SPOCK BRANCHES OUT: EVERYBODY MUST GET SPORED ON STAR TREK

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3l39sq2gnfsAaqayCgANAQcmy7_e1_2C14lN52dSq_Bj-i9hcsMkpSQCv_7bKY-sMrD-5RhJSSRyni0kkDSxx4JKJFfpq4f5OPrnPd1qY9l1LE0dtv9HXC9WhCIMFo_ejcmDQvqnHpy4/s1600/spores+spock+star+trek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3l39sq2gnfsAaqayCgANAQcmy7_e1_2C14lN52dSq_Bj-i9hcsMkpSQCv_7bKY-sMrD-5RhJSSRyni0kkDSxx4JKJFfpq4f5OPrnPd1qY9l1LE0dtv9HXC9WhCIMFo_ejcmDQvqnHpy4/s640/spores+spock+star+trek.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just Say No To Spores</td></tr> </tbody></table> In the Original STAR TREK: SEASON ONE episode THIS SIDE OF PARADISE, Captain James T. Kirk is up against an adversary more challenging than a Klingon warship or lizard monster, and ironically this new challenge feels really good. <br /> <br /> "Maybe we can't stroll to the music of the lute," Kirk says. "We must march to the sound of drums. "But before this realization, the crew lands on a farmland planet that, having harbored an Earth settlement years earlier, was supposed to be wiped out from... something very hard to pronounce. Whatever it was had the capability of the black plague and yet, there are civilians present: all with big bright smiles and a sunshiny countenance.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZZm0bepxNPOKaiTYlJs62B3QtJC_9E3XzjUrW_-VhL4Vh944P2B7fVtsUJv0nHYZTPGmvCle5MTnD4TOUlRs-AeI19zQ2EaWE2q-D8U5V5AyRwOHLlMwhRhi294h-331iRE1pM1t0bg/s1600/spore+star+trek+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZZm0bepxNPOKaiTYlJs62B3QtJC_9E3XzjUrW_-VhL4Vh944P2B7fVtsUJv0nHYZTPGmvCle5MTnD4TOUlRs-AeI19zQ2EaWE2q-D8U5V5AyRwOHLlMwhRhi294h-331iRE1pM1t0bg/s640/spore+star+trek+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Now I would not feel so all alone, because..."</td></tr> </tbody></table> Turns out there are plants called SPORES that shoot out a confetti-like material that makes each crew member, except for Kirk, stoned to the gill. <br /> <br /> Under the Spore's influence, Mr. Spock, finally letting his ears down, falls for an old girlfriend. He becomes so giddy as a result of the puking poppy, he sees dragons in the clouds and eventually hangs upside down from a tree.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kfv0bvTaWq2221UIyW8J7bthBfNyEoMBjVykDPIxkTYi5A95yf8pXa4krh_dHsH4tp9V_ybPhXHxpzXU4Eue0zp-xzksWNjmIt1uV3tA7Ar2cR_3CYPTLc77sXAosOSWQzYP5rdkXdc/s1600/spore+star+trek+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kfv0bvTaWq2221UIyW8J7bthBfNyEoMBjVykDPIxkTYi5A95yf8pXa4krh_dHsH4tp9V_ybPhXHxpzXU4Eue0zp-xzksWNjmIt1uV3tA7Ar2cR_3CYPTLc77sXAosOSWQzYP5rdkXdc/s640/spore+star+trek+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See what love and a head-change can do to even the most logical among us?</td></tr> </tbody></table> Doc McCoy yearns for a Mint Julep and eventually even Kirk falls prey to this substance that couldn't be more blatantly symbolic of a drug sweeping the nation at the time... Marijuana! <br /> <br /> Well if anyone knows where to get their hands on this material, please contact the Starship Enterprise. Our five year mission is at an end, and has been for a while...<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZDGvBpcPtsoZxdt2qBNinMCF0otkbOFuP2tFZp3obRNIzfAbloM_LH4ykBE4z6S0c_zHasSlxlWa1XuOKMwCxZAhGH5WhrI8h52z5TWyORj_WB_L-eIXe1MIewavOMlqlWD5lizLtoA/s1600/spore+star+trek+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZDGvBpcPtsoZxdt2qBNinMCF0otkbOFuP2tFZp3obRNIzfAbloM_LH4ykBE4z6S0c_zHasSlxlWa1XuOKMwCxZAhGH5WhrI8h52z5TWyORj_WB_L-eIXe1MIewavOMlqlWD5lizLtoA/s640/spore+star+trek+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What we have here is a Vulcan condom ad</td></tr> </tbody></table> "Well that's the second time man's been thrown out of paradise," Dr. McCoy, sobering up, says as the Enterprise leaves the planet.<br /> <br /> "No, no Bones," replies Kirk pensively. "This time we walked out on our own... Maybe we weren't meant for paradise... Maybe we were meant to fight our way through. Struggle, claw our way up... Scratch for every inch of the way."<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzJMCLuTmm4oVEk1INywYrDzXQEdANfam_hwG6mx2LZvQaXV43u3evSl_Rm6m2QD8uNbMDHcjJgN5ulxNSvu5Q6E8i3B-7SW69j4p7mKoylJSC0YnC5fw_l6Abby2xuziQXwAaNpMG_0/s1600/spore+star+trek+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzJMCLuTmm4oVEk1INywYrDzXQEdANfam_hwG6mx2LZvQaXV43u3evSl_Rm6m2QD8uNbMDHcjJgN5ulxNSvu5Q6E8i3B-7SW69j4p7mKoylJSC0YnC5fw_l6Abby2xuziQXwAaNpMG_0/s640/spore+star+trek+6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wouldn't you know, the Spores exist on a green planet <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> But now, all the work is done. Why not hang around getting Spored all day long? Perhaps Uhura can sing her lungs out as we devour gallons of tranya and plomeek soup whilst playing multi-level chess till dawn...<br /> <br /> For the time has arrived... To live long and party!<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2HIyY4yZqz-EIL5XOWPv5BRYsjmybY6xsFg882i0u1witOqaXJkTj0Hl4HVHc5ELoH3s5xnawnXNVYgw_OEwvhlfSnVAnI8z2Oacgp3EQGLUvYBzgfdxSiYY3KwEFMpjgindRWRG_q8/s1600/spore+star+trek+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2HIyY4yZqz-EIL5XOWPv5BRYsjmybY6xsFg882i0u1witOqaXJkTj0Hl4HVHc5ELoH3s5xnawnXNVYgw_OEwvhlfSnVAnI8z2Oacgp3EQGLUvYBzgfdxSiYY3KwEFMpjgindRWRG_q8/s640/spore+star+trek+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=star+trek+original+dvd">BUY STAR TREK DVDS AT AMAZON</a></td></tr> </tbody></table>

drug culture, leonard nimoy, science-fiction, sixties, star trek, william shatner

SPOCK BRANCHES OUT: EVERYBODY MUST GET SPORED ON STAR TREK

Just Say No To Spores In the Original STAR TREK: SEASON ONE episode THIS SIDE OF PARADISE, Captain James T. Kirk is up against an advers...

WILL SMITH AND MARGOT ROBBIE IN FOCUS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8do_z874cisODjUnJ9Yl_vxuSbJbrhCISIWlwWPhKtmA8bVjvnhEhvhRsG5u7VL5gtPaq6XJNuzMoXm7muy4m7T0TScGyO80iuep55mznGjk4o5TzEj6OUwFmzXMT656J0rWmEUZu7Y/s1600/w0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8do_z874cisODjUnJ9Yl_vxuSbJbrhCISIWlwWPhKtmA8bVjvnhEhvhRsG5u7VL5gtPaq6XJNuzMoXm7muy4m7T0TScGyO80iuep55mznGjk4o5TzEj6OUwFmzXMT656J0rWmEUZu7Y/s320/w0.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> With Elmore Leonard gone, and Quentin Tarantino making either War, Western or Kung Fu flicks, it’s nice to hear the JACKIE BROWN style groove of classic and modern-nostalgic R&B guiding a hustling-bustling crime caper flick along… And it helps if it’s actually good. <br /> <br /> Will Smith’s con man extraordinaire Nicky and wannabe player Margot Robbie’s Jess are made for each other, almost too well…<br /> <br /> In a nicely edited sequence, Nicky teaches the stunning blonde how to "hypnotize" a potential victim: followed by so many easy scores with the help of a band of hustlers under Nicky’s watch, your head will spin – yet with the steady music and solid mainline it’s a nice kind of dizzy despite one too many recent flashbacks, and the bigger cons testing a logical ability to suspend disbelief. <br /> <br /> Broken into two halves, the initial overdose of steamy bedroom sequences pay off so the leads, developing with each other, mean more when the prime "gotcha" moments occur. And Will Smith proves his worth as an actor, always keeping you guessing if he’s telling the truth, taking you for a ride, or both. Let's just hope the immense publicity for FOCUS pays: It's well worth the price of seeing everyone else being ripped off. <b>OVERALL RATING: Jedi, <u>Rebel</u>, Droid, Sith. </b>

2015, caper, con man, gerald mccraney, margot robbie, will smith

WILL SMITH AND MARGOT ROBBIE IN FOCUS

2015 rating: ***1/2 With Elmore Leonard gone, and Quentin Tarantino making either War, Western or Kung Fu flicks, it’s nice to hear the ...

