Fallen (2006, U.S.)

I decided to watch this made-for-TV movie because I wanted to see Paul Wesley in another role besides that of Stefan in Vampire Diaries, a role he was clearly born to play. He wasn't bad here, but this movie was obviously a terrible vehicle for any young actor.

Basically this is a cheesy, low budget flick about an adopted boy who discovers that he is the son of a fallen angel, and his destiny is to save the world, in so many words. The special effects are obviously low budget. The writing is terribly lame. The plot could have used a lot of fleshing out.

The one saving grace was that some of the acting is really stellar. Paul Wesley was good, though he's much better as a vampire than an angel. The real show-stealers were Tom Skerritt as Ezekiel and Hal Ozsan as Azazel, both fallen angels who walk the line between good and bad. Skerritt was a sort of witty, wise, slightly crazy old man. Ozsan was a witty, sexy, irreverent bad boy. Between these three actors, they kept this one from being a total tragedy. But it was awfully close.

Rating: 2.0

The Bad Mother's Handbook (2007, UK)

This was a really surprising and wonderful film, especially for a made-for-TV deal. It's about being a mother (as the title implies), but I think it was also about being a daughter too. Karen is a 33-year-old teacher's assistant who wants to go to Paris, and when she gets her birth certificate for her visa, she finds out she was adopted. Meanwhile her daughter Charlotte, who was born when Karen was 16, breaks up with her boyfriend when she finds out he's cheating, only to find out that she's pregnant.

That's what it's about, but it's not really about what it's about. It's more about the relationships, how they process their feelings, how their relationships with their mothers affected their own motherhood, why they made the choices they did. What they do becomes irrelevant, or perhaps inevitable. It's subtly and beautifully done. I especially loved the grandmother, who was obviously suffering from some sort of dementia and chattered to imaginary companions all day, mostly about her memories of Karen as a girl.

I think all mothers and daughters can appreciate this film, even if you weren't adopted, a teen mother, or a combination or product of these situations. Men play a very limited role in this film. Even Daniel (a lovable loser, portrayed in a perfectly understated performance by Robert Pattinson), who becomes Charlotte's friend, helper, and quiet but strong support, is a very unobtrusive presence for such a central figure.

In fact, the whole thing had an understated simplicity that you just can't help but appreciate. I teared up a few times, I'll admit. A moving, authentic work.

Rating: 4.0

Fireball (2009, Canada)

So, I watched this in an attempt to erase the memory of The Lost Samaritan out of my head and replace it with a better Ian Somerhalder. I should have known better. Hello, look at this poster. That about sums up the movie.

A violent football player, Draven, wants to get revenge on all the people who've done him wrong. Somehow his body chemistry changes and he becomes a human torch. A fire investigator and a federal suit try to track him down, as he sets fire to everything. The big finale takes place in a nuclear plant.

Yeah, terrible. This is beyond B. There are no words. Bad writing, bad acting, bad scoring, bad everything. I don't know how I made it to the end. Don't watch it.

Rating: 1.0

Generation Kill (2008, U.S.)

Here she goes again! I've been on an Alexander Skarsgård kick lately, and despite my apathy about Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Iraq War, the War on Terror, etc., I watched it. It took me a bit of time to get into the first episode, but once I did, I thought it was wonderful.

Firstly, it was incredibly realistic. It is based on a book written by Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright, who was with the 1st Recon Marines in the first humvee at the tip of the spear during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Every detail was carefully researched. The slang the men used, their superstitions, their training, their relationships, their day to day lives, the moral issues some of them dealt with... so realistic.

Although Generation Kill is about a war and a moment in history, it is more about the men who experience it. This was definitely an ensemble drama, and the acting was phenomenal. Of course, I thought Alexander Skarsgård was the most brilliant of them all. (Note: I was so fascinated by this series that I watched all of the special features, and he was just like the actual Marine he played, as were many of the other men. In fact, on of the 1st Recon Marines played himself!)

You know I love a good score, but in this series they clearly made a conscious choice to avoid scoring the series so as not to take away from the realism. Instead, picture a convoy of hardened Marines driving through the desert in humvees, singing together, a cappella. Songs like "Teenage Dirtbag," "Sk8er Boi," "Come Sail Away," "King of the Road," "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," "Fuck the Police," "Hot in Here," "Tainted Love," etc. The cast members did all the singing themselves, which further added to the realism.

