Note: Major spoilers for the episode of Mr. Robot. You have been warned.
As each new episode comes and goes, I continue to be fascinated with the little things that this show does so well. There are a lot of subtle things that really add something to the show that most shows can't seem to capture. Sam Esmail finds a way to get the most out of the actors, and make what even seem like mundane scenes feel much bigger than either they are or bigger than they should feel. I think that is why I'm so enthralled with the show, and I wonder how long they can keep this up. But to take a line from Ray from this week's episode, "I'm not going to ask, I'm just going to quit while I'm ahead."
We start off this week with a flashback of when Elliot first puts on the mask and "becomes" Mr. Robot. Darlene shows up at his house, wearing the mask, and asks where she found that at. Turns out, the mask is from some cheap horror movie they used to watch, and so they watch it while they catch up after not seeing each other for some time. This leads to Elliot first spelling out his plan to take down Evil Corp, and it is a really cool scene.
Back to the present and Darlene is trying to get Elliot to help and explains to him a little of what is going on. He won't help, and she says that she could really use "him" right now instead of Elliot. Elliot it trying so hard to be himself, but everywhere he turns, it seems that Mr. Robot is waiting and ready to step up as soon as he is needed.
Angela stands outside the office building, listening to some self-motivation CD, as we see that the two men from the last episode are being arrested. Later, she is talking to the lawyer that she was working with in the first season, and says that Price wants something and it has to do with her. She wants to read through some documentation that the lawyer has, saying there is something in there for her. After reading the documents, she goes to see Price and demands a new title and to take over someone's position. She then talks about what she found, and he just says it is all in her head and to go home. As he walks away, she says that she knows she is right.
Dom is searching the arcade, but it doesn't look like there is any evidence left behind after they purged the scene last season. The other agents question what she has, and she produces an evidence bag with what looks like a gun casing in it.
Elliot is playing a game of chess with Ray, and Ray says that he needs to get some more practice. He tells him to take the board home and play against himself. He says that maybe he can even win. Elliot does take the board with him, and that evening, Mr. Robot says he wants to play him, winner takes control and the other will walk away. Elliot is reluctant and doesn't give an answer. The next day we see him talking to his therapist, and she tells him that he needs to acknowledge that his father is a part of him, and not to play him for control.
It appears that Darlene is being followed, but it may just be her paranoia. Her old boyfriend from the Dark Army runs into her on the street and tells her to come to a bar down the street. She goes and he tells her that the FBI found their arcade, and that the Dark Army is getting nervous. He says that he can help her, but that she can't do anything stupid or the Dark Army will have to intervene. Speaking of the Dark Army, we get a scene with Whiterose talking to Price about speeding things up. On what, we're not sure, but Price tells him that it will take time.
Joanna Wellick is getting desperate and running out of money, and can't get Tyrell's severance package from E Corp. She goes to see Scott Knowles, who has no interest in helping her, since her husband killed his wife. Pretty good scene between these two, even though they aren't main characters.
We get one of the best scenes of the season, as Elliot imagines his pefect future, with a very slow version of "Basket Case" by Green Day plays in the background. All of the people he cares about are happy, and E Corp collapses in the background as they eat dinner and smile at each other. He says he will fight for his future, and so he agrees to play Mr. Robot at chess. However, they come to a stalemate three times in a row, which he says is impossible with the move combinations. Mr. Robot explains to him that they can't get rid of each other, they have to work together. Another very well done scene.
Darlene calls and asks for Elliot's help again, and he asks if she meant what she said about wanting "him" as Mr. Robot listens nearby. She says she wants Elliot, and only Elliot. He says he has an idea. He goes to see Ray and says he will help him with the computer problem he has been having. He quickly realizes that there is more to this than he thought there was, but he is still determined to help Darlene, even having been warned to only look at what he has to for the job. He finds out about the arcade, and Romero, and the FBI's involvement. Mr. Robot asks him what he is doing, and Elliot says he is hacking the FBI as the episode ends.
Another solid episode, and very good ending. Several really good scenes throughout the entire episode, but there is a sense of leading to something, but it being still out of our grasp. I don't want to say it's developing slowly, as I think the showrunners know exactly what they are doing. Slow build into some crazy stuff in the near future, and I don't think I would have it any other way. This show is all about paranoia and the things going on behind the scenes, so the way they are handling everything right now is perfectly okay with me. Now, we just have to wait another full week until we get to see just what happens next.
My rating for the episode is 8.5/10
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
TV Show - Mr. Robot - Season 2, Ep. 3
Note: Major spoilers for the episode of Mr. Robot. You have been warned.
In episode 3, we see Elliot still struggling with keeping control of Mr. Robot, while also trying to keep his grip on reality. He talks to Tyrell on the phone, but after he is done talking to him, he can't be sure that it was even real. Mr. Robot tells him that it is only a matter of time before he has control, but Elliot decides it's time to take action. He gets ahold of some Adderall, as he thinks that the drugs will keep Mr. Robot suppressed. This leads to a hallucination where Elliot is kidnapped and forced to drink concrete mix, which causes him to throw up the pills. Realizing that Mr. Robot is responsible, he picks the pills up out of his own vomit and swallows them again.
Meanwhile, Mobley has a flashback with Romero, where he is trying to recruit Romero to the crew, and to rent the abandoned Amusement Park building they are hiding out in through most of the first season. We also get a story about how f society came to be, which I thought was a nice touch. After the flashback, we see Mobley going to visit Romero and finds that he has been killed. He meets up with Darlene to say that he thinks the Dark Army is cleaning up their mess, namely them, and killing them off one by one. Darlene says this is ridiculous and says she will talk to Elliot.
We are also introduced to a new character, and FBI agent named Dom. She is on the scene where Romero was found dead, and apparently looks down on the local police taking care of the scene, as they fry Romero's computer before they can get any information off of it. She also visits with Romero's mom and finds some clues about Mobley and the others, and goes off to try to track down additional information.
Angela goes in to visit with Price, whom tells her that he wants to switch up the interview she got on the last episode. She agrees and goes to walk out, but then turns and says she thinks she is right on this one. He seems impressed that she stood up for herself and agrees, while inviting her to dinner. She shows up, thinking it's a date, and there are two other men from E Corp. at the dinner. After the dinner, Price excuses the other two men and tells her that these men were there when the deal was signed that led to her father's death. He gives her incriminating evidence against the two men that will ruin their lives, and tells her that once she gets rid of her emotion, she will know what to do.
As Elliot continues to take his pills, and is subsequently losing sleep, he gets a bit crazy, in a legitimate funny set of scenes where we see a different side of Elliot. But as time goes by, the pills are losing their effect, and his lack of sleep is catching up to him. He knows it is inevitable, but is still trying to fight it. He is at one of his groups when he loses it and goes off on a tangent to the group, and then realizes that he has said it all out loud, and so he leaves the group and throws away his journal.
Ray catches up to him at the diner where he has been hanging out, and tells him about how his wife was killed in a car accident. He then tells Elliot that they are more alike than he may think. Earlier in the episode, we also get to see that Ray has a darker side than we have seen. He is trying to get a man to do something for him, and the man has been beat up by someone who apparently works with Ray. The job he is trying to get the man to do is computer related, but the man says he can't do it, he doesn't know enough to get it done. Ray leaves and decides that he needs to find someone else, which I assume is why he pursues Elliot.
Elliot starts to open up to Ray a bit, and then realizes he is saying too much. Ray then tells him that there is no control, and that life is just stumbling around trying to find your way. Elliot then questions everything, and is wondering if Ray is right, when the pills wear off completely and Mr. Robot shows back up. Elliot decides that instead of trying to get rid of him, he is just going to have to figure out how to deal with him and control him instead of the other way around.
At the end of the episode, we see Agent Dom finding the abandoned building in the Amusement Park, with f society written on the side. It looks like our crew may be in a bit of trouble. Well, more then they already were.
Tons going on in this episode, like most of the other episodes in this show. Everything is so complex, and the way they deliver it all is nothing short of amazing. I don't know how this show gets better each week, but it finds a way to do something new each week and to further develop all these characters in the hour of time they are given. Rami Malek continues to get better and better in his role as Elliot, and if he doesn't end up winning the Emmy, I am going to be disappointed.
As far as the overarching story, I am very curious to see where we go next. There is a lot of storylines going on, but I'm very curious to see what Ray has in store for Elliot, what decision Angela is going to make with her new information, and where the new FBI Agent storyline is heading. I can honestly say that there is no other show on television that I'm so excited about as Mr. Robot and we are only three episodes into the season. I can't wait for the rest of the ride.
My rating for the episode is 8.5/10
In episode 3, we see Elliot still struggling with keeping control of Mr. Robot, while also trying to keep his grip on reality. He talks to Tyrell on the phone, but after he is done talking to him, he can't be sure that it was even real. Mr. Robot tells him that it is only a matter of time before he has control, but Elliot decides it's time to take action. He gets ahold of some Adderall, as he thinks that the drugs will keep Mr. Robot suppressed. This leads to a hallucination where Elliot is kidnapped and forced to drink concrete mix, which causes him to throw up the pills. Realizing that Mr. Robot is responsible, he picks the pills up out of his own vomit and swallows them again.
Meanwhile, Mobley has a flashback with Romero, where he is trying to recruit Romero to the crew, and to rent the abandoned Amusement Park building they are hiding out in through most of the first season. We also get a story about how f society came to be, which I thought was a nice touch. After the flashback, we see Mobley going to visit Romero and finds that he has been killed. He meets up with Darlene to say that he thinks the Dark Army is cleaning up their mess, namely them, and killing them off one by one. Darlene says this is ridiculous and says she will talk to Elliot.
We are also introduced to a new character, and FBI agent named Dom. She is on the scene where Romero was found dead, and apparently looks down on the local police taking care of the scene, as they fry Romero's computer before they can get any information off of it. She also visits with Romero's mom and finds some clues about Mobley and the others, and goes off to try to track down additional information.
Angela goes in to visit with Price, whom tells her that he wants to switch up the interview she got on the last episode. She agrees and goes to walk out, but then turns and says she thinks she is right on this one. He seems impressed that she stood up for herself and agrees, while inviting her to dinner. She shows up, thinking it's a date, and there are two other men from E Corp. at the dinner. After the dinner, Price excuses the other two men and tells her that these men were there when the deal was signed that led to her father's death. He gives her incriminating evidence against the two men that will ruin their lives, and tells her that once she gets rid of her emotion, she will know what to do.
