All posts by Josef Rodriguez

Hey, I'm Joey and I'm a (usually) film and pop culture blogger, but I'll write about pretty much anything.
MOVIES

Grizzly Dailies: Party Down, Ryan Gosling and MORE!!

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Party Down Movie Has Financial Backing and a Gung-Ho Cast

Party Down is one of my favorite shows ever and it’s agreed that it was most definitely cancelled prematurely. The brilliant writing, excellent cast, and consistently witty humor was no match for the usual garbage that makes its way to TV which is probably part of the reason why it was cancelled; not enough people “got it”. But that’s okay, because the ones who did are demanding more and it seems like now they’re finally going to get it.

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TV

Breaking Bad: 508 “Gliding Over All” Review

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Well, folks, it’s all led up to this. For eight weeks, our heart rates have been unfairly raised and our expectations shockingly shattered. It’s been quite the ride, and it’s not even over yet, but this 6 month break will probably be the cause for a strange decrease in my blood pressure. Fresh from the murder of Mike, Walter and Todd are getting ready to burn his body and discard of all his things when Jesse, who is still not aware of the murder, walks in.

They quickly hide the body and him and Walter speak briefly about what to do regarding the nine men in prison who are now willing to rat them out. Walt says he’ll deal with it and that Jesse’s vote is no longer valid. Walt then meets with Lydia to get the names of the nine men in prison. After doing so AND making a deal with her regarding international distribution, Walt utilizes Todd’s uncle and his prison connections to take out the nine different men in three different prisons in only two minutes. In what is possibly the most hilarious murder montage ever showcased on Breaking Bad (yes, there is more than one), each man is brutally knifed down by multiple men to the tune of a classic jazz standard. It’s brilliant.

Meanwhile, Skyler and Marie talk about how the kids continue to stay with her and Hank. Skyler obviously wants her kids back, and to prove her point, she shows Walt the money they’ve made since they started their business up. A number is never specified, but it looks to be about $20 million dollars. Walt obviously does some serious thinking and makes some decisions he never thought he had to make. Giving Jesse the $5 million he was promised, Walt promises Skyler that he’s out of the business completely.

*SPOILERS*

But, of course, nothing is ever as it seems. In the final scene, which is almost dreamlike in its construction, the entire White/Schrader family is together, but after Hank decides to take a quick dump in the bathroom, he finds a book signed W.W. In a flashback, we see a scene from Season 3 that recounts him and Walter doing a search for Heisenberg. He finds something signed W.W. and says, “Walter White,” to which he replies, “You got me.” Well, now, he’s really got him.

This final episode of the half season is one of my favorites, if not my favorite, so far. While there isn’t a whole lot of Jesse or Saul and no Mike whatsoever, Walt’s attempt to keep everything under control makes for riveting television, and Jesse Plemons’ addition to the cast is one that I was skeptical about at first but now welcome with open arms. The directing, writing, lighting, and acting were all spot-on and top-notch. The final scene, though partially expected, was still a surprise and has me wishing I could fast forward my life to next Summer for the 2nd 1/2 premiere. Five seasons in and I’m as hooked as ever.

5/5 Bears

TV

Breaking Bad: 507 “Say My Name” Review

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With only one episode left after this in this first half of the season, it’s reasonable to think that some proverbial shit would hit the fan. In the episode’s opening scene, Mike, Walt, and Jesse make their way to the desert to meet with the crew Mike had been negotiating with about the Methylamine. Walt promised Mike his $5 million dollars, and after some intense negotiating with the crew, he was able to give it to him.

But instead of just giving them the methylamine, he offered his cooking services. They reluctantly agree, but only because the money is too good to resist. Walt and Jesse (who is still set on leaving the business), make one final run to transport the Methylamine from the car wash to the new lab that they’re building. Meanwhile, Mike is working with a non-Saul Goodman lawyer to get money to the nine men who worked for Gus Fring, as well as Haylee, Mike’s granddaughter. Mike then listens in on a conversation with the DEA and abandons his laptop and his dirty guns before they have a chance to search his house.

With a warrant, the DEA does what they said they would but, of course, find nothing. Walt and Jesse talk about doubling down, but Jesse remains firm about getting out. This is when Walt switches into Heisenberg mode and tries to manipulate him into staying. Jesse, who seems to impervious to that kind of thing by now, stands firm and then walks out when Walt refuses to give him his money. Walt enlists the help of Todd who, as of now, is the only person to stick with him.

This decidedly unspectacular episode of “Breaking Bad” exists not to move the plot forward in a significant way, but to serve as a build-up for a final scene that, while I knew it was coming, still surprised me when it actually happened. The thing that really shines in the episode is the lighting. While the camerawork itself isn’t Vince Gilligan/Rian Johnson good, the way the light is manipulated makes for some fantastic still shots and layered visual metaphor.

Say My Name also marks the first time Jesse and Walt have had any real conflict since the pilot episode, and to be honest it was a little disappointing. Their teamwork is what made this season so great and seeing them truly break their partnership was a shock in many ways. The biggest shock of all, though, came in the last five minutes.

*SPOILERS*

Vince Gilligan promised that episodes 5 & 7 would be the most shocking in the season’s first half and while episode 5 was definitely a shock, I’m still unsure how I feel about the twist at the end. After promising Mike that he’d get him his “go bag”, which is a bag filled with money, his passport, and a holstered gun, and then bringing the bag to him, Walt demands the names of the men Mike’s been paying off. When Mike refuses to give them up, Walt shoots him with the gun that was in the bag. Mike attempts to speed away in his car, but quickly crashes into a rock. Running down a nearby hill, Walt finds Mike sitting on a rock with a fatal gunshot wound in his stomach.

