Regular visitors to Crimespree Cinema will have noticed that, in the last couple of months, we have welcomed a new contributor: Rev of Rev-Views.
Rev has offered up summaries of Burn Notice and The Shield.
Rev-View just completed it's first year in existance. If you have not already checked out the blog, you really should. It is filled with excellent, very detailed reviews of shows like The Wire, Burn Notice, The Shield, Dexter, Red Dwarf and a hell of a lot more.
Do yourself a favor and read some of the goodness that Rev offers up.
Showing newest 40 of 48 posts from September 2008. Show older posts
Showing newest 40 of 48 posts from September 2008. Show older posts
Monday, September 29, 2008
Happy Birthday to Rev-Views!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
DVD Review: THIS AMERICAN LIFE: Season one
Showtime Ent./Paramount Home Entertainment
Release date: September 23rd, 2008
MSRP: $19.99
Star: Ira Glass
When I heard that public radio's This American Life was making the leap to Showtime, I was first excited, then a little dubious--rather similar to how I feel when a favorite book becomes a film or a TV series. Would the offbeat show translate well, or would it lose its heart, becoming too commercial and slick? And importantly, would Ira Glass look like Ira Glass sounds? I certainly didn't expect Brad Pitt, but there's a reason that some people do radio.
As it turns out, Glass is every bookish girl's dreamboat, with charmingly rumpled hair and large, owlish glasses. Indeed, This American Life the series is basically identical to WBEZ's radio program in structure and tone--and that's a very good thing. Each half-hour episode presents a small handful of thematically linked stories about people and places that generally aren't headline news. For the most part, Glass and company stay out of the way of the story; which must present a challenge when filming material as diverse and potentially controvertial as liturgical art, lab rats, verbally abusive hot dog stand patrons, dysfunctional families, standup comedy about 9/11, and peeing one's pants on a schoolbus.
Some of the vignettes in the six-episode arc are not for the squeamish--in particular, a story about a pig farm that had a crew member tossing his cookies and swearing off meat forever. I know this is tame stuff by Crimespree Cinema standards...but what about the farmer who cloned his favorite tame pet bull, only to be gored by the genetically engineered offspring in a place that a man would, ahem, least want to be gored? Yeah, that hurts...but the story is still handled with grace and wit, and without a hint of sensationalism.
In short, while This American Life the series shouldn't replace the radio program in viewers' hearts, it is a most excellent companion. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. The next time you binge on crap reality television, consider an hour or two with Glass and company the antidote to the existential angst brought on by, say, Big Brother, Rock of Love, or [shudder] Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. You'll feel better in no time!
Order season one of This American Life from Amazon.
Jill Lynch
For more reviews from Jill, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
DVD Review: CRIMINAL MINDS: season three
CBS/Paramount Home Entertainment
Release date: September 16th, 2008
MSRP: $55.98
Stars: Joe Mantegna,Thomas Gibson, Mathew Grey Gubler, Shemar Moore, Kirsten Vangsness,Paget Brewster, and A.J.Cook
Criminal Minds is the best show I don't regularly watch. Good writing, good acting and some of the strongest characters on tv. But the usual subject matter creeps me out. I know there are people out there that would kill me because the neighborhood cat told them to, but I don't like to dwell on it. Make me twitterpated. Keeps me from sleeping soundly. Bad juju. Well these folk are a team of FBI Profilers who wade around in minds that would make a sewer worker blanch. I just finished season three(yes, all of it. I knew I shouldn't have ratted myself out like that) and I think it's going to be impossible to stay away.
This thing has become so character driven I am practally giddy. Sure I miss Mandy Patinkin. Gideon was a powerful force but Joe Mantegna is holding his own and the rest of the cast, Thomas Gibson, Mathew Grey Gubler, Shemar Moore, Kirsten Vangsness,Paget Brewster, and A.J.Cook have truely stepped up. The powers that be have wisely deduced that if showing Gideons' human side worked then why not show everyones human side. And they have, in spades. Who's pregnant and by whom, who's getting a divorce they don't want, who's been shot, blown up,who's fighting drug addiction at a twelve step meeting, whos' getting their faith back, and who's sleeping with Xander of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although he isn't Xander anymore, he's Kevin).The stories are as strong or stronger than ever but more and more we get to see the toll, and that friends is what I call drama.
So maybe I'll have a bad dream once in a while. This video gold is worth it.
Specials are nothing much.Cut scenes and a gag reel.
Order Criminal Minds from Amazon.
Read Jon's review of season one.
Read Lee's review of season two.
Lee Crawford
For more reviews from Lee, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tom Hanks to bring James Ellroy to HBO.
Celebrated actor Tom Hanks will be tackling the work of James Ellroy for HBO.
Hanks' production company, Playtone, is coming off of tremendous success with the HBO mini'series John Adams. They will bring Ellroy's American Tabloid and, it's sequel The Cold Six Thousand, to the same channel.
"We are behind, and below, the scenes of JFK's presidential election, the Bay of Pigs, the assassination--in the underworld that connects Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, D.C. . . .
Where the CIA, the Mob, J. Edgar Hoover, Howard Hughes, Jimmy Hoffa, Cuban political exiles, and various loose cannons conspire in a covert anarchy . . .
Where the right drugs, the right amount of cash, the right murder, buys a moment of a man's loyalty . . .
Where three renegade law-enforcement officers--a former L.A. cop and two FBI agents--are shaping events with the virulence of their greed and hatred, riding full-blast shotgun into history. . . . "
Kirk Ellis will adapt the novels. Ellis was the writer for John Adams and will be bringing David McCullough's 1776 to HBO as well. McCullough was the author the John Adams bio that the mini-series was based on. Ellis has a fair amount of experience in adapting literary material for film and television.
According to the Variety peice, it has not been decided whether this will be a mini-series or a regular show.
This sounds fantastic. The Adams mini-series was very well done and I can't help but think that this shows promise. Kudos to HBO for continuining to offer the public quality programming.
Ellroy is the author of over a dozen novels, including L.A. Confidential and The Black Dahlia.
After French film success, Hollywood wants Coben.
With the French film of Tell No One doing well, U.S. filmmakers have decided they want the words of Harlen Coben.
Plum Pictures has purchased the film rights to Coben's bestseller, The Innocent.
"The horror of one night is forever etched in Matt Hunter's memory; the night he innocently tried to break up a fight-and ended up a killer. Now nine years after his release from prison, his innocence long forgotten, he's an ex-con who takes nothing for granted. With his wife Olivia pregnant and the two of them closing on a house in his home town, things are looking up. Until the day Matt gets a shocking, inexplicable video call from Olivia's phone. And in an instant, the unraveling begins.
A mysterious man who begins tailing Matt turns up dead. A beloved nun is murdered. And local and federal authorities--including homicide investigator, Loren Muse, a childhood schoolmate of Matt's with a troubled past of her own--see all signs pointing to a former criminal with one murder already under his belt... Matt Hunter. Unwilling to lose everything for a second time, Matt and Olivia are forced outside the law in a desperate attempt to save their future together.
An electrifying thrill-ride of a novel that peeks behind the white picket fences of suburbia, THE INNOCENT is at once a twisting, turning, emotionally-charged story, and a compelling tale of the choices we make and the repercussions that never leave us."
Plum Pictures generally produces smaller budget films, with budgets generally maxing out at two million.
They will be producing a film based on Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, which will star Julie Stiles.
Earlier this year, Harlan sold the television rights for his series character Myron Bolitar.
CBS buys television rights to Judi McCoy series.
Variety is reporting that CBS has purchased the rights to Judi McCoy's Hounding the Pavement.
Hounding the Pavement, due out in May of 2009, is set in New York and features Ellie Engleman. a dogwalker. When her client is killed, Ellie works to find out who did it.
Hy Conrad has been hired to adapt the series for the small screen. Conrad has acted as a writer, producer and editor on the USA series Monk.
The Shield - 704 - Genocide
If there is one thing you can predict about The Shield it's that it will be unpredictable, just when you think the landscape is set and everything is in place one small detail arrives that changes everything. Genocide is one of those episodes, saving it's big twist for just the right moment.
So, Vic and Shane are continuing to play the Armenians and the Mexicans off against each other but it's clear that the cracks in their web of deceit are beginning to show. Pezula is desperate to get his hands back on the blackmail box while Razien wants to end the war by proving that he doesn't have the box. As Vic is the only person telling Pezula that Razien has it this is a disaster for both of them (and Ronnie), so Vic manipulates Acevada into using the box to blackmail a councilman into a situation that would make Pezula and the Mexicans think that the Armenians are using the box. An Armenian genocide remembrance day event. But Pezula is acting beyond the boundaries Vic expects and the councilman is shot and killed.
But Vic's problems do not stop at his work and extra curricular activities, his home life is also spiralling away from him - Cassidy is a clearly troubled child who has begun to see the her father's true face. Not only that but her concerns are contagious, just talking to Danny has sown the seeds of doubt for them both and Danny choose to lawyer up in order to keep him away from her and Lee's personal lives. A wise move, but one that Vic really doesn't need to deal with right now.
Back at the Barn Dutch and Billings are called out for an intruder shooting that appears to be clean. But Dutch's keen detective insight and natural instincts tell him that things are not quite as they seem to be. It's clear that Billings is beginning to bond with Dutch because this week he's willing to trust Dutch's instincts and follow his lead. While it's not totally clear if Dutch is right or not, there isn't enough evidence to prove otherwise; but failed cases have a habit of coming back to haunt Dutch so it's possible that this storyline isn't over yet.
The biggest punch that this episode delivers occurs right at the end, after the shooting Acevada meets up with Vic and reveals that the ground underneath their feet isn't as stable as they thought. In fact there is no ground, they're in free fall and the end is looking a lot like a bullet for each of them. It turns out that the ICE agent Olivia is in Pezula's blackmail box and she knows enough to bring the entire house of cards down directly onto Vic and David's heads...
Check out Rev's longer write-up.
Read More......
So, Vic and Shane are continuing to play the Armenians and the Mexicans off against each other but it's clear that the cracks in their web of deceit are beginning to show. Pezula is desperate to get his hands back on the blackmail box while Razien wants to end the war by proving that he doesn't have the box. As Vic is the only person telling Pezula that Razien has it this is a disaster for both of them (and Ronnie), so Vic manipulates Acevada into using the box to blackmail a councilman into a situation that would make Pezula and the Mexicans think that the Armenians are using the box. An Armenian genocide remembrance day event. But Pezula is acting beyond the boundaries Vic expects and the councilman is shot and killed.
But Vic's problems do not stop at his work and extra curricular activities, his home life is also spiralling away from him - Cassidy is a clearly troubled child who has begun to see the her father's true face. Not only that but her concerns are contagious, just talking to Danny has sown the seeds of doubt for them both and Danny choose to lawyer up in order to keep him away from her and Lee's personal lives. A wise move, but one that Vic really doesn't need to deal with right now.
