Well, the inevitable happened, once again Frankie (Patricia Heaton) forgot about one of her children's birthdays. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) turned thirteen in November (remember, he was conceived on Valentine's Day) but Frankie and Mike (Neil Flynn) completely forgot. Frankie feels quite guilty, as she should, and decides to let Brick do whatever he wants for his belated birthday. First, he decides that he wants a bowling party because he heard they were really fun, but then he decides against that and instead wants a day of his family's undivided attention. Sue (Eden Sher) is beyond dreading that and the day is utterly dreadful as Brick lectures the family on stuff he finds interesting like railroad gauges, words with all five vowels, and film credits. When he notices that his family isn't paying attention, he springs a pop quiz on them. Surprisingly, Axl (Charlie McDermott) knows Brick the best because he shared a room with him for roughly twelve years. He knows that Brick's favorite part of the movies is the warning at the beginning, not the credits as Sue firmly believed. Fortunately, Sue bows out when she promises to give him her signed copy of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, original jacket included. Brick lets Mike go too, when he tries to fall asleep so Frankie is alone and snaps when Brick lists the men who died in this one World War I battle. A devastated Brick picks up his cake and retreats to his room. Frankie arrives to apology and Brick says that Mom is the one he wanted to spend the most time with. Luckily, Frankie manages to save the day by deciding to let Brick talk more about a topic she found more interesting than that battle.
In the meantime, Axl has his own problems. Weird Ashley (Katlin Mastrandrea) has transferred into his college because they have a good hotel management program. Devin (Gina Mantegna) can't believe he used to date Weird Ashley in high school and resents the fact that Axl has divided the girls in his phone into odd categories, like Hot Ashley, Smart Ashley and Weird Ashley, plus he hasn't renamed Devin. They have a small argument and she abruptly ends the relationship. Fortunately, she comes to her senses, and quickly details her last failed relationship and how she bails at the first sign of trouble because she doesn't want to be the dumpee. Luckily, Axl forgives her easily and says that if things aren't working out, he'll tell her so she can dump him.
Sue is trying her best to get a senior superlative to guarantee that her picture will finally be in the yearbook. She tries being the biggest flirt which ends with her hurting her head as she bangs it against a locker. She tries to have the best hair though who knows how that ended, probably badly. And despite her horrible and awkward laugh, she wins best laugh, making her look like a fool as she urges her fellow classmates to not accept the honor as everyone has tons of school spirit.
This episode was still pretty good, though Mike wasn't given much to do but it was especially interesting to see and learn about all of Brick's weird hobbies and interests. He is certainly one weird kid and this episode highlights that.
And Sue just wants to be remembered. For something. And for once, she gets her wish. Too bad she looks like an idiot first.
Frankie might be a frazzled person, overworked and lazy mother, but she really means well, though it isn't always the thought that counts. Time, attention and love also matter and she needs to give more of each of those to her younger son.
Still, this episode was very funny, which is always welcome. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Best line in the episode: "We'll come out in college."-Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) says to Sue when she whines about not being the most superlative anything. Of course, there is the great double meaning, which once again, goes right over Sue's head.
-Sue recovers from Darrin rather quickly as she already flirts with some random guy who points out that she is bleeding which she tries to turn into something cute but she ruins it when she gets blood on his shirt.
-Ashley is quite odd and always shows up at the worst moments in Axl's life. After things are briefly over with Devin, Ashley shows up outside Devin's door and is surprised at how fast things have moved as she just did something gross and weird with Devin's fingernails the day before.
-Axl's idea of a hot date with Devin is cereal night at the food court.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Postcards from the Edge (1990)
This was an interesting film.
It starts out on the set of Suzanne Vale's (Meryl Streep's) film but you don't know that until the director, Lowell (Gene Hackman) yells cut and pulls Suzanne off to the side and warns her to stop using drugs which will then ruin his movie.
And Suzanne has her own demons. She was raised by an actress mother herself. Doris Mann (Shirley MacLaine) is also famous, and is still much loved. But the two get along like cats and dogs. Doris's own mother is another piece of work.
Still, Suzanne tries in vain to rebuild her life, even moving back in with her alcoholic mother so she can get insured for her new, low-budget film and even starts seeing Jack Faulkner (Dennis Quaid) who proclaims his love despite having been with another woman (a great cameo from Annette Bening) earlier in the day. The scene where Suzanne yells at him is brilliant.
Of course, everything comes to a head when Doris hits a tree while drinking drunk, hopefully forcing her to come to terms with her own demons.
Carrie Fisher wrote the screenplay which is based on her own memoir and you can sort of tell, though I pray Debbie Reynolds never gave sleeping pills to her nine-year-old daughter. The mother and daughter battle for fame, with Suzanne fully believing her mother never truly wanted her to succeed so Doris could still be the famous one in the family, though Doris claims that this isn't true, of course she wanted good for daughter.
You should see this film for the performances as Streep always delivers and can truly sing and she sings several times in this film, including as a character within a character. MacLaine is also great and can still milk everything she has in her for a marvelous performance. And there are some great cameos in addition to Bening, like Richard Dreyfuss and Rob Reiner. You also great a behind the scenes view of how films are actually made, something which is often interesting. Grade: B+
It starts out on the set of Suzanne Vale's (Meryl Streep's) film but you don't know that until the director, Lowell (Gene Hackman) yells cut and pulls Suzanne off to the side and warns her to stop using drugs which will then ruin his movie.
