Frozen

This was a great film, certainly the best animated film of the past year.
Elsa (Idina Menzel) has a gift or a curse, depending on how you look at things. She can turn things frozen, into ice with her hands. This is triggered by her having fun, or feeling any sort of emotion. But after accidentally hurting her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell), her parents force her to hide her power. She and her sister are separated.
They don't reconnect until Elsa' coronation day, three years after the deaths of their parents. But this ends badly. Earlier that day, Anna has a meet-cute with Prince Hans (Santino Fontana) from Southern Isles, where he lives with his twelve older brothers. They fall in love instantly, but Elsa does not give them her blessing for the wedding. (She's actually really smart.) Which leads to outburst of ice crystals spilling from her hands while Anna tries to plead with her. The citizens of her kingdom are horrified by the actions of their new queen.
So Elsa runs away, and creates her own ice lair high up in the mountains, alone from the rest of the world where she can't hurt anyone else. Anna is not alone on her quest. She meets up with the local iceman, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his trusty steed, a reindeer named Sven. Also joining them is a snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad) who Elsa created when she was a little girl. But the meeting with Elsa goes badly, leading Anna to once again become injured by her sister, but this time, the problem is not in her head, but in her heart, which is lethal, unless she is healed by an act of true love.
Kristoff rushes her back to Hans, but it turns out that Hans is not a good guy. Shocker. He was only there because he wanted some power for himself. As Anna freezes to death, the kingdom crumbles with a huge blizzard swirling all around them, as Kristoff rushes back to Anna, realizing that he does actually care about her. Hans, in turn, is out for blood. Literally. He wants to kill Elsa so he can have the kingdom all to himself. But before he can stab her, Anna turns from running to Kristoff and protects her sister as she turns to ice, shattering the sword.
The storm stops and as Elsa hugs Anna's frozen body, she slowly melts along with the kingdom. Elsa learned how to control her gift. True love allowed her to melt and the world returns to summer, bursting forth only when she wanted. If only her parents had learned that letting her emotions out would be better than holding everything inside, the world would have never turned into a dreadful eternal winter.
And yes, Hans is punished by being exiled and Kristoff and Anna end up together but even better, the sisters can actually be sisters again. It is sweet.
I truly liked this film, with great voice acting, some comic relief, brilliant animation, with every snowflake visible including the ones showing in Elsa' hair, and an excellent song, "Let It Go". I'm currently listening to it on repeat because my dad is watching basketball.
The problems are more nitpicks than anything else. But how in the world did Elsa get her mysterious power to begin with? That sort of bothered me. And why didn't they give her a love interest? I thought that she would have ended up with Hans there briefly, but of course, that was ruined when he turned out to be evil.
But I liked how a guy didn't save the day, which is so overdone. This film showed a different sort of love, the love rarely shown in films, a love between siblings, sisters especially. I also liked this film more than Tangled, because it adapted a fairy tale that I was not familiar with proving that I like new things better than older things. I will most certainly watch this film over and over again, and will continue listening to "Let It Go" on repeat for some time to come. Grade: A-

