The Middle: The Award

This was a pretty good episode.
Mike (Neil Flynn) is being honored with an award for working at the quarry for twenty years. He doesn't even want to go to the dinner to collect his award. Frankie (Patricia Heaton) is less than pleased with this. She begs him to reconsider, but even if it doesn't mean much to him, it means something to other people. She even helps him write a speech and it is touching, saying that he works with a bunch of a great guys and they make coming to work worth it. But he gets stage fright and stumbles, saying that he had to lay off people and who knows what the future holds. Frankie is embarrassed for him. Mike apologizes and his long time co-workers understand.
Sue (Eden Sher) is having difficulties of her own. She is literally sat upon. Yes, that has been done before, in The Princess Diaries, but at least in that movie the guy realized it and apologized, not so in Sue's case. Brian (Brandon W. Jones) doesn't realize that he sat on Sue's lap and in fact turns the blame on her. Sue decides to take action. She finally follows through with her plan of mix-it-up Mondays, but Brian is assigned to her table and doesn't even recognize her. It's all terribly sad.
The plan may not work for her, but it works for Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli). Debbie and Courtney (Natalie Lander and Brittany Ross) invite him to go shopping, and Carly (Blaine Saunders) has also made friends with kids who love all things space.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) and Hutch (Alphonse McAuley) set out on a mission to find out who the unknown girl is who left a somewhat nasty message on Axl's phone. Basically the call said that Axl was hot and wanted to have intercourse with him. Naturally, the girl must be found. The quest doesn't go well. And Axl almost gets discouraged.
In the meantime, Brick (Atticus Shaffer) has finally found a hand-me-down from the cousins that he loves: a woman's suit. But it makes him feel jazzy and suave. Naturally, he is mortified when he discovers that it actually belonged to a woman and saw another woman wearing it at Mike's award ceremony.
Also of note, the heat in the Heck house is broken, meaning the family has to bundle up more in the house than outside in the cold winter. Though Sue blames the cold in part for her sudden illness which causes her to miss Mike's award ceremony, I think that she is disheartened by her plan failing for her. But luckily Darrin (John Gammon) comes by to fix the broken heater. He has broken up with Angel, thank goodness and is surprised that Sue and the Glossner boy aren't an actual couple. He and Sue end that plot line, talking catching up on old times.
Axl finally discovers who his mystery caller is. It is Cassidy (Galadriel Stineman). Now, I didn't think she'd be the type of girl who would go out and party at college, much less get drunk and leave bizarre messages on her ex-boyfriend's cell phone, but I'll suspend my beliefs. Axl plays coy and tells her that he knew it was her all along. They, like Sue and Darrin, end their plot line talking also, catching up on all times.
I liked this episode. Mike finally got a good, strong plot line and took full advantage. He truly is a man of few words and that frustrates Frankie to no end. Brick got to show off what he looks like in a suit. And I just felt horrible for Sue, she always gets the short end of the stick and finally lost her upbeat attitude. I'm glad there's hope for her and Darrin, she certainly deserves some happiness. I'm also glad that Axl and Cassidy are finally back on good terms. Now, I know that it is only wishful thinking that both couples will get back together, but a girl can hope, can't she. For now, I'll settle for just one of them getting back together. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-I love how Mike's co-worker, Chuck (Greg Cipes) calls Frankie Lady Mike and Brick Baby Mike.
-Kenny (Tommy Bechtold) really gets in the zone while playing video games. Axl even stapled a paper to him and he didn't notice until he leveled up.
-When Axl approached one of the girls, she informed him that she has mace.
-I thought that Debbie and Courtney were in Axl's grade but apparently not. I found that odd, but whatever.
-Frankie finds out about the award by reading the local newspaper online, and according to Sue, now the whole world can read it. Mike is unimpressed.
-Axl really can party until he starts dancing with is reflection.

