What I will never understand about these sequels to the very funny and enjoyable first Hangover film is that the creative team looked at the success of the first film and decided, “you know what made that work, the annoying Asian guy.” Now, Ken Jeong can be very funny and a burst of energy to any film he is in, but the character of Chow is a cartoon that is so absurd he seems out of place even in these films. So to make him more or less the co-lead for this third film just so that they can haphazardly connect all of three of these films seems like another giant misstep in the wrong direction.

The search to hunt down Chow and return the money he stole to a mobster that holds Doug hostage is all very overly elaborate and has to be aided by an immense amount of exposition to get there, why not try and do something a bit more natural. The second film was horrendous because it followed the exact same plot as the first, beat by beat, and it took the suspense and surprise out of the picture because we knew exactly what was going to happen next. This film at least dispenses with the blacked out/retrace your steps premise of the first two and becomes a far more straight forward mystery; sadly there isn’t a lot of comedy to go with it.

The film drags along as we move from scene to scene and while I was ecstatic that I didn’t know what beat was going to come next I was quickly disappointed that there was nothing really all that exciting happening in the film. The editing getting from scene to scene is sluggish enough, but when the next scene is neither funny nor terribly informative to the plot the viewer is left with very little to do other than watch Zach Galifianakis, hoping he does some funny face in the background. The script is just not there or very funny as the film feels way too small for a series as big and successful as this one. It only retreads the first films slightly, with an homage or two here and there, but the film takes itself way too seriously. Are their fans out there desperately waiting to see what happens to the Wolfpack next? None of these characters are anyone you should really care about and I am surprised that this film seems the least interested in dragging them through any sort of hell.

Like I said earlier, it doesn’t help that the cast is on autopilot as well with no one seeming overly interested in being here. Cooper, who I think is great, barely steals the Most Bored Crown form Helms, but this could probably be because the script seems entirely uninterested in them as well. Galifianakis is the star of this film, along with Jeong, and while I am all for him getting a spotlight the weak script doesn’t give him a lot to work with even though he is front and center. He gets a good laugh in there now and then and you always want to keep an eye on him, but nothing he does makes you laugh like the first film. Even Melissa McCarthy (who is getting terribly type cast) feels dulled by this script as she and Galifianakis can’t spark anything terribly memorable or funny in their scenes together. It literally feels like, “Hey look guys, Melissa McCarthy! She’s funny,” completely oblivious that they have to give her something to start with in the first place.

The Hangover III could have been better, a lot better, and even though it doesn’t simply retread the previous films’ paths it doesn’t blaze an interesting one for itself. Its cast doesn’t seem game, the script isn’t really there and the film doesn’t even try to be that funny. Phillips and his team don’t really seem to understand what works best and instead force feed us nonsense we don’t want. Their biggest failure though is making a dull comedy that isn’t that funny. At least it’s not the atrocity that Hangover II was.

The Hangover Part III is a D+

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Back in 1993, three young boys were reported missing.  The next day, police found the dead bodies of the boys, submerged in the waters of a ditch in woods near the boys’ homes.  The boys were tied in an unusual position, stripped naked with their hands and feet bound together from the back.  For weeks after the murders, the police had little to go on and no suspects.  Then seemingly out of nowhere, police began targeting local three teenagers, supposedly belonging to a satanic cult: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley.  Due to the fact that these teenagers wore black band t-shirts and played Dungeons and Dragons, they were “obviously” into some dark stuff, including Devil worshipping.  Side note: if DND is all it takes to be labeled a murderer, my boyfriend better be on his best behavior.  The police believed without a shadow of a doubt that these boys were guilty, and aided Prosecutors in convincing the Jury of their guilt.  The jury, then, gave convictions of life in prison to Jessie and Jason, and the death penalty to Damien, the supposed leader of the group.  However, not everyone was as convinced of the boys’ guilt as the jury and police, seeing the case against them for what it was – riddled with more questions than answers.

Mara Leveritt, a journalist in search of the truth, was one such individual who questioned the “facts” of the case.  She compiled and wrote Devil’s Knot as an unbiased look into the investigation, highlighting inconsistencies among testimonies, holes in the investigation, shoddy police work, a lack of hard evidence, and a fervor to find someone, anyone, to pin the murders on, even if the facts didn’t necessarily support such accusations.  After all, America demanded justice for the shocking murder of these innocent children.  After reading this book, I find it terrifying how easily a case could be falsely built around anyone provided the right set of circumstances.  This is the kind of thing that makes a person lose faith in the people who are supposed to be protecting us from injustice, not helping to cause it.