Downton Abbey: Season Four, Episode Five

There wasn't really much I liked about this episode so that portion of my blog will be brief.
One of the footman, Alfred (Matt Milne), goes into London for a cooking test but does not pass. He is upset about the whole thing but if he had passed on the first time, it would have been too easy.
That was basically the only thing I liked. Everything else, not so much.
Mary (Michelle Dockery) isn't given much to do, except disagree with Robert (Hugh Bonneville) on the fate of a farm where the taxes have not been paid. However, she does finally spend some time with the cute baby George, though not as much time as Tom (Allen Leech) spends with little Sibi. Speaking of Tom, he debates on joining to America, because he feels that he does not belong in Ireland or England anymore. Naturally, Robert and Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) are upset over this news. They cannot bare to lose Sybil's child, and I can't really blame them. Losing a child must be the hardest loss ever and they want to cling onto her legacy.
Anna (Joanne Froggatt) is not pregnant. Huge sigh of relief. But her relationship with Bates (Brendan Coyle) is horrible. He finally confronts Mrs. Hughes (Phyillis Logan) and threatens that if she doesn't tell him the truth, he will leave. So she tells him, but doesn't name the cruel man responsible. But Bates, after a devastating breakdown, decides that the man who committed the evil deed, will pay. Though by that time, he had already patched things up with Anna, leading to her moving back into the cottage, I was super upset. Anna doesn't need him to make the man, she just needs his support. And, even worse, all the reasons she didn't want to tell him have come true. Thank goodness, Mrs. Hughes opted to blame a total stranger, because Bates can have a dreadful temper.
Now, while Anna is not pregnant, Edith (Laura Carmichael) just might be. She also goes to London, saying that she needs to check on Michael's business affairs, but instead goes to see a doctor, but then, they don't come back to that, leaving the viewer to wonder for another whole week. I might be right, but then again, I might not be.
Cora also finally has a new lady's maid, Baxter (Raquel Cassidy). Though she seems nice, with no enemies upstairs or downstairs, something is brewing between her and Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) and we all know that never leads to anything good.
And Violet (Maggie Smith) is dealing with a lost letter opener and fears it might be the new gardener Isobel (Penelope Wilton) forced her to hire. That plot line seemed lame, but I love Violet but her and Isobel sparring has been done so many times before that it just seems stale.
Overall, this show disappointed me on so many levels, though the acting still is excellent but even the dialogue is starting to lack the usual oomph it used to have. I can only hope that next week, we get some answers. Grade: B-

Nebraska

This was an interesting film.
Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is an old man, living in Billings, Montana with his wife of numerous decades, Kate (the great June Squibb), whom he married because he thought, "Hey, what the hell?" He has also received a letter stating that he has won one million dollars and sets out to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect. Because he can't drive, he walks which leads the sheriff to collect him and send him back home several times. His wife can't believe that he wants to be a millionaire and should have worked for it. Luckily, his depressed son, David (Will Forte) finally takes pity on him and offers to drive him to Nebraska. David just broke up with his long-term, live-in girlfriend and basically just wants to get out of Billings for a little while.
Woody is a drunk, though and is estranged from his family, the vast majority of which lives in Hawthorne. Here lives his older brother, Ray (Rance Howard) and his two buffoons for nephews, Cole and Bart (Devin Ratray and Tim Driscoll). The nephews make fun of David for taking two days to drive from Billings to Hawthorne, 750 miles. The one also served time in prison because of a rape, though his mother claims it was sexual assault. "What's the difference?" Kate exclaims. The family wants a share of the money that Woody has yet to collect.
Another problem is Woody's former business partner, Ed Pegram (Stacy Keach). Ed is not a nice guy, though when is Stacy Keach ever a nice person? He wants back the money he lent Woody decades earlier, never mind that he borrowed Woody's air compressor and never returned it. Luckily, David punches him in the end, a move I saw coming but relished nevertheless.
David also learns about his father, who survived a crash in Korea, and married a woman solely because he could. Yet, they never discussed having children, but Woody figured it would happen because Kate was Catholic and he liked to screw. He didn't even love Kate, yikes. David also learns, out of spite from Ed, that his father wasn't always faithful, having sex with a Native American (called half-breed in the film) on the reservation. David still loves him, despite everything.
Though Woody does eventually understand that the winning ticket is a hoax, he wants the money to buy a truck, a new air compressor and then still have some money to leave his sons. That moment is truly touching. But both of his sons (Ross [Bob Odenkirk] is a news anchorman, married with children.) are doing fine, but he still wants to leave them something, proving that he does care though he wasn't around when they were younger, drinking his days away, letting his sons have sips from his beer can when David was only six.
The film ends sadly but sweetly. David does take his father down to Lincoln but there is no million dollars to collect as his ticket wasn't the winning number selected but David takes pity on him, trading in his car for a nice, used truck and buying his dad an air compressor. He even lets Woody take the wheel briefly in Hawthorne before taking over again. And they drive off, life going back to what it was before the trip ever happened, the two closer together now than before.
Though the plot is rather basic, the acting shines. Dern is great but Squibb is the one I will really remember, flashing her old boyfriend in the cemetary and truly owns that scene where she tells her husband's family, desperate for money, that they can shove off. Forte is also great as the forlorn, younger son without a true passion for life.
The realistic scenery and black-and-white cinematography only add to the lost and depressed nature of this film.
Despite the depressed nature of the film, there are still light-hearted moments, like when Woody and David go to the railroad tracks to collect his lost dentures and the looks between the family members. Both Dern and Squibb fully deserved their Oscar nominations. Grade: A

