Thursday, January 30, 2014

Fringe - Season 4 (2011-2012)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils fourth season of tv series Fringe.

Fringe  still stays unpredictable on fourth season. You will get things you don't expect with this series. Individual episodes are best tv entertainment you can get. Season wide story arc is not at same level. Continuing themes of earlier episode are often forgotten in next episode, sometimes for good, sometime show returns to them later.

Romance of Lincoln and Olivia is one of these themes. Their romance get to point where they set date. Olivia can't make it because she is drugged at her home, when she is leaving to meet Lincoln. Following episode doesn't even mention missed date. It is newer mentioned again. Romance is mentioned again later, when Peter and Olivia finds each others again. Then we see, how Lincoln still wanted to be with Olivia. He even leaves out universe to be with other universe's Olivia. There are also other shorter important themes, that are never mentioned again. That made me miss Babylon 5, where every little thing mattered and themes continued from episode to episode. But I guess this wasn't meant to be watched with couple sittings. Once a week schedule make you forget themes and you don't see, what is missing from previous episode.

Individual episodes work better. There is reoccurring theme of how much events of our life change us. There are two different universes with same, but little different people. How fast you run at one moment of your life, could make difference between respected professor and serial killer. Another reoccurring theme is monsters' wish to be normal. Season has several serial killers, who only want to live normal life, but can't do it because what they are. It is not good versus evil, it is something more complicated.

Series made genius decision to reset timelines after third season finale, where Peter is removed from time line. Everything is like he died on that lake, when he was kid. This meant dead characters are still alive and some characters were reinvented. They could also use old stories as template for new stories. Peter has disappeared, but not completely gone. He comes back after few episodes, but no-one knows who he is. He has to convince others to take him back. Later he is almost like nothing ever happened. I didn't like, when Olivia became Peter's timeline's Olivia. It didn't make much sense, since no-one else remembered anything from that time line. It felt like it was made to reanimate romance between Peter and Olivia.

Main story arc was too far fetched and timing didn't work with last episodes. Antagonist's plan was to collide two universes to create third, in which he could control everything. Only surviving spot would be at earth. How earth centric. He could have done, what he wanted without destroying two universes. Destroying one planet would have given what he wanted. On second thought, destroying universes wouldn't have given what he wanted. Final episode's timing didn't work. 19th episode was different than anything before. It showed us what fifth season will be. 20th episode was climax of season. It had most important event of this season and it had most emotional content of season. Last two episodes felt like additional content. Main story arch had to be concluded. 21st episode was like regular episode after two big episodes. Last episode couldn't rise to height of 19th or 20th episode.

Fringe is one of my favourite tv shows. This season didn't change that. It is not as perfect in every aspect as Babylon 5 was. But it is really entertaining and every time I watch episode, I feel I have to watch next episode too. As I said earlier individual episodes work perfectly. Continuity is what drops it behind of likes of Babylon 5 and first two seasons of Millennium.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Southland Tales Part VI: Wave of Mutilation (2006)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils movie Southland Tales (2006).

"He is a pimp. And pimps don't commit suicide."

Where should I start this? Southland Tales make more sense, when you watch it one part at the time. I had missed many things before. Movie has too much insanity for one sitting. I start from the beach scene, which is one of my favourites. Starla finally meets Boxer at beach. She acts her part of The Power, but being so close to her idol is too much for her. She pulls her gun and tries to force Boxer to.... I try to keep this safe for work, so you have to use your imagination. She is shot by Pilot Abilene, who operates one of the guns at the beach.

Krysta finds cop killing actors tape at Zora's place. She thinks it is her and Boxer's video. She takes it to give it to Neo-Marxists. Zora goes after her with cop, who shot the actors. Zora and cop make mistake of pulling their guns and get shot by gun operators. Fortunio Balducci and Mohawk Man kidnap Boxer. Movie tells Fortunio has worked for Westphalen whole time. I have missed that earlier. So I was wrong about that. Fortunio takes Boxer to his wife. Ronald Taverned finds Martin Kefauver, who is about to kill himself because he got drafted. They go looking for Roland.