Leveritt does an exceptional job of laying out the case.  In fact, the only thing I was left wishing for at the book’s conclusion was not something that the author could have actually helped.  That is, I wanted to know about the events leading up to the three being released from prison, obviously impossible since they were released in 2011 and this book was published in 2003.  Furthermore, based on Leveritt’s reporting, the facts seemed to point to the guilt of the stepfather of one of the murdered boys – but this could neither be confirmed nor disconfirmed at the time of publication.  However, since finishing the book, I realized that there are three documentaries about the case: one filmed during the investigation/trial (Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin
Hood Hills), another filmed while the three convicted boys were in prison (Paradise Lost: Revelations), and the third after new evidence was found and a new trial date set (Paradise Lost: Purgatory).  Right now they are at the top of my must watch list.  Hopefully they will be able to fill in the answers to some of my unresolved questions after finishing the book.

I highly recommend Devil’s Knot.  It was completely engrossing, and it’s good to know that the West Memphis Three were finally given the justice they deserved, although it can never take away the wrong that was done to them.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

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These comedic memoir-esque type books seem to be growing in popularity these days, but I still consider some of Chelsea Handler’s and David Sedaris’ works to be the golden standard for this genre.  That said, many people have come close to replicating and even surpassing those authors (i.e., Mindy Kaling, Jenny Lawson, Tina Fey), while other “imitators” fall flat.  Like Ross Matthews.  If the name Ross Matthews is unfamiliar, he got his start as Ross the Intern on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he was actually pretty funny.  He now appears as a weekly commentator on Chelsea Weekly, and although I haven’t seen it myself, I would bet he comes off as pretty likable there as well.

Sadly though, his personality did not translate well into writing.  One of the main things that irked me about this book was the name dropping, as if Matthews was constantly proclaiming things like: “Hey look!  I’m besties with Gwyneth Paltrow.  This must mean I’m famous too!”  Although Gwyneth Paltrow was not the only subject of his effusive flattery, she seems to bear the brunt of his admiration.  If it wasn’t nauseating enough the way he gushed on about her incessantly, Gwyneth actually wrote an introduction to the book about how much she adores Matthews as well, stating that readers would absolutely want to be his best friend by the end of the book.  I have two immediate responses to that: (1) Nope, I’ll pass on friendship, thank you very much, and (2) Get a room already, where you can have a cuddle/tickle fest and whisper sweet nothings into each others’ ears all night long without subjecting the readers to it!

Stylistically, the book got on my nerves too.  It seemed like every other sentence began or ended with the words, “dear reader,” as in, “I made a promise to you, dear reader” or “I offer it to you, dear reader.”  It just came off as insincere and aggravating, like someone giving a speech that interjects “uhhh” after every few sentences.  Furthermore, most of the time it just seemed as though Matthews was trying way too hard to be clever with his choice of words rather than playing up the humor of the situation itself.  Here is just a brief sampling to show you what I mean:

• Ross on wearing camo… “Cause honey, if you’ve got it, don’t camouflage it, camou-flaunt it!” (p117)
• Ross on the holidays… “Damn right, I’m holly jolly.  I’m straight up Ho-Jo.  I’m Ho-Jo like a Mo-Fo.  I’m a Ho-Jo Mo-Fo Homo.  Watch out – I could do this all night!” (p 159)
• Ross on food… Something told me that the secret ingredient tonight would be an herb called OregaNO-You-Didn’t!” (p185)
• Ross when his favorite side item (squash) was discontinued at a much frequented fast food restaurant… “Someone had to squash this kind of squash injustice!” (p187)

Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for spicing up writing with clever plays on words.  If sentences like the above were sprinkled throughout the book, I could have taken them in stride – even enjoyed them.  But, of course, Ross does nothing in moderation.  I’d say a good 50% of all his utterances were similar to the above, which is like mixing in two cups of salt when the recipe asked for only two teaspoons!  The word-plays were just overpowering and overwhelming

That said, there were a few worthwhile chapters, although at the moment I am having trouble remembering any of them other than the one about his dogs.  And I can’t tell if I liked this chapter because it was actually funny and well written, or because I just really like dogs.  Either way, the few good chapters were outnumbered by the plethora of lackluster ones.  So, if you are in the market for a book in the genre, there are many much better choices you could make.