August: Osage County

Now, I have read the play to this film twice, including just last week, so I was super familiar with the material.

The Weston family is highly dysfunctional, making almost every other family seem normal by comparison. Violet (Meryl Streep, always brilliant) is suffering from mouth cancer and a constant pill addiction. Her husband, Beverly (Sam Shepherd), is an alcoholic.

The film begins just like the play, with Beverly hiring Johnna (Misty Upham, wasted in this film), a Native American, to be the housekeeper. Then, he promptly disappears, which brings his whole family together.

Barbara (Julia Roberts) is dealing with a separation from her husband, Bill (Ewan McGregor) and her daughter, Jean (Abigail Breslin) smokes dope. Ivy (Julianne Nicholson, great) has remained at home, but she wants to get out. Youngest daughter, the naïve Karen (Juliette Lewis) doesn’t arrive home until after the body is found and identified by Barbara. She is a real estate agent and is finally engaged to a older guy, Steve (Dermot Mulroney). She has always wanted to get married and have children and is still clinging to that dream, even though she is pushing forty.

Also present is Violet’s sister, Mattie Faye (Margo Martindale), her husband Charlie Aiken (Chris Cooper) and their son, Little Charles (Benedict Cumberbatch, underused).

Violet belittles her family, pops pills and smokes like a chimney, but wears that wig like it belongs on her. She reveals in front of everyone else, that Barbara and Bill are separated and that a younger woman is involved. Because nothing gets by her. Which is true, she knows everything. It’s scary.

The biggest secret is that Little Charles and Ivy are a couple and in love. Yes, it is wrong but they don’t care. They plan to move away to New York together. But Mattie Faye reveals another secret (to Barbara only), Little Charles is actually Beverly’s child, not her husband’s. Barbara doesn’t want to tell Ivy this because it will kill her and when Violet does tell her, it devastates her. She can’t believe it.

The drama is intense. The family holds a pill raid and Steve hits on Jean while the two of them are getting high, but Karen doesn’t kick him to the curb, instead, she runs off with him, determined to live her dream life in her dream world.  She’s incredibly naïve and clings to a dream that will never happen. Steve has already been married and divorced three times.

Though the plot remains intact from the play and most of the lines are verbatim, a few scenes are altered in a way that they do not need to be. The scene where the sheriff comes to gather a family member to identify the body, Violet, puts on a record and the sound becomes muffled, altering the scene, when it should have been played straight. The play also ends with Violet being comforted in the arms of Johnna but the film ends with an added scene of Barbara, after she too has left the family house, staring at the blank, bleak ground of Oklahoma. It is unnecessary and foolish. Also, the character of Little Charles is not understood well. And that includes the play also. His mother is downright cruel to him, berating him, scolding him at every turn. His supposed father comes to his defense. Is his character supposed to be mentally disabled for with a lower IQ, because that doesn’t come across well, both in the film and in the play. The song playing during the main titles is awkward because it just doesn’t mesh with the heavy drama the film contains. As if this isn’t enough, some of the transitions between scenes which seem effortless in the play, are jarring in the film.

However, the acting is top notch with Streep and Roberts in top form, showing tons of emotions with every stare and line on their faces. Nicholson is also great and needs to be in more films with her breakout performance. Lewis is also great as the naïve youngest daughter. Yes, Streep and Roberts deserve their Oscar nominations. Too bad the rest of the film wasn't as great. Grade: B+

Downton Abbey: Season Four, Episode Four

This episode of Downton was better than last week’s.

