In less than two hours time 65th Emmy ceremony will begin. Unfortunately, just as with the Oscars, the actual winners are rarely the best ones among the nominees and the ones who actually deserve the award. I don't suspect it will change tonight, but they have a shot at awarding the best performance in TV since Ian McShane's turn as Al Swearengen in Deadwood - I'm talking of course about Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston. They did award him 3 times already and as much as I'm not a fan of giving the same person the same award year after year, Cranston is simply that good.But even when Emmys do get things right - giving out the most nominations this year to American Horror Story: Asylum and Game of Thrones - they get so many things wrong. Here are some omissions from the nominees that continue to baffle me. They also break my heart as each of these people wasn't nominated for an Emmy even once in their career:
5. Lily Rabe, American Horror Story: Asylum
Pretty much everyone is nominated when it comes to that show, yet Lily Rabe was left behind. She was just as good as the others, if not better (except for Paulson for whom I'm rooting tonight even though she is nominated in supporting, when she was clearly lead). Rabe had a double role - of a young, innocent nun, too scared to ask the questions and later on of the Devil - when her character was possessed. She handled both beautifully and her "You don't own me" scene in which she is wearing red lingerie and dances provocatively in front of a cross is probably Asylum's most memorable scene.4. Mads Mikkelsen, Hannibal
I'm starting to think Bryan Fuller is cursed. He does all those brilliant TV series and very rarely there is any Emmy love for them (Kristen Chenoweth did win for Pushing Daisies...after the show was canceled *sick*). Hannibal should have got plenty of nominations (it got none) - it's the only prequel/sequel show right now that is actually working and it's a good show. I don't understand how Vera Farmiga got in (and she deserves her nomination, as her performance makes her show watchable) for the feces known as Bates Motel and Mikkelsen did not for Hannibal. He is doing an incredible job - he took the part of which Anthony Hopkins's interpretation is among the most beloved performances in the history of cinema and he managed not only to pull it off - he added so much new to it. Mikkelsen's way of playing Hannibal as if he was Lucifer himself who walks among us is so much fun to watch. He makes the guy who kills and eats people not only fascinating but also irresistibly charming.3. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones
Thrones is all around terrifically cast show but few of the characters were truly perfectly portrayed on screen - as if they came alive from the pages of the book. Jaime Lannister is one of them. He is my favorite character in the books in terms of how he is written - he is the most fascinating and complex person in the realm. In the first two seasons of the show we only saw one side of Jaime - smug bastard whose arrogance stems from the fact he is rich, he belongs to powerful family and he is a master swordsman. But what we witnessed in season 3 was one of the most magnificent redemption arcs in TV history where after the loss of his sword hand and through his relationship with strong and noble lady Brienne we got to see the true hero in Jaime. Waldau should have been nominated - and win - for the bath scene alone where he confesses to Brienne the true reason for which he killed the King years ago, forever covering himself in oath breaker shame. I rarely cry because of how powerful actor's performance is. Waldau's acting made me weep for several minutes during this scene.2. Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation
Initially I was just going to complain about the fact Offerman is not nominated for just last season. But quick trip to his imdb page made me realize this man has not been nominated for playing Ron Swanson at all! No Emmy love, no Golden Globes love. This is an outrage. I think Ron Swanson is the most brilliantly written, hilarious and yes - iconic - character in TV comedies right now. And it's because of Offerman who is the funniest actor in the show's talented and delightful ensemble - he makes Ron so much fun to watch and he is just one of those characters that people fall in love with.1. Michelle Fairley, Game of Thrones
I don't understand many things in this world but the fact Fairley was not nominated for her incredible work in show's most famous episode The Rains of Castamere is an unsolvable mystery for me. Emilia Clarke is nominated from the show instead and - God bless and guide our Khaleesi - but how the hell did this happen? Are Emmy voters so limited that they just go with the flashiest parts for nominations? Dragon lady and the imp? Unforgivable. Fairley's performance made that episode. The directing was good, the writing was great, the music was chilling. The work from Richard Madden and young Maisie Williams added emotions to the scenes and the chilling performances of Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton) and David Bradley (Walder Frey) added so much tension but it was Fairley who was the beating heart of that episode. From her hope and the desire for vengeance in the episode's opening scene, through her smiles of reassurance for her brother during his wedding, to the rising tension culminating in the show's single most heartbreaking scene, the range Fairley depicted here is something unlike anything I've seen in any show this year. Her heart stopping, soul piercing howl as she sees her last free child fall on the floor dead remains the most powerful moment I've witnessed on television.The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards are tonight, airing on CBS at 8pm ET/5pm PT
After Breaking Bad finale was over I was left with immediate "That's it?" thought. While I don't necessarily believe the series finale has to be the best episode of the series, it should at least be one of the best finales that series had. Felina had nothing on Face Off or Full Measures. Hell, it wouldn't even be in my top 20 of the best Breaking Bad episodes.
