The Matador - As you can see I'm catching up on flicks that have been in my 'to watch' list. I liked this movie a lot. Of course I get wet  for just about any assassin flick, but it's the one like these which offer more than just a psycho for hire that end up being the most interesting. Like Gross Point Blank you meet an assassin who's on his last roll. Peirce Bronson should have gotten a nomination for this role. It's so good and understated that you don't think of anything else he's been in, and he's been in some biggy's (007, Thomas crown affair). I like movies were the characters are honest while the story can be dishonest. The character stays the same while the story changes around them.  Nice. In other words The Matador is more of a character study. In fact, you really only see them main 3 characters the whole movie, with the fourth dropping in for about 2 minutes about 3 times during the movie.   Greg Kinnear, who I never really noticed before this movie, is really good as the ‘average guy’. He has as sweet wife, a decent job, a 14 year old marriage that seems to be going great.  Behind it is a tragedy and without spoiling anything, lets just say I think that the movie does a great job showing what people are capable of doing given the right circumstances.  Hope Davis is really good too.  Her character adjusts to the new ‘friend’ in her husband’s life in a way that was kind of unexpected.   I think the Matador is almost like a play on screen. Don’t expect shoot outs and high tech gadgetry.  It’s not trying to be that.  It’s an acting ensemble, and a movie more about friendship than anything else.  Peirce Bronson does a great job of creating a character that you believe from beginning to the end, and the supporting cast does a great job in keeping everything honest and interesting.  No cheap tricks.  Great flick.

Quantum of Solace - I don't know. Critics really are on the opposite side of the fence when it comes to a lot of today's entertainment. Take the new Bond flick. I've read how about just how "brutal' it is. Apparently secret agents with a license to kill aren't suppose to be doing any killing. I thought it was an occupational hazard....you now in the art imitating real life kind of way. NO see, according to these fossil critics, James Bond is suppose to stumble his way thru ridiculous gadgets, ridiculous plots, crusty actors, gimmick villains and recently boring American actresses, ect ect. Pussies. I don’t know why the Bourne movies get a free pass and these new bonds don't. I love the Bourne series but how many times is he going to do what he has to do and then sit and almost cry about what he is (something I hope they lose for the up and coming 4th installment of the series) when the audience already accepts him just the way he is. Lethal, deadly, cunning, smart and capable of killiing anyone who stands in his way. Not cute, cuddley and qick to crack a joke. Quite simply, Quantum of Solace is great film and a nice sequel to Casino Royale.  Props to the director.  I had my doubts with the plot picking up directly where Casino left off, but as it turns out its a logical follow up to the wonderful re-boot they have done the Bond. Sean Connery will always be my favorite Bond (From Russia with love....repsect), and Daniel Craig has the potential to be held on the same high standard. If you enjoyed Casino Royale then get your ass to the theater before it's gone.

Torchwood : Children of the earth mini series - After watching this 5 part series I realize that a large part of the problem of todays scripted TV is that there are too many episodes to air to have constant high quality.  Sure there are shows that are the exception, but the majority of scripted TV out there just isn’t that good. Maybe they should cut these 22 episodes seasons in half.  Throw out the BS episodes.   I don’t know why Torchwood, with this being technically season 3, would only air 5 episodes.  Budget problems probably, cuz the same is being done with Doctor Who, the show Torchwood came from.  This was really good.  No complaints at all good.  Watched all 5 episodes in a row nonstop good.  Russell T Davies really outdid himself with this one.  This is the same guy who reduced Davros to a cartoon character and actually had the Tardis Tow the earth back across the Galaxy to the Milky way.  If there was no Happy Days that would be defined as the new Jump the Shark.  With COTE he’s created a wonderful story, and I’m glad he realized that good story arcs always require major losses and sacrifice.  The whole feeling you get watching this is dread. WIth the events that transpired in this episode, Captain Jack became The Doctor.  It's an instant sci-fi classic.  The basic premise is the Aliens of the unseen kind have come to earth for our Children.  The reason they want them is just great writing.  The version of Torchwood you get now is not the all seeing all powerful all knowing.  After last season’s finale they lost half their staff, so they are just down to the main 3.  It’s a great series, and I hope they get a season 4 or another miniseries.  Check it out.

