Hollywoodland

Directed by: Allen Coulter

Written by:  Paul Bernbaum

Starring: Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody, Molly Parker, Robin Tunney, Dash Mihok and Caroline Dhavernas.

Ben Affleck, Ben Affleck, Ben Affleck. I don’t know what crazy voodoo you pulled on me when I first saw you as Holden McNeil but it did the trick—I’m in it for the long haul. Though many of the naysayers who rhymed your name with myriad stupid nicknames and bad acting puns have now come around with the release of your new film, Hollywoodland, let me be the first to say what all true Affleckians are thinking (in my best Smith-esque impersonation): “See, there ain’t nothing that this guy can’t do.”

All joking aside, first-time feature director Allen Coulter’s Hollywoodland, while a well-told, intricate mystery film overall, is really only worth plunking down your hard-earned $10.50 for one reason: Ben Affleck. Admittedly, the performances by Adrian Brody and Diane Lane are great, but that should come as no great surprise to any avid moviegoer. What is surprising, however, is the fact that Affleck has never played a role like this before—and that no one thought he could pull it off. There are many similarities between George Reeves, the actor whom Affleck portrays in the film, and Ben Affleck, but the most striking is how quickly they were both typecast as actors in Hollywood. Reeves hated playing Superman, hated the acting limitations that it brought with it, and was never really given a chance to portray anything other than ‘the man of steel.’ In the public’s mind, he was Superman, nothing else.

In much the same way, Affleck has been pigeonholed (often times due to his own dubious choices) as an actor as well. In most critic circles, he is seen as incapable of pulling off a dramatic role—and yet when you look at films like Chasing Amy, Shakespeare in Love, Bounce, Changing Lanes, and yes, even Jersey Girl, the reality is quite different. The reason that Affleck embodies the role of George Reeves so well is that, much like Reeves, he is capable of being charming, funny and moving, which are all also qualities that make for a movie star, and that in itself is limiting. At the end of the film, you come away knowing more than just the cause of  George Reeves’ death; you also learn the truth about the cruel and often fickle nature of Hollywoodland.

Lily Percy - Editor

The Descent

Written and directed by:  Neil Marshall

Starring: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, MyAnna Buring, Nora-Jane Noone and Oliver Milburn.

The Descent is a movie aimed solidly at my demographic—a horror flick for viewers who always suspected that Scully could kick Mulder’s ass.  Six women on a caving expedition lose their way and find themselves face to face with a band of slimy mutant creatures who, with the exception of one supremely bitchy mother, are all male.  Undeterred, they resolve to fight their way out with pickaxes, flashlights, and a few measly lengths of rope.  It’s almost as hot as the prospect of Condi and Hillary in a presidential debate.

For those who care less about not-so-veiled feminist politics, it is nonetheless a great horror flick.  The movie features Shauna Macdonald as Sarah, a young woman trying to reclaim her life after her husband and daughter are killed in a tragic car accident.  Try as she might, she can’t shake the creepy voices and visions of her adorable dead baby – especially when the lights go out and the girls start hearing noises in the dark.  Writer-director Neil Marshall wisely steers away from supernatural gimmickry; the fact that we’re expecting a wispy corpse child makes the real demons all the more frightening (while they aren’t cannibalistic, they are definitely meat-eaters).  Even more exciting is what happens after the creatures attack and the women realize they are still alive.  Yes they scream, yes they run, and then they turn, improbably, and begin to kick the shit out of anything that moves. 

This last bit is what makes the movie truly remarkable.  This could easily have been a film about a bunch of girls who are afraid of the dark, a kind of reverse Nightmare on Elm Street, where the sexy young heroine spends her time running from shadows which may or may not be all in her head.  Marshall’s characters are determined to drag their demons into the light, fighting tooth and nail in a series of fight scenes that would make Sigourney Weaver proud.  The joy of watching them do so is intoxicating—so much so that by the end of the film, it’s easy to forget that you’re watching a horror movie.  While the payoff ultimately lies in the body count, all the fun is in getting there, and this trip in particular is one not to be missed.

Katie Gradowski - Temp Jockey

Snakes on a Plane

Directed by: David R. Ellis

Written by: John Heffernan and Sebastian Gutierrez

Starring:  Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Marguiles, Nathan Philips, Flex Alexander, Rachel Blanchard, Kenan Thompson

I tried to look up the definition of cult classic on the Internet and to my dismay found nothing. What I did find was an entry in Wikipedia about cult film. This is what it says:

Cult film is a colloquial term for a film that has accrued a small but devoted group of fans, having failed to achieve fame outside that group. Sometimes, the group is bound to the film by a shared sense of ridicule for it, rather than artistic merit. Many films enjoy cult status because they are seen as ridiculously awful.

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Snakes on a Plane stars Samuel L. Jackson as FBI agent Neville Flynn. He and his partner are assigned to escort local surfer Sean Jones (Nathan Philips) on a flight from Hawaii to L.A. after he witnesses a murder committed by notorious crime boss Eddie Kim (Byron Lawson).  In an attempt to ensure that Sean cannot testify against him, Eddie Kim stockpiles the flight with venomous snakes of all varieties and, inevitably, chaos ensues.

Although this movie wouldn’t have been the same (and definitely would not have done as well) without Samuel L. Jackson, one of the highlights is the supporting cast, which includes Julianna Marguiles as Claire, a flight attendant who is on her final flight before she quits to go to medical school; Flex Alexander as a germaphobic rapper named Three Gs (okay, the name itself is hilarious); and Rachel Blanchard as a rich girl with a dog (Paris Hilton parody).

I went to see this movie expecting to have a good time and I was not disappointed. It’s the kind of movie where you can laugh and talk as loud and as much as you want, and it just makes it better. If you have ever had to sit through the ruination of film because of an obnoxious crowd, this will come as a refreshing change.

I don’t understand the critics who say it didn’t meet their expectations. I mean, what kind of expectations can you really have for a movie called Snakes on a Plane? Other than the fact that you will be able to see a plane with snakes on it.  The rest is just an added bonus.

In the immortal words of Samuel L. Jackson,  “No movie shall triumph over Snakes on a Plane. Unless I happen to feel like making a movie called More Motherf--ing Snakes on More Motherf---ing Planes.”

Gilliane Lataillade – Resident Advocate

DVD'S:

Double Indemnity: The Universal Legacy Series

A lot of people from my generation have probably never seen Double Indemnity, which is a shame considering that it is a true classic, a film that has inspired so many films. It’s the quintessential film noir—full of dark shadows, a femme fatale and of course, murder.

