My Night With Colin Firth

There comes a time in one's life that I believe you
have to spend an entire night watching chick flicks. Tonight was the night and it just so happened to be
with a beautiful trio of Colin Firth films. Consequently, two of them involved the lovely Hugh Grant, and two of them the grim Alan Rickman.  I started my evening with the movie Love Actually. This film was filled with beautiful actors and actresses like Bill Nighy, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Andrew Lincoln (Rick from The Walking Dead), Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Martin Freeman, and for some comic relief from the romantics, Rowan Atkinson. This movie was in perfect timing for Christmas but it got me in the mood for more Colin Firth movies.

So, I streamed onto Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. As I'm writing this I had just found out that this is the sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary and it made sense to me why I didn't know the backstory on Bridget and Mark's relationship. However, BRIDGET JONES IS MY HERO! Everything about this movie was fantastic. First of all, you have Colin, then you have Rene Zellweger's spinster character that any woman living a strong independent life strives not to be. I have to admit, Bridget is kind of this ditzy character that can't seem to make it on her own emotionally, but she keeps the attention of literally everyone around her. If there is one thing that I found wrong with this movie, it's how everyone constantly nagged her about her weight. Why? She was in no way overweight. She is full of life and energy that her weight is the last trait that anyone should have noticed. In the end, I thought she was going to end up with Hugh Grant's character but no. I definitely need to watch the first movie to better understand these characters but hey, I was only in it for Firth.

I finished that movie around 3 A.M. and decided to keep going for another Firth movie to add to my mental library. This time I decided to watch Gambit considering the fact that The King's Speech wasn't on Netflix. This crime comedy that I will now refer to as a crimedy was fun. I love little independent movies like this that have strong actors such as Firth, Rickman, Cameron Diaz and Stanley Tucci. It reminds me of my all time favorite crimedy, Flypaper. I have had this on my mental but not physical watch list. I haven't seen a Cameron Diaz movie that I have not enjoyed so with a roundup like this, I knew I had to finally watch it. Although the plot isn't as clever as Flypaper, it was original and hilarious to see Colin as the low man on the totem pole and Rickman as Colin's over-exaggerated pompous boss... and well Diaz with her over-exaggerated Texan accent. I don't want to spoil what happens even though it was unexpectedly expected. Diaz and Firth made for a great duo that continued to thrill till the end.

Watching all of these films so late at night was worth it because it is getting me hyped for this coming February when Firth debuts his new film,  Kingsman: The Secret Service. After watching the trailer for this, words cannot express my level of excitement. In the photo on the left is something I have been looking at on display at my local theatre and at first glance, it doesn't tell you much. For a few months all I knew from this was the title but then a few weeks ago I finally found the trailer and it makes more sense. The lineup in this movie is impeccable ranging from Firth to the ever-so-classy Michael Caine, and then to the soulful Samuel L. Jackson. To get you just as pumped as I am, I highly recommend watching the trailer I have inserted for you here. Click it!!!

Enjoy

My Murderlicious Theories

This fall season has brought back some of television's greatest shows but it has also found some of the next greatest series. My favorite shows like Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Blacklist, and more have already hit like a bang, but my new favorite show has to be How to Get Away with Murder.

I want to dive right into some of the plot points that have made this show so very interesting to me. First of all, the first three episodes have all started out with the same theme, a college pep rally-bon fire. Knowing the title of the show, I knew there would be a body in that fire, however, we haven't seen that happen yet.
Next, the "murdered girl" Lola hasn't been verified as the dead girl in the water tank. Secondly, we know that the murder that the interns are trying to get away with is in fact Sam Keating, the husband of Viola Davis' character, Annalise Keating. We also know that Wes Gibbins' neighbor, Rebecca has been arrested for the murder of the "missing girl" Lola, but according to the foreshadowing scenes, the interns were covering up for Rebecca because she may have been the one that actually killed Mr. Keating. The first episode only shows us that there was someone murdered and that Annalise's interns were the ones trying to cover it up and destroy all the evidence along with the body. We didn't learn who was killed until the second episode. Along with that information, we see that the Keating's are having trouble in their marriage, Rebecca more than likely killed him, and we are still trying to learn where Lola is.

