Brothers

Brothers ~ This intense 2009 melodrama is a remake of the critically acclaimed Danish film Brodre. It’s powerful melodrama and if this flick has one flaw it is that it is melodrama.

Sam and Tommy are brothers. As ne’er-do-well Tommy returns from prison for a drinking offense, Sam is shipping off to the Middle East again. When Sam is apparently killed, Tommy, not by design, moves in on Sam’s wife and kids. Tortured by the enemy, Sam finally returns home a changed man. And that’s when the trouble really starts.

Tobey Maguire’s Sam is an acting tour de force – where is his Oscar nom? He deserved it just as much as Jeremy Renner certainly. This film reveals the creepiness that was always bubbling under his performances and shows it off scarily. Jake Gyllenhaal as Tommy and Natalie Portman as Sam’s wife are so entrenched in their characters the actors are nearly unrecognizable. And when did Mare Winningham go from brat packer to matronly actress?

Brothers also has a phenomenal score by Thomas Newman and a soundtrack that strongly features “Water” by U2. And that’s saying a lot as I am so not a U2 fan. This flick is highly recommended.

Lucky Louie

This isn't a review of HBO's cancelled sitcom "Lucky Louie" that starred comedian Louis C.K., although I loved that show. This is a review of the new Louis C.K. sitcom "Louie" on FX, but it seems strange to me after the odd reception the first series got from critics that he would get another one so quick. Either way, I'm thankful he did.

That said, I had to wait more than a few episodes before I could decide if I really liked it or not. It has elements of the HBO show in it as well as some things borrowed from "Seinfeld," mostly the comedy club bits. But it also has something else, and it took me a while to pinpoint it. It's Woody Allen.

It was the loopy old jazz music that first brought this comparison to mind but then it became much clearer. When Woody Allen was in his Annie Hall phase, he was still funny, but there was also the hint that he was trying to say something about his world, our world. This is what Louis C.K. is doing. It's sharp, subtle and clever.

There is of course the problem of its lead-in, "Rescue Me," which in the last season became a sad parody of itself, and so far this season, two episodes in, it has become a humorless cartoon. I hope it doesn't affect "Louie." Hopefully he'll be luckier with FX than he was with HBO. Check it out, well worth your time.

True Blood: It Hurts Me Too

I am worried about the road that "True Blood" seems to be going down. It feels more and more like a bizarre cross between "Dark Shadows" (and not in a good way) and Iron Man 2 with each new episode of this third season.

Like the golden avenger's movie sequel, it has too many plots going on at once, far too many, and a lot of what is going on is going in a very camp direction. Not that "True Blood" hasn't been camp from the beginning, and let's face it, vampires on television make it hard not to go there, but it just seems too over the top - and without a more focused storyline, and at least one focused storyline, it gets bad.

There is so much happening in "It Hurts Me Too" I find it hard to even sift a theme that might explain the title. Things happen, but they seem roughshod and scattered. There is a lot of sex this time out, both physical and emotional. There is finally some electricity between Eric and Sookie. Tara gets some too from a new vampire heavy, Franklin. And Bill and Lorena give kinky sex a whole new dimension.

Jason has gone from unfortunate to comic relief to a literal cartoon. He feels like a wasted character as he is now. Similarly, but with potential otherwise, Sam is doing the same thing. I just hope we get more insight into the shapeshifter mythology as opposed to more babysitting the Beverly Hillbillies humor. And speaking of which, do monsters fall into bad stereotypes? Is it me or are shapeshifters redneck white trash, and werewolves are bikers?

We also get, for no apparent reason other to show us Lorena is bad (we already knew this), a flashback to Bill's past when he comes home after being turned. Some final observations… Bud, in quitting the police seems to make him the sanest person in Bon Temps in my opinion. I like Pam more every time I see her. And it about time Sookie started cleaning that house...

Big Brother 12 Cast Revealed

The cast for "Big Brother 12" was revealed yesterday, and now the questions remain - Who's the flirt? Who's the schemer? Who's the outcast? Who's the old guy/gal? Who's gay? Who will hook up? And the most important for this season - who is the saboteur? Or should that be, after eleven seasons will anyone still care?

Here's the new cast:

Rachel Reilly, 26 – VIP Cocktail Waitress – Las Vegas, NV
Kristen Bitting, 24 – Boutique Manager – Philadelphia, PA
Britney Haynes, 22 – Hotel Sales Manager – Huntington, AR
Monet Stunson, 24 – Model – Glen Carbon, IL
Brendon Villegas, 30 – High School Swim Coach – Riverside, CA
Andrew Gordon, 39 – Podiatrist – Miami, FL
Enzo Palumbo, 32 – Insurance Adjuster – Bayonne, NJ
Kathy Hillis, 40 – Deputy Sheriff – Texarkana, AR
Annie Whittington, 27 – Bartender – Tampa, FL
Matt Hoffman, 32 – Web Designer – Elgin, IL
Lane Elenburg, 24 – Oil Rig Salesman – Decatur, TX
Ragan Fox, 34 – College Professor – Los Angeles, CA
Hayden Moss, 24 – College Student, Athlete

Oh Sookie

A whole 'nother world of fan fiction... Snoop Dogg professes his feelings for Sookie Stackhouse...