Directed by a cinematic master, Billy Wilder, based on the novella by James M. Cain (author of “The Postman Always Rings Twice”) and featuring a script by a master of the genre, Raymond Chandler, Double Indemnity seems as though it could never have gone wrong. Add Barbara Stanwyck, in an iconic performance, Fred MacMurray, doffing his swell guy image to get shady, and Edward G. Robinson chewing up scenery at 100 miles per hour, and you have a film that’s a must for fans of classic cinema.

The story, for the uninitiated, involves an insurance salesman, a plotting wife, and murder. This two-disc edition includes an introduction by Robert Osborne, two commentaries (one with film historian Richard Schickel, who always gives good ‘commentary’; another with Nick Redman and Lem Dobbs (who has written a few contemporary film noirs—Dark City and The Limey among them), as well as a 30-minute documentary, “Shadows of Suspense,” which is actually worth seeing. Perhaps less worthy, but nonetheless interesting, is the 1973 television remake that makes up the second disc of the set. Starring Rambo’s Richard Crenna and Samantha Eggars (a weak replacement for Stanwyck), this version of the film looks pretty much like an episode of “Charlie’s Angels.” It’s not really bad it’s just… not that good. Especially once you’ve seen the magnificent original.

Rick Sayre - Pop-Culture Junkie

The Lost City

Director: Andy Garcia

Writer: Guillermo Cabrera Infante

Cast: Andy Garcia, Ines Sastre, Tomas Milian, Nestor Carbonell, Enrique Murciado, Richard Bradford, Bill Murray, Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Pena, Steven Bauer and Jsu Garcia.

Passion is a word often used to describe a filmmaker’s need to tell a particular story. Many times a picture so personally important to the director will be referred to as a “labor of love.” Passion and labor of love, however, may not apply to Andy Garcia’s The Lost City, for the simple reason that these words may be too mild an expression. Andy Garcia worked incessantly for sixteen years to get his directorial debut made. The result is a beautiful, cinematic love letter to his beloved Cuba, and his glorious lost city of Havana.

The film centers on a family trying to stay together during the Communist revolution of 1958-59. Cuba is in the midst of social upheaval under the regime of President Batista, and the Fellove family is a window into the varying political opinions of the country. While many feel the need for change in Cuba, the change itself is what becomes the question. As Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries move closer to overthrowing the government, the sanctity of the Fellove family is threatened. Two of the brothers believe there must be revolution: One believing in democracy and re-instating the constitution of 1941, the other falling in with the communist movement of Castro and Che Guevarra. The older brother, Fico, a musician who wants simply to run his nightclub, is caught between human injustice and the need to protect those he loves.

The Lost City features wonderful performances by Garcia, Nestor Carbonell, Richard Bradford, Enrique Murciado and Dustin Hoffman as Meyer Lansky. Bill Murray is terrific as “the writer” who comments on the absurdity of the situations the characters endure. Jsu Garcia gives a memorable performance, portraying a side of Che Guevarra not often explored in film. And the angelic Ines Sastre is breathtaking as the emotional human metaphor for Havana, something beautiful that is forever lost to Fico. One of the great highlights of the cast is Tomas Milian, the patriarch of the Fellove family, who insists, “In our house, dinner is not a moveable feast. All my sons are welcome, but not a minute past six.”

In addition to a tremendous cast and expert direction, the film features a spirited, intelligent script by Guillermo Cabrera Infante, and awe-inspiring cinematography by Emmanuel Kadosh. As a filmmaker, what Andy Garcia has created is a loving tribute, not only to his homeland, but also to its music, culture and history. All of the things that remind Garcia of the beauty of his country are shared with the audience and brought to life with the extraordinary care and affection that can only come from an artist whose soul is part of the canvas.

The film’s DVD includes a commentary from Garcia, as well as an extensive look into the journey the film took to finally make it to the screen. And the screen is where Andy Garcia chooses to invite us into his world, his passion, and his labor of love. His requiem for his lost city.

David Sayre - Independent filmmaker, essayist

Just My Luck

*Warning* I’m very sorry to have to warn you but this review kind of sucks.  Not even like funny sucks.  They can’t all be gems.  If you lose interest at any point during this review, I advise you to go to the June P&F back issue and re-read our National Treasure review.  By now it will seem new all over again and you’ll forget that we ever put you through this. 

Night Interior: Richard, Chris and Jeanne are seated on the couch hotly anticipating Lindsay Lohan’s breasts, willing to endure whatever crap acting they must in order to bask in their great sun-like glow.  I now bring you the Just My Luck review, mid-argument about the beauty that was “the Lohan” breasts.

The unbearably annoying menu music plays endlessly in the background.  A ploy to force you to hit play, perhaps?  Anything to make the music stop.

Jeanne: Richard wants to “do” Lindsay Lohan.

Richard: Actually, I'll start off by saying that like during the Mean Girls/Freaky Friday…(In response to Jeanne’s gaping stare at Richard’s impending admission that he’d go straight for Lindsay Lohan.  Oh, how his standards have fallen.  There was a time when no one short of Rachel McAdams could do that.) You looks scared but I’m not going to say that I want to fuck Lindsay Lohan…but during the Mean Girls/Freaky Friday days they (and by “they,” Richard is referring to the very round, very buoyant, pre-exhaustion breasts of the Lohan) were impressive back then.  She’s lost them but the whole thing is that when she did those two movies she was cute, she was hot, and she was funny.  She was charming and I liked her and then she just became like…

Jeanne: A crackhead?

Richard: Paris/Tara, you know?  And since then I’ve been like, “Ugh, Lindsay.”

Jeanne: Is this movie post--…you know?

Chris: Yes.

Jeanne: Ok, so no boobs.

With this sad news of a breastless Lindsay, we begin our film.  A hush settles over the trio.

Jeanne: (to Richard who is shamelessly reading an Entertainment Weekly during the crucial first moments of our film.  What does he think that we are?  Amateurs?!)  Stop reading!  We have to focus.  This is our job. (Richard laughs wildly)  People expect very good things from us.

Richard: Not all people.  I’m apparently a very bad writer.

Jeanne: What do you mean?

Richard: My psycho-stalker told me I was a bad writer in his email.

Jeanne: That’s not good.

Richard: He wrote a haiku about Internet porn.  I’m not going to take criticism from him.

Jeanne: (Trying to imagine how to fit "under 18 with giant packages" into a haiku) He wrote a haiku about Internet porn?

The movie opens on a dragonfly.  I think it was flying around or something.  It was all CGI and I'm sure you don't care anyway.  I know I don't.

Richard: I like the special effects but I don’t get what they have to do with the movie.

Jeanne: Lindsay Lohan was initially born a dragonfly.