The plot of this show has already become pretty complex after just three episodes but things are slowly starting to unravel after each episode. From what I've seen so far, I have a few theories of how this show might go along...
1. Rebecca is actually Lola.
2. Mr. Keating had an affair with "Lola" and after something went wrong, she murdered him.

We know that Mr. Keating has had a problem in the past with his students and it comes as no surprise to Annalise to think that her husband had an affair with Lola. However, we are missing a connection between Rebecca and Mr. Keating and why she would have to murder him. It only makes sense to me that she, as Lola, went missing after their affair, killed him, and then is disguising herself with the darker hair and facial piercings. I feel like I may be going out on a limb with this theory but if it pans out, it would intensify the plot.

Anyway...

If you don't have basic cable, you can tune into huluplus and watch this show every Friday or the first episode is free on imdb.com. Hopefully you have already been watching so I didn't spoil anything for you :)

Fun Facts!

You make have recognized a few faces. So did I!

ALFRED ENOCH'S CREDITS:

Harry Potter, How to Get Away with Murder, and Sherlock




MATT MCGORRY'S CREDITS:

How to Get Away with Murder
           &
Orange is the New Black 

CLICK HERE TO BE TRANSPORTED INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION WHERE YOU CAN WATCH THE PILOT FOR FREE!!!

Hemlock Grove: Honestly Disappointing ***SPOILERS***

The arrival of Hemlock Grove season 2 was much anticipated by
Netflix subscribers but I don't think it really followed through. In the ten episodes produced, only three or four of them were worth watching. What made the first season so great was the dynamic duo between Roman and Peter... oh and the fact that Roman got turned into a vampire by his own mother. The second season started slowly and dragged on for more than half of the season before anything worthwhile happened (i.e. Shelley comes back to the tower, the baby turns out to be some kind of telepathic baby Professor X killer and Olivia kills her sister in law). Thank goodness we learned some backstory on Olivia because she seems to be the only character running the show. Peter turned several times against the moon cycle and Roman almost destroyed his only ability to become something other than a spoiled brat. Everything that made the show great was turned against the characters and made into a hinderance for us to watch. Don't even get me started on the family doctor that turned into some freak-bat beast in the finale. The ending to the first season was so mind-blowing that this made the whole show turn to ash before my very eyes. If they make a season 3, I'll be keeping it on the back burner of my list for a while until I can come to terms with being disappointed again.

My Affair with Scandal

First of all, I don't want to spoil anything throughout this post and secondly, I'm not really sure what made me finally sit down to watch this show but I don't care. I get up to this show and I fall asleep to this show. I'm pretty sure I've even had dreams about this show. I love how one minute I'm predicting what will happen and then it turns out to be the complete opposite. Getting into it was easy. The story of a woman that's had an affair with the President is always interesting but what's even better is that it's so much more than that. Each character of Olivia Pope's firm has a back story that reels you in for more. Then, there is the story of "Defiance." We don't get this story until a little later but we were shown bits and pieces of the characters that originated this conspiracy pretty early. Those are all the story lines that go between the ever struggling relationship between Fitz and Olivia. If you love to watch a show that has deep, intertwined stories with characters that are strong and even flawed, this will quench your everlasting thirst for an interesting watch.

Sherlock Series 4: Undoubtedly Precedent

It's happening! Finally a conformation for the fourth series has been announced. After watching series 3 in March (after the blue ray release) I have been avidly looking up to see when Moffat and Gatiss were confirming for the fourth series. Months have gone by and nothing. In American television, this process doesn't take very long because there are so many shows being produced on so many different networks that this kind of information is kept up to date. I mean, we literally have events called the "Upfronts" that tell us what shows are staying alive or getting axed, and what new shows will be premiering in the fall. When it comes to British television, we just have to sit and wait until the producers can confirm whether or not a series is coming back. Obviously we didn't have to worry about it because the show is globally acclaimed, so it was just having to wait out the rumors that there would be a movie instead of a series or it would take two years before they could all get together and make this thing... blah blah.