Breaking Bad finale in addition to being underwhelming was one thing I never though BrBa episode would be - safe.
The whole episode was beautifully shot and the acting was top notch. There were many amazing scenes especially Walt admitting to Skyler he did all of that for himself and Jesse laughing and crying in the car. But still...it felt off. Something was missing. I cry easily, honestly you show me a puppy rolling around gifset - I'll cry for an hour. I wept for 10 minutes after Six Feet Under finale. I even teared up during Lost's final episode and I consider it to be one of the worst finales ever. I spent so many hours watching Breaking Bad and not a single tear fell from my eyes during that finale.
2. The cold open. The best cold openings in the show were intriguing and we didn't know what was going on. Here it was just Walt sitting in the car. Really? I'd love to see flash forward or a flashback, something connected to Walt's wounded pride being the beginning of it all. Something connected to Grey Matter, something we saw before but we didn't know all the details about it. Something that would bring something new to our knowledge of characters and events.
5. Walt's trunk. So they check his jacket but they don't bother to check his trunk just in case, I don't know, a machine gun is there?
8. And if Gilligan claims Walt is such a monster that is one hell of a send off - he gets to secure his family's future, he gets to explain himself to Sky, he even gets to be a hero like it was some sort of western. Really? As nice as that ending shot was, I read fan ideas that were 100x better than that. 
11. The unnecessary scenes. Just showing Lydia drink the tea would have been enough. Showing sugar dissolve in the tea was enough to make everyone guess it was ricin. The phone call scene was overkill. I wish that situation was handled more like Lily of the Valley reveal.
14. Todd. I found him to be weak villain to begin with but he reached new levels of stupid here. By all means look at the window and turn your back to the people who want to kill you.
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In case you forgotten, American Horror Story: Coven premieres tonight. Finally a show that really leaves you in agonizing pain of wanting more and wishing it was Wednesday just to see the new episode. Here is the list of movies that may keep you busy in the meantime. (inspired by 
Aurora is cursed by the evil witch Maleficent - who declares that before Aurora reaches her 16th birthday she will die by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning-wheel. To try to prevent this, the king places her into hiding, in the care of three good-natured - but not too bright - fairies. 
Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse move into an apartment in a building with a bad reputation. Strange things start to happen: a woman Rosemary meets in the laundry dies a mysterious death, Rosemary has strange dreams and hears strange noises and Guy becomes remote and distant. Then Rosemary falls pregnant and begins to suspect that her neighbours have special plans for her child.
Christine Brown is a loans officer at a bank. Worried that her boss will think less of her if she shows weakness, she refuses a time extension on a loan to an old woman, Mrs. Ganush. In retaliation, the old woman place a curse on her which, she subsequently learns, will result in her being taken to hell in a few days time. 
Dennis Allan (Bill Pullman) is a scientist who visits Haiti on the strength of a rumour of a drug which renders the recipient totally paralyzed but conscious. The drug's effects often fool doctors, who declare the victims dead. Could this be the origin of the "zombie" legend?
Constable Ichabod Crane of the New York police arrives in the small village of Sleepy Hollow in 1799 to solve a mystery of murders. With all the victims found with their heads missing, everybody in Sleepy Hollow is talking about the ghost of the "headless horseman". Crane, believing only in logic, refuses to believe the public's theory about the horseman and begins his investigations, only to find his faith shattered when he himself encounters the headless horseman. 
