Author: Jason Zingale (Page 117 of 154)

“Get ready for it!” “For what?” “The big surprise.” “Oh, that isn’t till next week.”

October 4, 2006 /

You guys ready for the big reveal? The con artist formerly known as Henry Gale has a real name… and it’s Ben. Seriously? That’s the big secret? Oh boy, it looks like we’re in for yet another frustrating season of “Lost,” especially since tonight’s highly-publicized premiere was such a complete washout. Sure, the writers blew everyone away with an amazing opening sequence – which revealed that some kind of private community exists just on the outskirts of the island, where all of the Others lived before the plane crash – but aside from that, it was pretty much slow goings for the rest of the episode. Not only was most of the episode relatively uneventful, but the hour was plagued with so many commercial breaks that I didn’t even feel encouraged to pay attention.

Jack was chosen for the first flashback of the season (big surprise), and I can comfortably say that it was one of the worst in the show’s history. We learned a little more about his divorce from wife Sara and her assumed secret relationship with Jack’s father, but it turned out to only be a silly misdirection on the part of the writers.

A majority of the episode dealt more with what happened to Jack, Kate and Sawyer after they were captured at the end of season two. They’ve all been split up and placed in to different rooms. For Jack, it’s a dungeon-like hatch, but at least he gets a pretty girl (new character, Juliet) to talk to. She’s obviously been assigned specifically to Jack – maybe because she resembles his ex-wife, or maybe because they’re going to hook up later down the road. Whatever it is, Jack sure isn’t making it easy for the Others, and after taking her hostage, opens a door that he’s specially told not to open. The result? A giant wall of water that begins to flood the room. Nice going, doctor. His control of the situation doesn’t last long, however, and before you know it, he’s back in the room he started out in. Only this time, Juliet seems a little more willing to cooperate. First off, she doesn’t seem to mind telling him that they’re inside one of the many other hatches the island. This one is called Hydra because, well, it’s underwater. She also discloses the secret behind how she knows so much: they have a folder on him. What? That’s almost too ridiculous to discuss, so I’ll simply move on.

Kate’s incarceration isn’t quite so bad. She gets a shower, new clothes, and even a fancy breakfast with the head honcho. When asked why she was being treated as so, however, Ben simply replied: “The next two weeks are going to be very unpleasant.” Let the controversy begin, but I personally think that it has something to with grooming her to become a model citizen of the community – i.e. official baby maker.

Sawyer, on the other hand, definitely gets the worst of the bunch. He’s subjected to living in a zoo cage (at least we know where all those polar bears came from), and while it doesn’t take him very long to figure out the puzzle required to get food/water, well, it’s not exactly what you’d call quality. It’s a fish biscuit, or the zoo equivalent of a big ‘ol Milkbone. Yummy! At least he gets to dream of Kate while he rots in monkey hell…

External Entertainment, External TV, Lost, TV, TV Dramas

“If you with us, you with us.”

October 4, 2006 /

(Note: This is an early review of next week’s episode. If you have HBO On Demand, watch it now. Otherwise, wait until Sunday to avoid spoilers.)

Well said, Chris. Ya know, for being introduced simply as Marlo’s go-to muscle, Chris has really earned my respect as one of the smartest characters on the show. If you must, you could even compare him to the late Stringer Bell (and probably a younger version, at that), but I have a feeling that he’s going to come into his own as a much stronger force before long. His schooling of Marlo on how to deal with Omar was impeccable, and the execution was even better (setting him up to take all the heat from a robbery homicide). Meanwhile, Marlo’s got a few new problems of his own – namely that of the Baltimore police, who have just installed a surveillance camera in a corner of the park where he hangs – but now that he knows about it, why hasn’t he just gotten rid of it?

Dealing with trivial things like this really isn’t his cup of tea, however. He’s more concerned with recruiting street smart recruits like Michael onto his crew, and though he’s tried several times, he’s yet to win him over. If he really wanted the kid on his team, all he’d need to do is get rid of that little brother of his, but I’m still not sure Marlo is as callous as that. He certainly knows the repercussions of such an act, and if it did happen down the road, you can be damn sure that he’ll be well removed.

Michael isn’t the only kid with a spotlight on him this week, either. Namond’s feeling the heat from Prez’s new in-class regime (and is a top candidate for Colvin’s new program), Randy is being haunted by Lex’s death, and DuQuan discloses that he knows exactly where Chris and Snoop have been sticking all of those dead bodies. It’s too bad he’s not working as a detective on the case, though I have a pretty good feeling that if he tells anyone else about it, it will probably be Prez, who’s recently shown an interest in the impoverished eighth grader by bringing him “extra” lunches and shuffling off pocket change for a drink. It looks like old Pryzbylewski is finally getting a hand of his new profession, though his newly earned respect may quickly diminish when he goes running to his old friend Lestor with the information.