CRAZY MAMA WITH CLORIS LEACHMAN

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cj8VhCuvPtLbSAvtq2kPRjV9DK3AKP0tHFKMVVXUy5ELHPSnWcxKoHfLLq9VaKxVjgE0jyWeELr_gK6RJp3HXIIYrACLOIRXHMLw31cfkhL_o58M21yC_ZU6PGtoIFkm9XmuS5-l_dWb/s1600/16997944_277417656020751_7838387630309119004_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cj8VhCuvPtLbSAvtq2kPRjV9DK3AKP0tHFKMVVXUy5ELHPSnWcxKoHfLLq9VaKxVjgE0jyWeELr_gK6RJp3HXIIYrACLOIRXHMLw31cfkhL_o58M21yC_ZU6PGtoIFkm9XmuS5-l_dWb/s200/16997944_277417656020751_7838387630309119004_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill Paxton in CRAZY MAMA </td></tr> </tbody></table> Not to be confused with the Roger Corman production BLOODY MAMA where Shelly Winters, with sons Robert DeNiro and Don Stroud, roll the countryside robbing banks: a depression era, sometimes heavy-handed exploitation, differing from this mellow jaunt set in the fifties with a rockin' and rollin' wall-to-wall era soundtrack.<br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486093514926217010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNv4zC7eNRgbIXVmtvwU8QF4TBQWvZwGxsS7mza7C_1aARDt7av5lO_7GtZfVk2khDAHuII4Aqkuq-ZDv2piLGvRLaVXkvO1nSNSTCUaFEDHiYaKbZkbViUhmfl_ESn_Df8w7p8kVCes/s320/crazymama1.jpg" style="color: #0000ee; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 200px;" width="320" /></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Year: 1975 CrazyScore: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> Adding to that is Donny Most, best known as "Ralph Malph" from HAPPY DAYS, as the surfer boyfriend of sexy vixen Linda Purl, the daughter of title character Cloris Leachman who, along with her chattering mother, and Purl's granny, Ann Southern, cruise around robbing just about anyone and anything and then, aided by millionaire Stuart Whitman and Leachman's real life son Bryan Englund, attempt an ingrown kidnapping plot. The ragtag bunch, despite being against the odds... cops out to kill them... have a laidback, frolicking fun time. Director Jonathan Demme keeps things moving smoothly. And keep an eye out from first-timer's Dennis Quaid, as a bellboy, and Bill Paxton, as a rookie cop.

bill paxton, chicks with guns, cloris leachman, dennis quaid, dick miller, donny most, exploitation, fifties-era, gangster, harry northup, jonathan demme, road movie, roger corman, seventies

CRAZY MAMA WITH CLORIS LEACHMAN

Bill Paxton in CRAZY MAMA  Not to be confused with the Roger Corman production BLOODY MAMA where Shelly Winters, with sons Robert DeNiro...

BETTER CALL SAUL SCRAWL: GETTER BETTER WITH EPISODE 104 HERO

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkwmSY_Xii1yUDT6Dghr8ToW312jFHJ2lqnKeWnzOUdjxFAr3vBgMRtdvEDTsxzkRUrJmrU7cpVC15W8gz6L8xCDDKKfdYByzjXY0hC3N7mvZ_yA-aJgHWIAtEU6uHbD7GEUbl6exEO0/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkwmSY_Xii1yUDT6Dghr8ToW312jFHJ2lqnKeWnzOUdjxFAr3vBgMRtdvEDTsxzkRUrJmrU7cpVC15W8gz6L8xCDDKKfdYByzjXY0hC3N7mvZ_yA-aJgHWIAtEU6uHbD7GEUbl6exEO0/s1600/2.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E4: HERO Grade: B+</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> “Upon this rock,” Jimmy McGill says, with a nice payday in front of him, hunkered in the beauty parlor's backroom office. “I will build my church.” <br /> <br /> And finally, we the audience have a place to almost worship. For Jimmy McGill has true purpose in life. And yet he still struggles with being a perfectly honest dishonest lawyer. And the storyline in HERO, Episode Four, is beginning to straighten things out. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBt9HRbYX-SYn6m_75bjMrt-hVi7iD9UkuSCCWl3Fo0C3WCv58RdVt1LWse2WZpLyVnPIZkGLQVHalYsRlV0BOcmetbWaqKqHv9WxZj6fCWgGpSWGDunYMYnVjGriaU2RPejAuSAIQzw/s1600/3.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBt9HRbYX-SYn6m_75bjMrt-hVi7iD9UkuSCCWl3Fo0C3WCv58RdVt1LWse2WZpLyVnPIZkGLQVHalYsRlV0BOcmetbWaqKqHv9WxZj6fCWgGpSWGDunYMYnVjGriaU2RPejAuSAIQzw/s1600/3.png" width="232" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kettlemans, from NACHO</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> Bookended with ambitious scams that should have been completely predictable, they actually work. One dealing with the young Saul (“It’s All Good, Man”), supposedly in his twenties, and then in the present time – which is still a backstory to the BREAKING BAD aftermath universe. Knowing what we know about Saul – being one of the most crooked lawyers on Earth – and now learning about his youthful mullet-era, conning on the street, sheds an intriguing balance… like that judicial scale… of a guy who wants to be more honest than he was in the past, but, without realizing, he's fighting the inevitable result of his future.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQomvxJsXE8dDWAwqmUUcHNVIjMJDIYmYE9QU5aOUYgl0i4aiB0I2_ALvgE4qnCMLzeXj9hjtxznUk3xSlXhGiT9NAeyeUEXwi94GixGj4kkmEUdzz6DPPbui00Q_43PL1N6wYk3sIPo/s1600/1.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQomvxJsXE8dDWAwqmUUcHNVIjMJDIYmYE9QU5aOUYgl0i4aiB0I2_ALvgE4qnCMLzeXj9hjtxznUk3xSlXhGiT9NAeyeUEXwi94GixGj4kkmEUdzz6DPPbui00Q_43PL1N6wYk3sIPo/s1600/1.png" width="133" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jule Ann Emery</td></tr> </tbody></table> And this is the only episode truly worth re-watching. Nuances and subtle moments you might have missed shed more light. Only Michael McKean's weird space suit remains an awkward enigma, and the almost love interest, Kim, still doesn’t completely feel at ease. Their conversations flow nicely, but drag on too long. <br /> <br /> Being a serial, there are particular elements finally worth waiting for: Jimmy’s only real customer, Nacho, although seeming a contrived BAD throwback, has a genuinely lethal persona. Best yet, through this threat we know Mike will have Jimmy’s back, and could get out of that booth and actually do something. And last but not least, those seemingly perfect yuppies, The Kettlemans. Of the crazy drug dealers and lowlifes Jimmy deals with, this upper class suburban couple, thinking they’re too good for his slimy services, hold an extremely important element, and what Jimmy wants more than anything: legitimacy as a lawyer. Yet the true villain is his brother's former partner, a high class lawyer who sets the theme for this entire episode. Which includes two dopey young cameramen, the mental equivalent of the skateboard shysters from last time. Jimmy lecturing dimwitted punks is a reoccurring theme. <br /> <br /> So for now, BETTER CALL SAUL isn’t trying too hard, and let’s hope this course continues. Even the movie references are improving. THE THING. Kurt Russell. Good call. Although that reference wasn’t from Saul. Better give his Girl Friday some credit.

2015, cable

BETTER CALL SAUL SCRAWL: GETTER BETTER WITH EPISODE 104 HERO

E4: HERO Grade: B+ “Upon this rock,” Jimmy McGill says, with a nice payday in front of him, hunkered in the beauty parlor's backro...

