Andy's Friday Five: Annual Halloween Viewing

Oh yes, it's Halloween time, baby! That means marathons of the Friday the 13ths, Nightmare on Elm Streets, Screams, and nine out of ten of the Halloweens. And, of course, school work somewhere in between all that movie watching. Best time of the year, ladies and gents. Best month of the year, too. Goodbye obnoxious hot weather, and hello cold, breezy windy wind!

Alright, so I may or may not be able to watch every film from every horror franchise I love because of time, but below I list five horror movies that are mandatory Halloween treats. No matter what, I have just got to watch 'em, or it's simply not Halloween, y'know? These movies are instrumental in making Halloween great.

5. Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI, the most perfect blend of comedy and horror, making it not only easily accessible to new viewers without any understanding of previous Friday films, but also the most enjoyable. The other movies have a certain degree or boringness to them. Unless you're truly in love with Jason Vorhees, and the 'atmosphere' that seems to take forever to establish, the Friday films, to me, become a bit of a hassle. This sixth installment breaks that mold. From beginning to end, it's fantastic fun. The writing and acting is, at this point, the best of the series, and when Jason Vorhees is resurrected for some teen killing mayhem, he truly comes across as an unstoppable, brutal, killing force. When he's not thrown into comedic situations, such as the poor paintball gamers who run into him in the woods. The film also boasts a rather brilliant way to conclude Jason's reign, at least this time. It's inspired and rather ingenuous. So for its clever writing, funny dialogue, tolerable characters, and brutal antagonist, Jason Lives is must see Halloween viewing.

4. From Dusk Till Dawn is nothing short of brilliant. The first hour plays like a tense family drama mixed in with the story of two quick-to-kill robbers (George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino). Once this family of three, held hostage by Clooney and Tarantino, arrive at a bar, the film turns into utter chaos and carnage. Turns out, all the workers at the bar - even the band - are vamps, and it's feeding time! What follows is blood, guts, and dismemberment galore. It's beautiful in its own little way. Not only is the battle royale an absolute joy to watch, but by this point, Tarantino's fantastic script has gotten us to care about each and everyone of these characters. And for anyone who actually ends up not liking these people we follow, they're heavily rewarded by the battle that ensues for the final 45 minute run. The film doesn't take itself seriously at all, and it helps that everyone involved clearly are game players and want to have a good time and make a good movie. They definitely succeed. From Dusk Till Dawn is a pleasure from beginning to end, one of those films you make popcorn, sit back and relax, and enjoy. Mandatory.

3. Troll 2 is one of my more recent pleasures. Hell, I'm not even sure if 'pleasure' is the right word. There's something about this movie that just grabs you and refuses to let you go. May it be certain scenes that are nearly unbelievable in that they actually exist in this world, or dialogue that make me crack up laughing, or the actions of the little kid dude who takes drastic actions to get his family out of Nilbog. Point is, Troll 2 is terrible, terrible, terrible. It's not the absolute worst thing in the entire universe, but yes, it's a stinker. But it also boasts something not all terrible movies can: it's a hell of a lot of fun. Hell yes. Give me the bad script. Give me the outrageously bad 'acting'. Give me that seductive corn! Give me the goblins and the green planty goo! Give me a ghostly apparition of a dead grandfather/uncle/whatever. Give me a hour and a half of pure enjoyment. Troll 2 is the ultimate in fun. It demands a group viewing where you either all laugh and have fun, or come together in mockery. It's a horror movie of a different kind, and cannot be missed.

2. Trick 'r Treat was one of those films that was hyped up a lot before its release, and luckily, live up to the hype absolutely. Anthology pieces are great, and to concentrate one on All Hallow's Eve is just fantastic. The traditions of Samhain must be respected, and the super creepy Sam (pictured above) ensures that they are. With the exception of my number one, there's not another on this list I respect nearly as much as this. In this state of horror, it's what we needed. The script is clever, there's a wide range of talented actors given great parts, the cinematography is beautiful and, when necessary, utterly creepy. A success through and through. And, surprisingly, it's creepy factor continues to shine through with each subsequent viewing. Do yourself a favor: if you haven't had the privilege of checking out Trick 'r Treat yet, remedy that immediately. It's not Halloween without this film, nor...

1. Halloween, John Carpenter's original, and still, after 50+ times seeing it, helluva effective. Out of all the slashers in horror history (next to Ghostface), Michael Myers continues to freak me out yet fascinate me. His story is utterly compelling. I will watch this franchise through great times (Halloween 4) and bad times (Rob Zombie's Halloween II), because Michael Myers is the most interesting of killers. Ten movies later, and Michael Myers continues to be utterly frightening. All thanks to the 1978 original. Atmosphere. Score. Performances (within question; some of the girls are annoying as hell). Editing. Script. Lighting. Set design. Cinematography. Every element of filmmaking is used to extraordinary effect here, coming together to make a movie that is scary, is tense, is heart pounding. Words of love for Halloween is spread all around the blogosphere, so I'll limit to what I say to this: this is horror at its finest, and everyone owes it to themselves to see this before they die. This is the Birth of Evil right here, folks. And He ain't going away.

So now that I've listed my five mandatory Halloween films to watch, what are some of yours?

MMAM - Vol. 49

IT'S HALLOWEEN TIME! All week at the Ramblings of a Minnesota Geek, I will be posting Halloween related goodies, cos I love Halloween and it's, like, the coolest holiday of, like, ever! Today we kick off with our nearly fiftieth Much Music Awesomeness Monday being all super Halloween-y. Enjoy the awesomeness!