Chris: It looks like a Kevin Costner movie.

(Simultaneously)

Jeanne: Water World?
Richard: Dances with Wolves?

Chris: Dragonfly.

Richard: (To Jeanne) Yours was funnier!

Jeanne: Water World is inherently funny.

Graphics illustrating the difference between good luck and bad luck flash over the screen.  A penny heads up equals good luck.  A penny down equals bad luck.  Very informative.

Richard: This is a film by the director of Miss Congeniality.

Jeanne: Are you serious?  Ugh.  But more importantly, did he do Miss Congeniality 2?

Richard: I don’t know.

After a graphic of every imaginable image signifying luck/un-luck has flashed by, the actual portion of the film that contains dialogue begins.

Lindsay Lohan strolls out of her ridiculously nice, doorman-guarded building in New York City to pouring rain.  Everyone around her is scrambling from under the awning for cabs and opening umbrellas.  The doorman looks up at her and questions her choice to go sans umbrella.  Just as she takes a few steps downs the stairs toward him the rain stops entirely, birds begin to sing, and the sun comes out, warming her ample bosom the way God intended it to.

Jeanne: God loves Lindsay Lohan.

Richard: She makes the sun shine.

Once inside a cab, totally at ease with her biblical ability to part the cloudy sky and bring on the sun, she manages to accidentally dial a radio station while trying to dial her friend and manages to be the fourth or ninth caller or whatever and wins some kind of cruise or something.  Her cab driver then muses at how he’s hit 5 straight green lights (or maybe he’s just been running all of them while distractedly staring at Lohan’s breasts in the rearview mirror--hey, she's still got it).

In another part of town…The movie shifts focus to Lindsay Lohan’s arch-nemesis (yes, I’m willing all of my power for this to end in a final showdown of luck vs. un-luck where he shatters all of Lohan’s mirrors while she chucks horseshoes at his head.  Maybe in the rain.  While she’s wearing a white t-shirt.  Anyway, back to the actual movie).  Mr. Unlucky is in a part of town where Lohan’s magical suns have yet to shine.  He’s soaked with no umbrella (although I’d like to point out that Mr. Unlucky is also a dumbass ‘cause he’s wearing a jacket with a hood that he never puts up.  That’s not bad luck that’s stupidity.)  Maybe he’ll get hit by lightning and turn super intelligent…like John Travolta.  That’s a Phenomenon reference, people. Editor’s Note: For some reason, Chris feels the need to infuse every day of his life with a Phenomenon or Michael reference. Trapped in the Scientology closet, say you? I concur.

Richard: (Regarding Mr. Unlucky’s appearance) He’s supposed to be a dork because he’s wearing glasses.  I suspect that maybe later on, when he becomes lucky—not to spoil anything for you—he’ll lose the glasses and then be hot.

Jeanne: Because lucky people, their vision is better than unlucky people.

Richard: Way better.

Jeanne: (After Mr. Unlucky goes calf deep into a puddle) Okay, that’s just because he’s stupid.  He just stepped into a big puddle!  He can see the puddle! (Maybe this is proof that better vision equals better luck).

Richard: (After Mr. Unlucky splits his pants while leaning over for a penny) Oh My God! It’s me!

Jeanne: You split your pants in public?

Richard: I try not to but it happens.

Chris: That’s why you only pick up pennies heads-up.

For some reason, although Mr. Unlucky split his pants in the ass, they keep falling down.  Did his belt break, too?  Is this totally independent of his luck/un-luck and he’s one of those guys that likes to randomly flash unsuspecting people?

Back to Lohan.  As she’s walking into work, construction workers pass in front of her carrying a large mirror.  She takes this opportunity to admire herself as she walks behind them and fixes her lipstick in the mirror.  Sure, this happens all of the time.  We've lived in New York for over a year and have not once seen a pair of construction workers carrying a large pane of glass or a giant sheet of window. Why the fuck not?  It's in like, every movie ever.

Richard: (in his imitation of Lohan) I look soooooo good.

Jeanne: You vain bitch.

Lindsay then passes on the crowded elevator that’s about to head up to her office and right on cue another elevator opens just for her.  As the doors are closing, a man’s voice shouts to hold the elevator.  She does and although she seems to be happy with her decision we’re a little unconvinced.  The guy who joins her in the elevator (I assume that he’s supposed to be drop dead gorgeous ‘cause she fawns all over him) looks a lot like Prince Charming from Shrek, who also looked a lot like he was gay.

Richard: (upon first seeing Prince Charming) Ew.

Jeanne: He’s kind of unattractive.

Richard: (Referring to his long, kind of scraggly mane of golden hair) What the hell’s going on with his hair?

Jeanne: He’s in Bon Jovi.  I think that’s got to be it.

Richard: Is that supposed to be lucky? That she got stuck in the elevator with that creepy guy?

The next scene begins with Faison Love walking a tiny dog through Central Park.  Lindsay Lohan's sun is now shining all over the city.  The tiny dog makes a tiny poop and the man begins to walk away without curbing.  A nearby cop whistles at him to signal that no matter how small the poop is it still must be picked up.  Having no bags or napkins, Mr. Love (how cool is that name?) decides to use a $5 bill. 

Richard: Oh, wow.  He's so rich that he's picking up poop with money.  That's disgusting.

Mr. Unlucky is walking though Central Park.  His pants are still falling down.

Jeanne: Is he gonna see it and pick it up?

He does indeed see the $5 bill in the trash and immediately grabs it and thrusts it into his pocket.  Noticing too late that it fucking reeks. 

Richard: You wrote this movie, Jeanne!  He has poo in his pocket now.  I don't like brown humor.  And I'm eating!  I expected better, Lindsay Lohan.

Mr. Unlucky sees Faison Love, apparently a very wealthy record exec, and decides that now, while he smells like poop and is barely able to keep his pants up, is the perfect time to chase after him and offer him his demo CD.  Instead he ends up running into a jogger.  The force knocks her to the ground and as he reaches to help her up his pants fall around his ankles and he looks very much like a Central Park rapist.  The woman screams.  The cop runs over (only after disposing of his donut first) and Mr. Unlucky goes to jail, where he will be pantsless and find out that the day can only get unluckier.

Next scene.  Lohan is leaving the elevator with Prince Charming.  They've arranged a date during their ride together.

Richard: Ew.

Jeanne: I think he likes boys.

Behind her we can see that the crowded elevator that Lindsay didn't take is now stuck on her floor and everyone crammed inside looks squashed and unhappy. 

Richard: Is she lucky or is she a jinx on other people?

