Kristopher McClanahan's Blog, page 7

Television Review - Hell On Wheels S01E04

 HELL ON WHEELS
Season One Episode Four
"Jemais Je Ne T'oublierai"
Directed by Alex Zackerzewski
Starring Ansom Mount, Colm Meaney, Common
2011. 60 mins, [TV-MA] 
Re: Lily recuperates in Durant's care while Cullen narrows in on the Sargent and Elam tries to get it on with a wild west suicide girl.
  Outstanding: Lily is an interesting character, I'm intrigued by what direction she'll head. The racial tension in camp are pretty intense, but they could get old episode after episode.
  Unacceptable: So far, Cullen's character is just getting more annoying to me. He's chasing a Sargent and drinking and moping for the most part. Bah.
  Summary: Another decent episode, but nothing special. I do like the levels of characters in the camp and I'm enjoying their stories. I just wish the main plot was more interesting.
  3/5

Film Review - The Girl From The Naked Eye

 THE GIRL FROM THE NAKED EYEDirected by David Ren
Starring Jason Yee Larry Madill, Samantha Streets2012, 89 mins, [R]  
Re: When a whore is found dead, her driver with a heart of gold tries to find her killer.
  Outstanding: I love Noir films. There's an Oldboy-Inspired scene in a hallway that's pretty well choreographed. 
  Unacceptable: Unfortunately, the rest of the fight scenes are terrible, the sound editing is even worse and the editing's worst crime is that it doesn't obscure the dialogue.
  Summary: I really, really wanted to like this movie, and I really tried. The story is perfectly noir inspired and some of the locations are excellent, but the acting and modern catchphrases just drove this into my eyeballs like hot spikes. Terrible.
  1/5

Film Review - Brave

 BRAVEDirected by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Starring Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connelly, Emma Thompson2012, 100 mins, [PG]  
Re: A young Scottish princess rebels against her mothers wishes for her to chose a nice Scottish prince and settle down. And unite the kingdoms and what have you. And stop putting her weapons on the table.
  Outstanding: Everything. The voices, the design, the landscapes, the humor, the genuine love for each other the family displayed... I really enjoyed this movie. And it makes me want to fly to Scotland now.
  Unacceptable: The witch had a few things that annoyed me considering what a small role she had. One of those movies where the 3D actually detracted from the enjoyment of the film. A few loose ends, Story-wise.
  Summary: I thought I'd dig this movie, but I really ended up loving it and the longer it's been since I've seen it, the more fondly I think of it. Probably the most adult-oriented of the Pixar flicks, my wife and I enjoyed it a lot more than any of the kids in the theater. Which I'm okay with, not having kids. haha.  The Scottish wonderland they created is so beautiful and lush that having the layers of 3D actually made it less beautiful and immersive for us.  Recommended!
  5/5

Film Review - Cowboys And Aliens

 COWBOYS AND ALIENSDirected by Jon Favreau
Starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig2011, 119 mins, [PG-13]  
Re: Waking up in the desert with no memory and a strange metal device on his wrist, Daniel Craig wanders into town, gets into a bit of shenanigans and ends up teaming up with Harrison Ford to rescue some folks from mysterious beings.
  Outstanding: Despite, or maybe because of the ludicrous concept, this was a fun movie. Beautiful settings. Craig makes a great cowboy and Munn has an almost elfin otherworldly quality.
  Unacceptable: The story itself is pretty goofy... Why would the aliens abduct dozens of people to discover their weaknesses? We're squishy and break easily - easy enough, right?
  Summary: Not the best sci-fi invasion movie and not the best western, but probably the best western alien invasion flick around. The effects are top notch, Ford and Craig (with a great supporting cast) look like they're having a grand old time and the music really compliments the movie. Worth watching if you're in the right mood.
  4/5

Television Review - Bones S01E19

BONES
Season One, Episode Nineteen
"The Man In The Morgue"
Directed By James Whitmore Jr.

Starring Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz

2006, 60 mins, [TV-14] 
Re: Brennan wakes up in a hotel room covered in blood with no idea what has happened over the last few days. It is New Orleans, post Katrina, there's dead bodies and possibly, voodoo curses.
  Outstanding: Voodoo! It's really hard to not have an atmosphereic atmosphere with a location like this.
  Unacceptable: The episode is kind of disjointed and Booth's obnoxious mocking of voodoo gets old.
  Summary: Deschanel is good in this, really showing a depth of confusion and frustration, though her refusal to accept voodoo is a little out of character compared to her usual acceptance of people's traditions and beliefs. Maybe it's because it was applied to her. And the motive wasn't really made that clear.
  4/5