1955. Small time New York City gumshoe Harry Angel is hired through a law firm by a mysterious man named Louis Cyphre. The case is to locate a man by the name of Johnny Favorite, a popular singer before World War II. Johnny's associates are highly populated by those into mysticism and particularly voodoo, which takes Harry to New Orleans. As Harry continues his investigation, one by one, the people he interviews turn up dead. 
Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman) have always known they were different. Raised by their aunts after their parents' death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but typical--their aunts fed them chocolate cake for breakfast and taught them the uses of practical magic. But the invocation of the Owens' sorcery also carries a price--some call it a curse: the men they fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death. Now adult women with very different personalities, the quiet Sally and the fiery Gillian must use all of their powers to fight the family curse and a swarm of supernatural forces that threatens the lives of all the Owens women.
25-year old girl gets a job as a caretaker living in a plantation home in Terrebone Parish, Louisiana. She soon discovers the scary attic in the house, with all sorts of hoodoo recipes, spells, books, etc. She starts to investigate and question Violet, the owner of the house, about the secrets. But if she believes in what she discovers, it will all become real.
Bates is already killing with that performance - she was so effortless and hilarious too - upon seeing the disgusting state the slaves are in she simply remarked they will have fly problem there now. She also greeted them with "Bon soir, my pets". And she uses human blood as a face cream. Anyways, the guy who was fooling around with her daughter got a bull head stuck on his to resemble Minotaur.
She is sent to the elite school in New Orleans and delightfully kooky character played by Frances Conroy and few bodyguards take her there on the train. When Zoe arrives she is greeted by the fellow students who attempt to frighten her but it quickly turns out it's just their way of saying welcome. Then the headmistress Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) appears and gives Zoe short lecture about the history of their kind.
Each of the girls in the school has different powers - Madison's (Emma Roberts) is telekinesis, Nan's (Jaime Bewer) clairvoyance and Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) is a human voodoo doll - she remains unhurt when she stabs her hand with a fork but it wounds Madison instead. Cordelia also mentions that each generation of witches has one witch that has many gifts, not just one. That witch is called Supreme.
Cut to Lange dancing, drinking and snorting coke. Such a great scene. The doctor shows up at her place and it turns out she has been taking the medicine after all, but after 5 days nothing is happening. When she tells the doctor to double her dose he tells her he is resigning. Using her powers she locks the doors and then starts making out with the doctor.
When she gets to the school it turns out that Cordelia is her daughter. Fiona disagrees with her method of teaching the girls. She wants the girls to fight, not hide. It's clear that there is a lot of tension and resentment between Fiona and Cordelia.
Zoe finds Madison and covers her in blanket telling her these guys won't get away with it. I really loved Farmiga in that scene - she was so sweet and caring. Zoe chases the frat guys' bus but as it starts going faster Madison appears on the street and uses her telekinesis power to flip the bus as her revenge, Carrie-style.
Fiona and the girls follow and take the guided tour around the house. The writers detoured from history quite a bit here - there is no evidence that Madame LaLaurie and legendary Voodoo queen Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett) ever crossed paths but here they do. Laveau tricks LaLaurie into letting her into her house - she tells her she brought a love potion for her.
Meanwhile Nan sits outside and stares at the ground. Fiona notices it and Nan tells her that the lady of the house is right there. Later Zoe goes to the hospital where the victims of the bus crash are. She knows Kyle is dead but she still wants to punish those left for what they did to Madison. She finds one of the attackers who survived and starts stimulating him until he dies because of her curse.
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There is nothing simple about Gravity - both in terms of how the movie is made and the story itself. It only appears simple - 90 minutes of Sandra Bullock trying to survive in outer space. But the film is loaded with so much meaning - the beauty of it all is that because the two characters are so likable and seemingly painted with broad strokes, anyone can find something that will allow you to relate to them. 
The fact that the heroine of the film is basically half-alive, as she has no real reason to keep going and every reason to end her life, is very interesting. Normally in movies like this one the hero is not going through existential dilemmas - he just keeps going and he wants to survive. Here Ryan is placed in a situation where she needs to make a decision - give up or keep going. Die or live.
Robert Downey Jr. was originally cast in that role and as much as I adore him, he would be wrong for the part. He is much too cocky and he doesn't have Clooney's warmth. Because of how nice of a guy Matt is and the fact he is an experienced astronaut we feel safe when he is in the frame. His cool approach to everything and positive energy make us feel secure. And because he is played by Clooney who we saw playing good guys so well so many times before, all of that is only heightened.
