Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) ***

A summer trip for two young women results in a touching, sometimes hilarious, look at the meaning of love as defined by the characters' combined experiences. In Woody Allen's newest film, if there is to be a definition of love, it would have to be best described as "whatever works". There is no secret formula one needs to follow in order to find love and happiness, which as seen here does not always go hand in hand. It's a unique set of needs and desires that is the never the same for one as it is another. It's best exemplified in the two titular characters, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) who are introduced via the voice over narration (by Christopher Evan Welch), as the one who has dedicated her entire life to being committed, from her work to her boyfriend, and the other who is not sure of what she really wants out of love, but is using a process of elimination to determine what it is. The two take a trip to Spain to stay with a family friend of Vicky's, to relax, sight see and also provide for Vicky some firsthand research for her final dissertation. Both, due to their own respective viewpoints on love, never plan to find something new in Barcelona, however circumstances change when they meet Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem).

Bardem is a real treat in this film, a complete reversal from the sinister and sadistic killer in No Country for Old Men, as the warm, artistic and sensual painter who sweeps both women off their feet in short order. While for the plot it may have seemed inevitable that he would steal the hearts of both, Bardem brings a warmth and sincerity to the role that ensures it never seems implausible that both young women succumb to his charms. Juan Antonio also serves as the catalyst that brings Rebecca out of her protective shell, as the two spend a day sightseeing in Oviedo while Cristina is sick in bed. Initially hostile and standoffish to Juan Antonio, as he is completely honest about his intentions with both women, Vicky is drawn to him for his artistic sensibilities and the in-depth look into his past, including meeting his father and discussing the tumultuous relationship with his ex-wife. Unsure how to cope with her unresolved feelings after spending the night with Juan Antonio, Vicky makes the decision to ignore them and pretend it never happened, re-affirming her previous outlook by being committed to her fiancée.

Having been attracted to Juan Antonio from the start, and feeling as if she had ruined her chances when she fell ill in Oviedo, Cristina is pleasantly surprised when he calls to ask her out. The two embark on their own romance and through her relationship with Juan Antonio, Cristina is able to realize her own artistic skill in photography, an outlet for her internal thoughts and feelings. In fact their relationship is progressing nicely, until Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz) reenters the picture after having attempted suicide. Cruz has to be the best aspect of this picture as the sexy and feral ex-wife who storms back into Juan Antonio’s life, and contrary to initial predictions, rather than damaging the relationship between Juan Antonio and Cristina, she helps to make it flourish, even becoming romantically involved with both of them herself.

Maria Elena also facilitates Cristina’s budding talent and acts as a muse for her creativity and passion. Juan Antonio and Maria Elena tell Cristina she is the missing link that prevented their marriage from being successful the first time they were together. Both of them still harbor strong feelings for one another, but were unable to make it work as they felt there was something missing. Love was not enough to keep them together, and they would argue and fight until it drove them apart. Now with Cristina, they discover again what drew them together in the first place and the three of them work as romantic “couple”, that is until Cristina’s outlook also returns and she realizes that while she may be content for a time with this arrangement, it is not what she wants forever.

The film’s central theme of “whatever works” has actually little to do with love and more to do with what people can live with for the rest of their lives. Despite the love the characters have for one another, it’s either not enough to keep them together or not enough to keep them content with what they have. For Vicky and Cristina, they leave Spain much as they arrived, with little change in their outlooks despite the discovery and change that have occurred during their trip. Vicky is content to remain with Doug (Chris Messina), who she does love, but is wary of the idea of being with him for life. Her experience with Juan Antonio wasn’t so much that she fell madly in love with him, but rather that her attraction to him allowed her to question her commitment crazy method to relationships. On the flip side, Cristina was quite content with Juan Antonio, and Mary Elena, and only became restless since she appears to be the type of person who avoids commitment at any and all expense, even if it is her happiness. This fact best illustrates how similar Vicky and Cristina are, in that they’re both willing to give up what they want in order to fulfill that what they envision themselves to be.

The same is true for Judy (Patricia Clarkson) and her feelings towards her husband, Mark (Kevin Dunn). She loves him and stays with him out of loyalty, but their long time together has resulted in her falling out of love with him. Her situation is eased through her interfering with Vicky’s life and seeing that she ends up with Juan Antonio. This outlet for her inner turmoil is enough that she can live with his situation longer. Again on the flip side, Juan Antonio and Mary Elena both admit they will love each other forever, and are meant to be together, but without Cristina they cannot make it work and it all falls apart as it did the first time around.


Bardem and Cruz are the true highlights of this film, as their fiery arguments and scintillating passion make for some of the best moments. Hall and Johansson never reach the same level as them in terms of interest or believability, but their interaction with Bardem and Cruz does bring up their game somewhat in the scenes they share together. Clarkson and Dunn are given little to do, but both are always a pleasure to see no matter how little screen time they're given. Continuing his European sojourn, Allen shot this film on location in Spain and the beautiful sights add an extra layer of romance to the proceedings. It's easy to see how people could fall in love in such a setting, but even the magnificence of the Spanish locations isn't enough to overcome the basic human curiosity to see what else is out there.

Favorite moment: Just when Vicky and Juan Antonio are about to reunite and it's possible that maybe she will break the bonds of her self-imposed commitment prison, the unstable Maria Elena barges in with a gun and starts taking potshots at Juan Antonio. This crazy display of passion is enough to shake Vicky back to her reality and send her fleeing to the arms of her fiancée. A hilarious scene just in terms of the circumstances, it also gives one last look at the arguing Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, probably the most successful couple of the entire bunch. They are brutally honest with each other, aware of the pitfalls of their relationship and madly in love. There just happens to be the odd murder attempt every now and then, but that's what works for them.

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) ****

This cinematic adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's novel of the same name is one of the most powerful anti-war films to ever grace the silver screen. Showing the trench warfare fighting, and its after-effects, on German soldiers during the course of World War I, the film gives a horrific glimpse at the dangers and conditions faced by soldiers fighting in a war that many didn't even understand how it started. Being released a little over a decade after fighting had ceased, this film must have been a grim reminder to all those lucky enough to return home who could appreciate its tale even though it was told from the "enemy's" perspective.

The fact that the film follows the lives of German soldiers who are fighting against the British and French never comes between the audience and these young boys who are destroyed, either mentally or physically, by their experiences in the trenches. It's hard not to sympathize with these teenage boys, driven by fanatical patriotic rhetoric to enlist in the army, as they honestly believe they are doing their God-given duty for the Fatherland and are attracted to the powerful allure and grandeur of being a mighty soldier in the German army, and all the respect and love their position is supposed to command.

These boys, still well wet behind the ears, are pushed to enlist by the professor who, rather than instill them with knowledge as he should be, uses his position of authority as a bully pulpit to influence these susceptible young minds to do his bidding. Despite some worries and initial hold-outs, once their leader, Paul Bäumer (Lewis Ayres) is committed, the rest all manage to fall in line. They march boldly off to enlist, never aware of the tortures and pains they are about to undergo, tragic considering how young and impressionable they are and how they were manipulated into doing something rather than make the choice of their own free will.

Any fantasies are quickly quashed by their drill instructor, Himmelstoss (John Wray), who works them day after day until they are a well-oiled unit that can march in perfect harmony. Part of his hard training is derived from the fact he knew most of the boys in civilian life, and they have no real respect for him because of these previous acquaintances. These boys are still heavily tainted by youth, as the gripe about having to clean their uniforms and how Himmelstoss screwed up their leave time. Their act of revenge before shipping out to the front lines is justified and comical, however it highlights just how mentally unprepared these boys are for the life they are about to undertake. Driven by emotion and immature behavior, they are a far cry from the hardened soldiers needed to survive the trenches.

For such an early film, the horrors of war are shown quite graphically given the time in which it was produced. The film was made before the Production Code went into effect and therefore the battle scenes are given a more realistic treatment. In one scene a shell lands on a soldier clutching a barbed wire fence, and when the smoke clears only his hands remain. Such images would not have been tolerated under the Production Code and the film would not be as striking or poignant without them. To be the audience back in 1930, their reaction regarding the lengthy battle sequence in the middle of the film must have been similar to audiences in 1998 who saw the first twenty minutes of Saving Private Ryan.

