Author: Jason Zingale (Page 38 of 154)

Sons of Anarchy 2.5 – Smite

October 6, 2009 /

We haven’t seen much of John Teller’s transcript since Piney gave Jax his copy at the end of last year, but you’d be kidding yourself if you didn’t think it still played an important part in the overarching story of the season. In fact, even though Jax now has a nice leather-bound copy, he still goes searching for the one he nearly burned to a crisp, only to discover the box it was hidden in missing from his garage. When he asks Gemma about its whereabouts, she simply shrugs it off as something she threw away when making room for the baby, even though both of them know that’s not the truth. That can’t make Jax feel any better about the situation, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he begins looking into his father’s death now that he knows what Clay is capable of.

Of course, Gemma has more important things to worry about for the time being. After getting into a foot chase with the lady that kidnapped her while out shopping, Gemma accidentally clocks Tara in the face when she approaches her from behind. When Tara suggests that her jumpy nerves are a result of not telling anyone about the rape, and even recommends a therapist that might help, Gemma accepts the offer, only to walk away right before her appointment begins. I’m not sure why she’s so hesitant to tell anyone about the incident, because someone’s bound to find out eventually, and it will probably be Tara or Wayne who finally squeal.

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Case in point: Wayne has already told David about the attack. Granted, it was a necessary move on his part, because David was ever so close to cooperating with Ethan. Heck, he was even given all the evidence needed to prosecute the Sons for blowing up the meth lab, not to mention his own blackmail video of him accepting a bribe from Darby. After Wayne explains that it was exactly his by-the-books approach to lawmaking that convinced him he was the right person to take over, however, David quickly decided to make things right. Along with giving Jax and Clay the DVD that incriminates Opie for his part in the explosion, he also helps them prevent his older brother, Jacob, from buying up some cheap land with the help of LOAN. I don’t think that means the Sons can look forward to working with David when he finally becomes Chief, but they can at least expect him to stay out of their way while they take care of Ethan Zobelle.

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Sons of Anarchy, TV, TV Dramas

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

September 30, 2009 /

DC Premiere’s latest animated movie, “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies,” isn’t so much a movie as it is a really long episode of “Justice League of America.” Based on the six-issue limited series by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, “Public Enemies” finds the country in such a terrible state of distress that the people are willing to elect Lex Luthor as their new president. When Luthor begins enlisting superheroes to work for the government, Superman becomes suspicious of his ulterior motives. Using the impending arrival of a meteor from Krypton as a distraction, Luthor frames Superman for the murder of Metallo and places a $1 billion bounty on his head. Now, every villain from Silver Banshee to General Grodd is hot on his trail, and the only person willing to take his side is his good friend Batman. Unfortunately, the movie is so damn short at a mere 67 minutes that Batman is hardly given his time to shine. In fact, while he may share top billing with the Man of Steel, this is first and foremost a Superman movie. Not that Superman fans will complain, but for those hoping to see a little more from the Caped Crusader, prepare to be disappointed. The public enemies of this film aren’t the titular superheroes, it’s the suits in charge of putting together this half-assed adventure.

Click to buy “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies”

Action Movies, External Movie DVDs, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies

Sons of Anarchy 2.4 – Eureka

September 29, 2009 /

If there’s one thing that continues to impress me about the Sons of Anarchy, it’s the way in which these guys conduct their business. The whole idea of participating in a charity ride as a cover to do their gun runs is pure genius. Not only do the cops stay out of their way, but they also look like heroes to the community. Nevertheless, something was bound to go wrong, and when Bobby brought out his worse for wear Fat Boy to ride on the job, it was pretty much a given that it would play a part in the incident. No sooner had the Sons picked up the guns and started north to drop them off when Bobby’s bike kicked back a cloud of smoke, forcing Tig off the road and into a ditch. The accident wasn’t as bad as it looked, but Tig was still busted up enough to require medical attention.

Unfortunately, his insurance plan didn’t cover him at the hospital, and while they were all waiting around for transport to a hospital that would stitch him up, a van full of bounty hunters swung by to pick him up. As it turns out, Tig has an outstanding warrant in Oregon (one that even he’s forgotten about), and while Clay and Jax butt heads over whether they should continue with the drop or rescue their captured comrade first, Tig buys them some time by provoking the bounty hunters to beat him up, knowing that they can’t turn him in until he’s patched up. The rivalry between Clay and Jax has been heating up ever since the death of Donna, but this is the first time that it’s directly affected everyone else in the club. Fortunately, Piney could care less about Clay’s orders these days, so he grabs a flatbed truck and, with the help of Jax, Chibs, Juice and Half-Sack, busts through the motel where Tig is being held to rescue him.

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Clay isn’t at all happy about their recklessness, but what’s most upsetting to him is that Jax refuses to be a team player. When your stepdad orders the murder of your best friend, only to kill his wife, however, you can kind of understand why Jax may still be holding a grudge. I cannot wait until he finally exposes what really happened to the rest of the club – especially now that Opie is acting all hunky-dory around Clay – but the chances of that happening anytime soon are pretty slim. Of course, the fact that Clay has threatened to kill Jax if he brings it up again certainly isn’t going to change his feelings on the matter. Quite the contrary, really, since it only goes to show that Clay will take out anyone who gets in his way. My guess is that Clay and Jax will continue to butt heads until Gemma is left with no other option but to unite them by exposing her secret.

