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Dexter: Surprise, Motherf**ker! (2012)
Great Season
Dexter is finally back! After having seen the final episode of season seven, I am quite happy to see that this show seems to be back on track. Though the argument could be made that season five can only disappoint after the magnificent fourth season, season six was a true ride of idiocy and inconsistency. The biggest problem of which was the fact that it kept spinning in a loop -- it had nothing new to offer and the characters didn't evolve. However, in its final moment, the sixth season gave us a hopeful cliffhanger. It's all on the table now.
Luckily, the seventh season didn't disappoint. I thought Debra getting in on Dexter's secret was very well written and executed. The first five episodes, especially the premiere, were full of suspense and excitement, with finally another intriguing villain who blew the Doomsday Killer and Jordan Chase out of the water. My only critique on the first act being the character Louis. I understand the actor had to leave for some kind of Broadway play, but it was disappointing that after such build-up his character was written off so easily.
Episode six and seven were a little less exciting and took the time to explore Hannah, a rather polarizing character, according to Dexter fans. Love her or hate her, I really like what she brought to the table. It was interesting that she was a true soul mate for Dexter, who made him look forward to his future. She added something. Yvonne Strahovski portrayed her with finesse and she wasn't as forced as the Lumen character in season five.
The second act of season seven concludes with "Argentina". One of the best episodes of the season and the reason why Jennifer Carpenter should get nominated for an Emmy this year. However, it was followed by one of the worst episodes of the season: "Helter Skelter". It was disappointing how the great villain, Isaak, was written off so quickly and the episode picked on my suspension of disbelief here and there (more than usual) -- I also thought it fell out of place due to its sudden quick pace. It was like they tried to put material of two episodes in one episode.
Luckily, the closing act of the season was stunning once more, with an explosive season finale. I do have to say that I did not like how the Hannah character was handled in "Surprise Motherfvcker". After having true meaning to Dexter's love life, she downgraded to an egocentric bitch way too easily, in my opinion. Maybe all his forgiven in the eighth season, provided that she returns.
The conclusion of the final episode resulted in a breathtaking showdown between Dexter, Debra and LaGuerta. I was on the edge of my seat and my jaw had dropped to the floor. I absolutely loved the irony of it all. Dexter tries to kill an innocent, solely to keep his ass out of jail. Finally Debra actually kills the innocent person to keep her and her brother's asses out of jail. Wait... Isn't that the exact same thing Dexter and Debra put Hannah in jail for?
Well... A magnificent getting back on track here. I'm already wondering what is going down for these characters in the next (and possibly the final) season of Dexter. Bring it on!
This episode: 9.5/10 Season overall: 9/10 Season Ranking: 4, 2, 7, 1, 3, 5, 6
Dexter: The Dark...Whatever (2012)
"The Dark... Whatever"
I remember reviewing last episode, "Helter Skelter" and said I could be considered worried. Ray Stevenson has portrayed an exceptional villain this year and after he and his story-line were killed off, I wasn't sure about the final act of the season. Would the story be as compelling as it was before without its dangerous, yet appealing gangster?
I am happy to report that the answer is 'yes'. The pacing is slower and there is less sense of danger without Isaak. However, this episode benefits from its slower pacing by exploring the phenomenon of the Dark Passenger and turning this concept completely upside down. I think it's a brilliant move on behalf of the writers to explore and eventually get rid of the Dark Passenger. Its timing is perfect, making the episode compelling even without Isaak. Dexter acknowledging responsibility for all that he has done and leaving the Phantom Arsonist for the police, while killing a man who doesn't fit his moral code is one of the most interesting developments of the Dexter character in the past few years. Note here the scene in which Dexter discusses his Passenger with his foster father, while other daddy issues arise in the form of Hannah's father (awesomely portrayed by Jim Beaver). Great timing, which gives the episode more thematic unity. I also dug the scene in which Hannah broke down after her father drove his car into her greenhouse. A plus for Yvonne Strahovski's portrayal of Hannah McKay here.
