Californication: Season 4 Episode 2 "Suicide Solution"

"Suicide Solution"
(Aired on January 16th, 2011)

What would I do without the best show on television?

You don't get greenlit for another season after one episode for no reason. After the biggest premiere in the show's history, one might be hesitant (at first) about a season's second episode, because it can make or break many people's opinions about how the rest of the season will play out. For someone who has seen every episode up until now, the first two episodes of the fourth season have been tonally perfect.

No other actor on television is more underrated than David Duchovny, who has yet to receive the awards recognition he once did in the show's first season. Picking up right where last episode left off, we see Hank Moody (Duchovny) slouching it with Marcy and Charlie in their divorced household. Of course, Marcy wakes up next to Hank. Of course, he is naked. And of course, Charlie has to walk in naked with a cricket paddle. After the awkward situation laughs itself away, Charlie suggests a threesome, a suggestion that sends Marcy running out of the room with her hand over her mouth.

Back to the A-story. Last week's episode ended with Hank getting charged with statutory rape. His hotshot lawyer, Abby Rhodes (Carla Gugino) wants to help him, but she insists Hank is no more than any other Hollywood jackass who thinks it's fine to californicate with a teenager. Hank pleads his case again, insisting that the now legendary Mia set him up. Which by the way, we should be expecting a cameo from her soon, right? Maybe if she told everyone what really happened none of this would be happening to Hank? Or maybe, especially to his once life partner Karen and emotional bliss daughter Becca, it doesn't matter. Maybe it's time Hank needs to start taking responsibility for his actions. Either way, he needs to grow up. Fast.

Now just because his personal life is in the shambles doesn't mean his career is. Hank is now the screenwriter for Fucking and Punching. He meets the actor who will be playing him in the movie. His name is Eddie Nero (a hysterical Rob Lowe), an extreme version of a Brad Pitt/Colin Ferrell going haywire, and although he may be an entertaining personally, Hank describes him as everything he hates about Hollywood. Look out for some very witty and vulgar banter between these two in the episodes to come.

And if that's not already twisted enough, the actress who is playing Mia is now boy crazy for Hank. She's seduces him again. Being smart for the first time in a while, Hank turns her down, but not quite all the way. He finds some pills in her bathroom, and by the end of the episode, we see him in the position that both make and brake Hank, his words. He writes Becca a letter, and by the time he's done writing it, he hits the floor, overdosed from life.

How will he fare out after this one? Fine out on Showtime this Sunday at 9pm.

Californication: Season 4 Episode 1 "Exile on Main Street"

"Exile on Main Street"
(Aired on January 9th, 2011)

When I discovered Californication, it was right after the first season ended. I watched the whole thing On Demand in one sitting. It was some of the best cable television I had ever seen. Then season two came, and while it was still enjoyable, the magic slowly faded into season three. Then, after the finale last year, I remained faithful for season four. I'm glad I did, because this season's premiere was one of its best episodes yet.

After being arrested for assault and battery on a police officer, Hank Moody (David Duchovny) hits rock bottom. His family despises him for sleeping with Mia (even though we know he didn't know she was under 18, plus that he was framed by her and her agent about the book she stole from him), but his career is bouncing back. He's been offered to write the screenplay for the movie based off his book called Fucking and Punching. His agent Charlie Runkle is more than happy to see his best friend and once all-star client get back in the game, but by the end of the episode, things take a turn for the worst when Hank is charged with statutory rape.

Despite the heavy theme, the show is as funny as it's ever been and the road that is being paved for Hank seems to be an interesting one. His lawyer, played by Carla Gugino, is either going to be a fun addition to the storyline or a potential distraction. For now, it's not even close to the latter.

Watch the fourth season of the Showtime series Californication on Sundays at 9pm.

