The Avengers

 'If we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn sure we'll avenge it!'

Let’s face it, The Avengers just had to be good. Because if it didn’t live up to the expectations placed on it, the entire geekdom may just let out a collective sigh of disappointment so massive I’m not sure the universe could take it. 

Okay, I’m exaggerating. Slightly. But we, the geeks, wanted this to kick some serious ass very very badly. We wanted it to swagger into cinemas with the arrogance of Iron Man and obliterate all other comic book flicks with a power akin to a Thor hammer swing or a Hulk smash. We wanted it to…be…really good…like…Captain America? I’m sorry, I don’t have any Cap puns. We wanted to come before our Demigod and Unofficial Elected President of the United Nations of Nerd Sir Joss of Whedon©, get on our scrawny little knees and say ‘You did it. Well done, sir. Well done.’ Quite simply, we wanted this superhero movie, a culmination of several other superhero movies, to be so super-ly super that even the most super-ly elitist Marvel fanboys could put down their comics, venture out of their secret lairs, watch it and say ‘Cross my heart and swear on Stan Lee, that was fucking super.’

Well, let out a sigh, comrades…a sigh of relief, because The Avengers would have to be the super-est mothertrucking superhero film of all time. Of all time! It is a complete triumph for writer/director Whedon, Marvel Studios and the comic book film genre. It’s got your set pieces, your eye-popping effects, your lots of shit blowing up, and everything you want in your big dumb action flicks without being, well, dumb. It’s got your classic good vs. evil, minus the cheese, add additional modern pop culture references (how very Whedon-esque…) It’s got fantastic one-liners and numerous moments of ridiculously good comedic timing, it oozes cool and it is fun, fun, FUN. It’s got everything you want from a superhero movie, all delivered with levels of panache and bravado that make all lesser efforts of the genre look like a daggy Mini, ready to be crushed by this big, brash tricked-out Hummer.

Aside from all the bells and whistles, and supersuits, and submarines, Whedon’s script packs a punch in itself. The plot is basic (as an action plot should be) but well executed and full of wit. Loki has assembled an ugly, intergalactic army to wage war on Earth, and only the uniting of SHIELD’s finest (Black Widow and Hawkeye), a few special, shall we say, ‘independent contractors’ (Iron Man, Cap, and Hulk) and another Asgardian on the side of the good guys (Thor) has any chance of stopping him. Whedon has done a fantastic job to write each character well, staying true to their iconic traits and idiosyncrasies, while also remembering that this is a film about the assembly of a group, and a group of strong personalities and clashing egos at that. These guys are not about to instantly sit down to tea and crumpets together, and many of the film’s best fight scenes (of which there are many, all hard-hitting and wonderfully choreographed) are actually Avenger vs. Avenger. Once the group does band together, all the character setup of the prequel films as well as the first half of this one pays off, as every character has an important role, and the failings of one hero can be balanced out by the strengths of another (Iron Man’s arrogance being tempered by Cap’s practicality and military mindset, Hulk and Thor’s brute strength and rage contrasted by Hawkeye’s clinical calmness).

Having already had a film (or in some cases two) each to get into character, the cast all deliver comfortable and entertaining performances. Two who have grown into their roles particularly well are Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man, who has now set the bar for all smartarse-y wisecracking heroes to come, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki, who is equally adept at mischievous and malevolent, and also put in some fine comedic work and facial expressions as the punchline (or sometimes punching bag) for the heroes. New to the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk is Mark Ruffalo, who provides the best film incarnation of the character yet, rejuvenating the Hulk from a brooding dullard and a CGI’d joke back to a funny and thouroughly kickass Marvel favourite, who in my cinema got the biggest laughs and the biggest cheers. By the time the film gets to the climactic final battle on the streets of New York City, every character has a special place in the audience’s heart. And what a battle it is. Taking everything big, bold and explosive and amplifying it even more, it is (pardon the use of the ‘S’ word again) a super-sequence of action excellence; a visually jaw-dropping, pulse-quickening thrill ride that gives the film the ending it deserves.

Sequel, please.

9/10

Dead Space-The Walking Dead 2.01 'What Lies Ahead'

The pressure was on for The Walking Dead in its second season. Not only is it following a brief (6 episodes) but intense debut run that was both highly acclaimed and successful, but it comes after an ugly battle between showrunner Frank Darabont and the AMC network ended spectacularly with Darabont being fired from the very show he adapted for television. Even in Hollywood, with it’s reputation for fickleness, a creator being booted is kind of a big deal, and there was much anxious speculation from cast, critics and viewers alike on what kind of an impact Darabont’s departure would have on the series.

But it appears, in the eyes of this fan anyway, that the show is safe in the hands of promoted producer Glen Mazzara, as the season premiere, ‘What Lies Ahead’, delivered everything that made Season One’s best bits so good: terror, suspense, drama and of course buckets of gore; and also seemed to really grow into the slow-burn-followed-by-an-explosion pace style that sometimes missed the mark last year. Actually, perhaps the slow-burn parts are working too well, because after the obligatory catch up and setting the scene, things move along quite slowly indeed as the group move out of Atlanta towards Fort Benning. But it turns this was all just to lull us into a false sense of security (which I should have realised) as just as I was about to say to myself ‘Maybe I got a little bit too excited for this’, the undead bodies hit the fan and shit gets serious.

The episode revolved around the search for Sophia (Carol’s young daughter, who was chased from the group and lost) with a couple of hold-your-breath suspenseful near misses with the unfriendly neighbourhood zombies to fill out the action. The first appearance of a large group of Walkers is the first of these moments, as what becomes known as a ‘herd’ (c’mon, everybody knows the collective noun for zombies is a ‘shuffle’) close in on the group. Everybody scuttles under the cars for safety, except T-Dog, who is bleeding all over the place after cutting his arm, and Andrea, who is cleaning her gun inside the caravan and it is totally oblivious to what’s going on inside. Y’know how in Zombieland they always had those rules for survival popping up? Well, right then would have been a good time for ‘Rule 27: It’s never a good time to clean your gun’ to pop up. The whole sequence is edgy, scary as shit and really awesome. Daryl saves T-Dog with his trusty crossbow and covers them with dead bodies to avoid detection (a much less disgusting version of the stomach-churning guts bit from last season), Andrea saves herself with a screwdriver slipped to her by Dale, and all the under-car dwellers think the coast is clear, which it is until Sophia gets chased away by a couple of extra slow zombies at the tail end of the herd. Lull = officially over. Andrea actually wanted to die back in the CDC when it was blown up anyway and now resents Dale for taking away her choice to do that, so now we have Andrea and Dale conflict in addition to the Lori and Shane conflict. Oh, and Shane wants to leave, and now Andrea wants to leave with him.

