Supernatural "All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2" #2.22 (2007) (TV)

"We got work to do.", 31 July 2009

In my opinion, Supernatural is easily one of the very best shows currently on television. I only recently discovered the show, but I've had an absolute blast catching-up on the first two seasons and I'm looking forward to starting the third. But for the finale of Season 2, "All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2", what a real letdown! After a very promising beginning in Part 1, Part 2 generally fails to deliver on most every level. You know, I get that Dean and Sam are brothers; and I get that there is a familial connection and a bond between them; and I understand they've lost the rest of their family; but do you have to go on and on with the forced sentimentality. The episode features a culmination of a year long story arc and sees Sam and Dean face off against their most bitter nemesis. Yet, almost half the episode features either Sam or Dean emoting about some BS or another. It bored the pants off me. The final showdown in the graveyard is pretty much a big nothing. It's over before it ever gets started. In the case of "All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2", the build-up is far better than the final climax. As much as I love the show, I can't give this one any more than a generous 5/10.

One thing that has always bugged me about Supernatural is Sam and Dean's ability to travel great distances in what seems like no time at all. There's no better example than Dean's trip to the Crossroads in this episode. If I remember correctly, the Crossroads is in Mississippi. The graveyard in the episode is in Wyoming. Yet somehow Dean seems to make the trip in the blink of an eye. Have you ever driven from Mississippi to Wyoming? Takes a heck of a lot longer than what's portrayed here.

5/10

Supernatural "Folsom Prison Blues" #2.19 (2007) (TV)

"Calm down. It's all part of the plan.", 15 July 2009

I'm really starting to sound like a broken record when discussing these episodes of Supernatural, but "Folsom Prison Blues" is yet another rock solid entry in the series. In this one, a murderous entity is accidentally released when an old section of a prison is reopened. The spirit has its own ideas about justice and sets out to see that those who have done wrong get what they deserve. Sam and Dean are soon on the hunt, but how are they going to stop a ghost operating inside a jail?

"Folsom Prison Blues" has everything that I enjoy about Supernatural. Highlights include some incredibly spooky moments (with one that had my wife jumping out of her seat), atmosphere, interesting characters, nice fight scenes, a twist near the end, and lots of excellent humor. In fact, the humor in Supernatural seems to get better and better as the series goes along. Dean's whole take and attitude toward being in jail is very funny. This episode also sees the return of over-the-top FBI Agent Henricksen. It also sees the introduction of a new ally in the form of Public Defender Mara Daniels. I'd like to hope she makes a return appearance later in the series to give the boys a hand. With an episode this fun and with all its got going for it, I'll even let the whole ridiculous notion and ramifications of a plan where Sam and Dean are intentionally thrown into jail slide.

8/10

Supernatural "Playthings" #2.11 (2007) (TV)

"Wow! This is a lot of dolls. They're nice...They're not super creepy at all.", 6 July 2009

"Playthings" is another solid Supernatural episode. In this one, Sam and Dean take a break from their hunt for the demon to investigate a series of mysterious deaths at an old Connecticut hotel and to put a stop to the hoodoo or haunting or whatever is going on before anyone else is killed. I just love a good ghost story set in a large, rambling house like the Pierpont Inn in this episode. Like I said in another user comment for an episode of Supernatural, one thing that always freaks me out is a ghostly little girl with curls, a dress, and a doll – and "Playthings" has got these in spades. Creepy, cool stuff as far as I'm concerned. The subtle references to The Shining and the unsubtle references to Scooby Doo were both unmistakable and very welcome. And the humor in "Playthings" is often laugh-out-loud funny. From the comments about Sam being a doll collector to Dean wanting to poke Grandma Rose with a stick to Sam and Dean being mistaken for a gay couple, it's as funny as anything I've seen up to this point in Supernatural. My only complaint would be the predictability of much of what happens. I mean, was there anyone who didn't know or couldn't have guessed that Maggie was imaginary? Overall, it's not my favorite episode, but I think a 7/10 is about right.

7/10

Impaler (2007)

So sad - and so compelling, 9 May 2009

What a sad, sad story. Impaler tells the story of Jonathan Sharkey. Sharkey, for those as in the dark as I was, ran for the governor of Minnesota a few years ago as a self professed vampire and Satanist. I was impressed with director W. Tray White's work on the film. He sets up the movie to initially draw the viewer's sympathy. I admit that at first I found myself caring for Sharkey even though he was obviously crazy as a loon. It's painfully obvious that Sharkey has no idea about politics (impaling criminals?), vampirism (a hickey on the arm is not feeding on blood), or Satanism. But White gives him the rope and Sharkey gleefully hangs himself with it.