I really adored the scene where he flies over and rescues her after we momentarily fell into despair along with Ryan. And the chemistry between Clooney and Bullock is just lovely.Clooney's character and his personality is actually crucial here - he is a flawless good guy and a hero who sacrifices his life to save Ryan. And even when he knows he is going to die he still finds beauty in what he loved - space. He puts on his favorite song and just savors every moment he has left.
Matt's words and his sacrifice make such a profound impression on Ryan probably because she didn't realize how to keep going. And Matt told her - just keep trying, just stand up and really live. Ryan has every disaster thrown at her and bad luck throughout the movie but she overcomes all of this. She can go on. She doesn't need to give up. She even manages to access the information that will ultimately save her life - Matt says the words, but it's Ryan who is subconsciously aware of what to do. Was Matt a hallucination in that scene? Or maybe he was a ghost? No matter which one you choose, it just works.
That scene also had a very brave moment for Bullock - she hears dogs barking in the background and she wants to communicate with them too so she barks and howls. Something that could have easily become laughable was profound and moving. And then she hears baby cry and remembers her dead child. She gives up and wants to die. And then the hallucination kicks in.
What I found beautiful was how even though almost entire movie is set in space the people in the movie never felt insignificant. It's scary when you think about the vastness of space - it's indescribable. No oxygen, no gravity, no sound. Just cold and unforgiving void. Yet because we spend this whole film with Ryan and we get to know Matt, the people never seem like they are just one of the billions who will come and go, while space stays the same. Those are people with experiences, memories, lives...Matt's stories, Shariff's photograph of his family and Ryan's grief. Nothing about them is insignificant.
Another layer of the movie was the rebirth symbolism. After finally finding her way to the Russian station, Ryan can finally breathe and she takes off her suit and assumes fetal position. It's such a beautiful scene and the way it is shot only added to it - like much of the film it's an unbroken take. Because of Bullock's slow movement you can practically feel the relax and the relief. Of course that little moment to take a breath lasts a very short while and very soon intense action resumes.
The title of the movie is very interesting. I kept wondering why they chose that one. After all, most of the film takes place in zero gravity. Also Ryan is living her life much like she moves in space - aimlessly, with nothing to grab on to, alone and scared. There is nothing pulling her back to Earth. And gravity played part in her daughter's death - she fell and hit her head, if gravity didn't exist, that wouldn't have happened.
The way this movie is filmed is indescribable. I have never seen anything like this before - normally 3D feels artificially glued to the movie, here it actually played part in telling the story as we really did feel like we were stranded in space too. Objects fly around, faster, slower, further, closer and the camera flies right along with them.
Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography is also up to a different challenge as the camera work really had to be exquisite here - the film has less than 200 editing cuts and the camera frequently spins around to show us more, instead of cutting to something the camera simply makes a turn to show you what the character is looking at. And let's not forget it's all damn visual effects. The illusion is so complete you cannot believe you are actually watching a movie. It's almost unthinkable not one second of it was shot in actual space.
I don't usually notice sound design but my God, it was just brilliant here. Because of the long, unbroken takes we have to focus on everything that is going on in front of us and we can really pay attention. Slight changes in tone, breathing, the faintest sound of the movement the characters make are all so noticeable because there is no sound where you thought it would be - when the debris hits structures they just shatter to pieces silently because there is no sound in space.
Cuaron's direction is so fantastic here I'd go ahead and say he is a lock for Oscar win. The story is so well presented on screen that it just grabs you from the first scene and never let's you go. The pacing is expert and the action sequences are so breathtaking and tense that you are watching them with your jaw dropped, devouring the scene with your eyes and ears. The sequence that was the most breathtaking for me was Stone using the fire extinguisher to get to the Chinese station.
That performance is also incredible given how Bullock is essentially relying on imagining everything around her. She is not really in space. She is not fighting the fire. She is not flying towards Earth in a capsule. But her performance is so convincing, that it only makes the illusion even more complete.
