The Town: Just Another Heist Film

(Although I tried to refrain from spoilers, the review might include some minor ones)

Ben Affleck has been on the spotlight during the last weeks, what with his new film - Argo - being released and getting good reviews. Ever since Affleck released his first directing effort (Gone Baby Gone), critics and audiences have been surprised by his skills behind the camera, as opposed to his talent (or lack of it) in front of it. And I agree. Gone Baby Gone was a well-acted, skillfully directed, thought-provoking drama. So, with all this Affleck talk revived, I decided to check his second film, The Town.

The Town is set in Charlestown, Massachussets, where a group of childhood friends use their free time to rob banks. The group is led by Doug MacCray (Affleck), a former hockey prospect whose father is in jail. The other member of the group is Doug's best friend, Jem Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), a career criminal with a bit of a short temper. The other two members of the group barely get lines or screen-time. Their robberies are ordered by Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite), a local crime lord who uses a flower shop as a front for his illegal business.

The film opens with one of their robberies at a bank, where Jem ends up taking the manager (Rebecca Hall) as hostage. As they wonder if they have any heat on them, Doug decides to follow the manager to make sure she doesn't lead the authorities to them. Eventually, he falls for her and decides to walk out on the life, but not before he is convinced to two additional jobs, the first one by Jem, and the second one by Fergie. All the while, FBI Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm) is on his tail.

Now, if you've gotten this far, you've probably noticed my main issue with the film. It borrows so much elements from other similar films that it ends up feeling formulaic, clichéd, and by-the-numbers. Most of the characters follow a template that we've seen on other films:

• The noble criminal that wants out of the life,
• His unstable, trigger-happy friend who forces him to stay,
• The crime lord that is actually the man behind the crimes, and the actual "bad guy"

Even elements of its narrative and plot are borrowed from similar films: noble criminal falls for female mark, noble criminal has father in jail, the one big hit he has to do before he can walk out, and so on. 

That's not to say that the film is bad, but its lack of originality surely hinders its overall effect. On the good side, Affleck does show his directing skills. Most notably, the chase and action scenes are well handled and intense. Plus, he also handles the lead role quite well. Most of the cast delivers, although I'm not sure that Jeremy Renner's performance was Oscar-caliber (he was nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar). The film also features one of the last performances by the great Pete Postlethwaite. His performance, although brief, was pretty good.

So, all in all, the film is a decent effort, brought down by its own formula. I know it's based on a novel, but a bit of originality on its script wouldn't have hurt. Grade: I'm torn between a low B- or a high C+. I'll leave it at that.

(All pictures belong to Warner Bros. Pictures and its affiliates)

Seed: The Walking Dead Season 3 premiere

Last weekend, AMC premiered the third season of The Walking Dead. Coming on the heels of a troubled second season, there is much expectation on how the show can maintain its footing. For those unaware, last season, original developer and screenwriter Frank Darabont stepped down as showrunner in the middle of an alleged conflict with writers and producers. Although the show has continued to enjoy solid ratings, some critics and fans have criticized the pace and narrative of the second season. So season 3 is the time for Glen Mazzara, the new showrunner, to prove that whatever problems were a result of the past administration, and that he can handle the job.

The episode, titled "Seed", picks up several months after season two, with our band of zombie-fighters on the run, looking for food and shelter in every other place. The group is still led by noble-sheriff-turned-dictator Rick (Andrew Lincoln) who seems to be at odds with his pregnant wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) probably because there's no way to make a paternity test for the baby in the middle of the zombie infested country. As they look for a place to settle, they stumble upon a prison that seems like the perfect place to hole up for some time, give some rest to the group, and welcome Lori's baby. But first, they have to get rid of the zombies around and inside the facility.But after a seemingly "easy" cleanup of the prison courtyards, they stumble upon bunches of "walkers" inside the labyrinth-like corridors of the prison. Their attempt to escape leaves one of them without a limb, and the rest of the group looking at a group of residents that aren't precisely zombies.

There was also a brief moment with Andrea, who was saved on last season's finale by Michonne, a sword-wielding woman that carries two armless and jawless zombies in chains. There's not much to say about this, cause the scene was quite brief, but I've been having my reservations about this character since the finale. But I suppose it's too soon to speak, so I won't.

Let me begin my review, by saying that I didn't have as much of a problem with the past season as most people. Sure, it had some ups and downs, but overall, it was a pretty solid show with some excellent moments. That said, I have to say that I wasn't that impressed with this episode. I liked it, but if I were to compare the first episodes of all three seasons, this one would easily be the weakest. During the first half hour, the show features three different instances of our group blitzing groups of zombies (first at the house, then at the prison patio, and finally at the inner courtyard). IMO, all of them felt somewhat stale and repetitive. There was no tension at all. It just felt like formulaic, by-the-numbers hacking to get the characters from Point A to Point B.

