(TV Review) Breaking Bad- Granite State (9.22.13)

It's hard to write these little snippets about a show that you really don't want to think about ending. But ending it is. The series finale is next Sunday and I think that Granite State set the tone perfectly for the series finale. While this episode was slower than some, it spoke volumes about where Walt is (mentally) and how he gets to the place that we see him in the flash forward from the front of the season. All I can say is that it is going to be a hell of a finale. *spoilers and predictions below*

Walt is hiding out with Saul's man waiting to get his new identity and leave Albuquerque. He's joined by none other than Saul himself who is also on the run from the authorities due to his connection with Heisenberg. Walt is angry, particularly at Todd's uncle for taking most of his money. He wants Saul to help him get it back but Saul's advice is to turn himself in before the police turn on his family. When Walt is finally relocated, he finds himself living in a cabin on a snowy piece of land in New Hampshire. Saul's man comes once a month with food and the like but Walt is basically a self-exiled prisoner unable to venture off his property for fear of being recognized. He seems ready to pack it in but comes full circle after seeing his former business partners on TV. - imdb.com


Thoughts? So what have we learned about or good buddy Walt? The same thing that we have always known to be true. The same thing that has been the cause of his greatest accomplishments and his greatest downfall. His pride. Hubris. His inability to let things "slide". His addiction to recognition. Walt is addicted to pride like Jesse was to meth. It's a sickness. It's his real cancer.

Walt, while being left to rot in his "safe house" seemingly broke and was over it all. He tried to reach out to his son to help pass along the money to his family (after learning that they have fallen on hard times since he left) and after he tries to explain the way things happened like they did his son begs him to just die and to never bother them again. Walt was finished. It was over. He called the cops and told them where he was....and then he saw something on TV. His former partners at GrayMatter was doing an interview. Not only were they giving away/donating $28M to combat drug addiction and substance abuse (like $28M was nothing) but they stated that the only thing that Walt contributed to the company was the name. His genius is what started the company...and he was reduced to a foot note. An addendum. And somewhere in the back of his mind, somewhere in the darkest parts of what's left of his soul, he heard the faint whispers of the devil, the soothing tones of Heisenberg....and it felt good. And so he is off. Back to New Mexico. Back to take back what is his. He is going to destroy everything in his path, including himself, and I can't wait to see it.

A-

*Predictions*

- I'm sticking with most of my earlier predictions.
- Walt will kill Lydia with the ricin
- Walt will kill all of Uncle Jack's team
- Walt will free Jesse
- Jesse will kill Todd
- Jesse will kill Walt for what has happened to Jane and Andrea.
- Walt will make Jesse promise to give Skyler and his kids the money that he earned (probably giving half of it to Jesse)
- Jesse, since that FREAK Todd shot Andrea in cold blood, will raise Brock.

Now, there are some out there that think that Todd will finally make a move on Lydia, she will reject him, Todd will kill her, and after it is all over with Walt will use the Ricin on himself...but I don't see it going that way. It might, who knows, but I am sticking with my theory.

(Movie Review) Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

Insidious: Chapter 2 scares away the competition in its opening weekend with a $41M haul

That is one of the things that I love about this time of the year. The closer we get to Halloween the closer we get to having a few good scary movies pop up at the local theater. It’s great when someone can put together a movie that relies on a fun premise with actual scary situations instead of only relying on blood and gore to sell a horror fill. The refreshing thing about this movie? It’s a PG-13 film that I think stands toe-to-toe with any R rated horror movies that have been released in the last few years. 

Storyline: The recent events that have plagued the Lambert family has resulted in the death of Elise (Shaye). While the police investigate the death the Lambert family goes to stay with Josh’s (Wilson) mother. The only problem is that Dalton (Simpkins) is not the only person that had a childhood connection to the spirits that reside in the plane known as “The Further”. When the family learns that Josh also had a childhood connection to this plane they begin to question if the person that came back is actually Josh, or if it is the spirit that once haunted him. 

First of all, I loved this movie. I think that it was a fun horror/suspense film that didn’t go for the cheap and gory thrills. They built suspense and paced the movie in a way that resulted in the audience getting so worked up that they (and I watched this happen) inched their way to the edge of the seats in anticipation of what was about to happen next. Another thing that I liked a lot was that there were some really interesting shots used in the movie. James Wan, the director, is no stranger to the genre. Directing Saw (2004), Dead Silence (2007), Insidious (2010), The Conjuring (2013) and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), he has PLENTY of familiarity with how to build suspense. But some of the shots used in the film were the best that I have seen from him. One of which was a really nice “push-in” during an interrogation that I thought was really well done. 

