Walking Dead - Season 3, Episode 9 "The Suicide King"

The Walking Dead is a show that has seemed to really hit its stride lately (a fact that makes the departure of showrunner Glenn Mazzara all the more unfortunate).  And, luckily, that trend continues in "The Suicide King".  This show about zombies will likely never be considered the best acted, or best written, show on television.  But it may settle for the most entertaining, which is certainly not a bad thing.  Certainly, the record-breaking ratings of the show attest to its entertainment value.  And considering that Walking Dead was left for dead (har har) by many fans during the dog days of season two, it's rebound has been an impressive feat.

The formula for getting better was simple:  lots of boring, uninteresting characters were killed off, and replaced by more intriguing ones.  And then the"boring" characters that remained were actually given stuff to do.  And that speaks to a bigger truth about Walking Dead: the show has gotten bigger and dumber.  And I mean that in a good way.  I've read the (excellent) graphic novel that Walking Dead based on, and it's pretty heavy stuff.  There is of course plenty of mayhem and zombie-slaying action, but for the most part it's very introspective.  Walking Dead the TV show excelled at that approach for parts of season one under Frank Darabont, but, perhaps because of the change from Darabont, things became a bit of a slog last year.

Now, the show is at it's best when it embraces it's pulpy side.  Walking Dead should be an action show, and a fun one at that.  And recently it has become just that.  Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the characters are simply doing stuff.  Stuff other than sitting around having moral debates and philosophizing.  They're growing and changing.  All that is what has made the show so great lately.  And continuing that trend, "The Suicide King" is a great start to the second half of the third season.  There's a pretty good action sequence to start things off, and then nearly every character is (seemingly) set off on the path that will carry them throughout the remainder of season three.  

Andrea begins to assume a leadership position in Woodbury while The Governor seems shaken on a personal level by the events of the last episode before the hiatus.  The Dixon brothers are off to have an adventure together (which has a noticeable effect on Carol).  The Governor's attack on Maggie has driven a wedge between her and Glenn (who seems desperate for revenge).  And the numerous tragedies Rick has endured continue to damage his psyche.  Along the way, Hershel (as played by the current acting heavyweight of the show, Scott Wilson), has a few excellent, emotional scenes. We get a little bit of exposition involving the group led by Tyreese.  And even Beth has a few lines (and the first hint of a relationship between her and Rick?).

Overall, "The Suicide King" is not a monumental episode in the grand scheme things, but it manages to be pretty eventful despite that.  It is obviously a transitional episode, concerned primarily with getting characters into place for the second half of season three.  But it does so in a graceful, skilled manner.  Those expecting things to kick off with a full-scale war between Woodbury and Rick's crew may be a little disappointed.  But for, the show is more interested in the effect that the raid on Woodbury had on the characters from an emotional standpoint.  That isn't a bad thing.  And Walking Dead has been good enough recently to earn my trust in that regard.  We should only have to wait an episode or two for things to get really cooking.  And when they do, I know it will be pretty exciting.

Good Point - Brandon Roy, Idol

http://thegoodpoint.com/2013/03/brandon-roy-career/

Movie Review - Zero Dark Thirty

http://cinemanerdz.com/reviews/movie-review-zero-dark-thirty/11271

Movie Review - Moon

  Moon (2009)

Director: Duncan Jones

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott

Maybe my hopes were a little too high for Moon.  You see, I'm an enormous fan of sci-fi as a genre, and 2001: A Space Oydssey is absolutely one of my most favorite movies.  So going into the movie with the understanding that Moon has been (along with Inception, Looper, and a handful of others) one of the most acclaimed sci-fi films of the past decade or so, and also well aware of the frequent comparisons between Moon and 2001, I couldn't help but be excited.  It doesn't hurt that the star of the movie, Sam Rockwell, has long been one of my favorite, underrated character actors.