Downton Abbey: Season Four, Christmas Special

This special disappointed me massively.
It is Rose's (Lily James's) coming out season, which means that she is presented to the King and Crown Prince, who will eventually become King Edward IV, before abdicating the throne. However, there is a catch, a secret letter between the Crown Prince (Oliver Dimsdale) and his current mistress, Freda Dudley Ward (Janet Montgomery). It is stolen by the card shark and must be retrieved to save the monarchy. This means that the Crawley family puts a horrid plot into action. It is lame and stupid, time that could have been better spent. We learn that Bates (Brendan Coyle) can forge handwriting, which was far too easy to figure out. Also, a ticket stub proves that Bates was in London the day the evil rapist valet was killed, but Mary burns the ticket stub, not wanting to condemn him to a horrible fate.
The better plots involved Edith (Laura Carmichael), struggling to deal with having to give up her baby. The baby is a girl, by the way and is living in Switzerland with the Schroeders. Edith spends more time thinking about her child than Mary (Michelle Dockery) does about hers and baby George lives with her, locked away for a nanny to deal with. In the end, she still doesn't tell her parents, which will come back to bite her, but decides to give the baby to the Drewes, a local farming family. This is bound to bring her only more heartbreak.
Tom (Allen Leech) continues to see the teacher, Sarah Bunting (Daisy Lewis) and even brings her back to the house. Granted, they just look around, but Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) is not pleased to see this. He tells Robert (Hugh Bonneville) who then brings up the issue to Tom, but I guess Robert believes Tom. Someone put extra pee in Barrow's coffee for this episode.
That's basically it. Sure, Carson (Jim Carter) has to come up with an outing for the servants and he takes his sweet ole time trying to come up something Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) deems acceptable. They decide to go to the beach. Hughes is thrilled. Mary is still juggling both suitors, but she still hasn't decided what she wants from life; she's just glad that she has a bright future. So I am. Daisy (Sophie McShera) is offered a job working for Cora's brother, Harold Levinson (Paul Giamatti) in New York but she turns him down. I guess I'm okay with that.
Speaking of that, Harold and Martha (Shirley Maclaine) are back, and Martha and Violet (Maggie Smith) spar with the best of them, bringing the episode some of its best scenes.
All-in-all, I was super disappointed. Harold and Martha both get love interests, but neither go anywhere. Time is flying by, it's already 1923, but the characters move at a snail's pace, and I'm so sick of it. Something needs to happen. The season ended with more questions than answers. We still don't know Baxter's (Raquel Cassidy's) past. Daisy is still involved in a love triangle and though she is flattered, she doesn't act upon it, meaning that basically all of these characters are bound to remain single. Isobel (Penelope Wilton) has a love interest and though I thought she liked him at first, she grows bored with him. My mom put it best, she described the episode as cheesy, which it was. I am addicted to the series, but quite frankly, I'm barely looking forward to season five. Grade: C

The Monuments Men

This movie should have been better than it was.
Frank Stokes (George Clooney) is commissioned by the U.S. government to save artwork destined to be destroyed by the Nazis. He quickly assembles a team to help him. There is Donald Jefferies (Hugh Bonneville) who needs to redeem himself as he has a drinking problem and a record behind him; Walter Garfield, a chain-smoking architect (John Goodman); another architect, Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban); a Frenchman Jean-Claude Clermont (Jean Dujardin); Richard Campbell, another chain smoker (Bill Murray) and a fellow American, James Granger (Matt Damon). The men do separate throughout the film, trying to save as much artwork as possible, but this is made difficult as there are language barriers and must fight against locals very much against their presence. The group eventually gains a German-born British soldier, Sam Epstein (Dimitri Leonidas).
Granger goes to France to figure out where the Nazis have hidden the precious artwork. Here is where he meets a supporter of the resistance who was a secretary for the Vichy government, Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett). Fortunately, there is no romantic development really between the two of them as Granger claims to be happily married. Claire delivers, once she realizes that the artwork will actually be returned to its rightful owners, unlike the Russians who are keeping as much as possible for themselves. She kept track of the locations of everything in a carefully detailed notebook.
But tragedy strikes. While protecting the Bruges Madonna, sculpted by Michelangelo, Donald is killed and the stature is taken. Stokes is determined to get it back. Jean-Claude dies because he is shot by some rouge Germans and is unable to get some medical attention. I really liked how they killed both foreigners. 
The film covers a lot of ground and ultimately has an epic and happy ending, with the men saving tons of artwork, over five million pieces. But they also find the Germans secret vault, containing tons, literally, of gold. When asked by the U.S. government if finding the artwork was worth dying for, an older Stokes (Nick Clooney, George's father), says yes. Art can move people and it is priceless.
Though some of the humor was truly enjoyable, I felt that it didn't fit in with the extreme seriousness of the majority of the film. There were simply too many characters and we didn't know enough about any of them to truly feel for them. I wish it would have focused on the journey of one of the men and zeroed in on one specific element of their long and dangerous journey.
I also felt that there were too many voice overs and the ordering of the scenes was odd at times. Though the film told a good story and made good points, it should have been much more memorable and epic. 
Still, the acting was quite good, with Blanchett's accent being a stand out. The scenery was great but I found some of the dialogue to be too contemporary for a period piece. I wish it was better. I wanted and needed it to be better. Grade: B