For those who have not been in the war, it must have been a shock to see that it is not glamorous or beautiful, there is nothing but death and destruction raining down upon the soldiers from the heavens. The enemy is rarely seen and most of the time is spent in a confined bunker with the rest of the unit, unable to do anything about the constant, unrelenting munitions assault, praying that the roof does not collapse on top of them. When the barrage of fire does stop, there is no time to relax as this means the battle proper will now begin. Those charging the line not mowed down by machine gun fire, come leaping into the trench ready to jab a bayonet into an enemy soldier's gut. War is a dirty and ugly affair and there is nothing honorable about it, and this film gives a glaring and unabashed portrayal of it for civilians as best as it can.

The story may not have been so galvanizing if the war had been seen through the eyes of older, battle-weary soldiers, but since our heroes are only sixteen when they first enlist, it provides an extra layer of investment to the proceedings. They may have been drilled mercilessly, but within the safe confines of the training center, they are no where near prepared for what to expect once they reach the front. The terror they experience on their first night of barbed wire duty is apparent as many throw themselves quickly to the ground at the first sound of a shell.

They find some comfort in Kat Katczinsky (Louis Wolheim), an experienced soldier who is famous for his innate ability to scrounge up food where there is none to be found. He wins the boys over with his laid back personality and his genuine concern for their welfare. For the boys, after their professor and Himmelstoss, this is the first authority figure of theirs worthy of admiration and they cling to his every word as he cares about them as people, not as soldiers destined to die for the Fatherland. One of the most telling scenes is while Kat is explaining about the different types of shell fire and Paul hesitantly reaches out his hand to place it on Kat's shoulder. He eventually wraps his arm around Kat as they walk to the depot to pick up the barbed wire. This exemplifies the faith they have placed in him and their gratitude for finding someone willing to look out and comfort them.

That first night laying the barbed wire is an education in and of itself as it is the boys' first experience under fire and one of their classmates is killed after being blinded by one of the shells. They're practically naked out there, the only defense is to hug the ground and hope the bomb does not land on top of them. They lose their first friend that night, and it's not to be last as the number of classmates constantly dwindles as the war goes on. Some of them break down simply due to the unrelenting assault of shell fire, slowly driven insane by the cramped quarters and the lethal danger that could strike at any moment. There's no food, and the days are spent lying around the bunker, desperately looking for any activity which can provide a fleeting distraction to the reality of their current situation. Others are killed in the heat of battle, either by shell fire or by enemy soldiers. The person you were talking to the day before might not be there today, having been ripped suddenly and mercilessly from this life.

The boys are forced to grow up in the worst possible circumstances, and as the film demonstrates, having gone to fight at such a young age, it taints and corrupts them for the rest of their lives. Even if they were fortunate enough to live, they are left a hollow shell of the person they once were, unable to relate back to their civilian life. The most trying experience in the war is when Paul is forced to seek shelter in a crater with an Allied soldier, who Paul is forced to kill in order to prevent others from discovering him. Immediately guilt-ridden Paul nurses the man's wounds, begging him not die and inconsolable with the fact he has taken this man's life. He may have killed in battle previously, but face to face with this man, stabbing him and then being forced to watch him slip away is too much for Paul and he can't reconcile these events in his mind. He's further traumatized by being wheeled into the "death room" at the hospital from which no man ever comes out alive. After preparing to die suddenly on the battlefield, Paul is now faced with the possibility of a slow, painful end in a bed which terrifies him and the audience as his screams echo in the mind for some time.

Once he does return home, he finds no comfort there, unable to relate to family or friends, as he is badgered about how to win the war by people who've never been to the front. He can't find any happiness in seeing his own mother again and cuts his leave short in order to return the front lines, the only place now left to him where he knows he belongs. It's a sad irony that he never particularly wanted to fight in the war, but driven by youthful dreams and the rantings of his professor he goes anyway, wishing every day he could return home again. Once he is there, he realizes he has grown too far apart from that life, and the life of a soldier is the only thing he now understands. There it's a constant battle for survival with no time to dwell on the ghosts of the past and reflect on the trauma that has been experienced. There's too much quiet time in civilian life for those debilitating memories to come flooding back to him and that drives his decision to return to the war as quickly as possible. The war is like a drug, where the addict goes from a playful fantasy of what to expect, until it begins to consume his every waking hour until nothing else matters except for more of it. It drains the life and joy of him, leaving nothing left but an empty husk in its wake, utterly destroying everything it touches.

Favorite moment: Once he returns to his company, Paul gets more joy out of seeing Kat again than he did with his own mother. He's not overcome with grief over the other companions he has lost while he was away, and to hear that Kat is still around, looking for food as always, gives him the joy he could not find at home with his family. Once Kat has been taken from him, it detaches him completely from life, and we last see him, dreary in the trench, barely conscious. His own death brought about by seeing a butterfly, a beautiful creature on a war-torn land. He reaches for it as he did with Kat when he first met him, leading to his final action in life, directly responsible for his death, trying to fill the void the war has left inside him.

Burn Notice "Good Soldier" (2008)

The mid-season finale for Burn Notice's second season doesn't provide as much closure as originally thought with many questions left unanswered and the entire Westen family in some sort of peril. I thought this week's SPI case would be related to the burn notice story angle, but continuing to prove it can do both at the same time, Michael takes on a case just as the planned assassination Carla has been arranging draws near. He does this for Fiona, who is doing it to make Campbell happy, and also trying to wheedle a little jealousy out of Michael in the process. It's hard to determine if Fiona really likes this guy or this is just a game to get Michael to confess his true feelings. She's more than willing to flout the fact they are having sex in front of Michael, but then when Michael asks her why she is doing all this, she appears genuine in her reply that she wants to make Campbell happy. Whether or not she does have real feelings for this guy, it's never been more certain that both Michael and Fiona still care deeply for each other. When Michael is on the phone with this week's mark, he and Fiona give some revealing deep and longing stares to each other and it's as if Michael is speaking to her when he says she's shown him the way and he's not afraid to be with her. Not sure how Campbell will take it, but it's certainly going to be a thread picked up on in the second half of the season.

Nate pops in again in this episode and convinces Madeline to take out a loan on her house to invest in his limousine business. Michael is of course wary, which leads Nate to storm off in frustration and Madeline bemoaning why he can't be more supportive. I didn't care for Nate when we first met him back in "Old Friends" as he seemed to be the clichéd troubled brother who would have to prove himself to his caring, older brother serving as the surrogate father. Nate seemed to be making a turn around in previous episodes, helping Michael out of jams and the two even reached some kind of understanding during their last meeting. Here, they go back to Michael's automatic caution of Nate's scheming and Madeline has to intervene to force the boys to get along. Their relationship should move forward, not constantly backtrack and reset each time Nate pops up. It's glossed over quickly enough though with Michael becoming his first customer by hiring Nate to aide in the operation. Carla's scheming at the end leaves Nate being hauled away by police and Madeline's house in the balance. Hopefully Carla's actions won't lead to more friction with Nate for putting Mama Westen in that position in the first place.

SPI's newest case involves the protection of a royal family's young daughter, requiring Michael to go undercover as an alcoholic security guard whose services can be bought by the kidnappers. It took me a few scenes to recognize the actor playing Lesher (John Allen Nelson) who also played the duplicitous patsy Walt Cummings on seasons four and five of 24. His plans here were equally unsuccessful as he unknowingly allows Michael to manipulate him into believing security is too tight to pull off the abduction. As always, the villains still find a way to move forward when Michael's initial methods don't pay off, and in an unusually violent move Michael crashes his car into Lesher's before they can go after the girl. Usually Michael tries to find a non-violent solution to the cases, but here he goes in full force. This could be due to him having failed several times to convince Lesher to back off, or because he is under the gun with the assassination looming ever closer and he needs to wrap up this case as quickly as possible. The mission this week was nothing special but did manage to facilitate the sweet scene between Michael and Fiona so maybe it was worth it.

Surprisingly we are given practically nothing regarding what was supposed to go down with Carla's assassin. Not only did constant surveillance of Carla take Sam out of play for the episode (a crime!), it was a bit odd that after having kept Michael in check so well for so long, suddenly he has an over abundance of opportunity to gather information. He breaks into the building where the assassin has set up his perch, Sam plants a bug on Carla's motorcycle, they set up their stakeout post in her hotel and even break into her room. It was suspicious that she could be so unaware of all this taking place in such close proximity, especially with the mission so close to fruition. There's no big revelation about who the target was or if Michael was to have a larger role to play in the operation. Since they booby-trapped his house and are willing to kill him, his usefulness must be at an end. It's confusing as to why he would be roped in to cause so much trouble for this organization and not provide any services that couldn't have been obtained from a hired hand who wasn't trying to halt their plans every step of the way. The only tidbit we're given is that Carla says things are bigger than Michael can understand, and hopefully it'll be shown what that is in future episodes since they were so quick to kill their would-be assassin and Michael in order to preserve what else they have planned. Also, Tricia Helfer is given absolutely nothing substantive to do other than lounge around in a bikini (okay, no complaints there) which makes her big return somewhat of a waste.