I am pretty disappointed in this book.  Sadly, I think that I would really like Ross (and we might even be friends) if I met him in person (and maybe just for 30 minute increments).  But as an author, he’s out of his element, and it shows.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

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The title of this week’s Game of Thrones ”Second Sons” is a reference to several people featured in this episode, as well as the obvious reference to the army who is forming to defend Yunkai against Daenerys.  Stannis is the second son of the Baratheon household and Tyrion is the second son of Tywinn Lannister.  Then there is aslo the less obvious Samwell Tarly, who proves that he can be brave when he has to be and saves the second son that Ginny had with Kraster.  I can’t believe he does the classic horror movie mistake and leaves that dagger behind.  Whatever that was made out of works amazingly on the White Walkers and he just left it lying there.

One wedding down, two more to go and despite all of Joffrey’s efforts I would say that the marriage of Tyrion and Sansa went rather well.  Nothing terrible happened and Tyrion made a point of showing Joffrey that he isn’t afraid of him.  Most importantly Tyrion proved to be a gentleman after all.  Shea sure seemed happy about that, judging by the smile on her face when she changed the bed sheets.  I would imagine Tywinn will remain relentless about Tyrion giving him a grandson but all he can really do is yell.  Even though Tyrion and Sansa were the center stage of the marriage, I found Cersei to be the most entertaining.  Her conversation with Margery was terrifying.  I like how we learned what the words of the Lannister song mean as she explained it Margery, and as if that wasn’t scary enough the way she threatened her was down right vicious.  Then, as if that wasn’t a big enough insult to the Tyrells, she rudely blew off Loras as he attempted to make conversation.  I cannot wait to see how their wedding will play out, and hopefully we don’t have to wait until next season to see it.

I am extremely happy to not only see Ser Davos learning to read, but that he is also no longer behind bars and back at his rightful place beside Stannis.  I’m hoping that he will be able to somehow persuade Stannis to stop Melisandre from sacrificing Gendry.  I also really want to know what was going on with those leeches.  Stannis seemed to know and Melisandre even mentioned that this was a demonstration for Ser Davos but what exactly was she showing him?  As Stannis throws the leeches into the fire he says, “the usurper Robb Stark, the usurper Balon Greyjoy, the usurper Joffrey Baratheon.”  Each name appears to be attached to a leech, but the only one of these people we actually see in this episode is Joffrey, and nothing happens to him.  I wonder what was supposed to be going on and I’m kind of disappointed we didn’t get to find out right then and there.

I was a little let down that we didn’t get to see some sort of fighting with Daenerys’ unsullied army but I have to admit, the event that took place  instead was extremely satisfying.  It seemed pretty apparent that the young lieutenant Daario Naharis was immediately infatuated with Daenerys so when he was the one selected to assassinate her I had a feeling he wouldn’t actually go through with it.  I did not expect, however, that he kill the other two leaders of the Second Sons.  I don’t know what to make of Daario just yet.  He reminds me a lot of Jaqen H’ghar, and with the way Jaqen changed his face at the end of last season, maybe it is him.  So now Daenerys has her unsullied army, and the army of the Second Sons to help her conquer the city of Yunkai.  I can only imagine how impressive her army will be once she frees the slaves inside the city and it sounds as though they have ships that she will be able to use as well.  All she has to do is win, and it looks like we only have to wait until next week to finally see her army in action.

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Guest and his team are telling a long story here and the second of this eight episode season seems to be a bit problematic because of this. A lot of this episode feels like we aren’t moving forward as it carries over from last week and quickly dashes the hilarious “Chinaman” reveal at the end of the premiere. Tom discovers his great grandfather, Harry, was an actor and a visit to the town where he passed away drags on a bit too long as we take an overly long tour of the local theater. There are a number of interesting antidotes sprinkled through out this trip, but I feel like things needed to be tightened up and the excess trimmed out. The reveal that his Harry played the horse’s ass is essential to a number of great jokes late in the episode, they just took way to long to get there. It’s also a very round about way to the reveal that Harry was cheated on as well by his wife and the head of the horse. Both Tom and Harry were made a cuckold of which is a sweet way of connecting the two. This is O’Dowd’s best moment of the episode as he connects with Harry through the cosmos over a broken heart.

The episode gets pretty good from here as Tom and Pete enter the Annual Costume Horse Duty and hilarity ensues. It would have been nice to have more of Tom’s sister (and Monkey) and their Dad in the episode, but I have to remind myself that this is a larger story and their time will come. I still can’t wait to find out what the hell is going on with their step-mom though. Pete is also not growing on me like I would hope after two episodes, but he isn’t terrible by any means either; though I do like the dates he sets Tom up on.