MONDAY EVENING QUARTERBACKING THE 2015 OSCARS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHaMSFdXeapaezqDo9gZSgroDO_QZCCxoNaHD6Skd8xhuPqrOAI72gPsy0TfRYPOorZaxjFhshQjK74ZrfpEuVshRuH99HVq-wv6FquqHgXIk2GGqvn5d9v69ptK_8CsY33ZNlbwkPP8/s1600/a1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHaMSFdXeapaezqDo9gZSgroDO_QZCCxoNaHD6Skd8xhuPqrOAI72gPsy0TfRYPOorZaxjFhshQjK74ZrfpEuVshRuH99HVq-wv6FquqHgXIk2GGqvn5d9v69ptK_8CsY33ZNlbwkPP8/s200/a1.jpg" width="117" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">The Host</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> The Oscars were back to the nostalgic big Broadway vibe and yet seemed, compared to the extravagant 1990's era, surprisingly contained… Neil Patrick Harris did a pretty good job… He doesn’t have much of a singing voice, though, for his showman persona, but the jokes were all right, and he wasn't trying too hard... <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> JK Simmons was a humble class act actor, the real deal, especially compared to Best Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette, who should have been <i>really</i> brave – instead of lecturing the entire country during her frantic drive-by takeover, why not bite the hand that’s feeding her the venue to raise hell in the first place? Aim that awkwardly screeching bitterness at Hollywood… She looked like a disheveled vampire doll left in a bucket of soggy flour... And what the hell was Meryl "Millions A Film” Streep cheering her on concerning the subject of underpaid women? Lord, the blatant hypocrisy in that town... <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd9WQriWTBEL4h9WFaxuMVqs_e4g6LehBb2Td9y1vxlgyZyojPAR1ztez8-t_rBgjSrfBErnvZIMUXVDNrZOum9buwtIsDJrw0_m1WZqAXgLP4fG7AUQqGwvrYsYmBM9UJ-GYxJk0O3E/s1600/a2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd9WQriWTBEL4h9WFaxuMVqs_e4g6LehBb2Td9y1vxlgyZyojPAR1ztez8-t_rBgjSrfBErnvZIMUXVDNrZOum9buwtIsDJrw0_m1WZqAXgLP4fG7AUQqGwvrYsYmBM9UJ-GYxJk0O3E/s1600/a2.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">Nails On Chalkboard</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <div> </div> During the memorial, Robin Williams shown in the middle, one of many, was weak… He should have been last, like Philip Seymour Hoffman... You know, Best for Last...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> The Top Actor winners were, for the most part, predictable… If THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING centered more on the harsh transitional realities of scientific genius Stephen Hawking’s debilitating disease, Eddie Redmayne's performance would be completely warranted, no questions asked… Yet the movie itself rushed through what would make the role Oscar-worthy, instead celebrating Hawking's electronic “sermons," which did most of the work: like Mercedes McCambridge in THE EXORCIST...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWXGcng5XUAPApYiFThbWhGjK3INZCoO7qksXbo2IVECf4yoOOomxAdvPy3AoNV5di5_vvQpMboOSB2mZbt1xlnhtyDZMlb2eYh-r4pqsG2ENolnjXj0DjqFHtzk8-u0EK0fLXUBTTcI/s1600/a5.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWXGcng5XUAPApYiFThbWhGjK3INZCoO7qksXbo2IVECf4yoOOomxAdvPy3AoNV5di5_vvQpMboOSB2mZbt1xlnhtyDZMlb2eYh-r4pqsG2ENolnjXj0DjqFHtzk8-u0EK0fLXUBTTcI/s1600/a5.jpg" width="99" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loser</td></tr> </tbody></table> The other contender, Michael Keaton, was good in BIRDMAN but not entirely convincing, and his frantic turn often felt like a performance – he and Edward Norton both… And the two top awards flanking his loss... Best Picture and Best Director (both surprises)...  had to be a letdown; but as mentioned in the <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/02/best-pictures-of-2014-oscar.html">pre-Oscar post</a>, a nomination is comeback enough for a man formerly stuck in Straight-to-DVD purgatory…And Julianne Moore should have won an Emmy instead: her disease-of-the-week had Lifetime Channel written all over it...<br /> <br /> As for Sean Penn’s snarky "Green Card" quip during the Best Director presentation: it seems they bring the Malibu-raised rebel on that lighted stage to be a controversial mouthpiece pitbull for the muzzled poodles to secretly admire...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> Ironically, it was the director and starlet from THE INDIAN RUNNER, an obscure 1991 counter-culture melodrama starring David Morse, Viggo Mortensen and Patricia Arquette, who provided the two “shock” moments...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ipEsAoPjC2Kt4jxHLewJJqb0BG0CYwGlgDBluyCCA5fbNRU93izJ6P_46VnXxUqlOmL9Z7TK4AQ6MPJbMuAjW177pqAkowibVq26xSz5fyOKL7oJXVHoG-mrzVlrO_JUZcaWlX1Vu0w/s1600/a7.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ipEsAoPjC2Kt4jxHLewJJqb0BG0CYwGlgDBluyCCA5fbNRU93izJ6P_46VnXxUqlOmL9Z7TK4AQ6MPJbMuAjW177pqAkowibVq26xSz5fyOKL7oJXVHoG-mrzVlrO_JUZcaWlX1Vu0w/s1600/a7.png" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Jack</td></tr> </tbody></table> That's if you don’t count Neil’s audience-jab concerning “snubbed” Martin Luther King Jr. actor David Oyelowo; who himself reluctantly took part in bashing the disastrous ANNIE reboot… Glad someone mentioned it… <br /> <br /> And last but not least, always the big question, who should host next year? Well Neil’s opening act was passable… a sort of mockery of its own lavishness… but the “villain” of the production, turning a mediocre song into a bonafide skit, really made the number shine… And Jack Black can act, sing, and do both at the same time, and he’s really funny to boot… How about it, Hollywood, give Mr. Toad a chance! At this point, Oscar could use another wild ride. 

2015, oscars

MONDAY EVENING QUARTERBACKING THE 2015 OSCARS

The Host The Oscars were back to the nostalgic big Broadway vibe and yet seemed, compared to the extravagant 1990's era, surprisin...

GROWNUP REVIEW OF THE DUFF

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8YzIKj0QvsPhrsh-HgvSCATuAfOmO3dh8K6HPJ_tdwNJP9SkKhh3PDn6qU2FvlVIEk8zittA7DV-ouDpQN1XlLMLPYBKxM4E-xn8dWGzeSxQzAuMLY0YBYrGD_gzulJLhLiBvnlI0zc/s1600/duff1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8YzIKj0QvsPhrsh-HgvSCATuAfOmO3dh8K6HPJ_tdwNJP9SkKhh3PDn6qU2FvlVIEk8zittA7DV-ouDpQN1XlLMLPYBKxM4E-xn8dWGzeSxQzAuMLY0YBYrGD_gzulJLhLiBvnlI0zc/s320/duff1.png" width="223" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">2015 rating: **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> DUFF stands for Designated Ugly Fat Friend i.e. a fat ugly person who popular kids use to look more human, and the problem starts with the casting: Mae Whitman’s Bianca isn’t ugly, even when she tries her hardest, and she’s not fat. Granted, her two best friends <i>are</i> prettier… Then again, magazine models have that edge over most people. And the Designated part is where the story (and paranoia) really begins…<br /> <br /> The most popular guy in school, Wesley, who is Bianca’s next-door neighbor and childhood pal, bluntly unveils the DUFF meaning, and she sees the signs, filmed creatively in a whimsical fashion, viewing the imagined – from lusty daydreams to computerized grids describing the campus ala narration – where Bianca’s philosophies on the subject make for a nice ten or fifteen minutes, and there's a genuine chemistry between Bianca and Wesley: He's teaching her how to be attractive while becoming more real in the process. But eventually THE DUFF loses focus and winds up jumping all over the place – which can be said of the movie and the main character. Other than cyber bullying and an awkward first date, there are very few obstacles to climb.  <br /> <br /> Picture WELCOME TO THE DOLL HOUSE without the realism; SHE’S ALL THAT without the glasses; or SIXTEEN CANDLES without... Anthony Michael Hall.  Which is what this high school comedy seriously lacks. With the "funny friend" in the leading role, someone (besides Ken Jeong) needed to break the ice. <b>OVERALL RANK: Jedi, <u>Rebel, Droid</u>, Sith. </b>

2015, teen

GROWNUP REVIEW OF THE DUFF

2015 rating: **1/2 DUFF stands for Designated Ugly Fat Friend i.e. a fat ugly person who popular kids use to look more human, and the pr...

WALKING DEAD DAIRIES SEASON FIVE: THE DISTANCE

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10hPIfGAq19jd3NNLedOJxXzFh4Rb52SIa6SD4E3f0qxiFa6qCSql00DVGhwC5TQL5AT-B9wU-r6na7GWjdR6EuVEbL5it4yPpOBUvAQvtww-7VewUV7B6mPCOR7bLhPJMREftIF0apU/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10hPIfGAq19jd3NNLedOJxXzFh4Rb52SIa6SD4E3f0qxiFa6qCSql00DVGhwC5TQL5AT-B9wU-r6na7GWjdR6EuVEbL5it4yPpOBUvAQvtww-7VewUV7B6mPCOR7bLhPJMREftIF0apU/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE DISTANCE Grade: B– </td></tr> </tbody></table> At this point, when a Walker shows up on THE WALKING DEAD it’s like when that mini computer lets out a strange noise, and you realize it’s a phone!<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> So many other elements make up this show, especially those initially friendly live human strangers that turn out truly awful. The Governor was Mr. Rogers compared to those cannibals, and, it seems, there’s simply no one out there as nice as Rick and company. So most of this episode is tense trepidation on whether to trust the average looking young man who said his mother fed him bad tasting things to make him more manly, which in itself is a bit off. <br /> <br /> The show used to storm through so much terrain in the course of 55 minutes... but the pacing has been getting progressively stretched out: Three weeks back, a regular died slowly; then his friends roamed around, slowly; now they are not-so-quickly warming up to a new guy with his promise of a camp that could finally be home sweet home, and their hesitation is more than understandable… If only tonight’s THE DISTANCE covered more of it.  <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFbNhd8PitnvZb5c9FMvcwQj5tjNSwtKIkOZuBhmU7LJMznD3cg6abIlChyxiQ_FPX-94ygr9mwiqW5kpME72ZM4zHLxADdHOIsX-oRa_5zOzDBKL1zNTAqz-C2VTcSwsQ1ZeNZpgbOw/s1600/1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFbNhd8PitnvZb5c9FMvcwQj5tjNSwtKIkOZuBhmU7LJMznD3cg6abIlChyxiQ_FPX-94ygr9mwiqW5kpME72ZM4zHLxADdHOIsX-oRa_5zOzDBKL1zNTAqz-C2VTcSwsQ1ZeNZpgbOw/s1600/1.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He should've played his Ace much earlier</td></tr> </tbody></table> This new stranger, Aaron, seems too aware that he should understand the group's dire hesitation – like he’s a fan of THE WALKING DEAD. “I’m no Governor, guys, I promise!” <br /> <br /> Well some kick ass ground did get covered in the middle – a nice leap forward, and perhaps the best scene in this entire fifth season/second half… And the Walkers, appearing out of nowhere, are a dangerous element and not just groaning wallpaper. <br /> <br /> Okay, well, now it’s time to backtrack. These diaries, as explained last time, are written during each commercial break. So, for the Politically Correct, an apology is in order – that line about mom trying to make the new guy more manly wasn’t without reason... He has a significant other, injured and waiting...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvajvxJ1NhLbHPsLMknFTzNd4h6wMlwbZ9u7xDlGhJACelPhyEIDoEfFIZgUcnWq9y3U5FIP6Snc6XLrZ5o9SA_8MvvYHcE4UrhwSPWFrul0ogl6WxXUcdXY0_pLgwKG25_2ntQrhzUpM/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvajvxJ1NhLbHPsLMknFTzNd4h6wMlwbZ9u7xDlGhJACelPhyEIDoEfFIZgUcnWq9y3U5FIP6Snc6XLrZ5o9SA_8MvvYHcE4UrhwSPWFrul0ogl6WxXUcdXY0_pLgwKG25_2ntQrhzUpM/s1600/3.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beyond Peripheral </td></tr> </tbody></table> Thus we have our first male gay couple on board, so they simply <i>cannot</i> be villains. Funny how won-over the group got after witnessing that groundbreaking kiss. PC laws must work in both worlds: with or without zombies. But still, some mystery remains. Maybe this camp isn’t as nice as our new cast members are completely trustworthy. <br /> <br /> It's easy enough for an episode to center on one person when the group is broken up; yet when they’re all together, the other cast members, beside the one or two centered on, all hang around quietly, like extras on a high school TV show classroom… Even Alpha Male extraordinaire Jeremiah is gentle as a lamb, and Daryl hardly budged at all: that is, other than the Walker attack. But Glenn was Rambo this time around.  <br /> <br /> And Carol’s final line to Rick: “Even when you’re wrong, you’re right.” Now that's some ass kissing. But Rick has been a pretty good leader. That beard needs to go, though. Perhaps the camp has a barber shop. Or salon. 