Anna (Joanne Froggatt) is still reeling from her rape. She won’t tell Bates (Brendan Coyle) what happened but she won’t let him touch her and even warns Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan, a force to be reckoned with) that if she becomes ‘with child’ she’ll kill herself. Now, I already know that won’t happen because this season, the producers already admitted that no major characters will die so that prediction won’t happen. I’m perfectly fine with that. On the other hand, Anna wants to move back into the house because she fears that she’s spoiled for Bates. In the meantime, Bates fears he did something wrong, that he’s at fault because Anna is without fault. It’s not looking good for the only remaining happy couple in that show, if you don’t count Robert (Hugh Bonneville) and Cora (Elizabeth McGovern).

But my prediction is alive and well for Edith (Laura Carmichael). She went to visit Michael Gregson (Charles Roberts) in London to sign some papers which will give her control of his property while he moves to Munich so he can become a German citizen. Fine, whatever. But she doesn’t sneak back into her aunt’s house until six in the morning. So, yes, people, read between the lines. They had sex. Auntie (Samantha Bond) isn’t pleased but it is not her job to tattle. However, the question remains, what did she actually sign? She didn’t read the papers that well, so who knows what that will mean. That certainly could come back to haunt her more than sleeping with Gregson.

Mary (Michelle Dockery) receives a proposal from Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen). Though she is surprised by this, he means every word but she isn’t ready. And she isn’t. She likes Tony plenty and I’m glad she does, but Matthew still occupies her brain. She refuses, though she tells Tom (Allen Leech) that she feels she may regret doing so. I think she could be right.

As for Tom, he admits the truth to Mrs. Hughes, who then blackmails the evil maid Edna, who leaves, thank goodness. That is probably the main reason I liked this episode better than last week, Edna leaves, never to return. Tom is okay again. Nothing bad really happened. She was just using him as a pawn to move up in the world.

More drama is set for next week. Yikes, but I can’t wait. Also, give Maggie Smith more lines. I miss her snappy attitude. But the acting remains top notch and the plot lines just fit in better than last week. Grade: B+

The Middle: The Carpool

This was a better episode than last week's.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) finally got a good plot line. While harassing his friend, Hutch (Alphonso McAuley), he is called upon in an Astronomy class to answer a question and he answers it correctly. Which makes a girl, correction, a hot girl, in the class want to form a study group. So Axl finally hits the books. Zoe (Nicole Travolta) is the typical dumb blonde. And she likes Axl and naturally, Axl is desperate as it has been so long since he touched a girl. But the whole thing goes up in smoke. Axl is not studying for his actual classes which is a problem and when he finally tells Zoe the truth, she is furious and dumps him immediately, leaving Axl once again girlfriendless. She only liked him because he was smart and he only liked her because she was hot and needed his help. Yeah, like that relationship was really going to last.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) has a major plot line though he plays only a small role in it. The bus drivers are going on strike which means that the parents must form carpools. But Frankie (Patricia Heaton) is Frankie. She is always late and never packs Brick a good lunch. The other kids can't handle her lateness. But even some begging by the other parents doesn't work. It is only after she gets her car stuck between the fence and a garbage truck that the other parents ask her to stop. The stress she gives their own children isn't worth it. But at least they don't punish Brick for having a lazy mother.
Mike (Neil Flynn) is given some tickets for a college basketball game. He is trying to dig up people to go with him though Sue (Eden Sher) wants to go, but he doesn't believe her. Luckily, he finds enough people to go, leaving Sue behind. This inspires a great talk between Mike and Frankie. He argues that she never thought to take Axl to the ice escapades while taking Sue. Who knows what could have happened if she had asked Axl? But her words cause Mike to reevaluate his parenting. He realizes that she is right. He must spend more time with Sue, so he does and learns what JPLAW actually is. Although Sue didn't receive the screen time she normally does, this was probably the most realistic and thus the best plot line of the episode.
Overall, this episode was great, with excellent acting, though it missed the laughs the show often contains, but the plot lines were fantastic and realistic (though Axl's probably did stretch the truth somewhat). And I was glad that they brought Hutch back. The show should truly grow his friendship with Axl. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Mike has been ignoring Sue for years, picking Axl over her. But, then again, Axl is his favorite child.
-Zoe is stupid, borrowing a too small bra from her roommate and then taking it off in front of males. Hormonal males.
-At least Axl put his new found study skills (finally!) to use, studying for the classes that he is actually enrolled in.
-Mike doesn't even know where Sue works.
-When he takes Sue out for dinner, she insists upon no potatoes because she is sick of them.
-The school says that it will break the bus drivers union just as they did to the janitors union. Yikes.
-The best gag of the show is when Frankie puts Brick's cereal, banana and milk breakfast into a bag so he can have lunch.
-Frankie also needs to stop letting the kids stay up late. That's not good for anyone.