As Elliot continues to take his pills, and is subsequently losing sleep, he gets a bit crazy, in a legitimate funny set of scenes where we see a different side of Elliot. But as time goes by, the pills are losing their effect, and his lack of sleep is catching up to him. He knows it is inevitable, but is still trying to fight it. He is at one of his groups when he loses it and goes off on a tangent to the group, and then realizes that he has said it all out loud, and so he leaves the group and throws away his journal.
Ray catches up to him at the diner where he has been hanging out, and tells him about how his wife was killed in a car accident. He then tells Elliot that they are more alike than he may think. Earlier in the episode, we also get to see that Ray has a darker side than we have seen. He is trying to get a man to do something for him, and the man has been beat up by someone who apparently works with Ray. The job he is trying to get the man to do is computer related, but the man says he can't do it, he doesn't know enough to get it done. Ray leaves and decides that he needs to find someone else, which I assume is why he pursues Elliot.
Elliot starts to open up to Ray a bit, and then realizes he is saying too much. Ray then tells him that there is no control, and that life is just stumbling around trying to find your way. Elliot then questions everything, and is wondering if Ray is right, when the pills wear off completely and Mr. Robot shows back up. Elliot decides that instead of trying to get rid of him, he is just going to have to figure out how to deal with him and control him instead of the other way around.
At the end of the episode, we see Agent Dom finding the abandoned building in the Amusement Park, with f society written on the side. It looks like our crew may be in a bit of trouble. Well, more then they already were.
Tons going on in this episode, like most of the other episodes in this show. Everything is so complex, and the way they deliver it all is nothing short of amazing. I don't know how this show gets better each week, but it finds a way to do something new each week and to further develop all these characters in the hour of time they are given. Rami Malek continues to get better and better in his role as Elliot, and if he doesn't end up winning the Emmy, I am going to be disappointed.
As far as the overarching story, I am very curious to see where we go next. There is a lot of storylines going on, but I'm very curious to see what Ray has in store for Elliot, what decision Angela is going to make with her new information, and where the new FBI Agent storyline is heading. I can honestly say that there is no other show on television that I'm so excited about as Mr. Robot and we are only three episodes into the season. I can't wait for the rest of the ride.
My rating for the episode is 8.5/10
Saturday, July 23, 2016
TV Show - Hell on Wheels - Series Finale - "Done"
Note: Major spoilers for the season finale of Hell on Wheels. You have been warned.
The final episode was titled Done, which ended up being a perfectly titled name for the series finale. For the most part, all storylines were tied up, or least put to an inconclusive end that made sense in the grand scheme of the show. For the last eight episodes of the show, I was pretty sure that I was going to be unhappy with the finale, but now that it is over, I can honestly say that I was wrong. I thought the finale was pretty good, considering the up and down nature of the show over the years, and I was content with the way it all ended.
We start off with the final spike being put to the railroad, and it turns out that Durant has put the screws to Huntington one last time, as he is going to put the spike in himself. As he finishes the job, Campbell shows up to give him a subpoena to show up in Washington to face trial for bribery. Cullen also gets a subpoena to testify in the case, after he and Mickey start a bar fight that ends up with them laughing and not really knowing why they were fighting anyway, as the railroad is done and they aren't on opposite sides any longer.
Prior to leaving, Huntington tells Cullen that he has a job waiting for him on the short line railroad in San Francisco after he is done in Washington. Cullen doesn't think he wants the job, but Huntington tells him that he is a railroad man, and then leaves. Also prior to leaving, Durant pays Mickey off for his share of the railroad, since he doesn't want Mickey to get tied up in the problems that Durant now faces. Mickey is angry, but realizes that all he has done was for nothing, and he takes his money and leaves.
Upon arriving in Washington, President Grant requests that Cullen show up to his gala that evening. Cullen shows up and meets General Custer, and they have a discussion about how they were on opposite sides of the war. Grant then pulls Cullen aside and offers him a job as Colonel in the army, protecting the railroad that he helped build. Cullen isn't sure, and Grant tells him that he is a soldier, much like Huntington told him that he was a railroad man.
Cullen finds Durant at the gala and they have a talk. Durant tells him to say whatever he wants, that he has no one left on his side any longer. He says that several of the people he bribed over the years have turned on him and that he is going to prison anyway. Cullen says Durant has gotten out of worse things in his life, but Durant looks spent on the subject.
Meanwhile, Mickey asks Eva to come with him, leave everything behind. She says she just wants her 10% that she is owed, and that they are no good for each other. She tries to kiss Mickey goodbye, but he pushes her away. Eva then goes with Ms. Ellison to make a book about her life, but she ends up backing out after she realizes that she will have to be something she is not.
Cullen decides to take the job as Colonel, and he shows up at Durant's trial in his uniform. He refuses to sell out Durant, and only says, "The railroad would not have been built without Thomas Durant." He is excused from the room, and Durant gives him a look as he leaves, realizing that maybe he does still at least have one person on his side.
Cullen is shooting some guns with Custer, when he realizes that the job he has been given isn't what he thought it was. Seeing the way Custer acts, and hearing him tell his stories, makes Cullen realize that this isn't what he wanted after all. He leaves and goes to a church, and sits down in the confession booth, similar to what he did at the beginning of the series. The priest asks him a series of questions, and Cullen breaks down crying. He thanks the priest and he walks out.
Back at the trial, it is Durant's turn to speak, and he gives a very good speech, that only Durant can give. He talks about how he was out there making the railroad happen, no matter what means were necessary, he was determined to finish the railroad, and that is what he did. We are left without knowing if Durant went to jail for his crimes, but I think it is safe to say that, despite his rousing speech, that he did in fact go to jail. We did see him many years later with nothing left, so he obviously didn't go away for life but I think it's still a safe assumption.
During Durant's speech, we see everything else tied up as well. Eva breaks the horse that she got several episodes back and rides it off into the wilderness. Mickey is shown looking at the slides he and his brother were using at the beginning of the series, and throwing them off into the dirt.
And finally, we get to Cullen's ending. If you have read any of my other posts on this show, you know that I thought Cullen was going to die before this show was over. He has lost everything, and I thought there was no way that there was a happy ending. And I was wrong, as it turns out. He leaves his uniform behind and goes to San Francisco, but instead of meeting with Huntington, he goes to the docks. He pulls out the paper that we found out earlier in the episode had Mae's address in China on it. He looks out across the ocean and then we see him sailing away, looking back over his shoulder at America as he leaves it all behind. After all he has been through, it appears that he is indeed finally done.
I think it was a very solid ending, that I didn't think the show was ever going to get to. I was pleasantly surprised, as I wasn't really looking forward to the finale, but they delivered and everything ended as I feel that it should have. I was happy for Cullen, as he is going to finally get what he deserves, after sacrificing so much for the railroad. I thought that after everything, he was just going to lose one last time, but he finally is going to be happy, and I genuinely feel good for him.
The series as a whole has been all over the place for me, but with the solid ending, and the many good episodes along the way, I do think that the show was way more positive then negative. Certainly not the best show I have ever seen (that goes to Breaking Bad), but overall I did enjoy the show. I wish the ending could have seen two of my favorite characters, Elam and the Swede, both dead long ago, but for the characters left, I think they got the endings that were deserved and the show ended the way it should have. After the show was over, there was a commercial thanking the fans for "One hell of a ride," and I guess I would agree that it was a pretty good show overall.
My rating for the episode is 8/10
My rating for the series is 7/10
The final episode was titled Done, which ended up being a perfectly titled name for the series finale. For the most part, all storylines were tied up, or least put to an inconclusive end that made sense in the grand scheme of the show. For the last eight episodes of the show, I was pretty sure that I was going to be unhappy with the finale, but now that it is over, I can honestly say that I was wrong. I thought the finale was pretty good, considering the up and down nature of the show over the years, and I was content with the way it all ended.
We start off with the final spike being put to the railroad, and it turns out that Durant has put the screws to Huntington one last time, as he is going to put the spike in himself. As he finishes the job, Campbell shows up to give him a subpoena to show up in Washington to face trial for bribery. Cullen also gets a subpoena to testify in the case, after he and Mickey start a bar fight that ends up with them laughing and not really knowing why they were fighting anyway, as the railroad is done and they aren't on opposite sides any longer.
Prior to leaving, Huntington tells Cullen that he has a job waiting for him on the short line railroad in San Francisco after he is done in Washington. Cullen doesn't think he wants the job, but Huntington tells him that he is a railroad man, and then leaves. Also prior to leaving, Durant pays Mickey off for his share of the railroad, since he doesn't want Mickey to get tied up in the problems that Durant now faces. Mickey is angry, but realizes that all he has done was for nothing, and he takes his money and leaves.
Upon arriving in Washington, President Grant requests that Cullen show up to his gala that evening. Cullen shows up and meets General Custer, and they have a discussion about how they were on opposite sides of the war. Grant then pulls Cullen aside and offers him a job as Colonel in the army, protecting the railroad that he helped build. Cullen isn't sure, and Grant tells him that he is a soldier, much like Huntington told him that he was a railroad man.
Cullen finds Durant at the gala and they have a talk. Durant tells him to say whatever he wants, that he has no one left on his side any longer. He says that several of the people he bribed over the years have turned on him and that he is going to prison anyway. Cullen says Durant has gotten out of worse things in his life, but Durant looks spent on the subject.
Meanwhile, Mickey asks Eva to come with him, leave everything behind. She says she just wants her 10% that she is owed, and that they are no good for each other. She tries to kiss Mickey goodbye, but he pushes her away. Eva then goes with Ms. Ellison to make a book about her life, but she ends up backing out after she realizes that she will have to be something she is not.
Cullen decides to take the job as Colonel, and he shows up at Durant's trial in his uniform. He refuses to sell out Durant, and only says, "The railroad would not have been built without Thomas Durant." He is excused from the room, and Durant gives him a look as he leaves, realizing that maybe he does still at least have one person on his side.
Cullen is shooting some guns with Custer, when he realizes that the job he has been given isn't what he thought it was. Seeing the way Custer acts, and hearing him tell his stories, makes Cullen realize that this isn't what he wanted after all. He leaves and goes to a church, and sits down in the confession booth, similar to what he did at the beginning of the series. The priest asks him a series of questions, and Cullen breaks down crying. He thanks the priest and he walks out.
Back at the trial, it is Durant's turn to speak, and he gives a very good speech, that only Durant can give. He talks about how he was out there making the railroad happen, no matter what means were necessary, he was determined to finish the railroad, and that is what he did. We are left without knowing if Durant went to jail for his crimes, but I think it is safe to say that, despite his rousing speech, that he did in fact go to jail. We did see him many years later with nothing left, so he obviously didn't go away for life but I think it's still a safe assumption.