John Ottman did the score for HALLOWEEN: H20, and although apparently a good percentage of his work didn't make it to the final film, this theme persevered, and it's an absolute beauty. John Carpenter's original theme is still there in all its glory, but with a more freaky atmospheric twist from Mr. Ottman. Love.

Andy's Friday Five: 1997

Wow. Turns out that 1997/1998 are super busy years of movies that I love, so making the lists for this year and next have been the toughest thus far. Amped? You should, like, totally be.

Previous Entries:
1990 | 1995 | 2000

1997
A pretty stellar year of movies it looks like, frankly. I feel slightly ashamed at the amount of flicks I haven't seen from 97, chief amongst them Starship Troopers. It's floating around Syfy here and there, so I catch glimpses, but I eagerly look forward to the day when I see the whole shebang from beginning to end.

Still in My Que
The Fifth Element
L.A. Confidential
Event Horizon
Starship Troopers
RocketMan
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Donnie Brasco

Nearly Made the List:
I Know What You Did Last Summer - A lot hate it, some love it; I fall into the loving category. There's something inherently fun and not too serious about this Scream-inspired slasher flick, and looking back at the movie all these years later and seeing recognizable names just makes me laugh. Freakin' Anne Heche is in this movie, man!

The Lost World: Jurassic Park - A pretty dyno-mite sequel, if I say so myself. The pacing is quite off, making this epic feel long as hell, but for the whole world I would never take back a T-Rex wrecking havoc in Los Angeles, or the gripping double Rex scene that causes the team's cars go overboard. A pretty damn good sequel, just not hugely enjoyable.

Chasing Amy - One of Smith's best, although it's oddly one I don't revisit often. I feel I should remedy that. And with a cheap Blu-Ray roaming around Best Buy, that's all but certain.

Kull the Conquerer - Blame it on my love for Kevin Sorbo in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but Kull the Conquerer is all kinds of fun, and when I found it in the $5 Wal Mart bin, there wasn't a seconds hesitation. That baby was mine! So, years and years later, does the flick hold up? Oh God, yeah. The special effects are craptacular, mind you, but the fun, laid-back script and 'let's go bonkers!' performances is the type of crazy that should not be missed.

Liar, Liar - One of the very, very few Jim Carrey movies I love. Best line: "I'm kicking my own ass!"

Princess Mononoke - Confession: I very strongly dislike Anime. So, yeah, huge surprise when I quite in fact fell for this flick.

Good Burger - Included on the list more for nostalgia factors, as I had the pleasure of revisiting this film within the last few months, and it does not hold up. Wow this was bad. Can't believe I used to love, love, love, love Good Burger. I still miss Kenan & Kel.

Air Force One - "Get off my plane!" Harrison Ford as the President. Gary Oldman as bad guy. Heaven.

Andy's Favorite Five of 1997
5. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Do I really have to name the reasons for loving this movie? Doctor Evil. Seth Green. Austin Powers. Easily escapable death trap. Liquid hot "magma". Seth Green. Elizabeth Hurley. Mike Meyers. Fat Bastard. Basal. The whole movie is one giant hilarious gag after another. I love the whole trilogy, and a small part of me wants to see the series continue, although I know that probably isn't a very good notion. But still, wow this movie was funny. One of my first true laugh-out-loud film experiences.

4. Good Will Hunting
Lots of hype surrounding this one, and it actually delivered, surprisingly enough. Everything about this flick is really, really well done, from the direction to the performances from, and especially, Damon and Williams. I think this is one of the few times I respected Robin Williams as a actor, and since I saw this film in a post-Bourne world, I guess I really just wanted to see Will to just stop pouting, say enough of this shit, and use his intelligence to create some spectacular fiction scenes. Anyone with me on that?

Um, anyway, what I love more then anything about this film is the script. There is that exquisite monologue Williams delivers, but the entirety of the movie is well structured, the characters are intricately given dimension, and in the end, although the flick isn't dealing with some big scale story like the Apocalypse or whathaveyou, Good Will Hunting felt like quite the experience. Oh hell, guess I'll have to go back and rewatch this one now. [searches for Blu-Ray...]

3. Hercules
The movies above didn't stand a chance: this Disney flick had a CGI hydra! And Hercules sliced their heads off, making more heads sprout up! At one point there was, like, a hundred Hydra heads! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?!!?

[Answer: REALLY FRAKKIN' AWESOME, ANDY!!!]

And Hades: now that was a fun interpretation of the character, and James Woods gives him such a wickedly awesome voice. It's perfect. Genuinely, 100% perfection. Perhaps my love for the Disney flick stems from cherishing the Kevin Sorbo Hercules series, but really, they're two entirely different universes. Not the least of which is the costume design - which, I wager, this would be more in line with something a Greek warrior would wear instead of Sorbo's lack of shirtiness. But this is beside the point - Hercules is gosh darn tootin' fun. My affection for monsters adds to the enjoyment factor, the script's funny, and there's even a stellar down-to-the-wire Underworld sequence (!). Hercules floats my fancy.

2. Titanic
At seven, when I first saw this four hour epic, all I really cared about was the pretty special effects of the final act. Everything involving the older Rose, and most of the Jack/Rose stuff, I just didn't care about. Over the years I've rewatched the movie in full only a handful of times, but chunks quite frequently. And the more and more I expose myself to Titanic, and block away the fact it's the highest grossing movie ever (next to Gone with the Wind) and is the most cherished and mocked film in cinema probably ever, I actually tend to like it more and more, sorta transforming into love. It may not be a perfect film, but damn to hell, it's a pretty impressive one. The Jack/Rose relationship is surprisingly very well defined and shown, and of course the last act remains ever impressive as a feat of digital accomplishments. I still don't care about the older Rose/Bill Paxton bit, but it's a necessary evil, a story device to get us to 1912. So all in all, against my seven year old self, turns out I actually quite like this flick.