Back at the Barn Dutch and Billings are called out for an intruder shooting that appears to be clean. But Dutch's keen detective insight and natural instincts tell him that things are not quite as they seem to be. It's clear that Billings is beginning to bond with Dutch because this week he's willing to trust Dutch's instincts and follow his lead. While it's not totally clear if Dutch is right or not, there isn't enough evidence to prove otherwise; but failed cases have a habit of coming back to haunt Dutch so it's possible that this storyline isn't over yet.
The biggest punch that this episode delivers occurs right at the end, after the shooting Acevada meets up with Vic and reveals that the ground underneath their feet isn't as stable as they thought. In fact there is no ground, they're in free fall and the end is looking a lot like a bullet for each of them. It turns out that the ICE agent Olivia is in Pezula's blackmail box and she knows enough to bring the entire house of cards down directly onto Vic and David's heads...
Check out Rev's longer write-up.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Valkyrie poster online.
Here is a poster for the upcoming Tom Cruise film, Valkyrie.
While it being a Tom Cruise movie might not be a reason to pay attention, the fact that it is the reunion of the writer (Christopher McQuarrie) and director (Bryan Singer) of The Usual Suspects might be.
Superstar Tom Cruise heads an international cast as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the aristocratic German officer who led the heroic attempt to bring down the Nazi regime and end the war by planting a bomb in Hitler's bunker. The "July 20 Plot" on Hitler's life is one of the most heroic but least known episodes of World War Two. Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg returns from Africa to join the German Resistance and help create Operation Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler's once he is dead. But fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edged central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation's government... He must kill Hitler himself.
Valkyrie also stars Bill Nighy, Stephen Fry, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp and Eddie Izzard.
Valkyrie lands in theaters on Dec 26th.
Read More......
DVD Review: BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY: Special Edition
MGM Home Entertainment
Release date: September 2nd, 2008
MSRP: $14.98
Director: James Bridges
Stars: Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, Swoosie Kurtz, Dianne Wiest
Jay McInerney’s 1984 book Bright Lights, Big City garnered considerable praise when it was originally released. Like many other titles of the time, it was about the drug-fueled have a good time lifestyle of the 80s. Unlike titles such as Less than Zero, McInerney managed to deliver a certain level of emotion and humor.
While Jay handled the screenplay himself, something went wrong on the way to the silver screen.
Much of the aforementioned warmth was lost in the translation to the big screen. As a result, I found myself not really caring about these characters.
The film went through a few directors, with some footage actually being scrapped. That kind of chaos could not have helped.
Jamie Conway (Michael J. Fox) does fact checking for a high profile magazine by day, while numbing his pain at night by partying it up in New York clubs and snorting massive amounts of cocaine.
While he certainly has reasons to be depressed (His wife recently dumped him, and his mother passed from cancer a year earlier), I did not feel enough of a connection to care what happened to him. If you don’t care about the characters, it is hard for a movie to resonate with you.
Having just slapped the film around, I have to say that those that disagree with me, will be rather pleased with the extras:
Two commentary tracks are included, McInerney offers up a track that is entertaining, but could have been better had Jay had somebody to interact with. Jay’s humor and intelligence does come through here, and that makes this track engaging.
The second track is very nice: Director of Photography Gordon Willis not only talks about the making of the film, but also gives us a lesion in filmmaking and cinematography. Even if one is not a fan of the film, this track is almost worth buying. As a big film buff, I found much of it quite fascinating.
Big City Lights clocks in a little under 15 minutes and talks about the culture of the 80s and how the source material captured it.
We are also treated to an interview with McInerney. While it is interesting, much of it repeats things from his commentary track.
Looking back at what I have written here, it certainly sounds harsher than I intended. Many will enjoy the film, but those that liked the book will likely feel it comes up short.
Order Bright Lights, Big City
Jeremy Lynch
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Lisa Unger sells new novel.
Lisa Unger has sold the film rights to her latest novel, Black Out.
"On the surface, Annie Powers’s life in a wealthy Floridian suburb is happy and idyllic. Her husband, Gray, loves her fiercely; together, they dote on their beautiful young daughter, Victory. But the bubble surrounding Annie is pricked when she senses that the demons of her past have resurfaced and, to her horror, are now creeping up on her. These are demons she can’t fully recall because of a highly dissociative state that allowed her to forget the tragic and violent episodes of her earlier life as Ophelia March and to start over, under the loving and protective eye of Gray, as Annie Powers. Disturbing events—the appearance of a familiar dark figure on the beach, the mysterious murder of her psychologist—trigger strange and confusing memories for Annie, who realizes she has to quickly piece them together before her past comes to claim her future and her daughter."
Barbara De Fina, Austin Chick and Andrew Kletjian are the purchasers.
Chick will write and direct. His previous work includes uncredited work on Before the Devil knows your dead, and is the director of the upcoming August, staring Josh Hartnett.
Read More......
"On the surface, Annie Powers’s life in a wealthy Floridian suburb is happy and idyllic. Her husband, Gray, loves her fiercely; together, they dote on their beautiful young daughter, Victory. But the bubble surrounding Annie is pricked when she senses that the demons of her past have resurfaced and, to her horror, are now creeping up on her. These are demons she can’t fully recall because of a highly dissociative state that allowed her to forget the tragic and violent episodes of her earlier life as Ophelia March and to start over, under the loving and protective eye of Gray, as Annie Powers. Disturbing events—the appearance of a familiar dark figure on the beach, the mysterious murder of her psychologist—trigger strange and confusing memories for Annie, who realizes she has to quickly piece them together before her past comes to claim her future and her daughter."
Barbara De Fina, Austin Chick and Andrew Kletjian are the purchasers.
Chick will write and direct. His previous work includes uncredited work on Before the Devil knows your dead, and is the director of the upcoming August, staring Josh Hartnett.
Hollywood embracing more Bruen.
Seveal months ago, I mentioned that Ken Bruen had a novel (London Boulevard) optioned for film.
Now word comes that more Hollywood folk are realizing just how good the words of Mr. Bruen can be.
Variety is reporting that Bruen's Blitz is looking to come to a theater near you.
"In the fast-moving follow-up to the White Trilogy, the south-east London police squad are suffering collective burnout: with tragic deaths, excessive habits, uncontrollable anger and the wrong kind of friendships, the team never had it so bad. When a serial killer takes his show on the road, things get progressively worse. Nicknamed 'The Blitz,' a vicious murderer is aiming for tabloid glory by killing cops. Harold Dunphy, Ace crime reporter, thinks he's on to the story of the decade, and the police have all the incentive they need to catch their criminal - before they get caught first! "
Elliott Lester will direct. Lester's debut film, Love is a Drug, got generally favorable reviews when released in 06. Prior to film, he worked on commericals and music videos.
The screenplay comes from Nathan Parker. Parker recently wrote Moon, a film that is being direct by David Bowie's son.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Blu-ray review: TRANSFORMERS (2 disc version)
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release date: September 2nd, 2008
MSRP: $39.98
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Jon Voight
I never played with Tranformers. I never watched the cartoons or even knew the names of any of the auto-bots. I was a little old for it (Now if they had a Micronauts movie, I would so be there!).
So when they announced a Transformers movie was going to be made, I barely paid attention to it.
But having recently sat down and watched the film, I have to say I am impressed with the loud, flashy spectacle that is The Transformers movie.
Is it a great movie? Not at all. There is actually more than a few issues with the film (overly complex, one might even say convoluted story, questionable casting choices), but it is an entertaining popcorn flick.
While Michael Bay is not particularly high on my list of directors, he does a good job of bringing the flash and bang. Bay seems to excel in the area of special effects and high action films. He offers films that might not stand the test of time as quality, but at the moment delight filmgoers.
If it sounds like I am damning him with faint praise, I don’t really mean it that way. He has a gift and a proven broad appeal as his films have done over two BILLION dollars worldwide. Hard to argue with that level of success.
There are two types of transformers: the autobots, which are the good guys and the decepticons, the baddies.
Shiah Lebouf plays Sam, the great-grandson of a scientist that discovered the All-Spark, a device that is important to the transformers. It will turn almost anything into a robot. The decepticons want to use it to take over the earth and wipe out humanity.
The autobots sends Bumblebee to protect Sam, while the Deceptions want to pound the shit out of him.
Each side is trying to locate the All-Spark. When both sides converge on the site of the All-Spark, Tranformer carnage ensues.
This is exactly the kind of film that shines when seen in HD. The action scenes are breathtaking (and so is the HD vision of Megan Fox’s midriff). The level of detail is amazing; the desert scenes are incredible, the now clear details of the robots as well as the obligatory explosions.
I confess that I am unable to fully embrace the audio, as my speaker system is not pimped out enough for me to get the total effect. But even on my meager system, the sound envelops the viewer.
Extras:
All of the featurettes from DVD versions are here, along with some new ones.
Director Michael Bay provides a solid commentary track. He goes into quite a bit of detail on the development of the film, as well as providing some entertaining acendotes. True Geeks will eat this up.
Other highlights include: Our World, a 50 minute documentary that looks at the toys and the evolution of the project, with comments from reps of Hasbro (Maker of the toys), Exec producer Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, the writers as well as the cast crew. This goes well beyond the usual behind the scenes puff piece.
Their War runs a little over one hour and looks at the robots. Again, we have folks from Hasbro, this time talking about the origins of the Autobots. We are treated to test footage and designs of the bots, as well as the creation of the some of the cooler sequences.
Serious fans of the movie (and toys) will have a blast with both the transfer of the film as well as the extras. A considerable amount of time was put into this set and it is well worth picking up. Even if you already own the DVD version, this is as good a case for upgrading as can be made.
Order Transformers Blu-ray from Amazon.
Jeremy
For more reviews from myself, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
Read More......
So when they announced a Transformers movie was going to be made, I barely paid attention to it.
But having recently sat down and watched the film, I have to say I am impressed with the loud, flashy spectacle that is The Transformers movie.
Is it a great movie? Not at all. There is actually more than a few issues with the film (overly complex, one might even say convoluted story, questionable casting choices), but it is an entertaining popcorn flick.
While Michael Bay is not particularly high on my list of directors, he does a good job of bringing the flash and bang. Bay seems to excel in the area of special effects and high action films. He offers films that might not stand the test of time as quality, but at the moment delight filmgoers.
If it sounds like I am damning him with faint praise, I don’t really mean it that way. He has a gift and a proven broad appeal as his films have done over two BILLION dollars worldwide. Hard to argue with that level of success.
There are two types of transformers: the autobots, which are the good guys and the decepticons, the baddies.
Shiah Lebouf plays Sam, the great-grandson of a scientist that discovered the All-Spark, a device that is important to the transformers. It will turn almost anything into a robot. The decepticons want to use it to take over the earth and wipe out humanity.
