCain and Palin did not. Some of the lines are ones that I remember from the campaign. It is terrifying that a woman like Palin could have been just a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
As for the production, it is fantastic. Moore fully deserved her Emmy and all the other awards she won. Harrelson, Harris and Paulson are also brilliant. Paulson's best scene is where she sobs to Schmidt saying that she didn't vote. She just couldn't.
I can't believe the make-up artists weren't nominated for an Emmy because Moore and Harris are basically unrecognizable, fully and completely looking like their real life counterparts. Moore easily looks a decade older than his actual age while Moore looks several years younger. She even writes with her right hand as Palin is right-handed. (Moore is left-handed in real life.) And she nails the voice.
The film doesn't do any favors to Palin. She thought she made the right decision but she had no clue how cruel people could be and should have thought more before changing her life. It shows how easily the media can eat a person alive and how the education system can fail a person. It also shows that America loves celebrities, but these celebrities need the smarts to back up the position they seek. It shows how devastating taking a risk can be in something so precarious to begin with. And it shows what happens when you regret a decision that you can't change. Grade: A
He managed to talk Political Analyst Steve Schmidt (Woody Harrelson) into advising his campaign and things turn around for him. But then it is time for McCain and his team to pick his running mate. He wants Joe Lieberman, but this is immediately nixed as it will lose support for him not gain it. Instead, Schmidt feels that a woman will give him the best chance. He settles on Alaskan governor, Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore). She accepts the offer. Her life has forever changed.
Palin is certainly a Republican and focused mom of five. And she seems average enough, wearing a sweatshirt and blue jeans when she takes her kids to a community fair. She is also staunchly pro-life, never mind if the pregnancy is from rape or incest or will endanger the mother's life. She opposes stem-cell research but promises to put aside her differences to support John McCain's point of view.
Though word didn't leak about this announcement and at first, it seems like Palin is the right choice. She relates well to people and they love her but it quickly becomes clear that she is the wrong pick for Washington. She knows almost nothing about foreign policy, believing the Queen of England is the head of the government, which isn't true. She believes that Hussein was responsible for 9/11 not Al-Qaeda. The background research down on her wasn't enough, not at all. And her husband was a member of the Alaskan Independence Movement, a group with the sole mission of getting Alaska out of the union. Former White House Correspondent Nicholle Wallace (Sarah Paulson) tries, in vain, to prep her for interviews. But Sarah just misses her family, including her son, fighting for his country, pregnant teenage daughter and infant son with Down Syndrome. Her interview with Katie Couric is an epic disaster, turning her into the fodder of Saturday Night Live and the criticism of the nation.
Fortunately, spending some time with her family and husband, Todd (David Barry Gary) gets her back on track. And her debate with Joe Biden is an amazing comeback for her, but something changes. She seems to be advancing her own agenda which severely hurts the campaign. She can't believe that the group has surrendered Michigan to Obama and she refuses to do a commercial about supporting stem-cell research even though she promised to back McCain's viewpoints. She won't make an appearance with someone who is pro-choice and she is furious when she finds out how much the clothes they dressed her in actually cost.
And then, when the inevitable happens, instead of following centuries of tradition, she prepares a speech praising McCain and everything he has done for this country. Fortunately, she doesn't deliver this speech. Schmidt and Wallace take pride that in forty-eight hours, no one will know her name. That's not true, though her popularity has massively died down.
The story has a frame of an interview between Schmidt and Anderson Cooper. Cooper asks if he regrets his decision of asking Palin to be Vice President. He just answers that you can't go back and change things, meaning yes, he made the wrong decision and it cost McCain the campaign.
The film is also pretty darn accurate according to the real Schmidt and Wallace who actually watched the film. McCain and Palin did not. Some of the lines are ones that I remember from the campaign. It is terrifying that a woman like Palin could have been just a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
As for the production, it is fantastic. Moore fully deserved her Emmy and all the other awards she won. Harrelson, Harris and Paulson are also brilliant. Paulson's best scene is where she sobs to Schmidt saying that she didn't vote. She just couldn't.
I can't believe the make-up artists weren't nominated for an Emmy because Moore and Harris are basically unrecognizable, fully and completely looking like their real life counterparts. Moore easily looks a decade older than his actual age while Moore looks several years younger. She even writes with her right hand as Palin is right-handed. (Moore is left-handed in real life.) And she nails the voice.