Events along the way in the hunt for the missing child range from the icky (cutting open the body of a Walker and sifting through the innards to find out what it’s last meal was) to funny in a creepy way (a bunch of zombs in church, still sitting on the pews, all turning around in unison as the group enter.) And about that church: is absolutely every show right now doing some sort of storyline with religious overtones? Sure seems that way to me. Rick gives a guilty glance at JC on the cross as he’s braining a Walker, and both he and Carol get big prayer monologues. I’ll accept it, since it is Georgia and there probably would realistically be a Southern Baptist Church anywhere you wander.

The ep has an extremely shocking ending SPOILER ALERT as Carl (he’s Rick and Lori’s young son) is shot as he’s approaching a deer in the forest. How’s that for a massive ending to a premiere! After a teaser for what’s to come (which looks incredible), it’s all over, leaving me stunned but excited for future episodes of zombie drama (zombrama?) goodness.

Kill of the Week:

Rick caving in a face with a big-ass rock.

'If you start telling people you time traveled to a land full of fairies, they're gonna put you away.' True Blood Episode 4.01

After another agonising wait where I’m sure we were all suffering from more True Blood Withdrawal than ever before (making for some great faux-PSAs, see Youtube here), Season 4 premiered this week with ‘She’s Not There’, and writer Alexander Woo had the extremely unenviable task of covering the approximately 157 different cliffhangers that ended last season, all of which concern about 300 characters. In case you haven’t noticed, this cast is getting huge. A quick note on the credits: A. Skars has been bumped up to a principal cast member (something that clearly should have happened, like, 2 seasons ago), Jessica Tuck (Nan Flanagan) and Lauren Bowles (Holly) are now in the credits as regulars, and the two newbies making the credit cut are Aunt Petunia…excuse me, Fiona Shaw (Marnie) and Janina Gavankar (Luna). So now we know who’s who and who’s new, just how did they do?

So, recap package rolls, HBO logo snaps crackles and pops, and we’re…in Fairy Land! It’s as naff looking as ever and all the fairy folk are still dressed like hippies and looking like they’re on ecstasy when Claudine and the Sookster beam in from Bon Temps cemetery. Sook barely has time to berate Claudine for being such a sucky fairy godmother (yes, that’s actually what she is) before a familiar face from all the way back in ancient times (that’d be Season 2) shows up. It’s Barry, the adorable telepathic bellboy from the vampire hotel. His godmother, a dude, is all like ‘Haaiiii’, he’s all like ‘This place is unreals, yo!’ the fairies are all like ‘Eat our glowing fruit, it’ll make you feel reaalll special!’ and Sook is all like ‘WTF? Oh snap, double WTF, cos there’s my granddaddy, and he’s Lumbergh from Office Space!’ Turns out Granddaddy Earl Stackhouse, played really well by the uber-prolific Gary Cole, ain’t dead after all, he’s been floating around in Fae World for 20 whole years, having a grand ‘ol time and scarfing down luminescent produce (Barry: ‘It’s like biting into pure happiness!’)

Which is all fine and dandy, until MAB (just pronounced Mab and not em ay bee, but the way this woman said it definitely calls for capital letter emphasis and she will always be MAB to me) shows up. She’s a tall, slightly scaring looking fairy queen I guess, and she does not have good intentions for all the humans that have been lured into their world. She and Sook have a hilarious little exchange where they talk all over each other and then…ok guys you’ll have to tell me what happened next, because the copy of the episode I watched for some reason turned into another show here. Not sure what it was, but it was something in the sci-fi genre. And…oh! They got Anna Paquin to guest star!

Hmm, what’s that? That wasn’t another show? That was still True Blood? To quote the great Zack Ryder, are you serious, bro?! Ok, I’m being silly as usual. But damn, the whole landscape really did turn into another planet, and the fairies turned into ugly-ass troll/alien thingies. They’re slinging glowing balls of pure destruction at Sook and Granddaddy, and it all looks very cool even if I was totally confused at this point. MAB starts yelling something like ‘Close the portal!’ or something similar that was giving me some serious Thor vibes, and all looks doomed for the Stackhouses until a small group of rebel fairies come to the rescue, led by…Claudine’s brother! This is the point where I tell you all that not only will I not bitch about TV Claude being a million miles from book Claude, but that no comparisons to the books will be made by me in any of my reviews. I only mildly enjoy the books while I’m crazy about the show, they are two separate entities by two separate creators to me, and book nerds who take up forum space with their rants are by all means entitled to do that, but quite frankly get on my fucking nerves. Ok…glad we got that out of the way!

Review: The Green Hornet

With bizarro French director Michel Gondry at the helm and, in Seth Rogen, a leading man who doesn’t exactly scream ‘action hero’, I had high hopes for Green Hornet to be a more off-kilter version of the Hollywood action comedy. Disappointingly, Hornet very much plays it safe, taking the post-Iron Man angle of an equal ratio of explosions and laughs, adding a little more crudeness (no surprise as Rogen also co-wrote the film with his Superbad partner Evan Goldberg), but forfeiting the wit and cool factor that made the man in the red suit such a hit. The jokes are funny, but not fantastic, the action occasionally spectacular but mostly average, and the film fun for a single viewing but disposable on the whole.

After the death of his newspaper owner dad, lazy playboy Britt Reid (Rogen) decides to make something of his life by becoming a fake criminal/masked vigilante who calls himself the Green Hornet. Even though Rogen is the titular hero, we’re spared from having to buy him and his less than svelte physique as an ass kicking crime fighter because, as any good hero should, he’s got a trusty sidekick. As well a being good with a spanner and making one hell of a coffee, Kato (Jay Chou) can slow down time in his mind and kung fu the shit out of anyone.

Christoph Waltz as Chudnofsky

The martial arts in the fight scenes is impressive, but hardly better than that in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. And Michael Cera is white. Forgive me if this is racist, but if there’s an Asian in a fight in an action movie, I expect that dude to be pulling off some serious Crouching Tiger shit, is all I’m sayin’. Even the freeze-framing/extreme slo mo, the only visually striking trick pulled out of Gondry’s hat, does nothing to get the pulse racing or the eyeballs popping. Because I saw it last year in Kick Ass. Most of the jokes succeed in getting a laugh, but they’re nothing but typical Rogen-isms, quips about boobs or sex or other juvenile double entendres that he’s good at because he’s done them in all his other films. Even Christoph Waltz, the actor who I was most excited to see as gang boss Chudnofsky, failed to be the scene stealer I had hoped. While his opening scene with the cameo-ing James Franco was one of the best of the movie and he had some other humourous moments, his character was not a memorable or unique villain. If you want to see Waltz in pitch-perfect form as a cold yet oddly charming European villain, you’d do better to watch his award winning performance in Inglourious Basterds.