Here are the facts of series four:
1. There will be three full episodes of series 4.
2. There will also be a "minisode" beforehand like in 2013.
3. Premier date will be in 2016.
4. It will be everything we never expected.

The fact of the matter is, if you're not excited about this, go home and get to watching. It's all on Netflix and worth every minute to just sit there with your jaw to the ground because this show is without a doubt a jaw dropping, eye piercing, amazing piece of art.

Enjoy

Don't believe my sorcery? Just click this magic.

Gore Verbinski

If I look back at my weird transition into becoming a teenager, I remember where my passion for knowledge of films came about. It all started with Pirates of the Caribbean... no doubt in my mind about it. I watched every minute of special features for his three pirate movies. Not only are those movies amazing but everything else he's worked on is great! Here are his 10 directing credits:

The Lone Ranger

Rango

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's end

The Weather Man

The Ring

The Mexican 

Mousehunt 

The Ritual (short)

However, I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty last night and it was amazing! Guess who produced it? Verbinski. I'm not saying the credit goes to him because Ben Stiller really put that movie together but hey, it was great. It was also very surprising to me that he directed The Ring. That movie is intense...

Fun Facts: The dice game in POC: DMC,  was a game Gore made up with his family.
He's the one playing the guitar in "At World's End."
Being from Tennessee it was interesting to know that he was born in Oak Ridge, TN

The only movies he's made that I haven't seen are The Weatherman and The Mexican. I had no idea what The Mexican was and then I realized it has Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts in it so I'm thinking it's probably worth seeing. Some hipsters of our time like to think it's "unhip" to watch movies because they are big blockbusters or have the most famous actors. Don't worry about those people because I almost exclusively do this. I've never been let down doing so. What's even better is watching an independent movie just because it has one or two great actors in it and it's amazing because those artists made that movie to tell that story. Watch who you want to watch because you can appreciate their work. I'm going to go out and find these movies and watch them just because Gore Verbinski made them. I guarantee myself that it will be worth it.

p.s. The Lone Ranger was amazing. Don't listen to everyone that seems to hate it, even though that feels like everyone. It's worth it.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Finale + The Wrap Up

Ok guys, here's the 411: Grey's Anatomy is freaking me out, Brooklyn Nine-Nine ended for the season and I'm freaking out because that show is the best comedy on TV, and I've watched 300 Rise of an Empire twice because it was freakishly amazing. Also, Divergent was pretty great too. If none of these are in your repertoire of things you've seen, then there's no help for you. You're life is a sham. Oh and I finished season three of Game of Thrones... a good chunk of my soul was also taken after watching that. So let's get on with it.

Grey's Anatomy
If you like to inform yourself about the future of your favorite shows (proof), you should know that Sandra Oh is leaving GA this season but how will her character's story end? Will she die? If she doesn't die, she will have to move away right? Here's where I have a theory... It should also be no news that Dr. Burke will be making another appearance and I have no doubt that when he leaves again, Cristina will go with him. Episode 17 just showed us that her and Owen are not going to work out once and for all. So put the pieces together people.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

 

The best comedy on television has ended its first season and I want more. I'm a huge fan of this show and I have no regrets when I say that it could possibly trump The Office, Parks and Rec, and 30 Rock for my favorite comedy. Is that criminal of me to say? I reassured myself by realizing the backbone of this show's success is from creator Michael Schur ("The Office," "Parks and Rec"), along with co-creator Dan Goor ("Parks and Rec"), and Executive producer David Miner ("30 Rock").  My loyalty still remains and it's okay if you feel this way too. I believe that every element that made those shows amazing is being put into Nine-Nine with full force of awesomeness. 

300 Rise of an Empire

I'm not going to lie, this movie was one of the best action flicks I've seen in my life. So great that I've been to the theatre twice to see it. If I had to choose, I would even say it's better than "300." If you're wondering what it is even about, I got you covered. Just to generalize, without any historical references, this movie is set in the time period before, during, and after the events taken place in "300." The action is hard, slow, and clever. So much can be said about this movie but I would honestly hate to spoil anything. Gear up, brace yourselves and go spend the horrendous price of a movie ticket because you will have your mind grapes obliterated.

