Westworld Season 3 Official Trailer Heads To Brave New Worlds

“I was born into this world, and my first memories of it are pain.”

[SDCC 2019] Westworld Season 3 Trailer: It’s Time To Venture Beyond The Park

“I thought your world would be so different from mine. There’s no difference at all, is there?”

2014 Golden Globe Awards Nominations Are Out!

It’s that time of the year again as awards season kicks off so that Hollywood can pat itself on the back and let everyone know that their work is magical. Today’s announcement is for the 2014 Golden Globe Awards, as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and there seems to be few surprises as most of the nominees were pretty much destined for their spots. Of course, the Golden Globe Awards always trend towards a few headscratchers and there are some to report as usual.

Starting off on the movies side, 12 Years A Slave and American Hustle are both tied for the lead with the most nominations in the film category with seven, including the best picture drama for 12 Years and best picture comedy (?) for Hustle. Chiwetel Ejiofor was nominated for Best Actor in a drama for his raw take in 12 Years. Other nominated actors include Idris Elba for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips, Robert Redford for All Is Lost and Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club. Looking at the Best Actress for a drama side, Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine and Sandra Bullock for Gravity headlines that list. Alexander Payne’s Nebraska is picking up heat as well with nominations for Best Picture for Musical or Comedy, Bruce Dern for Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for June Squibb.

If there were any sort of surprises, it’s that Lee Daniel’s The Butler scored exactly zero nominations. Of course, when compared to say, Rush, which scored the Best Drama nomination, it’s a bit of a surprise considering the amount of box office it did as well as the prestige behind the film. Apparently Oprah’s reach does not extend to the Hollywood Foreign Press. Another snub would be for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which seemed destined for a few nominations but Ben Stiller will have to see if Oscar shines on his picture later. Fruitvale Station and Michael B. Jordan also was left off the list after creating buzz earlier this year. Harrison Ford also did not get nominated for 42, as well as the late great James Gandolfini for his great role in Enough Said.

As for the television side, Game of Thrones gets robbed again. That could basically be the sum of it all because I don’t understand how a terrific show or just piece of media does not get nominated for its greatness. It’s baffling to me. However, for Best Television Drama, seeing House of Cards get nominated, along with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright for Best Actor and Actress respectively makes me happy. In fact, Netflix should be happy that they scored a nomination for Orange Is The New Black’s Taylor Schilling.

Masters of Sex seems to be the big winner as they scored a nomination for Best TV Series Drama and Lead Actor for Michael Sheen. Arrested Development, a favorite here in the Grizzly Bomb office, did not get a Best Comedy nomination but did score a Best Actor for Jason Bateman. Michael J. Fox also scored a Lead Actor nomination for his show and Brooklyn Nine-Nine scored a nomination for Best Comedy and Best Actor for Andy Samberg. As for the mini-series categories, American Horror Story: Asylum and Behind the Candelabra dominated those categories so no real surprises there.

As for the rest of the nominations, they are below for your enjoyment. Did your show or movie get snubbed? You can of course let us know your opinion in the comments below or on our Facebook page. The Golden Globe Awards are airing on January 12th, 2014 with the awesome host duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the helm returning to host.

Best motion picture, drama
12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Rush

Best Actor in a motion picture, drama
Chiwetel Ejiofor,12 Years a Slave
Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford, All is Lost

Best Actress in a motion picture, drama
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Kate Winslet, Labor Day

Best Director – motion picture
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Spike Jonze, Her
Bob Nelson, Nebraska
Jeff Pope Steve, Philomena
John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell and Eric Singer Warren, American Hustle

Best motion picture, musical or comedy
American Hustle
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Best Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, Wolf of Wall Street
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
Joaquin Phoenix, Her

Best Animated Feature film
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film
Blue Is The Warmest Color (France)
The Great Beauty (Italy)
The Hunt (Denmark)
The Past (Iran)
The Wind Rises (Japan)

Best supporting Actress in a motion picture
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

Best supporting Actor in a motion picture
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
All Is Lost – Alex Ebert
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – Alex Heffes
Gravity – Steven Price
The Book Thief – John Williams
12 Years a Slave – Hans Zimmer

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Atlas,” The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
“Let It Go,” Frozen
“Ordinary Love,” Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
“Please Mr. Kennedy,” Inside Llewyn Davis
“Sweeter Than Fiction” One Chance

Best TV series, drama
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
The Good Wife
House of Cards
Masters of Sex