However, once White's got you sucked in (pardon the pun), he switches tone to reveal what a scum his subject really is. And by the time I found out that Sharkey had kids from a previous marriage that he refuses to see or support or that he had outstanding arrest warrants in Indiana, I was ready to string him up myself. White's finale – allowing Sharkey a few minutes to sum up the movie and his life – is brilliant. It serves to drive home the insanity of what came before. In short, Sharkey was, is, and probably always will be nothing but a fraud who needs some serious help from the mental health community.

But the film goes beyond the campaign, vampirism, and Satanism. Much of Impaler is an indictment against American pop culture. The insanity uncovered in Impaler includes our celebrity driven society that will give someone like Sharkey a platform to demonstrate his insanity for the bemusement of the masses. It becomes painfully obvious quite early on that Sharkey's not operating with a full deck. The lengths this man will go for attention are staggering. And it's deplorable the way the American press feeds the egos of these people. I can easily see how Sharkey might get some time and attention from The National Enquirer or even The Daily Show, but Sharkey actually made it to Fox News and CNN. These are supposed to be legit news gathering organizations. Watching Tucker Carlson interview Sharkey was more like watching something I would have expected from Stephen Colbert. No one was taking Sharkey seriously except for Sharkey. It's all really sad.

7/10

Bones "The Santa in the Slush" #3.9 (2007) (TV)

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like the rat-chewed body of Santa Claus!, 26 November 2008

What an excellent way to kick-off the Holiday Season! The wife and I have been making our way through the first three seasons of Bones and so far, "The Santa in the Slush" just might be one of my favorite episodes. In this one, Booth and Brennan are called in to investigate the death of a man they later identify as Kris Kringle. In full Santa regalia, Kringle is found dead, his body decomposing, lying in a sewer. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like the rat-chewed body of Santa Claus!

There are other episodes of Bones that are more realistic, that take their subject matter more seriously, and that toy more with the emotions of the viewer – but there are few that are this much fun. A lot of the usual drama is pushed to the side in favor of a more comedic tone – and with excellent results. Don't misunderstand, I realize there is a touch of comedy in almost every episode, but here it takes center stage. And just the notion of a temp agency specializing in Santas and Elves is hysterical. The interplay between Bones and Booth was never better. The subplots dealing with Bones' attempt to give her father his dream Christmas in jail and Booth's desire to spend the Holiday with his son add just the right touch of humanity without ever becoming schmaltzy. Altogether, this is one fine episode of a wonderful show. A 9/10 seems right to me.

9/10

Next (2007)

"It happened. It just hasn't happened yet.", 14 April 2008

What a load! Next has to be one of the most contrived pieces of garbage to come down the pike in quite a while. To begin, the plot is utterly ridiculous. Nicholas Cage is Chris Johnson, a man who has the ability to see two minutes into the future. For some reason known only to her, FBI Agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) is looking for Johnson to help her stop a terrorist attack. For some reason known only to them, the terrorists are also looking for Johnson. For obvious reasons, Johnson is looking for Liz Cooper (Jessica Biel). And for no fathomable reason, Liz falls for Johnson. Oh yeah, and there's a nuclear weapon about to explode.

I'm determined that I'm not going to waste a lot of time writing about Next. It would be easy to get sucked in and go through the laundry list of things that infuriated me while watching the movie. Things like why in the world is the FBI wasting so much money and time on find a two-bit Vegas showman with a little psychic ability? If they spent that much on locating the terrorists, they would have never gotten into the country. Another topic I could beat like a dead horse is why in the world would Jessica Biel's character give Cage a second look? From the creepy hair and smile to his even creepier stalker-like obsession, she'd be getting a restraining order if Next were based in reality. Instead, I'll focus this on Next's gimmick. Using his psychic ability and seeing what's about to happen to him, Johnson is able to change the future. We, the audience, get to see the future Johnson sees and then see what he does to make it different. For example, we see two people get shot right in front of Johnson. But that wasn't reality – that was Johnson looking into the future. We then see the same scene play out only this time Johnson does something to stop the killer. Next, Johnson's car is hit by a train. Wait a minute – that was just Johnson's vision of the future. He's able to speed up and beat the train. The first time it happens it's actually pretty cool. But when it happens over and over, it gets old very fast. And by the time we discover that the entire second half of the movie is just one of Johnson's visions of the future, it gets insulting. It's kind of like Groundhog Day – except Groundhog Day is a good movie and Next is a piece of crap. As I wrote to begin this – what a load!!