Downton Abbey, Season Four, Episode Eight

This was probably one of my favorite episodes this season, until the disastrous ending.
Edith (Laura Carmichael) believes that she has come up with a plan to keep her baby close to her. She will give it to a local farmer, but her aunt (Samantha Bond) doesn't believe that this will work. So she and Edith will journey to Switzerland (thank goodness) for several months and the baby will be adopted by a kind, loving family there. Edith reluctantly goes along with this plan. Also of note, Granny (Maggie Smith) finds out the details and is okay with the plan Rosamund concocted. Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) is none the wiser.
Mary (Michelle Dockery) is still juggling two guys. Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen) got rid of his nasty valet for her, though the valet turned up dead anyway (I'll get to that later) and broke his engagement with the unseen and unknown Mabel Lane Fox. But Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden) is great with the baby George while Mary is not. Mary is still not ready to move on though, but both guys are willing to stick around and wait for her. For the record, Charles gets my vote by a landslide.
As for Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle), things aren't looking good. Remember when I said that the evil valet showed up dead in an apparent accident, well, it could have been because of actions by Bates, though he plays coy. Anna knows what is up though. I just wish that this show could have one happy couple, other than Robert (Hugh Bonneville) and Cora.
Speaking of Robert, he returns from America at the end of this episode with Thomas (Rob James-Collier) in tow. Nothing much happens despite their return. Baxter (Raquel Cassidy), in the meantime, has formed a friendship with Moseley (Kevin Doyle) and thus tells Thomas nothing that she has discovered. Daisy (Sophie McShera) mends the fences with Alfred (Matt Milne) and spends some time with her father-in-law, finally.
Rose (Lily James) accepts Jack's (Gary Ross's) proposal though things don't work out because Mary rightly believes that she accepts more to tick off her mother whom she despises than because she actually loves him. I'm okay with that, mainly because I liked neither Rose nor Jack.
As for Tom (Allen Leech), he forms an attraction with a local teacher, though, like Mary, he is still from over Sybil, but at least there is hope for him. He hasn't talked about going to America lately also, which is fortunate. Also, I believe he somehow knows Edith's secret, though he could also just be being nice, but know really knows.
Also, Violet (Penelope Wilton) has a love interest of her own to the amusement of Isobel. Interesting.
Though this episode was certainly great, I wish Edith could somehow keep the baby herself because I think that would do her some good, but it is the 1920s and upper class British society so I guess adoption is her only remaining option especially with Gregson completely out of the picture. I also hated the ending, with the whole Bates thing, I really thought he would have wanted to stay out of prison this time, but then again, maybe he got away with it. But Mary leaves the episode with the whole family watching her interact with both of her suitors. Still, the acting was great and it was nice to see the Dowager Countess back to her lively self, smart comments all around.
I just wish that someone in this show would get their happy ending completely, get to grow old together with their soul mate instead of burying them young. I also wished that I liked Mary's suitors as much as Matthew. I wish their was a couple to root for, but there really isn't. Next week's episode should be interesting with the return of Shirley Maclaine and the introduction of Paul Giamatti as Cora's odd younger brother Harold. Grade: B+