And Suzanne has her own demons. She was raised by an actress mother herself. Doris Mann (Shirley MacLaine) is also famous, and is still much loved. But the two get along like cats and dogs. Doris's own mother is another piece of work.
Still, Suzanne tries in vain to rebuild her life, even moving back in with her alcoholic mother so she can get insured for her new, low-budget film and even starts seeing Jack Faulkner (Dennis Quaid) who proclaims his love despite having been with another woman (a great cameo from Annette Bening) earlier in the day. The scene where Suzanne yells at him is brilliant.
Of course, everything comes to a head when Doris hits a tree while drinking drunk, hopefully forcing her to come to terms with her own demons.
Carrie Fisher wrote the screenplay which is based on her own memoir and you can sort of tell, though I pray Debbie Reynolds never gave sleeping pills to her nine-year-old daughter. The mother and daughter battle for fame, with Suzanne fully believing her mother never truly wanted her to succeed so Doris could still be the famous one in the family, though Doris claims that this isn't true, of course she wanted good for daughter.
You should see this film for the performances as Streep always delivers and can truly sing and she sings several times in this film, including as a character within a character. MacLaine is also great and can still milk everything she has in her for a marvelous performance. And there are some great cameos in addition to Bening, like Richard Dreyfuss and Rob Reiner. You also great a behind the scenes view of how films are actually made, something which is often interesting. Grade: B+
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
The Middle: The Answer
I knew it! Mike (Neil Flynn) totally freaked out when he found out that Darrin (John Gammon) popped the question to Sue (Eden Sher). I mean, he really freaked out. He truly wanted to beat Darrin up.
First, Sue was in shock and just stared at her bedroom ceiling and then finally made it to the dining room table where Frankie glanced at her new ring (shocker!) and even cracked a joke about how it looked so similar to an engagement ring. But Sue wasn't laughing. It was real. And Mike was livid, started screaming and everything because every minute he screamed was a minute he wasn't killing her boyfriend.
She tries to end things herself though that goes horribly. She is pleased and flattered that he proposed to her but Darrin keeps interrupting her before she can finish her pre-rehearsed speech. And then he does the eyebrow thing that she loves so much that I didn't even notice. Did I mention that Darrin has this wedding planning thing down. He has the reception booked already, at this Lodge place and even decided that they would go to Wikiwatch Florida where they can look at mermaids. It doesn't help her case that she agrees with his plans, trying to plunge ahead with her speech that doesn't finish.
The next day, Darrin shows up at the Heck house and Mike goes to talk to him, after Frankie (Patricia Heaton) pulls the knife out of his hand. Though he is furious at Darrin, he gives the diplomatic answer when Darrin asks for Mike's blessing, Mike replies that his opinion doesn't matter, Sue's opinion is the only one that matters. Darrin confronts Sue at work while she is throwing out some trash and still doesn't end it.
It isn't until Sue arrives at Darrin's shed house where his mother and aunt are happily waiting for her with an old wedding dress and everything. While the Hecks aren't pleased, Darrin's family is thrilled, they can't wait for the wedding and then, babies, which finally causes Sue to flip out. She runs away and when she returns home where her parents finally decide to take the matters into their own hands. Sue sobs on the floor and just wants her daddy to fix everything but then they start arguing over who should do it when Sue finally, thank goodness, goes a pair and takes off the dress and sees Darrin.
She just spits it out and then launches on everything she wants to do, travel, cry when her parents drop her off at college, live in her own apartment and bunches of other stuff that doesn't include marriage, at least not any time soon. But Darrin is different. He loves her more than anything and wants Sue to be his wife. She is his future, he has money and a good job and doesn't want to wake up when he's twenty-four and not have kids. He can't accept that Sue probably will want to marry him somewhere down the road, so once again, they are over. They have a final hug and Sue returns home, heart-broken and devastated that his reaction was so final.
I knew Sue couldn't actually marry him, because she said so herself, she has so many other dreams to fulfill first, but I was hoping that this wouldn't be the end of their relationship because I loved them together. Also, since when do guys want to settle down and not have fun first? I should be happy that Darrin isn't one of those guys, but he should have thought that maybe Sue wants bigger things in life, not just a bigger house. And his reaction to having kids by the time he's twenty-four? I just muttered that mu ovaries just died inside me. (I'm twenty-four, for the record.) I don't think that they are completely finished, but for now, they certainly are. I guess Sue's prediction that they would go to prom together won't come true after all which is just a shame.
I should mention Brick's (Atticus Shaffer's) plot. Axl (Charlie McDermott) is taking and Intro to Psych class and decides to fix Brick's annoying ticks but luckily, Brick wants someone to fix him because of how his relationship is going with Cindy. But snapping a rubber band against his wrist every time he whoops almost turns in to a new tick. Finally, Axl cracks open and notebook and gets to the root of his problem, the fact that poor Brick is forced to sit in a lawn chair instead of the normal chairs that the rest of his family sits in. For now, this fixes everything. This was lame, but they needed to give something for Brick and Axl to do.