Kevin Spacey "Inside the Actors Studio"

Last night I came across the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life. While watching the episode of "Inside the Actors Studio" with Kevin Spacey (2000), I saw this happen...

Binging "Bates Motel" **SPOILERS**

This week I started my binge on Bates Motel and I have my pros and cons about the show so far. I didn’t know what to expect going into this series but I thought it would just be a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Psycho. Oooohh that movie is a classic but this series is set in present day. It’s great bringing the modern day touch to stories that are 50+ years old. However, it’s hard to watch this show while trying to connect it with the original story. I don’t think it can be done and maybe the writers just didn’t want us to do that.

Episodes 1-3

In the first three episodes, we see a lot of the story begin to unfold, just as it should, but the Bates have bought this hotel and haven’t done anything to it except buy new sheets and carpet… and it’s still not open for business. Even though I don’t like the disconnection between the series and the original story, I’m enjoying the intensity of this story so far. We’ve already witnessed a murder, and is Norman the psychopath or is it Norma? If we base our decision on the original story, it’s Norman but Norma is not normal by any means. Will they continue to work together? Will Norma continue to fight for her “business” or will she continue to stir up trouble in town? 

FUN FACT:

Recognize the Asian character, Ethan Chang?

So did I! He also plays Xander Feng in House of Cards!

Episodes 4-6

It’s any day now that Norma and her family will have to pay for the murder of Keith Summers. Even though deputy Shelby has saved her for now, I have to believe that Sheriff Romero won’t go down without a fight…

Is it just me or is Norman a player? I feel so bad for Emma. She’s sweet but very naïve to think that he will come around to her. There’s no doubt that their relationship will unfold in the end. Right?

Shelby is finally out of the picture but where is the Asian girl?

Norman has no idea what he does!!! Does this make Norma normal? She puts up with everything just like she said and she is literally protecting him. Is it inevitable to say that Norma is going to die in the end? She has to some time if the writers plan on following the original story.

Episode 7

This episode is pivotal in the series. The Bates are free from their lies of Summers’ murder! Or are they? They got off so easy by Romero that it just seems too good to be true. The hotel is finally up but it only has one customer, Mr. Abernathy. He’s such a mystery though. It’s also a mystery to me where I’ve seen this guy (Jere Burns). IMDB didn’t ring any bells for me so I guess that will forever remain a mystery. Anyway, Mr. Abernathy is so sketchy that I can’t wait to see where he takes us. I’m also admiring how much Norma approves of Emma over Bradley (who names a female Bradley anyway?). At this point I’m feeling kind of sorry for Norma. Is she a little over protective? Maybe. She has every right to be. In this episode we begin to see more of Norman’s mental disorder and I can just feel it in my bones that he’s going to take it out on someone soon.

Episode 8-10

Episode eight was a little slow. Norma let Norman go to therapy but that was a bust. Norma followed Mr. Abernathy around and that was a complete bust, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon just because she kicked him out of the hotel. Norman and Bradley are over but Emma stays persistent. I wish Norman could see how amazing she is but maybe it’s for the best. If she were a real person, I would keep her away from him. She deserves the best.

I write while watching so right now I’m freaking out!!! Who put Shelby’s dead body in Norma’s bed??? We never really find out. For all I know it was Abernathy or I think it could even be Norman. He’s messed up like that. We discover more about Norma’s past and it’s pretty horrific. I’m sure the new season will have more in store about her past but for now I’m led to believe that she is in fact as normal as she can be. She’s been through some pretty horrific experiences and Norman seems to be the only one mentally distraught. Also, Romero has taken me by complete surprise. I had a feeling that he would be behind all of the illegal businesses but I just couldn’t pin him down on it. All I could see was him trying to bring down Norma on anything he could but he helped her out with that Abernathy freak and he was revealed. I don’t want to ruin the last episode but it’s a huge stepping-stone to the story and it is definitely worth waiting till the last second of the season to see, so take a load off and binge on this beautifully written tale of the Bates family.

Bates Motel Visual Guide