apologies for my absence. life has been crazy busy for me for a while. in jan, i went to the studio for a week to finish up a new PM recording. since then, work has been kicking my ass, complete with travel, so i've been unable to find time to post. however, that hasn't stopped me from watching a ton of stuff. time to try to catch up. from memory...

Tacoma FD - finished s4, which ended up being the final season. really amusing watching this after watching Yellowstone, as the cowgirl chick is chief's daughter on this show. anyway, s4 was funnier than previous season, still an amusing show. i wouldn't say "must watch", but it's good enough. the move to Netflix wasn't enough to save it, but at least they got to finish this season. i hear tell the Broken Lizard troupe has now moved onto filming Super Troopers 3, so at least there's that.

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer - as i said nearly six years ago when i first watched it, a tight, dread-inducing film. i had been wanting to watch this again since first viewing but just never got around to it. now in the context of everything he's done since, was great seeing Barry Keoghan killing it so hard in this film. really great film. still obtuse, but very enjoyable.

Eastern Promises - i feel like i watched this previously, but if so, i didn't post about it. re-reading what you guys said, starting back in 2007 when O-dot used to post here, i agree with him and Mike. really good film, quite enjoyable. didn't love the ending, but doesn't take away from how great the rest of it was. bleak, but earned. great cast. certainly more enjoyable than Cronenberg's more recent output.

Surf II: The End Of The Trilogy - don't know how this slipped under my radar back when all i did was rent bad horror films from the local place, but apparently it did. my friend insisted i watch this movie. it sounded really dumb but i agreed. it is in fact really dumb, but pretty goddamn amusing. wild seeing people like Eric Stoltz and fucking Cleavon Little next to the likes of Ron Palillo and Eddie Deezen. plot is entirely ridiculous, and something that simply wouldn't be done today. they all looked like they had a lot of fun doing this pile of dung. well worth a watch if you've never seen it.

Suitable Flesh - Joe Lynch tries to channel Stuart Gordon, with several folks - including Brian Yuzna - producing this HP Lovecraft adaptation of "The Thing On The Doorstep". Heather Graham, Bruce Davison, and Barbara Crampton lead the cast here. while there is a strong try-hard "girl power" motif in parts, this is a quite enjoyable throw-back effort and worthy addition to the catalog of Re-Animator and From Beyond, although never attains that level. very enjoyable to see Babs back in her wheelhouse here, she's still sexy as hell. some interesting re-works of the source material, but also some that stick close to the intent. i was quite surprised as i was expecting much less from this. pretty damn good flick. recommend checking it out.

Poor Things - went into this relatively blind. i mean, i've seen the trailer, but still didn't really know what this was. trailer doesn't do it justice at all. it's a very bizarre film. can't really wrap my head around how to really describe it. it's part fairy tale, part Frankenstein re-telling, part coming-of-age, part love story. the world looks like Tim Burton does retro-futurism, so you're never quite sure when this is supposed to take place, which is actually a really good way to do this film. emma stone crushes this as the adult baby who goes through birth to, say, around 30 years old during the course of this film, including puberty and "discovering her body", let's say. but she's far from the damsel in distress you might expect in a traditional fairy tale - she was raised/created by Dafoe's Frankenstein's Monster (essentially, although never really mentioned directly), who is a brilliant scientist/surgeon, so her entire approach to life is purely analytical and 100% direct. that decision is what makes this film work. does create a lot of "fish out of water" moments as her naiveté about life presents itself (really, kind of is the story). Dafoe's character's name is "Godwin", which results in Stone's character calling him "God" the whole film, so there is some allegory there i'm sure about creator/creation. some very absurdist moments in this film as well. i'll just say you shouldn't believe the trailer, which makes this look like some kind of musical, or low-key sequel to The Princess Diaries or something. it's nothing like that. i loved it, it's quite amusing, very smart, frequently sexy (with lots of "furious jumping"). just very well done. still, have to say, i'm about Ruffalo'd out. while he's good in this as the asshole, he's very hammy and hatable. maybe that was the intent. if so, mission accomplished.