In the meanwhile, the Bay Harbor Butcher investigation continues as LaGuerta has a helping hand in the form of Matthews. By this the episode really well sets up the endgame of the season as LaGuerta openly suspects Dexter and Matthews is going to have a talk with him. The episode ends with Debra continuing her persistent investigation to get Hannah behind bars -- potentially setting up a huge conflict between Dexter and Debra.
I did not really like how the Quinn story line was handled. I liked the idea of him shooting George and then making Nadia shoot hims to make it look like self defense, but the execution of the scene was plain unbelievable and silly.
For the rest, another great episode. It seems like LaGuerta and Matthews are closing in on Dexter, while Debra is closing in on Debra. Dexter will be cornered and that is exactly when the show is at its most intriguing.
9/10
Dexter: Helter Skelter (2012)
Unsure about the rest of the season...
First of all I would like to state that I thought this was a very good episode. I loved the way Dexter and Isaak teamed up. It was well executed and completely unexpected. I mean, when I saw him for the first time I thought: guy's gonna be on Dexter's table by the end of the season. Well, I was wrong. And boy, did I like their co-operation and the way Isaak tried to make Dexter understand the concept of love. Credits to Ray Stevenson. He better be nominated for an Emmy award this year.
A problem I had with this episode, however, was the fact that Dexter had to kill two hit men. Though the kills (especially the first one) were rather funny and entertaining to watch they were unbelievable as freakin' hell! Dexter kills a hit man on a shooting range... Of course, nobody sees this, no investigation will be done and Dexter will never be caught for it... I wish the writer would have thought of a more realistic way to kill the hit man off.
Well, anyway, besides that it was a really fast-paced and entertaining episode. Though I am really curious as to how the rest of the season will develop. The story line of Isaak Sirko was probably the most interesting to watch and he definitely was one of the best villains on the show. However, by the end of this episode Isaak dies a tragic death. This makes me wonder... can the rest of the season completely rely on the relationship between Hannah and Dexter? I'm one of the guys who likes Hannah, but I don't know if the show can rely on it. For the rest there's not much going on, actually... Besides a certain Phantom Arsonist -- a killer who burns his victims. It's really weird that the writers introduce a serial killer this late into the season. So where does that go?
So all in all it was a good episode, albeit a little unrealistic in certain moments. Though I have to say it left me curious, but also very unsure about the rest of the season. With the most interesting story line gone, can the writers spice up the other story lines enough to make the final act of the season as fascinating as the season thus far has been?
8.5/10
P.S. Though it gives me hope that writer Scott Reynolds said on his twitter that episode ten will blow our minds...
Dexter: This Is the Way the World Ends (2011)
"Oh God"
The overall conclusion of the fifth season was that it certainly was not as good as some previous "Dexter" highlights, like the very well received second and fourth season. Some people even went as far as saying they absolutely hated it. But as the ratings far from dropped, the show was renewed for a sixth season. A new, more "Dexter"-experienced show-runner (Scott Buck) got appointed, promising interviews were given by the producers and the trailers certainly looked good – needless to say, this caused high expectations for the new "Dexter." And after twelve episodes of the father, the son and the serial killer have been aired once more, I still find myself missing the old days of when I and my television were married when "Dexter" aired. Though, as I have to admit, the new season has a promising ending and is overall a little better than five.
One of the main problems with this season is the overall plot. Once again it is about a serial killer committing a professional kill in Miami in the first episode, once again Dex wants him on his table, once again Dexter succeeds and once again the new killer gets a colourful nickname. It is all starting to follow a formula, which makes it a little too repetitive and predictable. Though this time the season is dipped in a religious sauce, which makes it more distinctive than the empty-feeling fifth season – also the colouring and the lighting of the picture is a lot better than the ugly yellow style they went for in last season.