The film doesn't do any favors to Palin. She thought she made the right decision but she had no clue how cruel people could be and should have thought more before changing her life. It shows how easily the media can eat a person alive and how the education system can fail a person. It also shows that America loves celebrities, but these celebrities need the smarts to back up the position they seek. It shows how devastating taking a risk can be in something so precarious to begin with. And it shows what happens when you regret a decision that you can't change. Grade: A
Friday, August 29, 2014
Cinema Verite (2011)
This was a great HBO film.
It is about the Loud Family. They were the Kardashians before the Kardashians. America's first reality TV family. They didn't ask for the fame but got it anyway.
Craig Gilbert (James Gandolfini) comes up with the idea and his Santa Barbara friend, Mary (Kathleen Quinlan) recommends the Loud Family and they, somewhat reluctantly at first, agree to the plan.
On the surface, they do seem like the all American family and Gilbert has the picture to prove it. Father Bill (Tim Robbins) is a traveling salesman, brilliant at his job, which gives the family a hefty steady paycheck, sultry mother Pat (Diane Lane), oldest odd son Lance (Thomas Dekker), the bandmate middle sons, Grant (Nick Eversman) and Kevin (Johnny Simmons, always underused), Delilah (Caitlin Custer) and the horse loving baby Michelle (Kaitlyn Dever). However, unfortunately, most of the kids don't get the screen time they deserve, interesting characters in their own right.
The film opts to focus on the actual filming the reactions of the family. Alan (Patrick Fugit) and Susan (Shanna Collins), newlyweds themselves are the main filmmakers though they sometimes feel that this whole thing is an invasion of privacy. But Craig thrives on the moments when they forget the cameras are always following them and let their guard down.
It is also about the eroding marriage of Bill and Pat. Pat has suspected but ignored all the business trips Bill took, but can no longer turn a blind eye to his affairs and when she discovers his file folder full of photos decides she must end it. And she wants to dump him on camera, but tell her children and brother in private. At first, Craig is on board with her plan, but talks her into letting them film her breaking the news to her brother. Furious, she snaps at Craig that that was her best scene. But she decides, secretly, to hatch a plan where either Bill's secretary or son Grant will tell Bill about the whole thing before he comes home to the cameras. She doesn't want to embarrass him. But he doesn't call his secretary and Grant loses the nerve to tell him, in a task that should never have to fall to a teenage boy. So the whole thing enfolds on camera.
Then, the film jumps ahead one year to the debut of the film which is popular but the family is criticized for their actions. And they decide to fight back, appearing on all sorts of talk shows trying to justify their actions and apologizing for having to ever agreed to something like that in the first place.
The film flies by, ninety minutes have never seen so short, and the scenery and set is fantastic, looking just like 1971 Santa Barbara would actually look like. Even the casting is brilliant, of course the actors are better looking than the Loud family but still, there are strong resemblances. The cinematography, alternating between a small screen of the documentary cameras filming and the bigger screen of the real cameras. And the acting is flawless, Dekker manages to match the intonation of the real Lance Loud.
I do have problems with the film, one of which I mentioned above, the kids don't have a big enough role and at first, it seems like Lance's homosexuality will play a big role in the film. It doesn't. Who knows how exactly Bill takes that news. Still, this is a must watch showing a glimpse at reality TV before it was overdone but it also shows how easily something can be staged and manipulated to get the desired affect. This should have won more Emmys than it did. Grade: A-
It is about the Loud Family. They were the Kardashians before the Kardashians. America's first reality TV family. They didn't ask for the fame but got it anyway.
Craig Gilbert (James Gandolfini) comes up with the idea and his Santa Barbara friend, Mary (Kathleen Quinlan) recommends the Loud Family and they, somewhat reluctantly at first, agree to the plan.
On the surface, they do seem like the all American family and Gilbert has the picture to prove it. Father Bill (Tim Robbins) is a traveling salesman, brilliant at his job, which gives the family a hefty steady paycheck, sultry mother Pat (Diane Lane), oldest odd son Lance (Thomas Dekker), the bandmate middle sons, Grant (Nick Eversman) and Kevin (Johnny Simmons, always underused), Delilah (Caitlin Custer) and the horse loving baby Michelle (Kaitlyn Dever). However, unfortunately, most of the kids don't get the screen time they deserve, interesting characters in their own right.