La Brea - as i have said here several times before, this show is ridiculously amusing. they finally returned for their final 6-episode sprint to the end, and they were back in crazy, insane, ridiculously mockable form. top-notch MST3K-style fun to be had here. it's insane how this show wraps - after everything they've been through, everything just kind of works out for everyone left alive, with zero thought given to anyone that died along the way. people are nearly literally skipping down the hill hand-in-hand, off into life, as the credits roll. so goddamn funny. i've previously posited that the creators/writers have to be in on the joke here, that there's no way they created this earnestly, so now that it's over, i looked them all up. that was kind of a bummer, as it looks like most of them are just kind of "staff writers", who have worked on all the "big" major network shows, just going from gig to gig. their resumes don't read like they did this on purpose. yet, i still say there's no way someone created this masterwork of self-aware ridiculousness in a serious way, like this was meant to be taken seriously. just impossible. anyway, now that it's over, i highly recommend watching this show. excellent stoned viewing material, so goddamn funny. just plow through the overly-serious lows in s2, it does get back to the insanity of s1. such an anomaly that a show that succeeds in a huge way that's the polar opposite of their intent. glad it ended, but very glad it ever existed. thank you, gods of mediocrity, for allowing this to exist.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves - i assume this is plural because the plan is to focus each season (should it be renewed) on some titular lawman from history, we're just starting with bass reeves. fine by me, as this show was pretty damn good. another taylor sheridan "old west" tale that works well. although, there are some plot points that are begun and go nowhere. basically, any attempt at side story or anything not involving bass is useless here. could have been much tighter and 2-3 episodes shorter without any of that. i understand from the opening credits that this is based on a couple books, so i assume this was done in an attempt to service the source material, but i'm guessing that in the book, these side stories go somewhere or something meaningful happens. not so in this miniseries. all of that being said, well worth a watch. good action, enjoyable if kind of goofy central plot. bass' accent drifts in and out over the course of the show, but it's nbd. if you like taylor's stuff, same thing here, just different context.

Beacon 23 - new Lena Heady-led series. premise had potential, but Lena deserved far better writing than this. lots of nothing happening, then a ridiculously irritating ending means my recommendation is: avoid. nothing to see here, sadly.

3 Body Problem - very interesting premise here. i guess it's based on a 3-book series from a Chinese author, which i haven't read so i can't speak to the adaptation, but from what i understand, a lot of the hard science has been "dumbed down" to the point of being able to be quickly represented in this 8-episode first season. as this is from Benioff and Weiss, it has a ton of GoT alums on cast, which is quite welcome. Davos Seaworth's character is fantastic, and a great illustration of his acting ability. Samwell Tarley is only in the first couple/few episodes, thankfully. he's just goofy and distracting. several others do very well here, decently written. but again, similar issues here with the last couple seasons of GoT - lots of time setting up speeding to the next event. this whole season feels like its entire job is setting up the next two seasons. at least this time, the books are done, so hopefully there's a wealth of material for them to pull from and they don't start trying to invent storylines, because we all know how well that worked for them in the past. still, pretty good show that i will say i recommend only because the promise of future seasons is pretty big. if it is one-and-done, i wouldn't recommend it, as it doesn't really go anywhere.