Downton Abbey: Season Four, Episode Seven

Well, Edith (Laura Carmichael) is most definitely pregnant. But Gregson (Charles Roberts) is still nowhere to be found, so Edith prepares to take drastic measures. She arranges an illegal abortion in London. Fortunately, she has a somewhat unexpected ally in her aunt Rosamund (Samantha Bond). Her aunt is so supportive she even attends the doctor's office where the abortion will occur. It is not a back alley place, but actually a rather nice office. Edith is actually upset about the whole thing and doesn't want to have the abortion because she loves Gregson and loves the unborn baby. This certainly surprised me. I had no idea she had any feelings whatsoever toward her baby. I knew that this would break her heart but she is unmarried and is in the upper class of British society and it is the 1920s. Fortunately, she backs out at the last minute, but her future is still up in the air. Full disclosure: I was raised Catholic and thus am pro-life, and I am truly grateful that Edith didn't go through with the abortion. Not just because she chose life but because this will add something interesting to the show. I wonder what she will do. The preview did mention something about a tenant farmer and I was wondering if she would consider marrying him or tell people that he raped her and thus she was pregnant. My mother thought that she would give him the baby and care for it from afar.
Now, to the other plot lines. Robert (Hugh Bonneville) is off to America to help Cora's (Elizabeth McGovern's) brother. Lame, but whatever. Violet (Maggie Smith) is very ill but Isobel (Penelope Wilton) cares for her, spending every minute with her for days. Violet recovers. Rose (Lily James) is still secretly seeing Jack (Gary Ross), but I no longer care about that relationship. Tom (Allen Leech) attends a political rally, trying to get back into that sort of thing. Anna (Joanne Frogatt) needs to face her abuser again as Lord Gillingham (Tom Cullen) returns for a visit.
Mary (Michelle Dockery) has a fairly interesting plot line, though parts are improbable. She and Blake (Julian Ovenden) take a walk after dinner to see the pigs, but they are dehydrated because they tipped the water over. Thus, Mary and Blake get down and dirty (literally) to save the pigs. Mary looks truly disgusting but Blake actually starts to like her because of her actions. When they finally return to the mansion, Mary whips up some scrambled eggs in the kitchen. Since when does she know how to cook anything? Before Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) had some cooking lessons so she could become a nurse during the war, she didn't even know how to fill a teapot with water. And Mary never journeys down into the kitchen so how and when did she learn to cook? The moment didn't work as well as the writers wanted it to.
Still, it's nice seeing Mary doing something new.
I still feel that this show is certainly missing something. There are no longer any couples you are rooting for to end up together. Everyone wanted Matthew (Dan Stevens) and Mary to get together as well as Tom and Sybil, but now, thanks to Julian Fellows, Matthew and Sybil are dead. The couples fall apart. Will anyone on this show ever end up happy? I doubt it, which is just sort of sad. Grade: B

Casablanca (1943)