The only problem I had with this episode was that Sue says that she won't even turn eighteen for two more weeks but this can't be true, because, as I've said before, she is a leap year baby which means that she would be turning nineteen. In season three, her birthday was on leap day though by season four, they had changed the year. This is an annoying inconsistency that is offensive to loyal fans of the show, thinking that we won't pay attention to the simple little details like Sue's birth year. This mistake brings down the grade of the episode to an A-.
Side Notes:
-Axl wonders why Darrin called to ask him to be his best man and then freaks out, and begs his parents to fix everything because they have let this thing go on too long.
-Mike is furious that Frankie let him believe that Darrin wasn't a threat.
-Axl comes home on Valentine's Day because he and Devin celebrated the night before, if you know what he means. Frankie is disgusted though Mike gives him the thumbs up. At least one of the Heck children isn't a virgin.
-One of Axl's techniques for fixing Brick include swaddling him so Sue has to place his drink straw in his mouth because he can't use his hands.
-It is just weird when Sue spends the night with her parents and Mike agrees.
-It is also weird that Sue wants to do that again though Frankie kicks her out until the deed is done. Breaking off the wedding with Darrin, of course, not the other thing.
-Doris makes an appearance at the end of the episode when the whole family is in Mike and Frankie's bed.
First, Sue was in shock and just stared at her bedroom ceiling and then finally made it to the dining room table where Frankie glanced at her new ring (shocker!) and even cracked a joke about how it looked so similar to an engagement ring. But Sue wasn't laughing. It was real. And Mike was livid, started screaming and everything because every minute he screamed was a minute he wasn't killing her boyfriend.
She tries to end things herself though that goes horribly. She is pleased and flattered that he proposed to her but Darrin keeps interrupting her before she can finish her pre-rehearsed speech. And then he does the eyebrow thing that she loves so much that I didn't even notice. Did I mention that Darrin has this wedding planning thing down. He has the reception booked already, at this Lodge place and even decided that they would go to Wikiwatch Florida where they can look at mermaids. It doesn't help her case that she agrees with his plans, trying to plunge ahead with her speech that doesn't finish.
The next day, Darrin shows up at the Heck house and Mike goes to talk to him, after Frankie (Patricia Heaton) pulls the knife out of his hand. Though he is furious at Darrin, he gives the diplomatic answer when Darrin asks for Mike's blessing, Mike replies that his opinion doesn't matter, Sue's opinion is the only one that matters. Darrin confronts Sue at work while she is throwing out some trash and still doesn't end it.
It isn't until Sue arrives at Darrin's shed house where his mother and aunt are happily waiting for her with an old wedding dress and everything. While the Hecks aren't pleased, Darrin's family is thrilled, they can't wait for the wedding and then, babies, which finally causes Sue to flip out. She runs away and when she returns home where her parents finally decide to take the matters into their own hands. Sue sobs on the floor and just wants her daddy to fix everything but then they start arguing over who should do it when Sue finally, thank goodness, goes a pair and takes off the dress and sees Darrin.
She just spits it out and then launches on everything she wants to do, travel, cry when her parents drop her off at college, live in her own apartment and bunches of other stuff that doesn't include marriage, at least not any time soon. But Darrin is different. He loves her more than anything and wants Sue to be his wife. She is his future, he has money and a good job and doesn't want to wake up when he's twenty-four and not have kids. He can't accept that Sue probably will want to marry him somewhere down the road, so once again, they are over. They have a final hug and Sue returns home, heart-broken and devastated that his reaction was so final.
I knew Sue couldn't actually marry him, because she said so herself, she has so many other dreams to fulfill first, but I was hoping that this wouldn't be the end of their relationship because I loved them together. Also, since when do guys want to settle down and not have fun first? I should be happy that Darrin isn't one of those guys, but he should have thought that maybe Sue wants bigger things in life, not just a bigger house. And his reaction to having kids by the time he's twenty-four? I just muttered that mu ovaries just died inside me. (I'm twenty-four, for the record.) I don't think that they are completely finished, but for now, they certainly are. I guess Sue's prediction that they would go to prom together won't come true after all which is just a shame.
I should mention Brick's (Atticus Shaffer's) plot. Axl (Charlie McDermott) is taking and Intro to Psych class and decides to fix Brick's annoying ticks but luckily, Brick wants someone to fix him because of how his relationship is going with Cindy. But snapping a rubber band against his wrist every time he whoops almost turns in to a new tick. Finally, Axl cracks open and notebook and gets to the root of his problem, the fact that poor Brick is forced to sit in a lawn chair instead of the normal chairs that the rest of his family sits in. For now, this fixes everything. This was lame, but they needed to give something for Brick and Axl to do.
The only problem I had with this episode was that Sue says that she won't even turn eighteen for two more weeks but this can't be true, because, as I've said before, she is a leap year baby which means that she would be turning nineteen. In season three, her birthday was on leap day though by season four, they had changed the year. This is an annoying inconsistency that is offensive to loyal fans of the show, thinking that we won't pay attention to the simple little details like Sue's birth year. This mistake brings down the grade of the episode to an A-.
Side Notes:
-Axl wonders why Darrin called to ask him to be his best man and then freaks out, and begs his parents to fix everything because they have let this thing go on too long.
-Mike is furious that Frankie let him believe that Darrin wasn't a threat.
-Axl comes home on Valentine's Day because he and Devin celebrated the night before, if you know what he means. Frankie is disgusted though Mike gives him the thumbs up. At least one of the Heck children isn't a virgin.
