Feature Presenation--A Home Run and a Couple of Singles

Breaking Bad Season 2

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/episodes#season-2

I watched Season 1 of this show and thought it was ok. Interesting story lines, tricky situations, and really enjoyed performance of Cranston.

The second season starts with a bang and really moves. Each episode starts with a clip in and around Walter’s pool and the show builds on it the entire season. There were several plot lines that I thought it foreshadowed but the eventual circumstance was beyond belief. The dynamics between Walt and Jesse continue to be a rich source of story telling, providing tension, humor and life lessons. Odenkirk is a fantastic addition as the sleazy lawyer and I hope he stays on. The finale is dripping with tension and Skylar's decision sets up some great plot lines for season three.

I realized early in the season that the show is Weeds meets The Wire—character turns to drugs to meet financial needs and then has to figure how the drug system works, staying ahead of law enforcement while battling the competition.

Get into this show.

I watched three movies recently that I don’t know if I love or hate.

The Propostition

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421238/

This was recommended to me by a co-worker and it is a brutal story set in Australia. Ray Winstone is great as sensitive yet hard edged colonizer for the Empire trying to humanize this savage country while battling the natives and unsavory elements on the fringes, and his character’s choices contribute to a jarring, unnerving and terrifying conclusion. Guy Pearce gives a great performance, providing the springboard for the plot to develop. The movie is slow in places and the violence, seen and unseen, is horrific.

The Darjeeling Limited

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0838221/

I have wanted to see this for a while, only because I love Rushmore and enjoy most of the other Wes Anderson films (haven’t seen Life Aquatic). The movie is a variation on the road trip formula, with the characters using a spiritual search to work through their familial issues. I imagine me, my brother and sister doing this, so my liking and simultaneous dislike is somehow wrapped up in that.

The Fountain

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414993/

This movie caught my eye at the library and it took me a second to realize what it was. As I turned over the movie to see the director, it clicked—Darren Aronofsky. He creates a weird film (shocker) with elements of the genesis of the world, the Spanish Inquisition, the love and pursuite of science blended with scenes of everlasting love and the end of the universe. Thought Hugh Jackman was quite good in his multitude of roles, with Rachel Weisz providing an excellent love interest.

All of these are worth seeing once. After that, I don’t know what to tell you.