Worth the admission? All day long! This movie feels like it has equal parts Poltergeist and The Shinning mixed in with its story. It feels familiar, but not stale. Patrick Wilson plays his part beautifully and people actually started clapping when Lin Shaye came on screen as Elise. I can’t remember that happening in a movie I have seen in the past. I would assume that the same reaction was given to Zelda Rubinstein in the Poltergeist films, but I was a bit too young to see those in the theater.  Go check it out! 

B-

 

(Rental Review) Cloud Atlas (2012)

This was a movie that I skipped at the theater. Why? Who can really say. Maybe it was because the last few outings from the Wachowski siblings have not been so great. Speed Racer (2008) was bad enough to turn me away from their work forever. Seriously. I hated it that much. But I thought that the commercials looked interesting enough for this and really loved the actors involved. So I gave it a shot.

Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future. Each member of the ensemble appears in multiple roles as the stories move through time. -- (C) Warner Bros.

In my very humble opinion, this was an awesome movie. Seeing the reincarnation of the same actors in various roles and to see how ones soul changes from one incarnation to the next was extremely interesting and the movie delivered a LOT more than I expected. There are layers upon layers of this film that would take me far too long to write about. But the movie is beautifully shot, the acting is phenomenal, the story is a little difficult to wrap your mind around (but once you do, it's great) and this is one of the most underrated movies of 2012. Do yourself a big favor and check it out.

 Note: The way that they speak on the story of The Big Island, 2321 is infectious. Sounding like a mix of tribal speak and creole. I use the term "the true true" all of the time now because of this movie. It was a really cool touch and I thought that it added a lot to this part of the story.

B+

(TV Review) Under the Dome - Curtains (9.16.13)

Below is a "play by play" of the episode. This was taken from IMDB.com and is breaking down the season finale. I have to say that I absolutely HATED this finale. It was SO STUPID and SO POINTLESS!! It solved nothing. It did nothing to move the story forward. It did nothing to resolve anything. It was the worst excuse for a season finale I think I have ever seen.

The problem is that I actually want to know what happens with these people. I want to see the conclusion. And if this would have remained a mini-series instead of becoming a full blown series then we might have ended up with a better final product. But with the change, this thing became so stupid that I have a hard time watching it. The last 2 episodes gave me a little hope that the finale would redeem the season, and then we get nothing.

If you haven't started watching this series, do yourself a favor and skip it.

*Break Down/ Spoilers*

In Ben's room, Linda, Carolyn, Joe and Norrie watch the monarch butterfly hatch inside the mini-dome. The kids try to explain their theory to Linda that it's the power source for the dome.

Back at the station, Jim is angry at Barbie for daring to say in front of everyone that he's not guilty of the murders Jim is trying to pin on him. Junior waits for a sign at the edge of the dome. "Tell me why you want me to kill my father!"
Wounded Julia tries to get up from her hospital bed to try to exonerate Barbie.

Back at Ben's, Linda wants to take possession of the mini-dome, but they've noticed the monarch is bouncing off the dome walls and leaving black splotches. It flutters to the ground. Ben looks out the window and notices the same thing happening to the big dome.

Jim takes a break from threatening Barbie to go look at what's happening outside. The splotches are slowly blacking out the dome, turning it to night inside. The whole dome turns black, blocking out the outside world. It's the middle of the day, but looks like it's midnight.

Linda radios her deputies and tells the kids she's impounding it. The mini-dome starts screeching. Norrie and Joe suggest they touch it and make it stop, but Linda insists she's the only one who can touch it. She does and it zaps her across the room, knocking her out, just like Joe and Norrie expected.

Junior arrives and they have just a few seconds to convince him to help before his father gets there. Julia and Angie head to the police station to get Barbie.Jim arrives at Ben's and finds Linda knocked out. She wants to find the mini-dome as a way to get free of the dome, exactly what he doesn't want.

Joe and Norrie worry how to find Angie, the fourth person they need for the mini-dome. Junior knows she has a police radio.At the station, Barbie is stopped by Phil and a deputy, he fights them off, but Angie has to knock one out with a fire extinguisher.

Joe broadcasts a message that only his sister will understand, telling her to go where they went to hide when they broke their mom's old mirror.She finds them at the cement factory. Junior draws on Barbie when he sees them, but Julia explains Maxine shot her, not Barbie.Phil radios Linda about Barbie's escape.