1. Scream 2
This isn't a popular opinion, but this is one of those rare times I feel the sequel is superior to the original. Mind you, I'm not saying the original is a piece of garbage that can easily be dismissed; nay, kind friend. I love Scream, and that film is about as perfect as it comes, but I think Scream 2 comments on our culture better, boasts bigger scares and tense scenes, and is about the most unpredictable of the bunch (although I didn't see the reveals in Scream 4 coming). Regardless of the agree/disagree nature of this opinion, I do feel that Scream 2 should get wider recognition for all it does right instead of being simply disregarded as, 'it's good, but it's not the original'. Timothy Olypfantastic alone rivals the stellar performance of Matthew Lillard from the first one. Neve Campbell gives her best work in the series up to this year. This is just one of those sequels that don't feel like a letdown, where the tension remains the same, the characters are consistent but continue to grow, the scares and reveals are unpredictable, the music's strength still holds power, the editing is tight, etc. All those things Scream 2 has, and shows off in spades. Frak. Now I really wanna watch it again.

Jessica Chastain Triple Feature: The Tree of Life, The Debt, The Help

Out of nowhere this gorgeous yet-spectacular actress Jessica Chastain showed up in, like, a bazillion movies over the summer, with two or three scheduled before the end of the year. This girl's everywhere. So, in honor of her awesomeness and prettiness, three of her flicks have been reviewed today. I should just make a mention that I laughed a lot when I read reviews of The Tree of Life Blu-Ray saying the mother was played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Oh, ha with the ha. Anyway, Jessica has the fortune of being in three very distinctly different (in a good way) films, and manages to be a demanding presence in each one of them.

Long review short - all three films reviewed below should be seen. Alrightey then? Onto the awesomeness of Andy reviews!

The Debt

Plot: Lies and deceit from a 1960s mission haunts the survivors in the present.

I was forced into The Debt for some quality mother/son time, and it was surprisingly worth it. All I knew was that it was a thriller, and Helen Mirren was in it (which is always nice). And as the movie got going, I saw that Sam Worthington was also present and accounted for, mumbling his lines as per usual but luckily they’re to a minimum. And then, in the first few minutes, it’s Julius Caesar from Rome (Ciaran Hinds), back from the dead only to be dead again as soon as he arrived! This sets itself up for the main mystery: the awesome Tom Wilkinson tasks Helen Mirren to solve a problem that could have some serious repercussions on them in the present, something good ol’ Ciaran Hinds just didn’t want to be a part of. It was by this point I also realized it was a mystery and a thriller.

And once we flashback to the younger versions of Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Ciaran Hinds to see the stunningly gorgeous Jessica Chastain (in the first role I ever saw her in), the brute Sam Worthington, and Xena-alumni Marton Csokas, The Debt becomes a film you can’t take your eyes away from. It’s the 1960’s, and the three characters are united to bring down a big bad Nazi guy who killed a bunch of folks – but not before inflicting horrible, horrible forms of torment. Worthington resigns himself to standing around pinning after Chastain, occasionally saying a line or two and remaining all around stoic. Csokas seems to enjoy himself as the handsome lead who just wants to complete the mission successfully. And Ms. Chastain – well, she definitely has that being pretty thing down, but lo and behold, she is a marvelous, tremendous actress. There are two or three scenes where, for the sake of the mission, she allows herself to be touched by the Nazi they’re targeting, and her reactions: they are the type of things that stick to your mind long after the film is over with.

When The Debt cuts back to contemporary times with our older leads, it’s not nearly as exciting as watching the 1960s counterparts do everything they can to see the mission through thick and thin, but Helen Mirren carries the last act heroically. She confronts of a demon from her past, engaging in a fight in a bathroom that is as brutal as any Jet Li film. Not as creative and well-choreographed, no, but there’s a certain amount of rising tension that stems from their encounter, and when they finally draw blood on one another, it’s pretty gruesome.

When all is said and done, The Debt works. I was grabbed by the narrative, although I wasn’t too fond of the ‘twist’ that brings us into the third act, and when I left the theater, I can honestly say I enjoyed myself. The 1960s flashbacks, which occupy a good 60% of the movie, is definitely its strength, but the last ten minutes are, perhaps, the most memorable long after you leave the theater (and, let’s not forget, Chastain’s awesomeness). To put another way, this is a thriller I’ll have in my home video collection.

Rating: 8.5/10 – An engaging mystery/thriller with boasting a standout performance, a tense mission, and some super engaging character dynamic that flares up in the flashbacks but sorta fiddles in the present.

The Help

The Help is one of those unexpected movies that creep up on you. In my case, I had zero interest in seeing it, despite the casting of future wife Emma Stone. However, when the opportunity to see the film for free presented itself, I am never one to pass up such an offer. And I am not remotely disgruntled about seeing it. The Help was fun beginning to end, thanks largely to a smart script and some wonderful performances.