The autobots sends Bumblebee to protect Sam, while the Deceptions want to pound the shit out of him.
Each side is trying to locate the All-Spark. When both sides converge on the site of the All-Spark, Tranformer carnage ensues.
This is exactly the kind of film that shines when seen in HD. The action scenes are breathtaking (and so is the HD vision of Megan Fox’s midriff). The level of detail is amazing; the desert scenes are incredible, the now clear details of the robots as well as the obligatory explosions.
I confess that I am unable to fully embrace the audio, as my speaker system is not pimped out enough for me to get the total effect. But even on my meager system, the sound envelops the viewer.
Extras:
All of the featurettes from DVD versions are here, along with some new ones.
Director Michael Bay provides a solid commentary track. He goes into quite a bit of detail on the development of the film, as well as providing some entertaining acendotes. True Geeks will eat this up.
Other highlights include: Our World, a 50 minute documentary that looks at the toys and the evolution of the project, with comments from reps of Hasbro (Maker of the toys), Exec producer Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, the writers as well as the cast crew. This goes well beyond the usual behind the scenes puff piece.
Their War runs a little over one hour and looks at the robots. Again, we have folks from Hasbro, this time talking about the origins of the Autobots. We are treated to test footage and designs of the bots, as well as the creation of the some of the cooler sequences.
Serious fans of the movie (and toys) will have a blast with both the transfer of the film as well as the extras. A considerable amount of time was put into this set and it is well worth picking up. Even if you already own the DVD version, this is as good a case for upgrading as can be made.
Order Transformers Blu-ray from Amazon.
Jeremy
For more reviews from myself, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
Burn Notice - 209 - Good Soldier
I got seriously hampered and delayed with writing this one, it also didn't help that the break for the US Open threw me off my rhythm with the show. That was a pretty poor choice from USA imo, when you've only got 2 episodes left you should just show the damn things instead of delaying them. It really dampened my enthusiasm for writing about the show. But one must power on, so here goes.
"Burn Notice comes to an exciting conclusion with the half season mini-finale "Good Soldier". After the previous episode Michael felt he had all the pieces of the jigsaw and could solve the mystery of what Carla's had him doing and why. But in order to do this it's going to require surveillance, cue Sam who gets to spend his time eating and watching Carla go for long swims. In some ways this is a bit of a shame because Burn Notice often rises to it's best performances with Sam is involved heavily in the plot, last season's two parter for example was gut punching in comparison to this one mostly because Sam was put into a seriously dangerous position and Bruce got to pull 'the full Campbell' while tied to a chair. (Get back on plot.) Michael finds out that there is a sniper perch in the key card building and the target appears to involve the ferry, but there's no way of finding out who might be on that ferry at any time so it's time to watch the lady spy.
While undertaking the surveillance Fi comes to visit Michael with her boyfriend Campbell (sometimes I think they named the character Campbell just to cause problems for people who write about the show) and he has a favour to ask of Michael. Michael's reactions around Fi and Campbell are always priceless and this episode is no exception, Jeffery Donovan is a seriously accomplished actor who's shown a wide range of entertaining performances over this series and "Good Soldiers" features multiple showcase scenes for him. Campbell has a friend who's in trouble, Michael is unwilling to take the job at first but agrees after it becomes apparent that Fi will fly solo on it if he refuses.
So Michael ends up juggling the need to keep an eye on Carla against his latest case, which involves the head of a security firm who is being pressured into allowing a client to be kidnapped. Michael inserts himself into the firm as a suitable stoolie and we get performance number two from him as he plays up being an alcoholic divorcee. His aim is to make the job look so difficult that they will call it off. To do this he brings his brother Nate and Sam in to act as support security. Which gets the kidnappers to change tack, they want Michael to perform the kidnapping himself.
The only way to get out of this now is to convince the kidnappers that Michael has no fear, and this results in performance piece number three. Where Jeffery plays a man who's found religion and has no fear, it's a great pair of scenes where Michael rants about salvation and confession then later turns up like some avenging crusader filled with fire and wrath to foil the entire kidnapping. Meanwhile Carla sets up Nate and has him arrested to teach Michael a lesson about using key cards he shouldn't have.
With this done the guys turn their attention fully to Carla and spend time observing her directly at the docks. Not very subtly either if I'm honest, but it becomes clear with some solid physical acting from Tricia Helfer that Carla is aware they are there and has lured them away while the job goes down. Michael spots the other agents, twigs that something is up and the team splits. Sam is to check on the sniper while Michael makes like a tree with Fi running interference. We get an exciting car/motorbike chase with crashes and Michael sliding under a semi's trailer before escaping from Carla back to his house. Where Sam phones him with some bad news, Bill Thompson - the sniper - is dead. His house has been blown up with explosives, Michael realises what this means for him just as he opens the door. Cue explosion and "To Be Continued..."
It's a solid little episode that provides a little mystery and suspense. But the big issue with the cliffhanger is this: I know Michael's OK, you know Michael's OK and if the writers of Burn Notice wanted to really have us worried they should have put one of the other characters into Michael's situation instead. If Fi, Sam or Madeline had been hit with a booby trap explosion we really would be left worrying that they might not make it. As it is I'm looking forward to the remaining Burn Notice episodes, but I'm not exactly on the edge of my seat waiting."
Rev
Read More......
"Burn Notice comes to an exciting conclusion with the half season mini-finale "Good Soldier". After the previous episode Michael felt he had all the pieces of the jigsaw and could solve the mystery of what Carla's had him doing and why. But in order to do this it's going to require surveillance, cue Sam who gets to spend his time eating and watching Carla go for long swims. In some ways this is a bit of a shame because Burn Notice often rises to it's best performances with Sam is involved heavily in the plot, last season's two parter for example was gut punching in comparison to this one mostly because Sam was put into a seriously dangerous position and Bruce got to pull 'the full Campbell' while tied to a chair. (Get back on plot.) Michael finds out that there is a sniper perch in the key card building and the target appears to involve the ferry, but there's no way of finding out who might be on that ferry at any time so it's time to watch the lady spy.
While undertaking the surveillance Fi comes to visit Michael with her boyfriend Campbell (sometimes I think they named the character Campbell just to cause problems for people who write about the show) and he has a favour to ask of Michael. Michael's reactions around Fi and Campbell are always priceless and this episode is no exception, Jeffery Donovan is a seriously accomplished actor who's shown a wide range of entertaining performances over this series and "Good Soldiers" features multiple showcase scenes for him. Campbell has a friend who's in trouble, Michael is unwilling to take the job at first but agrees after it becomes apparent that Fi will fly solo on it if he refuses.
So Michael ends up juggling the need to keep an eye on Carla against his latest case, which involves the head of a security firm who is being pressured into allowing a client to be kidnapped. Michael inserts himself into the firm as a suitable stoolie and we get performance number two from him as he plays up being an alcoholic divorcee. His aim is to make the job look so difficult that they will call it off. To do this he brings his brother Nate and Sam in to act as support security. Which gets the kidnappers to change tack, they want Michael to perform the kidnapping himself.
The only way to get out of this now is to convince the kidnappers that Michael has no fear, and this results in performance piece number three. Where Jeffery plays a man who's found religion and has no fear, it's a great pair of scenes where Michael rants about salvation and confession then later turns up like some avenging crusader filled with fire and wrath to foil the entire kidnapping. Meanwhile Carla sets up Nate and has him arrested to teach Michael a lesson about using key cards he shouldn't have.
With this done the guys turn their attention fully to Carla and spend time observing her directly at the docks. Not very subtly either if I'm honest, but it becomes clear with some solid physical acting from Tricia Helfer that Carla is aware they are there and has lured them away while the job goes down. Michael spots the other agents, twigs that something is up and the team splits. Sam is to check on the sniper while Michael makes like a tree with Fi running interference. We get an exciting car/motorbike chase with crashes and Michael sliding under a semi's trailer before escaping from Carla back to his house. Where Sam phones him with some bad news, Bill Thompson - the sniper - is dead. His house has been blown up with explosives, Michael realises what this means for him just as he opens the door. Cue explosion and "To Be Continued..."
It's a solid little episode that provides a little mystery and suspense. But the big issue with the cliffhanger is this: I know Michael's OK, you know Michael's OK and if the writers of Burn Notice wanted to really have us worried they should have put one of the other characters into Michael's situation instead. If Fi, Sam or Madeline had been hit with a booby trap explosion we really would be left worrying that they might not make it. As it is I'm looking forward to the remaining Burn Notice episodes, but I'm not exactly on the edge of my seat waiting."
Rev
Monday, September 22, 2008
DVD Review: CHUCK: The Complete First Season
Warner Bros. Home Video
Release date: Sept 16th, 2008
MSRP: $39.98
Stars: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster, Adam Baldwin
Five years after his friend and roommate Bryce Larkin got him expelled from Stanford, Chuck Bartowski (Levi) heads the repair team at an electronics store and lives back home with his sister Ellie (Lancaster). The night of his birthday, Chuck receives an e-mail from Bryce (now with the CIA) downloading into Chuck's brain the encrypted contents of an intelligence-gathering mainframe Bryce has just destroyed. CIA agent Sarah Walker (Strahovski) and NSA agent John Casey (Baldwin) are sent to recover the information but end up undercover as Chuck's new girlfriend and co-worker respectively. They help Chuck interpret random flashes of information and thwart various terror plots.
Created by Josh Schwartz (The O.C.) and Chris Fedak and exec-produced by McG, the show juggles workplace humor, escapist action, and romantic comedy. Not all the elements work in a given episode, but one of them is usually worth watching. Chuck is the classic well-intentioned introvert. As much as Sarah and Casey grow to like him, they must weigh their feelings against their agencies' plans for Chuck once the mainframe is rebuilt.
Thirteen episodes aired before the writers strike interrupted, but NBC has ordered a full 22-episode second season to begin Monday, September 29. I recommend sampling Season 2 of Chuck. If you enjoy it, you'll want Season 1 for background. The four-disc first season set includes deleted scenes, a roundtable with Josh Schwartz, Chris Fedak, Zachary Levi, and Joshua Gomez, character profiles and casting sessions, a gag reel, and a gallery of Web-originated material.
Gerald So
Stars: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster, Adam Baldwin
Five years after his friend and roommate Bryce Larkin got him expelled from Stanford, Chuck Bartowski (Levi) heads the repair team at an electronics store and lives back home with his sister Ellie (Lancaster). The night of his birthday, Chuck receives an e-mail from Bryce (now with the CIA) downloading into Chuck's brain the encrypted contents of an intelligence-gathering mainframe Bryce has just destroyed. CIA agent Sarah Walker (Strahovski) and NSA agent John Casey (Baldwin) are sent to recover the information but end up undercover as Chuck's new girlfriend and co-worker respectively. They help Chuck interpret random flashes of information and thwart various terror plots.
