Archer: Season 4 Episode 1: “Fuque and Riffs”

Welcome back to the Danger Zone!  Archer returns in one of my favorite sequences the show has ever done.  Not only does the super meta opening incorporate Bob’s Burgers (the other show H. Jon Bejamin voices), but also includes a slick reference to A History of Violence.  It all ends in a glorious blood bath that starts off Season 4 with a bang.

The rest of the episode doesn’t quite live up to the opening, but is still pretty damn fun.  I forgot how much I missed all of the non-Archer characters in Archer until they started reappearing and adding to the craziness (Did anyone notice Krieger stuffing a piglet into his pocket?).  The plot of the opener made me question if I remembered everything that happened last season, but explained everything in the end.  As Archer starts to remember and recall the insanity of the past couple of seasons, so do we.  Let the mayhem continue.  Ostrich!

9/10

Silver Linings Playbook

David O’ Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook is an average film with great performances.   The story is something you’ve probably seen before.  Bradley Cooper plays a newly released psych ward patient who moves back home with his parents to attempt to restart his life.  Along the way, he meets a young widow (played by Jennifer Lawrence) with issues of her own.  Together they help navigate each other through their dysfunctional lives and yada yada yada.  

Anyways, the movie is worth seeing for Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.  Cooper is great at playing a manic depressive who is always on the verge of a violent outburst.  It’s an extreme version of his character in movies like The Hangover or Wedding Crashers, except that there’s stress, anger and instability lurking beneath his smug smile.  Lawrence has great chemistry with him because, like him, she also lacks a social filter and is able to match his level of craziness. 

Together, they elevate an otherwise forgettable movie.

7/10                                           

Girls: Season 2 Episode 1: "Its About Time"

So this year I planned on reviewing a couple of TV shows, they include: Archer, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Mad Men.  The one I was on the fence about is Girls.  Then last night, Lena Dunham won  Best Female Actress and Girls won Best Comedy Television show at the Golden Globes, the same night of it’s Season 2 premiere.  I guess it was the universe telling me I should include this show on my rotation.  Or not, who cares.  Anyways, here’s my thoughts on the Season 2 premiere.

The episode definitely felt like a season opener.  It seemed busy trying to catch up where all the characters left off and establishing where they are now, which is understandable.  Still it was entertaining and once the party rolls around, things start to get better.  Hannah is dating Donald Glover!? I like his work on Community and the rap group Childish Gambino, I hope he adds something to the show.  Their relationship looks promising.  Shoshanna is still weird but had my favorite scene of the night.  Marnie has an interesting encounter that turned out to be pretty funny.  Jessa shows up for a scene out of nowhere. 

Overall, a good opener. 

8/10

Zero Dark Thirty

I’m a sucker for year end top ten lists.  Specifically, year end top ten lists that relate to film.  The website metacritic.com has been keeping track of film critics’ Top Ten lists with a point system.  Their point breakdown goes like this:

2012 Film Critic Top Ten Lists

(http://www.metacritic.com/feature/top-ten-lists-best-movies-of-2012)

3 points for each 1st place ranking

2 points for each 2nd place ranking

1 point for being ranked 3rd - 10th, or for being included on an unranked list

According to the metacritic poll, “132 individual top ten lists published by the film critics regularly included in Metacritic's score calculations” and Zero Dark Thirty has been number 1 since it screened for critics back in early December.  Academy Award nominations were also announced on Thursday (http://oscar.go.com/nominees) where Zero Dark Thirty was nominated for 5 awards including Best Picture and Best Actress for Jessica Chastain.

So when Zero Dark Thirty finally had its wide release this past Friday, my expectations were pretty high.  I went into the movie expecting to see something amazing, with a little reminder to myself to not hype myself up too much for the movie.  Overhyped movies naturally and inevitably lead to disappointment.  I am also usually wary of critics, who I tend to disagree with pretty often.  However, after watching the movie, I see what all the fuss is about.  Zero Dark Thirty is a damn good movie, but not in the way that you might expect. 

The movie, which is about the 10 year hunt to find Osama Bin Laden, is not an action movie but a procedural.  A majority of the movie is interrogations and people in offices talking and analyzing character profiles, videotapes and phone calls.  Most of the action is in the last act of the movie, and even then it feels downplayed.  The movie is about details.  Details that lead to other details that lead to details.  I love this and find it exciting as hell.  Apart of why the movie works is due to Jessica’s Chastain’s performance as Maya, who plays the obsessive CIA agent.  We don’t learn anything about her personal life, but get wrapped up in every new piece of information she uncovers. 

I also like the way the Zero Dark Thirty handles its subject matter.  The movie doesn’t try to glorify or condemn certain actions, it just presents them.  In another director’s hands, this movie could have been turned into your typical Hollywood blockbuster.  Instead, the movie’s focus is 10 years of frustration and waiting. It is interesting that the movie was originally going to be about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and how impossible it was to find him.  Then he was found and they had to rewrite the script and take the movie in another direction. 

So yes, Zero Dark Thirty is one the best movies I’ve seen this year.  Is it the best movie I’ve seen this year?  I’m not sure, I’m too indecisive.  It is definitely top four, hanging out up there with The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Django Unchained and Looper.