2/10

Enchanted (2007)

"The steel beast is dead peasants! I've set you all free!", 6 April 2008

I'll make this quick as Enchanted has already been discussed to death on IMDb. And quite honestly, I've got nothing much new to add. But I did want to post a comment and add my voice to those praising this movie. I am absolute stunned at how much I enjoyed Enchanted. It's just that – enchanting. And it may be the best thing Disney (without Pixar) has done in years. I love the way Disney uses Enchanted to poke fun at itself – something that quite honestly I didn't thing they would ever do. The song in the park is an incredibly inspired moment that works on two levels – one as an entertaining throw back to a time when musicals were acceptable forms of entertainment – and two as a spoof of all of those musicals. Finally, the casting couldn't have been better. I didn't know who Amy Adams was before I watched Enchanted, but she is awesome and plays the part of a Disney princess to perfection. It's just a fantastic movie!

8/10

Surf's Up (2007)

"A winner is someone who doesn't knock me off my surfboard.", 29 March 2008

In our house, we're trying to turn Friday night into Family Movie Night. For our first FMN, my son picked Surf's Up. Both he and my wife had seen the movie and thought I would enjoy it. I admit, I went into it expecting the absolute worst. But maybe the family knows a little about what will appeal to me, because I found Surf's Up to be fun little movie with a message worth taking to heart.

Surf's Up tells the story of Cody Maverick, a young penguin living in Antarctica who dreams of being a champion surfer. He wants to be like his idol, Big Z, who mysteriously disappeared during a surfing contest 10 years ago. Cody gets his big chance one day when a talent scout comes to his home looking for surfers. Cody's off to take part in the Big Z Memorial Surf Off. But on the way, Cody meets a down and out beach bum who teaches him that life is about more than trophies.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Surf's Up. The movie is told as a behind the scenes surfing documentary. I was worried that this might get "gimmicky" before the end, but it worked throughout. The animation was quite good. I appreciated the little touches like the illusion of a hand held camera or the water splashing on the lens during the surfing scenes. The actors behind the characters were all wonderful. The standout for me was James Woods as a Don King-wannabe sea otter named Reggie. Hysterical! In fact, the whole movie is funny and well paced with few, if any, overly long dull moments. The accompanying soundtrack is rock solid. I may have to look into picking it up. Finally, with a lot of these family movies, the filmmakers seem intent on beating the viewer over the head with a message that I often find questionable at best. That's not the case with Surf's Up. A message that includes the notion that winning isn't everything and life's too short not to sit back and enjoy it with your family and friends is a message worth living.

7/10

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

"This could be a tragic day for the people of New York... it could be the end of Spider-Man.", 19 March 2008

As I sit here writing this, there are 1,783 user comments for Spider-Man 3 on IMDb. So what can I possibly have to say that would be new or different? Well, probably nothing. But reading some of the posted comments, I have to laugh to myself. Why is it that people seem to feel the need to rate everything either a 1/10 or a 10/10? I don't get it. Is Spider-Man 3 worthy of a 1/10 rating? Is it really one of the worst movies ever made? Is it as wretched as some of the truly notorious stinkers like Manos: Hands of Fate or Hobgoblins? No. If you sincerely consider Spider-Man 3 one of the worst movies ever made, then you haven't seen enough movies. Likewise, is Spider-Man 3 worthy of a 10/10 rating? Is it really one of the best movies ever made? Again, the answer is no. And once again, if you sincerely consider Spider-Man 3 one of the best movies ever made, then you haven't seen enough movies. Like I said, I just don't get it. Why the need for such extremes? What's wrong with thinking something is merely average?

(Okay, I'll get off the soapbox for the rest of this.)

For me, while I found Spider-Man 3 an entertaining enough time-waster, it's got far too many problems for me to call it great. I found the action sequences and special effects very well done. Watching Spidey take a pounding from the Sandman near the end of the movie was brutal. Also, I've never been wrapped up in the whole Spiderman comic book scene, so I didn't have a problem with Venom the way some others do. Thomas Hayden Church and Topher Grace were excellent in their baddie roles. Finally, Bruce Campbell's cameo as the French maître d' was a scream. I loved it. But what didn't work so well for me was the plot. There's just too much going on in the movie and Sam Raimi tires too hard to wrap it all up in for a 2 hour movie. For example, with three bad guys to fight, did we really need the dull as dishwater subplot about Peter and MJ's on-again-off-again relationship? But I suppose they had to include it to give Kirsten Dunst something to do. Finally, Tobey Maguire is really bad. There's no way he could have ever pulled off playing the tough guy.

