TV Review: Fringe

Fringe is one of those shows that creeps up on you. I am a Bones fan and have been seeing commercials for the following show, Fringe, for a couple years now. Never really gave it much thought. In 2008 when the show premiered, I would usually switch over to CSI after Bones and then watch Eleventh Hour. Fringe looked kind of X-Files-ish but with more action and with watching Eleventh Hour, I thought I would get enough of the "out there" factor. I thought Eleventh Hour would be more cerebral and that is what I was looking for. Eleventh Hour only last 18 episodes and I was disappointed to see it go. I had overheard some chatter at work about Fringe but never really got hooked on it. Until...
While watching the most recent cliffhanger of Bones, in February, I stuck around and watched Fringe. WOW! Why on Earth did I wait this long to watch this show? Just one episode of this show had me hooked. I had a slight idea of some of the working relationships of the characters by just bits and pieces of episodes I may have seen but it was enough to be completely sucked into the episode and the series. Hard to believe that one episode could do that but then again, the master, J. J. Abrams is one of those responsible for this show. Never a Lost fan but certainly a Star Trek fan, Abrams has won me over.
Fringe is like X-Files but they have a budget and are not hidden in the basement of the FBI building. Really, the only thing that makes them alike is the fact that there are strange things going on around here and someone has to get to the bottom of it. The twist is they are under the Department of Homeland Security which probably makes the freak-squad able to move more freely around and into freaky business of citizens.
The series centers around three characters an FBI agent - Olivia Dunham, a scientist - Dr. Walter Bishop and his son, Peter Bishop, who works as an FBI advisor. The dynamics between the three is interesting and really come to a head in the first episode that I watched. Since I haven't watched the show since the beginning I cannot comment on how they all came to work together but I'll catch up on that later.
The writing, editing and camera work is excellent. The actors are the kind you have seen before but can't put your finger on it. Anna Tory (Olivia Dunham) has probably the smallest resume with some small and large TV time but no big roles (much like Emily Deschanel of Bones). Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop) is probably more familiar as he has worked steadily and did teenage TV and movie roles including Dawson's Creek and Scream 2. John Noble (Dr. Walter Bishop) should be the most familiar to viewers although you may not recognize him because he has done many character roles, most notably the very creepy Denethor in The Lord of The Rings: Return of The King. All of them working actors that seem to have fallen into a good thing - good for us.
It is not too late to start watching Fringe. I see a long life ahead of it and I plan on sticking around until the end.
Fringe is on Thursday nights at 9pm EST on Fox (after Bones). See local listings for exact time and day in your area.

Hurt Locker: The Poem

I have had many debates over the movie The Hurt Locker. A good movie but in my opinion not Oscar worthy. Below is the poem of the same name. And it is more profound, deep and penetrating than the movie could ever hope to be.

The Hurt Locker

Nothing but the hurt left here.
Nothing but bullets and pain
and the bled out slumping
and all the fucks and goddamns
and Jesus Christs of the wounded.
Nothing left here but the hurt.
Believe it when you see it.
Believe it when a 12-year-old
rolls a grenade into the room.
Or when a sniper punches a hole
deep into someone’s skull.
Believe it when four men
step from a taxicab in Mosulto shower the street in brass
and fire. Open the hurt locker
and see what there is of knives
and teeth. Open the hurt locker and learn
how rough men come hunting for souls.

- Brian Turner

Return of the movie mommy!

Dear blog readers,
The movie mommy is BACK! Yes, after a loooong winter and hiatus, I have returned to do my duty as your movie, video, TV, music, sports, kid advice and general overblown know-it-all that you have come to know and love!
I had a tough fall, to say the least, and that is why I took a break. Deaths in the family, work, school and my son starting school put some stressors on my life that all came together in the fall. It took a while to get my head back together but after many video rentals (Red Box, baby!!!) and the dismal Oscars - I decided I was once again needed!
I rent a lot of movie and therefore most of my reviews will be from rentals. I will do my best to make them timely. The next movie I plan on seeing at the movies will be Iron Man 2 (yes!!!!) and that should kick off the summer movie season nicely.
Hang in there and watch for my posts!
Thanks for reading in the past and thanks for reading in the future!
hugs and kisses,
the movie mommy