The four kids put their hands on the mini-dome. It glows pink then emits a blinding white light. Then it totally disintegrates, leaving just the egg. But the monarch is dead.Or at least it appears that way until Norrie touches it. It flutters back to life and flirts around, circling Barbie. "I knew it, you're the monarch," Joe says.

Jim drives through town and sees freaked out people pouring into the church. They think it's the end times.Jim goes in and finds the pews packed with scared, praying people. He strolls up to the front of the church and fields questions from people worried about running out of food or freezing with no sunlight. He preaches faith.

Back in the cement factory, the egg glows hot white and starts quaking. Around them, the walls start shaking. Everyone starts to run, but Julia reaches for it.The shaking stops and the butterfly lands on the egg in Julia's hands. "She's your monarch," Barbie says.At the station, Jim asks Phil to put together a work detail of carpenters. He wants to build a gallows.

Linda checks out the McAlister's barn and sees the phrase "The pink stars are falling in lines." She reads it to Jim over the walkie. He's stunned. He hasn't heard it in a long time.Back in the cement factory, they look to Julia for answers. When she doesn't have any, Junior gets angry. He wants to take the egg to his dad, even after Barbie tells him Jim executed Maxine. Junior doesn't believe her and pulls his gun on Julia, demanding the egg. She tosses it to Angie and tells her to run.

Barbie, who is still handcuffed, tries to tackle Junior so Julia can get away.Jim takes Linda to his wife's studio, explaining that towards the end, she kept saying "the pink stars are falling in lines" over and over again. He shows her a painting of the egg surrounded by pink stars.

Angie, Norrie, Joe and Julia meet up in the dark forest. Norrie asks the egg what they should do. She sees an image of her dead mother, Alice."Sweetheart, I don't think that's your mother," Julia says."Forgive us, we're still learning how to speak with you. We've taken on a familiar appearance to help bridge the divide," not-Alice says. She says the dome was sent to protect them, and they'll see from what in time."If you want to darkness to abate, you must earn the light by protecting the egg," Alice says."And if we fail, it's the end, isn't it? For all of us," Julia realizes.When Julia asks who they're protecting it from, not-Alice disappears.

Junior brings Barbie back to the station. Jim questions him about the egg.Jim radios a broadcast for Julia's ears, telling her to bring the egg or Barbie will pay the ultimate price.Junior goes to his dad, wanting to believe he's not a murderer. They talk about Pauline's connection to the dome. Jim admits he's killed people, but only people who needed to be killed for the good of the town. Jim now thinks the Rennies are important to the town and the dome and his late wife's paintings were a message. He promises no more secrets between them and hugs his son.

Meanwhile, Julia and the kids worry about how to protect Chester's Mill and save Barbie. Julia says they shouldn't do anything. She tells Angie and Joe to get somewhere safe.The town gathers at the gallows. Jim announces that Barbie is sentenced to death. Junior puts the noose around his neck as, out on a boat on the lake, Julia takes the egg and, holding Barbie's dog tags in her other hand, drops the egg over the side into the dark water.

It glows a bright purple from the bottom of the lake and suddenly pink stars start rising from the lake, in lines. From around the gallows, the town sees the stars shoot up into the sky. Jim announces it as a sign from god that they're doing the right thing and prepares to carry on with his execution.The stars coalesce at the top of the dome and shine brightly, the black falls away from the dome. Jim shouts at Junior to pull the lever.

Rated: F

(TV Review) Breaking Bad - Ozymandias (9.15.13)

*SPOILERS*

The below is a breakdown taken from IMDB.com

Open with a flashback to Walt and Jesse's first cook. We see Jesse complaining about how long things are taking and Walt growing frustrated with his protege's disinterest in the process. While they wait for the meth to cook Walt steps away and calls Skyler. They have a pleasant conversation, discussing dinner and some upcoming plans. We gradually see the desert scene change, as Walt, Jesse and the RV are replaced by the shootout scene.

We see that Hank has been hit in the leg and is out of ammo. Gomez is dead. Hank tries to crawl to Gomez' weapon but Jack stops him before he can get there. They grab his badge and see that Hank and Gomez are DEA. Jack is about to shoot Hank when Walt stops him and says Hank is his brother-in-law. Walt tries to say that the rest of the DEA doesn't know anything and they can work something out. Walt tells Jack about the nearby $80 million in cash and says he'll give it to him if he lets Hank go. Hank tells Jack to screw himself and points out to Walt that Jack's mind was made up ten minutes earlier. Jack shoots Hank, killing him. Walt is devastated.

