Breaking Bad: Season 4, Epidsode 1 – “Box Cutter” Review

After the roller coaster ride that was the end of Season 3 tonight’s much-anticipated premiere has been a long time coming. And it was worth the wait. In Sunday night’s episode we put to rest all the questions left by the finale, or at least the big one – Did Jessie really kill Gale? The answer – Yes. Of course he did. There was a lot of speculation about if Jessie really killed Gale or if it was a ruse. Well, Gale’s dead. Like – super dead. Pinkman put a bullet through his eye socket and that was that. It was the only way that he could save Walt, and it worked. At least for now.

 This was one of the best premieres I’ve seen in quite a while. Here is a perfect example of the writers taking established characters, and evolving them to a whole other level. For example – Gus. This is about as much as you can get out of a character with so little dialogue. The example he makes is a loud one, and it goes a long way. This, despite his statuesque demeanor, is the most human emotion Gus has shown to date. His frustration is truly personified with one quick swipe of the box cutter.

But Gus isn’t the only character who evolved tonight…

Jessie Pinkman seems now a changed man, and seemingly forever intertwined with Hank. As Jessie learns to cope and adapt, Hank regresses. The once weak junkie is learning to accept his fate, while the once impervious DEA Superman must come to terms with the effects of getting shot 4 times. Jessie’s murder of Gale, while resulting in Walt’s survival, has filled him with contempt for the man who made it necessary. You can see it on his face at the lab when confronted with Gus. Hank however is now reduced to a bed-pan and a reliance on his wife. This is something new to him, his power is gone. This leads the audience to garner a new-found respect for Marie, who early in the show was portrayed as a childish brat, she has now grown up very quickly.

Skyler on the other hand, rather than getting stronger like her little sister, seems to be weakening, and moving towards the dark side. For as much shit as she gives Walt all the time, she’s not complaining about the money that’s paying for Hank’s therapy, and now she’s even conning poor lock smiths into breaking the law for her. Shame.

As for Walt, he seems only slightly more scattered than Mike. Gus’ reaction clearly caught Mike and Walt more off guard than they did Jessie. And it’s a move that may save them later. This unexpected execution could very well drive a wedge between Gus and Mike.

Anywho – Walter seemed rattled, but it’s clear from his speech to Gus that he’s getting harder. A man can only be pushed so far…

Alright, let’s talk about Gale Boetticher. He was a good man, and a good chemist. And I  cared about him. He didn’t deserve what happened to him, he didn’t deserve it at all. But I’d shoot him again tomorrow. And the next day, and the day after that. When you make it Gale vs Me, or Gale vs Jessie, Gale loses. Simple as that. 

This has set up what should prove to be an excellent 4th season of a show that has done nothing but get better as it’s gone. I loved the disposal of the body, which called back to troubles they had season 1, and feed into the advice Walt was given by both Gus and Mike in season 3 – “Never make the same mistake twice.” Between Gale’s notebook, Walt’s new found spine (Saul’s lack one), and what we can expect from Jessie, I have to say – I don’t have to be disappointed Sunday  All and all, a very good episode. I give it a 4.5/5 Bears.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: 8.02 – “Safe House” Review

Another week and more Larry-isms come flying at us. Ever had the person who let’s their dog shit on any lawn they please without picking it up? Check. The person who asks you to watch their valuables in a public place while they leave for a minute? Check.

In this episode Larry runs afoul of racism, Richard Lewis and a “battered women” shelter. It would seem in this episode that the women of the shelter, who live down the road from Larry tend to use their abuse as a shield against admitting to their social transgressions such as not moving out of the way the ice cream due to a conversation or picking up their dog’s fecal matter. Be sure to see women’s advocacy groups across the nation crying foul on this one.

Richard Lewis also has a new girlfriend in this episode, who happens to be a Burlesque dancer… with awesome boobs. If you can believe it Larry manages to screw that relationship up for Lewis in more than one way. Of course the dynamic between Larry and Leon (JB Smoove) kind of steals the show as they argue about whether or not black people can blush and Leon continues to live for free at Larry’s home. I’m actually praying that Larry never gets the opportunity to evict Leon, because I could watch a 2 hour movie starring them.