2015, cable, walking dead, zombies

WALKING DEAD DAIRIES SEASON FIVE: THE DISTANCE

THE DISTANCE Grade: B– At this point, when a Walker shows up on THE WALKING DEAD it’s like when that mini computer lets out a strange no...

OSCAR NOMINATED 2014 BEST PICTURE NOMINEE SUMMARIES

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziD4M2LlfuuLA2fioWusCbJEnhvTTjwybUNlkEYwSxjEc_vomuWe6eKvUnXYHHtQRgwQBP5nJ2lveH7x2MywTN2m5C2e3bvWPhsuLSYjj8KjlrKwQ7HfIbWWHuSZSr2feWw941BmZLsk/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziD4M2LlfuuLA2fioWusCbJEnhvTTjwybUNlkEYwSxjEc_vomuWe6eKvUnXYHHtQRgwQBP5nJ2lveH7x2MywTN2m5C2e3bvWPhsuLSYjj8KjlrKwQ7HfIbWWHuSZSr2feWw941BmZLsk/s1600/0.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">87th Academy Awards</td></tr> </tbody></table> It's Oscar time, again, another extravagant star-studded showcase where the golden statues are handed out... But one problem with the entire Oscar concept, and why it's not really a legitimate and/or accurate platform to historically merit the best motion pictures and performances overall, is the mere fact The Academy Awards occur each and every year.<br /> <br /> Imagine if you had a list of BEST ANNUAL MOMENTS... One year you win $50,000; another you get married; another you get divorced; another you spend 10 months in a coma after serving 11 months in jail... No matter, that list <i>must</i> get done! So in a nutshell, 2014 was the worst Oscar year in decades, and beyond comatose... But here's a countdown of BEST PICTURE NOMINATIONS from <i>best to worst</i>, including links to the complete original review...<br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9r9zdNcZXhA95Ft-Vu95rbHShUy0CVtHLu8jVRk8tU8B1HgfVHSN83e8h3GVuvoCwRxnEpsqMF3RkIuSeEgXFON0a86P1Pvpd7RofY9jmK70ZqqcwHgq5JkDjbZTjA6xATkk_FQuFzUs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9r9zdNcZXhA95Ft-Vu95rbHShUy0CVtHLu8jVRk8tU8B1HgfVHSN83e8h3GVuvoCwRxnEpsqMF3RkIuSeEgXFON0a86P1Pvpd7RofY9jmK70ZqqcwHgq5JkDjbZTjA6xATkk_FQuFzUs/s1600/1.jpg" width="126" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/whiplash.html">FULL REVIEW</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> 1) WHIPLASH: Student and Teacher in a jazz class clash within a music academy bandroom. But not really. It’s all JK Simmon’s platform as he cuts loose on the students, particularly Miles Teller, with the heated venom of a deranged drill sergeant. This entertaining indie has a few flaws. The music, while sounding terrific, never seems better or worse for the teacher’s irritation over “getting it right” to be clear to the audience – providing no character arc for our young hero, whose goal is to improve as a drummer while surviving forceful tantrums. Does JK deserve Best Actor? Well the fact he was nominated for going so over-the-top is ironic since his most effective scenes involve more down-to-earth subtle moments. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iIiNPW-OdY29mkq-aUzpn-Pw675qlirxUpehNtdS27hgnjlb3hLyT3wK3dB0BmPZbEP36z3uBCbRyc5H2O8tuL7_eohWaBGDDaWpIHlf-zEvp2Y3ew4GYZTfTus0hyCe3y6uIHqL6eU/s1600/2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iIiNPW-OdY29mkq-aUzpn-Pw675qlirxUpehNtdS27hgnjlb3hLyT3wK3dB0BmPZbEP36z3uBCbRyc5H2O8tuL7_eohWaBGDDaWpIHlf-zEvp2Y3ew4GYZTfTus0hyCe3y6uIHqL6eU/s1600/2.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/selma.html">FULL REVIEW</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> 2) SELMA: Controversial for the supposed Best Actor Snub based on race, even though 12 YEARS A SLAVE won big last year and the film itself <i>is</i> in the running, SELMA provides a thoughtful and surprisingly mellow glimpse into Martin Luther King Jr. surrounding the historic march. And the lead actor <i>does</i> deserve a nomination over most contenders this year, especially the likely winner, Eddie Redmayne.  <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1L1NhQePL9cayX5oRsT4r4vamv06sJDgh8HcGZnwwxVVv3oJo5rgAZAaGcEYnZb1ed8AvOKdvEmNwW3P-FQQgWKTURNDYrPnDFi4Lepzl220spDZ5AbzArrcuoH7NC3VVg3RhvHETuU/s1600/3.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1L1NhQePL9cayX5oRsT4r4vamv06sJDgh8HcGZnwwxVVv3oJo5rgAZAaGcEYnZb1ed8AvOKdvEmNwW3P-FQQgWKTURNDYrPnDFi4Lepzl220spDZ5AbzArrcuoH7NC3VVg3RhvHETuU/s1600/3.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/11/birdman-batman.html">FULL REVIEW</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> 3) BIRDMAN: A party trick of a film having the entire ride be one continuous shot without takes, distracting from an otherwise entertaining story of an actor who, like the kid in WHIPLASH, is being pushed – and pushing others – to get his performance down just right while attempting a comeback after being famous for playing a superhero named BIRDMAN: an obvious nod to Michael Keaton’s BATMAN. Keaton is one of two frontrunner's for Best Actor, but he probably won’t win... Let's face it, being nominated is comeback enough. Just ask John Travolta.  <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7G62xMSVO5ynFeoCwCdapVP4hjSHMuusb9dZeHdsZHQqwcm3uPZ8YrOiciDs1zfBw41IsjLqAigfkBZPzgoNVOViIcNmN0vU_QilibuMIgHhcxZ-6eSpjv0ipZTmC34xztRyUVqUaT8/s1600/4.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7G62xMSVO5ynFeoCwCdapVP4hjSHMuusb9dZeHdsZHQqwcm3uPZ8YrOiciDs1zfBw41IsjLqAigfkBZPzgoNVOViIcNmN0vU_QilibuMIgHhcxZ-6eSpjv0ipZTmC34xztRyUVqUaT8/s1600/4.jpg" width="111" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/american-sniper.html">FULL REVIEW</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> 4) AMERICAN SNIPER: The financial success of this film, based on the bestselling memoir by the late Chris Kyle... a sniper during the Iraq War... made particular Hollywood insiders really angry, mostly envious, and while it doesn't only cater to "patriotic white people," since Bradley Cooper is an extremely popular actor nationwide, the film itself is somewhat mediocre in its portrayal of a controversial figure who could have stirred-up "haters" even more had Cooper really stretched the canvas, painted in broad strokes by director Clint Eastwood, trying in vain to please everyone: never the right choice.   <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoK9YL7wV0h6_vfJGhaLCSwpoLqg7XCotPWoaTWw7MVBCBQxsYHD0baBuoKRKFUa1bxCo-0ThIQw7OTKplDVcaz2aJ065MyUZGUYTyhWhEydEYVofqnpFnPxe7kb7d6NaJqZld2OXof3s/s1600/5.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoK9YL7wV0h6_vfJGhaLCSwpoLqg7XCotPWoaTWw7MVBCBQxsYHD0baBuoKRKFUa1bxCo-0ThIQw7OTKplDVcaz2aJ065MyUZGUYTyhWhEydEYVofqnpFnPxe7kb7d6NaJqZld2OXof3s/s1600/5.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/03/grand-budapest-hotel.html">FULL REVIEW</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> 5) THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: Speaking of paint, Wes Anderson is the Jackson Pollock of hipster cinema – he throws the colors in a frantic splash and it all must mean something. But while GRAND starts out with a nifty plot and wonderful cinematography, after the first act, during a potentially intriguing jailbreak, the characters get lost in the convoluted pandemonium. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNify1GMm_8LKAUJ1JhHCJMIU3mh_dmH2si4QIRLGAxsvt0oePw6HkbmJiRwZ7jFO7kYSMKUERpWt5IWL3MxGWAfYgeKTffLBcaHgnyR5xR42e7TGWO7cnlzUYJ6E7hdGAZwRauU6L1yY/s1600/6.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNify1GMm_8LKAUJ1JhHCJMIU3mh_dmH2si4QIRLGAxsvt0oePw6HkbmJiRwZ7jFO7kYSMKUERpWt5IWL3MxGWAfYgeKTffLBcaHgnyR5xR42e7TGWO7cnlzUYJ6E7hdGAZwRauU6L1yY/s1600/6.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/selma.html">FULL REVIEW</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> 6) THE IMITATION GAME: A very intriguing premise based on a real life genius figuring a way, through groundbreaking code-breaking computers, to help win WWII, the story mostly centers on the man’s personal struggle to embrace his homosexuality, which was beyond taboo in that era. Basically, IMITATION doesn’t know whether to be a cerebral thriller, a historical war drama or a "coming out" story, and fails at every angle. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglarBZ3YIiKIkc3uemi0ODSrmRqNSgKu6mdjej1UIYhu-JDT-PENQ37aCft7WIS6nraE5Xfl0OgzC9Hvekpr0y2vlaHjBI20TMWNBx-dcfZjd1MIbgvll4guvkAmUN_Q8e0OZZUMjDrY0/s1600/7.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglarBZ3YIiKIkc3uemi0ODSrmRqNSgKu6mdjej1UIYhu-JDT-PENQ37aCft7WIS6nraE5Xfl0OgzC9Hvekpr0y2vlaHjBI20TMWNBx-dcfZjd1MIbgvll4guvkAmUN_Q8e0OZZUMjDrY0/s1600/7.jpg" width="170" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/12/penguin-theory.html">FULL REVIEW</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> 7) THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING: Speaking of brilliant men, this Stephen Hawking biopic, while aesthetically impressive, has a weak romantic story and  is more a subliminal platform for the man’s THEORY over his marriage, which this is supposed to be about. Eddie Redmayne will win for this role, but it’s hardly deserved. He simply doesn’t do very much since Hawking's physical struggle takes backseat to what he's there to teach us.     <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDP0GyNReULLlhoypkuAYq6-SHZtI1QlcZd9_x6unVWnQCtM10qEiEfROd8NPwDLxGOSlUvLEIHq-_4NAOEU9heJUKv2jqfPe6huXtP3EqbVEwpA0phRr36w5EY0Xr-WayPTx1OD3C5_A/s1600/Picture+1.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDP0GyNReULLlhoypkuAYq6-SHZtI1QlcZd9_x6unVWnQCtM10qEiEfROd8NPwDLxGOSlUvLEIHq-_4NAOEU9heJUKv2jqfPe6huXtP3EqbVEwpA0phRr36w5EY0Xr-WayPTx1OD3C5_A/s1600/Picture+1.png" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/08/boyhood.html">FULL REVIEW</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> 8) BOYHOOD: A truly ambitious device filming a boy... the same boy... growing into a young adult by director Richard Linklater is a ponderous character-study with a natural-on-screen child turning into a completely awkward teenager with the personality of a stomped eggplant. He mopes around listening to his girlfriend, teachers, parents and headphones with the expression of a bored hipster who, if you saw him sitting inside a coffee shop, you probably wouldn’t care about what his life had been like before that dull gaze into narcissistic oblivion. But we get to experience it – mostly centering on dad’s political rants, mom’s failed relationships and other scenes that are more patchwork than a complete story. And the fact Ethan Hawke's nominated for Best Actor is no surprise... His character would have detested AMERICAN SNIPER. Seriously though, both he and Patricia Arquette seem more like acting teachers coaxing a performance from their "son" than potential Oscar winners in their own right. 