Tom goes on another blind date set up by Pete and the results are even funnier this time around. I wonder if this is going to be a recurring gag on the show, a new date every week, but Tracey’s obsession with bones is going to be tough to top. Her tips on how to get free bones by simply ordering the proper cuts of meat was my particular favorite highlight; only topped by the back end of the horse being on Harry’s tombstone.

“Treading the Boards” starts out dragging on a bit too much, but was pretty great by the end. I will take a slow burn set up if it can finish in the end and the second episode of the series certainly did that. Still, the most important lesson this episode gave us is that going forward Guest is building a big four hour story here and giving us a wham bam episode every week isn’t the top concern. He wants us to get to know his characters and as long as they drop in a few great laughs every week I will be ok with this level of pacing.

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Yes, this might possibly be (i.e., definitely is) yet another World War II book review that you by now have probably come to expect from me; but before you groan in utter dismay, tell me the last time you read about cougars (i.e., those “mature” woman that essentially rob the cradle in the name of love – or at least in the name of a one night stand), architecture, Paris nightlife, and WWI all in one book?!  I’m betting never!

Until now.  Andras Lévi, a Jewish student, leaves Hungary to attend an architecture school in Paris.  Before he leaves Budapest, he is given a mysterious letter to deliver to a woman he does not know in Paris.  This woman, Clara, a sophisticated ballet teacher with a rebellious teenage daughter, just so happens to be the man eating cougar mentioned above.  Minor confession: I may have perhaps overstated Clara’s cougarish ways… such that she does not (initially) see Andras as a hunky piece of meat to pounce on, and even if she does feel a certain attraction to him, she is certainly not prepared to act on it.  The obvious age difference (one that her daughter at first finds completely appalling) isn’t the only barrier; she also has a mysterious secret that prevents her from getting too close to anyone.  So, to be completely honest, Clara is probably more akin to a reserved, refined, Persian housecat than an on-the-prowl cougar.  Small details though, right?

Of course, the exciting life Andras is leading in Paris, filled with success at school and a flourishing love for an older woman, is too good to go on unchecked for long; he is Jewish, after all.  One day, Andras learns that his student Visa is expiring and he must return home to Hungary to get it renewed.  However, in Hungary, he is faced with more bad news: not only will he not be allowed to return to school in Paris, he is shipped off a labor camp where he is pushed to his physical and mental limits.  Suddenly, all the things that Andras had so fervently loved in his life – Clara, his brothers, his family’s home, the architectural education he was pursuing – are put at risk.  With so many uncertainties in his life, compounded with the hardships Andras faces as a soldier, he gradually loses hope in a future that had once seems so bright.

I found myself completely entranced by this book (as I do most World War II books).  However, unlike many of its kind, the war was almost secondary to the main storyline of Andras and his brothers building a future for themselves, especially in the beginning to middle.  While the War interjected sporadically at first, as the story progressed the role it played gradually gained momentum, allowing the reader to become invested in Andras and Clara’s love story first and foremost before getting carried away with the war.

There is definitely some heavy subject matter addressed in these pages, so if you are looking for light summer reading, you’ll definitely want to look elsewhere.  However, if you want to be inspired by the grace with which these characters repeatedly handle the hardships they are dealt, then The Invisible Bridge is the book for you.  After all, there are only so many Nicholas Sparks and Chelsea Handler books you can read before you need something with a little more substance (I hope).  And this is a story that fits the bill.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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What do you get when you get four different people, with four different choices of music together to discuss who is the most important band of this era? One hell of an experiment. Having Said That’s Alan and Lauren, joined again with Appetite for Distraction’s James, and special guest Kristen, come together to talk about what bands today are not only important, but will be remembered when their time passes. Nothing is set in stone as we take our lists of twenty bands and bring them down to a universal twenty. Who will make the cut? Join us and find out!

#20

Alan: For me, the number twenty spot was probably the hardest one for me to fill. But at the end of the day, I chose the band that not only has a devoted fan base, but has devoted haters as well. I’m talking of course of Vampire Weekend. They came out with a bang with “A-Punk” and made a case for a resurgence of New York based alternative rock music that we haven’t been pushed into since The Strokes first album way back in 2001. Ever since then, they have been the subject to millions of “are they good or not” debates with both their self-titled release and 2010 album Contra. That debate has since been reignited with their latest effort Modern Vampires of the City, and whether you love the album or hate the album, I think it’s time that we all finally acknowledge what they have brought to the table musically in this rather short amount of time.