I've long been hearing that Moon director (and David Bowie progeny) Duncan Jones represents the great hope of the sci-fi genre as an exciting, young director.  I saw Jones' second movie, Source Code, and while it was entertaining for what it was, I was left unimpressed with that sentiment.  I certainly hoped that Moon would do more to inspire me as a fan of Jones' work, but the film unfortunately failed for the most part in that regard.  I don't want to sound too critical of Moon.  It's an impressive work (particularly for a first-time director) and does many things very well.  But I was hoping for something revelatory along the lines of the previously mentioned Inception and Looper, and Moon simply failed to deliver in that regard.

But first, what Moon does right.  Not surprising given Jones' effects background, the movie is visually stunning.  This is a low-budget movie, and that much is very clear given the limited cast and locales, but the budget never feels restricting.  The scenes within the base are beautiful, but the scenes on the surface of the moon itself are often breathtaking.  That, coupled with the awesome soundtrack (created by none other than the incomparable Clint Mansell, the man responsible for the music in Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, two of my favorite films), makes Moon an audio and visual treat throughout.  The makeup work is also fantastic.

Additionally, I mentioned before that I was previously a fan of Rockwell for his excellent work in films like The Green Mile and Galaxy Quest, and Moon only confirmed my opinion of his great talent.  Rockwell received a nomination for his performance in Moon at the 2009 British Independent Film Awards, but the fact that he did not receive more acclaim for his role as Sam Bell (and Sam Bell clones) is a travesty.  In the tradition of Tom Hanks in Cast Away or Will Smith in I Am Legend, Rockwell has the considerable task of carrying an entire film with his performance in Moon, and he does as fine a job as either of those megastars did.

Rockwell plays dual roles, but in actuality, each of the Bell clones he portrays has a distinct personality, and he conveys that wonderfully with his acting (along with a little help from the aforementioned makeup effects).  Elsewhere, Kevin Spacey drops by for a voice-only role that demonstrates again why he is one of the greatest actors on Earth.  Spacey manages to convey more with only his voice and intonation than most actors can with full use of facial expressions and body language.

Obviously, Moon has a lot going for it.  But in the end, it succeeds only in being a very good, not great, science-fiction film.  Maybe I am at fault for my unrealistic expectations, but those expecting a game-changer here should look elsewhere.  There's just something missing from Moon that could have taken it to the next level.  Basically, the movie lacks the heart, and thematic grace, of an Inception, a Looper, or even a slightly older film like The Matrix.

The plot is mostly predictable.  The concept is an interesting one, but Jones fails to take it in new or interesting directions.  There seems to be no larger "message" or theme for the audience to pick up on.  Much like the environments it takes place in, Moon just feels alarmingly sterile.  For it's incredible accomplishments visually and aurally and for the landmark performance by Rockwell, Moon deserves to be appreciated.  But I left the movie thoroughly convinced that Mr. Jones' best work is ahead of him.  Perhaps with a little more time and seasoning he can produce that masterpiece of the sci-fi genre which he seems so destined to create.

Verdict: 7/10

Movie Review - Drive Angry

  Drive Angry (2011)

Director: Patrick Lussier

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner

It's unclear when exactly the character of "Nicolas Cage" became as entertaining as any character the actor himself actually portrays on screen.  What is clear is exactly how popular the actor is on the Internet as an entity completed removed from any of his films.  A quick search for "Nicolas Cage" on Know Your Meme provides a little insight into that popularity.  That search yields 182 images.  182 images of Cage face swapped, photo shopped, and otherwise meme-ified for the world to see, and I think it's safe to say that those 182 images don't represent a fraction of one percent of the total amount of absurd Cage-related images and videos floating around on the world wide web.  Just over the last couple of days in fact, this bit of Cage craziness has went viral.

Without a doubt, the career of Nicolas Cage has been one of the most unpredictable and truly intriguing Hollywood stories of the past 20 to 30 years.  Of course, things didn't start out so provocatively for Cage.  He is from a famous acting family, and got his start with bit roles in films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Valley Girl.  He worked his way up to star status from there, and became somewhat of a go-to-guy as the lead in comedic stuff like Raising Arizona and Guarding Tess.  Then, in 1995, he won a Best Actor Academy Award for the critically acclaimed Leaving Las Vegas.  After that, things got...weird.

