- The first half of 2010 in the cinema world was, how shall I say it ... well, if we're comparing it to cuisine, let's agree that it was not "restaurant quality." The past couple of months have shown much more promise. There's a lot of stuff out now that I'd love to see but haven't. However, "The Town" did not slip past the goalie, and my mission was to make sure I didn't sleep on this one in the thee-ay-tur. Kiddies, this flick was bad-ass. Ben Affleck has been mostly a punchline for the past decade or so after the early part of his career (90s) showed such promise. But he's reinvented his image as a solid director, first with 2006's "Gone Baby Gone." "The Town" only further cements his reputation behind the camera lens. He also co-wrote the movie and stars in it, and did an above-average job in those departments as well. It's a gritty, pull-no-punches look at Charlestown (South Boston) bank robbers, and an FBI task force team, led by 'Mad Men' superstar Jon Hamm, trying to bust the bad boys. There's also a romance angle sprinkled in (Rebecca Hall plays the manager of the bank robbed in the opening scene), but not done in a turn-your-stomach sort of way.
The performances are top notch, and both the dialogue and pacing move quickly enough to make the two-plus hours fly by. Keep an eye on Jeremy Renner as the quick-tempered, downright frightening best friend of Affleck's character. He rocks the role like no other. If I had to nit-pick, there are some minor logic flaws with the plot here and there, and some of the action scenes (see the requisite 'car chase' scene that must be present in EVERY action flick) are maybe a shade less than wholly believable. But not to an egregious degree. And it's done in such a stylized, adrenaline-pumping manner that it can be largely overlooked. Put it this way - it didn't affect my enjoyment of the film, and if anyone is quick to bag on most forms of entertainment for coloring liberally outside the lines of plausibility, it's yours truly.
- Original entertainment on TV is as good now as it's ever been. Remember a time, you know 15 or more years ago, when network TV was the only place to see shows? Fortunately, it's not like that now. HBO and Showtime have both been killing it for years. I don't subscribe to Showtime, so I can only speak for HBO from personal experience, but with shows like "Treme," "Eastbound and Down," "The Life and Times of Tim," "Bored to Death," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the brand-new and brilliant "Boardwalk Empire" and "True Blood" (which I don't even watch), there's something for everyone. If you haven't checked out "Boardwalk Empire" yet, HBO's newest dramatic offering with Steve Buscemi as the lead character playing the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic City in 1920 during the start of the Prohibition Era, do yourself a favor and check it out. If you don't get HBO, try to find a free viewing online or something. Smart, sleek, beautifully shot and highly entertaining. Martin Scorcese directed the premiere episode, which plays out like a sweeping mini-film at one hour and 15 minutes. He's set the bar high for his successors come future episodes.
Meanwhile, AMC's two hallmark programs, "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men," only continue to get better. They keep it humming, believe that. Mad Men has been 'off-the-charts' enthralling in this fourth season. Watching it just reinforces the notion that Don Draper (the aforementioned Jon Hamm) should have split with that selfish wet blanket Betty a LONG time ago so that he could make Don Draper mistakes and live the Don Draper lifestyle. Over the past couple of episodes he's begun to get himself together, cutting back on the drinking and appearing to attempt some form of a committed relationship with new Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Pryce market research expert Dr. Faye. And the continued exploration of a quickly maturing yet still confused Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) has provided for some great moments this season also, especially as the relationship between Peggy and Don continues to take bold turn after turn (see 'The Suitcase' - one of the best episodes ever). Can't wait to see what develops over these last five installments of Season Four. You know there will be some sort of major cliffhanger to keep us all amped up for the next season. Oh, and, whose heart wasn't bleeding for poor Sally Draper after this past episode. Sure she acted out and was a brat at the end, but if YOU were 10 years old and had Betty Draper for a mom, I don't think you'd be pleased as punch about it either.
- Why can't music like this be made these days?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCnebZnysmI
Literally, are there ANY bands out there now that just plug in and play, and let their raw musicianship and energy carry them to stardom?
Deep Purple was one of the greats of all time, so it's hard to live up to performances like this. But rock musicians of the world - please, a little more effort. Thanks, and stuff. By the way, pay special attention to the drumming on this track. Ian Paice is one of the all-time best, and that's my word. His break beat fills during the verses are insane, but on top of that, even his simple beat-keeping during the main riff stands out - lots of pop-and-snap on the snare and cymbals to keep the song moving along like a locomotive. Good, good, good times.
Football stuffage is comin' at you next.
No comments:
Post a Comment