Favorite moment: The climax of the episode involves a high speed chase with Michael racing to his apartment on a motorcycle in order to get his spare key card so he can stop the assassination. Having Fiona run some proficient interference she is able to get the pursuing cars off his tail. However, Carla hops on her own bike and gives chase which leads Michael to attempt something the voice over actually speaks out against as possible but risky. I think this is the first time this has happened. Usually the voice over will dispel a widely perceived myth and give a more practical solution. Here, he highlights the dangers and does it anyway which was a bit of a surprise. The stare down Carla gives him from under the truck was a nice touch as well.

Fringe "The Same Old Story" (2008)

As hoped the second episode of J.J. Abrams’ newest addition to the television schedule was an improvement over the exposition plentiful pilot. Having gotten all the necessary groundwork laid, and giving the audience the broad strokes of what to expect with this new series, the episodes can now focus on the finer touches. More time is spent developing the characters and how their personal and professional dynamics will play out. Last week I conjectured that there would be friction between Peter and Walter and Olivia would be forced to play mediator, but here we see that maybe Peter will be the conduit through which Olivia and Walter relate to one another. In the lab when Olivia requests Walter’s presence at a crime scene, he snaps at her for bothering him while he is working and only calms down when Peter intercedes. Peter is also the only one, as Olivia stated in the pilot, which can make sense of Walter’s ramblings and acts as interpreter to the scientific techno-babble Walter is constantly dishing out.

Peter and Olivia are also drawing closer, and Abrams has already assured us that the two will eventually end up together however it will be a slow progression (what a change of pace from every other series!) as their relationship, trust and feelings for each other continue to build. Right now they are both damaged and dealing with repercussions of someone who was outside their control. Olivia is feeling immense guilt about John’s treason and is now forced to reevaluate all the cases they worked on together to see if he was hiding anything else. Meanwhile Peter is learning more and more about his father’s secret government work that was done before he was committed. So many lives have already been lost due to Walter’s research and it looks like the body count won’t be dropping anytime soon. It has to be traumatizing to discover your father is indirectly responsible for so many atrocities and be forced to clean up the mess after he has let the genie out of the bottle.

Mirroring Walter and Peter’s relationship, Christopher (Derek Cecil) has similar feelings about his own father, Dr. Claus Penrose (Mark Blum) who by allowing his rapidly aging son to continue to live, requires him to murder and pilfer the bodies of his victims for their pituitary glands in order to stay alive. Before succumbing to his condition, he muses that his father should have never let him live. The guilt of the price to stay alive weighed heavily on his shoulders as he was dying and instead of being grateful to his father for his life, in the end he could feel nothing but shame and remorse. Almost everyone in this episode has suffered from the ramifications of someone else and it dovetails the weekly case and the personal ties very nicely.

Touching briefly on the scientific accuracy of the episodes such as rapid aging where a person can go from newborn infant to senior citizen in a matter of hours and specifically the myth of a person’s last image being imprinted on their eye, such leaps are tolerable if they are given some kind of scientific justification. Fringe takes place well in the realm of science fiction and makes no claims that events like these could happen in real life, but gives enough of a background to make them seem more plausible. Even Peter claims the last image theory is a myth based on the writings of Jules Verne, but Walter gives an alternate theory about how it could be done but it is not as straightforward as previously believed. With this regard, Fringe may not be for everyone, but for those who like to imagine that such things are possible and can suspend their disbelief, it will make for worthwhile entertainment.

There are few prime time science fictions shows out there and it fills that need for fans of the genre, like Star Trek: The Next Generation and The X-Files did in the years before. There is a willing audience for this type of show and they are the same group which made those that have come before so successful. Nothing in Fringe is any more outrageous than what was seen, and criticized, in its predecessors. With this episode Fringe proves that it can balance the science fiction, horror and drama genres successfully into an engaging and thrilling hour.

Some of the episode’s highlights include the entire teaser sequence: starting off with seemingly tedious post-coital small talk which switches gears quickly when we see that Christopher has brought along a tool kit and some drugs before jumping into higher gear with Loraine Daisy (Betty Gilpin) having a rapidly-developing pregnancy which echoes scenes in Species and Alien. The teaser was a thoroughly frightening and fascinating little sequence which leaps the audience right into the fray almost from the start. Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick) gives a briefing about his new investigative team which includes Nina Sharp (Blair Brown) questioning his peculiar choices. Maybe I missed why an agent of the Department of Homeland Security was briefing the director of a multi-national conglomeration. Is it some kind of syndicate investigating the Pattern? Walter’s discovery of seat warmers and their awesome ability to warm your ass was both an amusing moment and a small, subtle reminder of all he has missed while locked away. Gene makes a welcome return appearance with Walter milking him to pass the time while he waits for Peter to arrive at the lab.

Favorite moment: The process of pulling the last image off the victim’s eye racketed up the tension to an all time high as it ran concurrently with Christopher and Dr. Penrose’s surgery on their latest victim. The anxiety in hoping that Olivia and Peter make it in time to save this woman gives the episode a thrilling climax and also makes for an alluring glimpse into the type of work Walter was involved with back in the 1970s. The dark lab lit only by the constantly flashing camera and the victim's exposed eyeball make for a dark, almost sinister scene that juxtaposes well with their actual reasons for undertaking this experiment. They're going to have to go out of their comfort zones in order to resolve these unique cases and this episode provides a perfect launching point for future episode structures.

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. (1920) ***½

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. is one of the earliest entries in the horror genre and a highly influential German Expressionist film. For such an early production, it carries with it many of the staples seen in horror films today, such as the mysterious, almost supernatural, killer and the twist ending. Being a silent film adds to the general spooky atmosphere as most of the scenes take place with characters alone at night, with obvious little need for dialogue and therefore no distracting intertitles to break the tension of the images on the screen. The entire production is keyed to eliciting the necessary sentiments of a horror film to make up for a lack of characters speaking to one another. The effective musical score does more to contribute than any dialogue ever would, as it conveys the necessary emotional states of the characters such as Dr. Caligari's (Werner Krauss) theme which alludes to his suspicious and sinister nature. The makeup for the character is a ghastly, sunken appearance so it's immediately known that this is a man not to be trusted. Even the set design works doubly well as both depicting the nightmarish world the characters have found themselves in as well as setting up the twist that everything we have seen has taken place in the tortured and fractured mind of Francis (Friedrich Fehér).

Being released shortly after the end of World War I, it can be postulated that the film serves as a visual depiction of the weariness and depression of the German people coming off their defeat and emotional isolation from the rest of the continent. Terror has pervaded even this small town, during a carnival, an event which should be filled with joy and wonder. Cesare (Conrad Veidt) serves as the embodiment of their fear, as Caligari leads him unwillingly from town to town committing unspeakable acts of violence and murder that Cesare would find abhorrent if not for his rare condition which leaves him prone to suggestion. Perhaps the German people felt similarly used and taken advantage of during the fighting of the war. It's never been publicly stated that the film is meant to be allegory of public sentiment, but it's not difficult to see the parallels between the story and real world events at the time of production and release.

There is genuine apprehension that Caligari will be free to unleash his powers of persuasion on Cesare to commit more evil deeds and a necessity to keep him under lock and key for the general welfare of society. As director of the local insane asylum, Dr. Caligari should be a trustworthy caretaker but he abuses his power and authority for own personal selfish needs. He allows his obsession to overcome his good judgment and his responsibility to those in his care. He abuses their conditions to fulfill his own desires. That betrayal of trust continues in the thread of expressing the public opinion of the German people. Even with the twist ending effectively mooting all these arguments as it was all an act of imagination, it's still symbolic in the sense that this fantasy is in the head of Francis who has a genuine fear of the asylum doctor he states in Caligari and what he is capable of in his nightmarish visions. Even with the events not necessarily having taken place, it's still a painfully frightful delusion on Francis' part. In effect his state of mind mirrors fears of the people even if it hasn't been done yet, the possibility still exists and that alone is worthy of caution.