First, attention must be brought to the two outstanding performances of the film: Octavia Spencer as Minny, a maid who always has some witty remark to say and isn’t always successful at biting her tongue. Spencer’s facial reactions, her mannerisms, and most of all, how she delivers her lines make her the most memorable aspect of the film. Her “eat my shit” scene will forever be one of the summer highlights (and that reminds me, the mother of Bryce Dallas Howard’s character Hilly, Sissy Spacek, is just as hilarious in this moment). Giving Octavia Spencer a run for her money is Jessica Chastain as Celia, a woman who has no idea about anything and whose own naiveté and free-spirited self provides just as many laugh out loud moments as Minny. Halfway through the film, the two characters unite in one house, and every scene with the two of them together is priceless. Their dynamic makes this movie.

As for my dear Emma Stone, who I love and cherish, she surprisingly felt very much like a side character. Now, I understand the movie’s called The Help, and thus the primary focus is on Viola Davis’ Aibileen and Octavia’s Minny, and Stone’s Skeeter Phelan is more a conduit to get their story told to the world, but I feel that Stone’s character wasn’t given enough room to breathe to become her own person. Instead, her trademark Stone quirkiness (which is at a minimum) accomplishes the job, more or less. And in regards to feeling like a side character, Skeeter’s love interest subplot is hardly worth mentioning, because the film surely doesn’t seem interested in it at all. Those seven minutes of screentime amount to nothing, and could easily be exercised from the film without missing a single beat.

Bryce Dallas Howard’s Hilly was also great, with Bryce giving a greatly comedic performance: funny when stupid crap happens to her, obnoxious when she gets all prejudice, and obnoxious when she gets all Stepford Wives-y. It’s because of these actresses’ that The Help is successful, that there’s a heart and soul to it.

To be frank, and I might get some flake for this, but Viola Davis just didn’t cut it as Aibileen. Her character never felt honest, and because of that, I just didn’t care about Aibileen at all. Minny, Hilly, Celia, Skeeter (sorta), even the maid who asks Hilly for some money to pay for her kid – all those characters I cared for beginning to end. Maybe it was the script, or the sort of tired performance from Davis, but Aibileen just didn’t cut it.

The script’s well written, full of humor and drama (although The Help feels more humor-y then drama-y), and doesn’t overplay its hand. As in, the comedy doesn’t go too farfetched, and the drama doesn’t feel too Hallmarkish. As I said, Skeeter’s romantic subplot could have been exercised entirely, and perhaps Aibileen should have been given a bit more life to her instead of feeling fairly paint-by-the-numbers. All in all, The Help was a good movie. The ladies make it memorable.

Rating: 7.5/10 – There’s a few clunkers here and there, but for the most part, THE HELP is a resounding success, made enjoyable by the wonderful performances from the female leads who are hilarious and heartfelt.

The Tree of Life

Plot: Space, something, something, earth, something, something, angry father, something, pretty!, something, something, dinosaurs?, something, opera music pretty!, something, something, WTF? I think whoever couldn't follow the series finale of LOST will effectively have their brains blown out watching this.

The Tree of Life is a difficult movie to discuss. There are images circulating in my head two weeks after seeing it, images I’m sure I might never stop thinking about. But as for the actual content, I don’t feel anything but disappointment, really. When I look back at The Tree of Life, I don’t contemplate over whatever the hell Terrence Malick was trying to convey, if anyone. I just think of the striking visual imagery, the dynamic of Brad Pitt’s strict stereotypical 1950s father and the careing and giving mother, played by Jessica Chastain to their eleven year old son Jack, who must have one hell of an Oedipus complex.

Whatever Castor saw in his evaluation of Malick’s screenplay, whatever amazing feelings or thoughts Malick inspired in his apparently brilliant script, I don’t think it’s here in the finished product. Hell, with the exception of the O’Brien family crazy house, there’s very little emotion or sense in the whole enterprise, I feel.

In regards to the cinematography, well, in a word, it’s stunning. Yes, to say that each shot is like a painting come to life would not be an exaggeration. Even close ups of characters or dinner scenes have a rich freshness to them, as if they’ve never been shot from whatever angle Malick desired and each new shot is something entirely unique onto itself. The camera definitely calls attention to itself. Malick’s like a child, so amazed by the world and where he could film, the camera is positioned anywhere and everywhere he could think of, moved in any fashion possible. This lends itself to a kinetic energy that is exciting and interesting. When the film slows down for the more dramatic scenes, the ones that typically include characters whispering instead of talking at a normal chit chat voice, Tree of Life is just as visually stunning. There are so many times during the Creation of the universe sequence that I was just amazed at how they filmed this. There is truly some of the most amazing cinematography in Tree of Life.

But that all comes to naught if there’s no emotion – or even point – to the movie. Now I entered the film knowing what I was getting into. I knew that Malick loves nature, that he would film the world in ways that have never been done before. I knew, based off Castor’s script review, that there are moments of contemplation, made deliberately for contemplation, that this isn’t just your typical run-of-the-mill movie and forces you to think. But, honestly, I think that was left on the page. I don’t feel any of that translated onto screen. It comes across as a heartless, directionless movie. Acts or shots that are supposed to have meaning just don’t. The whole last 20 minutes – hell, everything with Sean Penn’s grown up Jack – no number of theories will convince me there’s something worthwhile there. If there is any emotion, anything worth thinking about, it’s the hour chunk with the O’Brien family as a young Jack deals with adolescence and his desire to not become his father. Whatever big themes, ideas, or statements Malick was trying at – just ain’t there.