Brain Donors - little-seen Turturro vehicle from 1992 finally gets a new Blu release from 4k scan (i will never understand why they don't release a 4k UHD version if they've done a 4k scan), and my preorder arrived last week or so. finally got the opportunity to re-view this film. i worked at a movie theater when this first came out and i remember my midnight pre-screening only attracted one other employee. he was very confused by this very brief film, but i loved it then, and i love it now. it's so beyond goofy. as it's a Zucker Brothers production, you can imagine the jokes are quite literally every goddamn line. some are more subtle than others, but if you are laughing at something, you likely missed two more jokes. it's also loosely based on the first two Marx Bros films, so that should give you an idea of tone. there is also a lot of visual humor, courtesy of Bob Nelson, which is pretty great. also fantastic seeing Nancy Marchand in a perfect "straight man" role here, with the context of her future iconic run as Livia Soprano in mind. quite prolonged and amazing claymation opening and closing credit sequences as well. while i'll acknowledge this film isn't for everyone, i fucking love it and have been quoting it for over three decades, so it's great to have this new release. looking forward to checking out the commentary tracks included, although they aren't with the cast. if you've never seen it, get yourself in silly mode and put it on - you'll thank me.

Constellation - this was a very wild show. very hard sci-fi plot here. multiple alternate timelines twisting and turning, sometimes intersecting. a pretty great portrayal of extremely complex concepts as well as an exploration of grief. noomi rapace and jonathan banks were both great, but by the time you get to the end of this, you realize that the actual star of the show is the character of alice, played by young twin actresses rosie and davina coleman. if they want it, these girls have a long career ahead of them. very well done show. recommend checking it out.

Dream Scenario - was excited to watch this new nic cage film, as it looked like a serious film, which is a bit of a departure from his recent output. it is billed as a comedy, which is weird. while there may be some amusing moments because of the character's awkwardness, it's far from a comedy. of course, this is the industry that labeled Nurse Jackie a comedy for its entire run, so i shouldn't be surprised. anyway, this is an interesting film. there are some pretty transcendental moments in it, but those feel accidental. it kind of doesn't really go anywhere, and edges right up to the precipice of saying something then backs off. i really wanted to like it more than i did, as all the ingredients were there for it to be great, but ultimately i felt the parts were greater than the whole.

TC wrote: 12/03/24, 05:43:16 when O-dot used to post here

getting caught up again...

Ripley - limited series take on the same book on which The Talented Mr. Ripley was based. while i haven't read the book, i sincerely appreciated this extended time with the characters and deeper dive into everything. this show is entirely presented in black & white which adds to the fantastic mood of it. it's a much darker take on the material, with the dark moments presented quite frankly and straight, which only adds to their effectiveness. massive film noir vibes from this. very highly recommended checking this out. it's really good.

Fallout - while i didn't play the games, my son did and he loved them, so i was familiar with the concept. really enjoyed this show! it's got a good amount of humor mixed with very dark retro-futurism, and of course walton goggins absolutely rules here, as you might expect. left open for another season or more, which i'm sure Amazon will do. while it's very hyped right now, i'd say it's well-deserved. some fantastic over the top kills and gore, too. you should watch it!

Conan O'Brien Must Go - only four episodes, which is tragic. i've missed Conan since his show blow up then vanished, and this scratched that itch. very funny take on the travel show. if you enjoyed his travel skits, this is for you. this is that, but in an extended format and free from the constraints of trying to be network TV. some episodes hit better than others, but there isn't a dud among them. dramatic show intro voice over by christoph waltz is fantastic. jordan schlansky is featured in one of the episodes, if you enjoyed conan's relentless tormenting of him. recommended, hope they do more. it's ridiculous in the best way.

Late Night With The Devil - went in knowing nothing about this film, and glad i did so. i'm not going to ruin anything for anyone who hasn't been subjected to spoilers yet, but i will tell you that i enjoyed this. it went hard in parts, and while i wish they would have gone harder, i thought the construct of it was beautifully executed. it's a good idea, if not entirely original, executed well. definitely worth a watch.