-One of Axl's techniques for fixing Brick include swaddling him so Sue has to place his drink straw in his mouth because he can't use his hands.
-It is just weird when Sue spends the night with her parents and Mike agrees.
-It is also weird that Sue wants to do that again though Frankie kicks her out until the deed is done. Breaking off the wedding with Darrin, of course, not the other thing.
-Doris makes an appearance at the end of the episode when the whole family is in Mike and Frankie's bed.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Still Alice (2014)
Julianne Moore is a great actress, there is no doubt about that, and this film provides her with another great role, but Witherspoon and Jones were just as good.
Alice Howland (Julianne Moore) is a celebrated linguistic, happily married with three now adult children, but she notices little things that are changing. At one of her lectures, she loses her train of thought but what concerns her more is that she runs on campus and gets lost. So she goes to see a neurologist, Dr. Benjamin (Stephen Kunken). He gives her a name and address to remember but she can't. Tests determine that she probably has early-onset Alzheimer's disease, which forces her to finally confess to her family that something is wrong. Her husband, John (Alec Baldwin) and children are shocked, but what is more devastating is that this specific Alzheimer's is that she inherited it from her father which means that she passed it on to her children and that devastates her. Her eldest daughter, lawyer Anna (Kate Bosworth) tests positive (it's not a pregnancy test this time), and her son, medical student Tom (Hunter Parrish) tests negative while youngest daughter, struggling actress Lydia (Kristen Stewart) opts not to find out.
Alice is also equally as devastated at what the disease does to her. She knows that she is slipping away and there is nothing she can do about it. She creates a way out, giving herself questions to answer daily, simple stuff, like her eldest daughter's name and what month she was born in and when she can't answer them, she has an end game where she will commit suicide by swallowing a huge amount of sleeping pills, never letting her family know what she actually did. Much later, she tries to do that, but her caregiver comes in, forcing her to leave the dropped pills on the bathroom floor.
There is also the problem of who will take care of Alice. John gets a brilliant opportunity to work at the Mayo Clinic and wants to go, but Alice can't come with him because that is a new place and she can't handle a new city. Lydia has to give up her budding acting career to return to New York to care for her mother. John feels guilty about this, though Lydia knows that this is where she needs to be.
As for the mother-daughter relationship between Alice and Lydia, it gets better in throughout the film. Alice doesn't approve of what Lydia is trying to do and even after her diagnosis, still tries to get her to go to college so she can get a degree in drama so if acting doesn't work out, she can't at least teach. But, they finally start to understand and respect each other. Plus, at least its New York, Lydia knows that there will be opportunities for her there.
Then there are the other children. Anna is cold to her mother's needs, though, despite knowing that she will inevitably get the same debilitating disease, still opts to go through with fertility treatments and eventually has twins, a boy and a girl. They, her husband, Charlie (Shane McRae), certainly got there money's worth. I consider that brave, though she wasn't the nicest person. Tom was supportive of his mother's needs but only Lydia bothered to ask how her mother felt with everything that was happening to her.
I really wish the film would have ended on a slightly optimist note, when Alice delivers a speech to the Alzheimer's Association, when she is determined to live in the moment and make every moment count. But instead, she gets worse, unable to left alone for any period of time, barely able to utter any words, though she knows what she wants to say.
Moore is great, don't get me wrong, but I have seen another recent good film that dealt with the same subject, 2007's Away from Her, starring Julie Christie. Some things that happen in both films are similar, Alice finds a bottle of shampoo in the fridge while Christie puts a pan in hers. Moore might be better, probably because she is in almost every scene and she delivers another amazing performance. Too bad the actors around her can't deliver and rise above the material, though Stewart wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting, though this film won't do much for her career. Unfortunately, they don't have much to do, but they are realistic, overachievers, but realistic enough.
The set is good and the camera work is great, often showing Alice in focus while the world around her is fuzzy, just as Alice herself is about everything else. But I'm not fuzzy about her performance, Moore shines. Grade: B+
Alice Howland (Julianne Moore) is a celebrated linguistic, happily married with three now adult children, but she notices little things that are changing. At one of her lectures, she loses her train of thought but what concerns her more is that she runs on campus and gets lost. So she goes to see a neurologist, Dr. Benjamin (Stephen Kunken). He gives her a name and address to remember but she can't. Tests determine that she probably has early-onset Alzheimer's disease, which forces her to finally confess to her family that something is wrong. Her husband, John (Alec Baldwin) and children are shocked, but what is more devastating is that this specific Alzheimer's is that she inherited it from her father which means that she passed it on to her children and that devastates her. Her eldest daughter, lawyer Anna (Kate Bosworth) tests positive (it's not a pregnancy test this time), and her son, medical student Tom (Hunter Parrish) tests negative while youngest daughter, struggling actress Lydia (Kristen Stewart) opts not to find out.
Alice is also equally as devastated at what the disease does to her. She knows that she is slipping away and there is nothing she can do about it. She creates a way out, giving herself questions to answer daily, simple stuff, like her eldest daughter's name and what month she was born in and when she can't answer them, she has an end game where she will commit suicide by swallowing a huge amount of sleeping pills, never letting her family know what she actually did. Much later, she tries to do that, but her caregiver comes in, forcing her to leave the dropped pills on the bathroom floor.