This is hands down on of the best films of all-time.
The world is at war and tons of people are desperate to get out of war-torn Europe, but visas are difficult to come by. Casablanca is a stop for many before journeying on to Lisbon and then to America.
Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is a bar owner and is completely neutral to the whole war thing, though in the past he has brought guns to Ethiopia and fought on the side of the Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War. But he sticks his neck out for no one. Which is why he lets the German guards arrest Ugarte (Peter Lorre). Luckily, Rick already took some letters of transit obtained from two dead German couriers from Ugarte earlier in the evening. And hid them in Sam's (Dooley Wilson's) piano so no one would find them.
The plot really kicks in gear when Victor Laszlo arrives. Victor is a member of the resistance. He has somehow eluded German capture three times, including escaping from a concentration camp. Louis Renault (Claude Rains), a French officer living in Casablanca does not want Laszlo to leave, though it soon becomes unsafe for him to say in the city. The German officer, Strasser (Conrad Veidt) will allow him to leave if Laszlo gives up all his contacts all over Europe.
The matter is complicated because Victor's wife, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) is an ex-lover of Rick's from just before he moved to Casablanca, in Paris. They had to flee because the Germans took over the country, giving way to the Vichy government. But Ilsa did not join him at the train station because it turned out that Victor wasn't dead after all.
Ilsa needs those letters of transit and tries everything in her power to obtain them. She tries threatening him with a gun, though Rick doesn't even budge and she tries seducing him, which appears to work. She can't leave him again. She tells him that he will have to do the thinking for the both of them.
And Rick does. He tells Louis that he will give the letters of transit to Victor, but then turns the gun on Louis allowing Victor and Ilsa to escape. Ilsa thought that it would be both of them leaving, but Rick tells her that she belongs with Victor. She gives him strength and keeps him going throughout all of his travels. Officer Strasser tries to stop the plane but Rick shoots him but Louis decides to take Rick's side and informs the other offices to round up the usual suspects.
The film is timeless, proving that sometimes, love is not the most important thing, not when it won't help the greater good. Now sure, thanks to the Hays Code, Ilsa couldn't end up with Rick. She had to leave with her husband, but Rick finally gets involved in a cause worth fighting for. It will help people.
Each character, even many of the small characters are truly fascinating. There is Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet) who owns the rival bar. He wants to hire Sam, but Sam doesn't want to go even at twice the salary because he doesn't have the time to spend the money he earns at Rick's. Sam is also interesting. He is different from the usual African American characters in films at that time.
The dialogue is snappy but realistic and some of the lines are timeless including Louis's "I'm shocked, shocked that gambling is occuring here." Then a bar keep gives him a pile of bills, "Your winnings." "Here's looking at you, kid." "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Everything about this film just works. Even the scenery is utterly believable despite the fact that it was filmed on the back of Warner's Brothers lot. The editing is seamless and the music, including the live songs, especially the classic "As Time Goes By" are brilliant. This is the best studio film ever made. It completely deserved the three Oscars that it won, and Bogart was robbed of an Oscar for this film. He was better here than in The African Queen.
This is without a doubt one the best love stories Hollywood ever made even though it is sad, but right in the end. I have seen this film five times and could easily watch it dozens more times. Grade: A

The Middle: Hungry Games

This was a good episode.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) is back from college solely because Frankie (Patricia Heaton) has a squatter's coupon for this all-you-can-eat buffet, but they must go to church first.
Things get off to a rocky start because Sue (Eden Sher) is starting to look at colleges including East Indiana State and Axl doesn't want her to go there, no way, no how so at church, they pray out loud, in stage whispers, pinching each other like they are ten years younger than their actual age. Despite the stern looks and snaps from their parents, it continues and Mike (Neil Flynn) throws a song book at Axl but it hits a lady instead.
Thus, the visiting pastor, Reverend Deveaux (Keegan-Michael Key) corners them after church and insists on meeting with them to cure their ailments. And just when they think they are getting out of there, Brick (Atticus Shaffer) says that he feels invisible. His parents never buy him the toothpaste he wants and he feels that they would be happier without him, though he never actually tells them that.
Then, Sue says that she got drunk at a party and danced inappropriately. By that, she had one sip of a drink that contained alcohol and spit it right back out and then later twerked. Reverend Deveaux gets sick of listening to all of her petty sins and can't believe that she's a junior in High School. He thought she was in Middle School.
Then, just when he completely tires of Sue, he catches Frankie and Mike fighting. So he calls them both back in and Frankie has one of her crying fits, because she has so much responsibility with her children and parents all needing her. But the Reverend says that she doesn't have to put the burden all on herself, Mike is there to help.
After releasing Frankie and Mike, he still doesn't let them go, but Axl comes through, saying that his family has each other's backs and works through their issues. Reverend Deveaux buys this so the family finally heads off to the buffet, but Axl did actually sort of mean what he said. Frankie cries happy tears this time. She had a good parenting moment.
This was a great episode with a great guest turn from Keegan-Michael Key. And the Hecks continue to put in great performances week after week without receiving the credit they are due. My dad got a good chuckle out of Mike the hymn book and accidentally hitting someone else. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-Axl starved himself for four days leading up to this buffet. No wonder he gets light headed.
-Brick mentions to Reverend Deveaux that his parents brought home the wrong baby, that he sits on a lawn chair at the family dinner table but what upsets the Reverend the most is that they didn't make him lime jello for ten years. Great callbacks to past episodes.
-Reverend Deveaux is from Cleveland and makes tons of Cleveland references. He's met LeBron James twice and compares the family to the 1987 Browns.
-I can't believe that a JPLAW party could include alcohol, and how does Sue even know what twerking is as she doesn't get out much.
-Sue also made up this completely bizarre game that the rest of the family didn't even know existed so of course she always wins.
-Axl says that he will change his name and get a cheap Mexican face transplant if Sue attends his college.
-Brick learns that he doesn't actually like the flavor of toothpaste that he's wanted for years.

