So, spoilers: The Usual Suspects is actually pretty shitty. It has a good reputation in a many quarters, launching the career of Bryan Singer (who went on to direct some good X-Men films and a critically-reviled Superman reboot) and featuring lynchpin performances from Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne. It’s mostly remembered for that twist, one…
I was ten years old when The Mask was released, and it quickly became my favourite film: to the point where I had a sizable collection of trading cards from the movie. It’s not hard to see why: there’s cartoonish excess – from the humour and bright palette to Jim Carrey’s broad performance (not a…
The outstanding season finale of Girls, “Together,” was filled with unrestrained, honest conversation, people cutting through bullshit to share their innermost thoughts, fears and hopes. Marnie’s ultimatum to Charlie could have been yet another disappointment for her, but her raw confession unearthed a heartfelt reciprocation from her ex-(now-current)-boyfriend. On paper, I don’t know that I…
“Mors Indecepta” showed the best and worst of Spartacus. At its best, we had the continuation of the thrilling chess match between Spartacus and Crassus, with Spartacus’s catastrophic attempt to assassinate Crassus followed by his stunning turnaround: conquering the trench and building a bridge out of hundreds of fucking corpses. At its worst, the episode…
“Say, Lou, didya hear the one about the guy who couldn’t afford personalised plates, so he went and changed his name to J3L2404?” “Yah, that’s a good one.” Fargo concerns a convoluted kidnapping plot filled with misunderstandings, mayhem and the occasional murder, and the film tells its story simply, without bold flourishes, letting the story…
I love those episodes that end a good season of television; episodes where all the disparate plot threads converge, where everything’s at stake and you’re genuinely unsure of the outcome. This week of Justified wasn’t one of those episodes, but it was a damn good launching pad for the three episodes to follow. The great…
Tonight’s episode of Please Like Me was the best so far. The earlier exposition issues have evaporated to leave a solid core of characters, each getting some good moments tonight. Any scene involving Josh was great. The endearing enthusiasm that characterises his live shows came across in the episode tonight; he had been a little…
Flight’s first act is dominated by an astounding, heart-pounding, incredibly edited flight sequence. There’s clear stakes and an ever-present sense of danger thanks to the inebriation of lead pilot, Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington, in a resonant performance that warranted the Oscar nomination). The technical details may be hard to understand, but it manages to be…
Reflecting on the tonal shift that characterised “On All Fours,” Girls’ darkest episode yet, it occurred to me that the show has been a generally optimistic show. Its characters haven’t always shared that positive outlook, but the overall feeling has been hopeful, that these crazy kids will sort out their problems. That’s why the relentless…
It’s perhaps surprising that Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the last of Kevin Smith’s films set in the View Askewniverse (just pretending that Clerks 2 doesn’t exist), has held up best in the preceding years. Mallrats and Chasing Amy aren’t really contenders, and Dogma’s “ain’t-I-a-stinker!” take on organised religion seems quaint nowadays: it’s funny…
ccpopculture 