Tracking the careers of actors after they've won an Academy Award is an entertaining exercise...what exactly does one do after having achieved the greatest acclaim one can for an individual performance in Hollywood?  Especially at the relatively tender age of 31, as Cage did?  Well if you are Nicolas Cage, the answer is that you try to become an action star.  It's a role that Cage had never previously been cast in, and understandably.  He lacks the traditional looks, presence, or raw physicality of action stars like Bruce Willis or Sly Stallone.  Nonetheless, Cage spent the mid-90's cranking out big budget action blockbusters like Con Air, Face/Off, and The Rock.  To be honest, those movies were probably the roots of the cult of Cage.  In Con Car, Cage sports a ridiculous hair-do (something that would come to be a trend in his career) and an even more ridiculous faux-South accent.  In Face/Off, he takes scene chewing to a whole new level, over-acting and hamming his way through every second of his turn as the villain Castor Troy.

The seeds of the elements that would make Cage such a cult figure were clearly on display in those films: crazy faces, bug-eyed overacting, inexplicable turn of phrases, odd body language and dialogue delivery...and of course, just a general sense of weirdness of the variety that has given fellow member of the Unsettling Actor's Club Christopher Walken his entire career.  Heading into the 21st century though, Cage decided to move back into dramatic acting, appearing in serious (and often award-baiting) fare like Windtalkers, Adaptation., and Matchstick Men.  The results were a little mixed but most Cage movies from that era failed to deliver from a critical or commercial standpoint, even if Cage was praised for his performance.

So in 2006, Cage began the next phase of his career.  Whether he began making movies strictly for the paycheck, because he lost the ability to say the word no like that Jim Carrey movie, or simply because he owes a lot of favors to various untalented people in Hollywood, the world may never know.  But we do know that absolutely irredeemably terrible movies like Wicker Man, Next, Ghost Rider, and Knowing came out of this phase.  And Cage became a bear-suit punching, flamethrower peeing, blazing moose observing walking meme of a man along.  The one most consistent question during all of this has been just how self-aware Nicolas Cage is.  In other words: does he realize how ridiculous the rest of the world thinks he is?  And if he does, what does he think about it?  Cage has always been weird (naming his kid after Superman, owning a castle), but it's unclear how much of this behavior has been Cage embracing the character of "Nicolas Cage", or Cage just being Cage.

With Bad Lieutenant and this movie, Drive Angry, though, we can clearly determine that Cage has entered yet another phase of his career: that of self-aware audience troller.  Yes, Mr. Cage knows exactly what the world expects of him, and now he is in the business of just messing with us.  There is simply no other way to explain a movie like Drive Angry.  The movie is bad, of course.  But it's also probably one of the two or three most entertaining Cage movies (along with Kick-Ass and Lieutenant) of the last decade.  And not entertaining in a so-bad it's-good way, either. Drive Angry is a legitimately fun joy ride of a movie, and it's most redeeming aspect is that it doesn't take itself seriously like previous Cage bombs (see Ghost Rider).

I should say that, importantly, Drive Angry winks at the audience, but doesn't get too hokey about it.  It also has some genuinely great action scenes, and makes good use of 3D effects.  In addition, the surprisingly talented cast of actors (particularly the hilarious William Fichtner, who is typically great) seem to be having fun, Amber Heard is great eye candy, and of course, there is Nicolas Cage.  If looking ridiculous were an Olympic event in the career of Nicolas Cage, there is no doubt that A.) It would be one of the most hotly contested events in Olympic history and B.) Drive Angry would be the runaway gold medalist.  Yes, Cage looks more ridiculous in this than he did in Con Air.  His hair is indescribable.  His outfit is laughable.  He looks like exactly what would happen if you stuck a 50-year old man into Nickelback at the peak of their powers and tried to pass him off as a rock star.