Anyway, even the killer himself is religious this time, which is why they call him the Doomsday Killer. They are Travis, played by Colin Hanks (yes, the son of Tom), and his companion Professor Gellar (Edward James Olmos) – who turned out to be living in Travis' head the whole time (something many viewers already figured out some time around the third episode, while the 'big reveal' came at the ninth). What bothers me is not that many people already quickly had guessed that Gellar was in Travis' head, it is that Travis lacks real threat because he does not have a real connection with Dexter. If you think back you will conclude that all the bad-guys of the other seasons had some kind of connection to Dexter's private life, which made them a lot more dangerous. The only dangerous thing about the Doomsday Killer is that composer Daniel Licht wrote a suspenseful theme for them. In fact, in the first half of this season, Dexter does not even seems to be really interested in the new killers!
Yes, this makes the first half of the season quite slow, but the first half certainly is the better half of the season. This is mostly because of the character Brother Sam (Mos Def). Mr. Def plays his character in a great way and his religious conversations with Dexter are very interesting and well written. Also, the first half had some great moments where Miami Metro visits Doomsday Killer's crime scenes, which are bloody in a positive way and creatively thought of – they even hearken back to the old days of Dexter. The second half of the season is a little worse. The pace does get a lot higher, but it already starts with the seventh episode "Nebraska". The sixth ended with a brilliant cliffhanger in which the Ice Truck Killer had replaced Harry as Dexter's conscience, something that could be the game changer the show needed. However, at the end of "Nebraska" the Ice Truck Killer disappeared and Harry was back, which made the whole episode completely pointless! And episodes eight to eleven are pretty much more of the same and consist of too explaining writing. Especially Dexter's voice-over. Earlier in the show this was a device for us to let us understand what went through the mind of a serial killer and for some comic relief, now it was merely to explain us things we already understood.
The second half is saved by a nice season finale. The writing is better, it was as if they had time to polish the script again and it ends with a – this time for real – game changing cliffhanger. The start of the episode is fun in which Dexter gets saved by some Spanish people on a boat. In the previous episode had left Dexter for dead in open water. As soon as Dex is back in Miami he spends some nice moments with Harrison until his son is kidnapped by Travis. Of course, Dex comes to rescue, knows how to capture Travis and kills him on his table in Travis' good old church. But then we suddenly realise that Dexter has an unexpected witness near his table... Debra. "Oh god," says Dex fittingly. Well, this certainly makes me want to tune in and watch season seven and it gives me high hopes that the seventh season will be more refreshing and maybe even as good as some of the earlier seasons of Dexter.
My conclusion about the sixth season is that though it is a little better than five I know that this show can still do a lot better. It is a shame they did not go for a more refreshing story but instead safely followed their formula, which overall makes for not a very outstanding season, even being a little predictable. The season will probably be remembered by fans as that mediocre religious season, but mostly it will be remembered by the daring cliffhanger it had, which hopefully brings us a brilliant seventh season next year.
This particular episode gets a 9/10. The season overall, I'd say about a 7.5/10 (and that is not great for Dexter standards in my opinion)
Lost: The End: Part 1 (2010)
Time To Let Go
The main conflict of the plot is the final conflict between Jack and Locke. It is a delight to see that this conflict revolves around two characters that always had conflicts in the earlier seasons, though it now comes back in a completely different context. Jack is now the man of faith, while Locke (well, actually the never-named man in black wearing Locke's face) now is the man of science. Both men want to prove each other wrong about the heart of the island which reflects their conflict revolving the button in the hatch in season two. It is brilliant that the finale in fact resembles the season two finale so much without lazily copying it or without being too obvious.
After Jack and Locke lowered Desmond in the heart of the island, Desmond unplugs the mysterious cork. The light has been put out and as everything starts to tremble, Desmond screams. Was Jack wrong? Is the man in black actually going to succeed? Well, not exactly. Locke is now mortal. It is neat that this last reveal does not feel forced, but rather logical and fitting because the smoke monster, after all, was somehow created by the light. Tension now really starts to rise. As Jack goes after the man in black to confront him in a final battle, Sawyer, Kate, Hurley and Ben try to escape the island, which is slowly falling apart. Then there is also Richard, Miles and Lapidus trying to fix the Ajira plane before the island sinks to the bottom of the ocean. The raging storm and the trembling island allow a great mise en scene – the lighting is dark, the storm makes it all the more looming and the island feels once more like this dangerous and unpredictable place. An epic cinematography is used when Locke and Jack confront each other for the last time. Camera's are flying above the two actors jumping into each other, ready to kill. Locke manages to stab Jack, but Kate comes to rescue and shoots him ("I saved you a bullet!" she says, because, ironically enough, Locke earlier said to her that she could better save her bullets for later). The wounded Jack kicks the man in black off a cliff, which cleverly resembles the way the man in black kicked a stabbed Jacob into a fire last season. But it is still not over yet. The earthquakes keep going on. And as Jack kisses Kate goodbye and shakes hands with Sawyer, Kate and the conman hurry to make it to the plane. Jack returns to the heart together with Hurley and Ben.