That said, though, Tree of Life is one of those flicks that when someone reads a review, they shouldn’t make a decision based off that. As you can tell, I didn’t like The Tree of Life nearly as much as other parties did, finding the flick a bit heartless but visually beautiful. There’s a huge possibility that I misread scenes, or maybe something just went over my head and the reader will encounter something life changing when they see the film. At the very least, Malick’s controversial experience should be…experienced. Does it all add up to something? Does the last 10 minutes make a lick of friggin’ sense? Would you re-edit the first hour like I would?

For a better (or complimentary) look at the meaning of life or whatnot, I’d say check out Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain.

Rating: 5.5/10 - If there's something there in the script, then I would strongly recommend Malick to restructure this film to give what needs to have meaning meaning, to give life to his script instead of shooting pretty pictures and cobbling them together in hopes of it making sense.

MMAM - Vol. 48

In commemoration of Gus from BREAKING BAD, and in celebration of finishing its fourth season yesterday, today's Much Music Awesomeness Monday is "Goodbye" from some band I never heard of - Apparat. Their music plays as Gus makes his walk to the nursing home to confront Tio. In the context of the show, it's one of the most spine-chilling, tense walk anyone has ever made. Also gives the whole thing a sort of western feel, no? Perfect music choice. Perfect. Give it a listen!

Geek Newsroom: Green Lantern, The Thing, Drive, The SImpsons

News Feed

• If you missed the six-episode premiere season of AMC's The Walking Dead, every episode is now on Netflix Streaming just in time for its second season premiere a week from today.
• The first casualties of Fall 2011 TV programming are: The Playboy Club and Free Agents. The first winners of Fall 2011 TV programming are: The New Girl, Up All Night, 2 Broke Girls, and Whitney.
• Also winning: The Simpsons. After difficult conversations involving price cuts for the principal voice cast, the series was given a two season commitment by FOX - complete with those budget decreases. (TVLine.com)
  
• Other good news: the possible resurrection of Arrested Development in the form of a 10-episode season, each episode concentrating on one member of the Bluth family, and a movie, which the series would lead into. Yay?
• Tucker and Dale vs. Evil director Eli Craig wants a sequel with the titular heroes hitting up Yale (Slashfilm)
• Woman sues the makers of Drive for not being Fast & Furious. Yeah, she's nuts. (BeyondHollywood)
• Orlano Bloom wants back in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise...probably because he hasn't made a worthwhile film since At World's End? Actually, what has he been in? (CBM.com)
  

DVD/Blu-Ray Releases

Zookeeper

Rosario Dawson. The singular, only, #1 reason why I have any interest int his garbage. Unless your wife and children are forcing you to watch this under threat of something really, really bad, don't bother.

Horrible Bosses

Had the pleasure of checking out this super funny comedy two weeks ago, and it's definitely worth price of purchase. And in this Blu-Ray/DVD combo? What's not to love? It's a funny movie, Jennifer Aniston looks hot for the first time since ever, and Kevin Spacey kicks ass.

Green Lantern

So, this ain't a first-day buy for me. I'll get it...eventually. I didn't hate the movie and I didn't love it. There's a lot of middle area where the film could use humungous amounts of improvement. And from the sound of a few reviews, the picture quality of this release is rather lacking, so there's another deterring factor. Basically, if you loved Green Lantern this summer, of course pick it up. If this is a blind buy, don't. Rent first, suss out of you like it. Though, I am interested in this 'Extended Cut', see if it adds anything new... Oh! And Best Buy will have an exclusive Blu-Ray Steelbook, if anyone's interested in that. I would be. [Review]

The Tree of Life

It's been two weeks since I saw this and I still have no flippin idea what to say about it. One interesting thing worth mentioning is that Tree of Life is only being released in this DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'd say a step in the right direction. Besides, this flick is made for Blu-Ray - I'm sure the creation of the universe shots would look gorgeous in HD. Won't be picking this up. Don't really mind if I ever see this flick again, frankly.

New Releases

The Thing
Ramona Flowers vs. an alien identity face changer thingy? I'm all in. But before I see this prequel/remake, I have a inkling I should check out John Carpenter's The Thing. I haven't heard anything negative about that 1980s flick, so I expect good things. And I don't intend to do any 'what's better?' when I see this 2011 update, just to see the similarities and differences. Anyone else wanna see this?







Footloose
Looks bad. Is it bad that I'm excited about that? Is it also bad that I sorta think the flick would be a tad more tolerable if Zac Efron was still the lead? (I promise you, this ain't no Efron crush or anything, just think the boy has some genuine talent...sometimse)

The Big Year
Normally, I see Steve Martin's name and the ticket sold itself. Unfortunately, I can't really see the appeal of The Big Year. It's almost Bucket List-y, but less interesting. Might be more funny. So this is a theatrical skip for me, sadly. Might rent it someday, though. Sorry, Steve.

The Watcher: 10/02/11 - 10/08/11

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Andy's Friday Five: Best Doctor Who Series 6 Moments

Howdy!

It will be a week tomorrow that DOCTOR WHO ended its sixth series, leaving my heart shattered into a million pieces at the prospect of waiting nearly a whole year for the next thirteen episode series. But for now, let's take a fond look back at what just ended and celebrate some scenes that are particularly worth praise. So here we are, the final week before the Geek continues his 'year in film' Friday Five, giving DW fans my favorite moments from Series 6.