And yet Cage sells it.  He struts, growls, and sneers his way through his performance as shotgun-toting badass John Milton (get it?) with such pizzazz that I actually bought it in spite of myself.  And fans of great Nicolas Cage moments, this is the movie for you.  There is one scene in particular that had me literally holding my stomach with laughter the whole time, and I'm convinced it will go down as the craziest scene in a Nicolas Cage movie ever (which is saying something).  I won't go into to too much detail in order to not spoil it, but suffice to say that John Milton brings new meaning to the term multi-tasking.  He manages to smoke a cigarette and chug whiskey throughout an extended gunfight, and those are the two least impressive things that he does.  It's hard to give a rating to a movie like Drive Angry.  It doesn't take itself seriously, so it's a challenge for me to do just that.  As bad as it was, though, I was entertained, which is more than I can say for some of the more unfortunate Cage movies of recent years.  Here's hoping that this new phase of Cage's career will continue for quite some time before he decides to change gears yet again.

Verdict: 5/10

Good Point Celtics article

http://thegoodpoint.com/2013/02/boston-celtics-respect/

Movie Review - Gladiator

  Gladiator (2000)

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen

I can't believe it's been 13 years since Gladiator came out.  I still remember getting excited about the trailer for this movie that used Kid Rock music interspersed with clips from modern sports (Can't find it anywhere on YouTube unfortunately).  I also can't believe this movie actually won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Not that I dislike the movie (I don't), or that I actually put any stock in the opinions of the Academy (I don't), but I was genuinely surprised that a movie as "popcorn" as Gladiator would take that prize.  

It's definitely not the first time a mainstream blockbuster movie has won that award, but in 2013, when the last two Best Picture winners have been decidedly more stuffy flicks like The Artist and King's Speech, it's a little shocking that the 2000 Best Picture winner was a movie my high school self likely would have described as "awesome". Of course, it probably helped that the competition was Chocolat and Erin Brokovich, movies that haven't exactly lingered on in the collective consciousness.

Of course, there was probably more than a little "career achievement award" factor going on here as well.  The director of Alien and Blade Runner probably deserved a Best Picture nod as much as Martin Scorsese did in 2006 with The Departed. And Gladiator is an impressive movie, to be certain.  Ridley and his brother Tony have always had a flair for the visual aspect of film-making.  Even not so great Ridley Scott movies look amazing (see Prometheus), and Gladiator still looks phenomenal.  The opening battle and the shots of Rome and the Colosseum are all just as stunning today as they were 13 years ago.  The visual effects have held up really well.  

I described Gladiator before as a "popcorn" flick, and I believe that to be true.  It isn't a whole lot different in sensibility from Clash of the Titans (the new one).  What sets it apart is the quality of the action.  The battle scenes are well-choreographed and immensely visceral.  Gladiator also has some gravitas that separates it from other more forgettable action flicks.  That comes from the awesome script (yes, some of the dialogue is pretty over-the-top, but there are countless memorable quotations and one-liners), Scott's respectful handling of the material, and a couple of really great performances.  

Commodus (as played by Joaquin Phoenix) is legitimately one of the great movie villains of all-time, and I would have wagered anything at the time it would be the greatest performance of Phoenix's career (who knew he would go on to top it playing Johnny Cash of all people?).  Russell Crowe on the other hand will likely never surpass his work as Maximus, which isn't a bad thing at all.  He plays the role with an incredible mixture of menace, heartbreak, and fiery restraint that is absolutely magnetic.  I really couldn't imagine anyone else doing a better job than Crowe did in this movie.

Gladiator of course is not perfect.  I don't think it would have won Best Picture in a stronger year.  The movie is over-long, and really starts to drag in particular after Maximus unmasks himself to the Emperor.  The entire subplot between Maximus and Commodus' sister is pointless.  There aren't any standout performances outside of the two main characters (who are admittedly phenomenal .  And the movie, while mostly genuinely emotional and striking, occasionally borders on pandering.  Some of the battles scenes can also get a little confusing with all the quick cuts.  Those complaints are minor though, and overall Gladiator is definitely one of the classic films of the 2000s.

Verdict: 8/10