I have such an admiration for people who managed to make this movie possible - and it was made for 80mln dollars which seems insanely cheap given that the visual effects in Gravity are the best I've ever seen. Furthermore, I admireCuaron's boldness - any other director would have thrown in flashbacks to Ryan's life on Earth and probably a scene where she finds about her daughter dying to elicit more powerful response from the audience, but not Cuaron. The studio wanted him to include flashbacks but he said no. He respected his vision and he respects the audience's intelligence.
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The biggest problem with Prisoners is its script. It's so bad that I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the screen. It commits every sin imaginable - not only is it predictable but the writer threw so much stuff in here that it's actually confusing. There is no emotional core as we never really have a chance to feel for anyone here (the emotional scenes ring hallow, apart from one moment involving the great Viola Davis and bloody hood) and all those false leads, red herrings and side plots create huge, uninteresting mess.
This is the movie with a scene where a person chokes a dog. For two reasons - cheap shock factor and duping the audience. Oh, how it back fired. For me to feel someone is guilty and assume he is definitely the bad guy, I would have to be in the dark as to who the villain is. And I guessed who the kidnapper is the moment we saw that person (more on that later). For me to care about a character I'd have to care about the story. I cannot care about the story that is both filled with so many coincidences it borders on fairytale and is overbearing and dull at the same time. Also - the moment you use a scene like this you better have better reason for it than just throwing a red herring at the audience. Appalling.
And that in the nutshell is a problem here - the film is trying so hard to be surprising, to conceal who kidnapped the girls, that it forgets to be believable and gripping. Instead of focusing on the characters and their actions more and more conveniently placed leads appear in front of detective Loki - a priest who he found via sex offender registry (of course) has a dead body in his basement that just happens to be of a guy who said he killed kids. He said it to the priest during his CONFESSION. That actually happens in this movie. A guy confessed and a priest killed him and detective in charge of investigation finds him and hey, wait! The killed guy is actually a husband of Melissa Leo's character! Oh my God! How small and sick is this town?!
I'm usually perfectly fine when I see a stupid movie but when that movie was advertised as smart thriller and some people actually compared it to the all time greats like Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs (the only thing worse than watching Prisoners was seeing those comparisons, you should have your movie fan cards revoked) I expect a little more than scene after scene that makes me roll my eyes and whisper 'Are you serious?'.
There is only a handful of things that worked in the movie - the film even if it was insanely dull has an amazing atmosphere mostly thanks to great score and obviously wonderful cinematography from the great Roger Deakins. There are many fantastic sequences, including the scene where Davis's character is presented with what Keller did and exquisitely shot scene where Loki drives one of the girls to the hospital.
Meanwhile, back in witches' school Zoe is still mourning the loss of Kyle, to Madison's annoyance. Fiona on the other hand is harbouring Madame LaLaurie in her room, hoping that she will reveal how is it that she is immortal. Cordelia is unaware of any of that. She is like the worst headmistress ever.
Not that the cops should think there is something to it but a crazy rambling, but Fiona shows up, throwing delightful line about her being in charge everywhere, spits in the glasses with water, makes cops drink it and they forget all about the girls and what Zoe said. But Fiona is pissed off and she tells Madison and Zoe to get their shit together because the only person they should be afraid of is her.
Zoe, surprisingly, jumps right in. I understand teenage infatuation and all of that, but seriously. Can't she just find...another dude who will flirt with her at the party? All of that aside, the girls do the ritual, which brought lovely Practical Magic to mind. Unfortunately after that Kyle still looks dead, Madison leaves and Zoe stays behind to say her final goodbye.
Meanwhile, LaLaurie tells Fiona how Marie Laveau punished her. After she woke up, having drunk the potion Marie gave her, LaLaurie discovered Marie and a group of men with her, standing outside her house. They have hung her daughters and husband. Marie explains to LaLaurie how she has something planned for her that is worse than death. She is now immortal thanks to the potion she drank and she is going to be locked up in a coffin, for all eternity to suffer for what she did.
This was hands down the best part of the episode - the showdown between Laveau and Fiona was super fun to watch and to have Angela Bassett and Jessica Lange in one scene, while they are playing enemies, is a real treat.