The film opts to focus on the actual filming the reactions of the family. Alan (Patrick Fugit) and Susan (Shanna Collins), newlyweds themselves are the main filmmakers though they sometimes feel that this whole thing is an invasion of privacy. But Craig thrives on the moments when they forget the cameras are always following them and let their guard down.
It is also about the eroding marriage of Bill and Pat. Pat has suspected but ignored all the business trips Bill took, but can no longer turn a blind eye to his affairs and when she discovers his file folder full of photos decides she must end it. And she wants to dump him on camera, but tell her children and brother in private. At first, Craig is on board with her plan, but talks her into letting them film her breaking the news to her brother. Furious, she snaps at Craig that that was her best scene. But she decides, secretly, to hatch a plan where either Bill's secretary or son Grant will tell Bill about the whole thing before he comes home to the cameras. She doesn't want to embarrass him. But he doesn't call his secretary and Grant loses the nerve to tell him, in a task that should never have to fall to a teenage boy. So the whole thing enfolds on camera.
Then, the film jumps ahead one year to the debut of the film which is popular but the family is criticized for their actions. And they decide to fight back, appearing on all sorts of talk shows trying to justify their actions and apologizing for having to ever agreed to something like that in the first place.
The film flies by, ninety minutes have never seen so short, and the scenery and set is fantastic, looking just like 1971 Santa Barbara would actually look like. Even the casting is brilliant, of course the actors are better looking than the Loud family but still, there are strong resemblances. The cinematography, alternating between a small screen of the documentary cameras filming and the bigger screen of the real cameras. And the acting is flawless, Dekker manages to match the intonation of the real Lance Loud.
I do have problems with the film, one of which I mentioned above, the kids don't have a big enough role and at first, it seems like Lance's homosexuality will play a big role in the film. It doesn't. Who knows how exactly Bill takes that news. Still, this is a must watch showing a glimpse at reality TV before it was overdone but it also shows how easily something can be staged and manipulated to get the desired affect. This should have won more Emmys than it did. Grade: A-
Sunday, August 24, 2014
The Spectacular Now (2013)
This was a good film, but I didn't like it.
Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) has charm and charisma is leaps and bounds. What he doesn't have is the drive to succeed. He has a job he likes, selling suits, but deep down, he has issues.
His girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larsen) has just broken up with him and he wants her back, but she can't. Sure, she really likes him, but she needs to move on and think about her future, not just live in the moment. But he will always be her favorite ex-boyfriend, a title I wouldn't really want to have.
Sutter is also an alcoholic, albeit a pretty functional one, but an alcoholic nevertheless. He drinks constantly and even carries a flask around with him at work. And then, one morning, he wakes up in someone else's yard. Aimee (Shailene Woodley) discovers him. She knows who he is, but he has no clue that she exists. Ricky (Masam Holden), Sutter's best friend, doesn't think Aimee will be a good rebound and Sutter proclaims that he doesn't have a future with her, but we all know how the movie will end, sort of.
The problem is, Aimee is much too good for him, as her friend from French Club, Kristal (Kaitlyn Dever), declares. She's right of course. Aimee is smart and even got into college in Philadelphia, though her mother won't let her go. Sutter tells her that isn't right and urges her to stand up for herself. Which she does. And she wants him to come with her. Though he says yes, the audience knows that there is reluctance behind it.
Sutter has his own problems. His parents are divorced and his mother won't let him have contact with his father. Fortunately, his sister, Holly (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) takes pity on him and gives Sutter the dad's address. Sutter is basically a younger version of his father. Dad (Kyle Chandler) is an alcoholic, broke and cares little about his son, blowing off a visit, preferring a quickie over visiting with his only son whom he hasn't seen in years. Sutter is furious and when Aimee says that she loves him, he wants her out of his car, because he knows that he is no good for her. So she gets out of his car, and is hit by another car. This is after Sutter nearly got into an accident but all she can ask is if he's okay. Aimee doesn't press charges and isn't even that mad at him, not wishing to even talk about the incident.