And that’s the reoccurring problem with Green Hornet- everything it tries to do, someone has already done better. Throw in a complete miscasting of Cameron Diaz, hardly any use of the 3D format (I want my extra money back), and a draggy ending and things get even more disappointing. If you’ve got no expectations of it, perhaps Green Hornet would be a perfectly adequate fun popcorn flick. But my verdict: this is vanilla when it could have been something far more exotic.

5/10

Muse, Rod Laver Arena Melbourne

Photo: Heidi Takla

When you’ve been one of the biggest rock bands in the world for several years and consistently up the flash factor for your live shows, just how do you make sure each touring cycle is bigger and better than the last? For Muse, a band who continually raise the bar on what a modern day arena rock show should be, the answer is obvious: just go bigger.

As one of the first countries to slowly elevate the Devon, England trio to mainstream success, Australia has had a growing adoration for Muse that has been keenly reciprocated. Tours have been frequent, including headlining this year’s Big Day Out in January. The festival stage saw a pared-down version of the spectacular set-up that had made its way through Europe as the band toured their fifth album The Resistance, but this time it has made it’s way to Australia in all it’s massive glory.

You want to know just how a big band goes even bigger? Try towering, movable platforms encased on all sides by stunningly clear video screens, lasers, rotating drum risers and mirrored suits. Oh, and an arsenal of immense rock anthems sprinkled with old favourites, all delivered in a fashion that has become typically Muse—a satisfying balance of the class and poise that befits an experienced arena act, and the exuberance and intensity of a band who remember the days when they would lay waste to club stages with a mess of feedback and an appetite for destruction.

An introduction that displays the visual treats that the stage set has to offer segues into album opener and radio favourite Uprising, the crowd up for a sing along from the get go. Resistance, with its arena-ready chorus, continues to showcase the more accessible new material, before a barrage of classic cuts from albums past proves to be as tight and crowd-pleasing as ever. Long-time live favourite New Born comes early, giving newer fans a chance to marvel at each member’s musical chops: Matt Bellamy’s deft piano runs, muscular riffs and impressive vocal range, Dom Howard’s hard-hitting yet musical drum style (as always, delivered with his signature ear to ear grin) and Chris Wolstenholme’s nimble bass playing underpinning it all with the necessary fatness.

Such is the power of Muse’s individual musical components and their incredible chemistry as a band that even when the now deity-like Bellamy has his moments to shine (such as the classical piano interlude of Butterflies & Hurricanes and the solo of Hysteria, complete with guitar god rock moves) they do not take away from what is the performance of a seamlessly meshing unit. Bellamy even leaves the stage completely as Howard and Wolstenholme show off their skills with a short but impressive jam, which kicks off a string of hits that gets the building to fever pitch. Undisclosed Desires comes complete with keytar, light up drums and lasers, Time Is Running Out and Starlight are the biggest sing alongs of the night, and bona fide classic Plug In Baby is as always met with mass air-guitaring and a lively display in the pit.

Unfortunately, Exogenesis Part 1 is not followed by the rest of the three-part symphony, and as the first song of the encore is met with ambivalence despite it’s cinematic quality providing a welcome change of pace. The epic double shot of Stockholm Syndrome and Knights of Cydonia bring things to a close on a rocking, loud note, with the latter’s ‘No one’s going to take me alive’ battle cry screamed with gusto by everyone in attendance.

If tonight is any evidence, Muse clearly have no intention of vacating the top of those ‘Best Live Act’ lists, or abandoning any or their live edge despite their constantly growing commercial success.

'It's pretty. But not the story it tells. ' Dexter Episode 5.02

In episode 5.02 ‘Hello, Bandit’, Dex is back on the hunt despite still dealing with the aftermath of Rita’s death and being a single dad.

Luckily he has one less thing to worry about (well, for the time being anyway.) After bailing on his interview with the FBI in last week’s ep, he sat down with the same smarmy agent from the crime scene and his bespectacled partner to get it over with. It was a well done little scene that quickly and seamlessly transitioned through several stages: Dexter being incredulous and angry at being accused, one of those smart fake outs that this show does so well (‘We know you were at Arthur Mitchell’s house…working the raid’) and ending with some trademark dry humour (‘Why would he go after your wife?’ ‘Because he’s a serial killer?’)

But he’s still not completely in the clear, as the dreaded sketch artist has struck again, and this time they didn’t whip up a perfect portrait of Jesus Christ like in Season 1. Miami homicide interviewed Trinity’s wife and kids, who obviously spilled that he was spending a lot of time with a certain Kyle Butler before he disappeared. Apparently none of them could agree on exactly what Kyle/Dex looked like, and the sketches are rather featureless and creepy looking. But that nosy Doakes wannabe Quinn is still on Dex-alert and seems to maybe see something in the combined sketches that nobody else does. And Quinn has a kinda-sorta nothing happened-but actually it did relationship with Deb going on, so I really hope they aren’t going for a total rehash of the season two angle where somebody Deb is having a relationship with (back then it was Lundy, now Quinn) is the one investigating Dexter.


But Deb could probably be forgiven for spending time at Quinn’s pad, cos hers was a little overcrowded this week with Dex moving the kids in temporarily to get them away from the bad-vibes family home. Cody seems to be doing ok, and baby Harrison seems to enjoy the soft glow of a blood-detecting blacklight just as much as his daddy does. I found that storytelling scene in the moving truck very cute despite it being quite disturbing when you think about it, which is a testament to how likable Dexter’s character is. But Astor is still all ‘This is all your fault, you ruined everything!’ And honestly, I got a little annoyed with her. It’s not that I don’t understand that a 13 year-old is going to be angry about their mother getting murdered and be looking for someone to blame, but something about all her dialogue is not hitting the mark, and all my sympathy is actually for Dexter rather than her. It could possibly be that, as great as the young actor Christina Robinson is, that she just doesn’t have the maturity or the acting experience to deliver the necessary emotion.

'It was me.' - Dexter Episode 501

Everyone’s favourite serial killer with a code is back for the fifth season of one of the smartest, most well-written, and consistently brilliant shows around. And this time, Dexter Morgan will need to deal with death in a way he never has before, considering that the last body we saw as Season 4 ended was his wife Rita in a bathtub full of blood, and his baby son crying on the bathroom floor being “born in blood” just as Dexter himself was. The bathtub kill was a signature of the Trinity Killer, aka Arthur Mitchell, who Dexter killed before he returned home and discovered the body. Did Trinity strike earlier, or was this a copycat kill?