James: I, as usual, had an easy time generating my list and a nearly impossible time ranking it. In the end, it comes down to arbitrary decisions. So, for my #20, I decided to go with Passion Pit. They are one of the first bands to make it semi-big from word-of-mouth/blog/podcast hype. They have continued to make interesting music and have paved the way for other bands to make it based on people hearing about them on Twitter or elbo.ws or whatever.

Lauren: When Alan asked me to help with this list, I should have laughed in his face. Yet here I am, and I apologize to all of you out there with vast amount of knowledge on the subject. Feel free to laugh. So here we go… My last place pick is Frightened Rabbit, who I doubt will make it on anyone elses lists, but made my cut because of what they represent in entertainment. In the past decade or so, starting with The OC for me, music became far more important in television. The music should practically be credited as cameos or supporting cast members because these days they can make and break scenes. There wouldn’t be as many memorable moments from Chuck for me without Frightened Rabbit, which leaves me eternally grateful.

Kristen: Please don’t hate me or banish me from the group or think I have terrible taste in music. For the number 20 spot my choice is Nickelback. If this list is truly going to be the most important bands of the era, we have to include the bands we love to hate. Nickelback is THE ultimate example. We have witnessed countless twitter disses, memes, and youtube clips which all revolve around our hatred for Nickelback. This band has forever altered the way we think about music.

James: Well, I agree that all of these are important bands. Kristen definitely has a point about Nickleback being hated on more than almost any other band. I would say that they are in a position of ridicule similar to where Creed was a decade ago.

Lauren was absolutely right to bring up Frightened Rabbit who are, with one or two others, leading the rise in popularity of Scottish-sounding Scottish bands.

Alan brought up Vampire Weekend and I would agree that they have definitely brought a certain type of rock to the fore. If I could find a way to do it without sounding like a total jerk, I would say that they have found a way to make the music-form of a Williamsburg hipster.

These are all great starts to our list. I’m not sure how to even start to eliminate one of these.

Alan: Wow. I never thought of Nickelback as someone that we would have to discuss. I agree with James; they are pretty much the most hated band out there. There is a good reason for that though – as their music tends to be relatively the same throughout the almost twenty years they have been together. Also, because their memes are really funny.

For Frightened Rabbits, I think they will be big – they just aren’t right now. I’d like to hear what they do next now that their debut is out. I feel like they are too young right now to be on the list, in my opinion.

That leaves Passion Pit. They are definitely one of the most hyped and talked about bands in the past couple of years, and that happens when you put out some solid material. They’re two full lengths in, picking up some spots in major shows like Coachella and Bonnaroo. I guess the only question for Passion Pit is their memorability – there are so many other bands coming up right now that have that sound Passion Pit has helped make popular, like Foster the People and Phoenix. Maybe it’s just me, but i don’t know where Pit is going to go from Gossamer.

James: Just a quick correction, really. The Frightened Rabbit album that just came out is their 4th LP. Their debut was called Sing the Greys and it came out in 2006. But if you ask me, the best FRabbits album so far is their second: The Midnight Organ Fight from 2008. I don’t think that they’re too young a band. Perhaps just not big enough yet.

I think that I am going to move for Vampire Weekend to be higher on the list. I’ll concede Passion Pit and say that, between Nickleback and Frightened Rabbit, hmm……I’ll say keep Nickleback at 20 and remove Frightened Rabbit along with Passion Pit.

Alan: Boy there’s egg on my face about Frightened Rabbit. That’s what I get for not researching them fully.

I agree with James on placement, though I bet we are going to name a million other bands that might be more important than Nickelback/Frightened Rabbit. Lauren? Kristen? Any thoughts on the matter?

Kristen: I agree that Vampire Weekend should be a little higher on the list. I think they are a really important link between the hipster/indie music scene and the popular/mainstream scene…whether it’s a good or bad link is debatable, but it’s still an important one. Passion Pit makes a similar connection but I think their sound is starting to become a prime example of generic indie pop. I agree that it’s sometimes really hard to discern Passion Pit’s sound from those other bands like Phoenix and Foster the People. Passion Pit has sort of lost its luster. I can take or leave Frightened Rabbit. I mean I love listening to them, but they don’t leave that big an impression on me. I agree they aren’t that big yet, but one day they will be. I just don’t see them being big in the near future as they only had a so-so review on Pitchfork. Pitchfork doesn’t have the ultimate say on what’s good and what’s not (even though they think they do), but I think it definitely helps shape readers’ opinions on how to judge music. Lastly, I’m still sticking with Nickleback as number 20…because they’re Nickleback. However, if people decide Frightened Rabbit is a better choice I’d be fine with that.