Best Actress in a TV series, drama
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Best Actor in a TV series, drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist

Best TV Series, Comedy
The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Girls
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation

Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Lena Dunham, Girls
Julia Louis Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best Actor, TV Series Comedy
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Michael J. Fox, The Michael J. Fox Show
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best TV Miniseries or Movie
American Horror Story: Coven
Behind the Candelabra
Dancing on the Edge
Top of the Lake
White Queen

Best Actress in a mini-series or TV movie
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor
Rebecca Ferguson, The White Queen
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

Best Actor in a mini-series or TV movie
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge
Idris Elba, Luther
Al Pacino, Phil Spector

Best Supporting Actress in a series, mini-series, or TV movie
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing on the Edge
Janet McTeer, The White Queen
Hayden Panettiere , Nashville
Monica Potter, Parenthood
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Best Supporting Actor in a series, mini-series or TV movie
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Rob Lowe, Behind the Candelabra
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Corey Stoll, House of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Trailer Roundup: Aronofsky’s Epic, Indie Sci-Fi, Some ‘Need for Speed’, and More

Every week countless trailers go unnoticed or unreported. Trailers are an art form in and of themselves and can be just as entertaining, if not more, than the actual films, thus they deserve their own recognition. That’s why every week we sort through them and put the ones we feel you should watch here in our Trailer Roundup.

[tabgroup][tab title=”Noah”]

Synopsis: An epic retelling of the biblical story of Noah who, after suffering deadly premonitions of an apocalyptic flood, takes extreme measures to protect his family.

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Writer(s): Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel
Stars: Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Connelly, and Emma Watson

Release Date: March 28, 2014

Thoughts: The Fountain was Aronofsky’s first foray into larger scale films, but this looks to trump that in every which way by being a true epic. Not surprising though, considering the budget is almost quadruple the formers, but by the trailer, it doesn’t look like Noah is using that budget for a complex and as intricate a story as his previous works. That said, it’s a forgivable problem considering most people know the story, or at least the general gist, so there isn’t much wiggle room to change it. Then again, it is most likely just the marketing trying to sell the film with its giant action set pieces. Some scenes in the trailer did seem to delve into Lord of The Rings territory, but the money shot at the end, the ark floating, ultimately sold me.

[/tab][tab title=”Maleficent”]

Synopsis: The classic tale, Sleeping Beauty, is given a new spin when told from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent, looking specifically at the events that hardened her heart, and got her to eventually curse the young Princess Aurora.

Director: Robert Stromberg

Writer(s): Paul Dini, Linda Woolverton, and John Lee Hancock
Stars: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlito Copley, and Juno Temple

Release Date: May 30, 2014

Thoughts: The idea of the untold story of Sleeping Beauty is unique, and Jolie seems perfect for this villainous role, but the overindulgence in CGI at the end really put me off and ruined what could’ve been an excellent teaser. It reminded me of a dark version of Sam Raimi’s Oz. Luckily though, the film is still a ways off so judging the effects is a bit unfair, but it brings up the question of why put it in the trailer? It doesn’t look very good, and I don’t think that’s a picky judgement. Hopefully the next trailer either moves away from it, or at least polishes the effects up a bit, cause the tone it’s going for could stand alone without it. Regardless, I still think Disney will have a hit on their hands come May.

[/tab][tab title=”Need For Speed”]

Synopsis: After being released from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business man joins a race across the country with revenge in mind. Meanwhile, his ex-partner puts out a bounty on his head just as the race begins.

Director: Scott Waugh
Writer(s): George Gatins, John Gatins, and George Nolfi
Stars: Aaron Paul, Michael Keaton, Dominic Cooper, Dakota Johnson, and Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi)

Release Date: March 14, 2014

Thoughts: Story wise this appears to be pretty generic, but look wise, it seems freakin’ awesome. While it doesn’t look to have any direct thread to the game in its story (obviously besides for cars racing),  there looks to be some pretty awesome action set pieces. A similar big budget franchise, Fast and Furious, has the whole insane stunts down to a point where they’re fantastical in their execution. This looks to counter with a more realistic feel to it all. In vein of Christopher Nolan’s work ethic, the majority of the film is done with practical effects, and the trailer did a good job of showing it. On the other hand, the acting seems competent. We know Aaron Paul is tremendous, but the material just doesn’t seem to be there to showcase his skills. The addition of Kid Cudi as the cool best friend looks fun, and for those that watched How to Make it In America, he’s really not a bad actor.