This episode picked up immediately afterwards, and I think it did a great job of setting up many major conflicts that will continue to be important throughout the season.

Dexter as a suspect – As the first police arrive on the scene, Dexter is clearly still in shock and, not thinking about what the consequences may be, says ‘Rita’s inside. It was me.’ He could have been referring to many things: that he did not kill Arthur when he had the chance, that he was not there at the moment Rita returned home, that he knew his life as a serial killer would eventually cause this. Whatever he meant, it sounds iffy to Deb, and even iffier to the swarming FBI agents. Throw in the uber-suspicious Quinn, who looks like he’s going to become the new Doakes and be Dexter’s antagonistic co-worker, and it looks like Dexter may be the most intensely scrutinised for the one murder that, ironically, he did not commit. If or when this happens, it will be very interesting to see how his friends such as Angel, LaGuerta and especially Deb deal with him being a suspect, as well as what actions Dexter will take to clear his name.

Who really did it? – The bathtub murder was done many times by Trinity in the past. But it’s not set in stone that the was he perpetrator, and knowing that this show loves to shock and nothing is ever what it seems, there’s a good chance it wasn’t him at all. Rita was married with kids, which doesn’t fit with his other bathtub victims who were always young single women. Looking up Dexter’s address led Arthur to Dexter’s old apartment, the one where Deb now lives. Did he find Dexter’s real address? Also the neighbour Elliott, the one who made a move on Rita, looked a little suspicious to me, and it also could be someone completely different who hasn’t been introduced yet. So many possibilities, so much to keep us guessing!

Dexter the family man – As a viewer I was sitting there dreading the moment when Dexter would have to tell his step kids, Astor and Cody, that their mother was dead. Of course it was gutting to watch those kids have to take such awful news, but as this show sometimes does, black comedy worked very successfully and did not take away from the tragedy of the scene. With the kids having just returned from Disney World, Dexter finds himself having to break the news while wearing a Mickey ears hat, and Michael C. Hall also got to temporarily channel David Fisher with the line ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ Older daughter Astor does not take the news well at all and lashes out at Dexter, and Dexter later toys with the idea of fleeing to give the children a better life before being urged to return by the ever-present ghost of Harry. Now that they’ve got that out of the way I really don’t think they’ll return to it again, which means that we’re going to see Dexter as a single father to three kids. What kind of father will he be? Will Astor accept him or will things get worse? Just how hard will it be to balance work, killing and kids without Rita? Will baby Harrison have psychological damage from the time spent at the crime scene?

'You are mad as a f**kin' hatter.' True Blood Episode 312.

After 12 hours of berserk, mostly brilliant television, True Blood season 3 is done and dusted. The season finale, while not being particularly earth shattering or even the best episode of the season, did keep to the consistently high standards of the rest of the season. 3.12 ‘Evil Is Going On’ did a good job of wrapping up certain storylines, leaving unanswered questions in others and also setting up new ones for the much-too-long-away fourth season.

Staying true to his impeccable form, Denis O’Hare as Russell Edgington was once again the most entertaining part of the show. Even after being singed to a toasted mashmallow-like black crisp, he was still a delectably devious little power hungry potty mouth. This episode was definitely one for a language warning. Russell set the bar for f-bombs early, but nearly every character got in on the sweary action. King Crispy’s back and forth exchanges with Sookie inside Fangtasia were a lot of fun, and full of the snarky wit that is to be expected from an Alan Ball penned episode. Seeing Sookie lash out at every vampire she is associated with was both expected and somewhat out of character: her swift and ruthless disposal of Talbot’s gooey remains down the garbage disposal, then cackling maniacally at Russell’s anguish was something I didn’t think she was capable of, and I couldn’t help feeling for Russell in that moment despite all horrible shit he has put so many people through. And, oh my god…ric. Oh my God, Godric came back! As a ghost/spirit/figment of Eric’s imagination, but he appeared in all his wisdom-dispensing glory, and it sure was great to see that talented young Allen Hyde again.

Sam came out to Tara…as a shifter. Yep, just like that. Clearly he’s sick of hiding who he really is or what have you. A little while after being hit with this little gem Tara then walks in on her mama and the married reverend committing a certain sin, and decides she has had alls she can takes with Bon Temps and it’s cornucopia of supernaturals, rednecks and assholes. She gives herself a fetching new hairdo, acquires Lafayette’s old car and apparently drives off into the unknown. Considering the only time I enjoyed her character this season were her scenes with Franklin (which had everything to do with him and nothing to do with her) I certainly wouldn’t be heartbroken in the slightest if she sits out the first part of next season while Ball and his minions think of something interesting for her to do, or better yet, a way to bring back the type of Tara we saw in season 1. And poor Sam is all over the place like a bipolar on V: unloading the shifter secret on Tara (good), patching things up with Terry (also good), but then realising that Tommy has cleaned out his safe (bad) and possibly shooting his own brother in the back (very very bad!) Exactly what or where Sam shot was not shown, thus providing I think the only real cliffhanger of the episode. But needless to say, Sam is in a pretty dark place now and I’m actually very intrigued to see where it goes. The character of Sam has always had little subtle shades of darkness and anger below his sweet, dependable nice guy surface, and Sam Trammell does a wonderful job every week with such a complex character. I’m sure he’ll do great whatever he has to bring to the table next season.

'Do you think I would have noticed if there were fairies bouncing around in the world?' True Blood Episode 311

3.11 - Fresh Blood

So this is late. Very late. But it doesn't matter because due to Americans celebrating their Labour there is no new episode this week. Really, could the timing of that public holiday be any worse, the week that should have been the season finale? Anyway, I'll keep this review to a brief dot-point version since I think it's probably too late to be relevant anyway.

