A Requiem

(Note: I’m borrowing a few thoughts from Donald and Martin for this post.  I hope they don’t mind.)

I think you know the story at this point, but allow me to quickly recap.  Quickly, because I don’t think I could stomach typing out a full retelling even if I knew all the details.

Thursday night, a young man walked into a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado — filled with sons and daughters, boyfriends and girlfriends, mothers and fathers, all waiting to see The Dark Knight Rises — and shot it up, leaving twelve dead and many more wounded.  The shooter was taken into custody.

Suffice to say, this makes talking about the movie itself very awkward.  In a perfect, nay, a just world, we should be praising or damning the movie we just saw, debating over its flaws and merits, hashing out what it all adds up to.

Instead we’re in mourning.

Week to Week: BREAKING BAD #5.1, “Live Free or Die”

Mike is a little miffed at Walt and Jesse in the season five premiere of Breaking Bad. (Photo: AMC / Ursula Coyote)

I interrupt our steady stream of Batmania coverage to selfishly remind you that I don’t just watch cartoons all day.

There’s a famous legend (apparently just a legend, though the actual act that it surrounds did happen at least once) about Jerry Lee Lewis doing a tour with Chuck Berry back when they were both in their prime.  The way it shook out, Lewis would be the first act of the show; of course, the first act is often viewed as the lesser act of the show, and Jerry Lee Lewis didn’t consider himself a lesser anything.  But what can you do?  Minds were made up; he could either live with the bruise to his precious ego and get paid, or quit in protest and not get paid.

So, first night of the show, he takes the stage and runs absolutely ripshit riot over his piano, running his usual crazy-ass playbook — kicking over the bench, raking the crap out of the keys, playing in insane positions — with a previously unmatched intensity and commitment.  The crowd was already hyped to the gills because they knew what they were getting with Jerry Lee Lewis, AND they were going to see Chuck Berry on top of that; now they were absolutely ravenous, shrieking so loud in the presence of Lewis’s style and musicianship that the foundations were shaking.  People actually started passing out because they just couldn’t handle it, and as they hit that fever pitch, Lewis segued into his finale: he doused his piano with gasoline, set it ablaze, and played the damn thing until it burned down.

He walked off the stage, leaving his crowd raw and ravaged behind him, patted Chuck Berry on the shoulder, and dared him to “Follow that.”

I have far less envy for Vince Gilligan following up his fourth season of Breaking Bad, as absolutely note perfect as a season of television could be, than I did for Chuck Berry upon hearing that story.  It had lead and supporting performances from Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Giancarlo Esposito (whose Gus Fring is going into the pantheon of all time great antagonists) that outclassed most of this year’s Oscar nominees.  It had a nice central conflict that played out in a way that could induce sheer panic at unexpected moments, and it had utterly gorgeous cinematography, owing as much to the desolate Albuquerque landscape that the show shoots in as it does to the work of DP Michael Slovis and the fantastic roster of directors it has on hand.*  From the opening shot of the superlab being unpacked to the last twisted punchline, it was perfect.  And Gilligan and his team have to follow it.  How?

(*I’m willing to bet that if you took out the glass ceiling for women in Hollywood a few months ago, Michelle McLaren would have been in contention to direct Catching Fire.  Even with said ceiling in place, I’d still bet that her name has crossed Kevin Feige’s mind at one point to direct a Marvel movie, especially since he started hiring TV directors like Alan Taylor and The Russo Brothers to direct a few of the “Phase 2” movies.)

Because we don’t get advance copies of this show at our Wag the Movie offices (mostly because we don’t have offices), these will normally be up the day after air.  In this case I was on a special project that ended up consuming my Monday, and I was unable to crack this review until today.  So, if you care what I have to say, click through and let’s get started.