[/tab][tab title=”The Machine”]

Synopsis: Two programmers create the first ever piece of self-aware artificial intelligence, designed to help humanity. But it takes a turn for the worse when the MoD (Military possibly? No explanation to acronym) steal the design, and use it as a robotic weapon.

Director: Caradog W. James
Writer(s): Caradog W. James
Stars: Caity Lotz, Toby Stephens, and Denis Lawson

Release Date: TBA

Thoughts: I’m really starting to dig these Indie Sci-Fi films. When done right, you get some high-concept, yet smaller films that are really awesome, and I think The Machine could be one of them.  Besides for the very generic title, I like the concept, and overall it seems like a low-budget I-Robot. The effects look competent, albeit the red glowing, and the tone, a mash of horror/thriller, seems to be pretty spot on for the idea. Also, it looks to delve into some ‘Splice’ territory at one point in the trailer, which could definitely be interesting.

[/tab][tab title=”In Fear”]

Synopsis: A contained thriller in which a couple gets lost on the way to a Music Festival, and soon become terrorized by an unknown evil as they drive to find their way out.

Director: Jeremy Lovering
Writer(s): Not Available
Stars: Ian De Caestecker, Alice Englert, and Allen Leech

Release Date: TBA

Thoughts: That’s how a horror trailer should be done. Set up the basic premise, add in some creepy music, disjointed dialogue, and make it go bat-shit insane by the end. This film has been getting rave reviews, and it looks to be getting a US release sometime soon. ‘Agents of Shield’ fans will recognize Ian De Caestecker taking quite a departure from that respective role, and the girl, Alice Englert, looks to hold her own, though isn’t given much in the trailer. The concept too feels so obvious, a couple getting lost driving in the woods, but I don’t believe its been executed properly in recent years. Word on the street is In Fear changes that.

 

[/tab][tab title=”Chavez”]

Synopsis: A biography of the civil-rights activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez.

Director: Diego Luna
Writer(s): Keir Pearson
Stars: Michael Pena, Rosario Dawson, and John Malkovich

Release Date: April 4, 2014

Thoughts: I’m really digging the tone this films going for. Cesar Chavez is a super important man in US history, and it could easily be done in a very feel good way, but it seems like they’re going for a darker take to his story which resonates more to real life. It also makes it look more thrilling, and could definitely attract a greater audience that other Biopics have trouble getting. Acting wise, Pena looks pretty incredible in this role, and it’s about time he breaks out with a complex character such as Chavez.

 

 

[/tab][tab title=”Tar”]

Synopsis: A poetic road trip through Pulitzer prize-winning CK Williams’ life.

Director: 12 NYU Film Students
Writer(s): 12 NYU Film Students
Stars: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain, Zach Braff, and Bruce Campell

Release Date:

Thoughts: So this trailer doesn’t look very good. The story seems very disjointed, the cinematography looks uneasy and fluctuates, and the performances don’t look like anything special. But the conceit behind the production is why it’s noteworthy.  12 NYU students were picked to write and direct a part of CK William’s life, and major actors volunteered to be a part of it. The fact that these stars are helping up-and-comers is tremendous, and shines light away from the conceited view of most Hollywood actors.

[/tab][/tabgroup]

Breaking Bad: 507 “Say My Name” Review

With only one episode left after this in this first half of the season, it’s reasonable to think that some proverbial shit would hit the fan. In the episode’s opening scene, Mike, Walt, and Jesse make their way to the desert to meet with the crew Mike had been negotiating with about the Methylamine. Walt promised Mike his $5 million dollars, and after some intense negotiating with the crew, he was able to give it to him.

But instead of just giving them the methylamine, he offered his cooking services. They reluctantly agree, but only because the money is too good to resist. Walt and Jesse (who is still set on leaving the business), make one final run to transport the Methylamine from the car wash to the new lab that they’re building. Meanwhile, Mike is working with a non-Saul Goodman lawyer to get money to the nine men who worked for Gus Fring, as well as Haylee, Mike’s granddaughter. Mike then listens in on a conversation with the DEA and abandons his laptop and his dirty guns before they have a chance to search his house.

With a warrant, the DEA does what they said they would but, of course, find nothing. Walt and Jesse talk about doubling down, but Jesse remains firm about getting out. This is when Walt switches into Heisenberg mode and tries to manipulate him into staying. Jesse, who seems to impervious to that kind of thing by now, stands firm and then walks out when Walt refuses to give him his money. Walt enlists the help of Todd who, as of now, is the only person to stick with him.