Dallas Buyer's Club

This is an important film, but also a flawed one.
Ron Wooduff (Matthew McConaghey) is a true Texan, with a gun in the back of his truck. He bets on bull riding, drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney and has tons of unprotected sex. Imagine his surprise when he receives the diagnosis of HIV. He is furious and doesn't believe the doctors but sort of takes it seriously that he will die within thirty days.
He, in a chilling scene, has sex and does harder drugs, before finally doing some research. He illegally obtains AZT, but abuses the drug horribly and continues to drink and do other illegal drugs. You just might think that he will actually die within the thirty days, but he doesn't.
He lives, though barely. He does even more research and gets drugs to treat the systems of his disease from Mexico and, to earn more money, which he needs, sells them to others who need them. It is hard at first, because he is quite homophobic, not believing that Rock Hudson was gay. Finally, he strikes up a deal, albeit reluctantly with Rayon (Jared Leto), whom he met at the hospital. Rayon is transgender but knows people. It is because of him that Ron's business really takes off, though it takes him some time to truly respect Rayon.
Ron builds up his business, importing drugs illegally from all sorts of countries, including China, Japan and Denmark. He does his research and really knows his stuff. He scolds the doctors (Jennifer Garner and Denis O'Hare) to continuing to give patients the drug AZT which has nasty side effects but is approved by the FDA. All the drugs Ron gives his clients aren't approved, but the patients seem to do better.
Soon, his business is thriving. It is called the Dallas Buyer's Club. People buy memberships at four hundred dollars per month which gives them all the drugs they want.
Of course Ron runs into legal trouble tons of times. He gets audited by the IRS and his supplies are seized by the FDA, so he sues them. But the judge dismisses the case though he feels for Ron. He feels that those who have a fatal disease should be able to put whatever they want into their bodies, but he has no legal backing so he can't do anything about it. Nevertheless, Ron is greeted like a hero.
Now, though the plot has holes, extremely rough transitions, the acting shines. Ron turns from a homophobic, ignorant freak into a compassionate, well-educated man. But Rayon shines. The scene where he returns to men's clothing to meet with his father is touching as is the scene where he is near death, sobbing to his lover that he doesn't want to die. Yet, he still took illegal drugs until just before his death. The problem is Jennifer Garner's character, Eve Saks. She is also sympathetic with Ron's plight but can't do anything to help her because she doesn't want to lose her license. The screenwriters aren't sure what to do with her character. At times, it is like they want to use her as a love interest for McConaghey, but are unsure of that step. She tries to help her trial patients, reducing the amount of AZT they are given and refusing to resign when the director doesn't like her actions.
Ron ultimately lives seven years after receiving his diagnosis, seven years longer than doctors thought he would. He made a difference. This film proved that the FDA doesn't always do the right thing or have the right process to doing things, and how breaking the law is sometimes the only way to survive.
Despite the importance of this film, character development is flawed. There needs to be more of a transition of Ron turning into an accepting person. And how does he actually build up his business? And what gives him that idea? How does he hear about the similar clubs in New York?
The acting, especially McConaghey and Leto, is fantastic. Both of them had to lose weight for these roles, which always gains points for me. Leto is so utterly believable as a transgender person and my heart just broke for him as he admits that he doesn't want to die, also when he answered his father's line of "God help me." Rayon's response? "He is, I've got AIDS." It is just heart-breaking. McConaghey finally has a good role and he knows what to do with it, showing every expression in his thin, weary face. It is also funny when he has sex with the first woman who comes into the headquarters.
I just wish this film was better. But it shows how people truly lived, grimy and all. It showed how people viewed HIV in the mid-1980s, looking scornfully upon those who contracted the deadly illness.
Ultimately, the film covered too much time in too short a time frame and that is just a shame. Grade: A-