I'm not going to say anything else about this series, because I don't feel like I can do it justice. The acting, the scenery, the incredible writing, the music, the shocking, gritty realism... And on top of all that, I learned a lot. This is an insanely good series. I found myself wishing there were many more than 7 episodes. I wanted to know what happened to these Marines after Baghdad, what happened to them in the time in between the scenes transferred to film, what happened to them after they went home. More than that, what happened to the Iraqi people they met in the line of duty?

Wonderful. I highly, highly recommend this series.

Rating: 4.0

The Haunted Airman (2006, UK)

What a crazy film. There was a lot of psychological baggage to cram into 68 minutes, and it was definitely a head trip. I went into it thinking that I would probably like it, because the previews looked incredible. And I will say that I did, in fact, like it, though I say this with reservations. Because mostly I was confused.

From what I gathered, this British pilot was shot down during World War II and lost the use of his legs. He goes to a creepy recovery home, as far from the war as he could be. He starts to lose his mind, feeling spiders everywhere and seeing things that aren't there. Or perhaps he doesn't. Perhaps his doctor is actually pushing him into these delusions. Meanwhile, the RAF pilot has been having an affair with his deceased uncle's wife, and they let her come stay at the hospital too. It's just a bunch of weirdness. And the end will really blow your mind.

I definitely need to see this again to understand it better. But I can say that the cinematography was incredible. And the acting was superb. This is a 20-year-old Pattinson who acts like he's been at it for decades. (In reality, he'd just been in Vanity Fair, where his scenes were cut; a made-for-European-tv movie, where he had very few lines; and The Goblet of Fire, in which he made us all fall in love with Cedric Diggory.) The intensity with which he portrayed this character and his fractured mind was simply mind-blowing. Previously unknown gems like this make it clear that Pattinson has real talent, and isn't just a lucky boy (to land HP and Twilight roles) with a pretty face (and musical talent and bad hygiene).

Rating: 3.5

James Dean (2001, U.S.)

I'm a huge Dean fan. Own all his movies (and a few tv performances), read several biographies, have visited his hometown/museum/birthplace/grave site. I've been putting off seeing this made-for-tv biopic because I just had a feeling they wouldn't do him justice.

I was right.

Surprisingly, I thought the best part of the film was Jame Franco. I say it's surprising partially because I find Franco to be hit or miss with his performances and because I didn't think anyone could really play Dean. Franco wasn't perfect, but it was obvious that he'd gone to considerable effort to study Dean and his mannerisms, and he wasn't bad at all. I thought he came remarkably close to capturing the brilliant, fragile, remarkable, talented, insecure, artistic, unique, and perhaps slightly crazy Dean.

The sets were also great, particularly the sets of the sets of East of Eden. (Incidentally, events during the filming of East of Eden were pretty consistently documented with the least disagreement, and therefore these scenes in the biopic seemed the most realistic.)

For the most part, I was disappointed. For one thing, they tried to cram an incredible life into only 95 minutes, flying here and there and skipping over very important parts of his life. (Though at least they captured his relationship with his father fairly well.) They also skipped over any discussion of his bisexuality. While this could have been a fair choice (since the issue is widely debated), I really didn't like their portrayal of him as so clearly heterosexual either. Perhaps I just didn't like their Pier Angeli.

They should have kept the working title of James Dean: An Invented Life. I think they just tried to hard to present their film as fact, when so much of Dean's life, especially his personal life, was clouded.

Rating: 2.5

Gia (1998, U.S.)

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. Angelina Jolie is brilliant. Here she played Gia Marie Carangi, a top fashion model from the late 1970s and early 1980s. I am not the kind of person who cares at all about fashion; I'm not the kind of person who condones drug use, wild behavior, or promiscuity; but I found myself really caring about Gia, her life, and her career. I don't know if it was Jolie or Gia or what, but her personality was larger than life. She didn't just come off the screen, she exploded off the screen.

The writing must have been very strong, because the pacing was very good for a biographical film. Gia wanted to live life to the fullest, but she didn't really get the love and support she needed, and she turned to drugs instead. The most powerful part of this film was the ending, when Carangi was in the hospital dying. (She died in 1986 at 26 of AIDS.) It was so vivid and heartbreaking, seeing this great celebrity languishing all alone.