Walt realizes that he could have just gotten the names from Lydia and he apologizes to Mike, who replies with, “Shut the f*** up, Walter, and let me die in peace.” A few seconds pass and Mike falls to the ground, dead. Now, the entire Breaking Bad fandom predicted his death, but I’m still not sure that I agree with it. Of course, no one gets out clean here, but if Gilligan and Co. are willing to kill Mike, a fan favorite, how far can we expect things to go? Some fans are predicting the death of Holly White, while others are predicting a Scarface-style shootout at the end of the series.

I’m definitely not condemning the bravery of the writers, but I guess I’m just disappointed that my favorite character had to go. In a narrative sense, this may be Breaking Bad‘s most accomplished episode of the season. From a personal standpoint, I am, in some strange way, mourning the death of a character that I’ve grown so accustomed to over the past year.

3.5/5 Bears

Movie Trailers

Eli Roth’s “Thanksgiving” – Another Grindhouse Trailer Getting Full-Length Treatment

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After 2007’s Grindhouse, the many fake trailers that played between the double feature are now actually being updated into feature films. It started with Machete, moved on to Hobo with a Shotgun, and is now making its way to Thanksgiving, the Eli Roth directed slasher film that takes place on the 3rd Thursday of November. Following in the footsteps of two excellent Grindhouse homages (Hobo with the Shotgun being the better of the two), Eli Roth looks to continue the trend with what he hopes will be a great addition to the series.

I’m honestly a huge Eli Roth fan. Cabin Fever and Hostel: Part II are two of my favorite horror films of the 2000s, and I think his upcoming film with RZA, The Man with the Iron Fists, is going to be a lot of fun. Thanksgiving has the potential to be really awesome, especially if they include the scene where the girl gets impaled by a knife in her vagina whilst jumping on a trampoline. Or the scene where the guy gets his head chopped off during a blowjob…a Thanksgiving blowjob.

I’m also a bit skeptical about the whole thing because unless he finds a way to make a story out of it, it might become a little bit repetitive and monotonous. What made the trailer great was that at no point did it ever hint that there’d be a story. It just killed teenagers for two minutes in creatively hilarious ways. A deeper investigation into the killer’s motives might be interesting and of course the one protagonist who seems to always escape the killer’s clutches.

You can check out the original Thanksgiving trailer below and leave your opinions under that. If you had the chance to write the screenplay for this movie, what major changes would you make to the story, if any at all?

The things I think need to be in the film are:

  • The Thanksgiving dinner scene where someone screws the cooked body
  • The obscenely deep-voiced narrator
  • The killer POV shots
  • Julie as the main protagonist, including all the sexually charged killing scenes
  • The blue-ish tint throughout the film
  • Michael Biehn…’nuff said
Movie News & Opinions

Anna Kendrick for Capt. America 2! Or Not…

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You may have seen her when she first appeared in Up in the Air, or maybe when she was in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.  Oh, please tell me you didn’t see her in any of the Twilight films.  If you did, that’s unfortunate, but at least you know about her then. Anna Kendrick is one of those actresses you definitely want to remember so fifty years from now you can say to your grandkids, “I remember some of her first performances.” Recently, Kendrick’s name has buzzed about the geek world not just because of her voice talents lent to ParaNorman, but also because she is up for the lead female role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  Both Imogen Poots and Felicity Jones are also being considered for this position; one of them will most likely be playing Peggy Carter’s niece, Sharon Carter, though this character has only been rumored and not confirmed. [Ed. Note – both of whom have starred opposite of Anton Yelchin; Poots in Fright Night and Jones in Like Crazy] Now that all the female lead choices have been revealed, the blood bath has already begun.  Heated arguments about which actress should get the lead have already popped up all over the internet, with most being in Kendrick’s favor.  Brendon Connelly of Bleeding Cool says, “If we’re thinking of the casting in a ‘credible’ way, with both creative and commercial integrity, I think Kendrick probably has the edge on most counts: she’s cut-yourself sharp, well-known and well liked, and has great acting chops” [BleedingCool].

Cinemablend agrees with Connelly’s analysis of the female lead.  Though both Poots and Jones are British and have the upper-hand in the accent realm, Cinemblend believes we should “never rule out Kendrick, who snagged an Oscar nomination for her first major role in Up in the Air, and seems tenacious enough to tackle a natural British accent in no time” [Cinemablend].

Yet don’t be too sure, state many film, comic book, and geek fans.  Many believe Kendrick is not right for the role, right down to her looks.  One person commented on Cinemblend’s report that “Imogen Poots looks and sounds like a great actress to play Peggy Carter’s niece in Cap 2. She looks more like Hayley Atwell than either Anna Kendrick or Felicity Jones, and she’s much better looking than Kendrick or Jones.”  Some argue that looks are not everything, but others have pointed out that Kendrick is plainly too young for the niece of a woman from the 1940s.

My thoughts?  I have never seen Jones or Poots act before, but I have watched Kendrick, and I think she’s wonderful.  Based solely on my previous impressions of her, I think she could pull off a British niece of Peggy Carter, but I do agree with those who have said she looks too young for the role.  I would prefer to see a natural-born British woman who is slightly older steal the screen in The Winter Soldier, but I don’t want to make any judgement calls until I see Jones and Poots act, either in The Winter Soldier or otherwise.