2012 – like most of Emmericks flicks, the money shots are all in the trailers.  Beyond what you saw in the trailer there isn’t much more to this flick.  The message is clear though, you want to survive the end of the world, you better be filthy rich.  The escape from the collapsing house scene is by far some of the best destruction ever committed to film.  It’s truly amazing what they can do in Hollywood now.  Its too bad the rest of it doesn’t hold up.  John Cusack should be making more Gross Point Blanke sequels anyway (what the hell was war inc?) instead of these ‘add actor to green screen’ shindigs. 

Knocked Up - You know, I expected this movie to be a lot more than what it was. Overall a cute movie about unplanned pregnancy due to a one night stand (with a lot of liquor involved), and the notion that maybe an unborn fetus can bring to people together who would never ever get together under normal circumstances.  In reality you’ll forget as soon as it’s over, which was strange cuz I really enjoyed the director / writer’s last flick Superbad.  Katherine Heigl, who I haven’t seen since Under Seige 2 (boy has she grown up into a hot chick), is good as the surprise mother to be.  Seth Rogen was also good as the slacking weed boy who becomes a father in a flash.  The movie doesn’t really have an edge so for those of you who like movies where nothing really bad ever happens to anyone you’ll enjoy this flick.

Battlestar Galactica (final season + 2 hour season finale) – What can I say about this show.  I watch shows like Doctor Who,  Buffy, Angel, Farscape, Sopranos, Lexx, Supernatural, Arrested Development  and when I  Finish all the Seasons )or get current) I wonder can anything top what I just finished.  Along comes Battlestar, which for the longest time remained something I just kept in the back of my mind.  I vaguly remember the show in the 80’s, and from what I saw of the new reimagined series, I couldn’t get into it.  I must say you must watch this show from the beginning.  You won’t get it if you try to get into it mid season.  It started with a 2 hour movie, which feels more like a Hollywood movie than a sci-fi channel tv show.  It was spectacular, and a great way to start a TV series of this magnitude.  Battlestar uses movie type special effects and set pieces, and the writing is on par with what ou you got with the Sopranos, Buffy/Angel or Farscape.    The writing in this show is disciplined and they know how to tell a tale.  They know how to introduce elements and leave things open that can be explored when they finally get to a Season 3.  In plain words, Battlestar Galactica is one of the greatest shows TV has ever produced, pure and simple.  To be honest, as spectacular the space shots and battles are, what is way more interesting is the characters and show mythology.   I found the shows take on humanity to be so cool.  It simply states no matter where we are in the universe, no matter how technologically advanced we are, no matter how few of us survive the future, we will always be Human and flawed.   I love this take of humanity way better than the stiff versions of it we get with Star Trek (post kirk).  Battlestar is about mankind’s struggle to survive after nearly being wiped out by the machines they built to serve them.  It’s a space opera combined with the endless pursuit of a enemy who will not stop until they eradicate mankind once and for all.  Funny thing about all this is the notion of what they call skin jobs, cylon’s that pass as human.  It’s not what you think.  They simply don’t pass as human, they are more human than they really understand, and with that you get this incredible dynamic where the machines that are chasing you really do not have any idea of what to do with themselves.  There is a lot of underlying philosophy in Battlestar.  I loved the way the show forced relationships to change out of necessity and survival.  The cast is amazing.  You really have to stop a moment and give props to casting agents and directors.  Without them you don’t get special group of people who by the end of the series you feel you can relate too, both good and ‘evil’ characters.  In Galactica there are really no good and evil people.  There are terrible things done.  Characters have to face the most horrifying and disturbing acts head on in order to survive.   Each has it’s own perspective, and from each prospective you see major flaws from both sides.  Of course one side is responsible for wiping out millions of souls overnight, but there is a history and chain of events that brought them to that point.  Neither side can survive without the other, but will they ever get to that point.  I enjoyed each season of Battlestar equally.  The 2 hour movie pilot was better than most big budget Hollywood movies your going to see.  Then you get into the actual start of the TV seasons and behold….the same quality from the Movie is still there, but it’s spread over 4 full seasons.  Make no mistake, Battestar was a love affair between it’s production crew and actors.  You can see it up there on the screen.  These people loved creating and acting in this show.  I haven’t seen this much fun in a TV production since Farscape & Arrested Development.  Shows that get a 1/3 of the viewing audience of CSI (pick one) or Dancing with the rich Stars, but end up being a much richer viewing experience.  It’s a dark day in my life that shit show has ended.  I’ll say this about the 2 hour show finale.  Hell yeah.  I’ve read a lot of feedback on it and what strikes me as incredible is the passion in which the fans debate about the ending, whether they liked it or not.  As much as I adore this show, it is just a tv show so I try not to take more from it than is really necessary.  Nothing in life is perfect (although those first 2 seasons were damn close), and when it is it never lasts.  The season finale closed the book on Battlestar just the way I wanted it.  I wanted things explained, but not every single detail.  That did that.  I wanted a ending with a sense of hope because this show remained dark and heavy throughout it’s run. Nicely done.  Special mention has to go to the people who do the FX for BattleStar.  When it comes to filming space flight and battle sequences they own it, and what they did in the finale was truly amazing work.  From the hand held / zoom views to making the Battlestar Galactica ship itself just an massive awesome thing to see in action. It freaked me out the first time I saw the ship in battle with nukes headed for it.  They explode against the Hull in a giant spectacle, but the only damage the ship takes perhaps needs a new coat of paint.  Great stuff.  Admiral Adama, man I have new found respect for Edward James Olmos.  What a great job in the art of acting.  Whoever decided to cast Katee Sackhoff as starbuck.  Genius.   The XO was genius casting as well.  Look, I could go on and on about how great this show was.  If you haven’t seen it, get it. Start with the 2 hour movie pilot and then go into the seasons.  One of the best. So say we all.  Frakkin shows ever made.  No shit.