Lindsay and her friends at work yap about coat sales and that the creepy guy in the elevator is the son of the guy who owns (reverently) the Celtics. Chris points out that the Celtics suck. There's some discussion about one of the Lohan friends being on Entourage. 

Richard: You know what?  Lindsay actually looks kind of hot in this.

Jeanne: You are totally straight, aren't you?

Faison Love enters Lohan's office.  Jeanne muses that the movie must be pre-coke head Lindsay because she totally has boobs.  Chris questions whether Lindsay, being all of maybe 20, can convincingly be playing some kind of PR/advertising exec in New York.  It turns out that Lindsay's boss is one of the people stuck in the elevator and Lindsay does a terrible job of trying to stall Faison because her boss is supposed to be pitching him a presentation right then.  A cut to the elevator shows the two workers who are supposed to be fixing it are sitting in the hallway eating lunch.  Ah, unions.  Faison sees through Lohan's stalling and tells her that every minute of his time is worth $964 so he can't waste so much of it chatting her up.  She begs him to wait, saying that she'll go ahead and begin the presentation and if he doesn't like it she'll pay him $965.  He seems satisfied by that and she pulls a presentation out of her ass.  Her boss finally squeezes through the opening between the elevator doors in time to run into Faison walking out of the office with Lindsay.  He tells her that Lindsay gave the presentation and he loves it, especially the part about the masquerade party.  He then starts dancing.  It's kind of scary. 

Cut to some scene showing Mr. Unlucky with his little cousin.  It's really not that important.

Next scene has Lohan at her fabulous apartment in her underwear with her friends from work.  Her sexily accented neighbor rings the bell to drop off her dry cleaning that was accidentally delivered to him.  Lohan takes this opportunity to ask her neighbor to take her boss as his date to the masquerade party.  Lohan calls her boss "Dragon Lady" so I guess they're hoping a good lay would make her less of a huge bitch.  She then looks at the dry cleaning bag only to see that it's not her dress.  In fact, it's Sarah Jessica Parker's dress!  The girls go wild.  (Not like "Girls Gone Wild," but just, you know, jumping up and down and squealing, without showing their tits.)  Richard called it and for a moment Chris and Jeanne fear he may have psychic powers.  Just as they're thinking about where to get good kindling and some strong rope he explains that the scene with Sarah Jessica Parker's dress was in all of the commercials for this movie.  No one else remembers this.  Suspicion remains.

Jeanne: That wouldn't fit her.  Sarah Jessica Parker's like 60 pounds and 4' 9".

Richard: And Lohan's rack is like way more...superior.

Jeanne: Maybe it's Sarah Jessica Parker's from when she was pregnant.

Chris: Also, she's stealing it.

Jeanne: Maybe she'll dry clean it and give it back.

Back to Mr. Unlucky.  He's crapped on by a bird and yelled at by a driver.  He finally makes it to his job at a bowling alley.  The band McFly is playing.  (Who? you ask. Exactly.)  They all look about 14 years old and are maybe British or something.  The song they are playing is kind of catchy but we hear it about 25 more times during the movie and by the end we all hate it.  Bad advertising strategy.  Maybe that's why I've never heard of this band.

Jeanne: They're British!  They can't use that name if they're British.  Back to the Future is all-American.

Chris: They may be Australian.

Jeanne: Still.

Mr. Unlucky is apparently the band’s manager.  After they finish the song they complain to him that he's a terrible manager, which is evident to us all, seeing as their only gig ever is apparently at a bowling alley.  He says that they're about to make it; they just need to be patient.  The owner of the bowling alley then comes over and tells him to plunge a backed up toilet.  This should be a sure sign to the band that they need to cut and run.

Richard: This is retarded.

Jeanne: What is? This movie? Yeah. I don't even think that it's funny retarded.

Richard: It's not.

Jeanne: It's just like a bad movie. Maybe we need to have like an angle.  Like how in Basic Instinct for the whole movie we had the ‘Sharon Stone's vagina’ angle…so what if for everything that happens we go, "Lindsay Lohan's boobs."

Richard: My nipples are really hard, though.

Jeanne: (Screams)

Richard: I don't know about Lindsay's but...it's very cold in here.

Jeanne: Uhhhhhhhh...I don't even have a comment to that.

Richard: It's like I robbed you of all of your powers.

Next scene opens on Mr. Unlucky having a showcase for McFly.  Some record execs are watching.  It's a very important moment.  Will it go well?  Of course not, 'cause then he wouldn't need to make out with Lindsay Lohan to steal her powers.  That's right, folks.  We haven't even gotten to the main plot point of the movie yet.  This is all still build up so you fully understand that the guy who smells like poop is unlucky and the girl with the large knockers is lucky.  Christ, this movie blows.  So Mr. Unlucky is manning the power board during the bands performance and he knocks everything over, all of the cables are pulled out, the mics stop working and the amps start squeaking.  The record execs leave in obvious disgust.  Oh, how I wish that I could leave with them.

Jeanne: Wouldn't he have been fired already?

Next scene:  The band fires him.

Jeanne: Oh, there we go.

Richard questions whether McFly are faking their British accents.

Richard: I don't know if this guy's going to be cute without the glasses either.

Jeanne claims that the girl from Entourage was the girl in “Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place.”  She's totally wrong.  But during her outburst everyone misses some totally useless dialogue.  To make up for it she rewinds.

Jeanne: We're missing the whole thing. I have to rewind.

Richard: (sadly) Really?

Jeanne: We could be missing crucial information about Pendlton...Pendington...Pendages...the guy from the elevator.

Richard: I bet his pubic hair is as creepy as his head hair.

Jeanne: (laughing) It's like a foot long and blonde?

Richard: It's like a shag.

Jeanne: It just snakes down his legs.

Richard makes fun of Jeanne for the “Two Guy a Girl and Pizza Place” thing.  Jeanne responds by hitting him and then rewinding the movie.  How cruel.  Lohan and her friends discuss her luck over sushi.  She claims she's just ‘averagely’ lucky.  They decide to test it by getting her a scratch off lotto ticket.  She wins $15 and this is proof of her luck.

Richard: I hope her little annoying friend (the girl from Entourage) gets hit by a car immediately.

Lohan begins describing her vision for the masquerade party.  It involves masks to make everyone feel anonymous and uninhibited, hired dancers, fortunetellers, and little nooks that offer just enough privacy for sex with strangers.  The neighbor shows up to meet her boss.  We decide he's a gigolo.  Mr. Unlucky is loitering around outside because he's still trying to get the McFly demo to Faison Love.  He ends up getting in through the service entrance because the guy at the door thinks that he's a hired dancer.  Lohan's boss loves the gigolo and they sneak into a cubby to get it on.  What's this movie rated, anyway?  Lohan starts talking to a fortuneteller, who offers to read her fortune using her very large print tarot cards for the blind.  Lohan scoffs, saying she doesn't need to be told her future because it's so bright, she's got to wear shades.  The fortuneteller goes all Love Potion #9 on her and talks about the wheel of fortune.