Lauren: Before Leonardo DiCaprio walks into the room and gives me a look of disappointment (movies, are my thing, not music!), I will concur with what was said above about Vampire Weekend deserving better, as well as Nickleback. They can have a spot on the list. Also, I will hand Alan a washcloth to wipe the egg off of his face since he is still spelling Frightened Rabbit’s name wrong. Best of all, Kristen’s shake up of the game has given me my number 19 pick. Get ready.

Alan: Well I guess we should call it then. Nickelback is taking the twentieth spot, and Vampire Weekend lives to see a higher spot. Everyone cool?

James: Absolutely.

The Number Twenty Spot is Nickelback. Vampire Weekend Lives Another Day.

So there you have it! You shocked that Nickelback was picked? Who is your twentieth favorite band? Make a list, check it twice, and join in on the conversation below! We continue next week with number nineteen, where Lauren lays down her epic pick….

Follow Us On Twitter!
Alan @AlanETaylor_
Lauren @BewareOfTrees
James @james80d
Kristen @prossnerk

The post The Most Important Bands Of The Era: Number Twenty appeared first on HavingSaidThat....

“Alice.  You were an ignored little girl who wanted to be loved.  So you created a fantasy land full of characters who’d help you become who you wanted to be.  You wouldn’t be the first child to do this, you’re just the first to grow up and still believe it was real.”

I bet that moment in the trailer gave you chills too.  If not, you’re a monster.

Out of the two spin-offs coming to shows that I already watch, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland rates much higher in excitement levels than The Originals after seeing this trailer, even though I love The Vampire Diaries with a passion.  This could be because it feels like they’re splitting up that show in a major way as opposed to simply building onto the world that is there by creating another, which is what we have here.

We have gone into Wonderland a couple times in Once Upon A Time, but not really far enough to explore it past the reinterpretation of the Mad Hatter and the questionable computer effects of the maze.  Though I worry about the visual effects and design of Wonderland since it sometimes comes off fake in the attempt to add depth to the world, the other half of this story in which Alice is in a psychiatric hospital setting will easily pull these other scenes up on their feet.

That and the tone is just so unexpected!  It has a Sucker Punch feel to it (with similar story elements as well), which is not the insult that many probably think that is.  It’s dark, has the potential to draw real emotion, yet it is highly fantastical.  I just wonder if it will question what is real past those characters that do.  I want it to make me doubt, and then convince me to believe.  And I want to believe.

Follow @BewareOfTrees

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The story follows the true life story of Thor Heyerdahl, a researcher and adventurer that comes up with the crazy theory that South Americans might have been the people that colonized Polynesia 1600 years ago. Laughed out of the room by academics, even with seven years of research, Thor is trying to raise money to test his theory by recreating the trip across the Pacific using only the materials available to the people of that time. He somehow puts together a ragtag crew and sets out west hoping to prove himself right.

This Norwegian production was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards in 2013, but it is mostly an English language film for anyone afraid of other languages. I mentioned that the film is a bit straight forward and that is because it doesn’t do a whole lot with format. It hits all the expected beats as we are introduced to Thor and the film quickly falls into place to get him out on the high seas. Not that this isn’t appreciated as on the water is where the film soars, but I’m not going to lie that the film is a bit dull until it does. The brevity and brisk pacing at least isn’t jarring, as the film’s most head scratching moment comes when it jumps over five thousand miles from the trip.

That’s right, we only get to see the trip from Peru to the Galapagos and then the final hundred or so yards of the trip. This surprisingly works as that early segment of the trip is thrilling and action packed, but I’m not going to lie, I was quite thrown off there for a moment.

I keep raving about the open sea section of the film and it is easily worth the ticket price to see it up on the big screen. This film is gorgeous. It’s not just the stuff on the open sea either, the early sections of the film have some gorgeous segments as well and a lot of it is done with top notch CGI. The effects work in this film is top notch and I never saw the seems at any moment and there is some amazing imagery that had to be assisted by computer graphics. It’s not just the computer effects that shine, the film is wonderfully photographed and put together by co-directors Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg and their creative team. They use every tool at their disposal to make one of the most handsome pictures of the year and the aquatic imagery they bring to life will take your breath away. I would love to see how much of this material was true to life vs. created for drama, but either way it is a sight to be seen.