There is also the problem of who will take care of Alice. John gets a brilliant opportunity to work at the Mayo Clinic and wants to go, but Alice can't come with him because that is a new place and she can't handle a new city. Lydia has to give up her budding acting career to return to New York to care for her mother. John feels guilty about this, though Lydia knows that this is where she needs to be.
As for the mother-daughter relationship between Alice and Lydia, it gets better in throughout the film. Alice doesn't approve of what Lydia is trying to do and even after her diagnosis, still tries to get her to go to college so she can get a degree in drama so if acting doesn't work out, she can't at least teach. But, they finally start to understand and respect each other. Plus, at least its New York, Lydia knows that there will be opportunities for her there.
Then there are the other children. Anna is cold to her mother's needs, though, despite knowing that she will inevitably get the same debilitating disease, still opts to go through with fertility treatments and eventually has twins, a boy and a girl. They, her husband, Charlie (Shane McRae), certainly got there money's worth. I consider that brave, though she wasn't the nicest person. Tom was supportive of his mother's needs but only Lydia bothered to ask how her mother felt with everything that was happening to her.
I really wish the film would have ended on a slightly optimist note, when Alice delivers a speech to the Alzheimer's Association, when she is determined to live in the moment and make every moment count. But instead, she gets worse, unable to left alone for any period of time, barely able to utter any words, though she knows what she wants to say.
Moore is great, don't get me wrong, but I have seen another recent good film that dealt with the same subject, 2007's Away from Her, starring Julie Christie. Some things that happen in both films are similar, Alice finds a bottle of shampoo in the fridge while Christie puts a pan in hers. Moore might be better, probably because she is in almost every scene and she delivers another amazing performance. Too bad the actors around her can't deliver and rise above the material, though Stewart wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting, though this film won't do much for her career. Unfortunately, they don't have much to do, but they are realistic, overachievers, but realistic enough.
The set is good and the camera work is great, often showing Alice in focus while the world around her is fuzzy, just as Alice herself is about everything else. But I'm not fuzzy about her performance, Moore shines. Grade: B+
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
The Middle: Valentine's Day IV
I love how the Hecks do holidays and this was no exception.
Darrin (John Gammon) has a scavenger hunt in mind for Sue (Eden Sher) with a huge surprise at the end while Brick (Atticus Shaffer) doesn't even know if he and Cindy (Casey Burke) are still together. And Devin (Gina Mantegna) assures Axl (Charlie McDermott) that she doesn't want him to do anything for the big day or else she will punch him in the neck and he likes his neck.
Hutch (Alphonso McAuley) fully believes that she isn't telling the truth and Axl is so desperate for answers, he asks Frankie (Patricia Heaton) for advice, even though she is the worst because even though she liked getting presents when she said she didn't want anything, Devin isn't here and might actually mean what she says so Axl stalks off, upset. He decides to play it well. The day before Valentine's Day, he celebrates Radio Day, a new holiday which is only three years old. He bestows Devin a dying house plant that came with the house and bought her dinner at her favorite fast food place and then even got a bouncy house which she loves. She even has the nerve to ask him what he got her for Valentine's Day and the two end up kissing on the floor of the bouncy house.
Brick and Cindy have the oddest relationship ever. He asks her if they are still together and she answers with a crisp yes and he walks away. Later, he returns and decides that because he likes both her and ice cream, the two together should be awesome. Cindy agrees and states that afterwards, they will kiss which makes Brick extremely nervous as he doesn't know how. So poor Mike (Neil Flynn) and Frankie try and teach him how to kiss. The kiss goes horribly, well, its awkward, but what first kiss isn't. Not that I would know. He pulls her down, though the flaps of her hat falls off but she continues the lean anyway and lips meet other lips, but they don't know how to break it off. Mike and Frankie go out to the car and then Walgreens where they buy each other thoughtful gifts but the two are still kissing when they return and Mike finally breaks it off, thank goodness for all involved. Still, Brick firmly believes he nailed the whole thing.
At least Axl and Brick are happy because Sue's plot end ends on a horrible cliff-hanger. She has an amazing time that day, going everywhere to gather clues Darrin left for her around the town, at various places at the mall and the bowling alley. It ends at a teeny tiny little house which he just bought. Sue isn't exactly thrilled at his humble abode. All she wanted was a sweater. It gets worse, though both my mom and I predicted the direction this went. Darrin proclaims that the house isn't his, it's theirs and then promptly drops to one knee and pulls out that little black box with a shiny diamond ring. Sue's face fills with horror and shock. And what's worse is that we must wait until next week to fine out her response though I doubt it will end in Darrin's favor. She's a senior in high school with big dreams to go to college. Sure, she loves him and probably doesn't want to break up with him, he is moving faster than she is. Plus, Mike will have a cow. Seriously, a whole cow. He might not pay enough attention to his little girl, but she's still his little girl and he's not going to let her go without a fight or some words.
Still, even though Sue's ending left me speechless despite me knowing it would come, I was still in shock, sort of like Sue herself, this was a great episode and certainly one of the best Valentine's Day episodes in the show's history. It was also incredibly funny and each character got their own moments to shine. It was a fairly balanced episode filled with great lines and little gags. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-The best part was when Hutch declares that Axl is crazy for deciding not to get Devin anything for the big day and drags Kenny (Tommy Bechtold) into the conversation. Kenny is busy gaming at his computer but hears what is going on through the headphones and just shakes his head. Even Kenny knows better, that's just sad.