Them - i swear we talked about this here, but i can't find anything. of course it's difficult to search that title, so here's an attempt to hit keywords for future reference: Them is an anthology horror series on Amazon created by Little Marvin. the first season was three years ago and entitled Them: Covenant. it was a bit preachy, but not overly so, and not enough that i turned it off. while it took place in the '50s, so there was some racism involved, it was way more horror than focused on the black/white thing, which is great. it featured a character referred to as "Tap Dance Man", who was a terrifying take on a minstrel show performer. the second season recently dropped, and it's entitled Them: The Scare. this season is two episodes shorter and takes place in early '90s LA, against the backdrop of the Rodney King incident. without spoilers, it does tie into season 1 eventually, which took me by surprise. i wasn't expecting that, which was great. i found it to be way more entertaining than even the first season. it's part police procedural, part pure horror, and it works fantastically. i loved it. i'd like to talk more about it, but anything i want to say would be a spoiler. very well done show.

Snowfall - i have no idea how this flew entirely under my radar. like, to the point where i had no idea it existed. my son told me it was great and i needed to watch it. i looked it up, saw the thumbnail, and assumed this was not for me. i then watched a trailer and decided the marketing department completely failed this show. there are at least three different stories taking place during the same time, all told from their own unique perspectives, and they do occasionally and eventually intersect in the best of ways. this is the story of how crack came into being, overtook first LA then the country, and how it ties into the Iran/Contra/Sandanista conflict. the main character of Franklin Saint isn't based on one person, but is likely an amalgamation of several people, like Freeway Ricky Ross, Michael Harry-O Harris, Brian Waterhead-Bo Bennet, and Thomas Tootie Reese. given those names, if you remember this era at all, you should already know how this six-season run likely ends. but along the way, holy fuck is this an amazing show. people compare it to Breaking Bad, which i get, except BB frequently had humor injected into it. this show is 100% fucking dark from the beginning. they have absolute balls to kill off semi-main characters all along the way and illustrate just how ruthless everyone involved was. if you also somehow missed this show, all six seasons are streaming on Hulu. you should absolutely check it out. again, while it's sort of based on real events, it's probably more accurate to say it's "inspired by", as there is a lot of fictionalization happening here, used to great dramatic purpose.

wow it's been a long time since i got back here. apologies for that, work has been insane. but, i have certainly been watching a bunch of stuff. so, here's another "getting caught up" bunch of things:

Shōgun - when i first heard they were making this again, i was on the fence about it. i remember loving the original mini-series (although i haven't watched it since). while i found the first episode or two a bit clumsy, this eventually did settle into being a fucking fantastic piece of work. really loved what they did with it. amazing visuals, great score, just really, really well done. if you passed on this for some reason and are at all interested in the era, this should be a must-watch.

A Man In Full - this is some weird mash-up of parody, satire, comedy, drama and a few other genres all smashed together pretty ham-handedly, which i also think is on purpose. it was amusing to watch, and i definitely didn't see that ending coming (heh), but nothing i'd classify as "must watch" in any sense. some great supporting character actor performances here, though. they steal the show.

Sugar - now this is a mash-up i can get behind! it's absolutely impossible to openly discuss this pseudo-noir show without spoiling things, and you definitely have to go into it knowing as little as possible, so here come the spoiler tags.

i absolutely, positively did not see that MASSIVE left-turn coming. this is a show that starts as a noir throw-back, which i'm here for, then suddenly - aliens. no, not a joke. it really is aliens. but that isn't the focus here, they're absolutely normalized (inasmuch as Colin Farrell is normal) and the show sticks to the central noir-esque mystery through to the end. i don't know where this came from or how it happened, but i found it nearly impossible to turn off.

you should definitely watch this one.

Tires - i love Shane and the Philly crew, have for a long time, so i am the target audience for this show. it felt like they were just trying to figure out how to do what they want to do here, really only settling in near the final episode. they must have quickly found out that doing these skits on youtube is a very different thing, and it shows a bit. that being said, i did find the show pretty amusing, and when it was funny, it was very funny. it kind of oddly felt like it was trying to walk a fine line between being as outrageous as they usually are and not being too outrageous to get dropped/cancelled. that does seem to cut the balls off a few gags, but they mostly land as intended. i think s2 will have different pacing and tighter writing (even though the loose-ness is part of the joke). i'm in.