Sutter graduates by the skin of his teeth but doesn't follow her to Philadelphia. A broken-hearted Aimee boards the bus by herself. Sutter celebrates by getting drunk and nearly getting into another car accident. He sobs to his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh, wasted in a small role) that he is just like his father. She says that's not true. His father only cared about himself while he always spent his whole like worrying about others. And he realizes that he's worried so much about others that he hasn't worried about himself. He can no longer live in the moment, the now, but fortunately, tomorrow also has one of those. So, he goes to Philadelphia and the film ends with Sutter and Aimee just looking at each other. You know she will forgive him. Because she's that kind of person. She's far too good for him.
That's my main problem. She knows that he is no good. She is blind to his huge problem of drinking constantly and loves him too much. Sure, he is the one who goes after and fortunately, she is strong enough to go without him, but she is in too deep. She gives her virginity to this guy (in a surprisingly tasteful sex scene) and this is how he repays her without a phone call, and she will just take him back, without any explanation. Actually, there probably will be some sort of conversation, Aimee can't just let him get away with that crap.
Despite my huge problems with the film, the acting is still great. This is Miles Teller's breakthrough role and Woodley is great. I liked her better here than in The Descendants. And the dialogue is real, very accurate. But the film wasn't as deep as I wanted it to be, but at least Sutter turned his life around, and for that, I'm very grateful. Grade: B+
Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) has charm and charisma is leaps and bounds. What he doesn't have is the drive to succeed. He has a job he likes, selling suits, but deep down, he has issues.
His girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larsen) has just broken up with him and he wants her back, but she can't. Sure, she really likes him, but she needs to move on and think about her future, not just live in the moment. But he will always be her favorite ex-boyfriend, a title I wouldn't really want to have.
Sutter is also an alcoholic, albeit a pretty functional one, but an alcoholic nevertheless. He drinks constantly and even carries a flask around with him at work. And then, one morning, he wakes up in someone else's yard. Aimee (Shailene Woodley) discovers him. She knows who he is, but he has no clue that she exists. Ricky (Masam Holden), Sutter's best friend, doesn't think Aimee will be a good rebound and Sutter proclaims that he doesn't have a future with her, but we all know how the movie will end, sort of.
The problem is, Aimee is much too good for him, as her friend from French Club, Kristal (Kaitlyn Dever), declares. She's right of course. Aimee is smart and even got into college in Philadelphia, though her mother won't let her go. Sutter tells her that isn't right and urges her to stand up for herself. Which she does. And she wants him to come with her. Though he says yes, the audience knows that there is reluctance behind it.
Sutter has his own problems. His parents are divorced and his mother won't let him have contact with his father. Fortunately, his sister, Holly (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) takes pity on him and gives Sutter the dad's address. Sutter is basically a younger version of his father. Dad (Kyle Chandler) is an alcoholic, broke and cares little about his son, blowing off a visit, preferring a quickie over visiting with his only son whom he hasn't seen in years. Sutter is furious and when Aimee says that she loves him, he wants her out of his car, because he knows that he is no good for her. So she gets out of his car, and is hit by another car. This is after Sutter nearly got into an accident but all she can ask is if he's okay. Aimee doesn't press charges and isn't even that mad at him, not wishing to even talk about the incident.
Sutter graduates by the skin of his teeth but doesn't follow her to Philadelphia. A broken-hearted Aimee boards the bus by herself. Sutter celebrates by getting drunk and nearly getting into another car accident. He sobs to his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh, wasted in a small role) that he is just like his father. She says that's not true. His father only cared about himself while he always spent his whole like worrying about others. And he realizes that he's worried so much about others that he hasn't worried about himself. He can no longer live in the moment, the now, but fortunately, tomorrow also has one of those. So, he goes to Philadelphia and the film ends with Sutter and Aimee just looking at each other. You know she will forgive him. Because she's that kind of person. She's far too good for him.
That's my main problem. She knows that he is no good. She is blind to his huge problem of drinking constantly and loves him too much. Sure, he is the one who goes after and fortunately, she is strong enough to go without him, but she is in too deep. She gives her virginity to this guy (in a surprisingly tasteful sex scene) and this is how he repays her without a phone call, and she will just take him back, without any explanation. Actually, there probably will be some sort of conversation, Aimee can't just let him get away with that crap.
Despite my huge problems with the film, the acting is still great. This is Miles Teller's breakthrough role and Woodley is great. I liked her better here than in The Descendants. And the dialogue is real, very accurate. But the film wasn't as deep as I wanted it to be, but at least Sutter turned his life around, and for that, I'm very grateful. Grade: B+
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