During Durant's speech, we see everything else tied up as well. Eva breaks the horse that she got several episodes back and rides it off into the wilderness. Mickey is shown looking at the slides he and his brother were using at the beginning of the series, and throwing them off into the dirt.
And finally, we get to Cullen's ending. If you have read any of my other posts on this show, you know that I thought Cullen was going to die before this show was over. He has lost everything, and I thought there was no way that there was a happy ending. And I was wrong, as it turns out. He leaves his uniform behind and goes to San Francisco, but instead of meeting with Huntington, he goes to the docks. He pulls out the paper that we found out earlier in the episode had Mae's address in China on it. He looks out across the ocean and then we see him sailing away, looking back over his shoulder at America as he leaves it all behind. After all he has been through, it appears that he is indeed finally done.
I think it was a very solid ending, that I didn't think the show was ever going to get to. I was pleasantly surprised, as I wasn't really looking forward to the finale, but they delivered and everything ended as I feel that it should have. I was happy for Cullen, as he is going to finally get what he deserves, after sacrificing so much for the railroad. I thought that after everything, he was just going to lose one last time, but he finally is going to be happy, and I genuinely feel good for him.
The series as a whole has been all over the place for me, but with the solid ending, and the many good episodes along the way, I do think that the show was way more positive then negative. Certainly not the best show I have ever seen (that goes to Breaking Bad), but overall I did enjoy the show. I wish the ending could have seen two of my favorite characters, Elam and the Swede, both dead long ago, but for the characters left, I think they got the endings that were deserved and the show ended the way it should have. After the show was over, there was a commercial thanking the fans for "One hell of a ride," and I guess I would agree that it was a pretty good show overall.
My rating for the episode is 8/10
My rating for the series is 7/10
Movie - Star Trek Beyond
Note: May be minor spoilers throughout, but will try to keep them to a minimum.
With a new director, and Simon Pegg taking over partial writing duties, Star Trek Beyond brings back the crew from the previous two movies to make a third installment of the Star Trek reboot franchise. I really enjoyed the first two movies, and I was a bit apprehensive about the new director taking over for J. J. Abrams, but by the end of the film, I felt like all the things that made the previous two films good were still intact, while feeling even a little bit bigger than the previous two installments.
The movies picks up some three years after the previous installment, as the crew of the Enterprise, more specifically Captain James T. Kirk, are in a rut. Kirk is questioning why they are even doing all of this if the universe is infinite and they will never see everything or understand everything. It looks as if Kirk is going to give up the Enterprise for a desk job in the city when a strange ship arrives and a female alien explains that her ship was lost inside a nebula and asks for help. Kirk and the Enterprise are sent on the mission, where they are viciously attacked by an alien force unlike anything they have ever seen before. The crew gets separated and stranded on the planet, as they try to reunite, find a way off the planet, and stop Krall, the leader of the aliens that attacked them.
I'll start with the director, Justin Lin. Primarily known for his directorial duties with the Fast & Furious franchise, I was a little worried that attention to the plot and details were going to be thrown aside for bigger, badder action scenes. But that didn't end up being the case. In fact, I found myself enjoying the action scenes more than I did in the previous two installments, as he really brings a nice flare to the action sequences, without making them feel over the top as some of the scenes in the Fast & Furious movies feel. The plot made sense, and the pacing was pretty good, but it was a little slow at first as the movie tried to find its footing, but when it finally got rolling, every scene felt important as they built to the climax of the movie.
The performances were once again really good by the cast (RIP Anton Yelchin, a fine performance), and I feel that at this point, the actors have really gotten a feel for the characters, and so the actions on screen make sense to the characters, and they are brought to life as we have come to expect. While that does lead to some predictability, it's not as if we watch these types of movies to be blown away, but to be entertained, and Star Trek Beyond goes above and beyond (see what I did there?) to make sure the audience stays entertained. It has equal doses of humor and seriousness, with a nice mix of character development and action sequences. It really is the pure definition of what a blockbuster should be.
I don't know if I would say this was better than Into Darkness, but it was certainly close. Idris Elba did a fine job as the bad guy, but it's hard to top Benedict Cumberbatch from the previous movie, so I think that is the primary difference here. Overall, I was thoroughly entertained, and as I sat there watching the movie, I was thinking to myself about how this has become one of the more solid franchises on the market today. It has a distinct feel to it, and Beyond only helped solidify that feel, and I can only look forward to the next installment (which I hear is going to bring Chris Hemsworth back as Captain Kirk's father, which is only a plus).
My rating for the film is 8/10
With a new director, and Simon Pegg taking over partial writing duties, Star Trek Beyond brings back the crew from the previous two movies to make a third installment of the Star Trek reboot franchise. I really enjoyed the first two movies, and I was a bit apprehensive about the new director taking over for J. J. Abrams, but by the end of the film, I felt like all the things that made the previous two films good were still intact, while feeling even a little bit bigger than the previous two installments.
The movies picks up some three years after the previous installment, as the crew of the Enterprise, more specifically Captain James T. Kirk, are in a rut. Kirk is questioning why they are even doing all of this if the universe is infinite and they will never see everything or understand everything. It looks as if Kirk is going to give up the Enterprise for a desk job in the city when a strange ship arrives and a female alien explains that her ship was lost inside a nebula and asks for help. Kirk and the Enterprise are sent on the mission, where they are viciously attacked by an alien force unlike anything they have ever seen before. The crew gets separated and stranded on the planet, as they try to reunite, find a way off the planet, and stop Krall, the leader of the aliens that attacked them.
I'll start with the director, Justin Lin. Primarily known for his directorial duties with the Fast & Furious franchise, I was a little worried that attention to the plot and details were going to be thrown aside for bigger, badder action scenes. But that didn't end up being the case. In fact, I found myself enjoying the action scenes more than I did in the previous two installments, as he really brings a nice flare to the action sequences, without making them feel over the top as some of the scenes in the Fast & Furious movies feel. The plot made sense, and the pacing was pretty good, but it was a little slow at first as the movie tried to find its footing, but when it finally got rolling, every scene felt important as they built to the climax of the movie.
The performances were once again really good by the cast (RIP Anton Yelchin, a fine performance), and I feel that at this point, the actors have really gotten a feel for the characters, and so the actions on screen make sense to the characters, and they are brought to life as we have come to expect. While that does lead to some predictability, it's not as if we watch these types of movies to be blown away, but to be entertained, and Star Trek Beyond goes above and beyond (see what I did there?) to make sure the audience stays entertained. It has equal doses of humor and seriousness, with a nice mix of character development and action sequences. It really is the pure definition of what a blockbuster should be.
I don't know if I would say this was better than Into Darkness, but it was certainly close. Idris Elba did a fine job as the bad guy, but it's hard to top Benedict Cumberbatch from the previous movie, so I think that is the primary difference here. Overall, I was thoroughly entertained, and as I sat there watching the movie, I was thinking to myself about how this has become one of the more solid franchises on the market today. It has a distinct feel to it, and Beyond only helped solidify that feel, and I can only look forward to the next installment (which I hear is going to bring Chris Hemsworth back as Captain Kirk's father, which is only a plus).
My rating for the film is 8/10
Monday, July 18, 2016
TV Show - Hell on Wheels - "Railroad Men"
Note: Major spoilers for the episode of Hell on Wheels. You have been warned.
The railroad is finally finished. Five seasons in, and the railroad has been completed, with only one episode left in the series. The last couple of weeks have certainly been better for the show, but I'm still afraid the show is going to end more on a whimper than with a roar. Based on the previews for the final episode, I guess there will only be one last loose end to wrap up, and I can't say I'm that excited to see it.
We start the episode with both railroads making the final push to Ogden, where the first one to arrive will get control of the town. Early on in the episode, we see both sides trying to lay claim before the railroad has actually laid track, but Campbell puts up a post and says the first one to touch it gets the town.
Cullen arrives back at the railroad to see that half of his men are missing, and automatically assumes that Durant and Mickey are to blame. He goes to confront Mickey, who tells him the same thing happened to him. They both go off in search of a man calling himself The Pirate, who is running a mine nearby. When they arrive, it turns out to be Jim who is The Pirate, which is an interesting turn of events. Cullen tries to get Jim to leave his men alone, but he shuts Cullen down as it is clear his life has fallen apart a bit since the last time we saw him leaving the railroad with his family. Mickey is able to get some of his men to go back with him, and so it looks like Cullen may come up short in the race.
Mickey and Cullen meet at night to have a conversation, and Cullen says that he has ten miles to go. Mickey explains that he and Durant only have six miles to go, and they wish each other good luck. Cullen says that no one has ever laid ten miles of track in one day, and Mickey says he has learned to never bet against Cullen Bohannon. Cullen also runs into Psalms and buys him a drink, exchanging pleasantries between two railroad men. Cullen reassures him that no matter who ends up with the credit, it got there because of men like him.
As day breaks, both sides set out, with Cullen hammering spikes along with his men. They are making up ground, which causes Durant to get upset and give his men a "pep talk." This causes Psalms to get ticked off, and he leaves, taking several of the men with him. He goes to Cullen and he and his men begin to help with laying the track. In the closing moments, it is clear that Cullen is going to win, and Durant and Mickey look on in disbelief as Cullen and his men cross the line, winning the town. As they get to the last spike, everyone steps back and lets Cullen finish the job. I guess I was wrong about this part, Cullen did get to finish the railroad after all. I guess after all he has lost, it's the least that could happen to him.
At the evening festivities, Durant has one last trick up his sleeve. He says that the railroad will have to be inspected before a winner can be decided, knowing that Huntington has cheated and skimped his way to the finish line, much like Durant. Huntington goes to Durant and tries to pay him off, but Durant says he wants the town. Huntington gives in, knowing that an inspection will result in him being thrown in jail for mishandling government funds, and so it looks like Durant has won anyway. Durant goes to Cullen to rub it in, but Cullen isn't in the mood and just brushes him off, saying, "Yep, you won." He goes back to his train car, and then collapses, looking like he may be having a heart attack.
I liked the episode, as it had some closure, but there is still apparently one thing left up in the air. In the previews for the final episode, it looks like Durant is on trial, and Cullen is going to have to testify in the case. Will he sell out Durant, as he probably deserves? Will he feel bad for everything Durant has gone through and actually help him get off? I guess these are the things we are supposed to care about, but I just have a hard time doing so.