Finally, it looks like Carcetti just might pull through with a victory over Royce in the upcoming elections. Gray is clearly no longer an option, but he continues to steal votes from the black population every week. And with only a few more days to go in the campaign, Carcetti’s now only trailing the incumbent by four points, and may have just earned a few new supporters in Delegate Watkins and Deputy Commissioner Rawls. Of course, the latter is purely professional (Rawls has been sniffing out that top post ever since Burrell was appointed as the temporary replacement), but he’ll still probably get it, if only to play up the possible homosexual subplot that was hinted at towards the end of season three. With the election just around the corner (quite possibly as soon as next episode), things are going to start heating up in the city of Baltimore, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

External TV, The Wire, TV, TV Dramas

DVD shuffle: 10/03/06

October 3, 2006 /

New on DVD this week:

1) X-Men: The Last Stand – RENT: I may be the only fanboy that actually liked the saga-ending threequel, but that doesn’t mean that I’d spend my hard-earned cash on this single-disc release. Especially when a two-disc special edition will be in stores by Christmas.

2) Thank You For Smoking – BUY: Best. Movie. Of. The. Year. ‘Nuff said.

3) The Woods – RENT: Lucky McGee’s throwback horror movie may have been shuffled straight to DVD, but it’s still one of my Must See Movies of the Year. As in I still want to see it; like, really bad.

Also out this week are reisusses of classic guy flicks like “Scarface,” “Point Break,” “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

External Movie DVDs, Movie DVDs, Movies

And the role of Iron Man will be played by…

September 29, 2006 /

Robert Downey Jr.?

That’s the word on the block, anyways, and while I don’t particularly think it’s a great choice, it’s definitely an interesting one.

Based upon Marvel’s iconic Super Hero, Iron Man tells the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. Upon his return to America, Tony must come to terms with his past. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.

Downey has proven himself versatile many a times, and it looks like Marvel is really looking to make a splash with their first independently produced feature film. Jon Favreau is set to direct, with a summer 2008 release date.

Action Movies, External Movies, Gossip, Movies

No one wins

September 26, 2006 /

(Note: This is an early review of next week’s episode. If you have HBO On Demand, watch it now. Otherwise, wait until Sunday to avoid spoilers.)

Except maybe Omar, who has drawn the most heat in the last three seasons and has still managed to walk out alive. He might not get that chance this time around, but at least we finally know how his character is going to factor into the new season. After staying low in his debut episode, Omar got back to business this week when he held up a high-stakes poker game that included none other than Marlo. Earlier in the episode, Marlo displayed his alpha male superiority during his little run-in with the corner store security guard (whose own machismo landed him an upright grave courtesy of Chris and Snoop), but his ego was seriously damaged when Omar stole all of the cash, nabbed Marlo’s new ring and embarrassed him in front of the room. For those who can’t keep up: Marlo = Avon Barksdale. Get the picture?

The rest of the episode was pretty average, with Prez still shaken up over the schoolyard slashing, Kima being hazed during her first day on homicide, and Proposition Joe making his rounds to West Baltimore, but there were a couple of other great developments that are worth mentioning. First off, it seems that both Cutty and Bunny Colvin have officially been christened into the education storyline – Cutty for a side job as a wrangler, rounding up students to serve their mandatory one-day-a-month attendance in school, and Colvin visiting the middle school before his new experimental program begins.

Second, while the relationship between Michael and his brother has been touched upon in the past, it wasn’t until now that the full extent of his situation has been established. This kid is single-handedly taking care of his younger brother (apparently an ongoing problem in the city of Baltimore) because his parents/guardians are too doped out to do anything. So while Michael’s friends go home and play video games (I’m looking at you Namond, perhaps the biggest loser of the four kids), Michael is handed the responsibility of making sure his brother gets to school, does his homework, eats a proper meal, etc. The reason that this development is so important is because the audience can now understand why Michael won’t allow himself to depend on any adult – including Cutty, who is perhaps the only adult that is honestly making an effort to reach out to him parentally. This subplot will no doubt play a much larger role as the season progresses, and it will be interesting to see if Cutty ever earns his trust, let alone given the chance to train him.

External TV, The Wire, TV

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