Author: John Paulsen (Page 38 of 79)

Friday Night Lights: “Humble Pie”

January 27, 2008 /

Critics of the sophomore season who are upset about its lack of football action have to be perturbed by the inordinate amount of screen time that Dillon’s girls’ volleyball team received this week. Even this writer, who likes the football action but doesn’t find it a weekly necessity, wondered why the show was devoting ten minutes or more to the wrong sport. However, there were two good things to come out of the storyline: 1) Tyra in bunhugger shorts, and 2) Riggins’ second best line of the episode: “Over the net.” What was Riggins doing there, anyway? Is he still on Coach Taylor’s probation?

Oh, and what was Riggins’ best line of the episode?

“Oh my God. You’re going to apply a grade nine education to the stock market?”

Speaking of #33, he had a pretty tough week. His old roommate showed up with a couple of buddies looking for his money and the trio worked Tim over pretty good. Then he tells Lyla that he loves her, only to be shot down once again by Dillon’s most beautiful Christian. She did show up with three grand to bail him out of trouble, so she does still care about him. I doubt that relationship is over for good. (And I think there’s something up with her new boyfriend.)

It was good to see Jason this week. I thought that his storyline dragged on the show a bit during the first season. After the initial shock of the injury, there wasn’t a whole lot for him to do other than get on with his life. It was cool to see him figure out how to sell Gerald a car – his speech was one of those “Yes!” moments that makes this show so great. Buddy had a great line when he was talking about how that saleswoman snowed Jason – “I can’t believe that little philly.”

I’m not sure what exactly is going on with Tyra and Landry. When last we left them, Tyra said that he made her “feel too much” and he told her to get a move on because he wasn’t going to wait around forever. Now he has a semi-cute little lab partner and Tyra is acting awfully jealous. What exactly does she want him to do? It’s not like he’s the problem. The girl is growing on Landry a little bit, so we’ll see how long Tyra waits before she makes her grand gesture.

Lastly, Smash got suspended for three games. He didn’t go about it in the right way, but that rich kid deserved what he got (and more). Hopefully his suspension will remind everyone that there’s a football season going on.

External Entertainment, External TV, Friday Night Lights, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

Prison Break: “Dirt Nap”

January 22, 2008 /

It’s funny how hard the “Prison Break” writers have to work to keep the gang together. With Michael’s second escape attempt (hopefully) coming soon, it looked for a moment that T-Bag and Bellick would be left out in the cold. Michael, who has always been quite selective about whom he takes with him on these escapes, has suddenly decided to be Mr. Inclusive.

When Whistler tells him that he needed something from T-Bag and the price was T-Bag coming along on the escape, Michael just agreed without even asking what that something was. Of all of Michael’s foils on the show, he has the biggest problem with T-Bag’s history of molestation. You’d think he’d at least follow up on (and approve) his inclusion.

Then, with Sammy’s coup causing all sorts of problems for Michael and his crew, T-Bag enlists the help of Delta Force Bellick, who agrees without even bothering to check and see if there is any acetone left. T-Bag is getting soft, too. When Bellick threatens to shout the news of the escape “from the rooftops,” I expected T-Bag to say something like this:

Do that, sugar tits, and when you least expect it, I’ll slit your throat.

Instead, T-Bag, who shouldn’t have any “you’re in” privileges, tells Bellick just that.

(On a side note, I’m really starting to dig Bellick’s wardrobe. The belly-revealing half shirt and the Zubaz tiger-striped pants really work for him.)

Also, McGrady keeps popping his head in asking to get in on the escape, but Michael hasn’t budged yet. Expect that to change soon.

One more comment on the happenings inside the prison: Mahone is coming back. It appears that he’s shaking his addiction and he’s starting to become quite useful again. I really liked his line when Whistler was telling Mahone and Michael about how he got wrapped up with the Company:

We’re not two chicks at a bar. I don’t need to hear this, unless you do.

I miss Mahone the badass, so this is a good development.

On the outside, Lincoln and Sucre’s plan to trick Gretchen backfired when Sucre decided to immediately wire the $25 K to Maricruz. I thought Gretchen was especially evil in that scene in the car, though I thought it was odd that she didn’t wonder why Sucre got in the back seat instead of the front. As a soldier, you’d think she’d be a little more protective of her backside.