Also, apologies. I didn't realize until I finished this that four out of the five scenes listed below involve River Song. Blame Moffat. He knows how to write her. And when she's onscreen, the show is just so damn much. And before continuing to read, be aware, as the title of this posts suggests, there are spoilers. Stay away if you haven't seen the entire season! So, anyway, my favorite moments:

Favorite Doctor Who Series 6 Moments

5. The Amy Reveal. It doesn't happen often, but there are times when a show does something so unexpected, so shocking, that that moment when it happens will forever be engrained in your mind. This is one of those moments (and #4). Now, I'm obsessive with spoilers. I'm dumb and I seek them out. But nowhere did I read anything about this. I was as clueless as anyone who stayed away from spoilers. When it was revealed that Amy Pond was in fact not with Rory and The Doctor onboard the TARDIS, that she hasn't been since possibly pre-America (aka the season premiere), that was a shocker. That was a "holy crap!" moment. Amy Pond was a ganger the entire time! And all that business about POSITIVE/NEGATIVE pregnant? Well, she IS pregnant, but she's being held captive somewhere else, completely and totally fooling The Doctor for months! Wow, now that was a doozy. Absolutely brilliant execution. In one quick stroke, two subplos from the five previous episodes are explained visually in a jaw-dropping scene. Clever, Moffat, clever.

4. Here Comes River. And speaking of clever, I was absolutely oblivious to this change of events. This Mels person showed up out of nowhere, ruining a perfectly fine episode with "Let's Kill Hitler", supposedly being a best friend of Amy and Rory's. Now maybe my noggins just don't work super quick and I didn't put two to two together in seconds, but when Mels was shot and she started glowing her pre-regeneration glowiness: wow. Another one of those "holy shit!" moments. Because of the surprise, because of the retrospective 'duh' and brilliance of the whole thing, the death of Mels and emergence of River Song will forever be one of the most amazing and clever things to come from this series. I remember when I first watched it, I had the most giant grin in all of Mankato. This. Was. Brilliant. Unfortunately, after the bit that follows (choice #1), River becomes sorta obnoxious for the remainder of the episode until her emotional sacrifice at the end. Still, one helluva episode, and one helluva surprise.

3. The Mighty Warrior. Whenever we're given the opportunity to analyze who and/or what The Doctor has become, I love it, I cherish it. To examine the darkness and the danger of this Time Lord, to see how he started off as nothing more than a man who wanted to see the universe and now turns armies away at the mention of his name - it's bone chilling, and it's exactly the kind of analysis of the character that I want Moffat to explore. Like it or hate it, The Doctor is one of the more complex 'protagonists' on television, and by all means, he should be looked into. When Davros told The Doctor that he fashions people into weapons, that he announced The Doctor that 'Destroyer of Worlds', when Donna recognizes the darkness in The Doctor in "The Runaway Bride" and tells him he needs people to keep him in check - those are perfect moments. The Doctor has darkness, let's explore it. The Doctor's adventures have changed the way the universe looks at him, let's explore it. Hell, let's just say I love this scene and quote River who said it so eloquently:

"This was exactly you. All this, all of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor? The word for healer and wise man, throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word "Doctor" means mighty warrior. How far you've come. And now they've taken a child, the child of your best friends, and they're going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down. And all this, my love...in fear of you."

2. "Guys, I mean us. RUN!" The next two points are possibly the funniest bits of Doctor Who this series. Just when The Doctor saves the earth and his plan to eradicate The Silents are taken into effect, his master plan rebounds and he and everyone else are in terrible danger. Classic Who. As The Doctor reveals his brilliant plan to The Silents, there's such a kickass, "you go, Doctor!" vibe to the whole thing, no doubt thanks in part to Murray Gold's rousing score. And then there's this funny exchange as The Doctor realizes exactly how in trouble they are. This leads us into possibly the best action scene of any Doctor Who episode. A super sexy River Song blasting away at the Silents, The Doctor doing something with his sonic to defeat the bad guy (cue River/Doctor bantering, which is always fun!), and Rory realizing that "stupid face" was none other than him, and not The Doctor as he mistakenly believed. What a gorgeous, beautiful scene. Action, comedy, drama - that's why this show succeeds.

1. "Is killing you going to take all day?" Talk about laugh-out-loud funny. Another one of those grinning moments. River, programmed by The Silence since a young girl to kill The Doctor, seizes plenty of opportunities to kill him, but The Doctor's always one step ahead of her. This is a brilliant Laurel & Hardy type sketch, where River shoots to kill, only for The Doctor to reveal he took the magazine, or replaced a gun with a banana. This is definitely Moffat's funniest script to date, and it shows no brighter than this scene - which is odd for a dramatic, action-packed episode. Check out this link and watch the clip on YouTube. May be, for me, the funniest thing since Supernatural's "The French Connection", which you should watch (and rewatch) here. Just brilliant. All of these moments are brilliant. True testaments to the creative and clever people working behind the scenes and in front of the camera.

*All images from the spectacular Sonic Brio

So those are just some of my favorite moments from Doctor Who Series 6. What are yours? Voice your opinions below!

The Watcher: Doctor Who Series 6, Episode 13

Transmission date: 01 October 2011 (BBC One/BBC America)

Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston. Written by Steven Moffat, directed by

Plot: Resolution of The Doctor's death ain't so easy.

So here we are, the thirteenth and final episode of the sixth series of Doctor Who, penned by the show runner, tying up (some) loose ends and bringing a resolution to The Doctor's death, as seen in the first six minutes of the premiere, "The Impossible Astronaut". By this point, I've watched the episode in its entirety three times, and select scenes way too many times to count, and overall, I still don't quite know where I stand with "The Wedding of River Song."