Jack tells Walt he had a feeling something was going on when he was given specific GPS coordinates. He has brought a shovel. Kenny digs up the barrels and they put them in the truck. Jack decides to give Walter one of his barrels and makes him shake that there is no hard feelings. Walt agrees, but says they still "owe" him Jesse. Jack is fine with killing Jesse, but nobody's seen him since the shooting began. Walt spots Jesse hiding under a car and he's pulled out. Jack points his gun at Jesse and asks for the go-ahead. Walt nods yes. Just before Jack can pull the trigger Todd walks over and says it might be a good idea to torture Jesse back at their place and find out what he's told the feds before killing him. Jack agrees. While Jesse is taken away Walt makes a point to reveal that he watched Jane die and chose not to save her.

Walt drives away with his barrel but runs out of gas. He gets out and starts rolling this barrel through the desert. He comes across and old man living on the reservation and pays him cash for his pickup truck.

Marie stops by the car wash and tells Skyler they need to talk. They go to the office where Marie tells her that Hank has Walt in custody and is currently processing him with Gomez. Marie tells Skyler that she and Hank will do what they can to help her because she is family, but there are conditions. She wants every copy of the "confession" Walt made and demands that Skyler tell Walter Jr. everything.

We see Jesse in a holding cell, clearly having been roughed up quite a bit. Todd gets him out and brings him to the lab. He locks Jesse to a ceiling tether and tells him they are going to cook. A picture of Andrea and Brock has been hung up.

Walter Jr. doesn't believe what he's been told by his mother and aunt, pointing out that if it's true Skyler has been lying to him. He eventually storms out of the room.

Walter arrives home and begins packing bags him for him and the rest of the family. While he's doing this Skyler, Walter Jr. and Holly return home. Walt demands that they pack as quickly as they can. But Skyler won't do anything until Walt tells her what is going on and what happened to Hank. She is convinced that Walt has killed Hank and eventually picks up a kitchen knife. She demand that Walt leave them and a scuffle ensues. Walt is cut on his hand and Walter Jr. picks up the phone and calls the police. While he is telling them what is happening Walt grabs Holly and gets into the truck. Skyler tries to stop him but Walt speeds off.

We see Walt change Holly's diaper in a public bathroom. Holly begins asking for her mother.

Skyler, Marie and Walter Jr. are at home, surrounded by police. The phone rings. It's Walt and the officer tells her to answer. Walt begins to yell at her for not falling in line. He blames her for everything and takes responsibility for killing Hank. He uses that fact as a warning. Eventually Skyler apologizes and asks him to come home. Walt says he has more things to do and hangs up.

Walt leaves Holly in a truck inside a firehouse, turning on the lights so she'll be found.

We see Walt waiting by the side of the road with luggage and his barrel. He's at the meeting place for Saul's guy who makes people disappear. The minivan arrives, Walt gets inside and the vehicle drives away.



*Thoughts* 

- Seeing Hank go out was one of those moments that I KNEW was going to happen but I was surprise that it actually did. Hank was a hardass and it was good that he went out as one.

- Having Gomez die off screen was horrible. The character deserved much better than that.

- Seeing Walt begging for Hank's life and offering to give them all of his money in exchange for Hank was one of the most genuine moments that Walt has had in a while.

- Walt, blaming Jesse for getting Hank involved, offered Jesse up to the Nazi's. Then, having Walt tell Jesse about how he saw Jane die and chose not to help her....a swift kick in the gut.

- Somehow Walt Jr. became a freaking Judo master. For a kid that can't walk without crutches, he barrel rolled his old man halfway across the living room.

- I found Skyler to be the most hypocritical she has ever been in this episode. Suddenly she is so self righteous and condemns Walt (for something that he didn't even do). As Walt Jr. put it. She is just as bad as him.

- While I feel bad for Marie for the loss of her husband, it almost felt good to see her FINALLY knocked off of her pedestal.

- Just as I predicted, Jesse is held captive and will be forced to cook. I can only assume that this will lead to Walt storming the compound and trying to break him out.

- The scene with Holly calling for her momma was heartbreaking.

- I find it funny that SO many people are missing the point of the phone call that Walt made to Skyler. He KNEW that the cops would be there and either listening in or recording the call. He worded every bit of that phone call in a manner that would absolve Skyler from the evil deeds that has taken place (even though she was a big part of some of them). He made sure that she could not be implicated. There is nothing to tie her to Walt, his activity, or his money (except for the car wash that I assume will not be brought up in the next two episodes). Walt, in this episode, was finally selfless. And his reward is to be banished to a new life without his family. It's pretty sad.

- I hated the stupid fade in and fade out intro. I realize that it was to show how far down the rabbit hole we are at this point and how much things have changed, but those few minutes could have been used showing Gomez and Hank getting popped.