Presumed Innocent - big boy jake gyllenhaal vehicle here. legal/courtroom murder/mystery drama. an absolutely insane amount of red herrings present, but even so, it didn't go the way i thought it was going to. i was pretty damn surprised by the final twist, but in hindsight, i probably should have seen coming. regardless, it was a fun ride to get there, and this is mostly pretty well acted and interesting, if you're into this type of thing. i like jake. crazy to me that he's legally blind without glasses.

i think that's it for TV without stand-alone threads. still some other TV and several films to post about, will do so asap.

now, switching to movies...

Talk To Me - i liked this better than i thought i would, but what starts as a decent premise pretty quickly devolves into shit you've seen a thousand times. it was at the end only ok for me, but certainly decent. don't need more of it. not everything needs a sequel, so hopefully they leave this alone. ultimately forgettable.

Unfrosted - a very weird movie. when you read the description, you're probably wondering "why do we need a movie about this?" that's exactly what you feel when you watch it. it's pretty obvious Jerry is a big fan of the Zucker-Abrams-Zucker era of comedies, and this tries - very hard in spots - to be that kind of film. lots of deadpan delivery of lines that they assume are funny, or at the very least funny in the context of the scene. except... they mostly aren't. so we have a lot of deadpan delivery and acting of lines that aren't funny. while it could/should have been fun, the film feels kind of dour because of this. i can't recommend watching it, much as i like Jerry. supporting cast, while some are good, all seem pretty confused as to why they're doing this. except melissa mccarthy, who is 1000% into whatever she's doing in the moment. in some cases, that works great. in this case, she's exceptionally annoying.

Ferrari - i like adam driver. he's great in this. i liked Ford v Ferrari quite a bit. but the reality is that the true story of Ferrari is pretty depressing, and he was in many ways a huge piece of shit. so, this film is pretty joyless in that sense. i guess it succeeds in capturing the essence of his life accurately? i'm not a Ferrari historian, but what i do know is presented here just fine. it's certainly interesting, and has some amazing stunt work/driving, but can't say i'd recommend it to someone wanting to watch a fun racing movie or anything.

The First Omen - this was way better than it should have been. it actually fits into the Omen universe perfectly. the opening shot is a great homage to the original series, and the plot line leads directly to the first film. quite deftly done, really. the chick from Servant is great as the lead. feels like they could have gone for it a bit more in some aspects and scenes, but does generally land what it's going for. if you are remotely into the franchise, forget that Omen IV exists and check this out!

Godzilla Minus One - back to his Japanese roots goes the monster known as Godzilla, and i couldn't be happier about it. this film was fucking fantastic. i mean yes, as a Godzilla film, but also just as a film that happens to feature a giant monster. i haven't watched the b/w version yet, but am very much looking forward to doing so. i'm not a huge Godzilla-stan about the original films - I think they're goofy, and while I understand that's the charm, they're not for me - so can't really comment on where this fits as far as those all go, but as a stand-alone film, it's fucking great. love the way they did the beast, love the way he moves, the "powers" he has, the origin plot line, everything about the way they did him - other than the fact that the original roar is missing, and they didn't really use the original theme music anywhere, which was kind of a missed opportunity (or if they did, i missed it completely). anyway, believe the hype on this one and check it out!

Hit Man - Glen Powell Netflix vehicle. this is an understated film that shouldn't be as good as it is, but damnit, it is good. it's funny, cute, violent, amusing all at once. some really good ideas here executed pretty well. i wasn't sure what to expect, and won't get into too many details to avoid spoiler territory, but i'd recommend a watch.