-Speaking of Hutch, he is going way overboard for a girl that he has only gone on two dates with. He bought her flowers and is making her a special meal, plus made dinner reservations at a fancy hotel.
-"The chemistry between us is undeniable."-Brick's quote about his and Cindy's relationship.
-Darrin's house is quite small as the bed touches all four sides of the wall. This thrills Darrin so he won't fall out of the bed and onto the floor.
-When Frankie and Mike kiss, Axl is beyond grossed out.
-K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Stupid.-Axl's great advice for kissing. He doesn't realize that it smells kiss.
-Frankie gets Mike a universal remote with numbers big enough for him to see.
-He was brave enough to step into the ladies' aisle though who truly knows what he gave her but she was pleased nevertheless.
-I can't believe I forgot Doris, the dog. After staying at the Donahue house, she was weaned off her oxygen, diaper and wagon. Mrs. Donahue (Jen Ray) even made her chicken and rice which the Hecks eat instead. Doris doesn't want to go back to the Heck household and Frankie doesn't blame her at all.
Darrin (John Gammon) has a scavenger hunt in mind for Sue (Eden Sher) with a huge surprise at the end while Brick (Atticus Shaffer) doesn't even know if he and Cindy (Casey Burke) are still together. And Devin (Gina Mantegna) assures Axl (Charlie McDermott) that she doesn't want him to do anything for the big day or else she will punch him in the neck and he likes his neck.
Hutch (Alphonso McAuley) fully believes that she isn't telling the truth and Axl is so desperate for answers, he asks Frankie (Patricia Heaton) for advice, even though she is the worst because even though she liked getting presents when she said she didn't want anything, Devin isn't here and might actually mean what she says so Axl stalks off, upset. He decides to play it well. The day before Valentine's Day, he celebrates Radio Day, a new holiday which is only three years old. He bestows Devin a dying house plant that came with the house and bought her dinner at her favorite fast food place and then even got a bouncy house which she loves. She even has the nerve to ask him what he got her for Valentine's Day and the two end up kissing on the floor of the bouncy house.
Brick and Cindy have the oddest relationship ever. He asks her if they are still together and she answers with a crisp yes and he walks away. Later, he returns and decides that because he likes both her and ice cream, the two together should be awesome. Cindy agrees and states that afterwards, they will kiss which makes Brick extremely nervous as he doesn't know how. So poor Mike (Neil Flynn) and Frankie try and teach him how to kiss. The kiss goes horribly, well, its awkward, but what first kiss isn't. Not that I would know. He pulls her down, though the flaps of her hat falls off but she continues the lean anyway and lips meet other lips, but they don't know how to break it off. Mike and Frankie go out to the car and then Walgreens where they buy each other thoughtful gifts but the two are still kissing when they return and Mike finally breaks it off, thank goodness for all involved. Still, Brick firmly believes he nailed the whole thing.
At least Axl and Brick are happy because Sue's plot end ends on a horrible cliff-hanger. She has an amazing time that day, going everywhere to gather clues Darrin left for her around the town, at various places at the mall and the bowling alley. It ends at a teeny tiny little house which he just bought. Sue isn't exactly thrilled at his humble abode. All she wanted was a sweater. It gets worse, though both my mom and I predicted the direction this went. Darrin proclaims that the house isn't his, it's theirs and then promptly drops to one knee and pulls out that little black box with a shiny diamond ring. Sue's face fills with horror and shock. And what's worse is that we must wait until next week to fine out her response though I doubt it will end in Darrin's favor. She's a senior in high school with big dreams to go to college. Sure, she loves him and probably doesn't want to break up with him, he is moving faster than she is. Plus, Mike will have a cow. Seriously, a whole cow. He might not pay enough attention to his little girl, but she's still his little girl and he's not going to let her go without a fight or some words.
Still, even though Sue's ending left me speechless despite me knowing it would come, I was still in shock, sort of like Sue herself, this was a great episode and certainly one of the best Valentine's Day episodes in the show's history. It was also incredibly funny and each character got their own moments to shine. It was a fairly balanced episode filled with great lines and little gags. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-The best part was when Hutch declares that Axl is crazy for deciding not to get Devin anything for the big day and drags Kenny (Tommy Bechtold) into the conversation. Kenny is busy gaming at his computer but hears what is going on through the headphones and just shakes his head. Even Kenny knows better, that's just sad.
-Speaking of Hutch, he is going way overboard for a girl that he has only gone on two dates with. He bought her flowers and is making her a special meal, plus made dinner reservations at a fancy hotel.
-"The chemistry between us is undeniable."-Brick's quote about his and Cindy's relationship.
-Darrin's house is quite small as the bed touches all four sides of the wall. This thrills Darrin so he won't fall out of the bed and onto the floor.
-When Frankie and Mike kiss, Axl is beyond grossed out.
-K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Stupid.-Axl's great advice for kissing. He doesn't realize that it smells kiss.
-Frankie gets Mike a universal remote with numbers big enough for him to see.
-He was brave enough to step into the ladies' aisle though who truly knows what he gave her but she was pleased nevertheless.