Catching Up With Movies From 2010

The Fighter: **** stars

If anyone is feeling the love for second chances, it's the director of The Fighter, David O.Russell. Here is a man who before this movie, seemed to be down-and-out. Not only is he up-and-in with this fantastic real life drama about Irish boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) of Lowell, Massachusetts and his struggles of dealing with family ties and professional disappointments, he delivers one of the best movies of the year. Micky's brother Dickie Eklund, the man who knocked Sugar Ray Leonard down (or did he trip?) has spiraled down to rock-bottom with his crack addiction. The performance of the year belongs to Christian Bale. His portrayal of Dickie is nothing short of a revelation. Every mannerism and word spoken by Bale is not only played to perfection, but his supporting role often becomes the key focus of the movie. Dickie was once hailed as the Pride of Lowell for years. Unfortunately, his addiction eclipses any sign of the man everyone once knew. Micky and Dickie's mother Alice (a phenomenal Melissa Leo) is not only one of the most overbearing mother's in recent film history, but also a ruthless manager. She feels Micky can't do anything without her or Dickie. Through this, Mickey starts to question whether or not they have the best intentions for him. He meets a pretty local named Charlene (Amy Adams) and through her love and support, he realizes that it's time to start taking control of his own life. The journey is exhilarating. The Fighter is no doubt the best film of the holiday season.

Tron: Legacy: **1/2 stars

Here is an unique example of how visuals and music can create more of an emotional impact than the actual story. Tron: Legacy, a sequel to the 1982 box-office flop (but did receive positive reviews) is a visually stunning spectacle with an amazing soundtrack by Daft Punk. Other than that, there really isn't much here for story. It's great to see Jeff Bridges rule the holidays with this and True Grit, but even he can't save Tron: Legacy from its cheesy one-liners and underachieved plot. If you're looking for an IMAX-3D fix, look no further. Anything more than that, like seeing Jeff Bridges, head over to the next movie on this list...

True Grit: ***1/2 stars

Lately, The Coen Brothers are the only filmmakers on the planet who deliver not just on every movie but literally every year. Since 2007, they have given us No Country For Old Men, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, and now True Grit, a remake of the 1969 John Wayne western. Jeff Bridges re-teams with his Big Lebowski duo and delivers a oddly captivating performance. Featuring Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, the cast is electric. Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn, a stubborn old man who helps young girl Mattie Ross (Steinfeld) track down her father's killer. Texas Ranger Lebouf (Damon) comes along for the ride, but not without troubles. Through the journey, his alliances are challenged. Once they discover Mattie's killer Tom Chaney (Brolin), the film takes unexpected turns that shows the Coen Brother's faithfulness to the original film and to their ultimate mission to challenge an audience. While I found the ending to be a little abrupt and slightly out-of-place from the rest of the story, I did enjoy the unique vision of the Coen Brothers. The movie has already steamed pass the $100 million mark, indicating that people still want to see Westerns. The genre never really died, the Coen Brothers just brought the life it needed back into it to survive.

The King's Speech: **** stars

In the past couple weeks, I had this gut-wrenching feeling that I wasn't going to be able to see this movie until after the Academy Awards. I'm so thankful that I finally saw it. Colin Firth is on his way to a possible Oscar with his portrayal of King George VI of Britain. In the decade leading up to World War II, King George VI came to power after his fathered passed away and after his brother gave up the throne for love. Although he is now is power, he suffers from a serious speaking deficiency. His stutter has limited his voice to the world, and in a time where his country (and even the world) seemed to be in unrest, they needed a leader who sounded like a one. His wife, Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) seeks out help from a controversial speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) who helps the monarch create a voice for the people, and for himself. The conversations between these two characters are heartfelt, sincere, and fascinatingly real. At first, I was hesitant over all the buzz this film was receiving. I didn't know what to expect. But once Colin Firth took to the screen, I was hooked. He is turning in the best work of his career, which is something I thought would be impossible after his tour de force performance in A Single Man. If this film is playing in a theater near you, see it. It will please an audience of any age.

Good Riddance: 2010 is over, but...

...we must look for hope in 2011.