The acting in the film is just fine, but I think better actors might have elevated the material to another level. Pål Sverre Hagen is charismatic and charming as Thor, but they seemed to want to have an edge to him that just never came across through the screen. Anders Baasmo Christiansen is stuck with playing the weak link on the boat and he sadly is forced to go through a bunch of stereotypical crazy guy losing it schtick for the films most dramatic chunks. The rest of the crew get a moment or two each out on the voyage, but its the drama that unfolds around the boat that will mostly gain your attention.

The film’s structure might be a bit odd and otherwise fitting into a strict formula, but it is the imagery and adventure that will keep you pinned to your seat. Don’t take my word for it though, I urge you to head out to the theater if this film sounds the least bit interesting to you as it demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible. There are many little areas the film could have probably been better, but visually you will find few film to best this one in 2013.

Kon-Tiki is a B-

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Favorite Quote of the Episode #1

Slade:  “You couldn’t save the day without making a mess.”

Back On The Island

Similarly to the story line running through this season in present day, the current story on the island comes to an end in the finale.  Picking up right after where it ended in the last episode, Oliver is still trying to cut through what is binding his wrists together.  Too bad he couldn’t have freed himself before Yao Fei got shot…

Now that he’s free, Oliver stabs the guy in the arm who pretended to be another victim of boat sinking and cuts Slade and Shado free as well, but not before a missile gets launched at the passing plane.  Shado and Oliver go after the launcher in order to redirect the missile, which lucky for them is a skill that Shado just so happens to have.  I was really hoping that when she said she knew how to reprogram it she was just joking about ripping the wiring apart and hoping for the best, but she did actually have that knowledge base.  Oh well, it saved the plane, so I forgive this easy out.

Best of all, Fyers is finally gone.  When Oliver goes looking for Shado in the wreckage of the base that was taken out by the redirected missile, Fyers comes in with a gun to her head.  Clearly he doesn’t know about all the water smacking training that Oliver has had, because when Oliver pulls the bow found in the wreckage on Fyers, he is not at all concerned.  Not only that, but he thinks he will get his way by telling Oliver that if he lets him live he will get Oliver off the Island.  We know where this goes, though, as five years haven’t past yet.  But that didn’t make the arrow to Fyer’s throat any less satisfying.

The question is what happens to Slade and Shado in the years to come since Oliver is alone when he is rescued?

Out From Under Malcolm’s Thumb

Even if she believed she was doing the right thing, I was getting sick and tired of Moira Queen saying that everything she’s let happen or did was to protect her family.  So thank goodness Oliver has had enough as well, finally getting through to her by filling her in on what really happened to her husband.  He says that he doesn’t want any more people dying for him like his father did after the accident at sea, so if she won’t do anything then he will.

I figured this would be the end of that, but next thing you know she’s holding a press conference in her house to let everything in on Malcolm’s plans for The Glades, hoping that this warning will allow people enough time to escape with their lives.  She gets arrested for conspiracy, but doing what she did more than makes up for her part as far as I am concerned.

Favorite Quote of the Episode #2

Diggle: “Army regulations.  A soldier never lets a brother go into battle alone.”
Oliver: “I’m out of bows.”
Diggle “I’ve got my gun.”

Favorite Quote of the Episode #3

Oliver: “Thank you for teaching me what I’m fighting for.  But my father taught me how.”

Archer Vs. Archer

If Fyer’s story coming to an end (chances are whoever was giving him orders is still in play) made you as happy as it did me, then I can only imagine that you feel the same way about Malcolm being gone as well.  Unless he has some some miraculous resurrection; in that case I am going to punch someone…

The other archer has been Oliver’s hardest competition this year as he has actually defeated Oliver both times they’ve come up against each other, which includes the end of last week’s episode.  Now Oliver wakes to find himself chained to the ceiling of an open room, with Malcolm there to talk down to Oliver about his lesser conviction.  He believes it is why he always bests Oliver, and I can’t exactly say that this isn’t true.

Malcolm may be able to defeat Oliver, but chains are no match for him as he shows a new master skill level for escape artistry.  Screw slipping the chains, Oliver is just going to break the pipe holding him in place with those chiseled muscles!  Mmm…  That and Diggle swings by thanks to a tracking device in Oliver’s boot to help take some guys down that Oliver couldn’t get to for some up close and personal neck snapping.

