I almost stopped watching because the occasional violence is very strong. People die. Few are shot, too many are beaten to death. There is too much screaming and mad-dogging. It can be hard to watch. That’s the asterisk on this 5-star rating.

That said, I am more often stunned by the writing and the acting. I can’t do either justice. Some scenes are heart-wrenching and one can read thoughts on faces to a degree I can’t remember from another TV show. The two principals, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, are phenomenal; both have shown such depth. Almost everyone around them is great. Even the characters I hate.

Although making and dealing methamphetamines drive the plot, this show in no way glamorizes drugs. The desperate skeletal junkies should scare anyone away from meth (or heroin).

My comments come at the end of Season 2. The first season had only 7 episodes; Season 2 has 13. Twenty episodes aren’t very many. I’ve heard things get weirder or worse (very hard to imagine) in Season 4 (not yet on Netflix). Can good writing and acting compel one to watch the unwatchable? I’ll let you know.

Breaking Bad (5 stars and an asterisk) is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Curiously, Stig Larsson was one of the screenwriters.

Metrotopia (2+ stars) is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Great performances along side Jackson, especially Aunjanue Ellis, Tamara Tunie, Ann Magnuson, and Anthony Michael Hall.

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Though quite original, Ink made me think of several movies, including Dark City, 9, Beauty and the Beast, Newt from Aliens, and Franklyn. (Yes, weird to call a move original and then cite other movies, but, seriously, Ink is fresh.) And Jade Warrior, which Ink resembles only in blowing my mind. In particular, a short film I caught on PBS, Spin, came to mind. Damn if it wasn’t the same writer/director, Jamin Winans (see the 8 minute short).

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I keep thinking about the brilliance of Aliens: whereas Alien depended on a barely-seen single creature, Aliens features countless monsters to great effect – both versions work very well. In Ironman II, there are several Ironman suits – self-powered why? – plus an army of “drones” which are on the scene despite the fact that the guy presenting them believes they don’t work. (I wish Gary Oldman had played Hammer.) Endless pointless destruction – how long is that entertaining? (Answer: as long as there are human beings – destruction is our raison d’être.)

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CarSort’s 18 Things You Didn’t Know About Firefly Infographic

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Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp; 4 stars) was hilarious, uproarious, and very interesting to look at. Highly recommended.

Community is a TV series about to start its third season. It is hilarious and so inventive one wonders how long the writers can keep being so creative. You have to see it. Sadly, it’s not on Netflix streaming. Mer just bought the Season 1 DVDs; we missed the first half of that season, so we’re having a great time.

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I took special pleasure in seeing New Mexico scenery, including the Taos gorge and its famous bridge, and, especially, the Albuquerque bosque, clearly recognizable with the jetty-jacks. When the bosque burns, I felt momentarily distressed.

But, I have gripes. This John Connor, as played by Christian Bale (a fantastic Batman), is such a hard-ass superhero. Think of the sly teenaged Connor in T2, grown into the drifter-loser of T3. Sure, years have passed, but this Connor could mop the floor with a Marine drill sergeant. I loved the smooth action of Connor running toward a pit, as someone secures a rope, and leaping into space in freefall. Still, this Connor is just too-growling for me.

When did the Resistance become such a military operation? I’m not saying the military wouldn’t take over in such a situation, just that my vision of the Resistance was a bit more rag-tag. These survivors have jets. Consider that T3 ends with John Connor establishing contact with groups of survivors from all over. Years later, in T4, he’s just a soldier. Yes, there was a passing reference to his reputation, and he is still in direct contact with survivors, in contradiction to chain of command. He does take over (no spoiler), I just thought he already had. Of course, past tense with future events shows the challenge of making things fit.

Claire Danes played the future Mrs. John Connor in T3. (Not that any ministers survived to marry them.) I didn’t expect to see her in T4, but the different wife did take some processing. How did they decide 2018 was the time to have a baby? If it was surprising that the leader of the Resistance would go to Skynet headquarters on his own, it seemed as foolish that his very pregnant wife would run to his rescue.

Kudos to Moon Bloodgood for continuing the tradition of strong female warriors in the T-line and for having a damn fine name. Jadagrace was perfect in her role as Newt to Connor’s Ripley. (Tricky reference.)

During the film and for hours after, I was troubled by the teenaged Kyle Reese. He seemed too young. However, T4 is in 2018, seven years after Judgment Day, so Reese could be between 13 and 18 (based on the Sarah Connor Chronicles). Eleven more years will pass before the Year of Darkness, 2029, the future of the first film. Eleven years to shape Reese and his relationship with Connor. Still, this took some pondering and research – he seemed too young.

Interestingly, the best character in the film is Marcus Wright, played by Sam Worthington, for whom 2009 was very good; he was also the lead in Avatar. Wright had real passion, strength and humanity; he was genuinely interesting throughout. He saved the film for me.

If you enjoy any part of the Terminator epic, consider seeing The Sarah Connor Chronicles. That TV series is at times too grim and dour, but, hey, the Apocalypse is coming.

mjh’s blog — Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2 stars)

Terminator 4: Salvation (2009, 3+, maybe 4- stars) is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

The Nines (2007, 4 stars)

Great performances, especially by Ryan Reynolds. If you doubt he can act – or if you like him – he’s the reason to see this. Takes some patience and attention. It’s a little heavy and existential / intellectual, but not just a film school exercise.

I was surprised to learn recently that I probably first saw Reynolds on TV in Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place (TV). Even more surprising, Nathan Fillion was in that show. Fillion was in the beloved Firefly (TV, highest recommendation).

Mystery Team (2009, 3+ stars)

We watched this specifically for Donald Glover, a stand-out in the brilliant ensemble of Community (TV, highly recommended), and a former writer on 30Rock (TV, highly recommended). Turns out everyone involved is part of a troupe that has been making lots of short films for the Web. This was better than any of the shorts we saw. Almost retro in its mostly gently humor. The arrested development of the trio of boy detectives is almost creepy at times, but they are so in-character it is mostly charming.

The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu (2009, 3- stars)

It’s hard to recommend this movie, but it has its moments and it’s pretty short. I think the three main characters are the reason to watch this. They’re weird nerds. And the t-shirt a demon wears is pretty awesome. Kinda on a par with Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), though not as witty (few can write dialog like Joss Whedon, who also wrote the aforementioned Firefly).

The Book of Eli (2010, 2 stars)

I saw a promo for this months before it came out. I was thrilled at that time, less so with the film. Denzel Washington plays a hard-ass survivor in this post-Apocalyptic tale. However, Road Warrior did this much better 30 years earlier. There’s even a scene that seems a tribute, if not lifted from Road Warrior. I won’t spoil part of the ending, but I bet you won’t be surprised which book is in the title.

There is one fantastic scene early-on involving hunting for food. The fight scenes are quick but bloody – I stopped watching for a day or two after a near-rape.

Washington is stoic and humble and invincible (almost). Mila Kunis was pretty good. I used to look forward to any movie with Gary Oldman as the villain, but this was his stock bad-guy, whose motivations were absurd. Happy to see Malcolm McDowell in a late scene.

I’ve also been watching Eureka (cable series, OK or a little better) and re-watching Legend of the Seeker (my guilty pleasure).

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I’m always amazed that anyone imagines technology capable of destroying or creating an entire planet, though we see that time and time again. Terra-forming an existing planet is ambitious enough. (And fraught with peril, per Firefly.) I couldn’t not think of Matt Damon when I heard his voice, whereas the other voices remained anonymous despite belonging to familiar actors.

Titan A.E. (2000) – IMDb

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