The story is by no means an overly complicated one nor is it much of a mystery as the audience is tuned into who the killer is at any early point. The fascination comes with such a horrifying figure who stalks the innocent townspeople at night, murdering them in their beds while they sleep unware of the dangers creeping around outside. At such an early age in the art of film making, the plot must have been unsettling to people who were still acclimating to this relatively new medium, which saw relatively limited use prior to World War I in Germany. The horror motif itself had not yet become an established genre which certainly must have contributed to audience reaction. Dr. Caligari is quite possibly the first "mad scientist" in film who uses his controversial experiments as a source of evil. It set the bar high for all films to follow in the same vein as well as contributing a successful blueprint for how to shock and terrify audiences up to and including today's.

Favorite moment: Flouting the constraints of the silent era, Dr. Caligari's moment of madness when he becomes obsessed with emulating his historical namesake, his mental state is depicted visually by "I must become Caligari" being written across the frame and on the walls of the sets. A truly astonishing feat done in such an early age of cinema, it impresses with both its ingenuity at recreating an inner voice without uttering a single word and what must have been a difficult technical effect being done quite seamlessly.

Burn After Reading (2008) ***

Ethan and Joel Cohen’s follow up film to their Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men is not for everyone’s liking. If the audience does not buy into the comedic happenstances and goofy characters than the film does not make for an enjoying pastime. However, if you can successfully attain the suspension of disbelief necessary to appreciate the film it certainly makes for a more pleasurable experience. Burn After Reading is essentially about unintelligent people invading the inner-workings of the government intelligence community. Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) has been downgraded in security clearance and had decided to quit the Central Intelligence Agency rather than take a less prestigious post somewhere else. Committed to writing his memoirs, the disk his latest version is saved on has fallen into the hands of Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Felheimer (Brad Pitt), a couple of Hardbodies personal trainers who believe they have ultra-secret material which they can use as leverage for a reward. Misconceptions abound as the cast of characters draw closer and closer together due to the disk which leaves some dead, some running for their lives and everyone confused as to what is actually happening.

Burn After Reading builds off the general confusion and misunderstandings of the characters until the end where it has almost reached ludicrous proportions. Every single character is unsure of what is going around them and each character has a different take on the circumstances. The film has almost a Rashômon structure, but instead of seeing a sequence over and over from a different perspective each time, the film gives you everything at once with only the audience sure, and sometimes not even them, of what is playing out on the screen. The trainers believe they have highly classified “raw intelligence” while Cox continually tries to explain to them, in his own hilariously vulgar way, that they have nothing of value and can only be hurt by what they are trying to do rather than gain any kind of reward. Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) believes he is being tailed by agents of a covert government organization that are out to get him, when it is really one private investigator hired for his pending divorce action. Nothing is what it seems in this comedy of errors and each character’s missteps and miscalculations compound the general hysteria that begins to overtake them all in the end.

It all fits together in the end like pieces of a puzzle and the Cohens certainly deserve credit for dovetailing all the disparate story lines in the end so effectively. The film takes some time to get going as so many characters are introduced in the first half hour and in spite of the excellent casting it feels as if never enough time is spent with any of them. Conversely this is an effective method for keeping the audience interested as they never grow tired with of the characters, no matter how foolish or unlikable they can be. The disk, the catalyst for all the mayhem, doesn’t even appear until about a third of the way through the film, but once it does, the film takes on a brisker and livelier pace which allows the seemingly independent characters to interact and conflict with one another which increases the hilarity factor enormously.

The cast is certainly the best facet of the film with each role, no matter how small, played by an actor who brings their best game possible to the part. It helps that all the players seem to be enjoying the proceedings immensely despite what the trial and tribulations that their characters are going through and continues to prove that, usually, when the actors are enjoying themselves, that sentiment successfully diffuses to the audience. There’s not a bad apple in the bunch with a special mention going to both Richard Jenkins and Tilda Swinton, both of whom I continue to admire and respect with each passing project. Neither of them has particularly large roles in this film, but they continue to impress in spite of such little screen time.

Burn After Reading is one of those films that may benefit from a second viewing in order to enjoy it more. The first time around, the general confusion and sometimes ridiculousness of the plot can be off-putting as time is spent trying to ascertain where exactly the story is headed. However, a second time around can provide a more advantageous opportunity to relax and appreciate the true comedic talents of both the actors and directors alike. Almost as if sensing how the audience will react to the narrative, the Cohens provide two scenes where the CIA Superior (the always reliable J.K. Simmons) and a CIA Officer (David Rasche) discuss what has happened and give their own opinions on the situation. To discover that they are as dumbfounded as to what the hell these other characters are doing is a comfort and provides for some of the biggest laughs of the film. They provide a little rational insight in a comical coating and it gives a sense of security and faith in the CIA that the director of the organization is probably the most sane and intelligent of everyone the audience has met.

Favorite moment: The second of the two scenes with the CIA Superior wraps up the film with the ultimate fates of the characters given in the final report. Ending with him wondering what exactly the lesson was that was supposed to have been learned from all that has happened, the Superior is left grasping for ideas and the audience too is left to ponder what exactly was the meaning of all that was seen. All that is really known at the end is that one of the players got exactly what they desired most and and the audience is left to wonder if it was all worth it. If the CIA can live with all that happened, it’s a safe bet that we can too.

La Ragazza che sapeva troppo (1963) ***

One of the first giallo films in Italian cinema, Mario Bava’s La Ragazza che sapeva troppo has obvious Hitchcock overtones, but is able to stand on its own as a genuine murder mystery thriller. Nora Davis (Letícia Román) has recently arrived in Rome, every American’s dream, to spend time with an old family friend however right from the beginning this is to be no ordinary vacation. After Laura’s (Valentina Cortese) untimely death, Nora is mugged and knocked unconscious on the Piazza di Spagna, awakening long enough to see a grisly murder before her eyes before passing out again. The method in which the murder is shot is what drives the film and gives it the sense of mystery. The picture shimmers as if Nora is coming out of a daze and the next morning despite her ardent claims that it actually occurred, the doctors and police are convinced that she is either dreaming or hallucinating due to the fact there is no evidence of any foul play. Nora is then forced to investigate on her own what she thinks she saw.

Eventually Nora discovers that the murder she witnessed did occur, except it happened ten years ago and she now has to consider the possibility that perhaps she somehow had a psychic vision. This clever little twist gives the film an extra dose of intrigue as the audience is forced to wonder if such an event is possible. Keeping the film grounded in reality, it does not stray too far into this fantastical direction, but the possibility adds immeasurably to the atmosphere of the film. The idea of such a notion occurring goes hand in hand with Nora being in a new and foreign land, where she is out of her element. Rome is also much older than the United States with roots that go back over two thousand years, in such a historical land an occurrence such as this seems more plausible.

The whole film creates an environment of potential terror, as Nora is a young woman on her own, with no one she trusts, other than Dr. Marcello Bassi (John Saxon) who she just met, in a strange land. She is traumatized by what she has seen and experienced less than a day after arriving and is now being stalked by The Alphabet Killer who has decided that Nora would make an ideal “D” victim. Similar to Hitchcock, this seemingly normal person has been thrown into extraordinary circumstances and now finds herself in a fight for her life. Placing her into a foreign environment stresses the isolation of the character, another signature lifted from Hitchcock. Even the English translation of the title, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, is an obvious allusion to The Man Who Knew Too Much, which the basic premise of the film also mirrors. Bava, however, isn’t trying to make a carbon copy of Hitchcock, but rather place his own mark in the same vein as an auteur he admires.

Adding to the human element, Nora is torn between her growing obsession to solve this real life mystery, after having read so many fictional ones for entertainment, and her attraction to Dr. Bassi, who is clearly smitten with her from the start. Even Bassi is not above suspicion however as Nora is not entirely sure who she can trust which is exemplified on the beach when Dr. Bassi moves in to kiss her and she misreads her intentions, believing that he wants to harm her. Unfortunately Nora is distracted and cannot commit to her feelings for Dr. Bassi until she can discover what really happened that night. Dr. Bassi tries his best to take her mind off of what she has experienced by showing her the many beautiful sights of Rome, but even these breathtaking views cannot erase from her memory the image of that woman dying in front of her. She has to discover what happened and who the killer is at any cost, even going so far as to risk her own life to quench this irresistible thirst for the truth.