In the end, Spider-Man 3 is neither the worst movie I've seen nor is it the best. While I was generally entertained, the movie has too many problems for me to call it much more than slightly better than average. A 6/10 seems about right.

6/10

4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

"Flame on!", 3 March 2008

The Fantastic Four are back and this time they have to save the world from a planet eating entity. Along they way, they'll meet a new potential foe/friend in the Silver Surfer and reacquaint themselves with their old nemesis, Dr. Doom. While those two sentences are the essence of the plot, make no mistake, 4: The Rise of the Silver Surfer is a special effects movie. Plot takes a backseat to the loud, over-blown eye-candy. It may be pretty to look at, but there's nothing compelling or interesting under the surface. The people in the movie don't necessarily act as much as react to CGI effects. The director and writer attempt to cover-up the lack of a story with lame sight gags and weak one-liners. Some will argue that this is supposed to be a fun popcorn movie, but does it have to be as empty as Jessica Alba's head?

3/10

Zodiac (2007)

"Before I kill you, I'm going to throw your baby out the window.", 7 September 2007

Almost 40 years ago, the San Francisco area was terrorized by a crazed killer known only as Zodiac. He committed what seems to have been a series of cold-blooded, but random murders. He would follow-up the killings with letters sent to the police and newspapers that taunted them with clues and cryptograms that promised to reveal his identity. He claims to have killed a dozen or so people. But after years of activity, the Zodiac disappeared. Though some feel they know Zodiac's true identity, the case has never been officially solved. David Fincher's movie Zodiac is the story of this famous but dark period of American history and presents on possible solution to the mystery of the Zodiac.

Having recently done some reading on the Zodiac killer, I decided it was high time I checked out Fincher's movie. I was well aware of some of Fincher's other work but I hadn't read much about Zodiac, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Also, given the quality of some of the other movies made about real life serial killers, I tried not to get my hopes up too high. Overall, I'm very impressed. Zodiac is an intelligent, thrilling, well-written piece of cinema with some very good performances. If you're looking for a thrill-a-minute ride, you'll be disappointed. While some of the Zodiac's murders are shown in detail, they are not the focus of the movie. Instead, the investigation by the police and the reporters is central to Zodiac's plot. In a comment on IMDb, I read the comparison between Zodiac and All the President's Men and couldn't agree more. The obsession of Woodward and Bernstein to get to the bottom of Watergate is very similar to that of Robert Graysmith as he hunts for the elusive killer. Some may call it slow or even dull, but having an attention span longer than 30 seconds, I found it very exciting.

While I've done a little research on the Zodiac case, I'm far from an expert. But from what little I do know, I appreciate how well the movie sticks with the facts of the case. I'm sure those more well versed in the subject would be more qualified to respond to this, but I noted very few instances of creative liberties being taken with the material. And most of those instances seem to come from Graysmith's novel and were not made by those responsible for the movie. And I'm impressed with the way Fincher was able to take these known facts and create such an entertaining movie. Even though I knew the outcome and what was going to happen next, Fincher puts so much style and atmosphere into the movie that it's predictability with me hardly mattered. I was literally on the edge of my seat. It's a well directed movie.

Finally, I cannot end this without singling out some the acting as a real bright spot of Zodiac. Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr., Anthony Edwards, and everyone else involved did a wonderful job. In fact, I cannot think of a single actor that I didn't enjoy. But as good as every performer was, I was most impressed with Mark Ruffalo as Inspector David Toschi. I bought his character completely. It's quite simply a brilliant performance.

8/10

Grindhouse (2007)

"I want to eat your brains... and gain your knowledge.", 16 April 2007

My initial reaction – err...it was alright, but I was hoping for better than this. I actually feel like I'm being generous giving Grindhouse a 7/10. My rating is based on my overall impression of not just the two movies, but with the total experience. Grindhouse gets off to a great start. I don't know how long it's been since I've had more fun with a movie than Planet Terror. Yeah, it's pretty far-fetched and there are plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, but its so much fun I couldn't have cared less. Rose McGowan with a gun for a leg – how cool is that! But, unfortunately, Tarantino's Death Proof is another story altogether. 90% of the film's runtime consists of some of the lamest, unfunny, poorest written dialogue Tarantino has ever penned. Has he ever even heard two females having a conversation? God, the girls in this movie couldn't die fast enough! And I'm so tired of seeing Tarantino rip every older movie he's seen so his legions of fanboys can rave about how creative and original he is. Please, just stop it! And all the stuff in Grindhouse designed to add to the experience like the aged film, the splices, the jump-cuts, and the missing reels got old after about 10 minutes. It came off as terribly gimmicky to me.

7/10