2015, oscar nominated

OSCAR NOMINATED 2014 BEST PICTURE NOMINEE SUMMARIES

87th Academy Awards It's Oscar time, again, another extravagant star-studded showcase where the golden statues are handed out... But...

BELATED REVIEW OF FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKVW3NfTBqZKXrGDUjNDW_mQufZzkdmjgfiFHAdpI_yk0Vp6p44a8DyD0xx4LaJgEkvALrF9K69zqAEeUGxOs9V7a2Bmtg3Ne5hYX9vtNrp5eJ1kZ4MeIq_Y517f8b_6k26yR3RWqd_o/s1600/fifty-shades-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKVW3NfTBqZKXrGDUjNDW_mQufZzkdmjgfiFHAdpI_yk0Vp6p44a8DyD0xx4LaJgEkvALrF9K69zqAEeUGxOs9V7a2Bmtg3Ne5hYX9vtNrp5eJ1kZ4MeIq_Y517f8b_6k26yR3RWqd_o/s200/fifty-shades-movie-poster.jpg" width="110" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015 rating: *</td></tr> </tbody></table> At one point, when Christian Grey, a hot young millionaire with skeletons in the closet… actually, an entire roomful… has to fess up to his new girlfriend, Anastasia Steele, about what exactly makes him tick, he bursts out with: “I’m 50 Shades of f---ed up!”<br /> <br /> Well there are way more than fifty flaws in this unintentionally hysterical howler, taking an already thin plotline and starving it into a porno film setup where the two leads quickly meet in an interview… she’s doing a paper on him… and then he’s following her to work, purchasing equipment to “use” later on… Or not so later on. Before we know what the big deal is about this mysteriously famous recluse, he’s already a jealous boyfriend showing her the ropes – literally!<br /> <br /> The acting is perhaps the worst ever witnessed, and that's by someone who loves bad acting. With parents like Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, it’s a shock daughter Dakota has such dull chemistry with a camera lens. Even her "best" moments are like she's failing a screen test. In fact, every scene has a contrived, prompted aura. You can almost hear the reverberation of the director yelling “Action.”<br /> <br /> Well there’s plenty of action, but even the controversial sex scenes, evolving into whips and chains and cuffs and other such devices, seem more like sealing the envelope for shocked young girls than pushing it for adults who savored the novels while their husbands were sleeping. Meanwhile, the lead actor, Jamie Dornan, is Brando compared to the headlight-stunned starlet, and yet he rarely stretches beyond a steel-chinned glare that, in trying to intimidate the girl he’s out to control, is like beating a dead horse... with no legs. <b>OVERALL RANK: Jedi, Rebel, Droid, Sith, <u>Bantha Fodder</u>.</b>

2015, romance

BELATED REVIEW OF FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

year: 2015 rating: * At one point, when Christian Grey, a hot young millionaire with skeletons in the closet… actually, an entire roomfu...

EVERYONE BUT JOHN BACK IN HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7w_osaGDvdlqOy9c7vr7pZWRKGpz75beWOZdKTrcPN4mRvMGhQmZKETOHPoOiNXJCsM8bfii-B4uEpvhfehbAA7eaI7VCcphOU84VDeKIftlBOwyK1M5BQVTj23QCjMR7teDt-vzcbI/s1600/hottubtimemachine2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7w_osaGDvdlqOy9c7vr7pZWRKGpz75beWOZdKTrcPN4mRvMGhQmZKETOHPoOiNXJCsM8bfii-B4uEpvhfehbAA7eaI7VCcphOU84VDeKIftlBOwyK1M5BQVTj23QCjMR7teDt-vzcbI/s320/hottubtimemachine2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015 rating: **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> In HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, John Cusack provided an inside joke – since the 1980’s icon starred in BETTER OFF DEAD, SAY ANYTHING and THE SURE THING, his character returning to that era made complete sense. And he had a few friends along: a wild jerk named Lou; Lou’s passive son Jacob; the Curly of these Stooges, Nick: And it's only three now since John's Adam has gone by the wayside. There’s no need for 80’s nostalgia anyhow because, like the second BACK TO THE FUTURE, the future is the place we wind up...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikPeO25nLUfBWS5TEVg2yKwiAWBqAwftNzp28f9Ic-u11AF3kSSIHrtiCgwRH9EdVIq0jQc-UFBq562tE1ZIfb_HSHDEfyWBbY0XwtrpDaWPs6mEdjWqvKwfQSJNiNcVpFbXY7m_UI04/s1600/hottubtimemachine1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikPeO25nLUfBWS5TEVg2yKwiAWBqAwftNzp28f9Ic-u11AF3kSSIHrtiCgwRH9EdVIq0jQc-UFBq562tE1ZIfb_HSHDEfyWBbY0XwtrpDaWPs6mEdjWqvKwfQSJNiNcVpFbXY7m_UI04/s200/hottubtimemachine1.jpg" width="123" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob's usually funny</td></tr> </tbody></table> And it’s not a simple premise. Lou, an extremely obnoxious billionaire, gets shot where it counts during a party. Son Jacob is the only one with a conscious, having witnessed dad and Nick stealing everything from computer technology to famous hit songs. Jacob's also the most savvy for their time-traveling scheme, which, during the first twenty minutes, is so loaded with rambling explanations you’ll almost need an instruction manual (at one point Lou’s so bored listening, he wants to hit a strip club). <br /> <br /> Long story short, they need to find Lou’s killer to prevent the murder from happening. And while loaded with limitless potential, the film doesn’t go in too many directions or locations. Newcomer Adam Scott provides a barometer for progressed future political correctness, while the “toilet humor” banter between Lou and Nick feels like overhearing two old college buddies yucking it up, behaving more like a HANGOVER meets HORRIBLE BOSSES rather than carrying a bonafide sequel. And the fact HTTM2 plays out like a straight-to-DVD or Made-for-Cable filler isn’t such a crime – the original does too. <b>OVERALL RANK: Jedi, Rebel, <u>Droid,</u> Sith</b>

2015, rob corrdry, sequel, time travel

EVERYONE BUT JOHN BACK IN HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2

year: 2015 rating: **1/2 In HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, John Cusack provided an inside joke – since the 1980’s icon starred in BETTER OFF DEAD...