The only part of the film that really suffers is the climax where the killer is revealed. The chase and investigation has been so gripping that the revelation of the killer and their motivations sort of pale in comparison. It also doesn’t help that The Alphabet Killer is quickly dispatched and the heroine is placed in only marginal danger when she finally comes face to face with her stalker. The rest of the film had been so engaging that this is tolerable however and doesn’t diminish from the truly creepy and dangerous atmosphere that Bava has successfully managed to maintain throughout the film. It’s a pure thriller with a genuine mystery that keeps the audience guessing and it's entertaining whether or not you are a Hitchcock fan.

Favorite moment: Afraid for her life while she is left alone in a new friend's house, Nora is terrified that it would be the perfect time for the killer to strike. Taking a page from one of her many mystery novels, she decides to set up a overly elaborate string trap throughout the house, ensuring that if the killer does enter he will find himself unable to navigate through it and become entangled. Drifting off to sleep, she suddenly becomes aware of a person walking around outside the windows via the shadow cast on the shades, a thoroughly frightful image and one that would certainly scare me if I had experienced it. After racketing up the tension as high as possible, it turns out the mystery man is Dr. Bassi checking up on her, and on a comical end note, he falls victim to the trap. A great rush a relief from the laughter at how the scene ends marks one of the most effective scary scenes and unlike today, no gore was necessary to achieve it.

Burn Notice "Double Booked" (2008)

Burn Notice returns after a brief hiatus with the first of two episodes which end the first half of the second season. The pieces start to come together with regards to Michael's part in Carla's current scheme but again this takes a back seat to this week's SPI case. In a slight change of pace, the client does not come to Michael or one of his associate's for help, she's not even aware of the danger she is in until Michael brings it to her attention. Michael is approached by an old colleague, Larry (Special Guest Star and episode director Tim Matheson) who until recently was presumed dead. He has a job offer for Michael, a fellow former spy who has taken to using his skills in the private sector. Michael, driven by a need to protect the woman that Larry has been hired to kill takes the job in order to do what he does best: protect those who would never stand a chance of staying alive without his help. We've come full circle, Michael has gone from being roped into helping these clients out of guilt, into accepting jobs with much less reluctance to now where we see him make a proactive choice about protecting this woman.

This episode certainly had plenty of well known guest stars, particuarly Matheson who had a recurring role on The West Wing as the philandering Vice President John Hoynes. He shines as the former spy who is a darker variation of Michael. He also does work in the private sector but is not bound by the same code of ethics as Michael, evidenced by his willingness to take a murder for hire contract. He's also a cold, merciless man who has no problem with killing any and everyone associated with the job at the slightest hint of trouble. This is a strong contrast to Michael who goes out of his way to avoid having to directly kill anyone. This is most evident when he is forced to try and kill Larry at the end as it is the only way his client, and himself, will be safe from further danger. He struggles immensely with this choice and in the end it's inferred that he is unable to kill Larry, perhaps because he was worried he would hit Drew (Home Improvement's Zachary Ty Bryan) or simply because he could not bring himself to kill someone in cold blood. I'm glad Larry has been kept alive and not killed off, like Lucy Lawless' character last season, as he would make for a worthy adversary who could make recurring appearances on the show.

There was certainly plenty of guest stars to go around in this episode, from the previously mentioned Matheson and Bryan and to the always lovely Amy Pietz, as the woman targeted by both Larry and Drew. Pietz is just coming off the recently canceled Aliens in America where she certianly proved her comedic talents. She's not given much to do here but plays the part she is given well enough, her best scene probably is in the bathroom when Michael reveals to her that he has been sent to kill her but is going to protect her instead. She mostly shares the screen with Fiona, who Michael has asked to watch over her who obliges even if it means time away from her previously mentioned new boyfriend, Campbell (Gary Weeks). Michael is clearly uneasy around Campbell, and is probably surprised Fiona has actually moved on, as I was.

As has been the case this season, time away from Fiona means more time with Mama Westen as they give counseling another try, this time instead of sharing stories, they are tasked with making a list of what they are most grateful to the other for. While we didn't get to hear the lists in their entirety, we know that Michael's contained the fact that his mother provided him with a cover ID, a humorous glimpse at how crafty Madeline is in her own right (I think if you looked deeper you would see that where your resourcefulness and cunning come from Michael) and good vision. While not exactly what the counselor was looking for, Michael's poorly thought out list does lead to a touching revelation that Madeline was responsible for Michael being given permission to join the military, fearing for him if he stayed at home any longer. Michael is genuinely grateful to his mother for this deed and it's another sweet moment in their new relationship since he was forced back to Miami.

An interesting case, with an excellent adversary makes for another enjoyable episode, pulling Burn Notice out of its earlier slump. The seeds are also planted for the mid-season finale, as Michael is finally able to piece together what Carla is planning. Sam points it out best when he says that Carla has made him Bill Johnson's (Joe Kimble) own personal shopper and I sincerely hope there was more to Michael being roped into this organization than simply forging an ID card and helping to steal a rifle. Looks like next week's client will probably be either Johnson or the proposed target who has yet to be revealed and with Carla making a more than welcome return appearance should make for a satisfying installment before the four month long hiatus before the end of the season.

Favorite moment: Discovering that the hit on Jeannie (Pietz) is about to go down with Fiona in the car with her, Michael races to the rescue and places himself in harm's way in order to ensure their survival. The entire sequence is edited like a 24 episode with mulptiple split screens used to heighten the tension and create a sense of urgency. In the end, the look of concern on Fiona's face as she pulls Michael from the wrecked car speaks volumes about how she still cares for him. A similar aside is how Sam also seems worried about Fiona, since he is all too aware of Larry's lethal capabilities, during the final scheme to fake Jeannie's death. It's nice to see the SPI team looking out and being concerned for each other. It's an unlikely family, but a closely-knit one nonetheless.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) ***½

A biting examination into the dark side of human behavior, Mike Nichols' directorial debut features Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (who won as Academy Award) as a long-time married couple who constantly engage in a battle of wits over who can be more hateful to the other. Both Burton and Taylor throw themselves whole-heartedly into the roles, so much so that it's hard to imagine how social they could be off the set, the sting of the barbed insults of the characters heavy on their minds. Based on the play of the same name, it's an unflinching exploration of a marriage sunk to its lowest levels and a grim reminder of the uglier side of human nature. At first glance, the film is very uncomfortable with its unappealing subject matter. Martha and George spend most of their time insulting and yelling hateful things to one another in an effort to see who cab cause the most pain. Through the film, we peek in on one single night of their marriage but to imagine the oppressive atmosphere of this couple day after day, year after year is almost impossible. On this particularly bad night, they play host to a new professor and his young wife, where lines are crossed and a chain of events is set in motion that could almost doom them for good.

When alone they are practically lovebirds compared to how they act once company arrives to get a full glimpse of their marriage. It's entirely possible that this is a side that no one ever gets to see and the audience, much like the young couple, are getting a front row seat to the first time Martha and George have ever acted like this around other people. Is there a reason for why this evening happened? Too much booze, a very late night and exhausted patience? It's never stated for sure but one thing is for certain: for all the yelling, barrages of insults and pouring salt into old wounds, Martha and George are made for each other and are very much in love. Who can question what is normal for a couple when they find a pattern that they have settled into and that works for them? Martha is an emotional powder keg that is always ready to explode and she needs someone that can go toe to toe with her without backing down. George seems an unlikely candidate, an aging professor who never reached his full potential, but underneath that seemingly innocent exterior is a man driven by failed dreams and an unyielding wife who can easily dish out his own brand of mind games and emotional torture. In fact the two of them are so alike it's hard to imagine they could make it work with anyone else and therefore makes perfect sense they are still together after all this time.

There are the few quiet moments where you can tell the marriage is not simply filled with bitterness and spite. Before Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis) arrive, George and Martha are almost normal. Any uneasiness could be explained away by the late hour or just by the fact that they are two people who have been married for awhile. It's not until it's public that it takes a nastier edge and both George and Martha appear driven to see who can embarrass and belittle the other the most in front of their guests. It's almost as if the catalyst was simply bringing two outsiders into their home, for the most part younger versions of the two of them, although it's unlikely Martha was ever that quiet and submissive like Honey. The two engage in a battle to see who can continue to gain the upper hand that begins shortly after George discovers that Martha has mentioned their son to Honey. Something seems to click in George and he doesn't play the passive-aggressive anymore, but takes a proactive role in the proceedings.

