The Good Wife 7x06 "Lies" Review

-SPOILERS BELOW-

This episode was just full of more bickering. I feel like every episode this season has contained some sort of bickering between the characters. The only compromise that seemed to be met was between Eli and Ruth. Personally, I don’t like that Peter announced that he is running for president. I just feel like it’ll be a disaster if he does end up winning the election. His scandal when running for governor was bad enough. If he wins, that means that Alicia will become the first lady. That’s just not going to work at all. I think everything was better back in the first season when Peter was in jail and Alicia was still a first year associate at the firm.

I was really annoyed with the whole deal with Diane, Cary, Howard, and David. I understand that they want some fresh faces around the office, but do they really have to fight about it so much? I felt it was completely right for them to kick Howard out of their meeting due to him not even being a name partner. Plus, some of the comments he was making about the possible associates were a little questionable. I wish Cary and Diane would stop getting in arguments over the littlest things and learn to be a working pair that can choose the best direction for the firm.

When everyone was interviewing Monica, I liked her. I thought Diane handled the interview very well. But when it turned out that she didn’t get the job and Diane had to tell her the news, things went south. I was very unhappy when Monica blew up at Diane. I thought Diane’s offer to Monica on giving her help on anything was very gracious. The fact that Monica recorded the whole thing and then made a negative video about the partners about only hiring young, white men was something I found to be very unprofessional.

My interest in Jason greatly died down after this episode. Learning the further details about his criminal past really got me to rethink about him and his workings with Alicia and Lucca. I laughed so hard when the phone tappers came back. They brought a lot of laughs with them in previous seasons, so it was nice to see their antics again. I was so entertained by the fact that they ended the episode with one of the phone tappers showing his colleague a goat-remix of “I Will Always Love You.” 

Inside Out Review

I’m a little late to the party on this one. I was not able to see Inside Out when it first came out in theaters. Watching it today was my first time watching it. Just a warning, I will mention a few spoilers.

In typical Pixar fashion, I knew this movie was going to turn on the waterworks. They did not disappoint with this one. I knew I was going to enjoy this movie just by the characters. An emotional movie about emotions? Now, that has to be good. I thought the emotions themselves were great characters. I had some first impressions of the emotions set in very soon. Joy kind of got on my nerves due to her mentality of being the leader of the group who has all the answers. Sadness just seemed like a total screw up to me at first because she kept turning core memories from happy to sad. Disgust is just great and is very relatable. Anger and his witty humor and short fuse is very entertaining. Fear is very fun as well.

As for Riley and her family, I thought they were great too. I loved seeing Riley’s progression and the inner workings of her mind and personality. The one thing this movie gets a whole lot of credit for is how creative and clever it is. It is so colorful and imaginative. I loved the touch that was added about how several memories can be created in a given moment while experiencing different emotions. I felt bad for Riley the entire movie. I’ve never had to move to a different state or even considered running away from home due to being unhappy, but I certainly felt all of the emotions that Riley was feeling. You could say this movie is a trip down memory lane.

My favorite character was definitely Bing Bong. He is just so lovable! I think I had the strongest connection to him because I had an imaginary friend myself when I was younger. I loved all of his mannerisms and wacky personality. I believe he even had the boot from Wall-E in his little pouch. At times, I felt he paralleled Lotso from Toy Story 3. His departure from the movie was when I absolutely lost it. Seeing him sacrifice himself so Joy could get back to Headquarters to save Riley left me completely heartbroken. I was thoroughly hoping that he would come back towards the end of the film, but to no avail. Even after the movie had ended, I still felt the urge to shed a tear.

One thing that bothered me throughout the movie was that Joy had blue hair. All of the other emotions have a signature color, but Joy broke this pattern. I wondered, she’s yellow, so how come she isn’t blonde or something? After the movie ended and I’d walked away for a while, it dawned on me. Blue is Sadness’ signature color, so why would Joy be sporting a blue ‘do? I concluded that it was because Riley needed to feel sadness in order to feel joy. I never would’ve thought colors would be such a large metaphor. Well done, Pixar, well done. 

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

Remember, remember, the 5th of November; the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

Ever heard of this quote? If you haven’t, you probably haven’t seen V for Vendetta. I think this movie is a masterpiece that deserves more attention. Personally, I haven’t read the DC comic book that was the inspiration for the movie. Despite this, I still love the world that was created through the cinematic universe.

I saw this movie on accident while at a friend’s house. I was in middle school at the time and was really excited because this friend owned the game, Spore. While I was downstairs playing the game, I heard my friend’s sister say that they were going to watch The Exorcist. I certainly wasn’t going to watch that, considering that I don’t do well with horror movies. They ended up not watching it, but watching V for Vendetta instead. I went upstairs because they said that the pizza had arrived. The movie had been on for a while, so I came in late. I was intrigued by what I was seeing, so I stayed. I stayed until the end of the movie and loved it. It would a few years later before I’d see the movie in its entirety.