With The Glades in jeopardy and the lives of everyone around him falling apart, Oliver finally has something to fight for the next time he comes up against Malcolm to stop The Undertaking.   Not only that, but Malcolm also taught Oliver to learn from the past as this time the arrow Malcolm catches blows up in his hand. Diggle gets a knife thrown into his chest so his help doesn’t come in handy all that long, but it’s ok because Oliver is still not on his own (and technically Diggle climbed up the stairwell, flopping out the door rather hilariously, especially considering he might as well have pulled out some popcorn to go along with watching the fight).  As his father did for him by shooting himself, Oliver either creates an optical illusion through poor camera angles or actually stabs himself through the chest with an arrow in order to get to Malcolm.  And it was not just a flesh wound, even if he acts like it was afterwards since he goes running off into the night to save Laurel.  Seriously though, did he stab himself?

Favorite Quote of the Episode #4

Lance “What do you call computer hacking?”
Felicity: “A hobby…that I do not engage in.”

Favorite Quote of the Episode #5

Lance:  “I know I’m throwing away my career by telling you this, but I am willing to sacrifice catching this guy if it means saving people’s lives.”

The Undertaking

It was also likely that Detective Lance and Oliver would have to work together on a bigger capacity, and this episode gives the perfect opportunity for this to happen.  Lance actually loses his job as he throws it all on the line to vouch for the vigilante’s claims that The Glades are in serious danger since this is something his boss can’t believe.  Which means Lance will just have to go out and fight for justice outside the law as well (unless he gets reinstated after Moira’s press conference).

Suspension or not, Lance goes from interrogating Felicity about her connections to the Vigilante to working with her to disarm the earthquake machine that she located in the subway system based on its proximity to a fault line.  I was going to be pretty sad if Lance was going to eat it after he first couldn’t get the timer to stop counting down, which was the start of a crazy emotional rollercoaster. First I was sad that it was looking like Lance was going to die, but then relief swept over as he disarmed the machine, but then it’s revealed that there is a second device and the lip quivering started again, especially when we hear Felicity crying as debris falls down from the ceiling of the base.  I would have been sad for Lance, sure, but if someone took Felicity away from us they’d have to go into witness protection.  NOBODY TAKES AWAY MY FELICITY!

Unnecessary Heroics

After her mom reveals what is about to happen to The Glades tonight, Thea goes running off to rescue Roy.  As romantic as this desire is to save him, how does she really think this is a good idea?  Why not just call Roy and make sure he heard the news and get out of there?  But instead she chooses to run off that way without letting him know she’s coming, and just so happens to come across him in a random alley.

This was probably all just to get the kiss between the two of them before Thea leaves him to help people stuck in a bus, which Thea puts up no fight to stay with him and help to make sure he still has a car to help him get out in time.  Seriously, I don’t get this girl.  But what I do know is this was easily my favorite showing of Roy yet, other than the episode in which he is kidnapped.  He shows some amazing fighting skills again, as well as a new layer to the person he is, which involves a whole lot of self-sacrifice to save other members of the community.

We don’t know what becomes of Roy, but chances are after the summer he will emerge like Oliver from the island ready to become a sidekick.  Luckily he doesn’t have to live on an island for 5 years of torturous danger.

RIP Tommy Merlyn

I am guilty of being anti Tommy for the last few episodes because of his animosity towards Oliver, as well as how he treated Laurel in the end even though I never wanted them to be together, but never did I hope for, or even imagine, that this would be how Tommy’s story comes to an end.

When his father revealed who he really was to Tommy, instead of picking up the family bow as I feared he would to become an archenemy to Oliver (like Lex did with Clark after their friendship fell through in Smallville), the good person that still remained deep down came out to do what was right.  His appalled reaction to his father’s admittance of his plans and the murders he has already committed, including a few in front of Tommy tonight, pushed Tommy to pull a gun on his father, but he is still too good of a person to go far enough to actually pull the trigger and stop his father from carrying out his plan.

So when he awakens from his father knocking him out, he does what he can to rectify the situation, which is to go to The Glades and help the woman he loves, even if she has moved on.  He manages to save Laurel, lifting some rubble that was holding her down, but in the process of helping her escape he becomes trapped himself as the building really starts falling in on itself.  Oliver arrives to save his best friend, but it is too late as he has been speared through the abdomen, and on turn my waterworks.  I really did love this character…

Final Thoughts

Now that my emotions have subsided slightly, I can still say that after a great premiere season of Arrow, it ended on a high note.  Now bring on season 2!

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