To be George and Martha, they must have pretty thick skin. The person you are married to should be the person you trust most in the world. Someone you can divulge all your deepest, darkest secrets to with no fear of judgment or recrimination. In George and Martha's case they use these old wounds as cannon fodder and the sting of that betrayal must hurt the most and leave a lasting resentment. Again, it's only because these secrets are being aired in front of others is what brings the pain and anger. It's plausible they bring up these hurtful memories from the past all the time, but only now when their dirty laundry is being aired out in the open does it cause a problem. George even says as much outside the Roadhouse, he doesn't mind so much that Martha takes jabs at him, but when she does it to amuse others is when it cause the most pain.

Everything is a game to George and Martha, it's how they relate to one another and it has become so ingrained in their personalities they cannot relate to each other or anyone else for the matter in any other way. It's assumed they put up some kind of façade for outside appearances, but in their home their true selves come to the forefront. Combined with Martha crossing the line of mentioning their son to this new couple, it makes for a particularly brutal night of games. George uses double talk to confuse and misdirect Nick because it amuses him and it also gives him insight into his secrets since Martha has already started to expose his own. He's at his most manipulative when they are out in the yard after a brutal revelation regarding George and how he was supposed to take over the university. Nick, in an attempt to sympathize and relate to George opens up about some of his past. Once he's obtained what he wants, George's mood changes immediately and Nick realizes he has been duped. George later uses this information to embarrass Nick and Honey at the Roadhouse during "Get the Guests". It's proof of how better off George and Martha are actually since they know everything there is to know about each other, even if they use it against each other, and can live with it, while Nick and Honey are hiding secrets from each other that could potentially doom their marriage if the other discovers it, and they are supposed to be the "normal" couple.

Martha and George do love and care for each other, even if they tend to get too wrapped up into their games. Martha doesn't sleep with Nick because she desires him or even has a burning need to cheat on her husband. She does it because George sees Nick as a threat and it's another point for her column in their game. It devastates George because he doesn't believe Martha would sink to this low, and even Martha shows immediate regret after they have sex and laments about how George is the only one who could ever master her games just as quickly as she could make them up. Nick cannot stand on her level as is evidenced by how he reacts when she treats him as she would George after their romp in the hay. She's even hesitant about what George may do in retaliation, as he has to according to their rules. She doesn't know what is coming but she's worried because she knows what George is capable of and she knows he will enact the same pain, if not more, on her as she has on him. George's act brings her world crumbling down upon her and in the end we are left with a shot of George cradling her, just the two of them together, with the hope for a better future.

Favorite moment: It would have to be George "shooting" his wife while she tells a story about a boxing match the two of them once had. Martha's voice can be heard, slightly muffled, as if we are hearing what George is hearing, as he reaches for a gun on the top shelf in the closet. Up to this point, we are not accustomed to George and Martha's particular brand of communication and it's entirely believable that he is being driven to kill his wife. Her shock and fright are immediately replaced by laughter upon realizing the gun is fake. She even begs George for a kiss, which he obliges, highlighting the last sweet moment between the two before the end.

Fringe "Pilot" (2008)

The newest brainchild from J.J. Abrams has obvious similarities to The X-Files but based on this first episode it's adequately setting up its own characters and mythology and will surely stand on its own very quickly. Pilots are a tricky business, especially in a series such as this which is attempting to set up an overarching arc that will most likely pan out over the course of the series. In the pilot you already have to introduce the characters, which can be difficult enough to get their personalities down as well as how they interact with others. Fringe is also laying the groundwork for a mythology, vaguely named the Pattern, that many shows of late are attempting to establish in order to walk that fine between serialized or stand-alone episodic structures. The broad strokes are laid here with the details to be filled in as the series progresses. Unfortunately this episode suffers a bit from being the first episode in such a series. Much of the first half is devoted to introducing the characters while the second half, while not as bogged down, moves onto setting up the Pattern. The extended length also contributes to a lackluster premiere as it's more time for exposition and the episode probably could have benefited from spreading out some of the information over two episodes.

The flip side to that coin is that the series can jump right in with the next episode as all the preliminary information has been given and next week can focus on the newest case. The second half does pull the viewer in more as the investigation of what happened on Flight 627 that resulted in zero survivors. Fringe sets out to explore the more controversial areas of science: mind control, reanimation, etc. that mainstream science has determined to be unworthy of study. One of the best sequences is when Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) enters a sensory deprivation tank, drugged on acid, and hooked to a probe which allows her mind to link with her boyfriend, Agent John Scott (Mark Valley), who's in a coma and the only one to see the man responsible for the deaths of the passengers and crew of Flight 627. It's a truly surreal experience and serves as Agent Dunham's trial by fire into a world she had never known existed. Exploring extreme areas of science such as this should make for very intriguing episodes in the future. Who knows what the future could hold? Cloning, time travel, maybe even contact with an extraterrestrial species? It will also be fascinating to see how these disparate pieces fit into a larger whole which is sure to attract more continuity-minded viewers.

While the premise of show holds great promise, the leads leave much to be desired as the only one to come off well so far, is the eccentric, and possibly insane, genius Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble). The man is an expert in many areas and his intelligence knows no bounds, but his mind has frayed due to a combination of his work and seventeen years in a psychiatric facility cut off from all contact. He's full of surprises and gets most of the laughs, but he's also going to be the key to many of the cases this new unit will be investigating and as we pry into his past a bit more we should find out more about what caused his split from reality.

The other two leads seem capable but we get nothing substantive in this first episode. Noble's wayward son, Peter (Joshua Jackson) has spent years avoiding going to see his father, ironic as he is the only one who can legally do so, and now is forced to take on the role of his father's guardian while he is away from the nuthouse. Peter also is very intelligent and the only one capable of interpreting his father's knowledge and getting through to him. These two should have considerable friction in the foreseeable future being forced to work together after being apart for so long but the work seems to be the unifying force they need in order to reconcile their differences.

Agent Dunham will be battling her own demons now that she knows her boyfriend was working against the government (or was he?) in order to obtain the chemical agent which caused the deaths on Flight 627. This will conflict with the relationship that is obviously going to bloom between her and Peter. It's been set up in the most unsubtle way by forcing her to strip down in front of him after only knowing each other a few days. She's also in the unwanted position of playing referee to the troubles that are certain to pop up between the Bishops as they work together more. Torv performs fine, but like with Jackson little is seen to develop the character so far other than to set up future events.

All in all, a flawed episode which got better as the time wore on. I have no doubts that starting with the next installment the show will be able to move at a brisker pace and be more enjoyable for it. I never judge a show based solely on the pilot as it rarely will stand as an indicator of what the show will be like in its prime. Either it will make the necessary adjustments to fix what didn't work in the premiere, or the creative heights will fail to reach their initial peak. Hopefully Fringe will fall into the former category, as its premise provides fascinating and enjoyable science fiction possibilities for the future. If the weekly episodes can be as engaging and gripping as this week's case was, without out the exposition and set-ups, then it should succeed and will find a regular viewer here.

Favorite moment: Running down the list of necessary items he will need for his lab, Walter requests a cow, which Peter tells us shares enough similar lines of DNA with humans to make for an ethical test subject. Rather than using mice or chimps as other normal labs might, Walter prefers something a bit larger. While probably not to everyone's taste, characters and viewers alike, the image of a cow being led down the hallowed halls of Harvard University is worthy of a laugh and we later find out that our new friend has been given the name Gene. Here's hoping Gene plays in the background of the series and makes the occasional appearance. I can already imagine his highlight episode, his mind is swapped with Peter's and Walter is tempted to keep Gene in Peter's body as he likes him more. Scary that on this show it could be a possibility.

2008 Fall Schedule

Here is a tentative schedule of television viewing habits for the new fall season. Shows denoted with (*) are eligible for blog reviews based on the new rules. Shows denoted with (^) are tentative and not guaranteed. Any show can be dropped at any time. What's everyone else watching?