For the time being, Gemma is trying to deal with the situation on her own. When her attackers send a taunting message through the mail in the form of a Michael Myers mask, however, Gemma decides to confront them by returning it to the store on the name of the bag that it came in. Apparently, she doesn’t realize that the store has since been replaced by Ethan Zobelle’s cigar shop, which means that she never actually knew who attacked her in the first place. I find that a bit implausible since they made a point of showing AJ’s tattoo during the rape scene, but regardless, Gemma definitely knows the truth now, and so does Chief Wayne, who had the best scene of the night when he confronted Ethan in the cigar shop. Gemma, meanwhile, follows AJ to some sort of meeting with the intent of killing him when she hears him talking to his kid on the phone. Conscience is a bitch, but just because Gemma isn’t willing to shoot someone with a family doesn’t mean Clay feels the same way. In fact, if he’s willing to kill his own stepson, shooting AJ should be a walk in the park.

Sons of Anarchy, TV, TV Dramas

Blu Tuesday: The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition

September 29, 2009 /

When it comes to movie classics, there is none more beloved than Victor Fleming’s 1939 musical, “The Wizard of Oz.” Based on the popular children’s book by L. Frank Baum, the film has been featured on numerous “best of” lists and continues to captivate people of all ages to this day. In celebration of its 70th anniversary, Warner Home Video is releasing the movie for the very first time in high definition in a special collector’s set designed exclusively for the hardcore “Oz” fan. This four-disc box set includes over 16 hours of bonus material, a 52-page commemorative book about the making of the film, a reproduction of the original 1939 campaign book, a replica of the film’s budget sheet, and a limited edition watch.

Of course, the main draw of the set is the film itself, and while many have logged complaints about the film’s new hi-def transfer following the one-night special engagement in theaters across the country, there’s no truth behind any of them. Though a movie as old as “The Wizard of Oz” is never going to look as pristine as one from the last decade, the hours of work that went into restoring the film for its Blu-ray debut can be appreciated the minute Leo the MGM Lion comes on screen. It’s not perfect, mind you, but when compared to the many reissues over the years, this version is hands down the best one yet. Colors pop off the screen without looking oversaturated, while the sepia-toned segments look sharper than ever.

As expected with a movie as legendary as “The Wizard of Oz,” Warner Bros. has crammed as many special features onto the four-disc set as possible — to the point that it’s almost overkill. Granted, one of those discs only contains a digital copy of the film, but the other three more than make up for it. Disc One features the movie, as well as a new audio commentary by “Oz” historian John Fricke and a sing-along track. The previously released TV special, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic,” hosted by Angela Lansbury also appears, as do featurettes on music, costumes and production design (“The Art of Imagination”) and the legacy of the film (“Because of the Wonderful Things It Does”).

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External Movie DVDs, Movie DVDs, Movies

Entourage 6.11 – Scared Straight

September 27, 2009 /

With the season drawing to a close, tonight’s episode put the finishing touches on all four major storylines, delivering one of the most well-rounded half-hours of “Entourage” in the process. Though Turtle’s story has been showing signs of wear lately (I blame Ms. I Only Wear Thongs), it looks like the writers plan to shake things up, because they’ve just placed his relationship with Jamie-Lynn on the backburner. Their last day together certainly started out sweet, with Turtle unveiling the ultimate lunch made up of Jamie’s favorite dishes, but it soon turned into a bout of jealously when she discovered that Turtle’s new admirer had friended him on Facebook. Though it’s a bit silly to think that Jamie-Lynn could even be jealous of Turtle, his decision to delete her from his friends list was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, that was merely the calm before the storm, as Jamie eventually tells Turtle that he can see other people while she’s gone. Of course, she didn’t actually break up with him, which makes me think that she’s really just testing him to see if he can stay loyal. And by the look of next week’s season finale, that may be harder said than done.

Eric, meanwhile, was given his first comedic storyline since the infamous Spooning the Guest Star incident a few years back, and I have to say that I really enjoyed the break from his more dramatic side. Usually, it would be Drama running around town worried about having contracted an STD from some random hook-up, but Kevin Connelly did a great job with the material – especially during the scene in the doctor’s office where he was forced to suffer through the long-winded background history interview. The fact that the girl hooked up with Drama only four months prior didn’t help his feelings on the matter, but what the hell was he thinking by not wearing a condom? Luckily, he escapes the situation disease-free, and as expected, swears off one-night stands and turns his attention back to wooing Sloan.

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Of course, even though Drama wasn’t the subject of the STD scare, he still had his own share of weekly shenanigans to deal with – this time revolving around his “Melrose Place” audition. While chatting with David Faustino in the waiting area, he discovers that the director in charge of the pilot episode (“Entourage” creator Doug Ellin) is the same guy he flipped out in front of during his original audition for “Five Towns.” Though he’s ensured there’s no bad blood between them and that it’s his job to lose, Drama has a panic attack when he learns that Dean “Superman” Cain is also testing for the role. One trip to the hospital later, Lloyd calls to inform him that they’ve offered him another chance to audition, but Drama turns it down. That’s bad news for Lloyd, because Drama was his only real client.

The even worse news, however, is that Lloyd might be seeing Ari back in his life sooner than he would have liked. Already on his sixth replacement assistant (the last two of whom were fired over a cranberry muffin and a “Saved by the Bell” reference), Ari’s patience is wearing thin when he gets a surprise visit by Terrence offering him a deal to buy out his agency for $100 million. Suspicious of why Terrence would be coming to him first, but still not willing to pay the overinflated price, Ari does a little investigative work and discovers that he’s trying to dump the business before his wife files divorce. Using Terrence’s desperation to his advantage, Ari not only talks down the price, but in doing so, also becomes Lloyd’s boss once again. It’s great news for Ari and Babs, because the merger will transform them into the largest agency in town, but what will become of poor Lloyd?

Entourage, TV, TV Comedies

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