Richard: What's up with the giant tarot cards?

Jeanne: What's up with the big fucking bow on her head?

Richard: It's like Madonna in 1983.

Lindsay starts dancing with Mr. Unlucky but they can't tell what the other really looks like because they're both wearing really tiny masks.  Richard again wishes Lindsay's friend dead. 

Richard: Helen Hunt in Girls Just Want to Have Fun was a way better wacky friend.

Chris: This is the easiest part of the movie for Lindsay because this is all she knows.

Jeanne: It is.  Clubs.  Strange men.

Gettin' it on.  They kiss, of course.

Jeanne: It's like Freaky Friday now.

Richard: Oh my god!  It is gonna be like Freaky Friday only without Jamie Lee Curtis being brilliant.

Chris: But what's the one with the kid from The Wonder Years--

Richard: Like Father Like Son.

Chris: --where there's a special effects sequence showing them like...

Jeanne: Switching?

Richard: There's also another movie with the exact same plot that starred Kirk Cameron that exact same year.

After making out, Mr. Unlucky runs away.  Sadly, I'm sure this isn't the first time that this has happened to Lindsay Lohan.  She then leans over to pick something up and the back of her (and by her I mean Sarah Jessica Parker's) dress splits.  This is to indicate that she's now totally unlucky.  This is the big plot point in the middle of the movie.  From here on the movie will now run backwards, repeating all of the same jokes only now the bad things will be happening to Lindsay Lohan and the good things will be happening to that other guy—until they're able to find each other.  Then Lindsay Lohan must cut off the other guy’s head because there can be only one Highlander.  Okay, lame joke.

Anyway, in the end, they both kiss his unlucky cousin so as to distribute the luckiness and unluckiness evenly amongst the three of them and everyone's happy.  I just spared you about 45 more minutes of a movie that you, honestly, didn't want to see anyway.

The Saturday Night Itinerant Brooklyn Gang is:

Jeanne Lopez, Cookie Monster

Rick Sayre, Pop-Culture Critic

Christopher Wilson, Vampire Hunter.

Pretty in Pink: Everything’s Duckie Edition

Casablanca. The Philadelphia Story. The romantic triangle has been a staple of film since it’s inception. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant. Collaborations that will be remembered forever. If you think about it, Pretty in Pink, the third collaboration between John Hughes and Molly Ringwald, was destined to be a classic, wasn’t it? Granted, Hughes didn’t direct this one, but his screenplay and the performances of Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy and James Spader (Editor’s Note: “Yummy”) brought to life one of the greatest romances of our time. Well, maybe. If you’re of a certain age.

After Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, Hughes wrote Pretty in Pink for Ringwald, but directing was left to Howard Deutch, marking his film debut. In the film, Hughes introduces us to Andie, an outcast who has her own sense of style and lives on the wrong side of the tracks with her father, played by Harry Dean Stanton. Andie’s best friend, Duckie (Jon Cryer) of the Flock of Seagulls/Rosie O’Donnell haircut, is completely smitten with her (“May I admire you again today?”). However, sensitive rich boy Blane (Andrew McCarthy) has an eye on Andie, despite the hard time he’s getting from sleazy rich boy Steff (James Spader). You’ve got a classic love triangle on your hands—what’s going to happen? Well, if you haven’t seen it, you can expect Annie Potts in a plethora of insane hairstyles, Duckie lip-sync serenading Andie, some amazingly scary 80s dancers during the prom finale, and oh yes… Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s classic “If You Leave.”

This very special “Everything’s Duckie Edition” is chock full of special features, including a commentary and five featurettes. Expect to learn a lot from new interviews with much of the cast (sadly, Spader is M.I.A) such as: Andie’s bedroom was based on Molly Ringwald’s real bedroom. Or how about this? Imagine Jennifer Beals as Andie (discussed as an option by Paramount, despite the fact that the role was written for Ringwald), Robert Downey, Jr. as Duckie and Tracey Ullman as Iona. However, my favorite feature has to be the “Favorite Scenes” segment, featuring cast members talking about their favorite moments. If you’re a fan of this fantastic 80s classic, the new edition is definitely worth picking up. Like, totally.

Rick Sayre - Pop-Culture Junkie

“Arrested Development”: Season Three

I will miss the Bluth family. For three seasons they provided much needed laughter in what was not just the best sitcom of recent memory, but I’ll go ahead and say it: The best sitcom ever. “Arrested Development” was outlandish, ridiculous, witty and flat-out hysterical. Most other sitcoms get a few laughs, but they're mostly chuckles. Not so with this one.

The situations, the dialogue, the performances and just everything about the show is funny. Never has there been such a flawless ensemble! From Jason Bateman’s ever-suffering Michael to Jessica Walter’s Absolutely Fabulous-esque matriarch Lucille to Michael Cera as lovesick George-Michael (Editor’s Note: He’s legal! Yummy!), every actor fits perfectly in his or her role.

In its final season we see Michael fall for Rita (Charlize Theron), Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) and Tobias (David Cross) throw themselves at Scott Baio’s Bob Loblaw, and Buster (Tony Hale) conquer his biggest fear (“Second biggest!”). One thing about “Arrested Development” is that you never know what kind of twists they’re going to take. Since this is the end of the Bluth Family saga, expect several last minute realizations, shocking betrayals, the return of old characters… and did we mention the incest jokes? (And I don’t mean just the ongoing George-Michael/Maeby flirtation, but the “oh my god, I can’t believe they did that” Jason/Justine Bateman hilarity in the “Family Ties” episode.)

Sadly, the final season was cut short and there are only 13 episodes on 2 discs. However, one of those episodes is the brilliant “S.O.B.s,” which was my favorite of the series. Extras are good: Commentaries on a couple of episodes find most of the cast discussing the show. Plus, a blooper reel and deleted scenes that are actually really, really funny! Finally, a 7-minute feature on the last day of location shooting shows us that the people who brought us the show truly loved working on it and are going to miss it even more than we will. If that’s possible.

R.I.P. A.D.

Rick Sayre - Pop-Culture Junkie

“Veronica Mars”: Season Two

Before I write about what’s good about the second season DVD of “Veronica Mars,” I’m going to tell you what’s bad about it. It’s insanely addictive. You cannot sit down and watch an episode of “Veronica Mars.” No, you can sit down and watch one after another, like you’re eating potato chips or popcorn.