Sunday
10:00-11:00 Mad Men (AMC)

Monday
8:00-9:00 Chuck (NBC)/Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX)
9:00-10:00 Heroes (NBC)
10:00-11:00 My Own Worst Enemy (NBC)*^

Tuesday
8:00-9:00 House, M.D. (FOX)
9:00-10:00 Fringe (FOX)*
10:00-11:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)

Wednesday
8:00-9:00 Pushing Daisies (ABC)/Knight Rider (NBC)^
10:00-11:00 Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)/Sons of Anarchy (FX)*

Thursday
8:00-9:00 Smallville (CW)/[8:30-9:00] Kath & Kim (NBC)*^
9:00-9:30 The Office (NBC)
9:30-10:00 30 Rock (NBC)
10:00-11:00 ER (NBC)/Burn Notice (USA)*/Law & Order: Criminal Intent (USA)/Life on Mars (ABC)*^

Friday
9:00-9:30 Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TOON)*/[9:00-10:00] Crusoe (NBC)*^

Hamlet 2 (2008) **½

On the surface Hamlet 2 appears to be a fresh and different kind of comedy from the other entries the genre has seen this year. It succeeds partially because of its courage to tell a personal story amidst absurdest and chaotic circumstances, while not pulling any punches for the sake of political correctness, but it fails to deliver on its promise. The whole film is essentially a build-up to the titular play, Hamlet 2, which is a sequel to Shakespeare's famous play, and also a semi-autobiographical tale from the author, failed actor/drama teacher, Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan). Dana is struggling to prevent the drama program from becoming the next head on the chopping block for arts programs at the local high school in Tucson, Arizona. Spurned by a prepubescent drama critic who has hated all his adaptations from theatrical films, he decides to tell his life story via the stage as both a means to purge his personal demons and motivate the town to prevent the students from losing the drama program. His controversial tale includes many offensive set pieces, such as Satan making out with the President of the United States, that has the town divided between moral outrage and unflinching curiosity.

The film is certainly amusing, but only in certain parts while it feels the whole of the film is full of all too familiar plot devices from other films. It's almost as if Dana Coogan himself has written the story. With the arts programs all being scrapped, Dana is left with many "tough, bad" kids in his class which he must now find a way to relate to. Even going so far as to reference Dangerous Minds as a tool he uses to reach to class, the story is straightforward. After many, albeit hilarious, bumps in the road, he is able to identify with the leader, Octavio (Joseph Julian Soria)of the class and discover he has an innate talent for the theater. His students go from loathing him to pitying to him to respecting him, mostly for keeping the original cast when the play makes the move to Broadway. The theme of the troubled students with the idealistic teacher is well worn territory even if it's given a new twist in that Octavio is not so troubled as it would seem.

Dana's increasingly failed marriage with Brie (Catherine Keener), they have been trying unsuccessfully to have children coupled with her rampant drinking conflicting with Dana's sobriety, is another retread of a familiar theme. The two are clearly not meant to be as a couple and it was obvious from the start something would happen between her and their boring boarder, Gary (David Arquette). Although this frees him up to pursue the lovely Elisabeth Shue, playing herself, who he is ironically a better match for. Granted the film takes these stories in new directions but in the end they finish exactly where they are expected to taking the punch out of the film. It adds to its scattered narrative and only hurts the overall production.

There are some shining moments in the film, one particularly being the addition of Elisabeth Shue, having left acting to become a nurse. She's a delight throughout and her pure enjoyment of the play mirrors that of the audience. For me, Shue will always be Jennifer, Marty McFly's girfriend, in the second and third Back to the Future movies and I was probably just as excited as Dana to see her in the film. That scene is my worst possible nightmare for how I would act meeting a celebrity in real life. It's an example of how the film succeeds on its gambles, having an actress portray a fictional version of herself with tongue firmly in cheek. Unfortunately this is also by no means an original idea, but it is a more successful facet of the film due largely to Shue's appeal.

It's fittingly strange that Hamlet 2 is produced by Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, the same team who produced Little Miss Sunshine, as both are generally uneven productions up until the last sequence which is full of laughs and leaves the audience with a final feeling of satisfaction before the lights rise again. The play is by far the true highlight of the film, as the varying and disparate pieces we have seen leading up to this point have sufficiently whet our appetites to see the finished production. It's no wonder it's a hit with those who actually stay through the whole thing and maybe the film would have fared better had the film just been the full play. An enjoyable film that suffers from dragging in too many areas given its short running time, Hamlet 2 held high promise, and provided there are some new executions on familiar plots, it fails to reach its potential and is saved only by a hilarious and spectacular ending.

Favorite scene: The show stopping rendition of "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" is not only a memorable song but a rousing musical number performed by the main cast during the course of the play. It's the rallying point for the audience when they begin to see how good it really is, one member stating he was equal parts horrified and fascinated. The epitome of how the film can couple controversial themes, tweaking convention on its nose, with crowd-pleasing humor, it's the type of sequence that the film should have had more of throughout. There are some other equally bold and comical bits in the film, such as the enlightened girl still being fearful of ethnics and stereotyping them continuously, but not nearly enough to keep them from being lost in the mix of "been there, done that".

Dial M for Murder (1954) ****

Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of the play of the same name is the story of man who attempts to pull off the perfect murder of his wife who is currently engaged in an affair with a crime novelist. Hitchcock never deviates from the source material and despite the greater resources of a feature film, stages this cinematic adaptation much like the play with the Wendice apartment as the primary location. There are a few other small sets, out of necessity when characters have to be shown outside the apartment, but these are minimal and the action largely plays out in the one room. Given the choice of either making his next film in either widescreen or in 3-D, the two new most popular formats at the time, Hitchcock chose to film in 3-D but unlike the cheesy effects that audiences of today are accustomed to, Hitchcock only uses the 3-D subtly with the set design and there are only two signature 3-D shots in the entire film. The benefit to this style is the film does not visually suffer now that it is seen mostly in the regular format and it's entirely possible if it wasn't researched you would never have known the film was originally shot in 3-D.

Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) appears like the clueless husband unaware that prior to his return home, his wife, Margot (Grace Kelly) was in a passionate embrace with Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings). Tony immediately grabs the audience's sympathy as Margot relates that the marriage problems they were previously experiencing, at the time her and Mark first got together, are no longer an issue. Tony has given up being a professional tennis player for her and devoted himself to his marriage. Despite this renewal, Margot still finds herself drawn to Mark and Tony sends them off together when he is forced to prepare an important report due the next morning. Margot is the philandering spouse while Tony appears to be the doting and naïve husband. It doesn't last long as Tony immediately invites over Captain Lesgate (Anthony Dawson, also known as James Bond's first on screen kill in Dr. No) who he attempts to blackmail into murdering his cheating wife.

Tony has planned the entire murder down to the most minute detail. Even though he is hiring someone to kill his wife in cold blood, the audience has already begun to identify with him and now, his high air of authority leaves the audience impressed with his level of planning and ingenuity. The character is kept out of despicable territory also largely due to Milland's sophisticated and suave demeanor. Tony Wendice is certainly one of the most charismatic villains ever to set foot on the silver screen. Coupled with the fact that Margot has already been painted in a poor light, with her adultery, the viewer is drawn to Tony and there is a compelling need to see if this excruciatingly planned murder can be done. Tony certainly makes it sound easy enough, a few minutes work and zero risk for a thousand pounds. Lesgate would be a fool to say no and risk all his secret being exposed to the public.

In an ironic twist of fate, Tony will have Mark as his alibi while the murder is taking place. Hitchcock perfectly sets the mood right from the start by putting the tension on the rise and not letting up until the "murder" is completed. Contrary to the previous night, where Wendice had everything planned and every detail accounted for, such as rubbing the fingerprints off all the objects Lesgate touches while in the apartment, it seems nothing is going as it should. Mark sets Tony's fears alight by telling him there's no such thing as a perfect murder, something always go wrong. During these frantic few minutes, numerous obstacles are placed into Tony's way and they don't stop even when he finally does manage to make it out of the apartment. The nail-biting anxiety reaches the breaking point leading right up the final attack on Margot.

Despite Tony's perfect murder scenario being an utter disaster, he's immediately sent scrambling to still use the circumstances to set up his wife for the fall. He frantically stages the scene so it looks as if Margot killed Lesgate not in self-defense, but as a planned murder. Now that we have seen the brutal attack on Margot, and Tony no longer in his high authority role coupled with him setting up the now clueless Margot while playing the caring and supportive husband, the audience now shifts its sympathy to the wife. Tony is even usurped from his austere expert role by Chief Inspector Hubbard (John Williams) who has arrived to piece together what happened. He surmises the events from the evidence collected and immediately is thrown onto Margot as a suspect of foul play. He even figures out that Margot and Mark are having an affair and he is able to successfully deduce everything that occurred the night before.

Dial M for Murder works extremely well due to the structure of the narrative, the audience jumps from identifying with the husband, which maximizes the tension leading up to the titular murder, and then shifts its focus to feeling sorry for the wife. Now the audience is on edge for Hubbard to discover what really happened before Margot is hanged for a crime she did not commit. Hubbard turns out to be the expert we thought Tony to be from the beginning, except his staged scheme works successfully, while Tony's which at first sounded impossible not to succeed, is an abject failure. The grisly subject matter is allayed by excellent casting and Milland ensures that while we may not wish Tony to succeed in the end in killing his wife, he is never despised or hated. This film is a edge of your seat thriller that still packs a considerable punch even after viewing it more than once.