Cullen lost everything, but he got to finish the railroad. I thought that was the whole point, so to still have one more episode to go feels a little off to me. With the way this episode ended, I guess Cullen's health is up in the air as well. Will he have a bigger complication in the final episode and be killed off? Maybe, but I feel like it was a red herring of sorts. I have thought for quite some time that Cullen is going to die before the show is over, but now I'm thinking he just gets to live out the rest of his life with no purpose, no family, no friends, and just the knowledge that he built that railroad. It's not what he set out to do at the beginning of the show, but it turned into his purpose along the way, and maybe that is just all that he gets to have. I guess we will find out this Saturday on the series finale.
My rating for the episode is 8/10
The railroad is finally finished. Five seasons in, and the railroad has been completed, with only one episode left in the series. The last couple of weeks have certainly been better for the show, but I'm still afraid the show is going to end more on a whimper than with a roar. Based on the previews for the final episode, I guess there will only be one last loose end to wrap up, and I can't say I'm that excited to see it.
We start the episode with both railroads making the final push to Ogden, where the first one to arrive will get control of the town. Early on in the episode, we see both sides trying to lay claim before the railroad has actually laid track, but Campbell puts up a post and says the first one to touch it gets the town.
Cullen arrives back at the railroad to see that half of his men are missing, and automatically assumes that Durant and Mickey are to blame. He goes to confront Mickey, who tells him the same thing happened to him. They both go off in search of a man calling himself The Pirate, who is running a mine nearby. When they arrive, it turns out to be Jim who is The Pirate, which is an interesting turn of events. Cullen tries to get Jim to leave his men alone, but he shuts Cullen down as it is clear his life has fallen apart a bit since the last time we saw him leaving the railroad with his family. Mickey is able to get some of his men to go back with him, and so it looks like Cullen may come up short in the race.
Mickey and Cullen meet at night to have a conversation, and Cullen says that he has ten miles to go. Mickey explains that he and Durant only have six miles to go, and they wish each other good luck. Cullen says that no one has ever laid ten miles of track in one day, and Mickey says he has learned to never bet against Cullen Bohannon. Cullen also runs into Psalms and buys him a drink, exchanging pleasantries between two railroad men. Cullen reassures him that no matter who ends up with the credit, it got there because of men like him.
As day breaks, both sides set out, with Cullen hammering spikes along with his men. They are making up ground, which causes Durant to get upset and give his men a "pep talk." This causes Psalms to get ticked off, and he leaves, taking several of the men with him. He goes to Cullen and he and his men begin to help with laying the track. In the closing moments, it is clear that Cullen is going to win, and Durant and Mickey look on in disbelief as Cullen and his men cross the line, winning the town. As they get to the last spike, everyone steps back and lets Cullen finish the job. I guess I was wrong about this part, Cullen did get to finish the railroad after all. I guess after all he has lost, it's the least that could happen to him.
At the evening festivities, Durant has one last trick up his sleeve. He says that the railroad will have to be inspected before a winner can be decided, knowing that Huntington has cheated and skimped his way to the finish line, much like Durant. Huntington goes to Durant and tries to pay him off, but Durant says he wants the town. Huntington gives in, knowing that an inspection will result in him being thrown in jail for mishandling government funds, and so it looks like Durant has won anyway. Durant goes to Cullen to rub it in, but Cullen isn't in the mood and just brushes him off, saying, "Yep, you won." He goes back to his train car, and then collapses, looking like he may be having a heart attack.
I liked the episode, as it had some closure, but there is still apparently one thing left up in the air. In the previews for the final episode, it looks like Durant is on trial, and Cullen is going to have to testify in the case. Will he sell out Durant, as he probably deserves? Will he feel bad for everything Durant has gone through and actually help him get off? I guess these are the things we are supposed to care about, but I just have a hard time doing so.
Cullen lost everything, but he got to finish the railroad. I thought that was the whole point, so to still have one more episode to go feels a little off to me. With the way this episode ended, I guess Cullen's health is up in the air as well. Will he have a bigger complication in the final episode and be killed off? Maybe, but I feel like it was a red herring of sorts. I have thought for quite some time that Cullen is going to die before the show is over, but now I'm thinking he just gets to live out the rest of his life with no purpose, no family, no friends, and just the knowledge that he built that railroad. It's not what he set out to do at the beginning of the show, but it turned into his purpose along the way, and maybe that is just all that he gets to have. I guess we will find out this Saturday on the series finale.
My rating for the episode is 8/10
Movie - The Lobster
Note: There may be minor spoilers throughout, but will try to limit them to only as necessary.
After seeing the trailer to The
Lobster, I knew that it was going to be an extremely strange
movie, but I don’t know that I was fully prepared for just what
transpired. If there is nothing else that can be said of this movie,
it is that it is unlike anything you have ever seen before. It has a
unique vision, unique cinematic style, and unique performances, that
all combine into an enjoyable experience, even if you don’t know
exactly what you are looking at half of the time.
The Lobster is set in a
dystopian future, where people are not allowed to live alone. Upon
the loss of one’s significant other, they are shipped off to a
hotel, where they have 45 days to find a new mate or they are turned
into an animal of their choosing. As the title states, the main
character David wants to be turned into a lobster, if he is unable to
find his mate in the required time frame. Outside of the hotel, in
the woods, those that have rebelled against the system live as the
Loners, where they have their own very distinct rules, of which the
main rule is that they must be alone. This presents two very
distinct different lifestyles, with no real grey area for any one
person to live, and that is what shapes the premise of the movie, in
my opinion.
Shortly into the movie, the
performances by the cast are what really grab your attention.
Everyone is very flat, and emotionless, and that is done
deliberately. The subtleties of the cast, which includes Colin
Farrell in probably his best role, John C. Reilly, whom is always
good, and Rachel Weisz, whom is also always good in her roles, really
make each character feel like the others, which is the whole point.
The movie states on multiple occasions that people have to be matched
based on a common physical aspect that both mates share, which
doesn’t leave room for personality, and the cast does a good job of
pulling this off.
The camera work in the film is
very dark and drab, once again on purpose, to further the overarching
point that society puts so much emphasis on being a physical match
with someone, that none of the other stuff matters. I feel that the
director really had a vision of how he wanted all of this to mesh
together, and he pulled it off brilliantly. Even the music
overtones, which are essentially the same throughout the film,
continue to express how every scene is kind of the same as the
previous scene, but is also tied together as we lead up to the
conclusion of the film.
Which leads me to the (somewhat)
problem I had with the film. The ending is very open ended, once
again on purpose, and depending on how you viewed the film all the
way to the end is how you are going to interpret the ending. Due to
not spoiling the ending, I won’t give my thoughts on the ending,
but I was just hoping for something a little more concrete at the
end. But considering how the rest of the movie played out, I guess
it shouldn’t surprise me, and if nothing else, it leads to some
interesting talking points for two different people that have seen
the movie. I think two different people can give two very different
interpretations of the ending, and both could be completely accurate
in how they took it.
There are some very dark scenes in
the movie, and I mean that from a content perspective, not just the
dark and drab camera work. There is a dark humor aspect to the
movie, but also a lot of what happens isn’t funny at all, but still
comes off that way due to the performances of the cast. It almost
feels like a Wes Anderson film, only in Wes Anderson movies, the tone
feels lighter. In this movie, the tone is pretty heavy and stays
that way throughout.
If you are looking for a movie
that will make you think, and really look at the symbolistic message
that the movie is trying to tell, than you probably won’t find many
better movies than this one. I was pretty enthralled throughout the
movie, even as I was wondering just what in the world was going on
half of the time. But by the end, I think I got the point that the
filmmakers were trying to get across, and I have found myself
thinking about the movie long after the credits were finished
rolling. It is definitely a unique experience, and one that I felt
is very rewarding if you are willing to put the time in to absorb
everything that is being thrown at you.
My rating for the movie is 8.5/10
Saturday, July 16, 2016
TV Show - Mr. Robot - Season 2, Ep. 1 and 2
Note: Major spoilers for the episodes of Mr. Robot. You have been warned.
I came a little late to the party for Mr. Robot season 1, but then I binge watched the whole season in a couple of days several months ago. I was amazed at how well done the show was, and I thought the cast and writing were about as good as anything else on television. So, it's safe to say that I was excited about season 2 starting up, and when they said they would be doing the first two episodes back to back, I was ecstatic. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed.
We start off about a month after the end of the first season, so I was a little upset that we didn't get to find out who was behind the door, but that is something I'm sure we will get to at some point throughout the season. Elliot has gone off the grid of sorts, trying to get Mr. Robot to get out of his head, but so far, it isn't working. Elliot has gone back to his shrink, even if she did take some convincing after what he did in the first season, and we get to see him explaining to her what is going on inside his head. I think it is fascinating how they have set Elliot up in this episode with his father/Mr. Robot still always lingering around, waiting for his opportunity to take control so he can make Elliot finish what he started. I wondered how they would handle this now that everyone is in on the secret, and they way they have done it so far has been pretty close to perfect.
But the episodes aren't only about Elliot, as we get to see what the rest of the cast is up to as well, in fairly equal fashion. We see Darlene leading the revolution in Elliot's place, of sorts. She sets up Evil Corp. and causes them to burn about 50 million dollars in the street, which was a fun scene to see play out. We see Angela embracing her new role at Evil Corp., and she really seems to be enjoying herself, even though she still looks a little hesitant but is still moving forward with her plans to continue to work for them. We also get to see Gideon trying to get Elliot to help him, or he threatens to turn Elliot in for the role that he played, but before he can do so, he gets shot and killed in a bar by some random guy. The only main character we really don't get to see is Tyrell, whom is still missing in action. That is until the last few seconds of the second episode, when Elliot gets a phone call from Tyrell and that is it.
We also get to see a few new characters, the most intriguing for me is Ray, played by Craig Robinson. I'm a pretty big fan of him, and am used to seeing him in solely comedic roles, so I'm interested to see how he does in this show, which is not really very comedic, other than dark comedy some. I'm guessing he will play a pretty big role later on in the season, but we only get to see him talking to Elliot a couple of times at a basketball court, and it turns out that he has talked to Mr. Robot at some point, because Elliot doesn't remember the conversation.
Having watched both episodes back to back, the time just flew by. There was limited commercial interruption when the two episodes aired, but it was way more than that. The pacing of this show, and the delivery of the performances is so good, that the time just seems to fly by and we are left wanting more. I feel like a lot got accomplished, but at the some time, not a whole lot happened, and it really was just laying the groundwork for the season laid out before us. I'm super excited to see how everything plays out, because if these first two episodes are any indication of what is in store, I think it's going to be an exhilarating ride.