JULIANNE MOORE IN STILL ALICE

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDLnaXhmXpmRIbR4IPSKWAxMsU8m9paqPCc__Jzx61vtr8ljl6_LrneGAJS5DrLiX88SdwHVX0QenpH4h2dsM9oRvn3OjT-VJZLxPFIt8NqOusRXUVi9HBei4Yr6TXctcWmfW7JZ3UQg/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDLnaXhmXpmRIbR4IPSKWAxMsU8m9paqPCc__Jzx61vtr8ljl6_LrneGAJS5DrLiX88SdwHVX0QenpH4h2dsM9oRvn3OjT-VJZLxPFIt8NqOusRXUVi9HBei4Yr6TXctcWmfW7JZ3UQg/s1600/Picture+1.png" width="92" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 rating: **</td></tr> </tbody></table> There’s one genuinely funny moment in the extremely serious melodrama, STILL ALICE, when the title character, after having been diagnosed with a particularly harsh disease, is on the verge of arguing with her husband and, nipping the conversation in the bud, says bluntly, “I have Alzheimer’s.” <br /> <br /> There are a few other times when Julianne Moore's Alice connects with her family, friends, and the audience while a softly-stroked piano chimes: one concerning an actual audience within a planned meeting of other patients...<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCZ6yc1RVYUol1pkjYlXk7XpipUluXHS78j4IILNq_ZQoG_pEeLHG4d3_lP1hpkwV1tSs6KgABnk58ffm6quVKyeOi7rFhtQ6ZgcjZIDjjfzzHV6y5CRdtqavVcjj6Wsa6vejPhSpTuE/s1600/FFN_DefaultLightbox_51361629.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCZ6yc1RVYUol1pkjYlXk7XpipUluXHS78j4IILNq_ZQoG_pEeLHG4d3_lP1hpkwV1tSs6KgABnk58ffm6quVKyeOi7rFhtQ6ZgcjZIDjjfzzHV6y5CRdtqavVcjj6Wsa6vejPhSpTuE/s1600/FFN_DefaultLightbox_51361629.jpg" width="121" /></a>The speech given, aided by memory cards, is genuinely heartfelt, and Moore seems like a real person dealing with a serious issue, and doesn't overact. Once an educated lecturer, Alice relearns everything from scratch. Sadly, the rest of the movie doesn’t have that same level of entertainment value. <br /> <br /> In any project that feels intentionally made to garner an award nomination and/or win (aka Oscar Bait), the performance will usually exceed the story: and there’s hardly any story at all. On the occasion ALICE ventures beyond Actor Workshop mode, struggling through otherwise common tasks... from jogging to finding a cell phone... Moore proves her worth just fine... <br /> <br /> But the shared moments with her husband (Alec Baldwin, sounding more like an AM Jazz Deejay than ever) or nervy conversations with her black sheep daughter (Kristin Stewart) about a risky career in show business, feels like a Hallmark or Lifetime Channel production that is (and please don't think this is a bad taste pun) ultimately forgettable. <b>OVERALL RANK: Jedi, Rebel, <u>Droid, Sith</u></b>

2015, alec baldwin, disease, drama, julianne moore, kristen stewart

JULIANNE MOORE IN STILL ALICE

2015 rating: ** There’s one genuinely funny moment in the extremely serious melodrama, STILL ALICE, when the title character, after havi...

BETTER CALL SAUL SCRAWL: EPISODE 103 TITLED NACHO

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7rOtTPcYkFRqBZ5QVkyMCnNZAjS2wrznr0H9r6LcqrY1TVELVDq6UpjzvaU4w-_UZqnz-BvZ3wOURNaQkFsCrh2EZf8JJsDU8SZ3mCSwqJElJQDeF4vf_gUgozq8R0d-3Rqr26MrebY/s1600/84e90280-663d-40bd-ae5a-352d8df06af4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7rOtTPcYkFRqBZ5QVkyMCnNZAjS2wrznr0H9r6LcqrY1TVELVDq6UpjzvaU4w-_UZqnz-BvZ3wOURNaQkFsCrh2EZf8JJsDU8SZ3mCSwqJElJQDeF4vf_gUgozq8R0d-3Rqr26MrebY/s1600/84e90280-663d-40bd-ae5a-352d8df06af4.JPG" width="145" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grade: C+</td></tr> </tbody></table> Good news: BETTER CALL SAUL <i>is</i> getting better… But the bad news is, it can’t get any worse.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6t_SBZH6InWj80F-dLsq3AyFNa9zHH1pOZnOiyC4Ay6EjpPr3ehyphenhyphenO8KCK9yxicDjTsoENhETck3Uf6Djue4B568dOHZnSyrsY6gIEcrs4i7-2yNH62bT2YQzFTKht0Sa3om8fD_-kHo/s1600/better-call-saul-breaking-bad-bob-odenkirk.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6t_SBZH6InWj80F-dLsq3AyFNa9zHH1pOZnOiyC4Ay6EjpPr3ehyphenhyphenO8KCK9yxicDjTsoENhETck3Uf6Djue4B568dOHZnSyrsY6gIEcrs4i7-2yNH62bT2YQzFTKht0Sa3om8fD_-kHo/s1600/better-call-saul-breaking-bad-bob-odenkirk.jpg" width="98" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: NACHO</td></tr> </tbody></table> So that’s an uphill climb for us, the anticipating audience, trying our best to fall in love all over again with the shady character whose sole purpose was to straighten out the most bizarrely crooked of situations in BREAKING BAD, and now he has his own mess to perpetually clean up, and then some…<br /> <br /> Beginning with Saul… or rather, his actual name, Jimmy McGill… In a backstory that’s really a back-backstory… And Michael McKean’s Chuck McGill, Jimmy’s successful lawyer brother, is not yet hiding out at home with that mysterious ailment causing him to wear space suits around cell phones...<br /> <br /> Chuck's basically a dressed-up "Saul" in an edgy yet cryptic prologue where Jimmy’s in prison, labeled as a sex offender, and is much wormier and, shaggy-haired, hasn't heeded his calling...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRPFbslEjbbZv87YubO4Cklp2ArJZTac8AQFlNnCqd8h89wBHZfAbtcVYHtTHmLfU7gOd85hE-yeNvMfRPLSO3jrwE04nDKf5Ao1l2R4wNxNgIoOkAWlgssVN9fAhYXS9tGrP6V6vzFE/s1600/2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRPFbslEjbbZv87YubO4Cklp2ArJZTac8AQFlNnCqd8h89wBHZfAbtcVYHtTHmLfU7gOd85hE-yeNvMfRPLSO3jrwE04nDKf5Ao1l2R4wNxNgIoOkAWlgssVN9fAhYXS9tGrP6V6vzFE/s1600/2.jpg" width="115" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kung Fu Saul</td></tr> </tbody></table> Then we return to our true backstory, which is the mainline: Taking place as Jimmy makes ground as a defense lawyer before the BAD fallout... And finally tough guy Mike, played by Jonathan Banks, after being practically comatose as a courthouse ticket-taker, comes to life and kicks ass… Jimmy’s ass… But that’s already occurred in the teaser/trailer months ago… We knew it was a matter of time before the sleeping giant would awaken.  <br /> <br /> In EPISODE THREE: NACHO, Jimmy possibly caused something terrible to happen to the snobby rich suburban couple he'd lost as clients in the first episode... And their children are also in danger, upping the ante. Meanwhile, the title heavy isn't as important as he should be. Well he is and he isn't. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVGRtRCmRO9qeEz7xj7Igzb1zJi17aRGssq2jdLNWYMwc5uR03hbM2MaqBGcYsTPbcFUjokD1CLZrMvo2wjvmhzF_Y1n0w2cBemPcZyjxQzDjqCTdPxqnKNEyzFpoQh59eAiVSvzVS94/s1600/PinkBear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVGRtRCmRO9qeEz7xj7Igzb1zJi17aRGssq2jdLNWYMwc5uR03hbM2MaqBGcYsTPbcFUjokD1CLZrMvo2wjvmhzF_Y1n0w2cBemPcZyjxQzDjqCTdPxqnKNEyzFpoQh59eAiVSvzVS94/s1600/PinkBear.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pool Doll</td></tr> </tbody></table> Remember BREAKING BAD when Walter allowed the girl to overdose? And her grieving air-traffic-controller father caused a plane to crash, leaving a remnant inside his swimming pool? Well that was the kind of crazy maze creator Vince Gilligan blew our minds with on a weekly basis, and in ten minute intervals… <br /> <br /> But now his creativity is about as free-form as a traffic jam in a drag race… There’s a lot of potential with a sleazy lawyer connected to psychotic drug dealers, spouting lines from classics ranging from NETWORK to ALL THAT JAZZ to THE SHINING (perhaps making up for the lack of memorable dialogue here) and able to snake out of any situation he gets himself into, but the major problem, still, after two previously lackluster episodes, is right when Jimmy's got everything to lose, he still hasn't acquired enough for that <i>losing</i> to matter. And the side-characters, so far, mean very little... And yet there's actually some (start from beginning) <br /> <br />

BETTER CALL SAUL SCRAWL: EPISODE 103 TITLED NACHO

Grade: C+ Good news: BETTER CALL SAUL is getting better… But the bad news is, it can’t get any worse. Title: NACHO So that’s an u...

