Archive | August, 2016

Mr. Robot “eps2.7_init_5.fve” Review (2×09)

31 Aug

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“Normal. I have no normal.”

It’s interesting that Mr. Robot spends so much time discussing the idea of control, especially considering it seems to be losing control of its own narrative a bit. It’s relying more on “gotcha” reveals and moments than on creating compelling drama, and it seems like the high-brow approach took in season one is crashing down to Earth now. Case in point: the unnecessary double cliffhanger that closes out the episode. I don’t mind a little playing with the audience’s expectations, but as I said last week, the pretension of something like Hannibal worked better than the pretension of this show does. This season is inconsistent, to put it simply. At one point, it’s the most compelling show on television. At another, it’s dull and eye-roll worthy.

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Don’t Breathe Review

26 Aug

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The first 70 minutes of this movie are excellent. The sound design is impeccable. Stephen Lang’s physical performance is incredibly menacing. The concept is used cleverly, especially during a beautifully shot basement sequence in which the tables are turned on our young robbers. The icing on the cake: a tracking shot early in the movie that lays out where everything is in the house and gives us a sense of the space that’s available. We know, for the most part, exactly what these characters are getting themselves into, and that makes what follows even more effective.

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Mr. Robot “eps2.6_succ3ss0r.p12” Review (2×08)

24 Aug

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“Everybody wants to rule the world.”

As much as I love Rami Malek’s portrayal of Elliot Alderson, I think taking a breather from his character is a good thing this season. After all, the show really can’t skate by on his mental state exploration forever, and Esmail and co. taking steps to ensure that this is a well-rounded show is essential. It helps ground the series in some type of reality rather than solely in a fantasy world way up there in Elliot’s head. Getting a contrast of the two environments allows each to shape the other in unique ways, so it’s good that an episode like this is coming along at this point in the run.

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Kubo and the Two Strings Review

22 Aug

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This is a more polished script away from being a fantastic movie. Though every aspect of the production is impeccable, the story flounders in the middle act and prevents the film from reaching its full emotional potential at the end. A bit too much time is spent on the–albeit entertaining–banter between Kubo, McConaughey’s Beetle, and Theron’s Monkey, and attempts to tie everything together during the climax fall short. Don’t get me wrong, there are a multitude of powerful images in that final sequence, but it would all feel more earned and less rushed if we got more insight into both the Moon King and Kubo himself. Its messages about storytelling, memories, family, and death all resonate at times, but they don’t quite gel into a cohesive thematic whole. That aside, I still give the film credit for not pandering; it willingly engages with dark material and trusts its audience to be okay with that.

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Veronica Mars “Look Who’s Stalking”/ “Happy Go Lucky” Review (2×20/2×21)

22 Aug

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EPISODE 20: “LOOK WHO’S STALKING”

I’m beginning to suspect that there might’ve been more to that night at Shelly Pomeroy’s than I thought. With the news that Veronica has chlamydia, I’m now wondering whether someone else raped her that night before Duncan came in; after all, this season is now beginning to tie in season one’s events–look no further than the very next episode–into the narrative.

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Veronica Mars Season 2, Episodes 17-19 Review

22 Aug

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EPISODE 17: “PLAN B”

Well, what an ending that is. We get some progress on other storylines–Woody’s turning into a suspect, Cassidy and Mac break up, and Wallace kisses Jackie–but the episode is mainly building up to that excellent, intense final sequence. Here, the show intertwines its characters and their pasts, and Logan ends up being the one who pushes the plunger that sends Shark Stadium crumbling to the ground; fittingly, this is all set in motion by Weevil, someone who loved Felix (this is emphasized earlier in a truly wonderful scene for Francis Capra). I’m assuming that this literal explosion is only the beginning, as we seem to be moving into the season’s endgame right now.

GRADE: B+

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Veronica Mars Season 2, Episodes 14-16 Review

22 Aug

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EPISODE 14: “VERSATILE TOPPINGS”

I don’t have much to say about this episode, but it does set up a nice conflict for Veronica: she has to balance her case-solving necessities with the kids’ desires not to have their identities figured out, and although I must say that it isn’t a very compelling story for me overall, it’s still intriguing enough to anchor the episode. Elsewhere, Kristen Cavallari guest stars as Kylie, and it’s pretty clear that she is a bad actress right off the bat; I guess she fits in nicely with Jay Cutler, her bad football player of a husband.

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Hell or High Water Review

19 Aug

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It would require constantly falling asleep throughout this film not to get what Taylor Sheridan is trying to say, and even then, a line or two might slip in about how the evil banks are suffocating the old way of life in town. As heavy-handed as the dialogue can be, though, this contemplation of generations past effectively lends an air of melancholy to the film. Along with the beautiful photography by Giles Nuttgens and the wonderful score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis–the masterminds behind the even more melancholic Assassination of Jesse James–the script’s themes do a nice job of drawing you into this desperation-filled world.

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Veronica Mars “Rashard and Wallace Go to White Castle”/ “Ain’t No Magic Mountain High Enough” Review (2×12/2×13)

19 Aug

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EPISODE 12: “RASHARD AND WALLACE GO TO WHITE CASTLE”

This episode essentially sends Wallace and Weevil on opposite paths: the former begins the episode in a state of denial and uncertainty, but ends in a happier place, whereas the latter’s life seems to be going well until it all goes to hell at the end. For me, the biggest thing to come out of Wallace’s story is the fact that Jackie’s in on the Rashard plan, that she seems to be fine with Wallace dating the girl from a few episodes back; I haven’t been the biggest fan of her character thus far, but this episode makes her a bit more likable (which continues in the next episode).

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Veronica Mars “One Angry Veronica”/ “Donut Run” Review (2×10/2×11)

19 Aug

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EPISODE 10: “One Angry Veronica”

This is the first time after watching an episode that I’ve thought: “Man, that was mediocre.” “One Angry Veronica” is extremely disappointing because it takes a dull plot and mashes it up with a few awful plot twists, all of which are straight out of Veronica Mars: What You Thought It Would Be Before You Watched the Show. First of all, Leo’s sister is conveniently pulled out of thin air in order to give him motivation for stealing the Kane/Echolls sex tapes, and second of all, Meg wakes up just in time to say “Please take care of my baby” (aka “I’m going to die later on in this episode, so I’ll go ahead and wake up from my coma to tell you this and make the whole situation more poignant”). Sure, there are nice moments to be found throughout–Dohring is once again excellent during the tape-watching scene–but this is all getting to be too much.

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