Anyway, Maricruz is in peril (again), which will bring Sucre’s loyalties into question (again). I’m going to go ahead and predict that Sucre will look as if he’s doing some shady things, but he’ll end up helping out the brothers in the end. (I know, that’s not really going out on a limb.)

Let’s see, what else is going on. Linc bought a bomb and Sucre planted it in Gretchen’s car. I’m not sure how that’s going to play out, but I’m guessing at some point, we’ll see a car explode. Also, using Gary Miller’s phone, Gretchen texted someone named Edward Guthrie about how sales are going through the roof. I’m not sure what that’s about.

Finally, Linc had the second best line of the night (after Mahone’s “two chicks” line) when he said to Sofia, “If he doesn’t take ya, I will.” Of course, if he likes her so much, why he would drop her off two blocks from home? Also, I’m curious about how many souvenir shops in Panama have Eiffel Tower keychains, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless. It appears that she has feelings for the big lug because when she got home she started to purge Whistler from her life. And that’s how she found his case.

Well, if he’s not a fisherman, what is he?

External Entertainment, External TV, Prison Break, TV Action, TV Dramas

Friday Night Lights: “Who Do You Think You Are?”

January 19, 2008 /

I don’t know how they do it, but the creators of this show found a way to make a mundane task like choosing the right daycare fairly interesting. Maybe it’s because I’m an expecting father, but I felt the Taylors’ pain when they had to leave Gracie at daycare for the first time.

Other than that storyline (and the awesome cameo by Glenn, “Um, I think she needs her diaper changed”), I wasn’t too crazy about this episode. The old, mistake-making Lyla was a lot more interesting than the new-and-improved, preachy Lyla. While Riggins’ call to the radio show was pretty funny (“Um, I think Jesus is kinda hot”), the rest of the storyline was pretty bland. However, it does appear that the Lyla/Riggins relationship will be moving forward next week.

Santiago’s brush with his past is kind of cliché, and the most compelling thing about that thread is the trust that’s developing between he and Buddy. Buddy’s growth is both funny and endearing. He’s like a little kid with a new toy, and the new toy is a 16 year-old ex-con. His spiel about “judging people by what’s on the inside” at the bar was hilarious, especially when he followed it up by asking one of his friends if he should hide his watch from “a bunch of thugs.” (On a side note, it was nice to see “Veronica Mars” alum Francis Capra again. He played Santiago’s friend.)

The last less-than-stellar storyline this week was the exploration of racism as a part of Smash’s relationship with Noel. I thought it was odd (and pretty unrealistic) that her parents would invite everyone over for dinner only to spring an ambush at dessert. To top things off, we have the stereotypical white racist bothering Smash’s sister at the movies. The incident will probably prompt Smash to break things off with Noel. Yawn.

For the sake of QB1, I was sad to see Carlota go, but there wasn’t really anything going on in that relationship. It felt a little abrupt, but the moment the two shared at the birthday party seemed genuine. Now that they’re both single, methinks this may eventually lead to a Matt/Julie reunion, but expect QB1 to go through some tough times first.

Lastly, for anyone that’s interested, the moody song playing over the final few scenes was Devendra Banhart’s “Now That I Know,” which is off his 2005 album, Cripple Crow. The show sure does a nice job with its music.

External Entertainment, External TV, Friday Night Lights, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

Was Axel Foley gay?

January 17, 2008 /

Bill Simmons (a.k.a. “The Sports Guy”) writes for ESPN, but occasionally his column delves into the entertainment world. Here’s his theory about Axel Foley (of the “Beverly Hills Cop” trilogy), and whether or not he was gay.

During breaks in the Skins-Hawks game, I was flicking over to “Beverly Hills Cop” on one of the HD channels, and maybe it was seeing Jenny Summers’ come-hither smirk in high definition for the first time, but how did I never notice the smoldering sexual tension in the scene when Axel brings his old friend Jenny back to his Beverly Hills hotel room and she lays down on his bed and bats her eyelashes at him for a couple of minutes? For God’s sake, she did everything but take her clothes off and assume the missionary position, and yet Axel was more interested in ordering room service for Taggart and Rosewood. I don’t get it.

