RLASKEY: words » Movies/TV

BBC: Zen

rlaskey — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:10:17 +0000

Incredible show, enjoyed every minute of it. Rufus Sewell, Caterina Murino, and all the rest of the cast all did such a wonderful job, and it’s sad that it only lasted three episodes. At 90 minutes each, there’s still a reasonable amount of time to spend with the characters and the story. I also will eventually get to the series of books on which the show was based.

rlaskey — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:16:22 +0000

RT @michaeljnelson: The Social Network sucked. I hear Michael Cera was great, though, in J.J. Abrams’ searing Compuserve miniseries on Lifetime.

Southland

rlaskey — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:53:24 +0000

Southland is some legitimately great television. As another show following police it’s a hard sell up front, though it’s shot and told in a significantly different way than many other shows. It’s fact-based fiction told in a slick yet reality-TV-like style, with a lot of fast cuts and character development. I’ve only seen the first season at this point, but I’m already hooked and am looking forward to more.

Red State

rlaskey — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:48:41 +0000

Wow! I thought this movie was pretty damned great. It apparently was 89 minutes long, though it zipped by quite quickly. John Goodman was excellent, and the writing was superb. There were many points where I thought I could expect what was happening next, only to be proven severely wrong. Kevin Smith, the director, deserves a lot of credit, and I encourage everyone with some time to check it out.

End of Suburbia

rlaskey — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:08:26 +0000

Great movie, from 2004. The movie starts off describing the ascent of the suburban life, from promises to World War 2 veterans to subsidies pushed by the oil and automotive industries. It never made that much sense to me as to why everything was always so spread out.

A lot of the movie is then about America’s dependence on oil, and high, unsustainable amounts of energy. Peak oil plays a big role in the discussion, with a number of authors pulling in their thoughts. More than one of these predicted an economic decline, which certainly has hit and is with us today. While the discussion of the depression is now mostly about the financial industries, it is hard to decouple our energy trends and policies from our economic woes.

At less than 80 minutes, the End of Suburbia is a great ride, and provides a good balance of information within its themes.

Hanna

rlaskey — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:52:54 +0000

Good movie! The visuals and audio were incredibly slick. Most of the movie is very stark, white, and cold, very beautifully done. The Chemical Brothers also created the soundtrack, which I felt was top notch. The pacing was different from many films, so I can see where people wouldn’t quite hold onto it too quickly. Check it out, it’s certainly worth a watch!

The Secret in Their Eyes

rlaskey — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 03:38:45 +0000

Wow. This was a great movie. It was definitely a bit upsetting, but the story was told in such a great and new way. The cinematography is also elegant and thoughtfully done, peaking in a single take that careens all around a packed soccer stadium. The story is about a rape and murder of a woman, though telling anything more than that would likely give more away than I’d like. It’s well worth seeing, and make sure to save it for when you have the time and attention.

Fall of Sam Axe

rlaskey — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:49:56 +0000

I like Burn Notice a lot. It’s a bit hokey, but it’s fun and funny and there’s enough blowing up on the screen to keep my attention well enough. This movie was basically a double episode, set in a different location and without Jeffrey Donovan.

I doubt the Fall of Sam Axe is going to blow anyone’s mind, but Bruce Campbell is the man and he makes it a great experience. It’s a bit slicker and tighter than the show, and the mountains of Columbia are really beautiful.

MST3K: Final Sacrifice

rlaskey — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:57:13 +0000

Watched this one tonight, was flippin’ hilarious. Most episodes of that show are great, and perhaps it was because I hadn’t seen one in a bit, but I was rolling over laughing at some points. Great stuff.

It was also the first time watching something through on Amazon Prime Instant Video. It worked really well, despite some temporary error on my Roku box. I’ve just dropped Netflix, but am one of two DVDs in Allison’s account via their Profiles feature. Amazon Prime doesn’t have a video queue, which is a bit of a downer, though you can add movies to a Wish List and manage it that way.

Dexter: Season 5

rlaskey — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 01:14:03 +0000

We blasted through the fifth season of Dexter in less than a week. It was incredible. If you’ve never seen the show, it’s time to start from the first season and work forward. It’s intense, and beautifully produced from start to finish.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Julia Stiles, though she did an amazing job on all accounts. The other characters, including Dexter, are all continuing to evolve in interesting ways. Bravo.

1984: the movie

rlaskey — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:13:17 +0000

A lot of what Orwell brought to the table in 1984 was in the in the description of the party, the system of control, and the psychology of humans. It’s hard to put all of that into a movie form, especially when limited to two hours. The movie did a great job in a lot of ways, and the lighting was absolutely beautiful. I will say, though, that it’s no substitute to the book. Still, it’s heavy material and was very well done.