Looper (2012)

I wanted to like this film. I really did, but I just couldn't.
Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a cold-blooded killer. His job is killing people sent back from the future. He knows that at the end, he will have to kill his future self and then will no longer have that job. He will have to live the rest of his life, thirty years, before being killed. I was surprised by that.
However, in the future, a man called the Rainmaker rules the place with an iron fist. He is the one who controls the illegal time travel, which only exists in the future world. The older Joe (Bruce Willis) is living the good life, but he hates it. He is a junkie and a woman (Summer Qing) saved him. He marries her, but when he is collected for his scheduled death, she is also killed. He still travels back in time, but it is to kill the small child who will grow up to become the Rainmaker. But, of course, this doesn't go over well. You are not supposed to let your 'loop' run. It happened to Joe's friend, Seth (Paul Dano), but Joe gives up Seth to his boss, Abe (Jeff Daniels), just so he can keep all his silver.
Joe is now hunted by Abe's hunchmen, the Gats, led by the young and sometimes foolish, Kid Blue (Noah Segan). While the older Joe hunts the small boys who will become the Rainmaker, Joe finds refuge in a farmhouse owned the tough Sara (Emily Blunt, sounding completely American). She lives there with her son (or nephew), Cid (Pierce Gagnon), and though she is perfectly tender to Cid, she is ruthless to vagrants. But Cid possesses a special rare power, which only exists in this time. (It is 2044, Kansas.) It is a telekinetic power, which is not fully explained. This power can be deadly and Cid is also one of the three children that could grow up to the Rainmaker. This is later confirmed when Cid yells at Sara, calling her a liar. A look of horror appears on her face, knowing that she is raising a killer. But she doesn't give up on him. He just needs to control his power.
Though this film is interesting, putting another twist on time travel, I am left with many questions. Is Abe the Rainmaker from the future, who controls both the future and the near future? And what will truly happen to young Cid? Spoiler: He doesn't die. Also, Joe travels back in time solely to save his wife? I know this may sound awful, but is it worth it? Worth it to kill all these other people just to save one life? The body count is too many too count in this film. Violence riddled this film.
On the other hand, the acting was quite good. Daniels and Dano always put in consistent performances, though neither have received the recognition they deserved. It is also nice to see Piper Perabo, as the stripper Suzie, who sometimes hooks up with Joe, in a film for once. Blunt, Willis and Gordon-Levitt were fantastic. But if you want to see a time travel film staring Bruce Willis try 1995's 12 Monkeys, also starring a youngish Brad Pitt, Oscar-nominated. Grade: B