Which leads me to my $64,000 question: Was Axel Foley secretly gay?

In the first two “Cop” movies (I refuse to admit that “Cop 3” happened), Axel didn’t have a girlfriend, and we never saw him hook up with a single girl. In “Cop 1,” he convincingly pretended to be Victor Maitlin’s lover in a public restaurant. In “Cop 2,” he ruined what could have been a fantastic time for his buddies at the Playboy Mansion by starting a fight for no real reason with a suspected bank robber. In “Cop 1,” he made Taggart and Rosewood follow him to a strip joint, almost like he was overcompensating, then spent more time looking around the club than looking at the girls. In both “Cop” movies, he ably served as a platonic friend for Jenny and Lt. Bogomil’s daughter (without ever making a move on either of them); he clicked with two obviously gay characters (the ones played by Damon Wayans and Bronson Pinchot); and he loved playing a perverse cat-and-mouse game with Taggart and Rosewood (two guys). And he was willing to risk his job and his life to avenge the murder of his old “buddy” Mikey, who just happened to be coming back to “crash” at Axel’s apartment on the night he was murdered. We’re sure Axel Foley was straight? We’re sure?

Of course, he forgot the biggest clue of all – banana in the tailpipe.

External Entertainment, External Movies, Humor, Movie Comedies, Movies

Prison Break: “Boxed In”

January 15, 2008 /

Here’s a sentence that I never thought I’d hear uttered:

“You’re going to throw down a chicken foot over a puddle of puke?”

But that’s “Prison Break” for you.

As the FOX promo said, the brothers are back. When we last left them, a foiled escape attempt led to a decision by the new warden (we’ll just call him “The General”) to kick Scofield out of Sona. A few minutes in the hotbox and Michael sang like a canary, choosing to trust The General when he said that he could help.

This course of action showed some promise, but alas, the show is called “Prison Break” not “Let The General Help You Out.” The General seemed like a pretty smart guy, someone who has had to survive in a tough business, so it seems quite odd that he’d only take one soldier on his trip with Gretchen to find LJ. Sure, one soldier should be enough if it were only Gretchen he had to worry about, but didn’t he allow for the possibility that she might be setting a trap? At the very least, you’d think he’d account for a few armed men with the hostage, who just might put up a fight.

(Sigh.)

Anyway, The General and his sole bodyguard are dead and Michael is back in Sona. What is old is new again.

The writers did their damndest to touch base with just about every character on the show. Michael, Linc, T-Bag, Sucre, Gretchen, Whistler, Sofia, T-Bag, Bellick, Luchero, Sammy, Sammy’s drug dealer, McGrady, Mahone and even Mahone’s friend (who looks like she has some romantic feelings for everybody’s favorite corrupt FBI agent) all got some screen time. It made for a scattershot episode, but it pushed the storyline back into the prison, and it looks like Michael still has to break everyone out. The best thing to come out of this episode was Michael’s declaration that he’s coming for Gretchen. For me, that’s the proverbial carrot at the end of the “Prison Break” stick.

Anyone who fell for Linc and Sucre’s little spat in the lobby of the hotel should look inward and ask themselves if they have paid proper attention to the show during its three seasons. I saw that switcheroo coming from ten miles away, and believe me, I’m not bragging. We were supposed to be surprised when Sucre broke into a little smile in the hotel room, but really, was anyone surprised?

(After that spiel, I doubt anyone will admit to that now.)

I’ll end on a prediction – Linc and Sofia get together by the end of the season. Whistler did say he loved her, but she doesn’t trust him anymore and Linc just saved her life. I’m not sure when, but those two are going to hook up.

One last thing – I noticed something a little odd. LJ said he was there when Gretchen killed Sara, but he said he closed his eyes. Are the creators leaving open the possibility that Sara is alive? I guess all it would take to convince Linc about Sara’s death would be a fake severed head, and it wouldn’t be too hard to fool him. I don’t think that’s the direction they’re heading, but I thought I’d throw it out there and see if it sticks.

External Entertainment, External TV, Prison Break, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Premium Hollywood

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