In this episode we also got to know Cordelia a little more. Turns out Cordelia is married and her husband and her are trying to have a baby. They keep going to the doctor but nothing is happening. Her husband finally convinces Cordelia to use the magic to help them. Cordelia is hesitant, as apparently the magic involving life or death is dangerous. Nonetheless, she goes through with it and we were treated with freaky ritual/sex scene involving a circle of fire, blood and snakes. Oh and Cordelia's eyes turned black at one point. This can't be good.
The most interesting relationship in the episode for me was between Misty and Zoe. Misty takes Zoe and Kyle to her awesome swamp shack and she puts some stuff on Kyle's wounds to help him heal. Zoe recognizes her as the girl who was burned alive. Misty is very happy to have company and she is clearly interested in Zoe. Also - I love her place. I'd love to live like that. Minus someone else's boyfriend made out of different people's parts. Why? Evan Peters is WAY too young for my taste.
Anyways, Misty promises Zoe to take care of Kyle and Zoe says she will be back. I really like how Kyle, who is clearly in shock and unable to speak, hang on to Zoe pleadingly so that she wouldn't go. Apparently Kyle will not hurt Zoe - and she is the only one he will protect as she created him. Ah, romantic.
Fortunately, she didn't manage to run far and Fiona finds her in front of her old house. They have a quick chat. Meanwhile Laveau talks to her boyfriend....The Minotaur. Apparently, she made him immortal too and she has plans for him now.
The acting was top notch here, Peters was quite impressive in his physical performance and Emma Roberts was less annoying this time around. It was also great seeing Sidibe do her thing. Bassett and Lange's scene was the best, though. Another thing - how the hell is Angela Bassett 55 years old? How is this possible? She looks like she was in her early thirties, tops. Funny how she plays an immortal woman on the show. I would not be surprised if it was the case in reality.
And just like the Devil keeps coming back, so do Carrie remakes.
I'll never understand the obsessive need of remaking movies that not only already exist in English language versions, but in addition are the masterpieces of the genre. Despite its shameful imdb ratting (seriously, what the fuck?) Brian De Palma's first adaptation of Carrie is not only the classic of horror genre but one of the most important horror movies ever made. It's been 37 years and the film has not aged - De Palma's unique approach to the story still feels fresh and the film remains a technical marvel - with all the CGI, with all the tricks available today I doubt there are many directors who could recreate the masterpiece that is the prom sequence from original film.
The biggest problem with this remake is not the hilariously miscast group of actors or the fact the director, Kimberly Peirce, who despite being responsible for Boys don't Cry clearly lost her talent (I've seen commercials that were directed better than this Carrie), has no idea what she wants to do with this story - it's the fact that this retelling of Carrie doesn't provoke any emotions. Well, except for anger that you lost your time and money. And genuine embarrassment for Julianne Moore.
The infuriating thing is that if the director and the writer actually followed the film keeping roots in that scene and focused more on the relationship between Margaret and Carrie they would have made a good movie (with different actors, though). Instead of the promised reimagining of the novel we simply got almost exact remake of De Palma's film - without his skill, without the great performances, without imagination and pretty much without everything that made his movie so special.
The film also fucks up the dynamics in the story. Chris is being shown in more favorable light here - her psycho boyfriend pushes her towards some things instead of the other way around, the town is not afraid enough of Margaret, there is not enough emphasis put on Christianity and how it is perceived through Margaret's actions - that might have been very interesting given modern setting.
But not here. I'm not exactly sure what the hell they thought they were doing but showing a heroine of the movie take bloody revenge and commit mass murder because she was bullied is not a reasonable thing to do. No, wait. It's fucking insane. With all the school shootings nowadays do we really need a film that shows bullied girl triumph over bullies by killing them? Yes, the bulling was bad in the film. But it was not bad enough for me to watch Carrie take pleasure in killing these people and feel it's justified.
The whole prom massacre is another failure. As I mentioned there is no tension, but the fact is that even if you think this remake is a bad idea, you'll probably see it just to check out what they did with this iconic scene. Well, that is actually a huge let down too. Carrie, 2002 TV version, had awful production values but they managed to pull off the massacre scene MUCH better than this studio movie did.
That's not all - we see the blood drop FOUR times. Four. Why? That was probably Peirce's way of showing how terrible the act was. I guess when you lack skill and imagination repetition is the only hing that is left. And it gets even worse - in this version Carrie actually flies. She flies off the stage. Then she actually stomps her foot and breaks the road. Earlier in the movie she can make the lock in the door red hot. It's a damn mess, people.