I think this movie is very compelling. This movie has some very interesting characters. My favorite thing about the movie is the growing relationship between V and Evey. I love that he recuses her, tells her she has to stay with him for a year, she doesn’t want to confide, and then she ends up bonding with him and helping him. They are such a beautiful pair and I love how they learn from each other.

V is such a mysterious character. I love that he dresses in all black, has a cape, and wears his signature Guy Fawkes mask all the time. His backstory is so sad, but he is a survivor and does not let his burns stand in his way. I love the scene when V is cooking breakfast for Evey, with his gloves off, and she walks in and is startled by what she sees. It’s so humorous when he just puts his gloves back on like nothing happened. It’s also so cute to me that he cooks, and cooks very well.  Evey is a great character as well. I love that she is a rebel and sees the good in V’s otherwise heinous crimes, enough to assist him. Her dynamic works incredibly well with V. 

The Good Wife 7x05 "Payback" Review

-SPOILERS BELOW-

I really enjoyed this episode. I liked that there was quite a bit of character development happening. When the last episode ended, it seemed pretty clear that Alicia and Lucca would start working together outside of bond court. I think they work very well as a pair. I just wish Alicia could’ve done this with Diane instead of Lucca. Having Alicia working out of her apartment and taking any case she can get didn’t seem like a plot line that was going to work out, but I think it is so far. I still really enjoy that Grace is working for her mother as her assistant, and tries very hard to bring in as much money as she can.

I’ve felt bad for Eli ever since Peter fired him, but this episode hurt all the more. It was great to see Marissa back. It was nice to see her concerned for her dad’s wellbeing. I was shocked when she went to Alicia and asked her to tell her dad that she doesn’t need him anymore. I know she just wanted her dad to get his mind off of his whole situation with Peter and everything, but it was just so hard to watch Alicia tell him to find work elsewhere with a straight face.

As for Jason, he’s growing on me. I still don’t like that he is being turned into the “new Kalinda” just because he is an investigator that can use scare tactics to get what he wants for a client. I’m still not over the fact that he behaves in such a parallel manner to Kurt (who has still has not even gotten a mention this season.) His charm is definitely working, but he shouldn’t be the main focus. I still don’t know how I feel about the fact that he is slowly becoming Alicia’s new love interest.

I am so sick of Howard Lyman. His 1 episode absence is over and the antics still ensue. I agree that it was wrong for Howard to mention to a client that Cary has been to jail and cause speculation with this client, but why did it have to add fuel to the fire? I wish they would drop the whole subplot of Howard threatening to sue the firm because of the ageist remarks that he continues to deal with. All it’s providing is useless material for Diane and Cary. Diane continually has to play referee for the 2 “kids she has to babysit” and she shouldn’t have to do that. The whole sensitivity exercise was comical to say the least. How does wearing cardboard glasses, putting a cotton ball up your nostril, and walking around with loose corn in your shoes simulate old age? I really think it’s ridiculous and I wish Howard would stop guilt-tripping his way around with people and just leave. Other than that, enjoyable episode. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas Vs. Corpse Bride

If I were to ask you, what Tim Burton movie is the most recognizable? Or which of his films gets the most hype? My guess is that you would say The Nightmare Before Christmas. I would agree with this statement. Case in point, I’m wearing a Jack Skellington shirt today. It certainly is the movie that has the most merchandise for it. I think this is greatly attributed to the fact that it is a movie produced by Disney. Did Corpse Bride suffer due to being produced by Warner Bros?

Personally, I tend to like Corpse Bride more over The Nightmare Before Christmas because I think it has the stronger plot. Recently, I re-watched NBC and tried to analyze it in a plot-driven way. I think it is a fantastic movie with wonderful characters and animation. Though, at times, I feel like the plot gets derailed and becomes a bit scattered. I feel this the most during the climax of the movie, when Jack and his sleigh are shot down. The tone of this entire sequence feels so off from the rest of the movie. I also feel confused as to what the focus of the plot is supposed to be. Is it the story of Jack and Sally falling in love? Is it Jack’s discovery and exploration of Christmas? Or is it supposed to be a combination of both? Maybe I’m overthinking this entirely. One thing is for sure, Sally represents the voice of reason and is simply meant to be this way.

As for Corpse Bride, it is clear that the driving force for the plot is the love story. After all, bride is in the title. The one complaint I have about this movie is why did the two living people involved in the love triangle need to be named Victor and Victoria? That just makes no sense to me. As for Emily, I think she is brilliant and her yearning to be loved is one of the best things about the movie. I like that in CB, as well as NBC, we are being constantly transported through 2 different worlds. This stark contrast really makes these movies successful. In CB, we are presented with a backstory as to how Emily came to be a corpse. I really like that this was added so we weren’t in speculation. That is something that I wish was explored in NBC. Since Jack is a skeleton, it leaves me pondering about was he once alive? Or is Halloween town its own entity entirely where these creatures and monsters coexist with no ties to the human world? Both movies leave me with having a lot of unanswered questions.