Taking a Break

Dear Friends and Fans of the movie mommy,
I will be taking a short break from my blogging. Life has, inevitably, caught up with me. School, kids, husband, work, drama, etc. has taken its toll and I am afraid that toll is on this blog.
I will return with reviews, on occasion, but not as often as I used to. I need to get some things under control here at home.
I can recommend 9 and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - all day long.
Please check this blog and when you see activity that is less than a month apart...you will know I am active again.
Keep checking in...I will post when I can. There are some movies coming out this fall I want to see.
Stay in touch!
Love,
the movie mommy
xoxoxo

Inglourious Basterds

I will admit - I am not a fan. I am not a Quentin Tarantino fan. But the wacky previews for this movie and the excitement of my co-workers over this release inspired me to go see it.
I guess I never got Tarantino. I saw Pulp Fiction *yawn* and part of the Kill Bill series *whatever* and was not impressed. I guess I was waiting for something to happen. I think I have found it.
Inglourious Basterds is a movie that has several feels to it. Tarantino's inspirations for his film style is always obvious and in this movie even more so. The opening of this movie segues from Spaghetti Western to Unforgiven very seamlessly and sets up the movie as going from cheesy to quality in just a conversation. He also draws on old war movies and elements of the foreign cinema. The movie is in 3 languages and some segments have no English in them at all (be warned if you don't like subtitles) which leads to the foreign cinema feel.
The movie is broken into chapters where we meet the various characters and, in Tarantino style, we know that these characters will somehow intersect later in the movie. In the second chapter we actually meet the Inglourious Basterds lead by Brad Pitt, who is having much to good a time, as the leader of the Basterds - the previews for this movie give much of that away. But you should know that the Basterds are only one part of the movie. There are much more interesting characters like the Nazi Jew hunter played by Cannes Film Festival winner Christoph Waltz. Waltz is an absolute delight to watch as he maneuvers flawlessly through all 3 languages and in his even speaking tone invokes terror into whomever he is speaking to - he even makes his fellow Nazi's uncomfortable. Waltz's career has been 99% German cinema but I now have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of him.
Unlike Pulp Fiction which seemed to linger and plod along too long on a character's exploits, Basterds moves through each chapter with skill and agility. When each chapter is over you will be wondering when you will see another chapter about those characters.
Another stand out is Melanie Laurent as the French Jew who has been in hiding as a cinema owner in Paris since Waltz's character killed her family 3 years earlier. Her life intersects with the Nazi, the Basterds and even the Fuhrer as the movie comes to a climax.
I have to confess, this is big, I did not see the end of the movie! I know, I know, I should have not even written the review but I had to anyway.
I watched it up until the final chapter when all the elements were coming together and I got a call from my daughter's school that her ears hurt and she was crying.
I did read the ending and it was not what I expected. But that is Tarantino. I might have to change my mind about his movies...nah.
But I do recommend this one.
MMM1/2M (out of 5 M's)