Created by Josh Schwartz (The O.C.) and Chris Fedak and exec-produced by McG, the show juggles workplace humor, escapist action, and romantic comedy. Not all the elements work in a given episode, but one of them is usually worth watching. Chuck is the classic well-intentioned introvert. As much as Sarah and Casey grow to like him, they must weigh their feelings against their agencies' plans for Chuck once the mainframe is rebuilt.
Thirteen episodes aired before the writers strike interrupted, but NBC has ordered a full 22-episode second season to begin Monday, September 29. I recommend sampling Season 2 of Chuck. If you enjoy it, you'll want Season 1 for background. The four-disc first season set includes deleted scenes, a roundtable with Josh Schwartz, Chris Fedak, Zachary Levi, and Joshua Gomez, character profiles and casting sessions, a gag reel, and a gallery of Web-originated material.
Gerald So
For more of Gerald's thoughts and observations, check out his blog: If you want to know about my Life...
For more reviews from Gerald, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
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For more reviews from Gerald, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Harris offers thoughts on Appaloosa sequel.
Despite the film not actually being released yet, there is already talk of a sequel to Appaloosa.
Writer/Director/Star Ed Harris mentioned it while talking to MTV:
“Parker wrote two sequels to this, which I think could be combined into a sequel,”
The Parker he is referring to is Iconic mystery writer Robert B. Parker. While Parker is best known for his Spenser novels, he has written two books with these characters and has another on the way.
“[The sequel would focus on the] same characters: Cole, Allie (Renee Zellweger), and Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) pretty much…Allie runs off with some other guy. Cole tracks this guy down and shoots him, in cold-blooded murder. And then he goes and finds Hitch in this town, and they go partner up and they go to find Allie in Texas somewhere.”
Appaloosa will land in theaters, nationwide, on October 3rd.
Read More......
Elementary, my dear Jude?
A few weeks ago, the buzz was that Russell Crowe would be playing Watson to Downey’s Holmes.
Personally, I thought this was a dreadful idea. Fortunately it was debunked pretty quickly.
Now word comes that two-time Oscar nominee Jude Law (Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley) is in final negotiations to play the kindly doctor.
I rather like the idea of Law, I think he and RD jr. could have some nice chemistry.
Not to mention that he, unlike Crowe, would not have Watson being much bigger than Holmes.
As was previously mentioned, Guy Ritchie will be directing this update of Doyle's iconic detective. Holmes will still use his mind, but also showcase his more physical skills as well.
Filming is supposed to start, in London, in mid October,
The Shield - 703 - Money Shot
"Money Shot, latest episode of The Shield continues to deepen the ravine which Vic, Shane and Ronnie have found themselves trapped. The fabric of lies around which Vic's life is constructed has never looked thinner but it seems Vic himself is still oblivious to how precarious his situation really is. As usual Vic's family life interferes and it's up to Shane to come through with the guns that Rizen wants.
This week's episode focuses mostly on the strike team, Vic decides to directly approach the Armenian kingpin Rizen so he can manipulate both the Armenians and gain tighter control over Shane. It's a high risk move because now the Armenians are aware of who exactly Vic is, Rizen didn't know him by site before this week. This means Vic is now in direct contact with both gangs, potentially one side could realise he's playing them off against the other with a chance spot. Meanwhile, the rest of the strike team is struggling to perform decent police work. Ronnie and Julien are forced to follow up an investigation into a drug dealing porn merchant undermanned. A situation which literally bites Ronnie when he's attacked by a guard dog after being required to enter a house without the support of the complete strike team.
It's clear by the end of the episode that Ronnie is tired of the entire thing, in the final scene he turns to Vic and makes it very clear that he can barely stomach being around Shane. While Vic seems somewhat oblivious to the true nature of the situation he's dug himself into Ronnie is under no such illusions and he tells Vic just as much. It's clear that Ronnie is beginning to think less and less of Vic and now more than ever he regrets the things that have happened.
Elsewhere in the Barn Dutch and Billings are assigned to a missing persons case, a young girl has reported her friend missing. The family on the other hand claim that Wan (the girl) is not missing, Billings is content with this but Dutch feels there is something wrong. When Wan turns up again it becomes clear that she was abducted and sexually assaulted, this is one of Billings's hot buttons (he's a father himself as he told Vic previously) and it sparks him into action. Eventually it becomes clear that the girl was abducted and sexually realigned at the wishes of her brother, the family was shamed by her homosexual leanings. This results in one of those bleak scenes The Shield is so good at delivering, where Wan's friend (and clearly lover) turns up concerned but is driven away by Wan. Ironically it seems that the terrible treatment Wan suffered has managed to achieve exactly what was intended. It's a black story that draws strong comparisons with Julien's own journey earlier in the season, it's something of a shame Julien wasn't involved in it - but it seems the writers of the show have decided to forget about Julien's sexual struggles these days.
Money Shot is a great little episode with plenty for every character to do, after last week's comparatively weak strike team story it's good to see the show back to it's strengths. All three stories were solid, but the most powerful performances came once again from the David's (Rees Snell & Marciano) with Ronnie providing the bleak reality of their situation direct to Vic in a powerful scene and Billings delivering the comedy for contrast elsewhere."
Read Rev's extended review.
Lee takes a look at Fox's Fringe.
With so many new shows debuting this month, it is hard to decide what is worth a look and what it not. Lee decided take a minute to give us a heads up on a show he thinks might be worth checking out.
One to watch is Fringe(Fox)starring Anna Torv as FBI agent Olivia Dunham who is launched into a nightmare Alice in Wonderland world of fringe science (hence the title) when her partner/lover John Scott, Mark Valley of Boston Legal, is striken with something that is disolving him the same as it did a plane load of people which is the case they are investigating.
She pulls out all the stops to save him. Her best bet is Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), the only problem being he has been in the looney bin for the past seventeen years and can only be seen by a relative and his only relative is an also brilliant but ne'er-do-well son Peter (Joshua Jackson, Dawsons Creek) who if he never sees the old man again will be all the happier. She browbeats and blackmails him into seeing reason.
Lance Reddick (The Wire) plays the Homeland Security big wig who thinks the team should stay together. It's part X-Files, part Outer Limits and part Barney Miller for humor, supplied by Noble's Walter who is taken with the changes in the world he has been out of for so long. His fasination with a car seat heater is a hoot; "It warms you ass, have you tried one?"
The Pilot was good and the first episode was better. This one shows some real promise.
Lee Crawford
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Rat Pack coming to be theaters?
Frankie, Dean, Sammy and co may be heading back to the silver screen.
Iconic Crime writer Robert Randisi has sold the films rights to Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime to Sandy Hackett, son of the late comedian Buddy Hackett.
The novel features the legendary Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop) and is set in Vegas in 1960. The story centers around threatening letters that being sent to Dean Martin. The pack assisted by pit boss Eddie Gianelli, work to figure out who is sending them.
The novel is the first in a series, with the fourth being slated for 2009.
Sandy has appeared in handful of films and television series over the years, and recently started to work behind the camera as a producer. My own memory of him is as the MC of a wet t-shirt contest in Hot Dog: the movie.
Hackett also stars as Joey Bishop in the Vegas show The Rat Pack is Back.
It was through that show that Bob and Sandy became acquainted.
Bob: “I needed an opening for the third book, which is usually set in the present before we flashback to 1960's Vegas. I decided to have 80 year old Eddie attend a Rat Pack tribute show. I checked on the web to see which show might be the best and I found The Rat Pack is Back, the Vegas show Sandy Hackett writes and produces, in which he plays Joey. I emailed Sandy, who was on the road with the show in South Carolina. He got back to me and said he'd love to appear in the book. We spoke on the phone. I sent him the first two to read and he loved them. He decided he'd like to option the first book. It took some time to put together, but Sandy is as crazy about the Rat Pack as I am.”
When asked about the novel, Sandy said “In an original recipe of mystery, murder and intrigue so well that you could just as easy believe you were reading a historical account of events transpired”
He was equally generous with his praise when talking about Bob, “he is a bright guy,
and has a great sense of humor. If he wasn't a writer I imagine he would have gone into the clergy.”
Father Bob… that puts a rather interesting image in my head.
Randisi is the author of over 500 novels, as well as being the founder of the Private Eye Writers of America.
He has been hired to write the screenplay, something that will be a first for him.
The goal is to begin filming in January of 2010, which would be exactly 50 years after the book (Which takes place in Jan of 1960).
Ben Affleck looks, once again, to the crime genre for material.
After getting praise for his take on Dennis Lehane's Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck is looking at the work of Chuck Hogan for his second directorial effort.
Affleck is currently in negotiations to direct, and star, in The Town, based on Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan.
"Charlestown, a blue-collar Boston neighborhood, produces more bank robbers and armored car thieves than any square mile in the world. In this gripping, intricately plotted thriller, Claire Keesey, the branch manager for a Boston bank and one of an influx of young professionals chipping away at the neighborhood's insularity, is taken hostage during a robbery. She is released, but Doug MacRay, the brains behind the tough, tight-knit crew of thieves, can't get her out of his mind. Tracking her down without his mask and gun, Doug introduces himself, and as soon as he and Claire meet, their mutual attraction is undeniable -- as are the risks of a relationship.
Meanwhile, Doug's crew pulls off another audacious, meticulously planned job. Frustrated by their ingenuity and brazen ambition, FBI Agent Adam Frawley begins to zero in on Doug and his pals -- and against his own better judgment, he, too, develops more than a professional interest in Claire.
Under pressure from Frawley's ever-closer investigation, Doug imagines a life for himself away from bank robberies and Charlestown. But before that can happen, the crew learns that there may be a way to rob Boston's venerable baseball stadium, Fenway Park. It's a magnificently dangerous and utterly irresistible opportunity -- yet for Doug, pursuing his former hostage may be the most dangerous act of all..."
As the summary says, this story is set in Boston (same as Gone Baby Gone) where Affleck is from.
If he signs on, Affleck will also do a rewrite of the screenplay.
HBO orders second season of True Blood.
HBO has ordered a second season of True Blood, the series based on the novels of Charlaine Harris.
Anna Paquin stars as telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse and Stephen Moyer is Bill Compton, her vampire boyfriend.
The series debut netted over four million viewers and the ratings increased for the second episode.
The series is set in Lousiana in a world where vampires are out in the open, thanks to a synthetic blood drink (Tru Blood) that allows them to exist without munching humans.
Read More......
TNT renews two dramas.
TNT has ordered new seasons of Raising the Bar and Saving Grace.
Raising the Bar, a new legal series by Steven Bochco, has aired three episodes and is averaging over five million viewers.