Transformers 2 – You know, I wonder what critics over 35 do for fun with their children.  I can’t imagine them taking their young one to see something like The Transformers or Speed Racer and letting the child enjoy what’s on the screen instead of picking it apart because it didn’t star Phillip Seymour Hoffman  & Meryl Streep with direction by Robert Altman.  Critics tore this movie up, and I believe most did it before they even saw it.  Critics do not like Michael Bay, which is sad because you need someone like this in Hollywood.  I get tired of the spectacle directors in Hollywood trying to get all dramatic in hopes of getting some silly award like an Oscar.  It means nothing, and you end up taking away from fans the very thing that drew them to you.  Some directors stay character driven their whole careers, like Jim Jarmusch or the Coen brothers.  Eventually they run into a silly award because they end up doing that one film that magically appeals to the masses of critics.  Others like Michael Bay simply want to put a whole lot of whoa on the screen.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  Personally it amazes me when I look at a old episode of the transformers cartoon, and then look and see how he brought these robots to the big screen.  Amazing.  The Transformers cartoon was a horribly animated story driven classic.  Michael Bay brought it to life with about 3 coats of Whoa.  I enjoyed the first Transformers movie.  That Freeway scene with Bonecrusher going 70 mph transforming while talking smack gave me wood, then Optimus did the same the thing and let out a “ahhhhhhh” like he couldn’t wait to stomp some Decepticons ass.  How could have a human pulse and not be truly moved by the carnage.  Luckily kids get these films, and so do the adults who remember the source material.  I won’t lie, I enjoyed Transformers 1 better than 2, simply because it was magical watching these robots reveal themselves.  The second movie went the direction of mo’ transforming, mo’ robots and more fun for the kids.  In that it succeeded.  My only gripes is that it should have went for a pg rating and left out the adult humping jokes throughout the flick.  Transformers 2 is a horny frikkin movie.  Everybody is humping, robots, humans, dogs…..and I can’t remember a college campus that looked like it was a institution of study for future Victoria Secret models. The other gripe is that for the life of me I couldn’t figure out who is who for some of the big action sequences.  Robots are everywhere in this one.  The cast is adequate, most of the characters from the first one returned.  Megan Fox….there’s something about this girl.  You just want to stare at her.  Yeah she’s hotter than the center of the Sun, but the way Michael Bay shoots her…..its like…..sexual or something.  I wonder what she’s going to come off as in other movies.  It will be interesting to see.  Shia LaBeouf, the luckiest kid in Hollywood, is actually better in this flick.  Overall you get your money’s worth.  It clocks in abour 2:20 and something blows up every 8 minutes so there’s never a dull moment.  If your expecting a tight focus group written story then your dum ass.  This is the transformers.  Cars n planes that change into talking robots.  It is what it is, it's done well, and I hope they do a 3rd one! 