Right? I mean, that's the only way it works. You reflect, then move on. There is no reason for me to remind you again about my feelings towards the year 2010 for movies. However, I must acknowledge both sides: the best and the worst of 2010.

Let's start out positive. Here are the best films of 2010. (Note*: I still haven't seen a handful of films that could potentially make this list, including The King's Speech, Winter's Bone, Blue Valentine, Inside Job, Waiting for Superman, Rabbit Hole etc. But I feel it's more important to stay relevant and get this list finished while it's still the new year).

10. I'm Still Here

Joaquin Phoenix has more of a chance at actually becoming the rapper he portrayed in I'm Still Here than winning Oscar for it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's one of the best performances of the year. Not only because people bought into it, but that him and director Casey Affleck were able to fool people for as long as they set out to do. If they made one false move, the hoax would have came out long ago and this documentary experiment would be nonexistent. I saw this film long before I found out it was a hoax and I won't deny that there were moments that felt true. This is a stunning portrait of a darker Hollywood, one that is incredibly relevant and in this case, utterly fascinating.

9. Enter the Void

If I rated the best films of the year in terms of entertainment, Enter the Void would be closer to the worst than the best. It has a longevity to it that is very difficult to shake off, but somehow it's also one of its most important assets. Director Gaspar Noe creates an abstract portrait of a glimpse of the afterlife through the eyes of a drug-dealer in Japan who watches over his sister. The journey is exhausting, but I found myself revisiting it a second time trying to dissect it. And then a third time. For anyone looking for a film ready to shake up the rules, visit Enter the Void, an acid trip not for the squirmish.

8. The Ghost Writer

Roman Polanski may have had a terrible year personally, but professionally, he's at the top of his game with The Ghost Writer, a taut and very intelligent thriller about a ghost writer (played by Ewan McGregor) whose been hired by former UK Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) to write his memoirs. Along the way, we find more about this politician than meets the eye. A breathtaking ending highlights a highly captivating story about the consequences of corruption.

7. The Fighter

David O. Russell's best movie features quite possibly the best performance of the year. Christian Bale's portrayal of Dicky Eklund is a revelation and it's sure to give the overdue actor his first Oscar nomination. Who else in the supporting category matches the caliber of Bale? I would say this is his race to lose. Amy Adams and Melissa Leo are fantastic in their supporting roles, with Adams playing Micky Ward's (Mark Wahlberg) girlfriend and Leo playing the overbearing mother. This is a riveting story about fighting to the end. The title The Fighter may be generic, but no other title could be more appropriate. This is a wonderful surprise of a movie and the best commercial film of the holiday season.

6. The Kids Are All Right

Don't be fooled by its nomination for Best Comedy at the Golden Globes. This sharp and smartly written portrait of the contemporary family (or non-contemporary, depending on how you look at it) is as much a rich drama as it is a relevant comedy. Annette Benning and Julianne Moore are on fire together as a lesbian couple whose children wish to meet their sperm donor dad. It may sound like a sitcom premise, but in actuality, nothing could be farther from the truth. Benning is especially great here, whose character must struggle with the idea of her partner's betrayal and must rediscover the importance of family and forgiveness. If nothing else, you are looking at the best independent film of the year. In anything else, well, I can't praise this film enough.

5. 127 Hours

I am little disappointed 127 Hours hasn't been recognized as much as other films this awards season. Instead, it's been riding solo highlighting James Franco's performance of Aaron Ralston, the man who literally got stuck between a rock and a hard place and freed himself 127 hours later by cutting of his arm. While you could picture this cinematic experience exhausting, believe me, by the end, I was begging for more (perhaps that's why I saw it twice). Franco delivers a performance he's been teasing for years. I always knew he was very talented, but here his talent is out on full display. Danny Boyle continues his tremendous vision while maintaining his unique style. Every film in my top five could be number one, so don't let the numbers fool you. This is an unforgettable film.