Oscar Nomination Predictions and Wish List

Though I have not seen many films this year, I still have seen some major contenders.
12 Years a Slave is certainly, without a doubt, the best film of the year. It fully deserved the Golden Globe it was just awarded on Sunday and I pray that it will win Best Picture. American Hustle is another worthy contender. It is another fine film, but it is not as powerful nor as important as 12 Years a Slave. Fruitvale Station is a little film that the Academy will probably ignore, but that doesn't mean it should. Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer turn in great performances. In weaker years, they would and could receive nominations.
For Best Actor, Chiwetel Ejoifor is absolutely brilliant as Solomon Northrup in 12 Years a Slave. He will hear his name called tomorrow morning. I wouldn't mind hearing Christian Bale, Forest Whitaker and Michael B. Jordan as well, but I know I won't. Even Steve Coogan was good in Philomena.
For Best Actress, Emma Thompson and Judi Dench, in Saving Mr. Banks and Philomena respectively, are great, turning in steady performances though they lack the flair that Amy Adams brings to American Hustle. She might just earn her first nomination for Best Actress, getting her out of the supporting category.
For Supporting Actor, I know Tom Hanks probably won't be nominated but he was a great Walt Disney nevertheless. Bradley Cooper should hear his name and he deserves to as he was better in American Hustle than he was in last year's excellent Silver Linings Playbook. Michael Fassbender also embodied pure evil in 12 Years a Slave.
For Supporting Actress, Jennifer Lawrence has this award in the bag. That doesn't mean she should. Lupita Nyong'o is also deserving. Oprah Winfrey and Octavia Spencer were utterly brilliant in The Butler and Fruitvale Station respectively. I would like them to be nominated.
Now, that is just my wish list and what I would like to hear tomorrow morning. I doubt that I will hear most of what I just mentioned but I can always wish.