Favorite moment: The murder scene is by far the best, continuing the escalating tension that began before Tony even left the apartment. Hitchcock is expertly able to squeeze every last second for what it's worth, even showing the connections being made when Tony dials the number. Hearing his wife struggle on the other end of the line, Tony appears downtrodden and takes no pleasure in the fact he is hearing his wife's life slipping away. There's almost a moment of relief when he does hear her voice, knowing she is still alive, before the realization of his new troubles. Tony is kept in a firm shade of grey and the ratcheting tension makes for the best sequence in the entire film.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) ****

The film which made the killer bank robbers sympathetic, Bonnie and Clyde is one of my all time favorite films and piqued my interest of Depression-era gangsters. The film chronicles the brief, yet fiery, relationship between real-life criminals Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) who "cut a path clean across this state [Texas] and Kansas and Missouri and Oklahoma" and this film assured that, even though they were already well know, their names would now become infamous and immediately recognizable. Beatty's smooth Clyde goes hand in hand with Dunaway's sensual Bonnie and their love story transcends the period and circumstances in which they live. There is a spark between the two of them right from that first time Bonnie glanced out her window and saw Clyde hovering around her mother's car. She's drawn to the sense of adventure life with him would allow a bored, small town girl like herself. He's attracted to her dazzling beauty, and the fire that exists just beneath the surface. She's a rare flower in a garden of weeds and the two fall in love at first sight, just as the audience does with them.

Why are these two killers so favored by the audience? Well the dynamic leads are a certain factor. Beatty and Dunaway light up the screen with their good looks and charm. The narrative also places them as reluctant killers, not ones who go off shooting innocent people for the fun of it, but only when forced to as a means of survival. Outside of that first murder, the bank manager who jumps on the car's runner, the murders perpetrated by the Barrow gang are only those of law enforcement officials who are trying to hunt them down. That first murder is also instantly regretted by Clyde. He states he's worried that they'll all hang now on a murder charge, but it's clear he's also shaken by the fact he has just purposefully taken another man's life. Similar to his reaction when the cook attacks him with a cleaver while he's stealing groceries, the life and death situation frightens him and he abhors having to hurt common folk, like them, who he's certainly not against. Murder in the film is a grisly business, and they are not carefree killers. Only when it's kill or be killed do they unleash their armored fury, such as when Clyde shoots the guard's cap off rather than kill him, and their battle is not with regular folks, who they avoid hurting at any costs.

It's not all gloom and doom however, as the Barrow gang robs banks for the thrill and fun of the criminal act. They don't rob individuals, other than stealing cars when necessary, or small businesses. During one such robbery, the only one we see where the full gang participates, Clyde inquires whether money on the counter belongs to the bank or the customer. Finding out it's the customer's, he allows the man to collect his money rather than take it with the rest of the haul. They're honorable thieves following a personal code of honor and partially due to this facet of their reputation is why they are so popular with the public. Another major factor is their high media profile, which they help contribute to by sending in pictures they take while on their exploits. Their newest excapades make for diverting reading during such harsh economic times, which only drives the law harder to try and bring them in as people start to revere outlaws.

The darker side of the criminal life is never really shown, other than the blazing gun battles they frequently engage in with the law. They're a wild group of people looking to keep spirits light, and most importantly to have fun. Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman) would be the best example of this as he's looking to have a hell of a time with his brother. Though he is dragged into the on the run lifestyle because he was forced to kill a police officer during a shoot-out, he's the least serious of the bunch who always trying to get a laugh from the others. The rest of the gang consists of Buck's wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons, in an Oscar nominated role) who desperately wants Buck to leave all this danger and crime behind, and C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard), the automobile expert, who while a bit naïve at first regarding the life he's signing up for when he joins the gang, is as capable with an automatic gun as he is fixing an engine.

The most powerful relationship however is the love story between Bonnie and Clyde, one the audience knows is doomed to end with their deaths at the hands of the law. Their brief affair is alight with emotional passion, if not physical due to Clyde's impotence, which puts considerable strain on their relationship compounded with their frantic and deadly lifestyle. Despite all these obstacles, the love between the two of them is pure and clear by just how the two gaze at each other. Through all the turmoils, they stick together, close to the end they are all the other has and are content to lose everything else as long as they have each other. When Bonnie does get fed up and run off one day, Clyde chases her down and begs her never to leave without saying anything. That shot of the two of them holding each other in the cornfield, far away from the rest of the gang, is a visual depiction of how they two of them stay together even when everything else falls away.

Bonnie and Clyde balances the love story with the criminal exploits of the two real outlaws showing stark and brutal depictions of violence, particularly in the increasingly lethal shootouts with the law. It never holds back on the fatal consequences of the life of crime Bonnie and Clyde undertake, but it does ironically juxtapose suck dark acts with times of merriment and glee. The music score best exemplifies this with its upbeat banjo score which contrasts with the shooting getaway chases from pursuing police cars. The audience enjoys the time because Bonnie and Clyde are enjoying their time together. It comes to a unnerving conclusion when they're finally cornered and gunned down like animals, but we know all too well that they are better than that distinction. If you can feel remorse over the loss of these two killers, then the film has succeeded admirably in painting such amoral people in a truly sympathetic light.

Favorite moment: When Buck and Blanche arrive to complete the gang, they take some time to photograph these happy moments. Beatty and Dunaway reenact two of the most famous photos of the bank robbers, particularly Bonnie with cigar and pistol. It's moments like this which makes the film seem as if you're watching history actually transpire. You get to see them take some of their iconic photos, like the ones of the real Bonnie and Clyde that play out over the opening credits.

Star Trek's 42nd Anniversary

Forty-two years ago today, "The Man Trap" first aired on NBC and launched the Star Trek franchise which is still alive today and releasing its eleventh theatrical film this May. Through those previous ten films, six television series consisting of over seven hundred episodes, countless book and video game tie-ins and much more, it is one of the most prolific franchises in history. To celebrate this occasion, presented below are the top three episodes of the franchise, in my opinion. Please see the Now Playing Blog (http://nowplaying-evan.blogspot.com/) for the top three Star Trek films. Happy Birthday, Star Trek and here's wishing many more.

1. "The City on the Edge of Forever" [TOS] (1967)
Considered by many Trek fans to be the single best episode of the series, and franchise, it certainly ranks as my number one. It won the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, beating out four other nominees (all Star Trek episodes) and its story is considered a timeless classic that transcends the series, or even the genre. Kirk and Spock must travel to 1930 New York to discover how Dr. McCoy, driven insane due to an accidental drug overdose, has changed the face of history resulting in U.S.S. Enterprise no longer existing. All of history has been changed but it boils down to a compelling love story between Captain Kirk, Leonard McCoy and Edith Keeler (Joan Collins) that has one of the most powerful and bittersweet endings of the entire franchise. It's the main reason the time travel episodes are my personal favorite and a clear choice for the best episode of all time.

2. "The Inner Light" [TNG] (1992)
This episode, winner of the 1993 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, displays a tour-de-force performance from Patrick Stewart, along with excellent aging make-up effects, as a wandering probe renders Captain Picard unconscious and, in his mind, he lives out the life of another man on a long-dead planet. At first convinced it's some sort of trap or illusion, he learns to accept his surroundings and lead a new life away from the stars. Through this experience, he gets to see how his life would have turned out had he been able to settle down, marry and have children and grandchildren. It's the road not taken that he has always wondered if he sadly missed out on. It's a haunting and sentimental tale that provides a new emotional layer to our normally stoic captain.

3. "Amok Time" [TOS] (1967)
Beaten out for both the 1968 Hugo Award, and title of best from The Original Series, by "The City on the Edge of Forever", this episode is probably the most famous for both die-hard fans and those who have at least heard of the show. It's the time of pon farr for Mr. Spock whose bio-chemistry is driving him to return home to Vulcan and take a wife or he will die. Giving fans their first glimpse of the planet Vulcan, Earth's longest and most trusted ally, as well as delving deeper into the Vulcan culture, the episode is best known for its duel to the death between Kirk and Spock. The battle and its mesmerizing score has been parodied on countless movies and TV shows, giving Star Trek arguably it's most iconic and identifiable moment (that or a goatee to determine an evil twin). This episode kicked off Star Trek's best season when it first aired and is probably the episode I have seen the most times in the entire franchise.