Here everything is perfectly balanced, just like the finale of season three "Through the Looking Glass", considered to be one of the best Lost episodes. The writing is great: sharp dialogue, great tension, rich metaphors – the best maybe when Juliet tells Sawyer in the alternate time line that he should unplug the vending machine and then plug it back in (metaphor for unplugging the light in the heart of the island). And overall there is a perfect balance between tension (the island storyline mainly), some comic relief exactly on the places where necessary and emotion (especially in the alternate time line, where everyone 'remembers'). Furthermore, every character gets a moment to shine in the right places. Especially Hurley and Ben, after a wounded Jack plugs the plug back in and the electromagnetic light shines once more and the earthquakes stop. Hurley is left as the new protector of the island, stepping into Jacob's shoes. Hurley, who always was the comic relief of the show, is now one of the most important people in the history of the island – but why him? "You do what you do best, Hugo. Taking care of people." As Ben beautifully says to him. Benjamin Linus himself finally chose to let go of his power and redeems himself by having peace with working for Hurley.
Meanwhile in the alternate time line, Jack finally opens the coffin of his father and as he touches the wood of the coffin his island memories return. Suddenly his father stands behind him and he explains to him that everyone of them is dead in this place. Some before Jack, some long after Jack. Christian tells him that his friends are waiting for him in the church and as Jack joins them a montage starts where they cut from Jack on the island slowly dying because of his wounds and back to Jack in the church. This is accompanied by some of Micheal Giacchino's finest work (he already did some great musical work in the sixth season). It is brilliant how the writers complete the circle, as Jack passes by his father's old shoe hanging in a tree and slowly falls to the ground in the bamboo field. Suddenly we hear barking and Vincent the dog joins Jack and for the last time the leader of the group survivors smiles with tears in his eyes as he sees how the Ajira plane flies over the island – knowing he succeeded and that his friends made it off. Then... his eye slowly closes and the screen fades out. L O S T. It is great how this scene exactly mirrors the very first scene of Lost in the pilot and this is also one of the moments in the finale that I (as I have to admit) nearly cried.
And as this was the fourth time I watched the finale I found myself astonished that I was still thinking intensely about it for the next few days. So after this incredible experience I would like to thank Damon Lindelof, J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, Carlton Cuse and everyone else that brought this show to life, because for me there will probably never be anything like it. And I will remember it for the rest of my life, until I have to let go.
Lost (2004)
Never Seen A Better Show Yet And I Don't Think I Ever Will...
Season 1: After the shocking and brilliantly directed pilot, the first season drops in pace and we start to examine the survivors of flight 815, who stranded on a mysterious Island. Turns out that the key of this show isn't this intriguing Island, but the greatly written characters, who are all portrayed very well by the cast. Every character has an interesting piece of back-story and they all deal differently with the mysterious Island they crashed on. The most interesting of them is John Locke, who believes it isn't coincidence they are on this magic place. "We're here for a reason". I still hear him say it. The finale of the first season is one that is full of suspense and mystery.
Season 2: I have to admit that the second season is one of the lesser seasons of Lost. We now know the characters and we've got plenty of teases of the immense mythology of the Island in season one. Though the season still progresses with the same pace as season one and because we barely learn more about the Others and the Dharma Initiative it becomes less interesting. Also because this one has many filler-episodes. Though it's still very thrilling and entertaining and one of the best characters of the show is introduced very cool: I'm talking of Benjamin Linus, of course. Also Desmond is introduced, another very likable character. What I also like about this season is the debate between Locke and Jack, the Man of Science and the Man of Faith. So all in all it's still plenty of fun.
