At what cost?
That’s the question that’s constantly asked in “Evil for Evil”, quite possibly the best episode of Banshee this season. It’s an hour of genuinely hard-hitting emotion that’s simultaneously thrilling and heartbreaking.
Archive | 2014
Hannibal “Kaiseki” Review (2×01)
1 Mar
This right here is art.
Season 1 of Hannibal burst onto the scene with an operatic, intense, and beautiful thirteen episodes that transcended our expectations, and it’s back and better than it was before. When we last left off, the roles of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham had been switched, leaving Will behind bars and Lecter to take his place in the real world; now, Fuller’s exploring the various nuances and complexities behind the inversion, and it’s some fantastic television.
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Community “Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality” Review (5×07)
27 Feb
Community is fundamentally a comedy, but that comedy is rooted in a deeper understanding of our characters; yes, these people are attending a community college and all feel varying levels of unfulfillment. There’s a time in which they all have to stand back and take stock of who they are, and this episode explores that idea in depth.
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The Americans “Comrades” Review (2×01)
26 Feb
The wigs are back!
In all seriousness, though…the wigs are back. In fact, Fields and Weisberg kick season 2 off with a sequence in which Philip kills a few people–innocent bystander included–gets his wig ripped off, and seems shaken as he drives away. This is the mark of a man who’s become increasingly hardened by the job, and the rest of the episode deals with who exactly our characters are.
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Justified “Raw Deal” Review (5×07)
25 Feb
Justified is always going to be an endlessly watchable show, delivering crackling wit, tension, and sharp dialogue throughout each episode. That’s the case this week: although the episode isn’t up to par with the rest of the season, it still contains, simply speaking, pure fun.
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True Detective “Haunted Houses” Review (1×06)
23 Feb
“If you ever get the opportunity, you should kill yourself.”
What a quintessentially Rust Cohle line. It’s honest, horrific, and and chilling, and it’s one of many in yet another fantastic episode of True Detective. Although “Haunted Houses” serves as a palate cleanser of sorts–what with tying up loose ends and all–it still delivers some engaging character work.
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Banshee “Ways to Bury a Man” Review (2×07)
22 Feb
Lucas Hood and Kai Proctor have been on a collision course all season, and tonight’s episode of Banshee sets up an impending showdown in the final three episodes of season 2.
It’s nice to see the show returning to its roots, and the key thing to recognize is that it’s only doing so after shaking up the formula a bit. The first half of the current season still delivered the violence and the sex, but everything seemed to be rooted in character, more contemplative and melancholy.
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The Top 25 Films of 2013
17 Feb
Well, we’re finally at my last End of Year installment: The Top 25 films of 2013. Thanks for reading along, and yes, I do know it’s already the middle of February.
25. THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE: A marked improvement over the first installment is carried by the brilliant performance of Jennifer Lawrence.
24. BLUE JASMINE: In a surprisingly hard-hitting film, Woody Allen crafts a small tale of heartbreak and unfulfillment anchored by Cate Blanchett’s performance.
23. ALL IS LOST: It’s just Robert Redford and a boat, and the film still manages to be intense and exciting; Redford’s fantastic, as is the direction.
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Shameless “Iron City” Review (4×06)
17 Feb
Shameless, you’re wrecking me.
This is one of the best, if not the best, episodes this show has ever produced, and it brings with it a whirlwind of emotions. If you’re looking for an example of a showcase for the cast, it doesn’t get any better than this; absolute perfection.
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True Detective “The Secret Fate Of All Life” Review (1×05)
17 Feb
Is there no ceiling this show can’t reach?
After last week’s thrilling, intense final sequence, I didn’t expect the show to match that quality immediately following it. Well, here I am, impressed by the way this week’s episode manages to completely subvert our expectations and transition into a new phase of the show, with both poise and ease.
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