Frost camp desiced to pay for Boxer's tape. Vaughn Smallhouse collects tape from Cyndi Pinziki. They have heated discussion in which Cyndi reveals cop killing actors tape. Dvd and blu ray cuts drop Cyndi/Vaughn angle here. They are seen together in empty room at Mega Zeppelin, but nothing more. In Cannes  cut they have another heated discussion at bar desk and finally start making out in that empty room. It is shame, romance part was cut from dvd and blu ray. Cyndi being at Mega Zeppelin doesn't make sense without romance. She didn't go there to meet Vaughn, but that gave here reason to be there.

Boxer learns the truth at Mega Zeppelin. Fluid Karma production has created drift to fourth dimension. Westphalen's team tried to send monkey through the drift, but monkeys died because they don't have souls. So Westphalen decided to send human. Boxer was chosen. Comic pointed out, he was kidnapped. He was in car driven by Roland Taverner. 69 minutes before Roland and Boxer drove to drift, their futureselves appeared. Mysterious corpse found at desert was Boxer's corpse. Boxer with memory lost is future Boxer. Boxer says, he could not have killed himself because he is pimp and pimps don't commit suicide. Later he find out, Serpentine killed him and Ronald is actually future Roland. If they would shake hands, fourth dimension would collapse.

Riots break at Los Angeles below the Mega Zeppelin. Fortunio and Mohawk Man attack USIdent office. Mohawk Man kills Nana Mae Frost at USIdent office. I told earlier, how Fortunio's actions didn't make sense. I meant first working with Krysta, then bringing Boxer to his wife and finally attacking USIdent. Knowing that he worked for Westphalen, makes his actions more sensible. Westphalen's plan how ever doesn't make much sense, unless he wantx end of the world. I don't know why he would want that.

End of the world is triggered at rioting Los Angeles. Martin and Ronald crash into ice cream truck, which had Roland. Both Roland and Ronald get shot. They go into ice cream truck and shake hands. Ice cream truck start to lift slowly rotating. Martin is at top of the truck with heat seeking missile. At Mega Zeppelin Boxer, Krysta and Boxer's wife are having dancing number. Each of them know end of the world is coming and Boxer is going to die. Doesn't end of the world mean everyone is going to die? Why they care only about Boxer? If they see the future, they should know they are going to die when Martin shoots heat seeking missile to Mega Zeppelin, which happens almost right after dance, when truck is high enough. Mega Zeppelin explodes killing everyone inside.

Movie ends Ronald forgiving Roland's throwing of grenade to feet of Pilot. We don't see did the world really end.

Last part is annoying for several reasons. Almost all the dialog in Mega Zeppelin is nonsense. Characters change from what they were. Boxer knows things, he shouldn't know. We never learn Westphalens motivations or goals. Everyone says Boxer wrote The Power, when it was Krysta's screenplay in comics. Boxer came into picture when Krysta realized she could use him.

As a whole movie is interesting experience. There is so much content, you would miss most of that first times. Reading the comics make movie better. Cannes cut has content, that makes movie better. I hope it gets released in future. I might return to this movie in future. There are theme I could write more about.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Southland Tales Part V: Memory Gospel (2006)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils movie Southland Tales (2006).

"Do you ever feel like there's a thousand people locked inside of you? But it's your memory that keeps them glued together. Keeps all these people from fighting one another. Maybe in the end, that's all we have. The Memory Gospel."

Memory Gospel is shortest part of the movie parts. It has three scenes, that make me like this movie so much. This is last part that still makes sense. Last part forgets all sanity. If I wanted to nitpick, I could find things, that make no sense. But I don't want to go there. Last part has enough insanity.

Part starts with staged cop shooting, which doesn't go as planned. Ronald and Boxer are called to staged domestic fight. Real cop stops them before they can go inside. Ronald tries to say, they don't need any help, but real cop doesn't agree. They go inside, where female actress starts to insult real cop, when she see things didn't go as planned. Real Cop shoots her and before anyone realizes what happened, he shoots the male actor too. Boxer films the whole thing. Then real cop takes Boxer's camera and sends him away. He sends Ronald away too. This scene was extra weird, if you had read the comics. Actors improvised using dialog from The Power.