This was an incredible film. The tone was dark. It had a gritty, realistic feel. And a 23-year-old Angelina Jolie was already in control of her incredible acting talent and absolutely breathtaking. Costumes were perfect. And from what I've read, it was pretty historically accurate too. All in all, a winner.

Rating: 4.0

Ring of the Nibelungs (2004, Germany)

This was definitely an interesting movie. It's based on the Norse myth that inspired Tolkien to write Lord of the Rings, apparently. (One notable difference, however, is that women play a much more prominent role in this film.)

There were some very interesting elements here. Star-crossed lovers, dragons, magical helms, deception, sword fights. It has some very dark, obviously Norse concepts. For instance, the hero slays a dragon and bathes in its blood, which makes him invincible in battle—at least everywhere the blood has touched.

I really liked it on one level. As I said, there were some very interesting elements, and it's just the kind of thing that Lord of the Rings fans or fans of Arthurian myth would enjoy. I really loved the music too. It opened with something that sounded almost like modern Scandinavian pop. Then it had a lot of beautiful slow songs and impressive epic songs. However, overall it was overly melodramatic in a lot of places (perhaps partially because of some overacting), and some plot points just didn't connect well.

It might be worth trying, if you're interested in this type of thing. Very neat, but overdone.

Rating: 2.5

Prison Break: The Final Break (2009, U.S.)

Prison Break. I'm an addict. At least, I was. I thought the first season was incredible, and the second was just as good. The third was a bit iffy—how many different prisons can you break out of? And the fourth was downright confusing and off topic.

The last episode of the series skipped ahead 4 years, and while the ending was lovely, the missing years left something to be desire. Enter straight-to-DVD filler movie! (Also, they wanted to do a spin-off TV show about a women's prison, and it never happened. I think this made them happy.) I was hesitant about this one, but it was great.

Pregnant Sara is arrested for murder during her wedding reception. (She had killed someone who was about to kill Michael.) She's taken to a women's prison, where the General promptly has a hit put out on her. They think she'll be exonerated, but they also think she'll be killed first. So Michael decides to break her out.

The suspense is as good as it was in the early seasons. The character relationships are back. It's an interesting look at life for the other gender behind bars. For instance, Lori Petty (think Rae from Free Willy or Kit from A League of Their Own) plays "Daddy," the female equivalent of T-Bag. Creepy.

One thing that bothered me was how short it was. The boys spent an entire season (several months) breaking out of Fox River State Penitentiary, and 90 minutes (2 days) breaking Sara out of the Miami-Dade Women's Correctional Facility. They made it seem plausible, but even still... Too quick and easy. I would have loved to see more.

I would definitely recommend this to Prison Break fans, especially ones who have been disheartened by the last few seasons. Others may enjoy it, but they might not understand why characters behave the way they do without knowing back stories.

I was so relieved that this movie was so great, and now I can't wait to rewatch all 4 seasons + The Final Break again.

Rating: 4.5

McLeod's Daughters (2001-2009, Australia)

Normally I don't talk about TV shows in my film blog, but I just finished series 8 of McLeod's Daughters and I wanted to talk about it. I was trying to think back, and even though it seems like ages longer, I've only been watching this show for four (or maybe five) years (although I have seen all of the series but the last one at least twice each, and most of the early series I have seen infinitely more). The summer between my sophomore and junior years (or it might have been freshman and sophomore years) of college, I didn't do much besides sit in my bedroom floor in front of my tiny dorm TV. One day I heard some Australian accents on the WE network, and I stopped, curious. That was the first time I saw McLeod's. I wish I could remember what episode it was, but I can't. All I know is that it was love at first sight. WE was playing marathons of series one and two for most of the summer, and I watched it over and over and over, even if I'd already seen the episode. And after all this time, my love for it (especially the early series) has not diminished.