Downton Abbey, Season Four, Episode Six

I was right!
Edith (Laura Carmichael) is indeed with child and is falling apart. Not that I blame her. This is the 1920s in Britain and she's unmarried. Gregson (Charles Roberts) is nowhere to be found. Even his business has already sent someone to look for him. Edith has told no one about her secret but of course, her mother, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) knows that something is wrong, but doesn't quite know what.
Also, my second part of the prediction might not come true, but there were some interesting lines said by Tom (Allen Leech). He muses at the dinner table to Violet (Penelope Wilton) that he could never get another Earl's daughter to love him. I wasn't paying the most attention to that scene because I was laughing too hard. Yes, my bizarre prediction might come true, though I want the characters to be happy, but maybe they just aren't meant to be happy. Also, Tom is still seriously considering going to America. I hope he doesn't.
Mary (Michelle Dockery) is also dealing with a new rival, in the form of Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden). He is in charge of inspecting grand estates to see if they still have a place in society. The two get along like cats and dogs, yet, I think he could be the second Mr. Mary Crawley. Only time will tell.
Downstairs, Alfred (Matt Milne) has left for the Ritz, and Daisy (Sophie McShera) isn't taking it well. Anna (Joanne Frogatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle) are continuing to mend their relationship and, for now at least, Bates hasn't talked about killing the guy. They still have a long way to go, but at least things are improving. Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) continues to blackmail the new lady's maid, Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) into telling him everything. She doesn't want to do that all the time, but somehow Thomas got her the job, so she must tell him stuff.
Rose (Lily James) invites the jazz band to celebrate Robert's (Hugh Bonneville) birthday and it actually goes over well. Even Carson (Jim Carter) warms up to Jack Ross (Gary Carr), despite him being African American. The upstairs guests also warm up, though they do have shocked expressions on their faces at first. Robert even insists on paying for the whole thing, despite it being his present. The episode ends with Mary catching Rose and Jack in a tight embrace, wondering what to make of it.
I still don't like how the show is handling the Edith pregnancy situation. Hopefully something major will finally happen next week. Also, I found it interesting that in a review I read last week, the reviewer believed Edith had obtained an abortion. I got mad about that whole thing.
I'm glad that Mary is sort of moving on from Matthew, though she still has a long way to go. Tom, on the other hand, shows no interest in finding someone else. I suppose things are different for men. I do wish they'd find other stuff to do with Rose and most of the kitchen staff. The stakes just aren't as high as they have been in the past and the plot lines seem to be stretching. Problems aren't as important this year, though I can't stop watching. For the next weeks, it will have to wait until Monday morning because the Olympics start on Friday, and they trump everything else on TV. Grade: B

That Awkward Moment

This film was better than expected. Sure, it was gross and wrong at times, but it was also endearing and probably more realistic than most want to admit.
Jason (Zac Efron) has just gotten out of another relationship. He didn't even know he was dating the girl. His friends are also in a bind. Daniel (Miles Teller) is still also living the swinging single life while Mike (Michael B. Jordan) has just discovered that his wife, Vera (Jessica Lucas), is cheating on him and wants a divorce. But Mike doesn't take well to the single life and continues to work on his marriage. I certainly wasn't expecting them to have a married character is this
Jason, on the other hand, starts seeing someone else, Ellie (Imogen Potts). But things get off to a rough start as Jason thinks she's a hooker. She's not, for the record. Luckily, she gives him a second chance. But he blows it again. And it's not when he wears a ridiculous fake penis to a costume party Ellie throws her for birthday with her parents present, but when he doesn't show up to her father's funeral. That was a bad move and Mike even told him he'd better go. Naturally, the relationship is basically over after that.
Daniel also becomes involved in a long-term relationship with another one of his friends, Chelsea (Mackenzie Davis), but unlike Jason, he embraces it. Yet, he lies to her, saying that he did indeed tell his friends about the two of them. Things get hinky when Jason catches the two of them having sex in the shower at Thanksgiving. This is also when the guys split up, temporarily of course. Mike has just ended things for good with Vera because she doesn't see the two of them having a future together and doesn't love him anymore. Daniel is happy with Chelsea and both of them don't understand why Jason continues to ruin his relationships.
Luckily, Jason grows up slightly and patches things up with his friends though he spends two months, yikes, stalking Ellie on facebook before finally making the big move, with a generous push from his friends. He recreates the moment when the two of them met. He also promises that he won't mess up again. I seriously doubt that, but at least he'll actually try this time. The film ends with the promise that they will get back together.
Though the acting was good and gave Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan more exposure, I had issues with the film in general. Women don't have real personalities to the guys, they are merely sex objects. Also, there is not even a pregnancy scare for anyone, something that probably does happen in real life more than it happens in films. That would have been interesting to see. I also found it interesting that Mike, a married doctor, is still hanging out with his two single horny friends.
I will certainly watch this film again, though I worry for the single population if this is what the dating world is really like. Grade: B