Cop shooting didn't make good for Boxer's mental health. Starla calls him calling him Jericho Cane, main character of The Power. Starla wants to act The Power for real, taking role of female lead. She gives Boxer number of one of the Frost's camp's assistants. They take Boxer back to his wife. Ronald ends up drugged on the street after Zora dumps him. Roland gets kidnapped by gun salesman driving ice cream truck. We learn, that real cop was actually paid by Zora to kill actors for real.

Back at Frost's camp, we get the soap opera scene. Boxer doesn't remember anything. Boxer's wife want them to pay Krysta after, Krysta tells there is lot of tape of her and Boxer. Bobby Frost doesn't want to give up. Wife tells she is having Boxer's baby. Westphalen says they should pay, because it is election year. Krysta tells Westphalen made her do it. Westphalen asks, should they trust scientist or porn star. Wife tells not to trust Westphalen. Westphalen doesn't like that and tells baby is actually Brandt's. Brandt is low-level assistant in Frost's camp. Krysta Now leaves. She calls Boxer Jericho Cane and tells she loves him. Boxer goes after her.

Martin Kefauver in introduced buying fluid karma from Pilot Abilene. Fluid karma dialog makes little sense, if you didn't read the comic, which explained concept of fluid karma and bleeding. After Martin has bought fluid karma, Pilot Abilene is having musical scene with Killer's song All the things I have done. That is song Roland Taverner listened before he threw grenade to Pilot's feet. Yes, you had to read the comics to know that. Haunting face line refers Pilot's face haunting Roland, who hasn't forgiven himself.

That was it for fifth part. There were few other confusing scenes too, but I won't go to them.  Simon Theory had few seconds scene, which made little sense, if you didn't know he was Dungeon Master. You had to read the comics or watch the Cannes cut to know that. Narrators deep lines started to make more sense now, when I knew more about the story. Until now they only gave movie weird apocalyptic mood.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Southland Tales Part IV: Temptation Waits (2006)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils movie Southland Tales (2006).

Since last Southland Tales post, I have seen few clips from Cannes cut of the movie. I probably haven't seen all extra content that is in that cut, but what I have seen, have given more information about the story. In Cannes cut Simon Theory was guy, who followed how Westphalen's plan worked. He knew, where main players were all the time. He also used fluid karma on himself. In dvd and blu ray cuts he was cut away almost completely. In comics he was in same role. I will get other Cannes cut additions later.

Fourth part is first part of the movie. Movie starts with home vidoe from Texas nuclear attack. Then we got recap for what happened in comics. Frost's camp is trying to find Boxer Santaros using USIDent's recourses. Boxer is with Krysta Now and Fortunio Balducci. Krysta meets a porn director Cyndi Pinziki. They start to blackmail Frost's camp with home video of Boxer and Krysta. They want million dollars and senator Frost to vote for proposition 69. Proposition 69 is for limiting power of USIDent. When Frost says, he won't pay and vote for proposition 69, they have to go with plan b. They say that to Krysta even, when they have started plan b earlier.

Krysta has changed between comics and movie. In comics she was on driver's seat. In movie she is passenger, who others use as much as they want. In movie she is bimbo porn star, who thinks she could be something more. She has reality show, where she and other porn stars try to discuss serious topics, but they end up talking about sex.

Plan b is Neo-Marxists' plan to stage cop killing interracial couple with Boxer watching it happening. Boxer is sent with Ronald Taverner. Ronald plays racist cop and Boxer films everything as it happens. Ronald asks Boxer about his wife. Boxer doesn't remember he has wife and doesn't want to talk about it.

USIDent attacks Neo-Marxists' hideout. Dvd and blu ray cuts tell they attack because they want to kill a mole. Cannes cut tells they are after cut off thumbs. They just used mole to lead them to hideout. That made much more sense. I don't understand, why that was cut from dvd and blu ray versions. Thumbs angle was explained in few seconds. Thumbs scheme was mentioned in introduction. Roland was held in hideout. He escapes during USIDent attack.

Fourth part ends when Boxer follows Serpentine to book store, where Westphalen's gang's women wait for him. Women tell Boxer, what happens next is not his fault. Boxer wants to know, how women have script of the Power. He doesn't know that it is available to others too. Women continue to talk about end of the world.