A+

(Rental Review) Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

Anyone that read my review of White House Down (2013) knows what I thought of it. It was a horrible excuse for a movie that tried to play on every cheap trick in the book. With an unlikable hero, and unlikeable president, and a HORRIBLE excuse for a story. This movie, while sharing almost all of the same plotting points, is the exact opposite. It's a bloody barrage of bullet and knife fights that does everything better than White House Down did it and, dare I say, is the most likable that Gerard Butler has been since 300 (2006).

Storyline: Disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to rescue the President from his kidnappers. - imdb.com

Thoughts? It was a fun movie. It's not going to win an Oscar, but it was fun. Butler didn't seem like as much of a Bruce Willis/John McClane rip off as Tatum  did in WHD. Butler is very solid in the action hero role. Something that I thought he had long forgotten to play (since most of his movies lately have been rom-com JUNK). This is the best he has been in a while.

So go check it out. Fun movie. Lots of head shots. Many many things blowing up. :)

C+

(TV Review) Breaking Bad - To'hajiilee (9.8.13)

GOD! What is this show doing to me? It has a brain melting effect on me on Sunday nights that leaves me sitting on the couch and pondering the last hour of television that I have watched. This show has a way of twisting you in all directions and making you question your feelings about everything you have seen up until that episode every-stinking-time. I have swapped sides too many times to count now.

*spoilers below*

The gist of this episode is below.

Todd is now able to get his product up to 76% pure, but it lacks the blue color that it has been identified with. Lydia complains about this and Todd, in the creepiest way ever, tries to reassure her that he can get his percentage up and thinks that he can make the product blue again. He then, after she walks away, drinks from her tea mug and does so on her lipstick mark. This cat is a psycho.

Hank, Jesse and Gomez cook up a plan to make Huell talk. They fake a picture of Jesse with his brains blown out, show Huell the picture (they currently have him in a safe house) and told him that Saul and Walt have put a hit out on him. Huell spills his rather large guts about the van, the 7 barrels of money, and that the van was dirty when it was returned. Suggesting that it had been off road.

Walt tells Todd and his Uncle that there is only one target and that it is Jesse. Walt offers to pay triple what he did for the prison job. They say that they will do it for free if Walt will cook for them and teach Todd. Walt agrees to do one cook, after the hit is complete, to show Todd what he is doing wrong.

Walt tries to use Andrea and Brock to smoke Jesse out. It doesn't work as Hank intercepts the call that Andrea places for Walt.

When they realize that there is no GPS on the van that Walt rented, Jesse, Hank and Gomez come up with a plan. They take a picture of a barrel full of money and Jesse tells Walt that he just used the GPS on the van (that doesn't exist) to find out where Walt buried his money and that he is about to burn all 7 barrel. Walt, after losing his cool, takes off in his car and goes to find Jesse. Jesse tells Walt to come straight to where he buried the money and that if Walt hangs up, even for a second, that he will burn it all. Walt tries to reason with Jesse telling him that everything that he has done and everyone that he has ever hurt or killed has been for his and Jesse's best interest.

Walt races to the burial place. After realizing that the money has not yet been excavated, he sees a car approaching. He realized that he has just led Jesse to him. He calls Todd and Jack (Todd's uncle) and gives them the coordinates of where they are and tells them that Jesse is coming and they need to come kill him. When Walt sees Hank and Gomez he, being defeated, tells Jack to call it off.

Walt, after a few minutes of Hank calling for him, comes out with hands up. After he is cuffed he locks into a stare with Jesse. It almost melts the damn TV screen. After minutes of saying nothing, Walt calls Jesse a "coward"...and Jesse responds by spitting in Walt's face.

Hank puts Walt in a the car, Jesse gets in Walt's car (that Gomez will now drive back). Hank and Gomez pat each other on the back over their triumph. Hank calls Marie to tell her that he did it and has everything they need to put Walt away. Then....the Nazi's show up. Uncle Jack and crew pop out with guns readied and Hank and Gomez approach with guns drawn. Jack tells them to show a badge and they will leave. Hank does not, steadily inching closer to their vehicles. Walt, inside of the car, is screaming for Jack to call it off. They open fire on Hank and Gomez. With Hank and Gomez pinned down behind a vehicle, it cuts to black.


*Thoughts*

- Again. Todd is the creepiest person in the world.

- I find it REALLY hard to believe that after Walt, the mastermind of this entire show, was dumb enough to fall for the trick that basically showed the cops where he buried the money. It just isn't logical, to me, that he would be this careless. As some have argued, his greed got the best of him, but it still seems like an easy way to force this conflict to erupt.