As for the drama between the characters, I didn't care that much for the conflict between Rick and Lori. But I do think that Lori's moment at the cell, where he wonders what will be of her and her baby, was pretty good. I think the last act picked up the pace a bit, and that last walkout through the dark prison corridors was pretty good and tense. I thought that someone getting bit was a bit dumb, but it might be cool where this takes us. I, for one, would've been stabbing and hacking at all those corpses heads like a madman to avoid that. And speaking of hacking, that last scene had me cringing a bit, but it's cool to have gore. It's a zombie show! Finally, the revelation that they weren't alone comes as no surprise. I think it was pretty obvious that there would be somebody else inside.

So, like I said, not the best season premiere of the show, but it was still a decent episode. I do hope that things heat up as the season continues. Grade: B-

(All pictures belong to AMC and its affiliates)

Let the Right One In: Original or Remake? Original.

(Although I tried to refrain from spoilers, the review includes one for a main plotpoint)

With so many remakes nowadays, this is a common question in my mind. Which one should I see first? the original or the remake? It's tougher when the time span between them isn't much, and both films have received positive criticism. It happened to me earlier this year with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In that case, I decided to go with the remake because I'm a fan of Fincher. This time, I chose to let the original in first.

Let the Right One In is set in a Stockholm suburb, and follows the unlikely friendship formed between two teenagers: 12-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and umm, 14-year-old Eli? (Lina Leandersson) The former is a shy, introverted, kid who is being bullied at school. When Eli moves to the apartment next to him, they develop a strange but cute friendship. The only problem is that Eli is a vampire. 

Despite this premise, this film is nothing like a vampire film, which is probably its strongest point. Despite following the typical guidelines regarding vampires, the film behaves more like a drama/coming-of-age film with some thrills sprinkled around. As Oskar and Eli befriend each other, she encourages Oskar to stand up against his bullies. Meanwhile, she has to deal with her bloodthirst with the help of her father, Håkan (Per Ragnar).

Another strength of the film is the performance from the two teens. They have wonderful chemistry and their friendship feels true to the audience. Despite the circumstances, it is really an innocent and charming relationship between two teenagers facing the same problems (isolation, loneliness?). The rest of the cast is effective, led by Peter Carlberg. Carlberg plays Lacke, a local that has lost his best friend to Eli's thirst, and is looking for answers. The aforementioned Ragnar is also pretty good as Eli's guardian.

Also, most of the technical aspects of the film are top notch. The directing is solid, the cinematography is pretty great making the most of the snow-filled environment and dark settings.In the end, I can say that the film wasn't one to blow me away, but it was still a unique and charming take on the vampire genre. I enjoyed it a lot. Grade: B+

The Voice: Blind Auditions

Last weekend, The Voice finished its Blind Auditions with each coach completing a team of 16 artists. For the untrained eye/ear, The Voice is a singing competition whose most notable feature are its auditions, where singers of all ages and genres perform blindly to potential coaches Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, and Adam Levine. If a coach is interested enough in the voice, he/she will push their button turning their chair around to watch the artist. This is pretty notable, considering how much an artists "image" is taken in consideration by other singing competitions. So, after four weeks of auditioning lots of singers, each coach ended up choosing 16 artists they would coach and train en route to a finale.

Right off the bat, I can say that none of the artists has really blown me away so far. On the past two seasons, I can say that some singers left an impression from the first time I heard them. Jared Blake, Nakia, Javier Colon, Jamar Rogers, and Tony Vincent are some of the past contestants that I remember being great from the get-go. I haven't gotten that this season. Not sure if it's the fact that the talent bar has been raised so high that there is more consistency, and hence less peaks within the talent pool, but after watching more than 100 artists audition, I can barely remember a handful. I guess I'll have to watch some bits of the auditions again; I'll be right back.

....

Scottish singer Terry McDermott

Ok, I'm back. So, seriously now, one of the things that kinda irks me about the show is how inconsistent or random the criteria to push the button seems to be. Sometimes you will hear a perfectly good singer, and coaches will not push their buttons or wait until the last second to do it; but then another singer comes and sometimes before they even finish a verse, they'll all be pushing their buttons. This happened with the first two singers auditioned. Scottish rocker Terry McDermott did a perfect, clean-voiced rendition of "Baba O'Riley", and even though three coaches turned around, they waited until the last second to push their buttons. Then, right after him, Chicago singer De'borah went out to sing "Hey Soul Sister", and she hadn't even completed the first verse, and they had already pushed their buttons. In the end, her rendition was very weak. I thought she had pitch problems, and couldn't carry the flow of the lyrics effectively.

