The next installment in the “Saw” series is only 10 days away, and what better way to prepare for the latest round of death traps than with a 30-second round-up of the first movie as enacted by bunnies? Enjoy!
Author: Jason Zingale (Page 68 of 154)
It might sound silly to admit, but the only thing currently working against “The Shield” is that it’s almost too proficient at progressing the main story. We’re only at the halfway point and it feels like we should be gearing up for the season finale instead. This isn’t the first time this has happened, either (one could even say that the whole season has been nothing but build up to the top secret finale), but it doesn’t make me any less worried that things are going to slow down in the coming weeks.
With Vic’s chance to arrest Pezeula squandered, Aceveda decides it’s time to turn in the blackmail box to the feds. They’re not happy about the way Vic and Aceveda handled the situation, and they make sure to let them know how bad they screwed up. Olivia is just worried that her boss will discover that there’s a file on her in the box, but Aceveda has made sure that won’t happen. No, he didn’t give Olivia the file, but he did remove it from the box for his own safe keeping. Which begs to ask the question: is Aceveda really any better than Pezuela if he’s willing to resort to the same tactics? He’s been playing both sides ever since he left the Barn to become councilman, and one could even argue that it began much earlier than that.
The blowback from the blackmail box probably hits Vic the hardest, however, as someone within the department uses it as a means of bumping up his appeals hearing. Not only is his termination effective in 10 days, but he also loses his entire pension. Claudette offers him a piece of his retirement money if he’ll leave right away, but Vic kindly declines, stating that he still has a few loose ends to tie up. One of those loose ends is Pezuela, and when he warns him about an impending federal raid on his warehouse, Vic is hoping that he’ll be rewarded with a promotion. Instead, Pezuela gives him a severance bonus and shows him the door, claiming that Vic is no longer any help if he’s not a cop.
Vic isn’t down and out just yet, though. After the feds botch up their takedown of Pezuela, Olivia’s boss brings in Vic for help with the investigation. Obviously, Vic wants to exact a little revenge on Pezuela for screwing him over, but he’s probably more interested in exploiting the opportunity as a way of saving his badge. Of course, that’s not going to matter one bit if Shane succeeds in killing him first. Apparently, I was wrong in my original assessment that he might be the bigger man. Shane’s got a contract out on (presumably) both Ronnie and Vic’s heads, and he doesn’t even know all the details. It’s like Lem all over again, only things are going to end much worse than they did the last time around.
Meanwhile, the whole subplot involving Claudette’s illness is back this week as Dutch discovers that she’s having more trouble than she’s letting on. When a breaking-and-entering in Claudette’s neighborhood prompts Dutch to stop by her house to check in on her, he finds the inside a total mess. We’re not talking about a little clutter either, but mounds of garbage piled in the kitchen. She’s also not driving to work any more and it’s got Dutch worried. So, in an attempt to lend a helping hand, he hires a cleaning lady to help out. I’d like to say that’s all we’ll ever hear from this subject again, but the chance of that happening is slim. The writers are clearly struggling to write good material for Dutch and Claudette, and with the end of the series coming so soon, they’ve put all their marbles in this subplot – one that will no doubt see the firing/death of Claudette as captain and perhaps even Dutch stepping up to take her place. It wouldn’t be the worst possible ending, but that doesn’t change the fact that I still miss the days when they just solved cool crimes together.
Can you believe that “Entourage” is already halfway through the new season? It sure doesn’t seem like it, but that’s probably because despite hinting at where the story could be headed, the show hasn’t made very much progress in actually getting there. Following on the heels of what many considered one of the worst episodes to date, tonight’s show wasn’t that much better. I’m not exactly sure why anyone thought it was a good idea to bring back Dom – a character that a lot of fans complained about during his mini-arc in season three – but his return served no purpose other than to tie up Vince and Eric for an entire episode while they waited to hear back from Ari about the fate of “Smoke Jumpers.”
The subplot was supposed to show that Dom had finally matured as an adult, but honestly, does anyone even give a damn? His character was on the show for only a few episodes, and during that entire time, he was nothing but a nuisance to the whole gang. Why does the writing staff feel the need to redeem the guy, and better yet, why should the audience care? It’s bad enough that the show’s main characters are struggling for decent story arcs, but then they go and waste time developing a minor character that we’ll probably (hopefully) never see again? It doesn’t make sense, and it’s the latest in a line of bonehead decisions that the “Entourage” team has made so far this year.