The Middle: War of the Hecks

This was a mostly good episode, though the one plot line was horrible.
Sue (Eden Sher) discovers the dreaded truth. While cleaning Axl's (Charlie McDermott's) room, she finds the chicken head that was heartlessly stolen from her last season, in one of my favorite episodes ever to be exact. But Roosevelt High wasn't actually behind the crime, despite the claim that they were. This is not right, it just doesn't fit. But at least it triggered a prank war between the two, with Axl supergluing Sue's toothbrush and toothpaste to her hands and hanging up embarrassing pictures of Sue around the neighborhood.  Sue fills Axl's car with foam but finally decides to call a truce. Which goes wrong. After her apologizes, she accidentally burns his priceless jersey from the City Wide Championship. Axl is furious and immediately declares that he doesn't have a sister. Sue is truly brokenhearted, crying her eyes out. Fortunately, all is forgiven, though Sue destroys her precious bear in the process. She wants them to be a close set of siblings, spending vacations with each other when they grow up. Axl can't take all the love.
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) wants Mike (Neil Flynn) to bond with Colin Firth. In the meantime, she is spending more than enough time with her needy boss, Dr. Goodwin (Jack McBrayer). He is lonely because his dog has gone missing. But his description of the dog sounds a lot like Colin Firth. I didn't like where this was heading. Frankie reluctantly gives the dog back but, here is the twist, Colin Firth isn't the missing Taffy because Taffy only had three legs. But it doesn't matter, Dr. Goodwin will be keeping this dog anyway. And this was after Mike had finally bonded with the dog.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) didn't have much to do this week but it was still entertaining. He is reading a biography of Debbie Reynolds because it was recommended to him by the librarians at the local library. He wants to know how things will work out between her and Eddie Fisher and he doesn't even know who Eddie Fisher even was. Small, but hilarious nevertheless.
Overall, this show wasn't the greatest because the plot holes bothered me. Dr. Goodwin was over at the Heck house for Thanksgiving, and didn't even see the dog then and if the dog's name wasn't Taffy, why did he answer to that when Frankie called him? Also, why did Roosevelt High claim responsibility for the stealing of the mascot head in the episode aired last season when it was Axl, broken foot and all, last season? I didn't like these sudden plot twists because they just weren't consistent. But at least they don't bother me as much as changing the year of Sue's birthday, thus also changing her age as they did last season. Grade: B
Side Notes:
-Axl cleans up his clothes by putting a bundle of them into the microwave.
-Dr. Goodwin, stick to your day job. Stand-up comedy is not your forte.
-Mike and Colin Firth bond over a basketball game and he's upset that the refs won't call a foul.
-Brick is in a book club with a bunch of old ladies so of course he isn't going to like any of the books they select to read, but he's a sport for giving them a try anyway.
-Axl will even invent Sue to visit college but only if no one else is around.
-Frankie prints out a list of activities Mike can do to bond with the dog. He states that he didn't put that much energy into raising the kids. That is just a scary thought.

Downton Abbey: Season Four, Episode Three

This episode was crazy.
Tom Branson (Allen Leech), probably one of my favorite characters left in the show is struggling to fit in, he just doesn't feel like he's fitting in. That nasty maid Edna still wants him and supplies him with a drink of whiskey. I knew where this was heading. I was right. She did sneak into his room and I firmly believe that she put something in his drink so she could take advantage of him easier. Yikes indeed.
But that is nothing compared to what poor Anna (Joanne Froggatt) had to deal with. Sure, the new valet for a visiting guest did like her, but I thought at first Bates (Brendan Coyle) would be the problem. Though, yes, I did predict that someone would get raped, I didn't think it would be Anna, but the new guy just can't believe she's happy with Bates so he rapes her. It is horrible and Anna only tells Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan); she doesn't even wants Bates to know because she doesn't want him to get arrested again. But Bates knows, he's not stupid. He knows, sure Anna can blame her headache for the bruises but she pulled away from his touch. He knows and Mrs. Hughes will be unable to keep it a secret. Everyone knows what is coming up. Anna gets pregnant. My mom took it one step further, she thinks that Anna will die from a blotched abortion. I hope they don't go that route because Anna is one of the few characters I like left on that show. Julian Fellows can't kill her off as well. Still, her becoming pregnant is a foregone conclusion. Bigger yikes for Anna. Froggatt was brilliant, playing the aftermath of a horrid event down to a t, shaking and freaking out. She will not be able to keep this from Bates, let's just hope he doesn't get arrested again. I can't stand for something like that to happen again.
Mary (Michelle Dockery) is slowly recovering and even bothers to mention her baby to a new suitor, Lord Gillingham (Tom Cullen). He is nice, a bit on the dull side, but I'd be okay with the two of them getting together. She is still struggling with his death and the new person he made her to be. He made her better but she believes that she was stronger before him. Maybe she was but I liked her nicer better.
Robert (Hugh Bonneville) has finally warmed up to Michael Gregson (Charles Roberts). Sure, he doesn't approve of him for Edith (Laura Carmichael), not that I blame him, but at least he likes Gregson as a person so that's at least something.
Sure, the acting is great, and given the soap opera nature of the show, I'm surprised that it took so long for a rape to occur, especially in a time where women, certainly servants had no rights, but Anna, I just couldn't believe it. It's devastating. The results could be even more devastating. I would have never guessed that Anna would have been the one who got taken advantage of.
As for Tom, I'm disappointed and frustrated. I did want him to get a love interest, but never that crazy maid. Oh well, hopefully that one won't go where I'm thinking. He impregnates her so she can also move up in the world. Grade: B-