-The episode had a great beginning with Bill and Pam in fisticuffs. Not to mention Yvetta getting some lines. Her Estonian accent is hilarious.
-Jesus and Lafayette coming down from their V trip was just as uninteresting as the trip itself. Keep this shit up and the usually entertaining Lafayette will end up just like...
-Jason. He and Crystal are just leaving me cold, not to mention bored, every week. There is a major flaw going on with this pairing, and I don't know it's the acting or directing but not for one second have I bought that they are in love. And I don't give a rat's about her hillbilly freakshow were-panther clan in Hotshot.
-Jessica and Hoyt back together is seven million kinds of win, and the scene where she drank his blood was hot.
-The much anticipated Northman v Edgington showdown was an ok scene, but way too civil all the way through. They should definitely have had some sort of brutal vamp fight before making the deal, although now that I think about it it may have been too unrealistic to expect Eric to stand a chance. Big thumbs up for 'To lose the only man I ever loved because you miss your mommy and daddy.'
-Sam was a fucking jerk and I was so disappointed in him. Then I watched it again, and laughed my ass off. Now I think I like drunk Sam.
-Maxine Fortenberry! Shitfire!
-I actually liked the scene with Bill and Sookie fantasising about their 'normal' lives in the car, which seems to have been pretty unpopular. I think it was supposed to be viewed with a wink and a nudge, with both the characters and the audience knowing that all the things they were saying could never possibly happen. And even though I was expecting Russell and Eric to swoop in (literally) it was still really cool.
-My biggest problem with the episode: why in the san hell did they spend so much time on Arlene and her demon-spawn baby? This is the 2nd last ep of the season ferchrissakes, use the time to wrap up the main angle well! Grrr, boo, hiss, angry Jess.
-For example, they could have spent longer on Bill and Eric's fake fight (which was great while it lasted, I'm a sucker for those two tiffing physically or otherwise) and their cunning scheming to take down Russell. But everything after this inside Fangtasia was excellent, and the ending was one of the best ever. I have no idea what's going to happen in the season finale and am super excited for it. Here's hoping they don't kill off Russell, he's too amazing to die! Just let him disappear for now so he can pop up in future episodes, still hauling around Talbot-in-a-jar and delivering a slew of memorable lines.

8/10

'What is the f**king truth for once?' True Blood Episode 310

***SPOILER ALERT***

As the end of the season sadly fast approaches, many storylines are beginning to wrap up, while others that are being set up early for next year are only just starting to be teased. This episode, 310 ‘I Smell A Rat’, was certainly big on revelation.

Now you might think it’s simply a coincidence, but I think that someone on the TB writing team read my blog last week. Either that or they’re all a bunch of telepaths like the intrepid heroine of this show, because, after having alls I could take with their constant leaving us on a cliff edge last week, this week they open the episode with the big reveal of just what Sookie is! Ok, so I knew already, and everyone else probably figured it out too, but I’m glad they just spat it out already. And her reaction was just perfect, because lets face it; fairies aren’t really all that cool. They’re also apparently rapists (they liked to breed with humans without the humans always agreeing) and all supes believe they were wiped out by vampires. Which explains everybody in fae-land being afraid of vamps when Sookie took her little visit there while in the coma, and Claudine’s ‘he will steal your light’ mumbo jumbo. But it doesn’t explain how she could say it. You know…if they’re wiped out and all. Do they mean wiped out on earth, but not in that alternate universe type deal where everything is pretty and sunny and everyone wears white linen?

Despite this quite baffling little slip, this opening scene was great and got the necessary information out concisely and with a good deal of humour. I’m also very glad that they then right away tackled the issue of Bill possibly being with Sookie only because of her ‘delectable and intoxicating’ fae blood. Lately Sookie has been ignoring far too many of Bill’s questionable actions and excuses, to the point where the audience is starting to see it less as love and more as stupidity. Well, maybe it was stupidity caused by love, but nevertheless I think it’s a positive for the character that she was the one who bought it up and not, say, Eric, who also had an extremely juicy scene with Bill. Stephen Moyer and Alex Skarsgard always work well together, but their scenes together this season have been greatly improved by the fact that the good guy/bad guy lines between their characters have been far less cut and dry. We’ve seen that there’s good and evil in both of them, and who appears more trustworthy is constantly shifting, even during this one scene. Bill certainly came off as the more elusive one I thought, and Eric hinted even more strongly that Bill did not return to Bon Temps and pursue Sookie on a whim. Actually, they seem to have answered one big question and replaced it with another-instead of asking ‘What am I?’ every 5 seconds Sookie now seems to constantly be asking ‘Why can’t I trust Bill?’

'And now time for the weather. Tiffany?' True Blood Episode 309.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Review might be a little boring (and shit) this week because I’ve been sick for days and the brain is still kind of on lazy-time. This weeks episode, 309 ‘Everything is Broken’, was up, down, sideways and all over the place like a yo-yo gone berserk. Here’s what was what in my humblest of opinions.

The bad:

Jason, Crystal and the Hotshot ferals- Snoooore. I’m sorry, but these two have a complete lack of chemistry and aren’t doing anything for me. There are no interesting characters to come out the Hotshot family/cult/whatever, just scummy redneck after scummy redneck. Jason is one of the best characters on the show, and right now he’s being wasted in this storyline. And what their deal is has been drawn out almost as much as the whole ‘What is Sookie?’ question. Just do the big reveal so we can get to the action!
Tommy Mickens turns into a little prick- Every time Tommy showed up on screen this week I just wanted to clock him in the face. I don’t want him to turn into one of those characters that you just hate, rather than love to hate.
Holly showing up everywhere already- Call me old fashioned, but I kinda like being introduced to my brand new characters gradually, not having them in lengthy scenes and all up in everyone’s business right away. I suspect we were given a Holly-overload because she’ll be a major character in season 4 and they want to get as much of her backstory out as possible, but I would have preferred a more subtle approach. That, and she’s not all that interesting yet.
Gratuitous boob shots- Show Anna’s in the shower, fine, we’ve seen them before. But topless, huge breasted gals in Tommy’s apartment and Nan Flanagan’s limo? Unnecessary. Don’t shock just to shock, TB, you’re better than that.
‘I know what you are…’ cut, end scene- FFS, JUST SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!!!!

The neutral:

Lafayette and Jesus- It’s good to see Lafayette in a different situation where he seems genuinely happy, but for me it’s the same deal with these two as it is with Jason and Crystal: not feeling it.
Sam turns into a bad guy- While seeing a darker side of Sam would be…interesting, I just don’t want it. I want the only nice guy left in Bon Temps to stay nice, not beating people almost to death! The fact that this is probably because of his aggro shit of a little brother makes me hate Tommy even more.
The Authority and Eric’s looooong statement- The Authority are a fairly normal looking bunch who have a nice shiny lair with a giant-ass TV? O-kay. And Alex, you were great and did I did enjoy these scenes, but they were maybe dragged out just a little too long. And bitchy Nan was getting on my nerves.