- Poor big headed Huell.

- While Walt is pleading with Jesse on the phone, there are moments when you think about how Walt really has done a lot of this for Jesse (as much as he has done for himself). That is the strength of this show. Making you feel bad for the bad guy.

- Once again, Hank has shown that his pride is just as poisonous as Walt's. If he would have just gotten in the car and left (with Walt in tow) he would have been fine. But since he HAD to call Marie and brag about his win, he just sealed his fate.

- Since Dean Norris is the guest on Talking Bad (the discussion show about Breaking Bad) I assume that next week will be the end of the road for Hank and, most likely, Gomez.

-I think that out of the casualties in the next episode, Hank Gomez and Todd will be the most signifigant. I think that the death of Todd will lead to Jesse being taken by Uncle Jack and that they will be forcing him to cook for them. I think that this will lead to Walt storming the compound, with a heavy arsenal in tow, to break Jesse free.

- I think that Walt being left for dead is why he has hallucinations about his past in the next episode, as he may be out there for days.

- I think that the Ricin Walt retrieves in the flash forward will be for Lydia.

- Marie, after learning of Hank dying, will be the one to ransack the White's house. 

A+

(TV Review) The Comedy Central Roast of James Franco (2013)

I love these Comedy Central Roasts. Usually they have a few duds and a lot of good comics just bashing the crap out of some poor sucker. I recently rewatched the one of Flavor Flav and someone told him that he look like a skelaton wrapped in electical tape...so I can't pass something like that up.

The problem is that in this Roast they only included comedic ACTORS and only one real stand up comedian. The problem with that is that the actors don't have the timing that the stand up comics do. Jeff Ross was the only real comic in the group and even he had a soft set.

Of all of the horrible things in this would, Seth Rogen was the Roastmaster. He, while laughing at all of his own jokes, completely ruined the whole damn thing with that horrible laugh of his. It was bad. Comedians should not laugh at their own jokes. At least not excessively. And especially when your laugh sounds like Seth Rogen's.

It wasn't all bad. There were a few people that stood out and actually did a really good job.

Jonah Hill surprised me. He destroyed Bill Hader and pretty much everyone else on the stage. It was pretty good. The only thing that detracts from his set was the constant laughing at his own jokes. That was a "turn off", but still, out of the actors...he was the best.The only thing that he did that was kind of odd was that the camera and mics kept catching him tell Franco how much he loved him. It wasn't part of his set and I started to wonder just how much he meant it.

Andy Samberg was also REALLY funny. He did something that I have only seen one other person do at a Roast (Norm Macdonald). He took a dive. He told unfunny jokes and I almost caughed a lung up laughing at that idiot. The people that "got it", the same with when Norm did it, got a lot of laughs out of his set. The majority of the crowd did not get it. Their loss.

Natasha Leggero! Oh my God. There are few people that can go up there as an "unknown" (I had only seen her in bit parts on other people's shows but had no clue what her name was) and walk off afterwards looking like and effing boss. She DESTROYED those people. Cut everything to the quick. Maybe others have been more brutal (Anthony Jeselnik telling Charlie Sheen that the only difference between him and Michael Douglas was that people will miss Douglas when he dies from cancer) but in this lightweight group she came across as a freaking heavy weight. It was awesome.

All in all, it wasn't the worst Roast that CC has done, but it wasn't too far from the bottom. Still, those three sets are worth watching it when it has a rerun.



C-

(TV Review) Under the Dome - Speak of the Devil (9.2.13)

I normally don't talk about this show because, for the most part, it is a filler series for me to have something to watch while all of the "good shows" are on break. But this week was a little different. The episode, while still filled to the rim with the normal things that it fails at, actually made the dome interesting as well as it raised the bar in regards to Big Jim.

*spoilers below from IMDB.com synopsis *

In the barn, Angie, Joe, Norrie and Junior stare at the constellations the pink stars make coming from the dome. Joe sees four stars apart and thinks they represent the four of them. The butterfly chrysalis has changed overnight and is about to be a monarch.

Norrie has a brief freak out over keeping the mini dome secret. Joe suggests the dome might make an exception for Julia since it trusted her before. They wonder if the message she heard about a monarch being crowned means someone will become king.

At the station, Linda questions Big Jim about the propane deal he had with Duke and Maxine. He presents himself as a savior since the propane has become so vital since the dome came down. He suggests Linda go after a "real criminal" who's new to town.