The episode may have been named for the redemption that Dom supposedly earned, but it was the other two subplots that were the real saviors. I’ve always given Drama and Turtle a lot of heat for being forced to play the comic relief week in and week out, but this time around, their storyline actually had some meat to it. It’s nice to see Turtle actually taking this whole job hunt seriously, and though his one-day trial as Drama’s assistant didn’t quite work out, you can’t blame the guy for not trying. Were Drama not such a diva (seriously, where does he get off demanding such an overcomplicated breakfast?), I really think Turtle would have done a good job. After all, it’s what he’s been doing for years as part of Vince’s entourage, so it’s not like it’s something he isn’t already accustomed to. If I were him, I probably would have quit as well, but not before I got the number of that female assistant he chatted with earlier in the episode.
The real story of the night, however, was Ari’s golf outing with Alan Gray. I have to be completely honest, I didn’t think Ari would actually lose the bet (even with Phil Mickelson by Alan’s side), but when he was given a second chance to win Vince a spot in “Smoke Jumpers,” I thought to myself, “Oh, okay, he’s going to sink this putt.” Nope, Ari misses both times, and when Alan gets worked up over Ari’s ballsy decision to bring up Vince’s name even when he specifically asked that he didn’t, Alan has a heart attack and dies. Only Drama is willing to point out that Alan’s death may be a good thing for Vince (since it means he can make movies for WB again), but that doesn’t mean everyone else wasn’t thinking it. If Alan Gray truly was the only thing standing in Vince’s way, then he shouldn’t have any problem getting “Smoke Jumpers,” and he might even have a shot at working on that “Ramones” biopic as well. Check it out, I just wrote season six.
If there was ever a video game that could be so effortlessly adapted into an animated series, it’s the Japanese RPG “Blue Dragon.” Not only were the characters designed by “Dragon Ball Z” creator Akira Toriyama, but the setup feels a lot like two other popular shows (“Pokémon” and “Yu-Gi-Oh!”) that constantly thrust its characters into battles that aren’t actually fought by them, but rather their magical counterparts. In the case of “Blue Dragon,” these brawlers are known as Shadows – powerful beings that only a select group of people possess. When ten-year-old Shu discovers that he contains such an ability and unleashes it for the first time, he’s unable to control the Blue Dragon Shadow from nearly destroying his own village. With the help of Zola and her apprentice Jiro, Shu begins his training to learn how to control the power hidden within. When the group is attacked by the evil Nene’s right-hand man Logi, however, Shu’s training is thrust into overdrive as he must learn to use his power in order to save his friends. Though the series is a bit too childish for the average anime fan, “Blue Dragon” is a great distraction for the Saturday morning cartoon set. It features crisp animation, some colorful characters, and the same limitless possibilities that made “Pokémon” an international sensation. And they said video games were bad for you.
These days, it seems like every film buff with a camera thinks they have what it takes to make the next great cult film. What many don’t realize, however, is just how good movies like “Evil Dead” and “Shaun of the Dead” have to be in order to enjoy success beyond the late night movie marathons and festival circuits. “Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer” may not be as cheesy as it looks, but it’s still cheesy enough to ensure that it will never be part of that elite group of horror comedies. The film stars newcomer Trevor Matthews as the title character, a twentysomething loner who’s had anger management issues ever since his family was killed by a monster during a camping trip as a kid. Now, he’s a burnout plumber taking a night class at the local community college, and when he unknowingly sets free an ancient evil that transforms his professor (a sublimely funny Robert Englund) into a slimy beast from Hell, Jack must tap into his rage to save his fellow classmates and, eventually, the world. What sounds like a really cool concept at first quickly turns in to one of the least horrific, least comedic horror comedies you’ll ever see. The film’s main three monsters are an absolute joke, while Matthews himself is about as charismatic as a piece of wood. If there’s any reason to sit through this piece of low-rent garbage, then it’s for Englund’s enjoyable turn as the unlucky professor. He alone makes “Jack Brooks” worth the price of admission, but once he’s replaced with an animatronic puppet straight out of Chuck E. Cheese, you might be inclined to ask for your money back.
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