I remember sitting in my dorm on Saturday nights watching "new" (at least to America) series three episodes at 10:00. (Clearly this show was geared toward the kind of girl who would be home alone on Saturday night, but who cares.) Then WE pulled the plug, and I have never been so angry. In fact, I actually wrote a letter to the network expressing my distaste for their decision to pull a very quality show about strong women (something their network was supposed to be about) and replacing it with typical reality show crap. I told them I would never watch their network again, and I haven't. Anyway, I was beyond relieved when the first two series came out on DVD, because at least I would be able to watch them repeatedly. And then Koch Vision announced they would be releasing all of the series on DVD in the U.S. every six months or so. For that, I will always love that distribution company.

I have to say that I became increasingly disappointed with the show when the cast started revolving. Minor changes in the 4th and 5th series were transitioned well, but by series 6 it was getting out of hand. Series 7 was my least favorite, because even more of the old characters who were still alive were conveniently "in Argentina" and never seen, and the plotlines just got completely, unbelievably out of hand. After that series, I almost felt like I was watching series 8 because I couldn't stand to quit. But a few episodes in, it was clear that series 8 was back on the right track.

For one thing, even though not one character was left from the first series, Drover's Run was again populated with McLeods. (The original owners were the daughters of Jack McLeod; these girls were the daughters of his brother Hugh, who had fallen out with Jack.) Stevie's cousin coming gave it more of a family-centered feel again. No more illigetimate McLeods/Redstaffs/Ryans kept popping out of the woodwork. The score has always been good, but in this series it was incredible. One thing I will say is that series 8 is definitely lacking in evil characters—no Harry, no Sandra, no Fiona, no Bryce, no Ashleigh, no Liz, no Peter. It made for much less conflict, but at the same time it was nice to ease out of the show without all the mean people. And to top it off, they all live happily ever after. Through the entire show, only one couple that I wanted to end up together didn't end up together, and that pleased me to no end. (Don't get me wrong, it's not like they paired off and went on their way—there was a lot of struggle, sometimes for years, before they figured it out. Also, not all of them ended up staying together because of deaths, geography, etc. But it was close.)

The last two episodes were perhaps the best last episodes of any television show I have ever seen. There was one last big challenge for the Drover's and Killarney gangs to cope with, and then there was one last party to throw. Best of all, lots of old cast members showed up for the party, which gave it a much more realistic air. (This has been lacking, for example at Alex's wedding where his brother couldn't even bother turning up.) If only Tess, Nick, Kate, and Dave would have turned up for the show's finale, it would have been perfect.

So this hasn't been a review so much as me blathering on about my favorite show, but what are you going to do? Sometimes you just need to say how you feel. And I feel like I will never love a show as much as I love McLeod's Daughters. Now that I'm finished with series 8, I'm going back to pick up where I left off watching at the end of series 3. And when I get all the way through 8 again, I'll probably start back at 1. I truly cannot say enough how amazing this show is. Strong women, sexy men, beautiful country, realistic problems (overlooking series 7 and a few other random episodes).

To close up, I'll add a few lines from one of the songs by Rebecca Lavelle, who sang most of the songs for the show:

And this is my heart's home
I'll still dream of Drover's Run

I'm going to miss it. I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that I've seen all the episodes and there will be nothing new ever again. Anyway, better end on a fun note. Two quotes from Matthew Passmore (Marcus) on what it was like at Drover's:

"I reckon it's pretty dangerous. How many people have died on Drover's Run? They should have like security guards just surrounding it, saying, 'Keep off! Will die!'"

“We’re really crap farmers, actually. We fall off everything. We’ve fallen down wells, tractors…”

Okay, enough! Sorry!

Rating: 5.0 ++++++

Black Books (2000-2004, UK)

I just finished watching the entire show Black Books, a very short British sitcom of three series, six episodes each. It was hilarious. It's written by the man who plays the main character, an Irish comedian by the name of Dylan Moran.

Moran plays Bernard Black, the owner of the store Black Books. He doesn't like customers, but he does like to smoke, drink, and live in absolute filth. He is grouchy and grumpy and just too funny for words, perhaps one of the best characters I have seen in a sitcom / episodic show for quite some time. (I can't count the characters of my beloved serials, of course.)

If you need a laugh, watch this one. Seriously.

Rating: 4.5

Dinotopia (2002, U.S.)