Saving Grace averaged 4.4 million viewers during the first half of its second season. Grace stars Oscar-winner Holly Hunter as an Oklahoma City homicide cop...with an angel.
Both shows will see the new seasons air next year.
Rian Johnson to tackle sci-fi next.
After taking on the hardboiled and con man genres, writer/director Rian Johnson is planning on heading into sci-fi.
Johnson, the creator of Brick and the forthcoming The Brothers Bloom, has announced his next project will be Looper.
"Looper is set in a present-day world in which a group of hitmen are sent their victims from the future."
According to Johnson, he is currently writing the screenplay.
The Brothers Bloom will land in theaters on Jan 16th.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Teran's Bullet seeing some movement.
Boston Teran's God is a Bullet has a new lease on life, cinematically speaking.
Ehren Kruger is adapting the gritty novel.
"The feral wasteland of the southern California desert and the badlands of Mexico: these are the settings for Boston Teran's searing debut novel--a dark, wrenching thriller about personal conviction, retribution, and survival.
Fall 1970. In a remote playa a twelve-year-old boy stumbles upon a hideous scene in a dust-strewn trailer: the savage murder of a woman that will remain unsolved for twenty-five years.
Christmas week, 1995. A fourteen-year-old girl is kidnapped by a bloodthirsty satanic cult that calls itself the Left-Handed Path. The leader, Cyrus, considers murder the "ultimate freedom, ultimate joy . . . ultimate service." His "tribe" is a group of drug-fueled young psychopaths honing their skills under the tutelage of a master. Helter Skelter. And then some.
Bob Hightower, the girl's father, is a cop, suddenly more desperate than he ever imagined possible. There are no clues to his daughter's whereabouts, only a scene of unfathomable carnage--the mutilated corpses of her mother and stepfather--left behind by the kidnappers. His only hope is a fierce ex-cult member named Case Hardin, a woman tempered to an extraordinary strength by what she's endured, who's just getting off the junkie trail in a halfway house in Hollywood. Bob has absolutely no reason, and every need, to trust her.
Case suspects that the killings, committed within fifty miles of each other and separated by a quarter of a century, are part of a byzantine nightmare she knows too well, a nightmare that has now engulfed Bob's daughter. Their quest--he for his child, she to exorcise her demons--becomes a primal hunt-and-chase through a savage subculture of drugs and ritualistic violence ("the black land of plenty") that takes them inexorably toward the limits of physical and psychological torment and trauma."
It was previously thought that Nick Cassavetes, dirctor of Alpha Dog and The Notebook, was writing and directing this, but that seem to be out.
Kruger is quite the popular guy in hollywood right now. He first came to prominence for his U.S. adaptation of the Japanese hit The Ring, and currently is writing the script for the second Transformers film and is adapting Jennifer Egan's horror novel, The Keep.
Read More......
Ehren Kruger is adapting the gritty novel.
"The feral wasteland of the southern California desert and the badlands of Mexico: these are the settings for Boston Teran's searing debut novel--a dark, wrenching thriller about personal conviction, retribution, and survival.
Fall 1970. In a remote playa a twelve-year-old boy stumbles upon a hideous scene in a dust-strewn trailer: the savage murder of a woman that will remain unsolved for twenty-five years.
Christmas week, 1995. A fourteen-year-old girl is kidnapped by a bloodthirsty satanic cult that calls itself the Left-Handed Path. The leader, Cyrus, considers murder the "ultimate freedom, ultimate joy . . . ultimate service." His "tribe" is a group of drug-fueled young psychopaths honing their skills under the tutelage of a master. Helter Skelter. And then some.
Bob Hightower, the girl's father, is a cop, suddenly more desperate than he ever imagined possible. There are no clues to his daughter's whereabouts, only a scene of unfathomable carnage--the mutilated corpses of her mother and stepfather--left behind by the kidnappers. His only hope is a fierce ex-cult member named Case Hardin, a woman tempered to an extraordinary strength by what she's endured, who's just getting off the junkie trail in a halfway house in Hollywood. Bob has absolutely no reason, and every need, to trust her.
Case suspects that the killings, committed within fifty miles of each other and separated by a quarter of a century, are part of a byzantine nightmare she knows too well, a nightmare that has now engulfed Bob's daughter. Their quest--he for his child, she to exorcise her demons--becomes a primal hunt-and-chase through a savage subculture of drugs and ritualistic violence ("the black land of plenty") that takes them inexorably toward the limits of physical and psychological torment and trauma."
It was previously thought that Nick Cassavetes, dirctor of Alpha Dog and The Notebook, was writing and directing this, but that seem to be out.
Kruger is quite the popular guy in hollywood right now. He first came to prominence for his U.S. adaptation of the Japanese hit The Ring, and currently is writing the script for the second Transformers film and is adapting Jennifer Egan's horror novel, The Keep.
Homicide creators to team up again for HBO.
Homicide: Life on the Streets was a brilliant series that launched the television careers of two very talented men: David Simon and Tony Fontana.
Simon, who wrote the book that the series was based on, went on to create The Wire and Generation Kill, while Fontana gave us the amazing Oz.
The two will come together for an HBO miniseries that looks at the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth.
Booth, I pray you are know, was the man that killed President Lincoln.
The series will be based on James L. Swanson's book Manhunt.
As a fan of pretty much everything these two have done, I am thrilled at this reunion. I can't imagine it being anything but stellar. Seriously, both of these guys rule.
Read More......
Monday, September 15, 2008
Burn Notice - 208 - Double Booked
"After a short hiatus Burn Notice returns to our screens with one of the best episodes so far. Michael is approached by a former acquaintance called Larry about performing a hit. There are three things you need to know about Larry. Firstly, he's dead; secondly, Sam and Michael both dislike him and consider him very dangerous and third of all he's played brilliantly by Tim Matheson (Animal House, The West Wing).
So Larry has a target, or Dead-ee as he likes to call them, and he's decided that Michael would be the ideal man for the job. Michael on the other hand doesn't like Larry and is also not enamoured with the idea of killing an innocent woman, especially a nurse who performs charity work. The problem is, if Michael fluffs the job in the wrong manner Larry will just kill everyone and wander off.
It's a great little episode with fantastic performances from not just the core cast but also the guest stars. Tim is just brilliant as Larry, he provides a real cold and dangerous persona without going over the top. The screwdriver scene is particular excellent, but so is the final scene he's in. Zachary Bryan (Home Improvement) is also very good in this episode as the lad who ordered the hit in the first place.
In other events we get to meet Fi's new man, Campbell who is a paramedic. Which provides the ammunition for a fantastic scene that nearly breaks the fourth wall with it's self aware humour. It also seems Fi isn't really that bothered about hiding what she does with Michael from him and Sam's more than happy to brandish guns in front of Campbell as well. I wonder how long the relationship will last?
Madeline is still pushing to bridge the gap between Michael and her, employing the use of another counsellor who suggests facilitating their relationship by both coming up with a list of five things good about the other. Michael's list is predictably funny and upsets Madeline, which leads to a revelation that may bring them closer together.
Also this week we get to meet Bill Thompson, the sniper and discover a little more about what Carla and Victor's bosses have planned. It turns out that every task Michael has performed for them is in support of Bill, a realisation that has Michael thinking he could find out what the job is...
Which sets us up for the half-season finale next week!"
So Larry has a target, or Dead-ee as he likes to call them, and he's decided that Michael would be the ideal man for the job. Michael on the other hand doesn't like Larry and is also not enamoured with the idea of killing an innocent woman, especially a nurse who performs charity work. The problem is, if Michael fluffs the job in the wrong manner Larry will just kill everyone and wander off.
It's a great little episode with fantastic performances from not just the core cast but also the guest stars. Tim is just brilliant as Larry, he provides a real cold and dangerous persona without going over the top. The screwdriver scene is particular excellent, but so is the final scene he's in. Zachary Bryan (Home Improvement) is also very good in this episode as the lad who ordered the hit in the first place.
In other events we get to meet Fi's new man, Campbell who is a paramedic. Which provides the ammunition for a fantastic scene that nearly breaks the fourth wall with it's self aware humour. It also seems Fi isn't really that bothered about hiding what she does with Michael from him and Sam's more than happy to brandish guns in front of Campbell as well. I wonder how long the relationship will last?
Madeline is still pushing to bridge the gap between Michael and her, employing the use of another counsellor who suggests facilitating their relationship by both coming up with a list of five things good about the other. Michael's list is predictably funny and upsets Madeline, which leads to a revelation that may bring them closer together.
Also this week we get to meet Bill Thompson, the sniper and discover a little more about what Carla and Victor's bosses have planned. It turns out that every task Michael has performed for them is in support of Bill, a realisation that has Michael thinking he could find out what the job is...
Which sets us up for the half-season finale next week!"
Read More......
Sunday, September 14, 2008
DVD Review: THE BIG LEBOWSKI: 10th Anniversary edition
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release date: September 9th, 2008
MSRP: A standard release for $19.98 and a Limited Edition, for $34.98.
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Tom Goodman, Julianne Moore and Steve Buscemi
Initially considered one of the Coen Bros weaker films, The Big Lebowski has build up a cult following over the years. After watching it again, it is easy to see why.
Once the again, Joel and Ethan have given a cast of fine actors some very colorful roles to inhabit.
Watching the performances, you get the impression that Bridges and company had a lot of fun playing in the strange world of The Dude.
The world of The Dude contains bowling, pot, carpet, White Russians, German nihilists, Jesus, the exceptional tunes of John Fogerty’s Creedance Clearwater Revival, two Jeff Lebowskis and good friends.
The center of the story (such as it is) is a case of mistaken identity. But the storyline is not what makes it magical; the mojo is in the rich characters and the glorification of the little things in life.
It is also very funny, without being obvious in its attempt to deliver humor. Too many comedies today are too blatant when they go for the funny. The Coen Brothers offer up a smorgasbord of amusement, some things for all folks.
Now onto the extras:
This set contains all of the extras of previous editions, with some fairly enjoyable new ones.
The Dude’s Life clocks in at just over 10 minutes and focuses on characters with comments from the Brothers Coen, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Jeff Bridges and John Turturro. Each of them talks about their character.
"The Dude Abides: The Big Lebowski Ten Years Later” has the same folks talking about the creation of the film, with stories about the production. which features the same participants sharing more in-depth production stories as well as some rehearsal footage.
The Lebowski Fest: Excepts from The Achievers:” This was an eye-opener for me. Did you know there are Lebowski conventions/Festivals? This piece is look at those fan gatherings. I thought those things only happened for fantasy and sci-fi films and television shows. It some ways, the Lebowski fest is more disturbing than anything Star Trek fans could do.
"Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of The Dude" looks at the film’s rather interesting dream scenes with comments from the Coens as well as Bridges and Moore.
