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Reviews
Breaking Bad: Fly (2010)
One of the strangest and greatest episodes in TV history.
What can I say? "Breaking Bad" has consistently maintained a high level of quality throughout the past three seasons. And "Fly" is, in my humble opinion, the best episode thus far. I won't reveal much plot wise, but you should be warned ahead of time that this is a very introspective and bizarre episode.
Walt engages in his most erratic display of behavior yet, refusing to cook until he and Jesse find a single fly that could "contaminate" their batch. And that's basically what the episode is: forty five minutes of chasing a fly.
Of course, it's much more than that on a deeper level. Cranston and Paul's performances here are the best acting you'll see on television this year; I guarantee it. Old wounds are reopened, bitterness and regret resurface. Somehow in the course of an hour, "Breaking Bad" weaves intensity, hilarity, oddity, and tragedy into a tapestry of subtlety and deep emotion. I can hardly remember two characters I've cared about more than Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. This show teaches us to see past their flaws, to look into their souls and bear in mind the simplest of truths: they are both human beings. And for that, they deserve our love and respect.
"Fly" requires a great deal of attention to detail, both in terms of visual rhythms and emotional undercurrents of conversations, but the end result is one of the finest episodes of the best show currently on TV. Which brings me to my ending cliché: it feels like an insult to call this television.
As usual, I'll be tuning in next week.
House M.D.: Wilson's Heart (2008)
One of the Finest Moments in Television History
Incredible. "House's Head" (the episode prior to this one) was the buildup, establishing a surreal, emotional approach never before seen on "House." THIS is the payoff. Save for some episodes of "The Shield", I have never witnessed a more deeply felt and powerful episode on television EVER. It will take a whole lot of effort for the writers to top themselves on this one. "Wilson's Heart" could have easily become sentimental and clichéd, but it looks too deep and sees too much honest pain. We are finally able to see that House is not a monster, that his misery extends far past his leg injury. We can finally look into his soul and see a resonating sadness and loneliness surrounded by a lifetime of pain. This is a masterpiece.
Nip/Tuck (2003)
A lot deeper than most realize
Nip/tuck's greatest irony lies not within its vast web of lies, deception, cruelty, satire, and tragedy, but within the fact that most of the show's fans have completely missed the point. This show, along with The Shield, is one of the most challenging pieces of art ever crafted. The creators of the show are wise enough to understand that most will interpret the show as a glorification of sex, desire, selfishness, etc. For those reasons, viewers will either love or despise the show. But both parties are wrong. Nip/tuck is a satire of superficiality and a thoughtful portrait of human misbehavior and its damaging results. But unlike the so-called "insightful" attitudes of most satires, this series is subtle in its commentary. So subtle, in fact, that at times it seems to be promoting superficial beauty and selfishness. But underneath all of this, there is a cosmic layer of feeling and emotion that I cannot describe in words. Throughout all of the wickedness and absurdity of the events depicted in Nip/tuck, I realized that I deeply care about the characters. They have become more real to me than some actual people I know. This series could have easily been just another medical show or even trashy pornography, but it cuts too deep and sees far too much honest pain for that to be the case. It is a brilliant series and I recommend to those with the stomach for it.
Fainaru fantajî sebun adobento chirudoren (2005)
Disappoints
This movie explains pretty much nothing to you. It assumes you're familiar with Final Fantasy, so it obviously was made for an audience made up entirely of FF fans. Even so, the story was horrible. It was ridiculously short, and no one, I say no one, can deny that if the graphics were not at the level they were, the universal opinion on the movie would be the same as mine. The entire point of the film was to show off the power of modern computer graphics. There was no real plot, just a bunch of fight sequences. In fact the beginning sets you up for a good story, then it never delivers. Disappointing. Overall: Do not see unless you are a die hard FF fan. And you still may be disappointed. My rating: 3/10
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Loved It
M. Night Shyamalan has created something that will not, can not be outdone. This film is so simple, yet so complex. It is so out there, yet one gets a strange feeling from the film because it seems so real. The acting is amazing. Bruce Willis has never been better. Toni Collette is at the top of her game. Haley Joel Osment was robbed at the Academy Awards, because he gave in this film the single best child performance and one of the greatest performances of all time (adult or child) in this movie. The only child performances that rival his in this movie are Osment's other performances. And let's not forget Olivia Williams who had perhaps the hardest time since she had to play the part that can be viewed on two very different levels. *hint hint* Perfect.
Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
Yuck
I disliked this movie very much. Jumanji was great, and when I heard of a "modern version" being made, I was a little excited. This was horrible. People who like this are usually parents who think it teaches children valuable lessons about not fighting. I disagree. The two children in the film waste about thirty minutes of the movie doing nothing but yelling at each other. I got bored of that really quickly. When the boy Walter wishes for the football on the star, the whole "intensity" was very corny and not realistic. If you want to see a good film, go watch Jumanji. If you want to see a rip off of Jumanji, see this. If you want to see an even worse rip off of Jumanji, watch Stay Alive.
My Rating: 5 out of 10 stars
Scrooge (1951)
Very Good
I was impressed. A Christmas Carol has been destroyed and ruined so many times before, so I didn't expect much. However, Hollywood finally got the story right when they made "Scrooge". This is a wonderful film that is both amusing at some parts, and eerie at others. The acting was good except for a few people. Bob Crachit was pretty good. Tiny Tim was really small. Not to be mean or anything. The set was great. I liked the Spirit of the Future The ghosts were good. This is not perfect, but it's a classic, so I recommend it! Not much else to say. Well done! Finally a good version!
My Rating:8 out of 10 stars
Patriot Games (1992)
Very Nice
I have both read the novel and seen the film, and though Tom Clancy fans will probably be after my blood, the film is probably better. Tom Clancy distanced himself from the film due to some plot twists, but I personally think that the movie flows very well. The acting is great! Harrison Ford has always been a favorite of mine, and Sean Bean was once again perfectly convincing as the villain. I think that the entire movie was worthwhile. Despite the "R" rating for the film, it is not very graphic. The rating is probably from a certain sexual scene and the intensity of the violence. My only real complaint is that the final action scene, although fun, was a bit unrealistic. All in all, a great film.
My Rating:9 out of 10 stars