My rating for the two episodes is 9/10 and 9/10
I came a little late to the party for Mr. Robot season 1, but then I binge watched the whole season in a couple of days several months ago. I was amazed at how well done the show was, and I thought the cast and writing were about as good as anything else on television. So, it's safe to say that I was excited about season 2 starting up, and when they said they would be doing the first two episodes back to back, I was ecstatic. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed.
We start off about a month after the end of the first season, so I was a little upset that we didn't get to find out who was behind the door, but that is something I'm sure we will get to at some point throughout the season. Elliot has gone off the grid of sorts, trying to get Mr. Robot to get out of his head, but so far, it isn't working. Elliot has gone back to his shrink, even if she did take some convincing after what he did in the first season, and we get to see him explaining to her what is going on inside his head. I think it is fascinating how they have set Elliot up in this episode with his father/Mr. Robot still always lingering around, waiting for his opportunity to take control so he can make Elliot finish what he started. I wondered how they would handle this now that everyone is in on the secret, and they way they have done it so far has been pretty close to perfect.
But the episodes aren't only about Elliot, as we get to see what the rest of the cast is up to as well, in fairly equal fashion. We see Darlene leading the revolution in Elliot's place, of sorts. She sets up Evil Corp. and causes them to burn about 50 million dollars in the street, which was a fun scene to see play out. We see Angela embracing her new role at Evil Corp., and she really seems to be enjoying herself, even though she still looks a little hesitant but is still moving forward with her plans to continue to work for them. We also get to see Gideon trying to get Elliot to help him, or he threatens to turn Elliot in for the role that he played, but before he can do so, he gets shot and killed in a bar by some random guy. The only main character we really don't get to see is Tyrell, whom is still missing in action. That is until the last few seconds of the second episode, when Elliot gets a phone call from Tyrell and that is it.
We also get to see a few new characters, the most intriguing for me is Ray, played by Craig Robinson. I'm a pretty big fan of him, and am used to seeing him in solely comedic roles, so I'm interested to see how he does in this show, which is not really very comedic, other than dark comedy some. I'm guessing he will play a pretty big role later on in the season, but we only get to see him talking to Elliot a couple of times at a basketball court, and it turns out that he has talked to Mr. Robot at some point, because Elliot doesn't remember the conversation.
Having watched both episodes back to back, the time just flew by. There was limited commercial interruption when the two episodes aired, but it was way more than that. The pacing of this show, and the delivery of the performances is so good, that the time just seems to fly by and we are left wanting more. I feel like a lot got accomplished, but at the some time, not a whole lot happened, and it really was just laying the groundwork for the season laid out before us. I'm super excited to see how everything plays out, because if these first two episodes are any indication of what is in store, I think it's going to be an exhilarating ride.
My rating for the two episodes is 9/10 and 9/10
Thursday, July 14, 2016
TV Show - Hell on Wheels - "Any Sum Within Reason"
Note: Major spoilers for the episode of Hell on Wheels. You have been warned.
As expected, in this episode we find out that Chang has figured that Mei is in fact a woman, and that she and Cullen are in a relationship. I knew this was coming, I guess I was just a little surprised that it all happened in one episode, and was resolved before the end of the episode. I can honestly say that most of the episode caught me off guard, as they really picked up the pace and did some things that I wasn't expecting.
We first see some backstory with Chang and how he came to run the business on the railroad. He answered to a man in a flashback, and the man allowed Chang to start his business, as Chang sells himself as ready to take on such responsibility. He buys one of the Chinese women, which happens to be the woman that knew about Mei all along, and they head to the railroad. She attempts to kill him to be free, which causes him to break her leg, which explains her limp.
Back in the present, we see Cullen going to try to buy the Chinese women, and we get an interesting exchange between Cullen and Chang, with neither side willing to budge, due to their genuine dislike for each other. Cullen tells Chang not to underestimate him, and Chang tells Cullen not to underestimate the people he works for. On the way out, Cullen realizes that the woman is wearing Mei's mother's dress, and realizes that Chang knows.
He gets a boat ticket for Mei, and tells her that she has to leave immediately. She fights him on it, but ultimately gives in and goes with Stagecoach Mary to Cheyenne. On the way there, they are attacked by Chang and his men, and Mei runs off. Mary sends a telegram to Cullen, letting him know that the coach has been attacked, and Cullen takes off immediately. Mei runs to a mine, and Chang follows, where he is confronted by the men working. They attack Chang and he whoops all sorts of ugly on the men. It had been hinted at that Chang was dangerous, but we see him in action here, and he takes out about five or six men with little trouble. Meanwhile, Mei runs to a saloon in the village nearby.
Chang goes inside and asks the bartender if a young man had come through within the last hour. Mei is hiding out under the bar, with a gun to the man, and he says that there was someone, but they left and headed east. There is a noise outside, distracting Chang, and Mei then gets the jump on him, using the gun that Cullen had given her before she left. Chang is forced to drop his weapon, but he has a smile on his face, because he knows that he will get the upper hand on Mei before all is said and done. But then the door opens, and Cullen walks in.
Assessing the situation, he knows that there is only one thing he can do. Frustration is apparent in his face, as he realizes that all he has been trying to accomplish over the last couple of season is about to come to an end, and with that, he shoots Chang in the head, killing him. He then proceeds back outside and kills all of Chang's men with efficiency. He comes back in, gets Mei, and they leave together.
On the way back, he tells her that she has now see what he truly is, and she says that he saw the real her a long time ago. After they get back to town, Mei tries to give the boat ticket to the Chinese woman, but she refuses to take it. Later, Cullen asks why she visited the woman who had betrayed her, and she said that the woman had lost way more than she ever could. She also tells Cullen that she loves him, and he doesn't respond, because he feels guilty for what he did. She says that she accepts him for what he is, and they get busy, as is the recurring theme in the show lately.
The next day, the man that Chang worked for shows up in town, and she tells Cullen that they have to leave, that they can't fight against the man and his company. Cullen says that he has lost all these people in his life because he gave up, and that he is done giving up. He tells Mei that he loves her, and he goes to meet the man, telling her to stay inside.
Arriving at the railroad office, Huntington is there talking to the man when Cullen walks in. Cullen says that maybe Chang was killed because he was arguing over the cost of one of his whores, and asks if risking his whole business was worth one man. The man judges Cullen and says that business will continue as if nothing happened, and will send a replacement for Chang. The man leaves, and Huntington asks Cullen if he had anything to do with Chang's murder. Cullen doesn't answer, he just walks out, seeing wanted posters around the town for Mei Fong.
Arriving back at the room, Mei is gone, and we see that the boat ticket is also gone. She has left, so that Cullen doesn't have to spend the rest of his life fighting for her, and Cullen has now lost the only real thing he has left in his life. We see Mei on the boat, leaving the country to end the episode.
Okay, so a lot going on here, actually a really good episode. It's the episode that I have been waiting for, it just took them this long to get to it. We get to see Chang finally do something other than glower menacingly, even if he is dead one scene later. We get to see Cullen go back to accepting who and what he is, and doing it for the woman he loves. We get to see Mei do what she has to do to protect the man she loves. And we get to be left at the end wondering just what else can happen to poor Cullen Bohannon. He has been through the ringer and back again, and from what I can tell, there is only one purpose left for him, and that is to finish the railroad. I really don't think he has anything left, and I wonder if he even really is going to care about that when we finally get there.
There are two episodes left, and I honestly don't know what will happen in them. I almost feel like all the storylines that have been hanging out there are over, so I don't know what will happen in these final two episodes. I assume the railroad will get finished, but I'm thinking that everyone involved will have lost everything good by the time they get there. We saw it last week with Mickey and Durant, and this week, Cullen loses even more, so there is no way that the show can end on a positive note. I think I have come to the conclusion that Cullen is going to die before the end of the show. I don't know how or under what circumstances, but honestly, with all that he has been through, it might be the best ending that can happen for him. For the first time in this last part of the final season, I'm actually interested to see what happens next.
My rating for the episode is 8/10
As expected, in this episode we find out that Chang has figured that Mei is in fact a woman, and that she and Cullen are in a relationship. I knew this was coming, I guess I was just a little surprised that it all happened in one episode, and was resolved before the end of the episode. I can honestly say that most of the episode caught me off guard, as they really picked up the pace and did some things that I wasn't expecting.
We first see some backstory with Chang and how he came to run the business on the railroad. He answered to a man in a flashback, and the man allowed Chang to start his business, as Chang sells himself as ready to take on such responsibility. He buys one of the Chinese women, which happens to be the woman that knew about Mei all along, and they head to the railroad. She attempts to kill him to be free, which causes him to break her leg, which explains her limp.
Back in the present, we see Cullen going to try to buy the Chinese women, and we get an interesting exchange between Cullen and Chang, with neither side willing to budge, due to their genuine dislike for each other. Cullen tells Chang not to underestimate him, and Chang tells Cullen not to underestimate the people he works for. On the way out, Cullen realizes that the woman is wearing Mei's mother's dress, and realizes that Chang knows.
He gets a boat ticket for Mei, and tells her that she has to leave immediately. She fights him on it, but ultimately gives in and goes with Stagecoach Mary to Cheyenne. On the way there, they are attacked by Chang and his men, and Mei runs off. Mary sends a telegram to Cullen, letting him know that the coach has been attacked, and Cullen takes off immediately. Mei runs to a mine, and Chang follows, where he is confronted by the men working. They attack Chang and he whoops all sorts of ugly on the men. It had been hinted at that Chang was dangerous, but we see him in action here, and he takes out about five or six men with little trouble. Meanwhile, Mei runs to a saloon in the village nearby.
Chang goes inside and asks the bartender if a young man had come through within the last hour. Mei is hiding out under the bar, with a gun to the man, and he says that there was someone, but they left and headed east. There is a noise outside, distracting Chang, and Mei then gets the jump on him, using the gun that Cullen had given her before she left. Chang is forced to drop his weapon, but he has a smile on his face, because he knows that he will get the upper hand on Mei before all is said and done. But then the door opens, and Cullen walks in.
Assessing the situation, he knows that there is only one thing he can do. Frustration is apparent in his face, as he realizes that all he has been trying to accomplish over the last couple of season is about to come to an end, and with that, he shoots Chang in the head, killing him. He then proceeds back outside and kills all of Chang's men with efficiency. He comes back in, gets Mei, and they leave together.
On the way back, he tells her that she has now see what he truly is, and she says that he saw the real her a long time ago. After they get back to town, Mei tries to give the boat ticket to the Chinese woman, but she refuses to take it. Later, Cullen asks why she visited the woman who had betrayed her, and she said that the woman had lost way more than she ever could. She also tells Cullen that she loves him, and he doesn't respond, because he feels guilty for what he did. She says that she accepts him for what he is, and they get busy, as is the recurring theme in the show lately.
