Boardwalk Empire. Season 2, Episode 1: "21"

Can't really say I missed this show. I mean, I wasn't eagerly waiting for Season 2 after the first one ended, not like Game of Thrones. The thing I missed, though, was Kelly Macdonald's accent. Or maybe just Kelly Macdonald.

She looks hot in black.

This episode centers mostly on the Klan incident. I'm talking about the Klansmen with guns incident.

Big guns.

One of the most touching lines from Jimmy Darmody was when he told Richard Harrow (the creepy guy with the mask), "You don't have to feel embarrassed to eat in front of us, Richard." Because if you've seen what his mask is covering, you'll know that's a really nice thing to say. And that scene where Richard Harrow shows us his scrapbook? It just made me go, "Aaaawww you poor thing." The guy's a stone-faced killer, by the way.

The cliffhanger here: Nucky gets arrested for election fraud. Let's see you wriggle your way out of this one, Nuck.

"You can't take me down, I got a Golden Globe!"

The first thing that came up in the closing credits was "Guest Starring Dominic Chianese". Of course, I recognized the name, being a long-time Sopranos fan (Chianese played Corrado "Junior" Soprano). Then I suddenly realized that I hadn't noticed Uncle Junior anywhere in this episode. But when I watched it again, I finally spotted him.

That's him on the left.

He did nothing but just stand there. His entire screen time was like less than five seconds, and he never said a word. He just stood there. And he gets top billing at the end credits. You know why? Because he's Uncle Junior Soprano, that's why.



*some info from IMDb
pics from VLC

Terra Nova. Episode 5: "Bylaw"

We have the first murder in Terra Nova. It's a shame that a wonderful paradise like this should get spoiled by something like murder, right? However, their methods of solving the murder weren't really that awesome. I was hoping for a kind of CSI whodunit method. Not so in this case.

Their methods were "take him outside the gates, beat him up, and leave him".

Anyway, this episode didn't interest me much. Even the hatching dinosaur baby wasn't enough to compensate for the fact that Maddy Shannon had almost no screen time at all.

She'll cry if she doesn't get more screen time next episode.

*some info from Wikipedia
pics from VLC

New Girl. Episode 4: "Naked"

His and her awkward moment

I don't know about you but I missed this show so bad. And to start off its long hiatus, they give us the sensitive topic all roomies must deal with: nudity boundaries. Boys don't have a problem showing their privates to each other...

This is not the first time I heard of penis fights.

...but it sure is tricky when you're in a co-ed house. Well, maybe only if you have someone like Jess as a roommate.

I'm not sure I rave about the Feeling Stick...

Also not the first time I heard about that one.

...but somebody please tell me Coach didn't bring the Douchebag Jar with him when he left. I miss them both.



*screencaps courtesy of VLC

The Vampire Diaries. Season 3, Episode 7: "Ghost World"

The grand TVD ghosts reunion: Where the heck is Jenna?

This episode proved to be more heartwarming than I would want to admit, special thanks to Anna, Grams, Lexi, and, okay, fine, a little of Mason, too. Yes, I cried. I cannot fully explain why or how but it's probably partly because of this show's awesome soundtrack. That, and all the talk about redemption versus revenge and loving ghosts. But I think this is not the last we've seen of "ghosts" in the show. Seeing them is, after all, Jeremy's supernatural talent now.

And since Katherine is not among the ghosts, I bet she's still alive and the writers are just biding the time to set up Mikael and the family of Originals storyline (see: old Viking script and artwork on underground Lockwood cave walls).

FYI, Damon-and-Alaric bromance is back on. Woohooo!




*screencaps courtesy of VLC

Coming Soon: Grand Theft Auto V

For those who love Grand Theft Auto, just watch this.

Okay, if you suddenly got goosebumps, or if upon checking your underwear you've found some semen leaked out accidentally, you are not alone.

I am so excited to hear the soundtrack.



*video from YouTube

The Secret Circle. Episode 7: "Masked"

I wanted a shot of the awesome decor, but this one gave me more fireworks.

Witches and Halloween. Classic. The set design people must have had a blast decorating the Blake home for the party. Too bad all the important scenes did not take place in the house.

So... Melissa is still doing what again? I miss Bitchy Faye; Flirty Faye doesn't work for me as much. Cassie has a dark side. [/insert Star Wars reference here] The innocent new-girl phase is tiring already, so grow some balls. (And I bet that comment will be timing for the next episode when you display your bitch bad-ass side.) Adam is still in denial about his breakup with Diana, who is kind of bestfriends with the reason why she has a boyfriend no more. And Jake is a pretty fucked up witch/witch hunter (read: he's nursing a lot of rebellious teenager angst). He is clearly what he despises the most.

And the only thing most guys would remember in this episode:

Sexy wtich doctor FTW!