That one kinda stuck with me, because I think Terry had one of the best voices in all the auditions. Bryan Keith and Trevin Hunte were others that shined in that first episode. Bryan had a unique, cool rasp to his voice, and Trevin was just a powerhouse. Adriana Louise, Aquile, and Mackenzie Bourg were other solid singers from the first batch of auditions. On the other hand, Cee Lo picked returning singer Daniel Rosa, and I was left wondering why. His rendition of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" wasn't that great, and I really didn't see much difference in the singer from last year to this. Cee Lo also picked up Domo, and from her introduction I knew I would hate this girl. And damn, was I right. Her performance was weak, and her attitude made her the most annoying singer to audition this season.

Bryan Keith on The Voice

The second week opened with a solid performance from quirky singer, Melanie Martinez. Her rendition of "Toxic" was pretty cool, but her voice reminded me to much of Dia, from the first season. As a matter of fact, there have been so many singers trying to emulate that quirky, gasp-like, off-pitchy style that its getting tiresome at times. Brian Scartocci, Avery Wilson, and Nicholas David were others I liked. As for the not so great, Blake picked country singer Liz Davis, who I thought was pretty weak; and Christina picked duo Beat Frequency, who wasn't that impressive either. For what it's worth, the guy could sing, but most of the lyrics relied on his wife, and she wasn't very good.

The last two weeks were okay, but nothing that spectacular either. Bank teller Michelle Brooks, soul singer Brandon Mahone, and Caitlin Michelle were among the best from those auditions. I was also surprised by returning singer Dez Duron who, unlike Daniel Rosa, showed some great improvement from his audition on the second season to this one. Maybe it was also a matter of what song you choose. Last year he auditioned with a Backstreet Boys song; this year, he chose a Hall & Oates song.

So, like I said, nothing has actually blown me away so far. Lots of good singers, but I still haven't heard something that makes me go "Whoa!". Strongest team, IMO, is probably Adam's, and the weakest could be Blake's or Christina's. One thing that has piqued my interest is all the talk abut the "steals" in the show. We'll see when the battles begin this weekend.

(All pictures belong to NBC and its affiliates)

NCIS: Recovery

(This review includes some spoilers about the episode)

I really wasn't thinking on making an entry about this episode, but decided to give it a shot for several reasons. First, I'm a fan of the show, so it's unusual to have an unfavorable reaction to an episode. Second, with two previous glowing entries dedicated to NCIS, I thought that an entry that wasn't as warm would be fitting to counterbalance things.

So, first things first, the episode continues after the events of the last episodes, with everybody at the Navy Yard recovering from Harper Dearing's bombing. Recovery is something that seems to be on everybody's mind in the show, so the episode is aptly titled. From the get-go, you can see that everybody on the team is not "OK". Whether it's as obvious as Ducky's limp or Abby's nightmares, or as subtle as DiNozzo's "fake" smiles and jokes, Ziva's lost gaze, or Gibbs' lack of sleep. They even seem to be floating some sort of father/son conflict between McGee and his father that will probably surface at some point in the season.

So as the team tries to pick up the pieces, emotionally speaking, they must work the case of the murder of a co-worker that was killed during the aftermath of the bombing. In the meantime, they are required to complete mandatory psych evaluations with a crisis counselor (Steve Valentine).

First with the weekly case, I thought that the resolution of the crime was too convoluted and "pulled-by-the-hairs". All those bits with the Facility Manager that *somehow* had never appeared even though everybody knew her, and the fact that she ends up being involved in the crime was pretty weak. Second, I really wish they would give Ducky a break from the show. What I mean is, if they really want to instill in us the sense that Ducky isn't with the team anymore, then why not leave one or two episodes without him? His appearance in the crime scene, and later in the lab, felt shoe-horned and forced. Sure, it is on sync with what's happening and the overall theme of the episode, but it takes away the effect it might have on the audience to really "miss" him.

That said, I did like the bits with the shrink. At first I thought he felt too cliché, but as he talked with each character, I kinda liked the direction it went and that the character was a bit more dimensional than I felt he was at first. And finally, the reappearance of Abby's biological brother, Kyle, was cute, even if I wasn't crazy about it. I just think that the whole "recovery" thing with Abby didn't flow as naturally as it could. That said, the casting of Daniel Louis Rivas as Kyle was inspired. The guy is a dead ringer for Abby.