The next day, the man that Chang worked for shows up in town, and she tells Cullen that they have to leave, that they can't fight against the man and his company. Cullen says that he has lost all these people in his life because he gave up, and that he is done giving up. He tells Mei that he loves her, and he goes to meet the man, telling her to stay inside.
Arriving at the railroad office, Huntington is there talking to the man when Cullen walks in. Cullen says that maybe Chang was killed because he was arguing over the cost of one of his whores, and asks if risking his whole business was worth one man. The man judges Cullen and says that business will continue as if nothing happened, and will send a replacement for Chang. The man leaves, and Huntington asks Cullen if he had anything to do with Chang's murder. Cullen doesn't answer, he just walks out, seeing wanted posters around the town for Mei Fong.
Arriving back at the room, Mei is gone, and we see that the boat ticket is also gone. She has left, so that Cullen doesn't have to spend the rest of his life fighting for her, and Cullen has now lost the only real thing he has left in his life. We see Mei on the boat, leaving the country to end the episode.
Okay, so a lot going on here, actually a really good episode. It's the episode that I have been waiting for, it just took them this long to get to it. We get to see Chang finally do something other than glower menacingly, even if he is dead one scene later. We get to see Cullen go back to accepting who and what he is, and doing it for the woman he loves. We get to see Mei do what she has to do to protect the man she loves. And we get to be left at the end wondering just what else can happen to poor Cullen Bohannon. He has been through the ringer and back again, and from what I can tell, there is only one purpose left for him, and that is to finish the railroad. I really don't think he has anything left, and I wonder if he even really is going to care about that when we finally get there.
There are two episodes left, and I honestly don't know what will happen in them. I almost feel like all the storylines that have been hanging out there are over, so I don't know what will happen in these final two episodes. I assume the railroad will get finished, but I'm thinking that everyone involved will have lost everything good by the time they get there. We saw it last week with Mickey and Durant, and this week, Cullen loses even more, so there is no way that the show can end on a positive note. I think I have come to the conclusion that Cullen is going to die before the end of the show. I don't know how or under what circumstances, but honestly, with all that he has been through, it might be the best ending that can happen for him. For the first time in this last part of the final season, I'm actually interested to see what happens next.
My rating for the episode is 8/10
Friday, July 8, 2016
Movie - The Green Room
Note: Minor spoilers throughout, but will keep them to a minimum.
I don't normally get into this type of movie, but due to the untimely passing of Anton Yelchin a few weeks ago, I decided to give it a go from hearing other reviews of the movie. It also didn't end up being quite what I thought it was, as I thought it was a horror/psychological movie, but I don't think I would quite put it in that category. I was thinking Hostel or maybe Saw, but I feel like it came off more like a survival/psychological movie, like Deliverance. I guess it was somewhere in the middle of the two types of movies, as there were aspects from each type throughout.
The film follows an indie band that is traveling around trying to make their mark, without becoming too famous. They do an interview for a guy, and then he tells them that he show has been cancelled, so they are out of a job. With no money and no gig, the guy throws them a bone and gets them a gig at a club out in the middle of nowhere, with some shady clientele. After their set, but before they can leave, they witness a murder, and so the club owner (played by the fantastic Patrick Stewart) spends the rest of the movie trying to get rid of them so they don't tell the cops. Locked inside the building, they get locked into a stalemate between the club owner and his men.
First off, the movie started a little slow for me. They were developing the characters a bit, but I didn't think it was that terribly necessary for this type of movie. It was a good half hour in before anything really happens and you start to see that things are going to go south rather quickly for them. The movie is only an hour and a half, and I guess they needed to fill some time at the beginning, but I just felt like I was waiting on something to happen for longer than I thought I should.
The acting in the movie was okay, but most of the actors were just kind of throw away actors anyway, so I guess I didn't expect a whole lot from most of them. Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart both did a really good job, being the main stars in the film, but nobody else really stood out to me very much. They all did their part well enough, they just weren't very memorable, and for those that met their untimely demise, I really didn't care that much.
Once the movie got rolling, there were some pretty intense moments. I was really drawn in as the stand off started to take place and you were seeing both sides try to jockey for position over the other side. It was a pretty good back and forth for a while, but then as things started to break down, that tension was throw off to the side for just a quick, violent moment. Nothing terribly over the top, but just sort of a lot of buildup to just off people rather quickly.
I wasn't that terribly impressed at the end, especially with the ending that seemed to come about as abrupt as a lot of the scenes I mentioned above, but I also am not normally that into this genre of movie. Based on that, I was interested and was sucked in a bit through the middle part, so I would say that it stood out to me more than a lot of other movies in this genre. If you are a big fan of this type of movie, I do think it was done pretty well and is well worth the watch, but it wasn't something I will be dwelling on much after the credits have gotten done rolling.
My rating for the film is 6/10
I don't normally get into this type of movie, but due to the untimely passing of Anton Yelchin a few weeks ago, I decided to give it a go from hearing other reviews of the movie. It also didn't end up being quite what I thought it was, as I thought it was a horror/psychological movie, but I don't think I would quite put it in that category. I was thinking Hostel or maybe Saw, but I feel like it came off more like a survival/psychological movie, like Deliverance. I guess it was somewhere in the middle of the two types of movies, as there were aspects from each type throughout.
The film follows an indie band that is traveling around trying to make their mark, without becoming too famous. They do an interview for a guy, and then he tells them that he show has been cancelled, so they are out of a job. With no money and no gig, the guy throws them a bone and gets them a gig at a club out in the middle of nowhere, with some shady clientele. After their set, but before they can leave, they witness a murder, and so the club owner (played by the fantastic Patrick Stewart) spends the rest of the movie trying to get rid of them so they don't tell the cops. Locked inside the building, they get locked into a stalemate between the club owner and his men.
First off, the movie started a little slow for me. They were developing the characters a bit, but I didn't think it was that terribly necessary for this type of movie. It was a good half hour in before anything really happens and you start to see that things are going to go south rather quickly for them. The movie is only an hour and a half, and I guess they needed to fill some time at the beginning, but I just felt like I was waiting on something to happen for longer than I thought I should.
The acting in the movie was okay, but most of the actors were just kind of throw away actors anyway, so I guess I didn't expect a whole lot from most of them. Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart both did a really good job, being the main stars in the film, but nobody else really stood out to me very much. They all did their part well enough, they just weren't very memorable, and for those that met their untimely demise, I really didn't care that much.
Once the movie got rolling, there were some pretty intense moments. I was really drawn in as the stand off started to take place and you were seeing both sides try to jockey for position over the other side. It was a pretty good back and forth for a while, but then as things started to break down, that tension was throw off to the side for just a quick, violent moment. Nothing terribly over the top, but just sort of a lot of buildup to just off people rather quickly.
I wasn't that terribly impressed at the end, especially with the ending that seemed to come about as abrupt as a lot of the scenes I mentioned above, but I also am not normally that into this genre of movie. Based on that, I was interested and was sucked in a bit through the middle part, so I would say that it stood out to me more than a lot of other movies in this genre. If you are a big fan of this type of movie, I do think it was done pretty well and is well worth the watch, but it wasn't something I will be dwelling on much after the credits have gotten done rolling.
My rating for the film is 6/10
Movie - The Nice Guys
Note: Might be some minor spoilers, but will keep them to a minimum.
The Nice Guys is a traditional buddy cop movie, other than that the "buddies" in this one start off not so friendly towards each other. It is a pretty funny movie, but it certainly doesn't do anything ground breaking for the genre, but it does what it is supposed to and it does it well. I wasn't so sure about Russell Crowe in a comedic role, but he actually doesn't do most of the comedic heavy lifting in this one, and Ryan Gosling carries the bulk of it as only he can. Ryan Gosling is an underrated actor, in my opinion, and he shows in this film, and his many other films, that he can do just about anything that is asked of him.
The movie starts off with two run down private detectives working on seemingly different cases. But it doesn't take long before we realize that the two cases are in fact one in the same, and they soon cross paths. They are reluctant to work together at first, but over the course of the movie, they realize that maybe together than can be more than just the losers that they think they are. As the plot escalates and does a few twists and turns (unfortunately nothing that we don't see coming), the two realize that maybe their biggest problem was working on their own.
The performances by all everyone in the movie is what it should be. As I mentioned above, Russell Crowe doesn't do most of the comedy, he is more the straight guy in the act, but Ryan Gosling was very funny throughout. I was also rather impressed with the actress that plays Ryan Goslings daughter in the film (Angourie Rice), as she was rather young, but she never felt that she weighed a scene down, and actually normally even added to the scenes she was in. Not an easy task for someone in a movie with the likes of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, but I thought she did a rather good job of holding her own.
The plot was ho-hum, and the movie was pretty predictable, but I thought that it was entertaining enough. It never tried to be bigger than it was, and I think it almost embraced that, and just relied on the actors to carry the movie along. Since I thought the actors did just that, it's hard to complain too much about the plot, as it did what it was supposed to do. I would have liked to have seen a little more from the overall plot, but I was entertained throughout, and so I guess that is enough to say the movie was a success.
I liked the movie, but I didn't love the movie. The acting was in place, the movie was pretty atypical of the genre, but overall I left the movie satisfied. I didn't go into this thinking it was going to change the way I watch movies, so I definitely wasn't disappointed. If you are just looking for a couple hours of fun, with some pretty decent humor thrown in, then you could do far worse than catching this one, but I would say you will get the same effect by just waiting until it hits DVD.
My rating for the film is 7/10
The Nice Guys is a traditional buddy cop movie, other than that the "buddies" in this one start off not so friendly towards each other. It is a pretty funny movie, but it certainly doesn't do anything ground breaking for the genre, but it does what it is supposed to and it does it well. I wasn't so sure about Russell Crowe in a comedic role, but he actually doesn't do most of the comedic heavy lifting in this one, and Ryan Gosling carries the bulk of it as only he can. Ryan Gosling is an underrated actor, in my opinion, and he shows in this film, and his many other films, that he can do just about anything that is asked of him.
The movie starts off with two run down private detectives working on seemingly different cases. But it doesn't take long before we realize that the two cases are in fact one in the same, and they soon cross paths. They are reluctant to work together at first, but over the course of the movie, they realize that maybe together than can be more than just the losers that they think they are. As the plot escalates and does a few twists and turns (unfortunately nothing that we don't see coming), the two realize that maybe their biggest problem was working on their own.