Under Paris - much-ballyhooed shark film. have to say, i'm pretty sick of hearing about shark movies after the Sharknado franchise and all the subsequent copycat films, so i wasn't expecting much. to that end, this film was better than i expected. some coherent storylines and good scenes here, decent acting as well. but really, it's the very French ending that makes the movie. it's still only ok at best for me, but that ending elevated it to a "watch" from "do not watch". worth checking out.

The Conference - a very Swedish film. it looked like another workplace fantasy film, like The Belko Experiment or Mayhem, billed as a "horror/comedy" so i checked it out. it's definitely neither one of those movies. it's also not really a comedy, sadly, because it could have worked if they leaned into the funny of it a bit more. it's played pretty straight, and while there are a couple laughs (inadvertently mostly), it falls flat in the "horror" category, which means it's just flat for me.

The Devil's Bath - sounded interesting on paper, but i'll paste my Letterboxd comments here: A couple depressed emo chicks had diaries 270 years ago - this is their movie. Sadly, no mention of BOB anywhere.

Civil War - while interesting and sometimes captivating, it's ultimately kind of weak by Garland standards for me. i liked it ok, and i like almost all of the actors in it - by and large, they do a great job too - but i don't know why this, why now, who this was for, etc. the ending sequence was frenetic, sure, and i get that he wants to offer no overt opinions, leaving everyone to think he made it for their team or whatever, but given that - again, why do this? maybe he just needed a break from sci fi. i hope he returns to more experimental arenas for his future films. this one, i was just kind of nodding along like, "Yep, sure. Definitely." but so what? shrug.

Knox Goes Away - this Michael Keaton-directed Michael Keaton vehicle dropped out of nowhere for me, had no idea he was doing anything, let alone this. as such, it was a nice surprise. he does a fine job directing this one. it's the story that kind of plods along in parts. if he had pushed a bit, leaned into certain parts to ramp up the tension, it could have worked better. but i believe he presented the film he wanted to make, which is kind of a laid back, ultimately sad story. definitely worth a watch, but be advised it's probably not what you expect in a hit man film.

TC wrote: 17/05/23, 10:38:05 The Big Door Prize - i started watching it because it starred chris o'dowd, whom i dig. it's a very odd show, but something in it hooked me so i kept watching. it is funny, has moments of a family-friendly feel adjacent to more adult subject matter. so i'm not really sure who this is for. but i did watch it. the ending of s1 was pretty bizarre, not really sure where they plan on going with this, but also not sure how it gets picked up for s2. i wouldn't say it was a "good" show, but something about it made me keep watching to see where it was going. very light sci-fi maguffin drives the town's inhabitants somewhat crazy, and we see where that "arrow" takes them. shrug.

it did get picked up, and i watched s2. once again, while i wasn't sure why, it sucked me in. it's a short show - most are around 30 min - so it's easily digestible. my comments above still stand - tone is maybe YA with some adult? very unsure how to classify this show. but i did watch the whole season, and i'm assuming it probably gets another one. it's just really well done and worth the occasional chuckle, even if i can't explain to you why i like it.

TC wrote: 10/07/23, 08:29:31

TC wrote: 29/06/22, 10:51:46 The Bear - fantastic show starring Lip from Shameless. eps are only 30 min, quick watch. cameos from Bernthal, Ringwold, Oliver Platt. highly recommended. quite enjoyed it, hope it gets S2.

wrapped season 2 over the weekend. man is this a great show. feels like it's really underrated. you should be watching this. so well written and well done all around. killer cast. even the mighty Pequod's Pizza gets a shout in this season. that ending was such a cliff hanger too! like fuck, we have to wait to see what happens now?? damn. love this show.

season 3 of The Bear was more of the same greatness for me. i saw a lot of people bitching that the show relies on gimmicks and shit like needle drops to carry it through, that it's not really a good show, it's an illusion, etc. i see that point of view, but i think you're missing the point - it's not about everyone developing as characters, and novel-era progression, it's about one guy of questionable mental health - who is therefore an unreliable narrator - trying to cope with not only who he's become but how what he does affects everyone around him. it's a fucking great show, and i thought this season, while more free-flowing and experimental-feeling, was at least as strong as the prior ones, just different (which was very welcome by me). don't believe the negativity.