This part introduced two new characters to story, Cyndi Pinziki and Starla Von Luft, Boxer Santaros fan girl, who works at USIDent. We see Mohawk Man, but he doesn't have any lines. Ronald talks to him and another guy, but we never hear what they said. Fortunio Balducci has few lines, but he is also taking back seat. Clips I have seen from Cannes cut, didn't gave them much more. I don't know, if they were in scenes I haven't seen. Both had bigger role in comics. Both are there in some of the key moments of the story, but we are not told much about them.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

The Time of the Doctor (2013)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils Doctor Who christmas special The Time of the Doctor (2013)

I didn't expect to see this episode this early. I have my recording service recording every Doctor Who episode shown on national tv. Usually they show couple years old episodes. 50th anniversary episode was special case. Now they followed it with last year's christmas special. Actually they showed it last year, but I just found that out now. So I had to watch it and after watching it, I had to wrote about it. I will get back to Southland Tales next monday.

This episode was not what I expected. I should have expected something like this, since Matt Smith's christmas specials have been fairy tales. After The Day of The Doctor I expected something more serious. It was kind of weird that Matt Smith's run was concluded in fairy tale episode. All the build up during his run was for fairy tale episode. But somehow it works. Maybe serious episode wouldn't have worked as well. I mean, how you could show war, that made everyone afraid of The Doctor, in serious episode.

Mysterious planet with no name is calling alien races. Doctor is there too. Aliens orbit around the planet. They are not fighting each others, because they are so curious about the planet. The Church of Papal Mainframe has blocked anyone from entering the planet, but they let Doctor in. Doctor comes to town called Christmas. Everyone has to tell the truth there. Except there are couple times when Doctor can lie, but you can argue, if first time was actual lie and if second was in Christmas. In town Doctor find crack in universe. Similar he saw in Matt Smith's first episode. He founds out Time Lords are calling through the crack and asking Doctor's name.

If Doctor tells his name, Time Lords came back from pocket universe, they were sent in The Day of the Doctor. Planet is surrounded by space ships, which will open fire as soon as Time Lords come back. Doctor decides to stay and keep the crack safe. Aliens tried to enter through the blockade. Some of them manage to do that and Christmas turnes into war zone. The planet is called Trenzalore, the planet where "Silence will fall" and which is final resting place of the Doctor. "Silence will fall" means Doctor can't say his name to Time Lords. Silence is there, but this time they fight with the Doctor and I guess you could say that they fall too.

War lasts for centuries until only Daleks and the Doctor are left. Doctor is old and almost dying naturally. Before this episode fans were wondering, will next Doctor be the last Doctor. Doctor explains that he is the last Doctor, because War Doctor was one and Tennant's Doctor used two regenerations. But still no mentions of future Doctor from The Trial of the Time Lord. I think I have to buy it and watch it again to check, if I remember something wrong.

Before Daleks shoot Doctor, Doctor's companion Clara convinces Time Lords to help Doctor. Time Lords send new set of regenerations through the crack and regeneration energy destroys Daleks. That was lazy writing. There was talk before episode, that Matt Smith could be the last regeneration. I expected someone else to take Doctor's role. You could still have called show Doctor Who, it just would have been different guy being the Doctor. But no. Just throw new set of regenerations like it was nothing. That solved regeneration problem for long time.

Regeneration limit was introduces during fourth Doctor's  run and it was for another Time Lord, The Master, but Master could also cheat that. During that time they didn't think is would come back to haunt them. They didn't see Doctor Who continuing this long. In big picture, regeneration limit is not a big deal. But as limit came closer, fans made it kind of a big deal. I hoped they chose different way to solve that problem, but this was fairy tale and shown on christmas. So I think that have lowered the impact of lazy solution they came up with.

Am I only one, who wonders, if Matt Smith and Karen Gillan wore wig in this episode? Karen Gillan shaved her hair for her role in Guardians of the Galaxy(2014). Matt Smith cut his hair shorter for How to Catch a Monster(2014). I don't know how those fit in time line of shooting this episode. Matt Smith had different hairpieces, but I don't know was his "normal hair" really his hair. Audience get confused with trivial things, when you suddenly bring popular character from past to do brief cameo.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Southland Tales Part III: The Mechanicals (2007)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils comic Southland Tales Part III: The Mechanicals (2007).