The performances by all everyone in the movie is what it should be. As I mentioned above, Russell Crowe doesn't do most of the comedy, he is more the straight guy in the act, but Ryan Gosling was very funny throughout. I was also rather impressed with the actress that plays Ryan Goslings daughter in the film (Angourie Rice), as she was rather young, but she never felt that she weighed a scene down, and actually normally even added to the scenes she was in. Not an easy task for someone in a movie with the likes of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, but I thought she did a rather good job of holding her own.
The plot was ho-hum, and the movie was pretty predictable, but I thought that it was entertaining enough. It never tried to be bigger than it was, and I think it almost embraced that, and just relied on the actors to carry the movie along. Since I thought the actors did just that, it's hard to complain too much about the plot, as it did what it was supposed to do. I would have liked to have seen a little more from the overall plot, but I was entertained throughout, and so I guess that is enough to say the movie was a success.
I liked the movie, but I didn't love the movie. The acting was in place, the movie was pretty atypical of the genre, but overall I left the movie satisfied. I didn't go into this thinking it was going to change the way I watch movies, so I definitely wasn't disappointed. If you are just looking for a couple hours of fun, with some pretty decent humor thrown in, then you could do far worse than catching this one, but I would say you will get the same effect by just waiting until it hits DVD.
My rating for the film is 7/10
Monday, July 4, 2016
TV Show - Hell on Wheels - "Gambit"
Note: Major spoilers for the episode of Hell on Wheels. You have been warned.
In a strange move, this entire episode did not feature Cullen, and focused solely on the aftermath of the kidnapping from last week. The episode was focused primarily on Mickey, with a good bit of Durant as well. I like both characters, but we see so little of them these days on the show, it was just a little strange to see an entire episode focused on them, especially this late in the game. After this episode, there is only three episodes left, and we get nothing of Cullen? Seems like a weird choice for me, but just keeps furthering my thoughts on where this show is headed...anyway, on to the show.
The episode starts with a flash forward, showing Durant some years after the events of the show, and it looks like he is a bit down on his luck. He's selling a ring to make some cash, and then he goes to dinner with Huntington. Durant insists on picking up the check, and it becomes clear it is more than he really should be spending. He goes back to his home by himself, and apparently passes out or possibly just died alone. It wasn't very clear which, but I do think we can assume that Durant is going to likely die alone with all the enemies he has made over the course of the show, so I guess we will go with that.
Back to the current time of the show, and we are seeing the fallout from the botched kidnapping job from last week. Everyone is discussing what the best course of action is, while Mickey is talking to his cousin about how he messed up. We also get to see an old face, as Campbell shows up to deal with the problems going on. He says they won't negotiate, and sends out a search party to try to find Durant.
Meanwhile, Mickey comes up with a scheme of his own, telling Durant to trust him. They just have to give Campbell no other option but to pay the ransom. When the search party shows up at the cabin where Durant is being "held," a trap has been set and the building blows up when they enter. Another ransom note is left, telling them that they have to pay $250,000 or they will return Durant's dead body. Campbell agrees to pay the ransom, but is on to Mickey, as he has him followed.
Eva has also figured it out, and goes to talk to Mickey. She says that she knows he is involved, and Mickey tells her what he did. She tells him that he has to kill his cousin before anything else bad happens, which makes Mickey angry, probably because he knows she is right. Mickey goes to Campbell and tells him that he thinks his cousin may have been the one to take Durant, leaving his own part out of the story. Mickey returns to where his cousin is keeping Durant and tells him that he told Campbell. He says they should take the money and go back to Ireland.
Back at town, Louise tells Maggie that Durant was lying to her, and thinks that Durant set the whole thing up. This causes Campbell to hold off on paying the ransom, calling Durant's bluff. Telling the soldiers to bring Mickey to him, it is discovered that Mickey has left town and now everyone knows he is in on it.
Mickey tells Durant what he is planning on doing, and then Maggie shows up with $50,000 to take Durant back. Maggie realizes that it's Mickey, Durant takes advantage of the situation to try to get loose. In the process, Maggie gets shot, and Mickey kills his cousin. Maggie dies in Durant's arms, which is the ultimate sacrifice for all of his schemes.
Durant and Mickey return to town, and fabricate a story about what happened. Campbell asks Durant why Mickey's cousin didn't kill him as well, and Durant just says he doesn't know why. With nothing definitive, Campbell has no choice but to let Durant go. As Durant leaves, Campbell tells him that Maggie sold her hotel to save Durant. Durant doesn't respond, just walks out. Mickey goes to Eva and tells her that he did what she said he should do. And then they do the business, because that seems to be the answer to everything on this show in this final season.
The episode was okay, and it really showed that nobody in this show gets to have a happy ending, as everything just keeps getting worse for everyone. Even though Cullen was nowhere to be found, we still got to see Durant lose the only good thing left in his life, all because of his own stupidity. And we get to see Mickey fall apart of sorts, as he had to kill his cousin and live with the consequences of his own actions. But now, I wonder why the episode happened at all. The kidnapping, and then this episode entirely, seem like side notes that could have happened several seasons ago even, not at almost the end of the series. I don't feel that these characters need fleshed out more, instead, they need to have their final resolutions put in place, and I don't think this episode was that. Three episodes to go, and I continue to say "we will see what happens," but I feel that this excuse is starting to get old. The last three episodes can't get here quick enough, so I can finally see where all this is headed and I can move on. And no, I don't mean any of that in a good way at this point.
My rating for the episode is 6/10
In a strange move, this entire episode did not feature Cullen, and focused solely on the aftermath of the kidnapping from last week. The episode was focused primarily on Mickey, with a good bit of Durant as well. I like both characters, but we see so little of them these days on the show, it was just a little strange to see an entire episode focused on them, especially this late in the game. After this episode, there is only three episodes left, and we get nothing of Cullen? Seems like a weird choice for me, but just keeps furthering my thoughts on where this show is headed...anyway, on to the show.
The episode starts with a flash forward, showing Durant some years after the events of the show, and it looks like he is a bit down on his luck. He's selling a ring to make some cash, and then he goes to dinner with Huntington. Durant insists on picking up the check, and it becomes clear it is more than he really should be spending. He goes back to his home by himself, and apparently passes out or possibly just died alone. It wasn't very clear which, but I do think we can assume that Durant is going to likely die alone with all the enemies he has made over the course of the show, so I guess we will go with that.
Back to the current time of the show, and we are seeing the fallout from the botched kidnapping job from last week. Everyone is discussing what the best course of action is, while Mickey is talking to his cousin about how he messed up. We also get to see an old face, as Campbell shows up to deal with the problems going on. He says they won't negotiate, and sends out a search party to try to find Durant.
Meanwhile, Mickey comes up with a scheme of his own, telling Durant to trust him. They just have to give Campbell no other option but to pay the ransom. When the search party shows up at the cabin where Durant is being "held," a trap has been set and the building blows up when they enter. Another ransom note is left, telling them that they have to pay $250,000 or they will return Durant's dead body. Campbell agrees to pay the ransom, but is on to Mickey, as he has him followed.
Eva has also figured it out, and goes to talk to Mickey. She says that she knows he is involved, and Mickey tells her what he did. She tells him that he has to kill his cousin before anything else bad happens, which makes Mickey angry, probably because he knows she is right. Mickey goes to Campbell and tells him that he thinks his cousin may have been the one to take Durant, leaving his own part out of the story. Mickey returns to where his cousin is keeping Durant and tells him that he told Campbell. He says they should take the money and go back to Ireland.
Back at town, Louise tells Maggie that Durant was lying to her, and thinks that Durant set the whole thing up. This causes Campbell to hold off on paying the ransom, calling Durant's bluff. Telling the soldiers to bring Mickey to him, it is discovered that Mickey has left town and now everyone knows he is in on it.
Mickey tells Durant what he is planning on doing, and then Maggie shows up with $50,000 to take Durant back. Maggie realizes that it's Mickey, Durant takes advantage of the situation to try to get loose. In the process, Maggie gets shot, and Mickey kills his cousin. Maggie dies in Durant's arms, which is the ultimate sacrifice for all of his schemes.
Durant and Mickey return to town, and fabricate a story about what happened. Campbell asks Durant why Mickey's cousin didn't kill him as well, and Durant just says he doesn't know why. With nothing definitive, Campbell has no choice but to let Durant go. As Durant leaves, Campbell tells him that Maggie sold her hotel to save Durant. Durant doesn't respond, just walks out. Mickey goes to Eva and tells her that he did what she said he should do. And then they do the business, because that seems to be the answer to everything on this show in this final season.
The episode was okay, and it really showed that nobody in this show gets to have a happy ending, as everything just keeps getting worse for everyone. Even though Cullen was nowhere to be found, we still got to see Durant lose the only good thing left in his life, all because of his own stupidity. And we get to see Mickey fall apart of sorts, as he had to kill his cousin and live with the consequences of his own actions. But now, I wonder why the episode happened at all. The kidnapping, and then this episode entirely, seem like side notes that could have happened several seasons ago even, not at almost the end of the series. I don't feel that these characters need fleshed out more, instead, they need to have their final resolutions put in place, and I don't think this episode was that. Three episodes to go, and I continue to say "we will see what happens," but I feel that this excuse is starting to get old. The last three episodes can't get here quick enough, so I can finally see where all this is headed and I can move on. And no, I don't mean any of that in a good way at this point.
My rating for the episode is 6/10
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Movie - Cell (2016)
Note: Minor spoilers throughout, will try to keep them to a minimum. Fair warning.
Cell is a movie based on the book by Stephen King. If you read my reviews of the television show 11/22/63 a few months back, then you already know how big a fan I am of Stephen King. He is my favorite author of all time, and I generally go into his movies a little more optimistic than I should be, as they really have a bit of a hit and miss factor to them over the years. This one went straight to video on demand, so I did go into it with a little less optimism, but I still feel that it has a strong cast in John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, and it is based on one of my more favorite books by Stephen King.
The movie follows Clay Ridell (played by John Cusack), a graphic novelist who has been having a rocky marriage, but is trying to get his life together. He just gets back from a big deal with one of his books, and is wanting to visit his wife and son, but the wife is reluctant because of their past. His phone goes dead while talking to her, but that turns out to be a good thing, as all of a sudden, the airport he is in goes absolutely crazy, as people start attacking each other. He quickly realizes that it is everyone that was talking on their cell phone, and so he attempts to get out of the airport. He ends up in the subway under the airport, where he meets Tom McCourt (played by Samuel L. Jackson), and they leave together. From there, the movie follows Clay's attempts to get to his family to find out if they are okay.