I will say that NBC has the stronger villain. Oogie Boogie is absolutely terrifying. He’s a living mass of bugs with a drive to gamble with evil intentions. Lord Barkis in CB is evil, but he’s just a greedy man. Yes, he’s a sinister murderer who I wouldn’t want to stumble across, but he isn’t near as intimidating as Oogie Boogie (and Barkis doesn’t get a song).

This all being said, I don’t dislike either movie. I still find it difficult in saying that I prefer Corpse Bride because I love them both so much. I just wish Corpse Bride was given a fraction of the attention that The Nightmare Before Christmas gets. 

Beetlejuice Review

Halloween and Christmas are my favorite holidays. For each, there’s one movie, in particular, that I watch several times throughout their given months. For Halloween, that movie is Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. I have talked about this movie before, but I wanted to dedicate a proper review to my favorite, frightful film.

As I said in my previous post, I love how this movie is not your typical “haunted house” story. It gives a whole new perspective on how your world may be like after death. Unlike Corpse Bride, Adam and Barbara Maitland are not blue, or some other un-humanly color, after they pass on. In fact, they don’t even appear to be dead. What I find interesting is that during the Waiting Room scene, their deceased counterparts are a rainbow of colors, and all distinctly show how they died. I especially love Miss Argentina in this scene. I think it can be assumed that the “Land of the Dead” is thought to be under the living world, leading me to believe it is a parallel to Hell. This is merely an assumption.

As for the other characters, they really are an interesting bunch. I just love the Deetzes. I think Lydia Deetz is one of the finest characters to come out of a Tim Burton movie. Her quirks help her stand out and she shines. I also adore her stepmother, Delia. She’s just such a crazy character, though she means well. I wish Delia and Lydia had a closer relationship with each other, but I feel that’ll come with time. One of my favorite parts of the movie is Lydia’s relationship with her the Maitlands. I love how Lydia is the only one in the house that can see the novice ghosts. I also really love her relationship with the title character, Beetlejuice.

Though the movie is named after him, he really isn’t in the movie much. We see his face for the first time only when he is called upon by the Maitlands. He claims he is a “freelance bio-exorcist” who can take care of your troubles with the living. I really want to know how he got to this position, and how he once was Juno’s assistant. Speaking of Juno, I think it’s so great that she still smokes beyond the grave, with smoke billowing out of her slit throat. Beetlejuice is such a fun character who causes some great mayhem, especially with the wedding scene.

This movie is accompanied by a great soundtrack, consisting of a score by Danny Elfman and 2 Harry Belafonte songs. These songs are the backbone of 2 of the movie’s most recognized scenes, those being the dinner scene and the final scene. I absolutely love the final scene. I love that the Deetzes and the Maitlands live happily together in the end. I just wish Beetlejuice could’ve shared this fate.

That doesn’t mean he won’t, seeing that a sequel is in the works. Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, and Winona Ryder all have mentioned in interviews that they will come back for the project. I’m very excited to see where this sequel takes the story. If you’re a fan of Beetlejuice or Michael Keaton, I highly recommend checking out his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live to bring a smile to your face.

It’s Showtime.  

The Good Wife 7x04 "Taxed" Review

-SPOILERS BELOW-

Finally, an episode where Diane gets a significant amount of screen time! Another positive, an absence of Howard. Once again, I though this episode delivered some great cases and some great dynamics.

For once, I was excited to see Michael J. Fox back as Louis Canning. Not that I don’t love MJK, I’m just not a huge fan of his conniving character. He had some really funny scenes, hamming it up big time with his ailments. I thought it was so viciously great that he was dropping his crutches or fumbling with his pill bottle to try and distract his opposing council. Seeing Diane against Louis was so refreshing, as Diane has not been shown in the courtroom in a while. I loved that she was not buying into his act at all and that she even offered several times to help him so she could get back to her questioning. I just love Diane’s attitude about how she handles things when it comes to cases.

The Lockhart vs. Canning case was one of controversy. It was centered on physician-assisted suicide. It was saddening to see the video the patient made, addressing what she was about to undergo because she couldn’t take the pain anymore. I felt so sorry for the patient’s mother, seeing she was testifying that her daughter did not have to die because treatment was found.

I also felt terribly sorry for Alicia. It seemed everyone was against her in this episode. I just wanted to give her a hug. It seems the judge absolutely hates her based on her past, so he continually rules against her. The bond court case was very interesting. Seeing that most of the accused were people of color, it did raise speculation. It was unfortunate to see Alicia’s fellow attorneys becoming indifferent towards her because clients were requesting to be switched over, due to the stance she was taking on the matter. The outcome of the cases was a surprise to me, seeing that the accused were actually innocent. I would’ve never thought the true evidence would be discovered via a surveillance tape, revealing that it was in fact the mother of the accused that actually committed the crime.

I was so relieved that this so called “sexual tension” between Diane and the new character, Ethan, was not present. I also found it shocking at the amount of allusions and metaphors that were used. Some included references to Harry Potter and Fahrenheit 451. Overall, I enjoyed this episode more than previous episodes this season. Though, the cliffhanger at the end did leave me on edge.