Third part is last comic. Following parts are in movie. This part basically introduces last players and set the scene for the movie. After reading this, it is clear, that I haven't seen best version of the movie. That may be the Cannes cut. Dvd and blu ray cuts don't continue everything, that was in comics. If movie should be continuation of comics, it should have much more in it. Dvd and blu ray cuts are meant to seen by themselves. Comics give more information on what is happening.

I complained in earlier parts, how Krysta Now doesn't know she is psychic, but acts like she knows the future. Well in this part, it is told, she has worked as professional psychic. Fluid Karma is also explained. It is mysterious fluid drilled from Serpentine Drift. It works as receiver for wireless energy and as drug when you inject it into human. As a drug it also connects users telepathicly. That is why military tested it on soldiers. One of the test subjects was Roland Taverner. Another one was Pilot Abilene, the narrator of the movie. Roland and Pilot were friends. During one of the tests Roland throws grenade close to Pilot. Explosion injures Pilot and Roland can't forgive himself.

Script of The Power starts to mix more and more with reality. Every comic has part of script. In first part is like regular script. In second it start to have real persons in it. In this one it start to have real people and events in it. Script has Martin Kefauver, who will pull the trigger in script. We will get back to it later. Script also has strange dream like part, where main female character blames Krysta Now for destroying her life. That part is kind of genius, when you start to think about it. Writer adds her porn star alter ego to her script of movie, in which she plans to play main female character. Like confessing that she doesn't want to be porn star anymore.

We are briefly introduced to Frost family. Daughter Madeline is married to Boxer Santaros. Father Bobby is running for vice president and mother Nana Mae is head of USIDent. Boxer's disappearance affects to Bobby's campaign. Neo-Marxists want to use Boxer to destroy Bobby's campaign. Frost's are shown in this comic running on religious themes. Prayer is their solution for problems. At least when they are in media. Frost's are aligned themselves with Baron von Westphalen. Not everyone in Frost's camp are happy with that. They think, he is Neo-Marxist and out to destroy them. Others in camp feel, that they have no other choise.

Then to things, that were cut from movie. Military is working with Westphalen. Some officers like Simon Theory knows what is going on. They know that Westphalen is trying to get USIDent and Neo-Marxists fighting against each others. Theory has big role on background. He is called as dungeon master. He has a small role in movie, but in this comic he has bigger role. In comic privates have some understanding that end is coming. It is not told, how they know that or who else knows.

Neo-Marxists have infiltrated to USIDent. They have moles there. One mole has an affair with Nana Mae Frost. Neo-Marxists are running election scam, where people cut of their thumbs to vote hundred times. I fail to understand, why thumbs need to be cut off. That wasn't explained. I mean Neo-Marxists cut their own thumbs off. Cutting other people's thumbs would have made more sense.

Drilling of Fluid Karma has slowed earth rotation. "Green power" replacing fossile fuels, is causing more problems than fossil fuels. Movie also tells Fluid Karma's effect on rotation speed, but doesn't tell about drilling. Drift to fourth dimension was found, when jet fly into it and everyone inside lost their memory. There were no explanations, how drift appeared. Some hints to Fluid Karma is given, but no-one knows, what  caused the drift. In the end Fortunia Balducci started to work for Westphalen. That explains his actions in movie little better now, when we also know, that Westphalen's goal is to make USIDent and Neo-Marxist to fight against each others.

As a comics these are one of the better ones. Richard Kelly is a good storyteller and Brett Weldele's art suit the story. Putting script of "The Power" to comic was interesting experiment that worked. I recommend checking these comics too. Comics explained many thing movie didn't explain. Only bad thing is, now I want more comics and longer cut of the movie.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Southland Tales Part II: Fingerprints (2006)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils comic Southland Tales Part II: Fingerprints (2006).

First comic was warming up. This one starts to explain things much more. In this part, we see how everything is Baron von Westphalen's plan to extent, that his gang helped Krysta Now to write script of "The Power". Krysta Now was hypnotised and drugged, when they told her to write dovument of last days of apocalypse. They read her the book of revolations, while she was hypnotised and drugged to give her inspiration. That document is script of The Power. Westphalen's gang knew she was psychic. Nothing indicates she herself knows that.