WALKING DEAD DIARIES: SEASON FIVE EPISODE THEM

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeFIH58NxoNiN3sEoKSEQhw1hksP1V6cqBcilMWzDJYT8s2971pd6ilOIxYuOy4s8iJfppauC-dDwdp04zhb2KzRyHBlbBdwREIiQ0fCIYaKG9xIqb1aDqHHYfYZ8G02tb2tNcHRZuOs/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeFIH58NxoNiN3sEoKSEQhw1hksP1V6cqBcilMWzDJYT8s2971pd6ilOIxYuOy4s8iJfppauC-dDwdp04zhb2KzRyHBlbBdwREIiQ0fCIYaKG9xIqb1aDqHHYfYZ8G02tb2tNcHRZuOs/s1600/Picture+3.png" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: THEM Grade: C</td></tr> </tbody></table> <i>This was written at commercial breaks during the progression of the show – as will the rest of the WALKING DEAD Diaries – and towards the end of this particular episode, THEM, Rick states, “We are the Walking Dead,” making the next few paragraphs seem blatantly plagiarized as opposed to correctly predicted... </i><br /> <br /> So at this point, THE WALKING DEAD equally describes our beloved protagonists, the live humans, beginning with a shot of Maggie sitting woebegone with her back against a tree, sick and tired of her own existence…<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieday3Gu8wsaXVW8Mhc-3c709-QWVkuGgRw-sSRmCp-Y211thE2oDubYOKwIFz276xdpXzCdgYhau_ZWfhQA0X_BKyQr78Xa9zvO-X8mN8iT8JC80R8_ir43yMe7xXzmLde3DStF0gUps/s1600/Picture+0.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieday3Gu8wsaXVW8Mhc-3c709-QWVkuGgRw-sSRmCp-Y211thE2oDubYOKwIFz276xdpXzCdgYhau_ZWfhQA0X_BKyQr78Xa9zvO-X8mN8iT8JC80R8_ir43yMe7xXzmLde3DStF0gUps/s1600/Picture+0.png" /></a>When that familiar gross gurgling is heard, she gets up and reluctantly kills the Walker like swatting a fly, and without even that much energy… Then when the group saunter along the highway, you have to adjust your vision to really differentiate the living from their foe… All have the same tired, plundering gait… And there’s even a reluctance to put the Walkers out of their zoned misery.   <br /> <br /> Lately, many fans have griped about not having enough Zombies on a show about Zombies… We’ve experienced some pretty mellow episodes, the title characters beyond peripheral, and now it seems the Undead might be brought back to the forefront. <br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjMP-kOuSc9qtRoO3ceXhy9RdAnaiePbGH8cO8QvqLWaXl_D92rOGrcD4P1JVhsPC98EoqaEWPCeWse_6dr7dhH4H78nFd8Oke5E6w_eAUl93EqtAiZjaR6fAdwNRA0-_R6H825YRjio/s1600/Picture+1.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjMP-kOuSc9qtRoO3ceXhy9RdAnaiePbGH8cO8QvqLWaXl_D92rOGrcD4P1JVhsPC98EoqaEWPCeWse_6dr7dhH4H78nFd8Oke5E6w_eAUl93EqtAiZjaR6fAdwNRA0-_R6H825YRjio/s1600/Picture+1.png" width="126" /></a>Some of the music sounds very John Carpenter: a slow pulsating dirge befitting our morbidly weary heroes… Meanwhile, a group of ferocious dogs snarling through the woods are reminicent of the canine attackers in Walter Hill's SOUTHERN COMFORT. But enough nostalgia...  <br /> <br /> Surely the somber mood is the result of Tyreese's departure… Another moral compass deleted, where does the arrow point now? This might also explain that passive unspoken no-kill treaty some of the characters chose to follow. That is, until Sasha cut loose. <br /> <br /> While the last episode spent the entire hour on someone dying, we spend most of this one in mourning… Far different than the old days, especially the Frank Darabont first-two-seasons when death came with the territory, and you had to move on quickly.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7JKVOK6JG1h9nyeMxZt_3e0ajP6ZYDR-JdAmQa4p_db22zBi4VlQ-zfJedLhNS1aVbpWyrDiHxsDhgeRRj9OpX5NchP-hj1Z9KT-Mulx_-E8C3abNyOkar18EkY0XW8ZzdNImpgJw2M/s1600/Picture+4.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7JKVOK6JG1h9nyeMxZt_3e0ajP6ZYDR-JdAmQa4p_db22zBi4VlQ-zfJedLhNS1aVbpWyrDiHxsDhgeRRj9OpX5NchP-hj1Z9KT-Mulx_-E8C3abNyOkar18EkY0XW8ZzdNImpgJw2M/s1600/Picture+4.png" /></a>Memorable highlights have fan-favorite Daryl eating a worm, and burning himself with a cigarette… Either white trash hobbies die hard or perhaps he's still sad about Beth. Or is he warming up with Carol? Yikes. Those two have the chemistry of Joyce Van Patten and Jackie Earle Haley circa 1976... There's that damn nostalgia again! (One more reference... What's with Rick's <i>Jason Beghe from MONKEY SHINES</i> fake looking beard?!)  <br /> <br /> Though quite lackluster, the epilogue of THEM was filmed nicely: a lovely after-rain dawn as two characters walk out from a dilapidated barn, almost making you want to hear the words “Stay Gold.” But that’s not all… There’s a new stranger. After the Governor and those cannibals, we’re probably simply out of the frying pan: And even though this guy resembles a friendly Mormon hiker, you can assume, at the very least, our Living Walkers will have to start running for their newly-appreciated lives once again... Let's hope!

2015, cable, walking dead, zombie

WALKING DEAD DIARIES: SEASON FIVE EPISODE THEM

Title: THEM Grade: C This was written at commercial breaks during the progression of the show – as will the rest of the WALKING DEAD Dia...

JANUARY 2015 NEW RELEASE MOVIE REVIEW TEASER ROUNDUP

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-UON1F4CqjEltMGlopVcC0f5OBFluopOx6la-wMFZjlw6k6KCF1Wj3wJPC5hFTaIeR7HrsUIBkNRX6An_svEgI3Z-k443ZzuzinfFqYwmoCteqdA5Ug8c4vWtlHWjku1QpuXli2QP40/s1600/The-Loft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-UON1F4CqjEltMGlopVcC0f5OBFluopOx6la-wMFZjlw6k6KCF1Wj3wJPC5hFTaIeR7HrsUIBkNRX6An_svEgI3Z-k443ZzuzinfFqYwmoCteqdA5Ug8c4vWtlHWjku1QpuXli2QP40/s1600/The-Loft.jpg" width="182" /></a></div> <i>Another eclectic month has passed, and the new releases have come and gone, a few Oscar nominated while others are just there... most still in theaters... to simply entertain, or not: So here we have excerpts and links from all current motion pictures reviewed from the month of January, 2015... </i><br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcOIZC4fbI9EP8x_1dVPdXr_kWgS4fy5hJGWRwrDmLixWo_9KWM7N9VHMdE4a8Rwmd3Y92Xyw_YYa-MnqN28ixLt8dK1RDQRzgoc9MYlild-93OmEVUxEz_3MzlW2G7rOqDYCG5GqzTU/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcOIZC4fbI9EP8x_1dVPdXr_kWgS4fy5hJGWRwrDmLixWo_9KWM7N9VHMdE4a8Rwmd3Y92Xyw_YYa-MnqN28ixLt8dK1RDQRzgoc9MYlild-93OmEVUxEz_3MzlW2G7rOqDYCG5GqzTU/s1600/1.jpg" width="150" /></a><b>THE LOFT (KARL URBAN, JAMES MARDSEN): </b>"With three different time sequences occurring within minutes of each other, this steely Hitchcockian mystery/thriller begins like most wind up." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/loft.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a> <br /> <br /> <b>WHIPLASH (JK SIMMONS, MILES TELLER):</b> "While Fletcher’s rants are as politically-incorrect as you can get away with today, and Andrew’s edgy determination brings out a terrific performance (and spot-on drum mimicking) from Teller, WHIPLASH isn't without clichés." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/whiplash.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW </a><br /> <br /> <b>THE BOY NEXT DOOR (JENNIFER LOPEZ): </b>"Well that’s all it takes for a perfect looking twenty-year-old named Noah to become more smitten with his neighbor than Glenn Close was with Michael Douglas, or anyone else in the Tryst-to-Stalker Genre." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/jlo-attraction.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW </a><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcWvZ0Ba4qPS2BrVluEwZwzH9sFnyPIWqUodvsp-zd3iSugFQbIU93Om__BDILNypuMmwZN6Zz6okEq_SLszRXLxYO3z04Xmv-sy4fqFHTE5214fus-ZFySV0mLzRmp4kljyIOMFqHDA/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcWvZ0Ba4qPS2BrVluEwZwzH9sFnyPIWqUodvsp-zd3iSugFQbIU93Om__BDILNypuMmwZN6Zz6okEq_SLszRXLxYO3z04Xmv-sy4fqFHTE5214fus-ZFySV0mLzRmp4kljyIOMFqHDA/s1600/2.JPG" width="243" /></a></div> <b>THE WEDDING RINGER (KEVIN HART, JOSH GAD):</b> "Same exact plot except the Ringer, Jimmy, played by Kevin Hart, has his own underground Best Man For Hire business with no strings attached." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/ringer-blackhat.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a><br /> <br /> <b>BLACKHAT (CHRIS HEMSWORTH):</b> "In going beneath his larger-than-life Marvel persona, he plays a mumbling grouch with more brooding restraint than actual power." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/ringer-blackhat.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a><br /> <br /> <b>MORTDECAI (JOHNNY DEPP):</b> "Reminiscent of Inspector Clouseau with a dash of Austin Powers, this could be Johnny's revenge for not landing THE THIN MAN remake." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/depp-please-act-normal.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a><br /> <br /> <b>SELMA (DAVID OYELOWO): </b>"Much like LINCOLN, the movie plays out intentionally sparse and strategic." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/selma.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a><br /> <br /> <b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllUk60W8ULRQWpLicC4ntJerIpHmX2xSLfO5OE5mD3k9JERUTPgrxIAfo7v4deN2lQam2eyLE_QshuhUArpo4XA6Yu-DSKTE7WD6dOCXmsp4AyPDwpPHgkj76_kMJEFyqIiBrsmhp5EQ/s1600/3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllUk60W8ULRQWpLicC4ntJerIpHmX2xSLfO5OE5mD3k9JERUTPgrxIAfo7v4deN2lQam2eyLE_QshuhUArpo4XA6Yu-DSKTE7WD6dOCXmsp4AyPDwpPHgkj76_kMJEFyqIiBrsmhp5EQ/s1600/3.jpg" width="211" /></a>THE IMITATION GAME (BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH): </b>"Spends very little time with technology, instead centering on mathematician Alan Turing's quirks... So brilliantly neurotic and flaky, everyone around has to figure him out." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/selma.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a><br /> <br /> <b>AMERICAN SNIPER (BRADLEY COOPER):</b> "Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the AMERICAN SNIPER who was a deadeye on the battlefield and a legend even before his tragic and bizarre murder." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/american-sniper.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a><b> </b><br /> <br /> <b>INTO THE WOODS (MERYL STREEP, JOHNNY DEPP): </b>"Isn’t without artistic and creative value. Whereas TITANIC added unknown characters into a known true story, here we have a common baker and his wife intertwined within a handful of fairy tails including Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella and of course, Little Red Riding Hood." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/into-the-woods.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYSCg6__iTzqnDviMvvSNUhJyQb73_y1aZ7FDvNdHZcXmqpftCFl1-_p8-IwJeyE68FqDODgO4G8ie04eL3ypXRGod9Czo9KY7ojxoIAYWP-R9SxgmanQhN5xY32RbcAbIqILZqyYq6U/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYSCg6__iTzqnDviMvvSNUhJyQb73_y1aZ7FDvNdHZcXmqpftCFl1-_p8-IwJeyE68FqDODgO4G8ie04eL3ypXRGod9Czo9KY7ojxoIAYWP-R9SxgmanQhN5xY32RbcAbIqILZqyYq6U/s1600/4.jpg" width="136" /></a><b>TAKEN 3 (LIAM NEESON):</b> "Set entirely in America, the plot involves Mills evading and escaping and evading cops so vapid they should be Keystone." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/liam-neeson-in-taken-3.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a><br /> <br /> <b>INHERENT VICE (JOAQUIN PHOENIX): </b>"While BIG LEBOWSKI centered on the product of the 1960’s lost in the 1990's, INHERENT VICE takes us to that actual magical place: a colorful era where idealistic L.A. druggies proudly contrast from the straight-laced necktie jerks, who, in this particular case, are all more crooked than Richard Nixon himself." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/inherentvice.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a><br /> <br /> <b>THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH (HAMMER FILMS): </b>"Much of the story, taking place at a fog-shrouded mansion during the height of World War II, sets up a genuinely ominous atmosphere." <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/01/wib2.html">CLICK FOR FULL REVIEW</a>