Doctor Who : End of Time pt1 – Just as Water of Mars, great build up and some great acting in the middle between the Doctor and Donna’s Dad and John Simms as the master WHEN it’s Tennant and a actor chewing the scenery.  The actual ‘sci-fi’ is written in a way where you wonder if Russell T Davies actually had TOTAL control of the show and its scripts.  Someone had to chime in on how ridiculous the ending was (which was swept aside with the wave of a wrist in part 2).  The big reveal at the very end of the episode rings hollow only because the last 3 season finales have the most ridiculous writing ever penned to a sci fi show.  Remember Journey’s End ‘davros n daleks laughing stock / tow the earth' finale?  Remember the Master finale of The Last of the Time Lords, how silly it all was until Simms and Tennant had a actual moment to act of each other at the very end.  Remember how cool John Pertwee was hanging off the low-jacked Tardis Console in the Unit Hanger in Inferno?  That’s the Who I’m hoping Stephen Moffett brings us.  I applaud Davies for making Doctor Who a show again, but its obvious new management is in need.  Ratings even show folks are tired of the jr sci fi writing.  When compared to the great sci fi of the last decade, like Farscape and  Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who still has a way to go to become one of the elite shows that delivers EVERY episode.

Doctor Who : The end of time pt 2 – Well, as nutty as part 1’s premise was with the master, I have to say that part 2 was really good.  The reason being that the dialog during the quiet moments allowed the actors to actually act.  We didn’t get Tennants hopping around like a energizer bunny.  The reason for his regeneration was honorable, although I don’t like these prophecy and “he or she will come with ice cream” predictions you get all the time with this new version of the show.   The Time Lords were scary because you come to realize they are all insane driven mad by endless war.  If they ever want to make a dr wno movie they should focus on the time war.  I can only imagine what a genius writer and director could do with the subject matter.  The doctor seeing his former companions before his death was also handled nicely.  Seeing Matt Smith in action for a few seconds in the regeneration scene and the trailer for 2010’s series was comforting.  I think he’s going to be a great doctor, as it seems Dr Who is going for youth, the choices have been good so far. 

Russell T Davies deserves a shitload of praise and credit for bringing the Lord of Time back in style.  While I felt his version of Sci Fi was more of a sensationalist take on the character, I did like he opened the Doctor up to more of a “how does he tick” kind of showing.  When the Doctor was companionless, he was very alone, which is not good for anyone really.  Davies really did a good job showing that.  Now that he has though, I am looking forward to Steven Moffat’s take on the show.  His episodes during the Davies run always have stood out and had the right kind of balance between sci-fi, wonder and character study.    More like the Dr Who I remember.  I mean for a character with the ablity to travel thru time and space, he seemed stuck on earth for the most part.  There's very few episodes of the new run of Dr Who I re-watch, and those I do are usually the one’s written by the outside writers.  I hope Moffat’s version of WHO produces more classics.  I still watch the classic episodes on the regular.  The cheap FX and basement sets of 60’s thru 90’s dr who don’t bother me at all because the writing and actors made it special.  Eccleston and Tennant were great Doctors, but the writing never let them shine properly.  Here’s hoping the new series will put who back on track as the sci fi show that all other sci fi shows steal from :-)