The Weirdest Trailer You Will See All Day

Oh sure, pull out a trailer for Death Bed: The Bed That Eats or Beyond the Black Rainbow or I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK.  At least I can look at those trailers and say, “Wow, these films are likely the products of some interesting, avant-garde minds and unique voices in cinema and I respect their off-kilter visions.  Well, maybe not so much respect for Death Bed, I don’t want any of what they were smoking when they came up with that, but still.”

This is a whole other ballgame.  Alex Cross is a studio movie aimed square at the mainstream, an attempt at resurrecting an-almost franchise that Morgan Freeman carried for a couple of films (Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider).  Except where those movies were serial killer mysteries, this film by Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, xXx, Stealth) takes a turn into straight-up action-thriller territory as a deranged special forces vet wages war on our titular hero with the help of all sorts of things that go “boom.”

Our Dastardly Villain is played by Lost‘s Matthew Fox, who has shaved his head and adapted a crazy look in his eye.  Idris Elba was originally cast as Alex Cross, but — probably realizing that he was going to be working with the guy responsible for the third Mummy movie — decided to back out.  So instead, the guy you see loading up akimbo pistols and grumbling lines like “I will meet his soul at the gates of hell before I let him take a person that I love from me” is Tyler Perry.

I mean he sells it, don’t get me wrong.  Take away the Madea baggage and he looks at home, if a little bored, but add the baggage back in and I… what?

With any other actor this would be watchable in the sense of “Oh, I think I might kind of enjoy that” sense.  With Perry, it’s even more watchable, but in the “What in the actual shit.  I am a witness” sense.  Maybe that’s what the producers of this movie are banking on.  In my case, they banked correctly.

Week to Week: THE LEGEND OF KORRA Season Finale, “Skeletons in the Closet / Endgame”

The truth comes out on the season finale of The Legend of Korra.  Image: Nickelodeon

And so ends the first season of The Legend of Korra, in what is likely to be a thick cloud of controversy.  The series itself has had its ups and downs, the downs coming mainly from pushing against the realities of children’s television, the limits of a 12-episode order, and, let’s face it, occasional creative incompetence.  The finale took everything that made the show work, as well as everything that held it back, and turned all those elements up to eleven.  And then, of course, it had to answer questions that have been the subject of endless speculation; the more discussion a question generates, the harder it is to come up with a satisfying answer.

Me, I’m perfectly satisfied.  Given what came before, I think this may have been the best way to end the season (which sounds more like a backhanded complement than intended).  However, much as I try to write my reaction in a bubble, I can’t really ignore the issues some people have been bringing up.

I formed some questions for myself based on those reactions.  I decided that my standards for these two episodes were:

• If Amon’s true identity is revealed, does it make sense from a characterization standpoint?  More important, is it satisfying?
• Whether or not in involves Amon’s exposure, does the Equalist plot end in a logical way that doesn’t shortchange the real implied problem of Bender priviledge?
• If de-bending turns out to be reversible, nullifying the consequences (to a certain extent — more on this later), does that walk back any possible character growth?
• As the season finale — the end of a book — do the episodes chart a significant growth or change in the status quo?  Does it make the case for the season being about anything at all?
• Does this justify my proclamation that this is one of the best shows of the year?

After the jump, I’ll break down the finale by these questions in what some would say is an embarrassingly long review.

Week to Week: THE LEGEND OF KORRA #1.10, “Turning the Tide”

The Equalists make their big move on Republic City on The Legend of Korra. Image: Nickelodeon

This week’s episode sets the stage for the finale in a big way, bringing various conflicts to a head as Republic City comes under siege.  Of course, the problem with set-up episodes is that they all depend on the payoff.  More after the jump.