One guess as to why I picked this one out. The correct answer would be Wentworth Miller. I finished re-watching the first three seasons of Prison Break this summer break, and I was ready for a Wentworth fix. Since season four doesn't start for another week, I started looking for films. And I discovered this rare gem of a kid's movie, made-for-tv, and starring a 30-year-old Went as one of two teenage brothers who are in a plane crash and find themselves on a strange island called Dinotopia. The inhabitants of this island include both humans and dinosaurs, who coexist in peace. It's based on a series of books for children.

And it was actually quite great, as kids' movies go. Quite refreshing after some of the crap Disney has churned out in recent years. What an amazing undertaking. Nearly 3/4 of the film had to have some sort of CGI becauses of all the dinousaurs, and the actors did an amazing job of acting to the air, I think. Of course, the CGI dinosaurs were not what you would expect were you thinking Jurassic Park. They're much less terrifying—even the T Rexes. Even their appearance is brief and as minimally frightening as possible.

Of course, you have to give it a little flexibility in judgement, since it is a non-rated movie for children. For instance, as an older viewer, I would have liked to know what brother the girl chose in the end, since one of them kissed her and one of them told her he was falling in love with her. I guess the younger viewers don't care about those things though. Or the fact that some of the dialogue was exceedingly cheesy. Or the fact that the story really beats you over the head with its "lesson."

But despite these things, or maybe because of them, I really did like this movie. It was really a great fantasy world for children, with beautiful scenery that could really insipire a young imagination. It was four hours long, and I found myself wishing that it could be even longer. In fact, I liked it so much that before I even got to disk two, I was asking my mom if she would be allowed to show this movie to her fourth-graders.

Perhaps I've just had so much adult-type stress in my life recently that I needed to feel like a kid again. This was the way to go.

Ratin: 4.0

Lost (Season 4 Finale)

So I didn't intend on using this for TV shows, but I can't pass up an opportunity to rave about the season 4 finale of Lost. I was absolutely blown away. There was shock after shock, most of them pretty emotional. Several people died, and even more people who were dead seemed suddenly alive.

(SPOILER ALERT: I wouldn't read this if you haven't seen it.)

My favorite moments: Sawyer jumping out of the plane (I actually liked him for once), Sun's reaction to Jin's death (beautiful and sad), Keamy dying (hated that bastard), Claire showing up at Kate's house (very twilight zone), Penny and Demond reuniting (that seemed too easy--but I'm happy!), and best of all, the fact that they actually showed the face in the coffin--and it was someone whose death I'd been hoping for since season 1. (Does this conversation sound familiar? "The crew guys that would go down to the planet with the main guys, the captain and the guy with the pointy ears, they always wore red shirts. And they always got killed." "Sounds like a piss-poor captain." Yeah, I'll never forgive him for Boone.)

I'm finding it impossible to go to sleep because I'm all wound-up and jumpy from the finale. Lost has been a bit of a roller coaster lately, and I don't mean that in a good way. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. The last few episodes have been getting stronger, and this one might have been the best one for several seasons. Just... wow.

One interesting thing I will point out: There was a bit of deja vu from every preceding season finale. Season 1 -- the boat with the spotlight coming towards the raft with lights flashing. (I could feel the panic rising before I saw Penny.) Season 2 -- someone messes with thing beneath the island's surface, the sky turns strangely noisy and purple. Everything changes. Season 3 -- Jack goes to the funeral home, and there's a mystery person in the coffin, but we don't know who. I was shocked when they gave it away this time. So way to give me goosebumps, you genius Lost writers.

Which brings me to the last thing I wanted to say. It seems all of my education about the Enlightenment and the history of ideas has not gone to waste, because I have always found good use for it watching Lost. I knew all about Rousseau, Locke, and Hume before seeing their island counterparts, which I find can be quite helpful when interpreting the characters. So of course I was thrilled to recognize the name of Jeremy Bentham, the man in the coffin. Especially in relation to "watching." Bentham designed the panopticon, a circular prison with a guard tower in the middle. The idea was that the inmates would behave well all the time, because they could never be sure when a guard was watching them. (Fascinating idea.) Anyway, this could become very interesting as things unfold next season. Especially because many of Bentham's other ideas directly conflict with those of the philosopher the dead man was originally named for. So we shall see.

Wow, can I run on about this show. I'm just loving it again!

Rating: 5.0