Season 3: In my opinion this is probably the best season of Lost. We finally learn more about the Others and about the Dharma Initiative, we finally get some long awaited answers and, of course, some new intriguing mysteries. I actually like the storyline of Jack, Kate and Sawyer captured by the Others very much. Also, Juliet and Richard are introduced, both very interesting characters. But, besides Flashes Before Your Eyes (a great and magical Desmond-episode), it are the last five episodes which make this the best season. It starts with The Man Behind The Curtain, the mystical Jacob is introduced and we finally learn the tragic back-story of Ben. Then we get The Brig, in which Sawyer confronts Anthony Cooper. This episode is followed by the intensely emotional Greatest Hits. And finally we get the two parter finale, two incredibly cool episodes. And if your mind still isn't completely blown by then, you definitely will get a heart-attack at the plot-twist in the end...
Season 4: Second-best season for me. This season is a lot shorter and leaner, which means: no filler-episodes, a fast pace and a straight-forward storyline. Which actually is great! The flash-forwards really are refreshing and interesting to watch. Then there can be found some of the most outstanding episodes of Lost. It starts with The Constant, another cool and, mostly, emotional episode centered around Desmond (a bit like Flashes Before Your Eyes). Later in the season we get The Shape of Things To Come. I'll never forget Ben's shocked face when his daughter is killed in front of his eyes. Great television. Finally we get the three-parter (!) finale: good action, fast-paced, thrilling, good performances, great cliffhangers (Locke: 'You just killed all those people on that boat!' Ben: 'So?' BOOM... LOST)and the writers made the present time-line and the flash-forwards fit perfectly.
Season 5: Worst season of Lost, in my opinion. But... still great! It remains entertaining and thrilling, but it's a bit messy. Then we are in 1954, then we are in 2004, then we are in 2007, then we are in 1974, then we're back in 2007, then we suddenly are in 1977 and so on. Also, I had to admit that I wasn't that impressed with the finale (though the introduction of Jacob and the Man in Black was cool and the twist with Locke was a surprising one). So, all in all, very entertaining and thrilling, but a bit messy and I just wasn't that impressed with this season as I was with the others.
Season 6: Unlike some people I thought the Final Season was a satisfying one. Really, I loved the "faith"-storyline (Season 4 and 5 were more science seasons), I loved the fact that the writers were going back to the feel of the first season a bit (to really give it a complete feel, to make the circle round, we say in Holland) and I loved how Locke was a villain now (O'Quinn really made a compelling one). My only point of critique is that the season starts a bit slow. After a great season premiere, it's a little slow from What Kate Does until The Package (exceptions: Sundown and Ab Aeterno). Then, from Happily Ever After we finally delve more into the mystery of the Flash-Sideways and on the Island the war between the survivors and the Man in Black finally starts to shape up. Then we really get that feeling of: the end is coming... And it comes. After Locke kills off three Candidates in The Candidate he becomes even a more threatening villain. And then we race towards The End: an incredibly entertaining and really emotional goodbye of Lost, it really impressed me.
And of course, I want more answers! But I also accept and respect the choice of the creators that the Island remains a mystery, that it remains this mythical place; this mystery box. Also this made Lost a great reflection of life, because in life you also don't get an answer on every question.
Bottom Line: Lost is a gripping, emotional, thrilling and very entertaining show. There are few bumps on the road, but they are overcome by great acting, magical music and the characters you will grow in love with. The end of Lost is, in my opinion, very satisfying.
X-Men (2000)
No superheroes in X-Men, something better
The reason that this film is one of the best comic movies yet, is simply because of the characters. Especially Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) is a very interesting character. He's rather funny, cool and has an interesting past. And if you have some interesting characters, you'll need some interesting actors. That was the case in this film. We have Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, (our own) Famke Janssen and Ian McKellen, who all brought their characters alive.