The Middle: Sleepless in Orson

This was another interesting episode.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is now paranoid about everything, like lettuce having a slight chance of having fecal matter, ruining lettuce for the whole family. He can't even sleep in his own bed, terrified that he'll be kidnapped. He wants to know where his family is at all times. Then, his fears spill over to Mike (Neil Flynn) but they don't last. Frankie (Patricia Heaton) pulls out the big guns. She calls the guidance counselor, Dr. Fulton (Dave Foley) who is an odd duck, with tons of cats at his house. Fulton can't even let go of his old girlfriend. But he does sort of give Brick some good advice. Get his mind off the bad stuff by doing some exercises. This oddly works, but in a weird way. He searches the internet and finds out the philosophy of buddhism, imagining your favorite things broken and destroyed. So he decides now that he will spend time with something that matters most, his books.
Sue (Eden Sher) can't deal with Derrick Glossner's (David Chandler's) sudden kiss and tells him firmly that that is not okay. But it does keep happening and soon that is all Sue can think about, annoying Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) to no end. It may not be clear to Sue, but, yeah, she totally has a crush on him. The worst part is when she tells him off and fully expects him to kiss her, but he doesn't. Until he does, but Darrin (John Gammon) is around to watch, literally killing me. That plot line ends on a note which I don't know if it's supposed to be sad or glad, Derrick decides that he is not yet worthy of Sue, but once he is, he'll come back for her, and promptly proceeds to whacking her mailbox down with a baseball bat.
Too bad Axl's (Charlie McDermott's) plot line sucked. His involved Darrin trying ot break away from Boss Co. but Axl and Sean (Beau Wirick) don't let him. But they don't do the job they're hired to do, shoveling snow away from the door of a car dealership, trying to let nature take its course. They are fired from that job. Darrin is also tired of taking orders, from his friends, but mostly from his girlfriend, the demanding Angel (Christiann Castellanos), yikes, but he still can't get back together with Sue.
Overall, this episode was better than I expected, though Sue can be incredibly stupid at times, but at least Derrick saw the light. He's right, he's not worthy of Sue, not even close, but part of me was almost rooting for that relationship, mainly because I do want to see one of the Heck children in a relationship. I also liked how Frankie and Mike tried to handle Brick and both epically failed. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-How long does winter break last in Orson?
-How does Mike get over his temporary fear of someone breaking into the house?
-We do get a Colin Firth sighting this week, but he still doesn't make any noise.
-The younger Glossner kid still wears diapers, which is just gross as he is at least six.
-Why does Brad not shake Sue until she realizes the truth?
-I love how Frankie had to put the Frugal Hoosier milk in the fridge though it might already be too late.
-Fulton's cats fight over who should get the sun beam?
-Axl, you're stupid, for the record.
-I did like how Sue dealt with the sudden kiss, because shows rarely deal with a sudden, unexpected kiss like that. She was right, he did it without her permission which is not alright.
-Also, Sue kept track of how many times he kissed her.
-Can the show please give Axl a girlfriend?