And then the film started being insulting. I gather Chloe Moretz is a big fan of Black Swan. She mentions that movie a lot. It will take you exactly two seconds to see what my favorite movie is - just look at the header. Now, Moretz tries, she does, and given the right material she could create lovely performances. But this is not the right material. Not only does vengeful Carrie wave her hands around - she quietly hisses just like Natalie Portman did when she was Black Swan. It's clear to me Moretz was inspired here and saw the moment Carrie breaks as her own Black Swan moment, but given how uneven that movie is and how unjustified and badly portrayed that break was, it's just awful, awful to witness.
Before Carrie gets home and the finale, which was actually even worse than the massacre, happens there is one good scene in which Carrie kills Chris. Minus the hands thing and silly effect in which Chris's face goes through the window in slow motion, I did like that scene. That kill for me was the only justified one given how things played out in the movie.
And then Sue visits Carrie's tomb. When she goes away the tomb starts cracking. As rock music plays in the background. I'll tell ya - the first time I saw De Palma's Carrie, Carrie's hand grabbing Sue scared the shit out of me but this time I was genuinely terrified. By the awfulness before me.
As for Moore the less is said about what she did here, the better. There are tons of puzzling additions to Margaret - self mutilation, knocking her head on the wall...none of that is properly developed in the movie. The young cast varies from boring to terrible. In fact the only person that was cast well was Judy Greer as Carrie's compassionate teacher. She did a good job and her scenes were the only ones that felt authentic to me.
Another week, another trip to the fucked up world of American Horror Story. The latest episode pushed the boundaries and definitely took as further into just how sick the things can get. Incest, bestiality, jar with jizz, animal sacrifice. Fun!
Back in present day, the Academy has new neighbors. It's a deeply religious woman (Patti Lupone) and her son. Nan and Madison come over to say hello - Nan brings cake, Madison brings slutiness. The guy is clearly interested in Nan and ignores Madison. His mother yells at the girls and on their way back Madison throws a knife next to her head and sets curtains on fire.
In this season's romance arc, Zoe visits Kyle's mother to tell her how sorry she is about his death. His mother is clearly a suicidal mess and a white trash junkie but Zoe still feels bad for her.
I really want to like Zoe but I'm suspecting she is a little bit retarded. After she decides it's a great idea to have a meltdown in front of the cops, bring back a guy whom she knew for 5 minutes from the dead and leave him with bizarre chick in the swamps she figures - hey, let' s bring him to his junkie mother.
Several scenes later Zoe gets a call from the freaked out mom and comes over but Kyle has already bashed her face in and killed her. Gee, who would have thought this can go wrong?
Bassett is the absolute sensation this season. Jessica Lange is leaving the show after season 4 and I really think Murphy should throw money at Bassett because she would be able to carry this thing. She showed up for maybe 5 minutes and it was incredible. She was sitting on her throne, all badass, playing solitaire on her ipad.
Even so, she went into detail of what the ritual would entail and we got to see that. Cordelia in the middle of the weird ceremony, wearing red dress. Jar of sperm. Poor goat. Goat's blood. You get the picture.
Ah, yes. Madame LaLaurie had really shitty time in this episode. First she is watching TV and she realizes a black guy is president. Then Fiona orders her to be the new maid. Then she is forced to serve Queenie. And then things get even worse.
And then things got super weird. I mean even for American Horror Story standards that was some weird shit, yo. Queenie lures the Minotaur to the secluded place and starts saying stuff like 'we're special' and then she starts masturbating. Assuming her Voodoo doll power extents to stuff like that it apparently worked on The Minotaur and he grabbed her. Seeing how she has something stuck in her va-jay-jay in next episode's promo I'm gonna go ahead and say it was a bad idea. You can't unsee this shit. I was expecting for Mo'nique to appear and start throwing TV sets any moment there.
Anyways, Fiona and Madison get back home. Fiona starts explaining to Madison how she believes she is the new Supreme and how she is gaining power, which in effect is killing Fiona. Fiona takes out the blade she used to kill the old Supreme and tells Madison to kill her. In the middle of the fight Fiona goes psycho and slits Madison's throat, killing her.