But I think this film is too busy. It was like having a spectacular climax in every five minutes of the film. There were just too many visual effects, sometimes it just became too much. I think it had been better if the filmmakers took a little more time to tell the story. What about a running time of 120 minutes (instead of 104)? Fortunately they solved that in X2 (which has a running time of 133 minutes).
The plot was rather good, actually. It was renovating. It differed from normal superhero movies, from which the normal structure is: normal man - something weird happens to him - he gets special powers - he uses them for the good - another man gets powers too, but uses them for the bad - fight between the "superhero" and the "villain". This film wasn't a film in which the good fight against the bad. There was just no clear line between good and bad. And I thought that worked out very well. It isn't a cliché story about simple superheroes. This is a more realistic story where superpowers are seen as some kind of disease.
And I finish my review with a little minus point. That is the music. I love to see superhero movies which have beautiful themes in it. Think of Spider-Man and Batman, those films have very well composed music. I missed that in this film. There was no concrete theme in it, and the rest of the music wasn't rather special either.
So X-Men is a very nice story about people who have gifts. Not about superheroes who save people, but something much more interesting. There were good characters in it, which were portrayed great by the actors. They only had to take more time to tell the story, it seemed a bit over-stuffed to me.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Short, fast and explosive
The twenty-second Bond movie is the shortest, the fastest and the most action-packed Bond movie ever. It was mostly filmed with hand-held camera and there was about one second between every shot. It reminded me to the Bourne trilogy. Something I disliked in this movie. Bond is not Bourne.
Once again Daniel Craig played a very good Bond. His coolness, his hardness... but he has the charm of Bond. He's my favourite Bond. While not as good as Eva Green, Bondgirl Olga Kurylenko played her role pretty well. A little role was given to Gemma Arterton, but she did great! Her charisma with Craig was just perfect. In the scenes with her, Craig showed his charming side of Bond, which was a nice addition to the film. Then we had the villain, Dominic Greene. Many people think he's not threatening enough, but I think he was the perfect creepy, arrogant villain.
David Arnold's Bond music was good. He made some nice, raw themes and it fitted well with 'Casino Royale'. Also Vespers theme came back, from which I think is a very sensitive theme. It reveals the sadness in Bonds character.
The story was fine, but it was not fine for Bond. It wasn't a Bond story. The new realistic style works out very well (to me), but I think it's very risky too. A realistic story about water and oil shortage just isn't fitting with Bond. Where 'Casino Royale' did just the right thing with the whole poker thingy (that = Bond), this story is just a little too few Bond.
I love the new, more realistic style, but Bond 23 just has to be a little more Bond. I don't need to see Q and all his nonsense, but more in the direction of 'Casino Royale', which is the best Bond movie to me.
But... I think 'Quantum of Solace' is one of the best Bond movies to me. I really love the new style and Craig does a great job as James Bond.
***I'm from Holland, so it is possible that there are some mistakes in my review.***
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
'Crystal Skull' fits with his predecessors
It's quite incredible that Spielberg gave 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' exactly the same looks as its predecessors. The vision of the camera's, the settings... it all reminds you to the old Jones trilogy. But there is a ugly, little stain on the picture. You can call it CGI or you can call it George Lucas. I mean, that stupid rodents at the beginning of the movie. That was neither here nor there! And LaBeouf who 'does the Tarzan' was simply crap.
The acting performances were good. Especially Harrison Ford did a good job. His portrayal of Indiana Jones still was what it used to be. Also Shia LaBeouf did well as Mutt Williams. Only Karen Allen seemed a little bit too happy about her return in the Indiana Jones franchise. It seemed like she couldn't hide her smile.
The story was very good in the first half of the movie. We had 'over the top' sequences, the famous Indiana Jones theme, some tension and mystery, booby traps and the scene where we saw how the shadow of Jones puts his hat on, was brilliant. But the second half was a lot worse. There was too many CGI, and though I liked the Alien idea, the UFO was really too much.
The first half of the movie is worth an eight, but the second half only a six. So I'll keep it with a seven.
***I'm from Holland, so maybe there are some grammatic flaws in it.***