The good:

Werewolf corpse house cleanup- A lot of people seem to be down on Bill/Sookie at the moment, but I really liked this scene. There was some nice, sarcastic comedy, some drama and some plot development (Sookie telling Bill she knows about the secret file and him spinning more bullshit about it) all together. I know most are anticipating some change, but Paquin and Moyer do have more chemistry than any other couple on the show and I think this should be appreciated.
Eric and Pam- One of the best things about recent episodes has been seeing a softer side to Eric and Pam’s relationship, and they had yet another lovely moment this episode. Alex and Kristin seem very easy and comfortable with each other and it shows in their scenes. I do believe it was also the most openly vulnerable that we’ve seen Eric (he’s clearly not confident at all at being able to defeat Russell) and his character always tends to get much more interesting when he lets his ice-cool façade down.
Hoyt and Jessica- Hoyt surrounded by creepy dolls and admitting he hates biscuit-baking, antique-loving, disturbingly-chipper new girlfriend Summer was priceless enough. But then these two had such a sweet little moment and seemed to reconnect a little bit. Please please please please let these two get back together. At least a couple of people deserve to be happy, and these two are adorable as puppies.
Talbot-in-a-jar- TALBOT LIVES! Well, lives on on-screen is what I meant, in the form of gooey remains being carted around by Russell in a crystal decanter-type thing. Stroke. Of. Genius. Especially when Russell talks to the jar and even holds it up so Talbot can see all the guards protecting his murderer Eric.

The freakin' spectacular:

Russell f’n Edgington and his television debut- Wow. Holy grossness, I was not expecting that. Just when I thought I couldn’t love Russell or the incredible Denis O’Hare any more, he rips out the spine of a newscaster on live TV, then proceeds to give a shit-scary monologue warning all humans that vampires really don’t want to be their equals. They want to eat us. After they eat our children. And then, after he gets the entire audience (that would be us, not the poor sods watching the fictional news) positively terrified, he delivers one of the most pants-pissingly funny lines in the show’s history and instantly goes down in infamy. This man is just an insanely brilliant actor, and this was one of the best TB endings ever and probably saved a fairly inconsistent episode. Time for the weather, Tiffany?

Rating:

I’m tempted to give a 7 for that amazing Russell scene, but to be honest I definitely enjoyed this episode the least out of the whole season so far, so I guess it has to rate lower than the previous low of 7. So that would make it a could-do-better but still had it’s moments, respectable:

6/10.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

'Scott Pilgrim, prepare to feel the wrath of the league of evil exes!'

If this movie sucked, I would have been disappointed beyond belief, because it literally had everything going for it to make it an instant classic: based on a fun comic series by Bryan Lee O’Malley, directed by nerd hero Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Spaced) and sporting a cast spearheaded by Michael Cera as the titular Scott and featuring other cred-worthy names like Chris Evans, Brandon Routh and Jason Schwartzman. Thankfully, for my faith in pretty much everything, it didn’t. Not in the slightest. It was in fact the most fun I’ve had at the movies in a long time.

Right from the opening credits, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World forces the viewer to check your adult at the door and enter a world that’s part childhood fantasy come to life, part acid trip bizzaro land. It’s all neon colours and fuzzed-out rock’ n ’roll as we’re transported to snowy Toronto and introduced to lovable slacker Scott, his wickedly named teenage sort of-girlfriend Knives Chau, his band Sex Bob-Omb, his gay roommate Wallace and a host of other totally relatable yet totally entertaining friends and associates. To nick the title of the first book, Scott does indeed have a ‘precious little life’. That is, until he meets ‘that one girl, with hair like this’ Ramona Flowers, a rollerblading Amazon.ca delivery girl who manages to be cool despite being a carbon copy of every post-Daria deadpanning punk chick. Boy meets girl, they take romantic walks in the snow, they eat garlic bread, and everything is peachy. Except for the fact that he may have to defeat her seven evil exes if they are to have a relationship.

Now, in a fight your money would probably be on one of the six badass dudes/one badass girl and not the slightly built, dopey hat wearing bass player. But this is where Scott Pilgrim takes the biggest risk, and pays off in the biggest way. Scott can fight like Jackie Chan gone Tekken and fuelled by Red Bull and sugar. This is neither explained to the audience nor met with any surprise by anyone who witnesses these fights, and is basically the film’s way of saying ‘Leave reality now and don’t look back til this is done.’ This is escapist entertainment at it’s most exhilarating. As a movie it’s a classic tale of life in the young adult years and a more innocent take on young relationships - all filtered through an old school kung-fu film. But it’s also like watching a comic book come to life, running amok in an amusement park, spending a day at the arcade and attending the world’s loudest, most futuristic concert all at the same time.

'It's been one long, bloody fight.' True Blood Episode 308

***SPOILER ALERT***

Since this week’s episode, 308 ‘Night on the Sun’, was my equal favourite of the season so far and there are so many things to praise I’m just gonna get right into it!

Opening scene in the hospital: A heartbreaking scene superbly acted by both Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, Stephen especially who has been allowed a much wider range this season and has had many standout moments. Great dialogue which, for the most part, avoided being overly melodramatic, short and sharp like a jab to the gut, and some clever symbolism with the removing of the IV and the blood dripping onto the floor representing their separation and the resulting pain.

Russell and Talbot: Is there anybody who doesn’t adore these two? Both are fantastic characters, and their relationship has been a joy to watch, mainly because everything they say to each other is hysterically funny. They certainly kept that up with the multitude of brilliantly snarky lines they had for each other in their constant bickering, but we also saw glimpses of the love Russell has for Talbot, a little bit in the moment in the foyer and of course later when he screamed in anguish and flew off into the night. Which of course leads me to…

Talbot’s death: Obviously I’m not happy at the fact that he was killed off, since I’ve filled many a blog with Talbot-love (not to mention his lines always dominating the best quotes). But they had to set up his staking by getting him into a vulnerable position. Which involved Alex Skarsgard (Eric) removing his shirt slooowwwly and then the two of them almost having vampire man-sex. Which is of course an awesome thing. Yes, Talbot, his debonair silk robes, his amazing dialogue and his epic hissy fits will be sorely missed. But the first act of revenge has been committed, and the Russell/Eric subplot is going to kick into high gear.

Tara talking sense for the first time in ages: Even if you’re Team Bill, you have to admit that some of the things that dude has done (and the secrets he seems to be hiding) aren’t cool. Tara basically telling Sookie that she’s acting like a doormat, or in her words like a dumb bitch from a country song, was basically expressing through the mouth of a character on the show what many people were likely screaming at their TVs lately. To be fair, Sookie did make some good points about her telepathy being just as dangerous as Bill’s vampirism and knowing what’s it’s like to be afraid of what you’re capable of, but I’m just glad Tara seems to be getting back to her Season 1 style aggressiveness.

'Say hello to the true death.' True Blood Episode 307

***SPOILER ALERT***

Yeah, that’s how this weeks episode of True Blood, 307 ‘Hitting The Ground’ started. So you just know it’s gonna be one wild ride.