So, overall, I wasn't that crazy about the episode. It wasn't bottom-of-the-barrel bad, but it was fairly mediocre. Let's see if they pick up the pace next week. Grade: C

(All pictures belong to CBS and its affiliates)

Chris Cornell: Euphora Morning

When someone mentions Chris Cornell, most people will think of Soundgarden and/or Audioslave. But the lead singer has also made his name as a solo artist. Two years after the break-up of Soundgarden in 1997, Cornell released his first solo effort titled Euphoria Morning. This album is one of several albums that were introduced to me by my wife. As a matter of fact, I could make a blog entry titled "Albums/artists that my wife introduced me to". The thing is that it has become one of the most pleasant albums for me to listen to.

For the most part, Euphoria Morning has an easygoing, lounge-like sound to it that makes it so relaxing for me to listen to. There's little to no crunch in the guitars, but instead some twang and laid-back riffs, accompanied by a smooth piano and simple drums. And most of the music feels as if you were sitting at a calm nightclub. As for the vocals, they flow so effortlessly from Cornell. His voice is as impeccable as usual, but with less rasp and more of a soulful vibe.

If I were to mention a favorite song, I tend to lean towards the slower ones. "When I'm Down", "Moonchild", "Sweet Euphoria", and "Preaching the End of the World" are probably my top songs. I would probably consider "Flutter Girl" the weakest song, even though it is not a bad song in itself. It's just not my favorite. In summary, the album is a pleasure to listen to and it's one of my most frequent listens. Grade: A

The Smile: Homeland Season 2 premiere

(Although I tried to refrain from spoilers, the review might include some light ones.)

Homeland debuted its sophomore season last night with an episode titled simply "The Smile". The premiere takes place several months after the first season, which left Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) still alive, loose, and set for political stardom while Carrie Mathison's (Claire Danes) life was in shambles. Carrie had been unable to prove Brody's connection to terrorist Abu Nazir and, after a severe mental breakdown, was institutionalized and set for electroshock therapy. Brody, on the other hand, was persuaded from his terrorist attack against Vice-president Walden (Jamey Sheridan) by his daughter Dana, albeit unknowingly to her. After that, he persuaded his boss Abu Nazir that he could serve his purpose better with his political position.

Season 2 finds both Carrie and Brody in very different positions, but facing similar decisions. Brody is already serving as Congressman and is about to be selected as Walden's running mate for the next election, when he is approached by an ally of Abu Nazir to retrieve some classified information about potential targets in the US. Meanwhile, Carrie is recovering from her breakdown along her sister and father, while working as an English teacher when she is thrown into the loop again to contact one of her former assets in Lebanon that might have information about a future attack. Both characters are reluctant to accept their missions at first. Carrie still holds a grudge against the agency after the way she was treated upon her dismissal, while Brody doesn't want to be complicit in the death of innocent people. Still, both comply when they are presented with a chance to right some wrongs from the past. Brody has the chance to avenge Issa's death, while Carrie has the chance to redeem herself.

The episode was pretty good. It had some worthy moments. Nazir's request of Brody (to snatch a folder from a safe) seemed too simple for his reach, but perhaps it was a way to test him first. Plus, the scene where he does it is pretty tense. A scene I really liked was the one at Dana's school, mostly because I know that a lot of people have the same closed-minded point of view of Dana's schoolmates. The generalizations, the broad blanket statements, talking without really knowing or understanding anything; that's the kind of things that lead to the problems that our society has right now. I also liked her final scene with Brody, and I can already see where this is leading with her. We'll see.

As for Carrie, I liked how we see the anger eating at her once her past colleagues start contacting her. And from the first time Galvez contacts her at her new job, you see that sort of crazy anger in her eyes that we saw in the last episode of the first season. She seems to accept what the CIA asks of her, reluctantly. When she is about to meet her mentor, Saul (Mandy Patinkin), she is chased by a Lebanese policeman. In trying to lose him, she runs through the streets and alleys, and her smile, the one that lends the episode its title, tells so much. In a way, it's the smile that shows how much she wanted this again, but it's also the kind of psychotic smile that reminds us of the Carrie we last saw in the first season. Regarding the performance, it's stellar work. Claire Danes continues the great work she began in last season. I have to admit, I never thought this girl had it in her.

So, to sum it all up, the episode was a pretty good premiere with some great acting and a nice set-up for the season. All of the cast was in top shape, and I can't wait to see what's next. Grade: A-

(All pictures belong to Showtime and its affiliates)