Aside from losing time in such a way, this latest set of “VM” is great. Considering how many different mysteries Veronica was involved with this year, it’s definitely beneficial to be able to watch the episodes one after another. The main intrigue in Neptune this time around is the school bus accident that occurs at the beginning of the season, but there are several other questions to be answered. Add to the mix Steve Guttenberg (Das Gutt) as a mayoral candidate, Tessa Thompson as a new student with a famous dad and Buffy/Angel alumnus Charisma Carpenter as Dick and Beaver’s new step mom, and you’ve got plenty of new faces, storylines and mysteries to fill up a whole other TV series! Guest stars? You got ‘em and they are all PICTURES AND FRAMES favorites: Joss Whedon (Whedon fans: Watch the Gag Reel!!), Kevin Smith and “Arrested Development” co-stars Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat show up, as does Alyson Hannigan, reprising her role as Logan’s sister. There are certainly moments where you can clearly see how the creators are setting up Season Three: “Veronica Goes to College,” and while the last episode clears up a lot (even revealing truths about things from the first season we already thought we knew!), it also leaves you dying for more.

Extra Features-wise, a gag reel collecting bloopers from both seasons so far, deleted scenes and a couple of featurettes is just enough to satisfy. “A Day On the Set With Veronica Mars” follows Kristen Bell over the course of a shooting day and includes a wonderful moment with her holding a python and saying, “I always wondered where their butts were.” We knew Veronica was lovable, but the fact that Bell is just as adorable in reality is almost too much. The second featurette is called “Veronica Mars: Not Your Average Teen Detective” and includes an interview with series creator, Rob Thomas, who reveals his influences (“Twin Peaks”) and discusses the casting of Bell as his heroine. If you’re a fan, you’ll be happy. If you aren’t a fan, you ought to take this chance and catch up on one of TV’s best shows before it returns this fall on The CW.

Rick Sayre - Pop-Culture Junkie

A Home at the End of the World

It’s hard to know what to do with a movie like A Home at the End of the World. On one hand, it doesn’t pretend be anything other than what it is—a touching story about two guys and a girl, and how beautiful life can be when people accept each other for who they are. There’s something endearing about its simplicity, at once beautiful, vague, and strangely insufficient.

The story centers around Bobby Morrow, a dreamer who loses his family early in life and moves to New York to room with his best friend Jonathan. Although Jonathan is gay, he is in love with his roommate, Claire, and has been planning to father her child—a plan that is upended when Claire suddenly falls for Bobby. Not to be deterred, all three decide “What the hell?” and after about twelve minutes of inner debate, they buy a house and decide to raise the baby in triplicate.

Now, I’m not implying that this couldn’t actually happen. Family can be whatever you want it to be, and it’s certainly feasible that three rational people could work out such an arrangement to everyone’s benefit. What’s strange is that in his insistent desire for the family to remain “unconventional,” director Michael Mayer often forgets to let his characters behave like human beings. Nobody gets angry in this movie. Nobody even seems to get mildly upset—a scenario I find hard to imagine in a household full of creative and temperamental personalities like these. Nor does the timeline follow standard form—having never achieved a sense of conflict, there is no real climax to resolve. The characters relocate, fall in love, break up, paint the house, occasionally contract incurable illnesses, and it all takes place in a good day’s work.

The lack of urgency leads to moments of awkward tension, most often when characters actually are upset, fail to react appropriately, and then walk out with no apparent reason. On the other hand, it gives the story a warm, if vaguely surreal sensibility. The mood is exquisitely set, and if they occasionally lack motivation, there is never a point where the characters fail to command our attention. Part of this is the casting (Robin Wright Penn and Colin Farrell are an improbably good match) but most of it is the intrinsic sense of goodwill that comes from all angles. “Everyone is beautiful,” Bobby says, and indeed they are; it’s hard not to like these people, or to be drawn into the dreamy romance of their daily lives.

Yet this beauty derives, in part, from the film’s unwillingness to be completed. One of the most touching moments occurs when Claire finally confronts Jonathan and yells in a fit of rage, “I chose you. I loved you first.” There is something heart wrenching in the ‘first,’ acknowledging her love for both, but also acknowledging the undeniable fact that one will always come before the other.

This inability to love simultaneously—the need to always choose one first—is a crucial issue for Claire throughout the film, and watching her struggle, I can’t help but feel like I know what she’s going through. As much as I’d like to take this movie at face value, I just can’t. I need three acts and a climax. I’m used to standard plot hooks and characters that get angry when they’re hurt. For all of its dreamy insouciance and genuine good-heartedness, there’s a basic element that keeps the whole thing from sticking together—a sense of momentum, perhaps, or just the need for a few old-fashioned plot twists. We can brush by these omissions, yes, but we can’t pretend they don’t matter. In the end, we’re just not that unconventional.

Katie Gradowski - Temp Jockey

The Last Picture Show (1971)

Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich

Written by: Larry McMurtry and Peter Bogdanovich

Starring: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ben Johnson, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Randy Quaid, Clu Galager, Eileen Brennan.

Tony Bennett’s “Cold, Cold Heart” was on everybody’s hit parade; Elizabeth Taylor was getting married; boys wore ducktails; the police action in the far east was Korea, and Anarene, Texas, like other small towns was approaching the end of an era.

“Anarene, Texas, 1951. Nothing much has changed.” With these words, taken from the original 1971 movie trailer, we are introduced to one of American cinema’s best-kept secrets, The Last Picture Show. Director Peter Bogdanovich gives us his ultimate masterpiece (in the words of his good friend Orson Welles: “You Only Need One.”)

The Last Picture Show is a timeless story filled with compassion, sexuality, humor, nostalgia, death and regrets, but the most shocking element of this film comes from its honesty. From its opening sequence in what looks to be a deserted town, life literally comes out of the woodworks, introducing us to characters like Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms), Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges), Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson), Jacey Farrow (Cybill Shepherd), Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman) and Lois Farrow (Ellen Burstyn).

As seen through the eyes of the young Sonny Crawford the one character that wants to be a good person but continues to struggle with his conscience and the decisions he makes, the story follows the adventures of the misguided youth and the adult role models that influence their lives. The town pool hall and the movie theater, which are owned and operated by local hero Sam the Lion, provide the only source of entertainment for the residents of Anarene. Jacey Farrow plays the role of the town Lolita, following in her mother’s (Lois Farrow) footsteps of sexual discovery at the expense of her temporary boyfriend Duane Jackson and her 24-hour husband.