It's a jam-packed episode. There's pterodactyls flying around London, Winston Churchill is Caesar, The Doctor is a captive soothsayer with a beard (a la "Day of the Moon"), Area 52 is in located in an pyramid, and Amy Pond is leading the charge to save all of time with River Song's help. And River Song - she absolutely flat out refuses to kill The Doctor in the split second before he 'dies' in "The Impossible Astronaut" (which this episode takes place in between) and thus a whole new reality is formed around this fixed point of time where all of time is happening at once on 22 April 2011 at 5:02 pm. Day or night, winter or summer, it's that date and time. So right off the bat, I gotta say I really liked how this alternate reality came about. River flat out refusing to do as time dictates she does to save the man she loves. That said, for some reason I find my patience thinning the first twenty minutes as The Doctor reveals to Churchill how time's gone all wibbley-wobbly. But still, it lends itself to one of my favorite scenes, at Lake Silencio as The Doctor tells River she is forgiven always and forever for what she has to do. And then Matt Smith's hilarious expression as he realizes that River's messed up with a fixed point in time...yeah, that was a golden WHO moment.

Another great moment: The Doctor making excuses to postpone the moment for as long as possible - to help Rose Tyler with her homework, or attend all of Jack's stag parties, or meet up with an old friend. Truthfully, I never watched an episode with this Brigadier individual, so the importance of this moment was lost on me until checking online. It's a really sweet, powerful moment as The Doctor realizes that this must happen, that time waits for no one, and that "it's time." The way Matt says that statement, wow it pulls at my heart.

Let's talk about the resolution to The Doctor's 'death'. Instead of the Gangers as many surmised, it was instead the Teselecta that proved to be The Doctor's salvation. Interestingly enough, both the Teselecta and the question "Doctor who?" were brought up (and asked) in the mid-season premiere, "Let's Kill Hitler", so more than anything, this episode works as a sequel to that. So I'm super happy it wasn't the Gangers, because that would have been just silly, but I find the Teselecta only marginally better. I guess I just really wanted the resolution to be more...epic? More timey-wimey? More brilliant? I didn't want his salvation to be contingent on something relevant to this series, but something The Doctor in his wisdom came up with on his own. I was nearly sold with The Doctor's statement to Dorium that time demanded he be at the lake so he "dressed for the occasion", but something still feels wrong about the whole affair. The Doctor is still alive, and time isn't something to just...kinda ignore that. I guess I have a problem with the syntax?

Still, it's creative, it's cool, and I guess it's one of the elements I can look over. There are questions I'm going to posit below that I have more of an interest in then this. But this also brings me to the 'marriage'. First and foremost, what a weird, DOCTOR WHO-y wedding. River didn't quite seem to know what she was getting into, The Doctor's just bossin' everyone around, and I don't quite understand why he had to perform the ceremony if all he was going to whisper to her was to look into his eye. If he had, indeed, whispered his name, then I understand why, but this revelation? Doesn't exactly call for a wedding. Not like I'm complaining. Series 6 is more or less CONFIRMING what fans have already speculated, so at least we're reaching fulfillment with particular elements regarding River.

As we learn more about her, I hope River maintains the same sense of mystery and adventure that's been a part of River since her first appearance in "Silence in the Library." When we see her next - Alex Kingston's schedule permitting - will she be his wife? Will it be an earlier version of River? There are so many possibilities, I'm excited. Although, frankly, I'm okay if they limit the times she says "Hello, sweetie", and get back to her ass kicking awesome that we saw in "Day of the Moon". Now that's the River Song I'm in love with.

Alright, so we covered The Doctor's journey to accepting his death and coming up with a plan to save himself involving hiding in a robot while the fixed point in time takes its course, and River is revealed to be the one who 'murders' The Doctor and becomes, questionably, his wife. As for Amy and Rory, they get their own side story here, but at least they get to play. I liked how Amy remembered The Doctor and everything that happened between them thanks to her prolonged exposure to the cracks in time. I'm a bit curious as to how Rory Williams became a member of the task force, although I should assume River had a hand in picking her parents for the operation. [Sidenote: it was also nice to get confirmation about what the eyepatches are for] The bit of romancy lovey dovey stuff between Amy and Rory was great, and when all of time and reality came back together again, I LOVED when Amy realized she was The Doctor's mother-in-law. A bit awkward, since the first time she met River she snogged The Doctor right after. Oh, Doctor, if only you took the chance...

..though, I am curious to see how Moffat will take the River/Doctor relationship. I know, I seem like I'm repeating myself. I'll stop. Moving on...

Speaking about Amy, Karen Gillan was awesome this episode. The late night conversation with her daughter when they discuss the aborted timeline is just...fantastic. I love her vacant expression, her mournful and hurt voice. Wonderful performance, Ms. Gillan. I can't wait to see how you two come back into the fold in Series 7.

The scene on top of the pyramid as The Doctor argues with River over the universe was great. So many emotions, dramatic and comedic beats are hit, it's definitely an episode highlight. On one hand, I'm not a fan of The Doctor snapping at people, but simultaneously, it adds to the tension (and comedy) of the scene. River sending out a beacon - a distress call for The Doctor - is a wonderful thing, and makes sense (why didn't The Doctor try doing that before? Pride? Didn't think of it? He cashed in on favors in "A Good Man Goes to War"), but it doesn't really go anywhere.

Rory: "I'm not sure I understand."

Amy: "Um, we got married and had a kid and that's her."

And finally - I said this before but I'll say it again - just how cool is it that this entire episode takes place in mere seconds of "The Impossible Astronaut"? I LOVE it when that happens!