Cut to Barbie, sleeping on Julia's couch. Julia admits she was lonely in the bed alone and asks him to take her to Peter's grave for closure.

Jim tells Linda that Barbie was working for Max as her enforcer. He mentions Peter's disappearance since he was seen with Barbie.

Max rings Julia's doorbell. "Can I help you?" Julia asks. "Right now, you can't even help yourself," Max says. Then she shoots Julia in the chest and walks away.

Barbie comes downstairs and sees Julia, then radios Linda for help. Jim hears the call and implies Barbie's lying.

Back in the barn, Junior gets all starry eyed with Angie about them being linked by fate. She angrily reminds him how he kept her prisoner and says if they ever get the dome down she's leaving town and getting away from him.

He leaves angrily, telling Angie he won't help with the mini dome anymore and he'd rather die in the dome than ever be apart from her. A storm begins to rage.

Linda doesn't get very far driving to Barbie because her gas was siphoned. She stops Phil for a ride.

At Julia's, Barbie sees Joe outside and calls for him. They get Julia in the car. Barbie keeps pressure on her wound while Joe drives to the clinic.

The storm swirls at the top of the dome, angry clouds.

Max shows up at town hall and tells him Barbie said no to her. When Junior shows up, she levels veiled threats at Junior to unnerve Jim.

The storm continues getting worse as Joe races to the clinic, dodging falling trees. Julia is not doing well in the back. Joe thinks the dome is angry.

At the clinic, the bullet went through Julia's chest but Barbie works to relieve the pressure on Julia's chest, using a pen and plastic bag.

Jim takes Junior down to the storm cellar, where he's stockpiling guns. He tells Junior that Max is out to destroy him and hurt him by hurting Junior.

Jim arms Junior and tells him not to open the door for anyone but him.

Outside, lighting starts.

Dodee tries the radio waves again and finds she can pick up outside transmissions, including one that says Barbie is the one they've been looking for and he's inside the dome.

Angie pounds on Junior's door and points to the raging funnel cloud coming from the dome, telling him he has to come back to the group.

At the clinic, a tree branch crashes through the window into Barbie. Julia's heart stops. He sticks a tube in and sucks the air out of her chest.

Junior won't go with Angie until she says she needs him. The storm begins to calm down.

In the clinic, Barbie can't get Julia's heart started again. He thinks she's gone, but her hearts starts again. Joe thinks the fact Barbie saved Julia means he's the "monarch."

Max heads back to her island home but notices a body floating in the water. It's her mother, who drowned with her arms tied.

Barbie leaves Julia with the nurse at the clinic to go take care of something. Jim meets him outside, ready to stop Max. First they argue over who wants what for the town. Barbie agrees to work with him to take down Max, but warns Jim he's knocking him off his throne next.

Angie, Junior and Joe come back to the barn. He tells them his theory about Barbie, but Junior takes credit for the storm resolving.

The want to go to the big dome for answers, and decide to go to the same spot in the dome that lines up with their four "stars" in relation to the constellations.

Barbie and Jim go to the cement factory, but first Barbie rigs an alarm set to ten minutes.

Phil and Linda check out the shooting scene at Julia's and Phil tells her about Barbie. Linda starts to believe that Barbie killed Peter and Julia found out so he shot her.

Barbie leads Jim through the cement factory in the dark, but Max and her goon get the drop on them with guns to their heads.

Max tells Barbie that Jim killed her mother. Max gives Barbie another chance if he agrees to be with her. He rejects her.

The time reaches zero. He shouts at Jim to get down. The lights go out, Barbie disarms Max and says they're leaving.

After coming up empty at the clinic, Phil tells Linda to check for Barbie at the cement factory.

Barbie starts to walk to his car, but Jim shoots Max and her goon dead.

Jim turns his gun on Barbie and is about to fire, but Barbie disarms him. He has his gun on Jim when Linda pulls up and sees a scene that confirms the suspicions Jim has been stoking all day. Jim thanks Linda for saving him.

Barbie kneels to surrender but decks Linda and runs. She shoots at him, but misses.

Jim goes to the radio station, where Dodee tells him about the military talking about Barbie. Jim makes an emergency broadcast about Max, a "reputable businesswoman" being shot and killed and Julia being shot. He announces that Barbie is being charged with their deaths and that of Max's mother. Jim is declaring a state of emergency and says when Barbie is caught, they'll try him and seek the death penalty.

The four kids reach the spot on the dome marked by their stars in the barn. They all touch it. They see Jim on the other side. A wound appears in his chest where Julia was shot, then another in his stomach. His nose starts bleeding. The four kids look down and see they're all holding bloody knives.