The Dark Knight - Man was this film superhyped, but if I was Warner Brothers and I had this reel of comic book perfection sitting up waiting for release.....I'd hype the hell out of it as well. They had to know word of mouth was going to get out on Heath Ledger's portrayal of Gotham's #1 psyhco, the joker (he loved killing some soul brothers fo' real). What he did with this character is truly amazing. I didn't want him to leave the screen to be honest.  This is the Joker from the comic books I’ve always wanted to see, and Heath Ledger (what a tragic loss) pulled it off in a way that truly amazed me.  He was the real Joker.  Insanity without any purpose other than to cause mayhem and loss with a stroke of genius thrown in.  When the Joker was not on screen, you sat and waited for him to come back, and when he did you got your money’s worth double time. In fact I would say that this movie is less about Batman and more about the people in Batman and Bruce Wayne's life. Christen Bale is a great Batman / Bruce Wayne, mainly because it's his character that allows the villains and partners in his life shine.  It’s not a real action movie.   There's only 1 real action sequence that involves Batman in the film, where he does something so extra ordinary that the crowd reacts. For most of the movie he, along with everyone else, is trying to figure out how to deal with this force of nature called the Joker. Also especially good is Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon. You forget your  watching Gary Oldman, who is a acting force to be reckoned with on his own (watch Romeo is Bleeding, The Professional / Leon, Dracula!). He plays the role with a balanced maturity that you would come to expect from a character who will go on to do bigger things in the batman world. Aaron Eckhart is also notable for his portrayal of Harvey Dent.  Normally you are not interested in guys that look like him. Maggie Gyllenhaal was a nice upgrade from Katie Holmes, haven’t seen her since the the classic flick ‘Secretary’.  Another big star of the film is Christopher Nolan and his use of the Camera. This is old school  as new school for  film making.  The IMAX shots of Chicago are stunning.  The storytelling respects the viewing audience of today as being more sophisticated.  This doesn't feel like a comic book movie in any way which is great.  Never has a comic book movie felt more like a real Drama than the Dark Knight. I hate the fact that directors feel the need to ‘update / soften’ or change the tone of established comic books believing audiences will be able to swallow the concepts easier.  In most comic books I read there is a lot of violence and a lot of death.  That’s one of the reasons why geeks like me read them.  The Dark Knight did its best not to forget that, and with the death and drama you get real tension and emotional involvement.  I dare you not to be fascinated with the Joker and his schemes and his ultimate psycho man crush on Batman in the Dark Knight.  I hope the DVD has deleted scenes!  Of course no movie is perfect. I think they could have cut out the Harvey Dent storyline  and gave a more down to earth 'evil plan' to the Joker in the final half of the film. Also it is never resolved what happens to the Joker. But this is just bitching and moaning and monday morning quarterbacking. Truth is that this is a masterpiece which requires multiple viewing's, and  I will seeing one more time before it leaves the theater.  Great flick, the soundtrack is exceptional, and incredible performance by the late Heath Ledger.

Punisher : war zone – This is how the first one should have been.  This is the comic book character, which I love.  He punishes scum bags with a nice cup of death with sugar on top.  There’s no time for extended slow pace character development.  Righteous dude done wrong, dude trains to be a human nightmare for bad guys, go kill all the bad guys responsible for you present condition and anyone else that stands in the way.  That’s the Punisher.  No this movie is not going to wow you with Oscar winning performances, but that’s just part of the genre, it will never win Oscars.  People who appreciate a good r-rated violent movie will appreciate this flick.  It’s along the lines of Taken and Hitman.  Check it out.  Hope they make another one.