"Jeff Bridges' Photo Book” apparently Mr. Bridges put together a keepsake for the cast and crew. This special gives us a look at it with some nice comments from the Dude himself.
One final extra I will comment on is the Interactive Map. This gives us tours of several of the film’s locales. Maude’s place, the Dude’s pad, the coffee show, the Bowling alley, all of these spots are included for your perusal.
As I said, the cast and crew seem to have had a lot of fun on the film and that really comes through. Many featurettes have actors going through the motions, saying the same things every time around, but the Coens seem to remind folks just why they started acting in the first place. A lot of love is evident here.
So pick up a copy and spend some time with Donny, Walter and the Dude, you won’t regret it.
Order The Big Lebowski from Amazon.
Jeremy Lynch
For more reviews from myself, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
DVD Review: The BIG BANG THEORY: season one
Warner Home Video
Release date: September 2, 2008
MSRP: $29.98
Stars: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco
I shall confess, I was more than a little indifferent when I sat down to watch The Big Bang Theory. The show gives us the pretty standard premise of beautiful girl meets nerdy guys(s).
I don’t want anyone to think I don’t like sitcoms, but some of the more recent hits (Seinfeld, Will and Grace) had me hoping for a bomb to take them all out.
So TBBT had me only semi paying attention when I popped in disc one.
By the end of the first episode, they had my full attention.
While the premise may not be ground breaking, the characters are engaging and likeable, with scripts that deliver fun banter.
Leonard and Sheldon are a couple of nerdy roommates. Video games, fantasy novels, math and science dominate their world. Each works at the local University and holds more degrees that most households.
Leonard is a friendly fellow that, while a geek, has some social skills and wants to fit in with the rest of the world. He is shy and likeable enough for the average viewer to identify with and root for.
Sheldon, on the other hand, is content in his realm of math and science. He has little understanding of those not in his realm (He is shocked to learn that it took Penny four years to complete high school). Sheldon also has a fairly sharp tongue that provides some of the finest lines of the show. He reminds me of David Hyde Peirce.
Also appearing in virtually every episode are Howard and Rajnesh. They work at the same university as Sheldon and Leonard and are their closest friends. They are also major nerds.
Howard is an engineer that lives with his mother. His clothes and hair are straight out of the 70s and he hits on pretty much anything with breasts and a pulse.
Rajnesh is a scientist from India. He is smart and quite friendly, except that he is unable to speak in front of women (Except when drunk).
There are surprises around every turn in the first season. The comedy is always pushing the envelope while staying relevant. Also, you can expect to see cameos from Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf from Roseanne.
Across the hall lives Penny. Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is a very friendly, very beautiful young lady. She is from Nebraska, and has moved to California. She has dreams of being an actress, but is currently waiting tables. Her arrival throws the boys for a loop. Leonard, in particular, is smitten with her. In some ways, the chemistry between the two of them reminds me of early Rachael and Ross of Friends, before they got together.
The premise of the show is that these folks from two very different worlds find themselves making adjustments as they experience a world that is entirely new to them.
The humor is actually funny and the characters are likeable enough that you can’t wait to visit them again.
This package contains one featurette: Quantum Mechanics of the Big Bang Theory. A little over seventeen minutes, this piece gives us the thoughts of the cast and creators. This is your run of the mill piece, but does serve as a decent introduction to the show.
Jeremy Lynch
For more reviews from myself, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
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Film Review: Righteous Kill
Robert DiNiro and Al Pacino are considered legends. Both are associated with some iconic roles, and both have delivered some less than stellar films in the last several years.
When this film was announced, film fans around the world became giddy with anticipation. This would be the first time the two worked together for an entire film.
So the stage was set for these two legends to step up and rock our world.
While I would not say my world was rocked, I would say that both DeNiro and Pacino do a decent job and clearly have chemistry. But that is not enough to make a film great, certainly not one that is as flawed as Righteous Kill.
A couple of seasoned the NYPD, Detectives Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) find themselves investigating a series of disturbing murders: Somebody is offing the dregs of society and leaving behind poems. That is not the disturbing part, as the dead are felons and are clearly scumbags (and film works hard to tell us this). No, the disturbing part is that it looks like the killer is a cop.
In addition to our two stars, we have Turk's lover Karen, a forensic specialist with kinky tastes (Carla Gugino), a pair of ambitious up-and-comers Ted Riley (Donnie Wahlberg) and Simon Perez (John Leguizamo) and Lieutenant Hingis (Brian Dennehy), the stern boss who wants these murders solved!
The games start right off the bat with a grainy recording of Turk "confessing" to the murder of 14 criminals over the course of his 30+ years as a cop. Footage of this is spliced throughout the film.
I can't imagine that anyone belived this. As a matter of fact, I started resenting the film pretty damn quick; it was nowhere neear as clever as it thought it was.
RK is a leaden, cliché filled stinker that staggers around, trying to be suspenseful and and smart, yet failing miserably. It works hard (too hard) to keep the viewer guessing, but I figured out where we were going at about the 30 minute marker.
With such a strong cast, games are not needed, simply tell the story and let the stars shine.
Instead, we are subjected to endless twists and turns, as well as countless flashbacks and other gimmicky stunts.
The cast does a decent job, but the direction…well, the direction sucks.
It felt like the person behind the camera took a class or two, and then hijacked a production. Somebody stop this guy before he strikes again!
To be fair, Jon Avnet did give me fair warning. He directed Al Pacino in the mind-blowingly bad 88 Minutes (Not to mention the wretched Up Close and Personal with Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeifer). Anyone seeing that film should have had a pretty good idea that Mr. Avnet is not a director that…well, let us leave it at HE IS NOT A DIRECTOR.
That may be a bit harsh, but RK is one big squandered opportunity. If this film did not feature DeNiro and Pacino, I question as to whether or not it would have even made it into theaters.
Brandon Lanter
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Friday, September 12, 2008
DVD Review: CHICAGO 10
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release date: August 26th, 2008
MSRP: $29.98
Director: Brett Morgen
Stars (Voices): Hank Azaria, Nick Nolte, Roy Scheider, Mark Ruffalo, Jeffery Wright, Amy Ryan, Liev Schreiber
In 1968, Chicago hosted the Democratic National convention.. At the convention, what had already been a rough year (RFK was killed, George Wallace was running as an independent and would certainly draw from the southern democratic base) suddenly became much worse.
As the Democrats organized to nominate Hubert Humphrey as their candidate for president, anti-war protesters decided to stage a large protest in the middle of the city.
The protest turned to complete chaos and the police responded quickly and with force. Walter Cronkite declared Chicago, at that moment, a “police state.”
The Chicago 10 is a imaginative documentary that looks at the events leading up to the riots as well as the trial of the masterminds (Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, Jerry Rubin, Dave Dellinger, , and Bobby Seale) behind the protests.
Much of the film is media footage of the convention, but the courtroom is where things get interesting. Since no footage was recorded, Chicago 10 uses rotoscoping (Ala A Scanner Darkly, Waking Life), along with the court transcripts, to give us an animated rendition of the explosive, contentious trial.
The trial truly was the establishment going head to head with the burgeoning radical movement. The defendants pushed the limits, while the judge attempted to maintain order by limiting their rights. Two of the defendants, Abby Hoffman and Jerry Rubin wore black judges robes to court. When the Judge (also named Hoffman) ordered that the two remove the robes, only to find they had fake police uniforms on underneath.
Also worth a mention is the talented cast that lend their voices: Hank Azaria, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Wright, Roy Scheider, and Liev Schreiber among others.
While some may have issues with the use of animation, I think it reflects the theatrical nature of the trial. The defendants went out of their way to put on a production, perhaps focusing more on their supporters than the legal system.
The contrast between the animation and grainy media footage of the riots is jarring at times, maybe that is intentional.
On occasion, the picture feels preachy and a tad self-righteous, but it is a fascinating film that educates while entertaining.
Order Chicago 10 from Amazon.
Jeremy Lynch
For more reviews from myself, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
The Shield - 702 - Snitch
"After last weeks brutal opening episode which had Ronnie falling to new depths we get a rather lackluster episode this week. Now I adore The Shield, but if I'm honest "Snitch" is not really the best episode of the Shield - in fact it's probably the weakest one ever - But it still had it's fair share of brilliant moments.
The main thrust of Vic's storyline continues with his need to deal with Aramboles. For some reason he's decided that the man is innocent enough to be allowed to live and Shane even more surprisingly agrees. The rest of the Strike Team time is spent juggling between Vic pushing the Mexicans and Shane playing off the Armenians, but it immediately spirals out of control and they end up having to run damage limitation.
In an unusual twist, the real gems in "Snitch" come from the two side stories. The first of which deals with the fallout from a "Top Ten Gangs" list - which of course results in some of the Spook Street gang (who were not ranked in the top 10) members taking it upon themselves to try and move up the rankings by shooting innocent civillians. This storyline has two stunning performances from guest actors; the first one being from an elderly witness, a woman who's just tired of the violence and has nothing left to lose. It's a heartfelt performance that hits all the right notes. And the second is from one of the two young lads responsable, once caught he puts on the face of a "playa" and gets right under Claudette's skin. Her response naturally lands her in hot water and is summed up with a classic Dutch line. "So, you're a racist now. How's that working out for ya?"
The second side-storyline has Dutch and Billings investigating a young woman who was killed when someone dropped a concrete cinder block onto her head. While Dutch is working his fingers to the bone trying to get something, anything from the tenants; Billings is just "Putting in the Billings" and provides the bare minimum help. Instead of investigating he's chatting up a pretty young witness, selling people food from his own vending machines and just getting right up Dutch's nose. But as soon as Dutch calls Billings out on it he turns the whole thing around and cracks the case immediately. David Marciano is nothing short of brilliant in this episode, spineless jellyfish or no - Billings rocks!
In all it's an unusual episode for The Shield, the good material all seems to be located in the non-Strike Team storylines. This wouldn't have been a problem in an earlier season, but right now - with the number of episodes left before the end dwindling - it sits a little oddly. Fortunately for us every single episode coming up after this one is a lot stronger.
Here's hoping Jay Karnes and David Marciano get their own spin off with "Dutch and Billings"."
Read Rev's extended review.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Steve Brewer's Lonely Street to debut at Boston Film Festival.
Almost two years ago, I first talked about the film version of Steve Brewer's Lonely Street.
About a year ago, I mentioned that the film's release was delayed until 2008.
Now word finally comes that the film will make it's debut at the 24th Boston Film Festival.
The screening will be on Sunday, September 14th, at 8pm.
The Kendall Landmark Theater is hosting the film festival.
I have only seen a little of the film, but the one scene I did see was great.
I have always found Jay Mohr (Jerry MaGuire, Ghost Whisperer) to be a likeable guy and it is his charming demeanor that makes him a great fit in the role of Bubba.
Robert Patrick was amazing as…well you will have to see.
