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The Walking Dead: Still (2014)
Uneventful and slow
I've looked at both sides of what people are saying on this one: some are saying this was slow and boring, while others say that it showed character development for Daryl and Beth. I think both are correct, in a sense. Half of the episode is a fruitless excursion through a country club so that Beth can find some alcohol. Personally, I think this shows a lack of maturity (and perhaps even a lack of character development) on her part. Or maybe they're reinforcing that she's still a reckless teenager at heart. Who knows? Bottom line: at least half of the episode is a gigantic waste of time.
Spoiler: they find alcohol in the country club but she doesn't drink it. They find moonshine at a house and drink that. The vaunted "character development" everyone's talking about is Daryl somewhat drunkenly and cryptically talking about his past, pre-apocalypse. That and the symbolic nature of burning down the house, complete with middle-finger salute, lasts all of approximately 7 minutes (just an estimation on my part, could be slightly more or less).
This episode does nothing to develop the overall story arc or move the series along. Nothing really ground-breaking happens. In my opinion, while Daryl is a beloved character, the glimpse you get into his back story is both unnecessary and could, for the most part, be assumed based on what you already know about him. This whole episode could have been condensed into a 10 minute webisode and you'd get what you wanted out of it. As much as I hate to say it, this episode was mostly filler.
Halloween II (2009)
The 3rd worst movie of the franchise
As if Rob Zombie's bizarre, white trash vision of Michael Myers wasn't misguided and ill-conceived enough, this film managed to exceed the awfulness of the first Halloween (Zombie's not Carpenter's). John Carpenter's original vision has yet to be surpassed and this film has simply reinforced that.
Were I to list the worst Halloween movies, this would be third in line after Halloween 3: Season of the Witch and Halloween Resurrection. For die-hard fans of the original films, they'll know exactly what I mean by that. Zombie's hulking, overly grunting, monstrous behemoth version of Michael Myers is a stark contrast from the deceptively average yet horrifying Michael Myers that John Carpenter created.
The continuity behind Zombie's idea of Michael Myers is badly disjointed as well. Whereas Zombie's original film tends to display a villain that is the result of childhood trauma and neglect, this film tends to indicate an inexplicably supernatural force that is guiding his hand. We're left with a conflicted understanding of who Michael Myers even is. And don't even get me started on the antipathetic antihero that Loomis is portrayed as. With minor positive flourishes concerning the intensity and passion as the movie progresses, it still manages to fall flat as a reasonable vision of the story and characters that John Carpenter created.
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Greatest Comic Book Film of All Time
Like so many other fans, I waited 3 years for this movie to come out. I watched the trailers, the TV spots, the prologue, the interviews, the viral marketing, and all the other hype surrounding this film and I can now safely say that it does not disappoint in the least.
Christopher Nolan knew exactly the right mix of action, drama, suspense, and even a little bit of humor to make this movie the amazing film it is. The acting was superb. Bale's Batman continued seamlessly with that of Batman Begins. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman reprised their roles flawlessly. Maggie Gyllenhaal had a difficult job in stepping into a role that was created by another actress, but in "The Dark Knight," she makes you wish that it had been her in "Batman Begins." The trailers and TV spots didn't seem to do justice to Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. He's much more well-rounded than you would be led to believe. He deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. But, what is also compelling is that Aaron Eckhart should be his competition. In fact, I could see Eckhart beating Ledger for Best Supporting Actor.
Everything was so well done, it's so hard to describe how good it was put together. Three years was worth the wait. Thank you Christopher Nolan!
Superman Returns (2006)
Great Characters in a sea of bad writing
The premise of the movie is simply absurd. This movie is not in the excellent tradition of Batman Begins or Spiderman 1 & 2. The casting was relatively decent (although Brandon Routh looks like Jason Schwartzman on steroids). Jimmy Olsen was perfect. But the storyline was incoherent, leaving many loose ends untied. Brian Singer had the chance to make something great and he failed miserably. I was very disappointed that he made a mediocre movie out of good characters by employing a weak script, a foolish premise, and a stupid storyline. Keep the Christopher Reeve films and Smallville in your mind as a shining example of what Superman should really be like.