Breaking Bad: Season 4, Epidsode 5 – “Shotgun” Review

Well last week left off with Pinkman in the car with Mike and the intentions of the drive not entirely clear. This week we start off with Walt tearing ass in his ugly Pontiac Aztek like it’s a Jason Statham movie or something, jumping curbs, weaving though traffic and making frantic phone calls. Determined to impose his will on Gus and find Jessie. This brings Walt to Los Pollos Hermanos where he insists on talking to the proprietor, which he does not get to do.

As it turns out Jessie isn’t being taken out to a ditch, but instead with Mike to make pickup of cash. An idea that came from Gus and one that turns out to have a very specific focus. On the last stop Jessie stops to men whom he believed to be making a play for the money. As fate would have it, or at least as Gus would have it, the men were plants and the focus of the whole day was to create some self-worth for Pinkman. And it works.

On the outside of the business, Walt and Skyler finalize the deal to buy the car wash and then bang. After the passionate bang session, Skyler suggests Walt move back in, an idea he no longer seems so keen on.

“Uh, yeah Baby, that was some good sexing and all…but – uh – I don’t know about this moving in stuff….”

Later at dinner, Walt and his fragile ego talk Hank out of believing Gale was Hisenberg, which prompts Hank to delve back into the case. This could be bad news for Gus, and maybe even the beginning of the end for Walt…

Overall, good episode. This should pull Jessie out of his funk, and promises more interaction between him and Mike – which is always good. If I had a complaint it’d be no Saul, but otherwise real good. I love the camera work at the beginning when Walt is driving, and obviously when Jessie is waiting with the car. Just brilliant.

3.5 / 5 Bears. 

Review: HBO’s ‘True Blood’ Season 4, Episode 8 – “Spellbound”

Could season four be writing itself out of a nose dive?  I sure hope so.  While I sill can’t say for sure whether this season is definitively getting better, this week’s episode at least made an improvement from the last one for a change.  Let’s delve right in.

SPOILERS AHEAD…

We last left the folks at Bon Temps undergoing quite a bit of scary spellwork.  Antonia, inhabiting Marnie’s body, has gathered quite a coven of followers to recreate her spell which will cause all vampires in the area to daywalk and burn alive in the sun.  Bill has ordered that each vampire in the area bind him or herself in silver until the day passes.  Bill, however, goes a little easy on Jessica and she manages to escape her binds and is attempting to make her way outside.  Jason runs in like a badass and tackles her to the ground.  They then start making out.

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Entourage: Season 8, Episode 4 – “Whiz Kid”

Unless you’re a complete imbecile, you’ll know that the title of the episode tonight is talking about Vince. Thankfully the majority of the episode is about Vince taking a whiz. You see, even though there was no wrongdoing on his part from the previous episode’s suicide, Vince is still in a bit of a predicament: Since there was cocaine in the house Vince’s probation officer still wants to have him take a drug test. Which is fine, right?

Wrong. Vince admits to E that he indeed took a couple of hits from a joint after getting out of rehab. Smooth move bro. Ari is having a grand old time with Dana and her sexy self but is striking out on every front with Mrs. Ari. After showing up late to couples therapy and getting walked out on, Ari declares war by taking Dana on a date to Bobby Flay’s resteraunt. This whole ordeal puts him on pretty shitty level with both Dana for him using her like that and Mrs. Ari for taking Dana to the resteraunt to antagonize Bobby. I realize Ari loves his wife but he has to realize that it may be over with her and he has quite a thing going with Dana who is almost entirely like him but as a woman. And as far as looks go Dana wins hands down.

But back to Vince’s whiz. After realizing that nothing Drama picked up will help him, (big surprise) Vince turns to Billy for help. Billy’s solution? Wear a patented fake penis with someone else’s urine in it to cheat the test. Vince agrees but on the way into the test asks E to follow him into the bathroom and tells him the plan. E tries to talk him out of it stating it would make things worse if he got caught. Vince appears to agree and after the test everyone eagerly awaits the results at home.

Finally Vince gets a call from his lawyer who tells him that he is good to go and the results came back negative. The guys all wonder about what could have happened until Vince announces that he went through with the fake schlong! Boom! I honestly didn’t see that one coming.

I give the episode a 5 out of 5 bears, because this was easily the season’s best episode yet. I really liked that it just focused on Vince for the most part, because he really is the main character in the show and they did a good job of building up a little suspense with the urinalysis results. Hopefully next week the Ari/Mrs. Ari drama comes to an end.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: 8.06 – “The Hero” Review

Our episode continues with Larry, Susie and Jeff airborne on their way to New York. The scenes on the airplane were pretty awesome. One of them involved quite possibly the most annoying woman in the world trying to stop Larry from using the coach bathroom and the other a very drunken passenger who combined with Larry’s untied shoes turn the Seinfeld creator into a hero.

Once in New York Larry and Jeff stumble upon Ricky Gervais in a restaurant whom Jeff wants to sign as a client. After buying (inadvertently again) Gervais a $300 bottle of wine, Jeff and Susie have him over for dinner. I loved Larry and Ricky Gervais politely bickering before dinner and it lasted for over three minutes. Seeing two of the funniest guys out there on-screen for the first time I honestly think I could have watched almost a whole episode of them going back and forth.

Ricky Gervais as it turns out is a huge prick as himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm which was a good thing. Between Larry messing up Gervais’ performance of Mr. Simington arguing with Susie, his own brand of medium talk at dinner, and his last valiant act of heroism this episode was one of the best this season. I give it 4 out of 5 bears.

Good news, because it looks like next week we get to see Leon back on the scene as Larry’s louse of a roommate!

Game of Thrones Season 2 Casting: Roose Bolton

Roose Bolton, despite being a brilliant tactician is most definitely one of the more creepy characters in the Song of Ice and Fire books. He’s described as a pale, quiet man whose banner consists of a flayed man. Now if you’re curious as to what flaying is when comes to it being performed on a man, it’s when the skin is torn off of the body one layer at a time. It’s a horrific way of torture, the Bolton’s known to let the exposed skin fester and crack after the flaying. Lord Bolton also hold to the medieval tradition of using leeches to keep his blood clean and healthy. And oh yeah, his castle is known throughout the North as the Dreadfort. Very charming indeed.

I had actually thought of David Thewlis of Harry Potter (among other movies) fame being perfect for the role of Roose Bolton but it would look as if they’ve cast someone who definitely holds to the physical description of the Lord of the Dreadfort. Michael McElhatton is an actor that I am not familiar with but he has had many a role in TV shows and movies alike.

It will be much more interesting once the seasons get rolling to see Roose Bolton’s bastard son Ramsay Snow in action and some of the interactions the father and son have in whichever season book 5 happens to be in. Ramsay is one of the most vile characters I’ve seen in the Song of Ice and Fire books and when he makes his way onto the HBO show I think a lot of people will be disgusted with him and actually be clamoring for him to bite the dust at some point. Roose is a sicko bastard because he condones all of Ramsay’s antics and holds him as his only son despite being a bastard. Stay tuned for more Game of Thrones castings as they release!

The Flayed Man Banner of House Bolton. Let not the pink fool you!

David Yates + The Stand = Happening

Looks like we know what David Yate’s next big undertaking will be. Fables may be on the back burner as the Harry Potter director aims to bring a franchise of Stephen King’s The Stand movies to the big screen. With news from IGN it would appear that Yates and writer Steve Kloves are ready to commit to the project:

Continue reading David Yates + The Stand = Happening