Bubba is a likeable, but gullible, Private Investigator. He is hired by a reclusive celebrity to spy on a reporter. When the reporter turns up dead, Bubba is the prime suspect.
Lonely Street also stars Tony-winner Joe Mantenga, from the CBS show Criminal Minds, as well as Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) and Paul Rodreguiz.
The director is Peter Ettinger. Peter has previously worked as an assistant editor on such films as The Bourne Identity, The Fast and the Furious and Flushed Away.
For those of you that are not familiar with the works of Brewer (Shame on you), he writes mysteries that contain an enjoyable blend of crime and hunor. The characters tend to be colorful (i.e. weird).
DVD Review: Life: season one
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release date: September 2, 2008
MSRP: $29.98
Stars: Damian Lewis, Sarah Shahi, Adam Arkin, Brooke Langton
Twelve years into a life sentence for a murder he didn't commit, LAPD detective Charlie Crews is exonerated. His settlement agreement awards him $50 million and reinstatement to the force. Det. Dani Reese (Shahi), recently out of drug rehab, draws duty as his partner.
Crews' study of Zen in prison gives him a unique perspective, enlightened about life yet woefully behind on technology. His colleagues, including Reese, remain somewhat suspicious of him. Among other things, they wonder why he returned to duty instead of using the settlement money to buy a whole new life.
Drawing comparisons to House M.D. and the canceled cult favorite Raines, Life is an offbeat cop drama with an optimistic core. And yet, as focused on the present as Crews is, he's also independently investigating the crime that cost him twelve years of freedom.
Supporting characters include Charlie's lawyer Constance Griffiths (Langton), who fought to exonerate him, and Ted Earley (Arkin), a former inside trader-turned-Charlie's financial advisor. Stalled by last season's writers strike, only eleven episodes aired between September and December. The show managed to reveal quite a bit of its larger mystery, though, and performed well enough that NBC picked up a second season, premiering September 29.
This three-disc set includes 11 widescreen episodes, five audio commentaries, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and four behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Order season one of Life from Amazon.
Gerald So
For more of Gerald's thoughts and observations, check out his blog: If you want to know about my Life...
Gerald So
For more of Gerald's thoughts and observations, check out his blog: If you want to know about my Life...
For more reviews from Gerald, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
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Tuesday, September 09, 2008
DVD Releases for Sept 9th.
The Big Lebowski - 10th Anniversary Edition Jeff Bridges, Tom Goodman, Julianne Moore and Steve Buscemi. Extras: Introduction by Mortimer Young, Jeff Bridges Photograph, The Dude's Life: Strikes and Gutters...Up's and Downs...The Dude Abides, Production Notes, Theatrical Trailer, The Making of The Big Lebowski, The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever's Story, Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of the Dude, Interactive Map, Jeff Bridges Photo Book, Photo Gallery
A standard release for $19.98 and a Limited Edition, for $34.98, that features “Bowling Ball Packaging” and is individually numbered. (Universal)
From the Academy Award winning Coen Brothers comes The Big Lebowski - the hilariously quirky comedy-thriller about bowling, avant-garde art, nihilistic Austrians, and a guy named…The Dude.
Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski doesn’t want any drama in his life…heck, he can’t even be bothered with a job. But, in a case of mistaken identity, a couple of thugs break into his place and steal his rug (you gotta understand, that rug really tied the room together). Now, The Dude must embark on a quest with his crazy friends to make things right and get that rug back!
Starring Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, John Goodman, John Turturro and Steve Buscemi, The Big Lebowski has become a cultural phenomenon. Now, experience the outrageous fan favorite like never before in this 2-Disc Anniversary Edition loaded with all-new bonus features that will take you beyond the movie! The Dude abides…
Cool Hand Luke (1967) Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet. Remastered. Extras: Commentary, featurettes, more. Will be released both on DVD and Blu-ray. (Warner).
Paul Newman, who was Oscar-nominated for Best actor for his role, gives one of the most powerful performances of his career as Lucas “Luke” Jackson, a cool, gutsy prisoner in a Southern chain gang, who refuses to buckle under to authority, while repeatedly escaping and being recaptured. The prisoners admire Luke because of his gumption but the head of the gang hates him and tries to break him by beating him often. Ultimately Luke gains the respect of all the convicts but with each escape and return he is subjected to more and harsher punishments by the sadistic guards.
CSI Miami: the sixth season Khandi Alexander, David Caruso, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Jonathan Togo Extras: Commentaries on two episodes, Four-Sight: Directing CSI: Miami, Playing Dead, The Real Women of the MDPD, Analyzing Season 6(CBS/Paramount)
For more info on upcoming DVD releases, check out our DVD Calendar. Read More......
DVD Review: BLUE MURDER: set 3
Acorn Media
Release Date: August 12, 2008
MSRP: $39.99
Stars: Caroline Quentin, Nicholas Murchie, Rhea Bailey
In the third DVD collection of this British crime drama, Caroline Quentin is wonderful as ever as DCI Janine Lewis, a smart, down-to-earth detective and single mother of four children. This set contains only three episodes and while it is a compliment to the producers that I am left wanting more, I must confess myself a bit disappointed. The charm of this series has always been in watching Janine balance her chaotic work life with her equally frantic family life. These epiodes contain just two, brief glimpses into Janine’s home: We find out that Janine‘s philandering ex-husband is finding life with his girlfriend and their new baby a bit harder than he anticipated. Meanwhile, Janine wonders where her daughter is getting the money for some new additions to her wardrobe.
The criminal investigation aspects of the plots are involving as ever. The supporting characters are great to watch, especially DS Shap (Nicholas Murchie), a street-wise detective who doesn’t always play by the rules. A new character to watch for is DC Lisa Goodall (Rhea Bailey), a newly minted detective who has proven herself invaluable in-house but is having problem establishing her credibility on the street.
After thoroughly enjoying the first two collections of this series, I thought I’d gotten used to the northern England accents used by all the characters. In this set, however, I found myself having to rewind at times to try to decipher the dialog and sometimes rewinding didn’t help. I thought I was losing my ear but then I watched a few episodes from the first season and I found I could understand the accents perfectly. Apparently the producers have made the decision to make the series more gritty and realistic, thus the heavier brogue and the healthy dose of Manchester slang.
One of the scenes I kept rewinding was one in which DI Mayne (Ian Kelsey) said, “The man’s wife iswith a colleague”. I knew it must mean that his wife was cheating on him but I wanted to know what the was. I became obsessed but I couldn’t catch the phrase no matter how many times I listened to it. Thank goodness for the behind-the-scenes documentary! In it, I found out that Ian Kelsey, a bona fide British guy, also had problems with the line. He had never heard of the phrase “gone over the side” meaning cheating or having an affair and he kept saying that the man’s wife was “on the other side”. So, “gone over the side” joins “I was right mithered” and “what are you skenning at” in my personal dictionary of slang from around the world.
Order Blue Murder from Amazon.
Naomi J. Krueger
In the third DVD collection of this British crime drama, Caroline Quentin is wonderful as ever as DCI Janine Lewis, a smart, down-to-earth detective and single mother of four children. This set contains only three episodes and while it is a compliment to the producers that I am left wanting more, I must confess myself a bit disappointed. The charm of this series has always been in watching Janine balance her chaotic work life with her equally frantic family life. These epiodes contain just two, brief glimpses into Janine’s home: We find out that Janine‘s philandering ex-husband is finding life with his girlfriend and their new baby a bit harder than he anticipated. Meanwhile, Janine wonders where her daughter is getting the money for some new additions to her wardrobe.
The criminal investigation aspects of the plots are involving as ever. The supporting characters are great to watch, especially DS Shap (Nicholas Murchie), a street-wise detective who doesn’t always play by the rules. A new character to watch for is DC Lisa Goodall (Rhea Bailey), a newly minted detective who has proven herself invaluable in-house but is having problem establishing her credibility on the street.
After thoroughly enjoying the first two collections of this series, I thought I’d gotten used to the northern England accents used by all the characters. In this set, however, I found myself having to rewind at times to try to decipher the dialog and sometimes rewinding didn’t help. I thought I was losing my ear but then I watched a few episodes from the first season and I found I could understand the accents perfectly. Apparently the producers have made the decision to make the series more gritty and realistic, thus the heavier brogue and the healthy dose of Manchester slang.
One of the scenes I kept rewinding was one in which DI Mayne (Ian Kelsey) said, “The man’s wife is
Order Blue Murder from Amazon.
Naomi J. Krueger
For more reviews from Naomi, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
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Monday, September 08, 2008
Some thoughts on the late Jerry Reed.
On September 1st, Grammy-winning singer/actor Jerry Reed passed away at the age of 71. Cause of death is listed as complications arising from emphysema.
Randy offers us his thoughts on Mr. Reed:
I am going to tell you what I remember about Jerry Reed. When I was growing up, he was Burt Reynolds' partner in Smokey and The Bandit. And he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. He was also a Country music singer, but me not being a Country Music enthusiast only know a few songs of his, and only one that wasn’t in Smoky ad The Bandit: “She Got the Gold Mine, I got the Shaft” The ones from S&TB are “East Bound and Down,” and “Bandit.” And of course after Snowman and Bandit picked up the load and headed home, “East Bound and Down,” became “West Bound and Down.” (“…loaded up and truckin’. We’re gunna do what they say can’t be done. We got a long way to go and a short time to get there. I’m west bound just watchin Bandit run!” Sorry it is a VERY catchy tune!)
The two movies I will remember Jerry fondly in are:
Smokey and The Bandit, of course. Is it a great movie? No. It is a fun movie. Jerry and Burt had a lot of chemistry together, and of course it had Jackie Gleason as "Buford T. Justice." (When Mr. Gleason looks appreciatively at a very obese woman’s butt and says, “Mmm…mmmm….Nice ass!” The line is out of no where and is hilarious. I am giggling just thinking about it.) I can see why they did a Smokey 2, but it was horrible, or as the French say, “orr-E-bell.” (Or at least an American trying to do a French accent would say that). And let’s not even mention Smokey and The Bandit 3: The One without The Bandit!
The Survivors. This is one of the most underrated movies of all time. Walter Matthau, Robin Williams and Jerry Reed are fantastic together. This is early Robin Williams, before his movies started coming from a template, first half funny, second have dramatic. ANYWAY… Jerry Reed plays a man who can be identified by the other two as having robbed a diner. So he sets out to scare them or kill them. Meanwhile the experience in the diner has sent Robin William’s character in to the world of guns and survivalists. Hilarity ensues. (There is a scene where Jerry has a gun to Walters face and is going to kill him, he stops when he sees a picture on the wall and says, “Is that who I think that is? Is that Trini Lopez?!” and they go on to have a conversation about Trini Lopez. May not be as funny in print but again I am giggling like a school girl. If I spelled Trini wrong….TOO BAD! This isn’t about YOU Trini!)
