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

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

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

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

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

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

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