4. Toy Story 3

In my original review of the film when it was released back in June, I wrote:

"Toy Story 3 is more than genius. It is more than a movie. It is a return to your childhood for infinity and beyond, all within a smooth running time of 109 minutes. Call me premature, overemotional, or even illogical, but Pixar’s Toy Story 3 is one of the greatest sequels of all time, one of the greatest animated movies of all time, and far and away the best film so far this year. Not only does the third chapter in one of the greatest of all franchises match (and perhaps exceed) its predecessors, it has even changed my views on sequels. Some work, some don’t. But Toy Story 3 is the nail in the coffin in the debate that as long as you have a captivating story with characters an audience cares about, sequels can forever work. So too bad for you Iron Man 2, you can go to hell Sex and the City 2, and no one cares about you anymore Shrek Forever After, as we have reached the movie that has saved the year of 2010."

I stand corrected. This is a marvel gem. Pixar is unstoppable. Everything you've heard about this film is true. It's technically flawless. I'm ranting. But it's true. All of these short sentences mean that I have too many excited thoughts in my head. All of them positive. All of them...exuberant.

3. Black Swan

Black Swan is Darren Aronofsky at his most untamed brilliance. Natalie Portman gives the performance of her career as a ballerina dancer who receives the title role in the show Swan Lake, and soon after becomes the victim of her own mind when she spirals down a bumpy road of psychological terror! As the film progresses, so do your fears. This is a finely tuned suspense thriller that acts as both a human drama and an absurd thriller. This movie sucks the life out of you and replaces it with more than you can bare. Do not think for a second that this statement is anything but positive.

2. The Social Network

In terms of relevance, The Social Network is the most important film of the year. Like I said before, all of these films in the top five could easily be number one. So don't think that in giving this movie the second spot that I'm taking anything away from this incredibly written piece by Aaron Sorkin, this audaciously directed film by David Fincher, and this perfectly acted drama by its stars. Jesse Eisenberg must surely receive a Best Actor nomination as Mark Zuckerberg, a person who has gone from a Harvard dropout, to inventing Facebook, to Time Magazine's Person of the Year. In regards to importance, if you are going to see one film this year, this has to be it.

Now in regards to entertainment, if you going to see one film this year, is has to be...

1. Inception

Why? Because it achieves everything it needs to achieve and then some. How can a director follow up a film like The Dark Knight? Only if you are Christopher Nolan, the finest director of his generation. The man has hardly missed a step, and with Inception, you are looking at blockbuster filmmaking at its utmost finest. I'm even hesitant to call Inception a blockbuster because the only thing really "blockbustery" about it is its release date and budget. It's as mindbending as 2001: A Space Odyssey, it's as well acted as any other film this year, and it has the ability to relate to every single person on the planet. Nolan said he wanted to make a film that could effect anyone. We all dream, so how can you not appreciate the depths of Inception? As always, Leonardo Dicaprio is in top form, and I must say that the awards season needs to be more kind to the final remaining movie star on the planet that is almost guaranteed to deliver 100% of the time. If you can't find what you're looking for in Inception, watch it again, and go deeper. Not only do I expect this film to be everlasting, I am almost certain that in the decades to come, future filmmakers will turn to Christopher Nolan's dream movie as a large blueprint in Hollywood's history.


For the worst movies of the year, I didn't see a lot of films that could have made this list because my college loans kicked in and I live far away from the screenings I try to go to. So bare with me that I don't have ten movies here. As time progresses when I see other films, I will add more to the list. For now, here are some of the worst movies of 2010:

-Clash of the Titans

Bad 3D. Bad action sequences. Bad almost everything. There's no doubt Sam Worthington is a fresh sight for sore eyes, but an up-and-coming movie star like him can't save this from being one big marketing machine. Expect the sequel to be just as flat.

-Jonah Hex

There is something seriously wrong with studios when they think they can get away with something as bad as Jonah Hex. This isn't even a movie. This is 80 minutes of footage that was shot with Josh Brolin staring at the screen with a pretty bad-ass scar, and along the way, he has other scenes with other actors. This is no story. No buildup. No payoff. Thus, it has no purpose. This is close to the bottom of the barrel for 2010, right behind another film for worst of the year. We'll get to that in a minute.