2015, roundup

JANUARY 2015 NEW RELEASE MOVIE REVIEW TEASER ROUNDUP

Another eclectic month has passed, and the new releases have come and gone, a few Oscar nominated while others are just there... most stil...

COLIN FIRTH IN KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxmDWsXYbMDX8R6nBpUnwFkI2rqZamZvpJPeM9PQADdt6MJjx9klXArAOTccNCDVSKfDLuExRT51E8K-2B_2pUdbF-lmcYu7MxKYocHVP_8ZUu-oEXyuTggdi0Xf-aY2MID10AaKFshs/s1600/kingsman-poster-main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxmDWsXYbMDX8R6nBpUnwFkI2rqZamZvpJPeM9PQADdt6MJjx9klXArAOTccNCDVSKfDLuExRT51E8K-2B_2pUdbF-lmcYu7MxKYocHVP_8ZUu-oEXyuTggdi0Xf-aY2MID10AaKFshs/s400/kingsman-poster-main.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 rating: **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> Gallant, snarky, self-aware, debonair, extremely violent and excruciatingly polarizing, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE serves up two hours of what Daniel Craig's new 007 tossed out the window... <br /> <br /> The retro gadgets are cool and the direction by KICKASS Matthew Vaughn has more than a touch of Edgar Wright: This is a proud English vehicle full of creatively manic action. The best scenes involve misguided youth, Eggsy, who goes through a barrage of dangerous tests with a handful of contemporaries, and only one can be a KINGSMAN… This pivotal “boot camp" takes its time and isn't merely leading to something, or someone, more important… <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZhXPs0kynyZgG2YWIEWZlfARz0W3KV-Picf7FRNOA35dLGENrdH0UqiDn6t-pWhQs4ZlRLz0EHdh9wa5lfQhTBnIkfQ7ovRd6rPpD4gGdfWZMf43c0tV4FFZQE-vUTrLEsuUH84toHY/s1600/kingsman-hamill-learn-to-be-a-proper-spy-in-the-kingsman-the-secret-service-trailer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZhXPs0kynyZgG2YWIEWZlfARz0W3KV-Picf7FRNOA35dLGENrdH0UqiDn6t-pWhQs4ZlRLz0EHdh9wa5lfQhTBnIkfQ7ovRd6rPpD4gGdfWZMf43c0tV4FFZQE-vUTrLEsuUH84toHY/s200/kingsman-hamill-learn-to-be-a-proper-spy-in-the-kingsman-the-secret-service-trailer.png" width="143" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke being rescued</td></tr> </tbody></table> Although Colin Firth’s elegantly resilient Harry Hart aka Galahad is the man in charge. Partaking in the lion's share of ultra-violence, whether beating up barroom bullies or slaughtering a church full of racist zealots, the well-dressed gent goes way beyond a sophisticated mentor role. At one point he has a few words with a bizarre mogul named Valentine, discussing old school James Bond – the elephant muse in the room...<br /> <br /> It’s too bad Samuel L. Jackson, an otherwise talented actor, provides one of the worst performances of his career. With an embarrassingly exaggerated lisp, Jackson hinders an already convoluted plot involving Climate Change. Ironically, Firth’s Harry states that those nostalgic Bond films were only as good as the megalomaniac villain on board. If that were the case, KINGSMAN would be a really crappy film, which it isn’t… <br /> <br /> But once the youthful training is over, and the resolution begins, there’s nowhere else to go but down. <b>OVERALL RANK: Jedi, <u>Rebel, Droid</u>, Sith. </b>

action, colin firth, mark hamill, michael caine, samuel l. jackson, spy

COLIN FIRTH IN KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

2015 rating: **1/2 Gallant, snarky, self-aware, debonair, extremely violent and excruciatingly polarizing, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE ...

BEGINNING A BELATED BINGE ON HOUSE OF CARDS: CHAPTER ONE

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4B2I6tEB2e4KeTlKR2xkWeeTE764t0dhfc-dIdou9amvGtFwSG0FSAlBNYqTst0Z7ZT1UKOy79Dr-PivJETydnOQnDpafbIVrQ7Eu9xW5sR4AGoRmRO-qNH2-pUcNgElvZtEqMecDTp0/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4B2I6tEB2e4KeTlKR2xkWeeTE764t0dhfc-dIdou9amvGtFwSG0FSAlBNYqTst0Z7ZT1UKOy79Dr-PivJETydnOQnDpafbIVrQ7Eu9xW5sR4AGoRmRO-qNH2-pUcNgElvZtEqMecDTp0/s1600/Picture+1.png" width="120" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013  rating: ****</td></tr> </tbody></table> Who would have thought Secretary of State was that important? Well for Kevin Spacey’s Francis Underwood, a Congress Whip for the House Majority who more than helped get the President Elect elected in the first place, it’s just about everything. When he gets pushed aside for the coveted position, we’re catapulted into a cerebral revenge-driven original Netflix series that, judging by the David Fincher directed pilot already seen and beloved by millions, HOUSE OF CARDS could make an entertaining ride for this Pop Culture Fanatic desperately in need for some serialized escapism…<br /> <br /> And it isn’t the first time an established movie actor, much less a two time Oscar winner, is “downgraded” from movies to television – those days are over. The quality of cable TV shows have actually trumped what we overpay for on the big screen. It’s no wonder people usually only flock to particular features based on comic book or teen novel sagas. And what used to be theatrical quality writing is now experienced inside the living room…<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> For instance, Quentin Tarantino hasn’t done anything that comes close to Vince Gilligan’s BREAKING BAD since… well… the nineties. And yet, without QT’s inspiration, BAD (or LOST or a handful of others) might not have been so good… At least not without the non-linear approach wielding a groovy hybrid of ultraviolence, twisted dark comedy and a retro soundtrack. And all the George Clooneys in the world, attempting to rebuild the Robert Redford 1970's political thriller template, can't come close to even this first hour of HOUSE OF CARDS wherein Kevin Spacey’s performance is more subtle than melodramatic, and shockingly non-polarizing...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jA-zVAYF0DWSYYMmhO-4VWUEUZvKBM9QxxnG9PJpLxTqKEOaV969UZRxo1ee8rh4_L6BlMLh5ZZmWyOZsybyt9RfvtbmuwiOMUqegNmjAaU8MZ6LetcD0l_FHhwESFLfXGPO5lQCAqo/s1600/pennsatucky.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jA-zVAYF0DWSYYMmhO-4VWUEUZvKBM9QxxnG9PJpLxTqKEOaV969UZRxo1ee8rh4_L6BlMLh5ZZmWyOZsybyt9RfvtbmuwiOMUqegNmjAaU8MZ6LetcD0l_FHhwESFLfXGPO5lQCAqo/s1600/pennsatucky.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitch killed ORANGE</td></tr> </tbody></table> Whether manipulating those around him, or narrating the twists and turns directly to the audience (like Woody Allen, Ferris Beuller... or before them, Sally Field's Gidget), the talented cast falls nicely under his formidable shadow and hypnotic spell: including an injured dog, the white rabbit of the series. Particularly intriguing is Kate Mara as Zoe Barnes, a persistent blogger who, along with a few others, quickly becomes a puppet to the master’s string-pulling genius. And that genius took an intense actor like Spacey to bring to life – without trying very hard. The good ones make the most complicated roles seem all too easy.<br /> <br /> So it’s a breath of fresh air to discover this show after having fallen prey to the woman-in-prison drama/comedy ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, which began splendidly. But since the side-characters took over the ship (especially that annoying brown-toothed tweaker zealot), the eclectic ensemble has completely imploded upon itself, pushing the two best players (Piper and Alex) into a benign backseat. Thus, like Eugine's ruse in THE WALKING DEAD, for the time being Washington D.C. holds the only cure. <b>OVERALL RANK FOR HOUSE OF CARDS CHAPTER ONE: <u>Jedi</u>, Rebel, Droid, Sith...</b>

2013, cable, kevin spacey, politics

BEGINNING A BELATED BINGE ON HOUSE OF CARDS: CHAPTER ONE

2013  rating: **** Who would have thought Secretary of State was that important? Well for Kevin Spacey’s Francis Underwood, a Congress W...