In this part we meet Ronald Taverner, the another main character of the movie. Ronald has also lost his memory. He has twin brother Roland, who is drugged and tied. His father tells, this was Roland's idea. USIDent was created after nuclear attack, because government didn't feel it could fight terrorism, if it didn't have complete control over internet. USIDent is organisation, that controls internet and spies everything else too. Under USIDent are Urban Pacification Units (UPU comes from that). Roland found out misuses in USIDent, when he worked in UPU. He has staged kidnaping to hide from officials. Ronald is now acting as Roland and trying to bring down the USIDent. Roland is told to do what Zora Charmichael tell him to do. Ronald and Zora go to Los Angeles with drugged and tied Roland. This was also part of Westphalen's plan.

Two things are named Fluid Karma. First is wireless energy Westphalen's company promotes. It is not on market yet and it is not sure if it actually works. Another Fluid Karma is drug, that makes it's users bleed. Concept of bleeding was not explained in movie and it wasn't used that much in it. This bleeding means user can see to future or past. In movie Ronald has scene, where his mirror image is few seconds behind him. That refered to bleeding. In this part Boxer Santaros see six months back to past in mirror. Man in mirror is another Fluid Karma user, who sees six months into future.

From now on when, I talk about Fluid Karma, I talk about the drug. Krysta Now was drugged with Fluid Karma, when she wrote The Power. Boxer used Fluid Karma, when he woke up in desert. Ronald also uses Fluid Karma. Fluid Karma was tested on soldiers. Boxer's man in the mirror was one of those solders.

In movie Boxer had tattoos of various religions around the world. He takes those tattoos in this part, because he wants to become Jericho Cane, main character of The Power. In The Power story is, that one of those tattoos start to bleed and that is the one true religion. That is reason why Boxer starts to bleed right before the end of the movie. Serpentine is also character of The Power. That is why Boxer knows her at Mega Zeppelin.

Neo-Marxists are most vocal fraction against USIDent. They want to destroy capitalism and dethrone the god. Zora is part of the movement and Boxer got his tattoos from Neo-Marxists. Baron von Westphalen is great grandson of Jenny von Westphalen, who was wife of Karl Marx. Baron seem to have other connections to Neo-Marxists too, because his plans involve them so much.

Original plan was to make six comics 100 pages each. Then plan was changed to three comics with 100 pages each. It feels like plan was changed during first comic. It is paced slowly, until it dumps roller coaster and Westphalen's gangs plans at the end. This comic has faster pace and explains much more, like it tries to include three hundred pages of story into hundred pages. Probably something was dropped off. Like story of Mohawk Man. He has been in these comics like he is important character, but he is not used at all. In movie he was just like extra, until... I will get to that later.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Southland Tales part I: Two Roads Diverge (2006)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils comic Southland Tales I: Two Roads Diverge (2006).

Comics were released before movie got real release year 2007. It is bit strange that these comics have small spoilers. Not anything major, but something that is revealed later in movie as minor twist. I will through those in this post, if they bring something new to story.

Southland Tales happen in alternative time line, where two nuclear bombs were exploded in Texas three years ago. After that USA turned into police state which monitors it's citizens and has mounted guns everywhere, that shoot everyone who acts hostile. You need to have state visa to travel between states.

First comic has three main characters, movie star Boxer Santaros, ex-pornstar Krysta Now and gambler Fortunio Balducci. Who is Fortunio Balducci you may ask? He is the character, who made least sense in movie. If you weren't paying attention, you might have missed him. He was the bald guy at Krysta Now's house and that is all I can tell at this point. I will get later to why his character made least sense. Balducci has lot of gambling debts to wrong people in Las Vegas. He is planning to escape to another state to give himself more time. His problem is, he doesn't have valid state visa and no money to buy new one. At boat party he meets Krysta Now, who promise to help him, if he can't get to another state another way.

Boxer Santaros wakes up at desert. He has lost his memory and doesn't know who he is. He has injection needles with something, that he uses on himself. Balducci finds Santaros at desert. He figures out, Santaros could be his key to different state. He takes Santaros to Krysta Now. Krysta comes up with plan to exploit Santaros' memory lost. She tells him, that they are planning to make new movie and Santaros has pay some money to get things going and to pay Balducci for finding him. Santaros pay gladly, because he feels, Balducci saved him. Balducci can pay his debts and he keeps hanging with Krysta and Santaros.