The Reader - Kate Winslet. WHat more needs to be said. It's rated R too, so you know what that means. This daring actress will strip to her pubic hair in a second if the part calls for it. The part did call for it. Its basically about a German woman who has an love affair with a young boy. She vanishes and years later their paths cross again. She's no angel, that's for sure. Great flick.

Watchmen – Well, I enjoyed the Watchmen. If you’re a geek you have too.  That doesn’t mean it was a great movie, in this case it just means that the subject matter was interesting and shot well.  This should have been a 1 season 12 episode show on HBO.  It was based on a 12 part comic series which is regarded as one of the best ever made.  I remember trying to get thru it when I was in my 20’s and stopped midway.  I was to young to really get into a political comic with super heroes thrown in.  After finally reading it all the way thru last year I found it to be very good.  Each comic could easily have been a TV episode.  The Watchman (the movie) had a huge Hollywood budget, but the money wasn’t up there on the screen.  It wasn’t like Transformers 1 or 2 or The Dark Knight (goodness did that movie look good) where you easily see 200 million being rendered up there on the screen.  The Watchmen in comparison looked cheap and I say it for this reason......the opening scene and the intro set to Bob Dylan’s classic “Times They are a' Changin” had you believing you were going to see something mind blowing and genre changing.  Nothing matches it that comes after the opening sequence and credits.  It’s because they had to skip over large parts of the comic series and in effect change some of the plot lines.  The cast is great, but it’s a TV cast.  Again, this should have been a tv series, like Band of Brothers.  Zach Snyder did the best job you could do for a movie version of the Watchmen.  He didn’t make a bad movie like the critics will have you believe, in  fact its right up there with other critically acclaimed movies like V for Vendetta.  Its for a certain kind of audience that likes it’s action movies to be really talky, and the action sequences to have a lot of impact.  The violence in this movie was not as brutal as I was lead to believe.  It was kind of Tame.  It’s a lot more brutal in the comic book.  I watched the theatrical version.  There is a director’s cut coming out soon so I will watch again when it’s released.  For those who heard there was to much blue cock in the film, the nudity in the film is not an issue.  Let’s be honest dudes, you see cock everyday when you take a piss.  The flashes of it on the screen in The Watchmen are so tiny that you really have to be homophobic for it to even register.  I know it’s a man’s world but c’mon, most of the time the Blue guy is walking around wearing a Cameo Larry Blackmon cod piece anyway.  I recommend the Watchmen.  If you know nothing about the comic book series then you’ll enjoy it on its own merits as a very well done long running (2 hours 40 minutes)  popcorn political “what if” movie.  For those familiar with the comic book series, well you probably already saw it. 

Thirst – Vampires seem to never get old as subject matter. Park Chan-wook’s Thirst is a character study with lots of blood sprinkled about.  The most unlikely Vampire would be a priest right?  After being turned into a immortal blood thirsty beast free of inhibitions, what would a priest do?  Every vampire tv show, book or movie handles the folklore different.  In Angel/Buffy they used the ‘soul’ as a determining factor in whether you’ll do the right thing and if you’ll have a conscience doing it.  In Moonlight, Twilight or True Blood the Vampires seem to be able to choose what they will or won’t do.  They can be real sweet or real evil.  In Thirst the Vampires seem to be able to choose right or wrong, but they are heavily drawn into the things the lust after.  The more repressed they were before turning, the more the unleash the monster from inside.  I enjoyed the weird pacing of Thirst.  It took a minute for the priest/vampire to get going.  It didn’t take any time for his first ‘turn’ vamp chick to enjoy her freedom from the rules of humanity.  There were some really unique moments in Thirst.  It’s not a film for everyone, but for those who like their entertainment to be on the disturbing side, you’ll get a lot out of this movie.