Dark Matter - as i mentioned in the 'Currently Reading' thread, this AppleTV+ show finally dropped. i watched it weekly as it aired (mostly, had to take a break for work in there for a few weeks). as predicted in that thread, this was the right format to do a show like this. should be one-and-done, as they covered the entirety of the book in one season. most of it was very book-accurate as far as story and plot points go, and the visuals were as wild as predicted. wish they would have spent more time in certain worlds, but overall, and extremely well-done adaptation that i highly recommend checking out!

TC wrote: 10/07/22, 06:37:09

TC wrote: 16/05/22, 14:09:28 The Boys - i thought we had a thread here but i can't find one, so posting here. S1 was fucking fantastic. watched the first two episodes of S2 and was quite let down. it was nowhere near the pace of the first season. took a break for a week before coming back to it. either i needed that perspective shift, or it got way better very quickly, or both, but loving S2 so far. i'm only one episode behind now, so i've seen the first six. some great scenes here for sure. and gretchen from You're The Worst is in this season as kind of the big baddie (i guess?) highly recommended if you haven't gotten in on this show yet.

s3 is coming. can't be soon enough. i need more of this.

S3 of The Boys was full-on fucking great. I enjoyed it way more than s2 I think. That finale sets up what should be a totally bonkers s4, which I’m guessing would be the last? Who knows. As long as the creative team stays together, they have my endorsement to film as many as they want. Gory, hilarious, disturbing, loving - hits all the notes pretty damn perfectly. If you have somehow not been watching, correct that ASAP.

s4 of The Boys wasn't quite as great as s3, but it was still a great show. some extremely wild shit happening here that's beyond description - just watch it. the end of this season ties directly into Gen V, and as i understand it, there is one more (final) season to The Boys, which promises to be batshit crazy. so, if you were watching or at all interested but not watching, you now have 4 full seasons plus one of Gen V to watch, and probably another year before we get the next season of either, so get on it.

Mayor Of Kingstown - had heard this show was good but never watched it, and i was curious to see the first thing Jeremy Renner did after his horrific accident (which was season 3 of this show), so i went back and started watching from the beginning. wasn't really expecting to like it, but goddamn does this show suck you in. it could also be called any number of things, like "Jeremy Renner Drives 100mph Through The City While Smoking", or "Jeremy Renner Says Fuck", or "Jeremy Renner: I'll Be Right There", or "Jeremy Renner: I'll Fix It", etc. you almost always see him driving a million miles an hour through the city, usually while on the phone yelling at someone and smoking, or arriving at a crime scene only to have his phone ring, him yell a bunch then say "I'll be right there" and drive back across town at breakneck speed. it's pretty funny once you see the patterns. regardless, this is a really good, gritty, Detroit-area crime show. season 3 just ended, and while you can tell he is a little bit hurt early on as his gait has changed slightly, you forget all about it pretty quickly. amazing that he recovered the way he has. didn't miss a beat here, that's for sure. don't know how ready he is to be dragged by cables across the sky, but for this, he nailed it hard. very much recommend this show. with the way this season ended, s4 should be a doozy.

Jackpot! - new paul feig film that plays exactly how you would expect a paul feig film to play. lots of jokes that the writers assume are funny. some work, most are flat. this all crammed together with some action. it's an amusing concept - random person wins jackpot, everyone has until sundown to kill that person to claim the jackpot for themselves - that should have been way more successful. everything about this film is just kinda "there". judging by the bloopers scenes over the credits, it was an absolute blast to make, but for whatever reason is completely flat in final product. like i said, as you might expect a paul feig film to be. can't muster more than a "meh" here.