Ruth Popper is the unhappy housewife that has an affair with a much, much younger man to fill the void left by her closeted husband. The movie’s time line spans one year, from one football season to another, and closes with our main characters returning for one last picture show before the theater closes its doors for good. The Last Picture Show is an honest look into the lives of all of us, set in a place too small for secrets to be hid. Shot in the backdrops of Archer City, Texas, the director chose to use black and white film after Orson Welles suggested that it would add more depth to the look of the story. With 8 Academy Award nominations (and 2 wins), this incredible cast brings to life the characters of Larry McMurtry’s best-selling book of the same name. On a personal note: after watching this film I felt nostalgic for movies that are no longer made—classics that, because of the style and times, will forever remain part of a time period were cinema was still breaking new ground.

Juan Marcos Percy – Importer/Exporter

BOOKS:

Out by Natsuo Kirino

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Upon sitting down to review the two novels I read this month, I realized that they had a bit in common: Both books were written in other languages and created huge sensations in their homelands; both were compulsive reads, the sort of novel you find yourself waiting to get back to, sneaking a chapter or two in at work, or looking up from to realize that not only has it gotten dark outside, but it’s already three in the morning.

First up, Natsuo Kirino’s dark thriller, Out, published in Japan in 1998. The novel won Japan’s Grand Prix for Crime Fiction, and upon its publication in the U.S., became an Edgar Award finalist. The story begins with four characters, women working the night shift at a factory. Once the husband of one of these women is killed, it’s as if a pebble has been dropped into a pool, creating a ripple effect that introduces us to more characters, each with their own compelling story. One character emerges as the central figure, Masako Katori. Out examines what happens to people when they find themselves in the most extreme situations. It is gritty, gory and intriguing, and one of the most addictive reads out there.

On the other hand, Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s debut novel, The Shadow of the Wind, transports you to a world that is equally as intriguing, but in a way, almost whimsical. The novel, originally published in Spain in 2001, takes place in post World War II Barcelona. Our hero is Daniel, a young man who works at his father’s bookstore. Daniel comes across a book called “The Shadow of the Wind” by an author named Julián Carax. He falls in love with the book and seeks out more information about its author, only to find himself immersed in a mystery. Although Carax wrote other novels, they are impossible to find. In fact, a mysterious person using the name of one of Carax’s characters has been systematically destroying every copy of every Carax novel in existance. This sense of mystery, not to mention the romance and poetry of Lucia Graves’ translation, finds the reader completely immersed in Daniel’s Barcelona. Just as addictive as Out, I find that The Shadow of the Wind is the sort of novel one must savor: You won’t want the mystery to be solved or for the book to end. 

One last thing that these novels have in common: They both haunted my dreams. I literally found myself dreaming about them. Days after reading the books, Masako Katori and Julián Carax became featured players in my subconscious.

Rick Sayre - Pop-Culture Junkie

MUSIC:

Beth Thornley – My Glass Eye

To put it simply, pop singer/songwriter Beth Thornley’s second album, My Glass Eye, will make you happy. The independent artist is a breath of fresh air, with a sound influenced by greats as classic as The Beatles (whom she covers on “Eleanor Rigby”) and as contemporary as Aimee Mann or Ben Folds. Her songs cover so many styles that you can’t help but admire her refusal to be pigeon holed… yet it’s a cohesive disc you’ll find yourself playing endlessly over and over. There’s the hook-filled guitar rock of “Mr. Lovely” and “Stand,” as well as a beautiful ballad," You're Right Where,”? and the folksy “Birmingham.” But there’s more to it than the hooks. Like Jason Mraz, Thornley loves wordplay, but as heard on “Double-wide,” a gorgeous tale of a down on her luck waitress, you’ll see that she’s also a damn good storyteller.

Artist Link: http://www.beththornley.com

Rick Sayre - Pop-Culture Junkie

Sebadoh – Sebadoh III - Reissue

Lou Barlow is probably best known for the song “Natural One,” his collaboration with John Davis on side-band Folk Implosion (one of many Barlow side-acts) and the song that made the KIDS soundtrack such a bestseller. But if you were a fan of “low-fi” music (anything that sounds/or actually was recorded on a four/eight track) in the early 90s, then chances are Barlow’s name is synonymous with indie-rock band Sebadoh.

I first heard of Sebadoh in 1996 when a friend of mine excitedly put on Harmacy, declaring it to be the best album he’d heard in years. At the time it really was. This passionate introduction led me to backtrack through their catalogue to earlier recordings, such as 1994’s Bake Sale and 1992’s Sebadoh III.  Much like Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, which was recorded in the privacy of Springsteen’s kitchen on a simple four-track cassette deck, Sebadoh III sounds intimate and naked, and songs such as “Kath,” “Supernatural Force” and “Hassle” are a mixture of the best that folk and indie-rock fused guitar noise has to offer.

The new reissue of the album includes a 2^nd CD full of rarities and B-sides, and includes an essay detailing the  “Making of Sebadoh III” in the liner notes, a must-read for Sebadoh fans. When I put this album on again (for the first time in years), I was automatically transported to the 90s of my youth, a time when music and the world seemed to be abundantly filled with promise. They say that you can’t ever really go home again, but albums such as Sebadoh III prove otherwise.

Lily Percy – Editor

SPOTLIGHT:

“Homicide: Life on the Street”

1993-1999

It’s late at night in the squad room of the Baltimore Homicide Department. The telephone rings, reporting another murder, and a rookie detective takes the call. He finds himself standing in the rain, over the dead body of an eleven-year-old girl with the face of an angel. Her name is Adena Watson. For fans of the television series “Homicide: Life on the Street,” the name needs no explanation. For Detective Tim Bayliss, it’s the unsolved mystery that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

            In 1993, “Homicide: Life on the Street” premiered on NBC. Created by Paul Attanasio, executive produced by Barry Levinson and based on the book by David Simon, the show revolved around the cases and the lives of eight homicide detectives and their shift commander. Yaphet Kotto’s Al Giardello ran his squad room with the perfect balance of a cop’s street smarts and the administrative capabilities of a city official. One thing that always seemed evident was that Giardello would go to great lengths to keep the bureaucratic mess of the captain’s office from getting in the way of his detectives. He took care of his detectives, and they loved and respected him for it.

            When the show began, the roster of detectives included Kay Howard (Melissa Leo) and Beau Felton (Daniel Baldwin). Howard was the detective with the outstanding record for solving cases, and was the only woman investigating murders in a unit full of volatile male personalities. Detective Felton was a brooding cop with an acerbic wit trying to hold together his disintegrating marriage. Veteran actor Ned Beatty played grumpy, but lovable, Detective Stanley Bolander who was partnered with Detective John Munch, the quick-witted brainiac, brilliantly played by comedian Richard Belzer. Detective Steve Crosetti (Jon Polito), the proud Italian-American who spent much of his time indulging his own conspiracy theories on the Lincoln assassination, was the partner of cool and charming Meldrick Lewis (Clark Johnson).