There are a lot of similarities to the book, but there are also a good bit of differences. I don't remember Tom playing as big of a role in the book as he did in the movie, but since they had Samuel L. Jackson playing him, it made sense to give him more of a prominent role. I did think that both of them did well in their roles in the movie, but the supporting cast was subpart for the most part.
The movie has kind of a B-movie type of feel to it, and I think that was a good thing. It felt a bit campy, but it never really felt absurd in what was going on. You could tell that the budget wasn't huge on the movie, but I don't think the movie suffered because of it. Overall, I felt that the movie was better than most movies that go straight to video on demand or straight to DVD. I wish there had been a bigger budget to it, as I think they could have really done more with the movie, but given the overall script, I don't know that the movie really warranted it.
I do think they accomplished what they wanted to accomplish with the movie, and for the most part, I liked the movie. I was hoping for more, but coming into it with lower expectations than a wider release film, I also wouldn't say I was disappointed. As I said above, I really liked the book, but the big problem I had with the book was the ending. They completely changed the ending in the movie (as they normally do with Stephen King books, for better or worse), and I was happy that there was full resolution, but I don't know if the ending was better off or not. I did feel that the ending was a little bit abrupt, and they should have done a little more with fleshing it out.
My rating for the movie is 6.5/10
Cell is a movie based on the book by Stephen King. If you read my reviews of the television show 11/22/63 a few months back, then you already know how big a fan I am of Stephen King. He is my favorite author of all time, and I generally go into his movies a little more optimistic than I should be, as they really have a bit of a hit and miss factor to them over the years. This one went straight to video on demand, so I did go into it with a little less optimism, but I still feel that it has a strong cast in John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, and it is based on one of my more favorite books by Stephen King.
The movie follows Clay Ridell (played by John Cusack), a graphic novelist who has been having a rocky marriage, but is trying to get his life together. He just gets back from a big deal with one of his books, and is wanting to visit his wife and son, but the wife is reluctant because of their past. His phone goes dead while talking to her, but that turns out to be a good thing, as all of a sudden, the airport he is in goes absolutely crazy, as people start attacking each other. He quickly realizes that it is everyone that was talking on their cell phone, and so he attempts to get out of the airport. He ends up in the subway under the airport, where he meets Tom McCourt (played by Samuel L. Jackson), and they leave together. From there, the movie follows Clay's attempts to get to his family to find out if they are okay.
There are a lot of similarities to the book, but there are also a good bit of differences. I don't remember Tom playing as big of a role in the book as he did in the movie, but since they had Samuel L. Jackson playing him, it made sense to give him more of a prominent role. I did think that both of them did well in their roles in the movie, but the supporting cast was subpart for the most part.
The movie has kind of a B-movie type of feel to it, and I think that was a good thing. It felt a bit campy, but it never really felt absurd in what was going on. You could tell that the budget wasn't huge on the movie, but I don't think the movie suffered because of it. Overall, I felt that the movie was better than most movies that go straight to video on demand or straight to DVD. I wish there had been a bigger budget to it, as I think they could have really done more with the movie, but given the overall script, I don't know that the movie really warranted it.
I do think they accomplished what they wanted to accomplish with the movie, and for the most part, I liked the movie. I was hoping for more, but coming into it with lower expectations than a wider release film, I also wouldn't say I was disappointed. As I said above, I really liked the book, but the big problem I had with the book was the ending. They completely changed the ending in the movie (as they normally do with Stephen King books, for better or worse), and I was happy that there was full resolution, but I don't know if the ending was better off or not. I did feel that the ending was a little bit abrupt, and they should have done a little more with fleshing it out.
My rating for the movie is 6.5/10
TV Show - Hell on Wheels - "61 Degrees"
Note: Major spoilers for the episode of Hell on Wheels. You have been warned.
With this week's episode, we pick up where last week left off, which is with Cullen and Mei in bed, talking about how what they are doing is dangerous. This would be a pretty common theme throughout the episode, as everything that Cullen is doing at this point is dangerous, and continues to propel him down this spiral that he seems to be destined to be heading down.
In a continuous effort to finish this railroad, apparently no matter the cost, Cullen has found a solution to the mountain problem that they have run into, and that is to used nitroglycerin to blow it up. This is to the dismay of Jim, whom says it is too dangerous, but Huntington realizes that he needs to see progress and now, so he goes along with Cullen. Cullen asks Jim to show him how to mix it, just one batch, and Jim reluctantly agrees. In doing so, we also find out what happened to Jim's eye, as he explains that he lost it in an explosion many years ago.
While setting the charges for the first time, we get to see just how dangerous it can be, as one of the charges doesn't initially blow, and ends up killing three of the men. Jim uses this to show just how dangerous it is, but Cullen says that he will monitor the charges himself, to make sure that nothing bad happens again. Huntington agrees, but says Cullen can't watch it entirely by himself, and so he volunteers Jim to help, but Jim refuses. This ends up causing Jim to lose his job, and he and his family have to leave the railroad. Jim says to Cullen, "I was your only friend," which clearly hits Cullen right in the feels, mainly because he knows that Jim is right.
Later, as Jim is packing his things, Cullen shows up to say that one of the live charges is stuck in the wall. Despite his intents to leave Cullen to his own problems, he gives in and tells Cullen that he needs to drill a hole near the live charge and set up a new charge to blow them both. Cullen and Mei do this task together, and it goes off without a hitch. At this, there is also light showing through from inside the mountain, and it looks like Cullen's plan has worked, and they have made it through the crew on the other side.
Meanwhile, Durant has gotten himself into trouble, as the men he sold land to are upset that Cheyenne is no longer the main depot along the railroad, and so they come looking for their money. They give Durant two days to get the money, and so he sets up a plot to have Mickey hire someone to kidnap Durant and then have the government pay a ransom, which he will use to pay off the angry men. Mickey hires his cousin, which is a stupid idea, and foreshadows how well the scenario is going to go, and so it goes as we expect. Delaney gets killed in the process, Durant is taken, and Louise is left with the ransom note.
To end the episode, we see Cullen and Mei talking, and he gives a very good speech about his leg, saying that everyone he comes in contact with is gone, and all that is left is the scars. I thought this was a well done speech, and really speaks to where Cullen has gotten to in his life. At this point, he really only has Mei and the railroad left, and so that is too much for Cullen to have. And so, we get a knock on Mei's door, and it is Chang. Cullen leaves and tells Mei to get his people in order, to throw off Chang of what is really going on, but it is apparent that Chang is now suspicious. This can only end badly for Cullen and Mei, which is what I've come to expect from the show at this point.
Overall, the episode was fine, but it just feels like the show is cruising into a lackluster finish at this point. There are four more episodes at this point, and it just keeps getting bleaker for our main characters. I can only assume at this point that Cullen will lose Mei, and I'm starting to wonder if he is even going to get to see the railroad finished. If he does lose Mei, and the railroad is all he has left, then I can only guess that in the final episode, Cullen is going to die before he gets to see the end of the line. I don't know how I feel about that, and I guess we will just have to see how the final four episodes play out, but I'm really starting to lose hope in this show. I hope they can recover and give a coherent ending that makes sense, but I am really having my doubts.
My rating for the episode is 6/10
With this week's episode, we pick up where last week left off, which is with Cullen and Mei in bed, talking about how what they are doing is dangerous. This would be a pretty common theme throughout the episode, as everything that Cullen is doing at this point is dangerous, and continues to propel him down this spiral that he seems to be destined to be heading down.
In a continuous effort to finish this railroad, apparently no matter the cost, Cullen has found a solution to the mountain problem that they have run into, and that is to used nitroglycerin to blow it up. This is to the dismay of Jim, whom says it is too dangerous, but Huntington realizes that he needs to see progress and now, so he goes along with Cullen. Cullen asks Jim to show him how to mix it, just one batch, and Jim reluctantly agrees. In doing so, we also find out what happened to Jim's eye, as he explains that he lost it in an explosion many years ago.
While setting the charges for the first time, we get to see just how dangerous it can be, as one of the charges doesn't initially blow, and ends up killing three of the men. Jim uses this to show just how dangerous it is, but Cullen says that he will monitor the charges himself, to make sure that nothing bad happens again. Huntington agrees, but says Cullen can't watch it entirely by himself, and so he volunteers Jim to help, but Jim refuses. This ends up causing Jim to lose his job, and he and his family have to leave the railroad. Jim says to Cullen, "I was your only friend," which clearly hits Cullen right in the feels, mainly because he knows that Jim is right.
Later, as Jim is packing his things, Cullen shows up to say that one of the live charges is stuck in the wall. Despite his intents to leave Cullen to his own problems, he gives in and tells Cullen that he needs to drill a hole near the live charge and set up a new charge to blow them both. Cullen and Mei do this task together, and it goes off without a hitch. At this, there is also light showing through from inside the mountain, and it looks like Cullen's plan has worked, and they have made it through the crew on the other side.
Meanwhile, Durant has gotten himself into trouble, as the men he sold land to are upset that Cheyenne is no longer the main depot along the railroad, and so they come looking for their money. They give Durant two days to get the money, and so he sets up a plot to have Mickey hire someone to kidnap Durant and then have the government pay a ransom, which he will use to pay off the angry men. Mickey hires his cousin, which is a stupid idea, and foreshadows how well the scenario is going to go, and so it goes as we expect. Delaney gets killed in the process, Durant is taken, and Louise is left with the ransom note.
To end the episode, we see Cullen and Mei talking, and he gives a very good speech about his leg, saying that everyone he comes in contact with is gone, and all that is left is the scars. I thought this was a well done speech, and really speaks to where Cullen has gotten to in his life. At this point, he really only has Mei and the railroad left, and so that is too much for Cullen to have. And so, we get a knock on Mei's door, and it is Chang. Cullen leaves and tells Mei to get his people in order, to throw off Chang of what is really going on, but it is apparent that Chang is now suspicious. This can only end badly for Cullen and Mei, which is what I've come to expect from the show at this point.
Overall, the episode was fine, but it just feels like the show is cruising into a lackluster finish at this point. There are four more episodes at this point, and it just keeps getting bleaker for our main characters. I can only assume at this point that Cullen will lose Mei, and I'm starting to wonder if he is even going to get to see the railroad finished. If he does lose Mei, and the railroad is all he has left, then I can only guess that in the final episode, Cullen is going to die before he gets to see the end of the line. I don't know how I feel about that, and I guess we will just have to see how the final four episodes play out, but I'm really starting to lose hope in this show. I hope they can recover and give a coherent ending that makes sense, but I am really having my doubts.
My rating for the episode is 6/10
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