Ding Dong, the witch is dead! Yes, much to the delight I’m sure of many viewers, Lorena got her ass staked. In a grand exit befitting her dastardly villainousness and undying love for Bill, she spread her arms while laying on top of him and getting choked by a silver chain, leaving her wide open for Sookie to sink a fence post into her. There have been a few vamps get staked on TB, so you’ll likely be familiar with the style of grisly disintegration that the show employs. But this would have to be the most awesome staking yet. Her eyes turned dead, she spewed forth a geyser of blood from her mouth, then said blood and what was left of her solid bits rained down all over poor Stephen Moyer, who has spent 90% of the last 2 episodes positively covered with red syrupy goo. And you know what? After wishing desperately for her swift demise just last week, I think I’m really going to miss her. Lets hope Franklin returns next week to fill the void of missing psycho.

Really, after starting with a death that’s what this episode turned out to be about. Death, and near death. Not content to kill just one villain, Coot also kicked the bucket, shot in the noggin by Alcide. Nooooooooo! I freakin’ loved that trashilicious redneck werewolf, and am lamenting the loss of future schoolboy trash talk between him and Bill. There is, however, a positive to come out his death: Debbie now wants to tear Sookie (and Alcide) to shreds even more. After hearing so much pre-season about what a crazy bitch she would be I’m very much looking forward to her going into total spurned ex-lover/wolfy predator mode. I think (or at least hope) that there’s going to be some action packed TV in coming weeks involving this little triangle.

'It's too late. There's no hope for me. 'True Blood Episode 305

***SPOILERIFFIC GOODNESS COMING YOUR WAY***

Holy Toledo, I didn’t think it was possible to have that much fun in front of a television! My apologies if this weeks review isn’t quite as finessed as what you would expect from a writing student, but it was just sooo freakin’ entertaining that all I want to do is rave madly about how awesome it was. This week’s episode ‘Trouble’ simply had it all: drama, comedy, romance, violence. Stupidity, sexiness, tenderness…psychoness. And we all learnt a very important lesson (well, I hope most people learnt it): do not doubt Alan Ball and the amazing TB writing staff, they always have their shit together! While having a bazillion different storylines in two states going on simultaneously may have been difficult for our poor brains to compute for the last 4 episodes, the payoff is now that most of them have come together in a beautiful tangle. We now have our main storyline in Jackson, involving politics, vengeance, lies, secrets, vamps, weres, homoeroticism and practically everything else under the sun, and a couple of new romances and a disturbing family situation over in Bon Temps.

First things first. While there was not a dud performance or a flat moment anywhere in this episode, I really believe the show was stolen by two supporting characters: Franklin and Talbot. Throw Russell and Eric in with those two and you have one seriously amazing sitcom, just imagine it.
Franklin was…wow, I don’t even know how to describe him. Hilariously psychotic? Just a teensy bit possessive? How bout I just go with (to quote the episode) ‘FANTASTIC!’ There were things he did and said in this episode that I really think will remain some of the funniest shit that ever happens on this show. Bickering with Talbot, speed texting, tying Tara to the bed, having an emo-vamp moment that out emo’d even that drip from thatothervampirefranchisethatshallnotbenamed…every bit of it was over the top enough to be completely hilarious, but remain genuinely horrifying. I mean, he’s clearly a psychopath that would rip anyone’s head off without hesitation, but…loveably so? Whatever he is that’s making me love him, I tip my cap to you James Frain for just going for it.
And Talbot? Well, his one-liners just continue to get more gay and more amazing, and he is oh so fun. Not to mention the way he was staring at Eric like he was a triple cheese with curly fries at the end there. I don’t think a better visage of pure rapture and lust could have been done, and the possibility of what might transpire between these two in coming weeks is tickling me silly. (And btw, Alex Skarsgard did look so mesmerisingly beautiful this week that I may have skittled a little more towards Team Eric. That smile…)

'I don't have a nutsack!' True Blood Episode 304

****SPOILERS, THEY LIE AHEAD!!!****

A heartbreaking work of staggering genius, or just bloody depressing? This week’s True Blood, episode 304 ‘9 Crimes’ (should have known what was coming considering that is one sad song) was somewhere in the middle. Things were revealed, there was fine writing and fine acting, but boy did I feel like shit when it ended. While this show has always been more than a silly escapist fantasy, the nihilism and despair in this ep was heavy. We were basically beaten over the head with ‘Life sucks, and then you die. Except you don’t really, cos you’re a vampire and you can’t die, so your torturous suffering will be eternal, mwahahahaha!’

For the second week in a row I think the episode definitely belonged to Bill the character and Stephen Moyer the actor. His storyline is by far the most interesting right now, and is now starting to link with other characters, hopefully setting up some sort of explosive mid-season collision course of crazy seeing as though we’re already on ep 4. I adored all the scenes he was involved in, hard as they were to watch. Starting with the phone break-up scene that opened the episode. From the snippets I’d seen in previews I fully expected to turn into a blubbering mess at this, but actually just alternated between ‘Wow, that was kinda cold’ and ‘Arrrgh Sookie, how are you believing this?!’ (which then made it just a ‘lil ridiculous when it took her all of one night to realise it was utter horseshite). Still, it was an emotional and well performed scene by both Steve and Anna, and things can only get better from here right? Er, afraid not. But hearing Bill say the f word twice, king hitting that twisted bitch Lorena and then smoking a cigar while looking divine was all fucking win.

'There's our world and theirs. Between lies only suffering.' True Blood Episode 303

In the best episode yet of the season, we get a whole lot of everything we love about this show: gore, sex, and a wtf moment so wtf I really hope it’s not all this great episode gets remembered for. Really, besides the still fairly meh storyline with Sam and his family and the under whelming hookup of Tara and Franklin, everything about 303 ‘It Hurts Me Too’ was entertaining as hell and left me wanting more.

Eric and Sookie’s relationship is evolving nicely, and it’s good to see them steering away from the clichéd sexual tension between them that has been present since season two. Of course it’s there, and it needs to be, but their interaction during this episode saw them bantering more as friends, with some occasional teasing and light flirting (the fact that everyone knew that line about bullet sucking was coming didn’t make it any less snicker-worthy). I think it was a refreshing change. The very cinematic opening with the bullet in slow motion was pretty cool, and it was awesome seeing angry, snarly Eric demanding information. The list of unfortunates who have had their throat ripped out by our fave sheriff has now grown by one, with Rob Zombie looking biker-were joining Royce, aka Aidsburger. Spare a thought for poor Sook, she seems to constantly be cleaning bodily fluids from her floors.