The most memorable part of the film, more often than not, is the ending. It is the last thing you see before the end credits roll and the last thing you are left with. Sometimes the ending you see is truly shocking - because of the twist, because of how horrifying the events are, because it leaves things open ended. There are several endings out there that are so disturbing they are enough to cause nightmares. And who doesn't love scary stories with macabre twist just in time for Halloween?
Some of you may remember classic Tales from the Crypt series. Based on the eponymous comic books series, Tales from the Crypt is something that you simply don't see on TV anymore - thanks to our PG-13 media, whenever there are re-runs of the series now, it's heavily edited. Why? Because 20 something years ago you could show sex, boobs, gore and say 'fuck!' without people throwing a bible at you and TV executives taking sedatives.
She uses voodoo magic to revive dead bodies in the cemetery - the dead rise and go after the men responsible for kid's death. They kill them in pretty gory way,. Also - the zombie make up was really cool here. They were actually scary. Yet again, I still haven't caught up with at least 30 episodes of The Walking Dead, so I'm easily impressed.
Fiona hears something and then discovers injured Queenie. I don't think she ended having sex with the Minotaur after all, but who knows. Anyways, we see The Minotaur standing behind Fiona. In the next scene Fiona wakes Cordelia and they both try to help Queenie. When her heart stops, Fiona literally breathes life back to her.
And the reason for this is the delivery Marie gets in Conrow City. It's the Minotaur's severed head in the box. As soon as I saw Marie screaming in the preview I KNEW the head will be there but it was still creepy, especially that his eye actually blinked.
Meanwhile, at the house of incest, bloodied Kyle is banging his head against the tub. Zoe is freaked out. He says words 'Kyle, no Kyle' and Zoe freaks out more. Honestly that storyline is moving so fucking slow. Plus Zoe is nowhere near giving me an impression she has a working brain - she fixes Kyle food with rat poison in it. So you bring him back and now you are trying to poison him?
In another story involving a character that is yet to be interesting, Cordelia's husband is out of town and he meets with a girl named Kylee -and it's beautiful Alexandra Breckenridge finally getting back to the show. They have rough sex together and then she makes him soup. She talks about how much she likes him. He takes out a gun and shoots her. WTF.
Back at the school, The Council of witches shows up, summoned by Nan who is worried about Madison's disappearance. Before they get to say this is their reason for being there Cordelia already tells them a bunch of crap she did in the last few days. She and Zoe are like a perfect fit - they both can't shut the fuck up and they do a hell of a job incriminating themselves.
That evening Myrtle, who is kinda the keeper of truth, enchants Spalding's tongue so that he couldn't lie in front of the Council. Spalding ends up having his tongue cut out and Fiona is safe.
We also get to see the Council question the girls and Quennie's scene was hilarious - she tells them that Madison loved booze and dicks and if she is dead it's probably because she got wasted and offered Grim Reaper a hand job.
Nan, Zoe and Queenie are talking about Madison and Zoe still believes Madison is alive. Meanwhile, Fiona and Cordelia are at the bar drinking. Cordelia goes to the toilet to puke. When she is in front of the mirror someone white and shorter than her appears hooded and wearing all black. That person throws acid at Cordelia's face. Murphy said "Cordelia has a horrible, horrible event that may be one of the hardest things Sarah Paulson has ever shot, which is saying something on this show. It’s plucked from the headlines!" - it appears he meant that and I just failed to see how Sarah being splashed with water is so hard to act. I wish Murphy wasn't such a drama queen about every single thing.
And while acid and human dolls are creepy enough there was one more punch. Marie does her ritual again and the dead are getting up from their graves and moving towards the school. LaLaurie opens the door and it's the cute neighbor guy coming over to thank Nan for the cake she brought. While everyone that is in school is him, Nan, Zoe, Queenie, Delphine and Spalding and his dolls, the doorbell rings again.
I had so much fun with this one - the little things, like Spalding making a scarecrow and hugging it, and big things like all the creepy revelations. I really hope the twist this season will be mind blowing and not obvious like the identities of Rubber Man and Bloody Face. The easiest of course would be if Zoe is the new Supreme as we started the journey with her and she has the most screen time among the girls. I hope it's not her.
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