-I can't believe I forgot Doris, the dog. After staying at the Donahue house, she was weaned off her oxygen, diaper and wagon. Mrs. Donahue (Jen Ray) even made her chicken and rice which the Hecks eat instead. Doris doesn't want to go back to the Heck household and Frankie doesn't blame her at all.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
The Middle: Hecks on a Train
This was a good episode, despite the fact that it has sort of been done before.
Aunt Edie has died and the episode starts with the whole family (sans Axl {Charlie McDermott}) remembering great things about her while they attempt to look for important papers, namely, her will. Luckily, Sue (Eden Sher) finds her birth certificate, social security and proof of the purchase of a burial plot in South Dakota where she met and married her first husband, Carl. So off they go, to South Dakota. Axl does join them for this.
Speaking of Axl, he takes her death pretty hard, mainly because he used her death as an excuse to get out of stuff, like papers and tests and now she is actually dead. However, his guilt doesn't last. Sue is busy writing her essay on her college applications and one of the colleges she is applying to is East Indiana State. He is furious, believing that she will ruin his last two years of college. Mike (Neil Flynn) doesn't care one iota of what Axl thinks. If Sue gets in to that college and wants to go, that's where she will go. However, there is also a snag with her application as the train lurched and she accidentally submitted an essay with a huge typo in the last sentence. She is devastated about the whole thing.
In the meantime, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) trips and Mike doesn't help her up because he is busy getting ketchup but a stranger does. She is not pleased with him and calls him out on not being a nurturer. He doesn't hug her enough. And she wants more, especially now that the kids are grown up.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) decides that Aunt Edie's ninety-six years on Earth were just too short so he puts down his book and will actually live life. He even makes a friend on the train, Travis (Hudson Borthwick) and his parents are thrilled. But Travis uses Brick as a tool to distract the bartender so he can steal some beer. Brick decides that he will return to his life of reading about people living in the moment.
Despite the sadness of the trip, it ends up happily. Sure, Frankie misses the train and her family doesn't even notice when she jumps out of a car as she hitched to get the rest of the way home, but Mike took care of all the paperwork and paid for all of Aunt Edie's funeral expenses, splitting it between five credit cards. Even the lodge that Aunt Edie loved so much looked better at night and the family is finally happy with each other. Axl makes peace with Sue potentially attending his college.
It was a great episode with each character getting their moment to shine and when Frankie surprised her family, that was hilarious though in a sad way. Still, it was sort of like a previous episode when the family flies on a plane, though this was more realistic. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Aunt Edie called Brick Axl the last time he went to visit her.
-Aunt Edie has tons of portable bars around the house.
-Brick discovers that repeating what other people say is better than just repeating what he says.
-While the Hecks are travelling who is taking care of her poor sick old dog Doris?
-On the train, the Hecks splurge on a whole plate of chicken fingers which, because of her tripping, Frankie promptly drops on the floor.
-Mike assures Axl that even if Sue does attend East Indiana State, he will at least be able to drink by then.
-At first, Brick believes that someone murdered Aunt Edie.
-Frankie and Mike describe that Aunt Edie did everything she wanted to do and still had twenty years to spare.
-Frankie's voice over ends with her saying that Mike picked her up three times that night and she picked him up once because they partied too hard.
Aunt Edie has died and the episode starts with the whole family (sans Axl {Charlie McDermott}) remembering great things about her while they attempt to look for important papers, namely, her will. Luckily, Sue (Eden Sher) finds her birth certificate, social security and proof of the purchase of a burial plot in South Dakota where she met and married her first husband, Carl. So off they go, to South Dakota. Axl does join them for this.
Speaking of Axl, he takes her death pretty hard, mainly because he used her death as an excuse to get out of stuff, like papers and tests and now she is actually dead. However, his guilt doesn't last. Sue is busy writing her essay on her college applications and one of the colleges she is applying to is East Indiana State. He is furious, believing that she will ruin his last two years of college. Mike (Neil Flynn) doesn't care one iota of what Axl thinks. If Sue gets in to that college and wants to go, that's where she will go. However, there is also a snag with her application as the train lurched and she accidentally submitted an essay with a huge typo in the last sentence. She is devastated about the whole thing.
In the meantime, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) trips and Mike doesn't help her up because he is busy getting ketchup but a stranger does. She is not pleased with him and calls him out on not being a nurturer. He doesn't hug her enough. And she wants more, especially now that the kids are grown up.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) decides that Aunt Edie's ninety-six years on Earth were just too short so he puts down his book and will actually live life. He even makes a friend on the train, Travis (Hudson Borthwick) and his parents are thrilled. But Travis uses Brick as a tool to distract the bartender so he can steal some beer. Brick decides that he will return to his life of reading about people living in the moment.
Despite the sadness of the trip, it ends up happily. Sure, Frankie misses the train and her family doesn't even notice when she jumps out of a car as she hitched to get the rest of the way home, but Mike took care of all the paperwork and paid for all of Aunt Edie's funeral expenses, splitting it between five credit cards. Even the lodge that Aunt Edie loved so much looked better at night and the family is finally happy with each other. Axl makes peace with Sue potentially attending his college.
It was a great episode with each character getting their moment to shine and when Frankie surprised her family, that was hilarious though in a sad way. Still, it was sort of like a previous episode when the family flies on a plane, though this was more realistic. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Aunt Edie called Brick Axl the last time he went to visit her.
-Aunt Edie has tons of portable bars around the house.