*screencaps from VLC

Cabin Pressure. Series One

I first learned about this from my friend and former professor. He suggested this to me after seeing me gush over Benedict Cumberbatch. He suggested that I listen to Cabin Pressure, and since I knew this wasn't a song, then it had to be a radio drama of some sort. My first thought was that it was a horror show or something, like a group of people stuck in a log cabin with Cumberbatch as the killer. Actually, it wasn't. It was a radio play, true, but it was a comedy. And I loved it so much I wanted to do my own version of it: a comedy radio play. In Filipino.

One striking thing though is that the show, at least the first series, has a lot American references. I'm not sure if the UK has such close ties with American pop culture or if this was a conscious move to be able to market the show in the States. Either way, I'm not complaining. I'm just saying.


Episode 1: "Abu Dhabi"

Oh, Roger Allam takes the cake here, far outshining Cumberbatch. Here also we learn about the power struggle on board the aircraft Golf Tango India. A younger berk Martin Crieff against an older Douglas Richardson is no match, definitely. Roger Allam oozes sarcasm out of every orifice. We also get a free lecture on how a plane really flies. Also, I learned the English eat rice. Even surprising rice.

You'd be surprised at how surprising rice can be.

Another thing about this show is the games they play. Just shows how much free time a pilot has. In this episode, they play a game called "Brians of Britain", where they name all the famous people named Brian from the British isles.

American references for this episode: Scrooge McDuck, and calling "shotgun".

This episode also mentions Carolyn's dog Snoopadoop, whose name will be of importance in the later series.

Bad Teacher

This is supposed to be a parody of those teacher-student films, like Stand and Deliver from the eighties, and Dangerous Minds from the nineties. As a parody, though, it's not that funny.

True, there are some laugh-out-loud moments. But that's not enough to elevate this to the status of a comedy gem.

Not even on weed.

Justin Timberlake is such a great actor that he makes his goody two-shoes teacher really believable. Cameron Diaz doesn't seem to be acting at all that she makes her slutty character really believable. And I didn't know that these two used to date.

You can tell by their familiarity with the doggy style.

Anyway, how did Cameron Diaz end up with Jason Segel? That was poorly set up, writers, really. I can write that better than you. I should be in Hollywood.


Bad Teacher. USA. 2011.


Rating: Four out of ten.
Eric Stonestreet's performance: Eight out of ten.



*some info from IMDb
pics from VLC

Drive

This movie is a bit heavy. And they killed Christina Hendricks with a shotgun to the head. No sex scene, and early death. Brilliant.

Anyone this pretty should have a sex scene.

You'd think that this movie is all about driving cars. You know, like Fast and Furious, or something like that. And it doesn't help that the font used in the opening credits looks like it was taken from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Even the color is like Vice City: pink.

Yes, Ryan Gosling plays a driver, who is so good at what he does (aren't they all?). And yes, there are some car chase sequences that are adrenaline-pumping without being too stylized. But the car scenes are just a small fraction of what the film is about. This is more of a gangster flick. And who better to play gangsters than Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks? Wait, that's Albert Brooks the comedian, right? As a gangster? Well, it was pretty effective, anyway.

"Do I look like a comedian to you?"

Congratulations, Carey Mulligan. You've made it to Hollywood. And that's because you can do a decent American accent.

I think I like her better as a brunette.

They said this was an Oscar-buzz flick. Although I'm not sure if it's for Best Picture, Best Actress for Carey Mulligan (unlikely), Best Actor for Ryan Gosling (possible), or Best Supporting Actor for Albert Brooks (most likely). Although I'm betting it's on Best Sound Design. Great use of sound, which added to the already-suspenseful plot. The soundtrack was a bit retro, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't set in the eighties.


Drive. USA. 2011.


Rating: Eight out of ten.



*some info from IMDb
pics from VLC

Extras. Series 2

Ricky Gervais is back with his series Extras, and like the first series, this one features A-listers galore. But Series 2 seems to have bigger names on it. Possibly because of the success of the first series, actors felt honored to be asked to guest here. Although there's only one American here (Robert De Niro), compared to two Americans in the previous series (Ben Stiller and Samuel L. Jackson).

In this series, Gervais is not an extra anymore. He's a big shot TV actor now, with his own show, and his own catchphrase. But still, the situations are funny as ever. I think Gervais is the master of awkward situations, which he can turn into laugh-out-loud moments, only because we know we've been through them before, one way or another.

Episode 7: "Orlando Bloom"

"Ooh, look at me. I'm good-looking, but a mediocre actor."

Wouldn't it be cool if Orlando Bloom were really a jerk like this in real life? That way, I'd have a legitimate reason to hate him. We also see Andy's show take off from here. He's really no longer an extra now, but the show's still called Extras, so... Anyway, are there really no funny black people in Britain? Really?