Downton Abbey: Season Four, Episodes One and Two

I'm not going to rehash the plot lines from these episodes because you've already seen the show and so have I so you know that it's not worth my time to rehash.
I'll deal with the good moments, bad moments and problems with the episode.
The acting is still great, with Mary (Michelle Dockery) struggling to deal with Matthew's death. Even though it has been six months since his death, she is still in a zombie-like stupor. She can't deal with her infant son, George (poor baby) and she can't focus on her future. All she has to say is that Matthew died fifty years before his time, which is the truth. She even snaps at Carson (Jim Carter) but finally comes to grips with everything and quickly, thanks to a great talk with Granny (the brilliant and witty Maggie Smith), she suddenly comes back to life, arguing with her father over the state of Downton.
Which brings us to a problem. My mom had main issue with this. The first season was all about how Matthew had to be Downton's heir while Mary could not be solely because she's a girl. Now, Matthew's impromptu will has been discovered, made before the birth of Master George and he wants Mary to make the decisions. How is this possible? It certainly did need to be explained more. But either way, Robert (Hugh Bonneville) needed to stop babying Mary, she has a baby of her own. Hopefully, Mary will pull herself together fully soon and become a good mother.
Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) is back to his scheming ways. He doesn't like the new nanny and tells so to Cora (Elizabeth McGovern). Then, while the nanny is fawning over baby George, she criticizes young Sybil, calling her that chauffeur's daughter and a half-breed. This leads to the best scene in the whole two hours, when Cora fires her on the spot. The nanny attempts to explain that she's just joking, but you know she's not. It's awful, a truly heart-wrenching scene. But the best, other than when Maggie Smith was telling off her son.
Now to Edith (Laura Carmichael). Okay, I just want to get my extra crazy prediction out there. Edith is still seeing Gregson, who decides to become a German citizen solely so he can divorce his wife and thus marry Edith. My prediction is that Edith will become pregnant out of wedlock and then Branson (the ever handsome Allen Leech) will marry her just so the baby won't be illegitimate. Yes, crazy, but possible. As for the German citizen thing, we (history) knows that that will be a horrible decision. Here's looking at you, Hitler.
Overall, it wasn't bad and the two hours still floated by, but the stakes aren't as high in the past, favorite characters are gone and the new ones aren't nearly as interesting. For example, none of the plot lines involving the servants, not even Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle) whom I really like, interest me. Luckily, Maggie Smith is still on the show with snappy one-liners that will continue to make the show worth watching. Grade: B

Sunshine Cleaning (2008)

This was an interesting film.
Rose Lorkowski (the always brilliant Amy Adams) cleans houses for a living while her former high school friend is in real estate. She is still sleeping with her married lover who just might be the father of her young son, Oscar (Jason Spevack) and her sister (Emily Blunt) is a big-time screw up. Her life sucks.
And it doesn't look like it getting any better. Her son is having issues with licking things with probably some sort of mild autism or something similar so he's basically kicked out of school.
She needs money. Luckily, Mac (Steve Zahn), her married lover, is a police officer and hears how much money people make just cleaning up crime scenes. That's all he sees her as, a cleaning lady.
But she goes with it, enlisting the help of her sister who trips over chairs. They are making a difference in the lives of these people even if its only briefly. They, thanks to the help of the kind shop owner (Clifton Collins, Jr.), become legit, getting clearances and such. Finally, Rose is not completely unhappy in her life.
Norah, the sister, even befriends a woman under false pretenses. Lynn (Mary Lynn Rajskub) had a mother who was a hoarder and the sisters cleaned out her trailer home, Lynn never bothering to care. Naturally, the friendship doesn't survive this revelation.
The plot is not brilliant and the character development is slow but the film is still enjoyable nevertheless.
Then, everything comes to a halt. While Rose is off at a baby shower, Norah is alone at a crime scene, and because the smell is just horrible, she lights a candle in the bedroom. When she goes to move a mattress, a small kitten escapes. Norah goes to catch the kitten but the mattress catches on fire and she is unable to put it out. Just like that, the fledgling business is in the red 40,000 dollars. Rose is furious. I can't blame her. Sure it really was an accident but I don't think Norah realizes how bad that actually is.
Fortunately, the girls' father (Alan Arkin) comes to the rescue. He's a businessman but still makes some bad investments, such as trying to sell illegal seafood. But he wants his daughter to be happy. So he sells his house and moves in with Rose and Oscar and goes to work for her because she's the expert.
Though the acting is great, as Arkin, Adams and Blunt always deliver, I found the subtle love interest of the shop owner, Winston and Rose as odd. It is not resolved at the end, and I needed it to be, one way or the other. And Norah didn't grow up enough. She is still running away from her issues, literally. Going on a road trip with the rescued kitten. Who knows what will happen to her. But at least Rose finally dumps Mac, and thank goodness for that one. Oscar is now in the school he needs to be so some things do end well.
Oh well, this film deals with normal people, the little man who is often forgotten about and that is admirable. And it does go quickly but it is not as good as it needed to be. Grade: B+