ROBOCOP Remake Gets (One Of?) Its Villains, Continues Raising Expectations to Absurd Heights

Even if we weren’t pretending that I photoshopped Robocop into this still of John Goodman in the movie The Babe calling his shot, I can’t help but think that this image is a fine metaphor for the run up to the Robocop remake.  (Image: Universal)

The first thing that I have to say to you is this; forget about the movie ROBOCOP, which is a great movie. Forget about the context in which it was released back in the 80’s and the great asset criticism of the media that it made. Forget about all of that, just the concept of ROBOCOP theoretically… Robocop is not a superhero, Robocop is what happens to a man when you start changing it with technology so he can follow certain purposes and do certain things for corporations or whatever. What happens when technology takes over consciousness and free will?…And that in itself… If somebody comes to me and says “Let’s make a movie about that” and there was no ROBOCOP, I would still say “Great, let’s do it,” because it talks to my heart, it’s a freedom concept, and we are getting there.

-Jose Padilha, director, Robocop remake (via)

This was an interview that the Brazilian native gave to AICN’s Nordling shortly after his movie Elite Squad: The Enemy Within played Fantastic Fest ’11 to unabashed and well-earned raves.  In that same interview, you’ll also notice that he’s in touch with the utter insanity of the American political system (The Enemy Within deals with a right-wing cop being forced to work with a left-wing politician in order to root out extreme corruption in Rio’s police force), and while he’s not saying anything that comes off as particularly profound, there’s no way you come away from this interview thinking, “This dude does not have a good Robocop remake in him.”

And the cast for this thing has only been building up the potential.

Week to Week: THE LEGEND OF KORRA #1.9, “Out of the Past”

Korra finally gets in touch with her spiritual side this week. Image: Nickelodeon

Before we begin, a few words on Nickelodeon being stupid: They’re being very, very stupid.

Seriously, people I know came away with the impression that there will be no new episode next week.  That’s because for some reason, Nickelodeon decided to show their season finale promo, airing “in two weeks!”  To my understanding, there are three more episodes left: a normal episode will run next week, two back-to-back the week after.  So don’t forget to watch.

That settled, let’s dig into “Out of the Past,” a well-placed mythology download that beautifully explores the natures of Tarlokk and Amon, and the dangers that their individual obsessions with power pose: in Amon’s case, it’s posed to others, but in Tarlokk’s case, the real danger is to himself.  More after the jump.

Week to Week: THE LEGEND OF KORRA #1.8, “When Extremes Meet”

Korra has a few gripes with the way Tarlokk does business in Republic City.  (Image: Nickelodeon)

After a somewhat disappointing episode, followed by a Memorial Day Weekend break, The Legend of Korra comes roaring back to life this week with a tremendous outing; short on tact and finesse, but plenty long on payoff, plot movement, and wicked action.  More after the jump.

Week to Week: THE LEGEND OF KORRA #1.7, “The Aftermath”

Korra and her crew pretty much step in it while trying to sniff out an Equalist traitor on The Legend of Korra. Image: Nickelodeon

Quick update for those who care: My review of the Person of Interest season finale is running late due to a busy schedule and realizing that I don’t have much to say about it.  I’ll try to get it up by Sunday.

Meanwhile, yesterday morning’s outing — the last one before a Memorial Day Weekend hiatus — was a solid, entertaining plotmover that ultimately felt more slight than it should have.  Gather round and I’ll tell you all about it.

Dan Harmon Out on COMMUNITY After Three Seasons and No Movie

Dan Harmon (left) and the cast of Community at the Summer TCA Press Tour. Photo: Fredrick M. Brown/Getty Images North America

So in other words, Community‘s cancelled.  It’s still moving forward, but without the singular vision of its creator that helped refine that vision into something greater.  (Chris McKenna, credited on “Remedial Chaos Theory” and many key episodes of the series, is also out.  Word is that The Russo Brothers are also gone but I haven’t seen any credible sources on this UPDATE: Yep, their contract with Sony ran out too.  Thank you Vulture!)   To make matters worse, Dan Harmon has explicitly stated that he was never contacted between renewal and last night’s announcement.  This isn’t a situation like Cougar Town where Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel have amicably stepped back because their contracts have run out, with a promise to stick around and consult; this is a straight-up firing.