-Salt

Another Angelina Jolie movie, another way for her to show off that she's apparently better than anyone else in Hollywood. Sure, she's gorgeous and talented, but there's only so many times I can see a movie with a woman who clearly has a hard time sharing the screen with anyone else. That or the characters she portrays has a sense of superiority to them that is not the flattering kind. After viewing this film, you will have the taste of its title in your mouth.

-Sex and the City 2

Long, overstuffed, and embarrassing, and in many cases, offensive to every woman on the planet. Better yet, almost every person. Did the cast & crew forget that we are in a recession? I will say this. If you are looking for an epic drinking game, drink every time a character magically has a new set of flashy clothing on. In fact, it may the only way to sit through the film.

-Shrek Forever After

Shrek Forever After lives up to its title. It feels like forever, and after, it's just another Shrek. Was anyone else done with this franchise when the bad guy was still in office?

-Splice

An awesome premise turns into sure insanity when a third act not only cripples the film, but paralyzes it into a state of shocking awkwardness.

-When in Rome

A January movie if I ever saw one, this one comes right off the assembly line, starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel, two actors who have careers, but certainly cannot carry a film. Unless the script is as awful as I remember. My brother saw a test screening to this film and he said half the audience walked out. He then told me they made serious changes to it to make it better. How can this version get any worse? I guess anything is possible.

THE WORST OF THE WORST:
A representation of 2010 at its ugliest...

-Valentine's Day

Not only the biggest ripoff of the year, but perhaps one of the worst "movies" of all time. I quoted "movies" because this isn't really a movie. This is what happens when actors need a paycheck. A big one. And they don't want to travel, so the story must take place in Los Angeles. Also, no one in this star-studded cast signed on until director Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman) asked Julia Roberts to. Once she did, everyone came on board. They probably realized how awful the script was, but I guess there is an expression in Hollywood that every agent must memorize to tell their clients, "Well, Julia Roberts is doing it, so how bad can it be?" Trust me on this, it's bad. Not only is a plot non-existent, it's pure gimmick. It's a movie called Valentine's Day released on Valentine's Day that's about nothing but the fact that the movie takes place on Valentine's Day. As if this wasn't bad enough, we must brace ourselves for a spin-off of this idea. In a couple years, watch out for New Year's Eve. You heard me, watch out.


To conclude, 2010 was the worst year of movies since I started reviewing them in 2001. Besides a handful of exceptions, this year was about gimmicks (3D, comic-books, remakes of old classics). Everything is a gimmick these days. Even movies like The Tourist are a gimmick. Don't worry about a story, you have two beautiful people in it that you love! For the people who actually want this, good for you. But for the others, and I suspect there are many, I have a message for you. Stand up to Hollywood. You'd be surprised how much power you have. Hollywood cannot survive without us, the moviegoer.

Therefore, you must let the studios know that you don't want Little Fockers under your Christmas tree, that just because the first Iron Man was great doesn't mean you wouldn't mind if the sequel was just a two-hour commercial for the upcoming Avengers movie, that just because 3D worked for a precious few like Avatar doesn't mean you want it in every movie, and that just because a movie ticket is still relatively cheap compared to other forms of entertainment, you're not willing to drop $20 on an IMAX 3D movie if what's being offered is of Shrek Forever After caliber.

Despite all this, I really want to end on an optimistic note. The beauty of a new year is that there is always hope for a fresh start. And just because 2011 begins with the forever delayed Nicholas Cage movie Season of the Witch, I must remain positive. It's my New Year's resolution. Who knows, maybe Season of the Witch will be the funniest movie ever.

I apologize to anyone who is sick and tired of my bellyaching during 2010. For them, I promise to return to the beginning of why I started this website in the first place...

Because I love movies.