These two also had some nice moments with other characters. Eric had yet another unannounced visit to Lafayette, where he presented him with a seriously sweet ride (for $1 of course, to avoid that pesky gift tax). There is something about these two that makes them always entertaining together, probably because Eric seems to flutter between being completely condescending and reluctantly admiring. Sookie and Tara seem to be friends again, which is the way it should be dammit! Sookie also had another important encounter with new character Alcide, a werewolf who is employed to protect her. I was really looking forward to seeing him as he has been hyped up as a main character for this season, and it was a promising debut appearance. Joe Mangianello and Anna Paquin seem to have a good chemistry together (their little chat over tea was cute) and Joe is rather easy on the eyes too. I guess there weren’t enough beautiful people on the show already?

Toy Story 3

Pixar Can Do No Wrong

It’s been 15 years since the release of the ground breaking and classic original Toy Story, and 11 years since its first sequel. But even through all those years the brilliant ensemble of lovable characters and their adventures have never gone out of style, with the merchandise still selling, the lines still being quoted, and most of all the films still being watched and adored by children and adults alike. It goes without saying then that Toy Story 3 has been greatly anticipated by, well, everyone- young adults who saw the original at the cinema, teens who grew up with the DVD on repeat, young children new to the franchise and the parents of all of the above.

The original Toy Story was of course the first fully computer generated animated feature, and the first large scale production by the Pixar animation company. They’ve since become the dominant force in animated movies, their dazzling body of work never failing to capture the imagination of viewers of all ages. The reason their films are able to be enjoyed by grown-ups just as much as the young ‘uns is simple – they don’t treat their audience like idiots.

As time has passed in the real world, so too has it passed in the universe of Woody, Buzz and their colourful crew. Andy is now all grown up and headed off to college, leaving his loyal toys to be either stored in the attic or sent to the garbage. Through a series of totally believable and entertaining complications they don’t suffer either of those dreadful fates, but end up at the cheerily monikered Sunnyside Daycare Centre, overjoyed that they will be surrounded by eager children and played with for the first time in years.

'You're going to invite me in.' True Blood Episode 302

***SPOILERS***See, things just get nasty when you forget your manners.

So after being brought up to speed with the whereabouts/shitty situations/horribly messed up emotional states of our regular characters in Ep 1, the second episode of the season gives us a lot of eating, a lot of bonding (between siblings, cousins, co workers…) and a metric arseload of new characters. Introduced this episode we had King Russell, Talbot, Melinda & Joe-Lee Mickens, Ruby-Jean, Jesus, Franklin, Calvin, Crystal…shit am I forgetting someone? I think that’s it. Phew.

The most significant would probably be Russell Edgington, the King of Mississippi and the vampire responsible for Bill’s kidnapping. From interviews with the actor (Denis O’Hare) and other snippets of speculation I had already formed an expectation for an over the top, ridiculously evil super-villain. But though his entrance on horseback and his enormous and lavish crib were certainly over the top, the character was surprisingly more subtle. But…’tis still very early days, and I have a feeling we’ll be getting a taste of just how bad Russell is pretty soon. And what he lacked in flamboyance was certainly made up for by his décor obsessed Euro-lover Talbot (Theo Alexander). Imagine a filthy rich housewife mixed with an Italian fashion designer (although the actor is Greek) and you’ll be getting the picture. Easy on the eyes and with some gem lines to boot, I think he’ll be an entertaining supporting character.

Back in Louisiana nearly everyone is seeking help, comfort or reconciliation. Sookie asks Eric for info on Operation Werewolf and help finding Bill, and it looks like the Iceman is starting to thaw as he gets rather uncomfortable at the sight of her blubbering. We get a rather cool flashback to Nazi Germany where Eric and Godric (Eric’s maker who met the sun in season 2) find a naked werewolf chick who reveals she is working for a vampire. It was great to see the very talented young Danish actor Allan Hyde back as Godric, and Alex Skarsgard’s small facial expressions did a good job conveying Eric’s emotions in that cold, unemotional Eric kinda way.

This either a Nazi werewolf flashback or the newest big and little buddy cop show.

There was a continuity lapse with his having short hair in the flashback, which is odd for a show usually so fastidious with detail, but it must have been the episode for these kind of mistakes as there was yet another one in the Jessica and Pam scene in the bathroom. Since Jessica spent 2 weeks with Eric and Pam when she was made in season 1, and they let her feed on humans, why would she now have to ask Pam how to do it without killing the person? But that’s just me being super nerdy, and everything else about that scene was win. Pam and Jess might be, I shit you not, the two most entertaining characters in the show right now. Their twisted girly bonding was such a fun scene, and the character of Jessica and acting of Deborah Ann Woll have already created many season highlights. Her later scene with Hoyt on the porch was absolutely heartbreaking and a brilliant example of how a young love story can be done well.

The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards

Supergroups are always hyped to hell and back, but usually do not live up to the greatness of their collective parts. However, every so often an exception will come along.

Say hello to The Dead Weather: Jack Lawrence (The Greenhornes), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age), Alison Mosshart (The Kills) and everywhere man/super genius/king of cool Jack White (White Stripes/Raconteurs), who not only delivered the goods with last years debut Horehound, but proved that it was no fluke with the hot, dirty mess of bluesy rock that is Sea of Cowards.

The album is a rough and raw lesson in minimalism and classic analogue recording, and every track is fan-fuzzing-tastic. Opener Blue Blood Blues is one of two tracks to feature White on vocals, and is also one the records best tracks with it's driving, fuzzed out riff. The winners keep coming with a slinky, swaggering bassline underpinning the laid back Hustle and Cuss, and The Difference Between Us, which begins with spacey synth and is the album's hookiest track. You can almost see Mosshart sneering as she delivers lines like 'I'm not the way that you found me, I'm neither here nor there.'

Those despairing White's lack of mic time need not to, as Mosshart's smoky one minute, snarly the next vocal style is perfect for the band's instrumental sound and songwriting style. Each line is delivered with sass and spunk (especially on the deliciously wicked I'm Mad), and Mosshart seems to have a natural rock and roll charisma that will carry onto the stage. White may be behind the kit, but his influence is still all over the guitars in both tones and playing. But although many licks have that distinctly White Stripes-y feel, it's done tastefully enough to not take anything away from the excellent playing of Fertita, especially on Gasoline with it's stuttering, effects laden opening and ripping blues solo.

Sea of Cowards manages to be both entirely fresh and brimming with retro cool; to hark back to a more frills-free era of rock and roll but still be rooted in the now. Which means it will probably still kick your ass in 10 years time. Potential supergroups of the future take note: this is how it's done.