I’m giving the episode a 3 out of 5 bears. I laughed out loud on a couple of parts and I can’t get enough of episodes with Richard having girlfriend problems. I can’t even keep track of all of the disastrous relationships he’s had in the history of the show, but I say keep ’em coming!


And the Burlesque Dancer “Stella” was apparently played by Jan Anderson…

Burlesque Dancer

John Carter – A New Trailer for an Old Hero

The trailer for John Carter looks awesome. Granted I’ve never read much about him or his adventures on Mars, except for a really old comic book called John Carter and the White Apes of Mars – which to be quite honest sucked an egg. The story itself has been around since 1911, when Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote of the Earth Man’s exploits on the red planet. Here is a little background on the story behind it…

John Carter is a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War, who dies afterward (it would appear), but is reincarnated on Mars. There he becomes a warrior and savior to the people, facing down all matter of alien and beastly foes. And by the way, he can kick twice as much ass due to the greater gravity of Earth making him stronger. (if that makes sense).

It’s on Mars where Carter meets his future wife ‘Dejah Thoris of Helium’. In the movie, Gambit Taylor Kitsch (FNL) stars as John Carter, whilst Lynn Collins stars as his love interest Dejah Thoris. Hopefully them both being in X-men Origins: Wolverine previously won’t make the movie terrible.

Check out the trailer below:

Aside from all of the cool special effects, Kitsch and Collins won’t be left to carry this movie themselves, because there are a few pretty capable actors in their supporting cast. They are joined by Willem Dafoe (Spiderman, Platoon, Boondock Saints), James Purefoy (Rome, Camelot, Iron Clad) and Mark Strong. (Green Lantern, Kick Ass, Sherlock Holmes).

I for one will be checking this movie out. Disney has done a pretty good job over the last few years to keep me entertained, so I’ll give it a chance. It can’t be as bad as the picture below suggests. Right?

Spartacus Season 2: Vengeance – Liam McIntyre In Action Pictures!

Even though I really wish Andy Whitfield could return to play the role that he owned as Spartacus, I will say one thing about his replacement Liam McIntyre – He looks a lot like Andy Whitfield.

Whether or not he is good as Spartacus remains to be seen, and we can only hope that there will be a trailer or teaser coming to us soon. But in the meantime, check out the pictures below for our first glimpse at the new Spartacus in his… gladiator underpants I guess you might call them.

All thanks to Entertainment Weekly for the pictures:

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And now him owning some Romans!
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I honestly can’t wait for January, when Spartacus: Vengeance will premiere. Spartacus and his fellow slaves are now on the run from the Roman Empire, which means there will be fighting at every turn and we’ll see the formation of the slave army that they raise, and hopefully Gannicus will soon be a part of it! And let’s not forget Lucy Lawless will be returning as Lucretia, and I can’t imagine she’s happy with Spartacus, Crixus and their merry band.

What’s everyone’s thoughts on the new pictures? Confidence instilling or are you skeptical until you see him on-screen?

Update – 9/11/11 : Breaking News – Andy Whitfield has passed away.

Cinemax’s Femme Fatales: 109 – Help Me Rhonda

Things are really starting to come together for Cinemax’s anthology series. We’ve already seen episodes tied in with characters (Mr. Ryan: The White Flower/Angel & Demons), but the 9th episode Help Me Rhonda, has taken it to a whole other level, giving us our first real ‘prequel’ show. Now anyone who saw the show’s premiere (Behind Locked Doors) should remember the character of Camille (Ana Alexander) who was Lacey River’s cell mate and behind bars for the murder of her husband. This is her story…

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‘Issues’ – Superheroes In Therapy

It seems like a lot of the stress, tension, psychosis, anger, and despair fueled problems that every superhero deals with could possibly be solved with a little dose of therapy. Therapy that doesn’t involve smashing faces and getting sidekicks killed. So it’s about time we get to see a visit to the world of superhero therapy.

Possibly avoided with therapy, just saying…

Issues is a new series brought to us by Crackle, and revolves around a world full of real people and animated superheroes. So step into the office of Dr. Ted (played by Josh Cooke) as he works through some superhero Issues:

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