Police finds SUV with badly burned corpse at the desert. Baron von Westphalen and his gang is pulling strings behind the scenes. They steal the corpse from police and call to Santaros to tell him, he should do what Krysta Now tells him to do. They gave Santaros injection needles and tell him not to go to rollercoaster. Krysta Now tells him, he has to go to roller coaster before they can leave. Santaros goes to rollercoaster, which goes to fourth dimension and Santaros see indians over hundred years ago. This somehow closes the drift to fourth dimension. Did I tell you Southland Tales is weird?

That ends first part of Southland Tales. It was good and made sense until the roller coaster. That destroyed all the credibility comic had build up to that point. How Krysta knew, Santaros had to ride roller coaster? She had written screenplay, that reflected reality. She didn't know, she had this strange understanding of fourth dimension and apocalypse. Until that point she had been ex-pornstar, who wanted to make it also with her clothes on. Most of the movie she is like that. At Mega Zeppelin she knows what will happen. Until that there are no hints, she knows her secret powers. To be honest, story would be better without this angle.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils movie The Bourne Legacy (2012).

I don't read that many books, but Robert Ludlum is one of my favourite authors. There was a time, when I couldn't get enough of his books. So far I have liked every tv or movie adaptions of his work. But this is not based on Robert Ludlum's book. There is a book called Bourne Legacy by another author, but this movie has nothing to do with it either. Movie doesn't have Jason Bourne. It is cashing on three previous Bourne films. That is only reason it was made. There are Matt Damon's pictures and Jason Bourne is mentioned several times. Other that that, this has very little to do with other Bourne films.

This operation is called Outcome. It has created genetically enhanced supersoldiers, who have to take their medication to survive. We later learn, that supersolders can be infected with virus, that stop their need to use medication. Because government agency wants to keep supersolders in short leash, they keep them dependent on medication. Operation Outcome is cancelled, because two main scientist appear together in Youtube video. That is too much for Edward Norton. He is some kind of manager of shady government agency, that is called Sin Eaters or something like that. They do immoral things, that are necessary and let others can have their hands clean. Telling more of them would have made movie more interesting. Now they are just shady government agency wanting to kill everyone. I call them Sin Eaters because I don't remember, if they had real name and Sin Eaters is only name I remember.

Yes, they want to kill everyone involved to operation Outcome. All agents, all scientist, everyone, who worked for operation Outcome. Sin Eaters doesn't want the press to get interested of operation Outcome. I don't understand, how staged suicides, conveniently timed heart attacks, killing reporters and work place killing spree stop press' interest to what is happening. But maybe that is just me. Killing scientist doesn't make much sense. They were hired because of their skills and their commitment. Now they are killed for one Youtube video. Breaking the team and sending them to another projects would have been more intelligent choice. That way you keep their knowledge and don't have to hire new people.

One agent and one scientist survives the killing. They go hiding and try to cure agent from medicine dependency. We have again one ex-agent and woman running away from shady government agency. Because this is only inspired by Robert Ludlum, you can't expect interesting story or any twists. There is one "twist". There are another operations, which make even more controlled agents. That was thrown into mix, because ending needed another supersolder and every supersolder of operation Outcame was killed earlier. Every character is one dimensional and nobody grows during the movie. There are no internal struggles or anything. Woman scientist have scene, where she doesn't know what she should do. Everyone else just do their things without too much thinking. Movie doesn't explain character's motivations. Beginning is hard to follow because you don't know anything. When you get hang on what is going on, you can see where this is going to and there will not be any surprises.

It is shame that story kills this movie. Everything else has more potential. Edward Norton was miscasted. He is good actor, but he was not suitable for his role. Part of blame goes to story, which didn't give him much to work with. There will be another Bourne movie. Based on what I could find, it will be sequel to this movie. It could be another Bourne movie without Jason Bourne. If that is the case, will we see Matt Damon's pictures and do characters talk what Jason Bourne is doing elsewhere like in this movie?