            The central partnership of the show, however, was that of Andre Braugher’s Frank Pembleton and Tim Bayliss, played by Kyle Secor. Detective Pembleton was the brash, cunning, intelligent investigator for whom even the smallest injustice was unforgivable. A man constantly struggling with his Catholic faith, Pembleton never seemed as much at home as when he was in “the box.” The interrogation room was where “Homicide’s” detectives would get confessions out of their suspects, and Pembleton turned that process into an art. Pembleton would go after criminals with reckless abandon, constantly in pursuit of what he believed to be justice. It would only get better when he was joined in the interrogation room by Bayliss: The two detectives got into a rhythm together that was so masterful, it was extraordinary to watch.

            Tim Bayliss was a rookie at the beginning of the series. His idealistic naiveté was the perfect counterbalance for Pembleton’s hard-edged realism. At first, Bayliss is an innocent, caring very deeply and being personally affected by each dead body he comes across. As the show evolves, Bayliss is forced to deal with the realities of his job and the world, and allow his heart to harden a little. However, Bayliss can never become fully detached. It is not in his character; his humanity simply won’t allow it. Much of the series’ conflict existed in the sometimes-tumultuous relationship between Bayliss and Pembleton. Underneath the simple exterior of a professional partnership was a great deal of friendship, love and respect. But often that gave way to the tension of two honest, intelligent men of principle butting heads over any manner of subjects.

            The talent behind the camera was as palpable as the actors on screen. “Homicide” was a superbly written show; often times scripted by series regulars James Yoshimura, Tom Fontana, Paul Attanasio, David Simon and Jorge Zamacona. Quality scripts, first-rate acting and exceptional characters attracted talented directors such as Barry Levinson, John McNaughton and Ted Demme. The look of the show was another key element to its uniqueness. The documentary style, hand held camera work, perfected by Jean De Segonzac, was beautifully married to the gritty, straightforward editing of Jay Rabinowitz.

            The highlight of the first couple seasons is an episode titled “Three Men and Adena,” in which Pembleton and Bayliss have to get a confession from the prime suspect in the Adena Watson case within a few hours. The second season finale featured Robin Williams as the husband of a woman killed in front of him and his children. The series would extend its list of guest stars over the years to include Elijah Wood, Steve Buscemi, Charles Durning, James Earl Jones, Bruce Campbell, David Morse, Jena Malone, Lilly Tomlin, Mekhi Phifer and Baltimore-native John Waters. Another tradition included episodes that crossed-over with NBC’s hit show “Law & Order.”

            The third season reached a heightened level of personal drama for the homicide unit as Detectives Bolander, Howard and Felton were shot while making an arrest. Over the course of the next few episodes, Pembleton and Bayliss would lead the investigation of the suspected shooter. Amidst a flurry of cases over the next four years, the men and women of the squad room would also have to deal with personal issues such as the suicide of a fellow detective, the stroke of another officer, and the painful memories of childhood sexual abuse.

            As the series went on, new characters were introduced. One of the many detectives who passed through the Baltimore homicide unit was the temperamental Mike Kellerman, played by Reed Diamond. Kellerman first made his way onto the show as a part of the arson squad, but was given the opportunity by Giardello to work for homicide. One of the better storylines throughout the later seasons dealt with Kellerman’s pursuit of Luther Mahowney, a Baltimore drug dealer responsible for countless murders. After multiple altercations with the kingpin, Mahowney is killed and a cloud of suspicion follows Detective Kellerman, as well as his partner Detective Lewis.

            For the seventh and final season, Giancarlo Esposito joined the cast as Giardello’s son Mike, a special FBI liaison. The two are estranged as the season opens, and the relationship is often turbulent, but they are soon able to re-connect as father and son. The final season’s highlights include the emotional instability of Detective Stuart Gharty (played by Peter Gerety), the complicated romance of Callie Thorne’s Laura Ballard and Jon Seda’s Paul Falsone, and a storyline that featured a veteran detective crossing the line of morality by taking the law into his own hands. Unfortunately the presence of Andre Braugher’s Pembleton, who did not return after the sixth season, is sorely missed. Ultimately, though there was still plenty of high-level drama, the series was finally canceled later that season.

            In 2000, a year after the series ended, NBC aired Homicide: The Movie. The made-for-TV movie would bring back all the series regulars and tie up some loose ends that the series (due to its cancellation) wasn’t able to address. The current and former detectives of the homicide unit work the case of the shooting of mayoral candidate and former homicide lieutenant Al Giardello. Much of the movie is about the return of old characters like Bolander and Howard, as well as Mike Giardello, himself coping with the shooting incident that has his father in critical condition. However, the real treat for “Homicide” fans lies in the return of Frank Pembleton, once again partnered with Bayliss. Their friendship is put to the ultimate test as Bayliss tells Pembleton, “Time for one last confession, Frank.” What follows is heartbreaking and wonderful to watch, as both men must live up to everything they have always believed. No series has ever had a greater finale than Giardello playing cards in the “break room” with Felton and Crosetti.

            For eight years “Homicide: Life on the Street” delivered powerful drama, intense characters and a sense of justice, without falling into the traps of melodramatic television clichés. Pembleton, Bayliss, Giardello, Lewis, Munch and a slew of others, welcomed us into the squad room, allowed us to watch them solve one murder after another, and reminded us that great television can be immortal, ensuring that there will always be a place for both red and black on the board.

David Sayre - Independent filmmaker/essayist

“Homicide: Life on the Street”

Cast of characters:

Lt. Al Giardello – Yaphet Kotto

Detective Frank Pembleton – Andre Braugher

Detective Tim Bayliss – Kyle Secor

Detective John Munch – Richard Belzer

Detective Stanley Bolander – Ned Beatty

Detective Kay Howard – Melissa Leo

Detective Beau Felton – Daniel Baldwin

Detective Meldrick Lewis – Clark Johnson

Detective Steve Crosetti – Jon Polito

Lt. Megan Russert – Isabella Hofmann

Detective Mike Kellerman – Reed Diamond

Dr. Julianna Cox – Michelle Forbes

J.H. Brodie – Max Perlich

Detective Terri Stivers – Toni Lewis

Detective Paul Falsone  - Jon Seda

Detective Laura Ballard – Callie Thorne

Detective Stuart Gharty – Peter Gerety

Detective Rene Sheppard – Michael Michelle

Special Agent Mike Giardello – Giancarlo Esposito