Every so often, you come across a film so powerful, so devoid of cinematic tropes, and so true-to-life that it renders your speechless. Now, mind you, I had an understanding of the subject matter before I entered the dark theatre, but never had I imagined that Michael Haneke, the director of such cold films as The White Ribbon and Funny Games, could make a film so heart-wrenchingly, unflinchingly honest and sympathetic. The hype is real: Amour is the best foreign film of the year.
With Jersey Shore coming to an end in the near future, MTV has picked up four new reality shows to fill their schedule. Read on for details on what to expect from the next wave of reality TV.
The symbiotic relationship between Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment continues to grow with the upcoming debut of the hotly anticipated teaser for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, set to play before Lionsgate's equally anticipated release of The Hunger Games.
Last week, my Breaking Bad recap spent little time discussing the weeks events and instead shelled out some scrutiny. I wasn’t thrilled with the whole “Ricin” cigarette plot thread, and felt it transgressed the whole “Reality=Fiction” line this show so easily treads. For the first time, I felt as if the writers had manipulated the story into an easy out for the primary players.
I hate to say it, but this most recent episode of Breaking Bad seemed very much like filler to me. It goes without saying that the direction, acting, cinematography, and editing far surpassed other TV dramas, but the writing took a considerable hit this week. For the first time this season, I actually feel as if the show took an easy out. Still, it made for a breathless and tense hour of television that has no peers.
This episode of Breaking Bad was absolutely incredible. It’s not often that I say this, but the last few moments of the show had my skin crawling. This entire season has essentially been leading up to this episode, and wow! Honestly, it’s really hard for me to articulate just how effective this episode was.
I have mentioned a handful of times in my previous recaps that Breaking Bad, a show that merits it faithful viewers, is a slow burn. This season, like past seasons, was extremely deliberate and methodical in its pacing. There were times the season dragged, to be sure, but I was never bored by it. A lot happened in last night's episode, and I’m happy to announce that it features the first, jaw-dropping moment of the season.
Jesse and Walt come from two very disparate lifestyles. Walt, a once highly acclaimed chemist who never found his footing in the science arena, had to resort to teaching 10th graders the periodic table. It wasn’t his passion, but he was good at his job and it (almost) paid the bills. Then he got sick, and worse, quite desperate. The money he was making just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
Last week, I noted that Gus was erected in a very different light. He slipped from the high, polished, and assured pedestal we invariably find him on, almost humanizing him in the process. His plan, carefully calculated, was not accepted by the Cartel. It raised a ton of questions: Why is Gus trying to buy off the Cartel? And on top of that, what is his problem with the Cartel anyways? This episode is all about Gus, and it posits a whole slew of new questions, but also answers many as well. This episode of Breaking Bad was a doozy.
There was a lot that happened in the aptly titled episode Problem Dog. As we begin, Walt takes the Challenger for a test drive for the ages. After promising to return the vehicle to the dealership, Walt instead takes it to a vacant parking with very different intentions. He peels out, conducts tire-shredding donuts, and drives with such disregard that he eventually crashes the car into the ditch. No worries, this is an easy fix. Instead of calling the local tow company, Walt instead chooses to blow up the car. Problem Solved. Walt is this car: Out of control, blind, enraged, and absolutely explosive. The man is seriously in over his head.