Harry Potter

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince is a fans only movie. If you have never seen any of the Harry Potter movies and suddenly decide to see what the fuss is about...this is not the movie to start with. Don't get me wrong - the movie is terrific! But you need to be following the story. AND it would help if you reviewed the last movie, The Order of the Phoenix, before seeing this one.
Once again the movie can stand on it's own for someone who has not read the book but just barely. You know the movie mommy rule about movies made from books - the movie has to be enjoyed without reading the book. Since I did read the books it is hard to separate myself from that BUT it has been a while since I read The Half Blood Prince and much of the narrative seemed new to me.
I would call this movie the Empire Strikes Back of the Harry Potter movies. If you saw Empire in the movies and felt that pang in your stomach of, "WHAT?!?!" when it ended, that is, with no real ending to speak of. What about Han frozen in carbonite? What about Darth Vader being Luke's father? WTF?! Well, we didn't have that last acronym back then but you get the point.
However, if you read the books, The Half Blood Prince is kind of anti-climactic. You know what happens next! Dumbledore? Harry and Ginny? Raging hormones? Ron and Hermione? Snape? Malfoy? WTF?! Well, you get the point!
This movie has all the darkness you expect plus some things you have been looking forward to seeing. Like we finally see the Weasley twin's joke shop and more cool places in Hogwarts. The set designers like to keep Hogwarts changing and that is fine with me. Plus, a great Quiddith match, wand duels, dark magic, a new teacher and excellent effects.
No, I am not going to go into the plot because you will have to go and enjoy!
As a fan of the books, you will want to read the final book again after watching this movie. As a fan of the movies - you are just going to have to wait until the next movie (which I heard will actually be two movies) to finish the final story for you.
You are just going to have to live with that Empire feeling in your stomach.
MMMM1/2Ms (out of 5 M's)

Transformers 2

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: I don't ask a lot from a movie. I like to leave my brain at the door and be entertained. BUT I don't need the film maker to assume I did leave my brain at the door and make a movie that is well...brainless.
This movie suffers from the same problem the first Transformers movie did - The Transformers are more interesting and well thought out characters than the flesh and blood ones.
Shia LaBeouf had some obvious potential in The Greatest Game Ever Played but has since squandered any talent in material such as this and the last Indiana Jones installment. I know it isn't easy talking to a character that isn't there (special effects) but at least give it some effort. The rest of the cast are well known and reliable character actors but seem to wince their way through this lame material.
The Transformer thing never gets old, I have to admit. I totally dig those guys going from cars, planes and truck to being big bad ass robots. Maybe that is a problem as well. I would rather see a movie of just the Transformers doing their thing. It is certainly more entertaining than anything else in the movie.
In any case, Transformers 2 follows our hero, Sam, off to college where he has some post-pubescent antics and finds out he has acquired some kind of special knowledge and now the bad guy robots, Decepticons, are after it. I can't believe it would be hard to find what is in this guy's brain, anything extra would stand out. Yawn. The military now has a special unit that is dedicated to finding these Decepticons, since the last movie, and end up bumbling through a major city and tearing it up a bit. The unit is shut down and the good robots, Autobots, are mothballed. Of course, the Decepticons stir things up and our Autobots are called on again. Big battle scenes, etc. There are some references to some old time Autobots and shows pictures of them as model T's and bi-planes. I really thought they were going to resurrect some of those. Now, that would have been cool but not to be. Please hurry up and end this 2 and half hour movie!
Another problem I have with this movie, which I also had with the first one, are the amount of US military casualties. Maybe it is because we are at war and maybe it is because much of the military bloodletting is in the desert scenes of this movie but I find it disturbing. Sure the scene with a Decepticon crashing through the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt is a stunning effect but it is also hard to watch. The ship sinks with all hands lost. We see people and planes sinking to the bottom of the ocean. I heard that kids in my son's class at school (4 and 5 year olds) were talking about seeing this movie. I cannot imagine how they felt watching a ship, much like one of their parents could be on, being destroyed. I know, I know, in most sci fi movies, such as Independence Day, the military is being obliterated left and right but something about the way this movie goes about it is different. At least for me. It also shows the military being heroic but we know this already.
This movie is not for kids. I don't want to sound like a fuddy duddy but there is some cursing (by parental types), drug references (once again by a parent) and even a reference to "cherry popping" (by a parent!). They could have called this movie, "Parents Behaving Badly."
The movie suffers on many levels and that includes - Who is the intended audience?
Yes, I am being harsh. I know it's only comic book sci fi stuff BUT after movies such as Iron Man and most recently Terminator Salvation and Star Trek - we, the fans, want more. Maybe that is my problem, the last movie I saw was Star Trek and was superior quality for sci fi and well, any movie. My suggestion is see if Star Trek is still playing and go see that.
MM (out of 5 M's) because the Transformer effects are so cool.