The two movies I will remember Jerry fondly in are:
Smokey and The Bandit, of course. Is it a great movie? No. It is a fun movie. Jerry and Burt had a lot of chemistry together, and of course it had Jackie Gleason as "Buford T. Justice." (When Mr. Gleason looks appreciatively at a very obese woman’s butt and says, “Mmm…mmmm….Nice ass!” The line is out of no where and is hilarious. I am giggling just thinking about it.) I can see why they did a Smokey 2, but it was horrible, or as the French say, “orr-E-bell.” (Or at least an American trying to do a French accent would say that). And let’s not even mention Smokey and The Bandit 3: The One without The Bandit!
The Survivors. This is one of the most underrated movies of all time. Walter Matthau, Robin Williams and Jerry Reed are fantastic together. This is early Robin Williams, before his movies started coming from a template, first half funny, second have dramatic. ANYWAY… Jerry Reed plays a man who can be identified by the other two as having robbed a diner. So he sets out to scare them or kill them. Meanwhile the experience in the diner has sent Robin William’s character in to the world of guns and survivalists. Hilarity ensues. (There is a scene where Jerry has a gun to Walters face and is going to kill him, he stops when he sees a picture on the wall and says, “Is that who I think that is? Is that Trini Lopez?!” and they go on to have a conversation about Trini Lopez. May not be as funny in print but again I am giggling like a school girl. If I spelled Trini wrong….TOO BAD! This isn’t about YOU Trini!)
(Editor's Note: Shockingly, Randy spelled Trini's name correctly.)
Jerry Reed was a big part of my movie education as I was growing up and he will be missed, not only by his family and friends, but by his fans across the world.
Jerry Reed was a big part of my movie education as I was growing up and he will be missed, not only by his family and friends, but by his fans across the world.
Randy Otteson
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DVD Review: MOONTIDE
Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: September 2nd, 2008
MSRP: $9.99
Director: Archie Mayo
Stars: Jean Gabin, Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell, Claude Raines
Jean Gabin stars as Bobo, a Southern California dockworker that lives a reckless, carefree life. He also enjoyed his drink, and that causes him some problems.
One evening, Bobo gets into an argument with an old seadog. The next morning, said man is found dead, with the cause being strangulation. Did Bobo do it? He is not too sure as he can’t remember much about the evening. This gives Bobo (I feel kind of stupid typing that name), some pause.
Next night Bobo comes across Anne (Ida Lupino) when he saves her from an attempted suicide by drowning. The two develop a connection and open a bait shop together.
Now this would seem be the start of a lovely story, but there is another character, Bobo’s buddy Tiny (another fantastic name), played by Thomas Mitchell. Tiny might know what happened that fateful night, but he keeps quiet uses it to his advantage.
Prior to Bobo meeting/saving Anne, he and Tiny were about to skip town. So when Bobo and Anne start spending time together, those plans are scrapped. Tiny is not happy with this, as he wants to get out of town (He might also have been in love with Bobo, but I can’t prove that).
Either way, he is a creepy dude and one I certainly would not want hanging around. He soon starts to work on ruining things between Anne and Bobo and there is the film's conflict.
Rounding out the cast is Claude Raines. He plays Nutso, a relatively minor character that occasionally tosses out a bit of wisdom, but is generally wasted here.
Despite some excellent acting, the film is itself is only so-so. Solid, but nothing that would elevate this to the level of “classic” in my mind. It seems to plod along at a steady pace, but lacks the intensity of the stars themselves. The cast pulled me in, but the director did little once he had me.
For extras, we a get a commentary track featuring Foster Hirsch. Hirsch does a fine job here, talking about the story behind the film (Which is almost as interesting as the film itself). I find myself really looking forward to these tracks on the old releases, as they offer a look at a Hollywood long before my time. Forster does a nice job of taking me there.
Turning the Tide: The Ill-starred making of Moontide clocks in at twenty-five minutes and talking about the production of the movie. It features comments from Eddie Muller, Robert Osborne and Aubrey Solomon, three people that know their noir. Fritz Lang was the original director, but left shortly after filming started. This is just one of the many interesting tidbits this documentary touches on.
There are also some photo galleries that include production stills, posters and concept art.
Jeremy Lynch
For more reviews from myself, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
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Sunday, September 07, 2008
DVD Review: TERMINATOR: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Warner Home Video
Release date: August 19th, 2008
MSRP: $29.98
Stars: Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau, Richard T. Jones, Brian Austin Green
I'm a fan of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles so be advised. I like the acting, I like the stories, I like the tone and I'm pretty sure it will go down in flames shortly, not that that's what I want, it's not, but it is fairly rare for a show I like a lot to stay on the air
This could have easily been handled badly and I was delighted when it wasn't. For those of you who don't know, the series picks up after T2 and follows Sarah (Lena Headey) John (Thomas Dekker) and another T-unit (Summer Glau) sent back to protect John as they meet up and decide to go to Mexico again. Ugliness ensues and the plan changes to nipping Skynet, the computer system that was smart enough to look around and think 'What do I need these worms for?' and commences to wipe out humanity, in the bud. Easier said than done, happily.
Lena Headey's performance as a woman who is strong because she has no chioce is first rate and Summer Glau's slightly befuddled by it all cyborg is a treat to watch working it out. One of the most oddly chilling scenes takes place after Glau's cyborg, Cameron, takes a ballet class with the sister of a Russian baddie looking for him and the fledgling computer that may become Skynet and destroy the world. She lets them both be killed when they're no longer useful to her.
This could have easily been handled badly and I was delighted when it wasn't. For those of you who don't know, the series picks up after T2 and follows Sarah (Lena Headey) John (Thomas Dekker) and another T-unit (Summer Glau) sent back to protect John as they meet up and decide to go to Mexico again. Ugliness ensues and the plan changes to nipping Skynet, the computer system that was smart enough to look around and think 'What do I need these worms for?' and commences to wipe out humanity, in the bud. Easier said than done, happily.
Lena Headey's performance as a woman who is strong because she has no chioce is first rate and Summer Glau's slightly befuddled by it all cyborg is a treat to watch working it out. One of the most oddly chilling scenes takes place after Glau's cyborg, Cameron, takes a ballet class with the sister of a Russian baddie looking for him and the fledgling computer that may become Skynet and destroy the world. She lets them both be killed when they're no longer useful to her.
Seemingly taken with dance(Glau is a dancer)she continues practicing at home, observed from the hall by new character Derek (Brian Austin Green) Reese from the future. It is beautiful but in her cyborg persona hugely unsettling.
"In the future my son will lead humanity in a war against Skynet." No pressure. The computer keeps sending unstoppable robots back in time, first to kill the mother, then the son, as they try to stay alive and find the unit that will morph into Skynet and pull the plug before Judgement Day. Is it the chess computer invented by the sweet doofus Andy, or the newly installed traffic computer at city hall. There's action aplenty but I still see this as a charecter driven piece and that is its strength. I've already mentioned Brian Austin Green plays Derek Reese, a soldier from the future sent back to aid the Connors with guns, money and muscle. A good addition to the cast. His aversion to the robot Cameron is unyeilding.
I also want to mention Richard T.Jones as agent James Ellison. This guy (and the writers) have taken what could have been a one-dimentional bulldog and made him a force, He's beginning to see that Sarah's not crazy and this rocks his world. I expect some good stuff from this quarter.
The specials are pretty lame even by specials standards with the exception of cut scenes, most of which I wish they had had time for or would have used.
If you even remotely like Sci-Fi give Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles a try. It's about as good as Sci-Fi gets on TV.
For more reviews from Lee, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
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Saturday, September 06, 2008
Burn Notice - last two episodes
Last night we saw the last two episodes of the second season for Burn Notice.
We love this show and these episodes were every bit as good as everything else they've run.
Tim Matheson makes a guest appearance as an old college who should be dead, and he wants to hire Michael to do a hit. Of course Michael declines and his crew helps him trick the whack job killer.
The last episode Michael seems to have figured out the puzzle of what going on with all the little jobs he's been given by his new controller. he's also trying to foul up a kidnapping attempt. We end with a cliff hanger so I imagine Burn Notice will be back next summer.
This show rocks and though it feels like a updated Equalizer I'm fine with that. I loved Equalizer and it's a great premise. The family involvement adds to the fun without taking away from the action and Sh
aron Gless hasn't been this good in something in years.
Savor these last two episodes, because then we have to wait till next season......
And don't forget to pick up Tod Goldberg's novelization, it's almost better than the show!
Friday, September 05, 2008
DVD Review: THE PRESIDENTS COLLECTION
PBS Paramount
Release date: August 26, 2008
MSRP: $129.98
Fourteen DVDs for 2100 minutes
Randy is a big fan of history (though he appears to enjoy the darker side of it…I wonder if that says something about him?), so I gave him the Presidents Collection for review.
After a few days, I followed up with him, only to find him feeling overwhelmed. “This thing is huge! I thought it would be 20-30 minutes per president, but these things run hours long!”
He went on to explain that while he was thrilled with the set, he could not complete it in time, or even get his head around how to review something so big and detailed.
Enter your friendly editor.
The Presidents Collection is an amazing set, fifteen DVDs, running around thirty-five hours, that covers ten presidencies of the 20th Century.
Each of these segments originally aired on the PBS series The American Experience. Included are Theodore Roosevelt , Woodrow Wilson , FDR , Truman , JFK , LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Reagan and the first George Bush. The original airings were between 1996 and 2008.
I am not sure why Harding, Eisenhower and Ford (Ok, Ford I actually understand) were excluded. Harding’s admin was notoriously corrupt and Eisenhower resided over a very complex post-WW II period that saw the start of the cold war. One would think that both of those presidencies would offer a wealth of material to examine.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of these sets is the amount of material they present, photos, footage even comments from descendant, friends and relatives. These were not done half-assed; PBS did an amazingly thorough job, going over not only the major points of history, but also many small details that make these iconic figures of our history very human.
With the holidays fast approaching, this set would make an excellent gift for any history buff on your list. I would go so far as to say that it would be an essential part of the library of such a person.
If you have kids, these would really assist in any papers they might write on American history, and are far more interesting than reading info online.
Extra Features
There is a PDF educational guide for all but Wilson, but fans of Woody should not feel bad because there is also an extended version of his piece, with an hour and a half of extra footage, plus interviews scholars, some photo galleries (including a very cool one of WW I posters) and a piece on Wilson’s legacy.
Fans of JFK will also be thrilled with the impressive set of extras he gets; with a family tree as well as an interview with historian Robert Dallek.
Like Randy, I have not watched all of them, but have no problems calling this set an invaluable educational resource.
As I said, any history buff will be in nirvana with this collection.
Jeremy Lynch
For more reviews from myself, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.
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