On the technical side of things: 1) It was so completely obviously a Steven Moffat script. Time has gone wibbley. River features prominently and says "sweetie" a few hundred times or so, and there are reversals of things that have come before (see: "The Pandorica Opens"). 2) Set design, special effects, make-up, the whole bit was superb [minus the incredibly fake Lake Silencio; I'm thinking they should have filmed all of that right then and there when they were on location]. The digital shots of the new timestream, the set design of the strange cavern The Doctor finds Dorium's head in (decorated with carnivorous skulls), and of course, the awesome freakiness of The Silence. Still the best stuff on TV. And let's not forget Murray Gold's score, ladies and gentlemen. He may not have produced as many notable themes this season as he had last year, but it was still magnificent, creepy, action-y, and strong. Editing was tight and to the point, and the cinematography was quite gorgeous. But I gotta ask: where's Toby Haynes? I loved that guy.

So, before moving further, some questions left in regards to the last two seasons. If anyone has answers, bad or good, feel free to share:

• Why did The Silence blow up the TARDIS in "The Pandorica Opens"?
• What is the name of the not-so-verbal, seven foot tall aliens that shoot lightening out of their fingers and speak on behalf of the Silence? Despite constantly being referred to as the Silence, they are not the Silence, instead Silents, subscribers to the order.
  
• What do The Silence want with their own TARDIS? Why? For what purpose?
  
• Why does it feel like we're missing a lot of important stuff in between the two-part premiere?
• What did The Doctor whisper in River's ear in "Let's Kill Hitler"?
• So The Silents used the astronaut suit to keep a young Melody Pond alive or whatnot, as seen in "Day of the Moon", and they just decided to use the same suit to fulfill what is presumably a prophecy (see below) for a grown up Melody Pond to kill The Doctor with some green energy blast thing? Ooookkkaaaayy.
  
• In "Closing Time", Madame Kovarian meets up with River and basically tells her what's about to happen - the whole 'impossible astronaut will rise from the deep and strike the Time Lord' dead business, which River rebukes as just a 'story'. Okay, what? It's a story? If it's a story, why did The Doctor never hear about it? It's a frakkin' story about his death! I'm sure that would draw his attention. How old is this story? Made up right then and there?
• If everyone forgot The Doctor existed in the closing minutes of "The Big Bang" when The Doctor reset the universe, how does River have a TARDIS journal, let alone even know who The Doctor is?
• What's the terrible secret The Doctor knows or will find out that the Silence wants...silenced?
  

And this leads us to the final scene, where Dorium supposedly 'reveals' the biggest, oldest question in the universe: "Doctor who?" Despite being utterly awesome and very 'duh' simultaneously, and giving us hope that as the series readies for its 50th anniversary the show will tackle who The Doctor is and what makes him tick, I can't accept this is the question: the oldest question, the question the religious sect the Silence are so concerned about. Dorium admits that they don't necessarily want The Doctor dead, they just don't want him around, so why do they give a damn about him? Side tangent: there's still a hell of a lot we don't know about the Silence, and I hope Moffat is leading towards something instead of just making it all up as he goes along. And although that's a pretty nifty question to ask and thus analyze, it certainly isn't the most important, let alone the oldest question, in the universe. Unless it pertains to this next point...

Anyway, the point of this scene is that The Doctor recognizes he's been making too much noise, and with the universe thinking him dead, is going to venture around a little bit quieter. Other than that, we really don't know what's going on. Thanks to leaked photos of the Christmas Special being filmed (and her confirming the news anyhow), we know Karen Gillan is back, but how do we get from The Doctor 'saving' them in "The God Complex" and deciding that it's a good idea, after all, to bring the Ponds along? And to what capacity will we see River Song? It's a pretty spiffy final scene, and regardless of my hesitation to accept "Doctor who?" as the official oldest, most important question of the universe, it does make me amped for Series 7...which we won't be seeing for a long, long, long, long, long ass time.

Dorium also offers up some clues as to where The Doctor's future will take him, and the possible end of his Eleventh form. Here's hoping we see conclusion to the two-series-long mantra "Silence will Fall" and some follow up to Dorium's warnings. So we're left with this rather scary final shot of Matt Smith as The Doctor until Christmastime, where it looks like we're getting the Doctor Who version of The Chronicles of Narnia. Obviously, I'll be there, eager and happy as ever, but then there'll be the dread of knowing I won't get my Doctor fix for ten months after that. Perhaps it's time to start at the beginning and work my way up?

It appears Series 5 and Series 6 are just two parts of a much larger plan. There's still plenty left unresolved, and there are of course loads of hints as to what will come next for The Doctor, presumably culminating in the 50th anniversary in 2013. I applaud Moffat for having a vision, and for tying River's backstory in the broader tale of The Doctor hiding back in the shadows (for however long that lasts...). Let's just hope that when all is said and done, this whole web of plots and subplots and mysteries will make sense and be gratifying.

I'm sure I'm missing something to talk about, but there's just so much that goes on in this finale, I can't cover it all. Hopefully I'll have more time with the Series 6 overview tomorrow.

One final thing: the title. Now, I'm not a huge fan of this whole wifey stuff, from episode four to episode thirteen (even if they're entirely different animals), but I liked this title. For one, it's not just about the maybe/maybe not wedding, it holds multiple meanings: it's because of River that

There will be a Series 6 overview published later this week, so be on the lookout for that. So, Moffat, thanks for a zaney season full of twists and turns, hyped episodes that didn't fully deliver, spectacularly written scripts and performances, outstanding special effects, and hours of pure, unadulterated enjoyment. Now, let's ponder: "Doctor who?"

Grade: B +