When they take their hands off the dome, the vision disappears. Junior runs off in search of his dad.

"Maybe the dome is coming down," Norrie says. "But first, Big Jim has to die," Angie says. "And I think we're supposed to do it," Norrie says.

*THOUGHTS*

As I said, I normally don't really put much thought into this show. But when big Jim starts shooting people point blank, the dome starts making tornadoes to force people to stick in the "group of 4", and you see holograms of Big Jim with stab wounds everywhere and all of the kids are holding bloody knives. All in all, the episode is still not GREAT, but it is about the best that this series has offered at this point.

B-

(TV Review) Breaking Bad - Rabid Dog (9.1.13)

*Spoilers below*

Granted that this episode was a bit of a "building block" episode but it was still an important one. We knew that Jesse was not going to burn down Walt's house. We have seen Walt's house in the future and knew that it was still standing. So while the ending of the last episode was amazing, it was obvious that it was just to set up the mental state of Jesse.

Jesse is stopped by Hank (something I called last week) and is taken to Hank's house to hold him until he makes his statement indicating that Walt was Heisenberg. Hank apparently has has an off screen change of heart regarding bringing other police into the situation, because Gomez is there as well. Once Jesse gives his testimony on camera, basically refuting everything said in Walt's "confession", Hank and Gomez realize that it will be Jesse's word against Walt's. And that is not enough to make a case.

Walt comes home, sees Jesse's car, walks around the house with his gun drawn and checks every room and finds nothing. He hires a crew to clean the house of the gas smell, but it isn't enough to clean it completely. When Walt Jr. and Skyler come home, Walt gives them a particularly large pile of BS about how a pump malfunction caused him to spill gas all over his car and himself. Walt Jr. speaks up and tells Walt to be honest with him and then asks if the cancer being back has caused Walt to pass out and get gas on him. Walt assures him that he is fine and that it was just an accident. Walt recommends that they all stay in a hotel for a few days to allow new carpet to be put down.

While in the hotel, Walt has a meeting with Saul in his car. Saul recommends that Walt have Jesse taken out. Walt refuses and tells Saul to never bring it up again. Once back in his hotel room, Skyler tells Walt that she knows he is full of it and asks why he is talking to Saul. Walt informs her of what has happened and she tells Walt that is may be best to just take Jesse out. As she says, "what's one more" bad deed in the midst of what all they have done.

In the end, Hank and Gomez tell Jesse to meet up with Walt (as Walt has called to meet with Jesse to explain things) and Jesse agrees to. As he is being surveyed and recorded by the police, Jesse (fearing that he is walking into a "hit") sees a suspicious man standing near Walt. He panics, goes to a pay phone, calls Walt and tells him "nice try" and then goes back to the van. It is revealed that the man was just a dad at the mall with his daughter and he was not there for Walt. Jesse tells Hanks that there is another way to catch Walt and that is to hit him where it hurts.

Walt makes a call to Todd about one more job. 

*Comments on the episode*

- I think it is important to Walt Jr.'s character for people to see that even HE is starting to see through all of the crap that Walt comes up with. Granted, he is still too damn dumb to pin down exactly what all is going on, but he knows that his dad is lying to him/them.

- It really bothers me that after they made such a huge deal about how Hank couldn't call in anyone from the force and then, off screen, he tells Gomez. That seems like a really big hole in the script to me. Maybe they didn't know how to write the scene for that and didn't want to show Hank groveling for Gomez's help, but it seemed like a short cut.

- As I have been saying since Skyler first found out. SHE IS JUST AS BAD AS WALT! She wants to put a hit out on Jesse. She is in it 100% at this point and could care less what is right and wrong.

- Marie, talking about her research into ways to kill a person without it being detected was awesome.

- The scene when Hank explains to Jesse that Walt obviously loves Jesse is very true and touching. I think that this will resonate with Jesse before the episode titled Ozymandias and will help shape the ending. 

- Aaron Paul is, as always, the greatest asset this show has. When he breaks and starts screaming about how Walt can't keep getting away with things...it was amazing.

- The music in this episode, especially while Walt was searching the house for Jesse, was perfect

- With only 4 episodes left in this series, I believe that things are going to start escalating very quickly in the next episode. 

- I still think that Walt, with gun in hand (as seen in the flash forwards), is on a mission to get Jesse back. I think that Walt will have Todd's family kidnap Jesse to get him out of the picture for a while. When Jesse contacts Walt to let him know that he is being tortured and forced to cook, Walt will try to save him in an attempt to win back a tiny piece of his soul.

A-