-Brick discovers that repeating what other people say is better than just repeating what he says.
-While the Hecks are travelling who is taking care of her poor sick old dog Doris?
-On the train, the Hecks splurge on a whole plate of chicken fingers which, because of her tripping, Frankie promptly drops on the floor.
-Mike assures Axl that even if Sue does attend East Indiana State, he will at least be able to drink by then.
-At first, Brick believes that someone murdered Aunt Edie.
-Frankie and Mike describe that Aunt Edie did everything she wanted to do and still had twenty years to spare.
-Frankie's voice over ends with her saying that Mike picked her up three times that night and she picked him up once because they partied too hard.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Groundhog Day (1993)
I have finally seen this film. It only took me forever.
Phil Connors (Bill Murray) thinks he's this hot-shot meteorologist in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. His co-workers call him a primadonna all the time. Every year he journeys to Punxatawney Pennsylvania to report on whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow. He hates this assignment. He is pompous, self-centered and egotistical. But then, something inexplicable happens. After living out Februrary 2nd completely, he awakes only to find that it is February 2nd again and again. He can't understand it and when he finally breaks down and tells his producer co-worker, Rita (Andie McDowell), she thinks he's going crazy and takes him to see an inexperienced psychiatrist. But then Phil realizes that he can live without consequences. He drives a car off a tree, steals some money because he has every detail around him memorized for he is the only one who can change his actions, for everyone else, this is the first time they are living February 2nd. He even tries to kill himself, frying himself in the bathtub or falling off a building, only to waken the next morning to live February 2nd all over again. He tries to bed a woman, to no avail and even goes after Rita, who fortunately refuses to sleep with him. After he realizes that no matter what he does to charm her will end the same way, he sort of gives up on her and instead tries to make a difference in the town, taking an old, homeless man to the hospital where he dies. The next time, he takes him out to eat first but then the man dies in the streets. He saves a boy who falls out of a tree and runs away, without even thanking Phil for probably saving his life. He fixes the tire of a car and convinces a couple to go through with their wedding. And participates in a bachelor auction at a party celebrating Groundhog's Day where Rita gladly pays good money for him. It is after that day when Phil finally wakes up, with Rita (albeit clothes still on) on February 3rd. He is a much changed man. He is happy, and despite living the same day for years, still delights in the little things and is finally truly at peace with himself.
Sure, the idea is crazy, but the message is good. Phil was able to change his life for the better and that is something we cannot take for granted. Sure, it took him dozens of times to get it right and ultimately, he learned that he should just savor the moment.
The film also had that genuine small-town feel, with realistic settings and average looking people. Even the minor characters were pretty entertaining, namely Larry (Chris Elliott, Peter from Everybody Loves Raymond) the cameraman and Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky), a crazy insurance agent. Brian Doyle-Murray (who used to regularly appear in The Middle is the mayor of the town, Buster, though he has little to do.
Despite the obvious issues with the film, I did enjoy it though it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. Oh well, I will watch the film again, especially for Murray's effortless performance. Grade: A-
Phil Connors (Bill Murray) thinks he's this hot-shot meteorologist in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. His co-workers call him a primadonna all the time. Every year he journeys to Punxatawney Pennsylvania to report on whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow. He hates this assignment. He is pompous, self-centered and egotistical. But then, something inexplicable happens. After living out Februrary 2nd completely, he awakes only to find that it is February 2nd again and again. He can't understand it and when he finally breaks down and tells his producer co-worker, Rita (Andie McDowell), she thinks he's going crazy and takes him to see an inexperienced psychiatrist. But then Phil realizes that he can live without consequences. He drives a car off a tree, steals some money because he has every detail around him memorized for he is the only one who can change his actions, for everyone else, this is the first time they are living February 2nd. He even tries to kill himself, frying himself in the bathtub or falling off a building, only to waken the next morning to live February 2nd all over again. He tries to bed a woman, to no avail and even goes after Rita, who fortunately refuses to sleep with him. After he realizes that no matter what he does to charm her will end the same way, he sort of gives up on her and instead tries to make a difference in the town, taking an old, homeless man to the hospital where he dies. The next time, he takes him out to eat first but then the man dies in the streets. He saves a boy who falls out of a tree and runs away, without even thanking Phil for probably saving his life. He fixes the tire of a car and convinces a couple to go through with their wedding. And participates in a bachelor auction at a party celebrating Groundhog's Day where Rita gladly pays good money for him. It is after that day when Phil finally wakes up, with Rita (albeit clothes still on) on February 3rd. He is a much changed man. He is happy, and despite living the same day for years, still delights in the little things and is finally truly at peace with himself.
Sure, the idea is crazy, but the message is good. Phil was able to change his life for the better and that is something we cannot take for granted. Sure, it took him dozens of times to get it right and ultimately, he learned that he should just savor the moment.
The film also had that genuine small-town feel, with realistic settings and average looking people. Even the minor characters were pretty entertaining, namely Larry (Chris Elliott, Peter from Everybody Loves Raymond) the cameraman and Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky), a crazy insurance agent. Brian Doyle-Murray (who used to regularly appear in The Middle is the mayor of the town, Buster, though he has little to do.
Despite the obvious issues with the film, I did enjoy it though it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. Oh well, I will watch the film again, especially for Murray's effortless performance. Grade: A-
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