Treme Season III

Treme, Season 3 (Created by Eric Overmyer & David Simon, 2013)

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Rating: DSQ=10, SP=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale A=4, Scale B=3, Scale C=3, Scale D=3, Scale E=3

New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina aftermath, Music, Race Issues, Socio-Cultural, Mardi-Gras

The third season was filled with surprises--from guest appearances (Fats Domino AND the Neville Brothers!!) to strange twists in the storylines. My favorite character and story used to be Davis but by the end of this season I was completely drawn into the chef world of Jeanette. Again, great music and captivating stories/visuals. Waiting patiently for the last, shortened fourth season.

 

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Happy 2014!

Happy 2014! I'm getting excited to watch more recent releases this month --The Wolf of Wall Street and 12 Years a Slave are at the top of my list-- and can't wait until the annual Oscar Dash gets under way. Nominations will be announced on January 16!

I've been watching lots of TV mysteries and other shows this winter. Hopefully look for posts on Treme Season III and Downtown Abbey Season III soon.

American Hustle

American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013)

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Rating: Q=8, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

1978, AB SCAM, Crime, Sting, Complex Relationships

I thoroughly enjoyed the latest from David O. Russell. One thing is always true in his films: the acting shines. Bradley Cooper is phenomenal playing a character that I wanted to strangle half the movie... such an interesting role. Christian Bale and Amy Adams are wonderful, as usual, but Jennifer Lawrence is really fantastic as yet another bizarre and intriguing character.

I loved seeing 1978 through the clothes, style, and hair (so much crazy hair!). The soundtrack was awesome and fit the situations so perfectly. Russell knows that stories work best when there are layers of conflict and blurry lines. He did this tremendously well with Silver Linings Playbook last year. This one is no different--what really is a crime? What is a sin? The lines are very fuzzy in American Hustle just like they are in life.

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Peter Jackson, 2013)

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Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Based on Book
 

I was so pleased with this second installment of The Hobbit. More narrative, more character development, more detail... I was particularly impressed with how the higher resolution and frame-rate made the film feel more intimate. At first I was jarred--it took me a while to get used to the movement of the camera--but soon it was like the characters and world was right outside a window.

Surprises came with an excellent performance by Luke Evans as Bard and more elements/characters of the Lord of the Rings stories to make a cohesive epic. This seems to be a trend in Hollywood. I think people want movies to be more like long TV show episodes. And why not? More time with a fantasy world. This one makes me pretty happy.
 

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