Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Sons of Anarchy: Season One

It initially was difficult to like the characters in the first season of “Sons of Anarchy”. The criminals were violent with little about them to like. The surrounding characters seemed to have been drawn into their bad situations at their own choosing. Even the “good guy” law enforcement personnel were deeply flawed and generally despicable. As the season progresses, the story lines and conflicts became more intriguing. The season ends well with one wanting to find out what the future holds.

There are some general plot lines of “Sons of Anarchy” that are reminiscent of “The Sopranos”. Both series had mother figures with a strong presence where one realizes that, in a family feud, the mother has deliberately and potentially let her son be placed at risk. That is some wake up call for the main character. In both series, the main characters need to consider how to handle “a rat”, yet to give “Sons of Anarchy” great credit, their story line on this is gripping. This is a series that slowly grabs the viewer and pulls the viewer in. 

Monday, June 24, 2013

Baby Makers


This is two distinct movies seeking to be one. It begins as an insightful yet funny look at how infertility affects a comedy. The couple have a delightful relationship where they solve the simpler problems well, which may be positive to watch yet lacks the conflict sought in many films. The fertility issues looms with growing intensity which does create interesting conflict. There is a long focus on this relationship with some laugh out loud hilarity among a serious examination of how infertility affects people.

The movie then shifts into weird digressions as a slapstick comedy with much silliness. It sinks to racial humor. Overall, there is enough humor to make this a fun movie, The viewer should be prepared for an unorthodox cinematic journey.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Dark Circles



This is a remarkably impressive film that mostly uses the good but seldom now used Hitchockian method of creating suspense without showing much blood and gore. It creates tension with expert filming, music, and writing. The story presents a very plausible explanation for the horrors that face a family, while create the mystery that there could be another more disturbing reason. The suspense is greatly enhanced as a baby is involved. Th

The tensions are increased throughout the film which increases the suspense. The movie digresses into a more modern ending which includes some blood, which may be the requirements of today's audience. Fortunately, the blood is not overdone. This movie startles the viewer into pondering who or what is the villain and who will the hero be? The script is excellent although there are some continuity issues. Overall this is an impressive presentation from the suspense genre.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Identity Theft

This film relies on situational comedy. The dialogue’s humor often occurs only when profanity emerges. It is well acted with Melissa McCarthy demonstrating great slapstick comedy talents. Jason Bateman proves again he is the master of being the straight man as the world collapses into comedic insanity around him. The plot requires much suspension of belief, The supporting characters are often ill defined and fail to connect with the audience, save for the wife and children. As the supporting characters are weakly created, they often are a sudden distraction with mostly far fetched reasons for popping into the story. A major plus for the film is one is often unsure how the movie will end and that upholds interest. The ending is indeed one that is overall satisfying.