This decidedly unspectacular episode of “Breaking Bad” exists not to move the plot forward in a significant way, but to serve as a build-up for a final scene that, while I knew it was coming, still surprised me when it actually happened. The thing that really shines in the episode is the lighting. While the camerawork itself isn’t Vince Gilligan/Rian Johnson good, the way the light is manipulated makes for some fantastic still shots and layered visual metaphor.

Say My Name also marks the first time Jesse and Walt have had any real conflict since the pilot episode, and to be honest it was a little disappointing. Their teamwork is what made this season so great and seeing them truly break their partnership was a shock in many ways. The biggest shock of all, though, came in the last five minutes.

*SPOILERS*

Vince Gilligan promised that episodes 5 & 7 would be the most shocking in the season’s first half and while episode 5 was definitely a shock, I’m still unsure how I feel about the twist at the end. After promising Mike that he’d get him his “go bag”, which is a bag filled with money, his passport, and a holstered gun, and then bringing the bag to him, Walt demands the names of the men Mike’s been paying off. When Mike refuses to give them up, Walt shoots him with the gun that was in the bag. Mike attempts to speed away in his car, but quickly crashes into a rock. Running down a nearby hill, Walt finds Mike sitting on a rock with a fatal gunshot wound in his stomach.

Walt realizes that he could have just gotten the names from Lydia and he apologizes to Mike, who replies with, “Shut the f*** up, Walter, and let me die in peace.” A few seconds pass and Mike falls to the ground, dead. Now, the entire Breaking Bad fandom predicted his death, but I’m still not sure that I agree with it. Of course, no one gets out clean here, but if Gilligan and Co. are willing to kill Mike, a fan favorite, how far can we expect things to go? Some fans are predicting the death of Holly White, while others are predicting a Scarface-style shootout at the end of the series.

I’m definitely not condemning the bravery of the writers, but I guess I’m just disappointed that my favorite character had to go. In a narrative sense, this may be Breaking Bad‘s most accomplished episode of the season. From a personal standpoint, I am, in some strange way, mourning the death of a character that I’ve grown so accustomed to over the past year.

3.5/5 Bears

Breaking Bad: 505 “Dead Weight” Review

Where do I even begin? There’s really no way to start an article like this, but here goes nothing. Thus far, Season 5 has, sans the fourth episode, proved itself to be the best of the entire series. It’s taken chances, it’s given Jesse the time to shine he’s always deserved, and it’s put Mike at the center of everything, something almost everyone wanted in Season 4. The introduction of new characters has been astoundingly well done, and the development of old characters (excluding Skyler because she’s just awful), has been just as perfect.

This leads to Episode 5 of Season 5, one of the most heart-pounding, nail-bitingly intense episodes of TV ever put to air. After another strange opening scene involving a small child on a quad putting a very large spider in a jar, the episode starts at 6th gear and doesn’t stop. By now, Mike, Walt, and Jesse have made a deal with Madrigal that ensures both their safety and as much methylamine as they’ll ever need. Their plan? To rob a train that passes through Albuquerque every so often. Of the many liquids contained on the train, one of them is their precious methylamine. How much? About 1000 gallons.

Enlisting the help of Pest Shop Boys employee Todd (Jesse Plemons, who is turning out to be a much more capable actor than I originally thought), whom we first saw in 503 “Hazard Pay”, the guys plan and pull off what is literally the perfect robbery. In one of the most daring and intense train robberies ever committed to film, “Breaking Bad” has solidified its status in the motion picture hall of fame with this one.

Meanwhile, Walt Jr. (who is once more calling himself Flynn), and little Holly are both staying with Hank and Marie. Jr. spends most of his time in his room, not talking to anyone. When he does talk to someone, though, it’s usually a short answer or a question about why he can’t stay in his own home. But a heartbreaking scene reveals an obviously stressed Walt pulling a little bit of Heisenberg on his kid in a way we’ve never seen before. Whereas Walt is usually very fair and explanatory with Junior, this time he pulls a “because I said so” and basically scares Junior out of the house.

Skyler theatrically announces that she’ll continue to launder Walt’s money and “be whatever partner you want me to be” as long as Junior and Holly don’t stay at the house. She feels that if anyone were to come and kill him or kill her, they shouldn’t be in the house to see that or become a part of the danger. While she actually makes a decent point, her approach is always so cocky and melodramatic that I can’t seem to take her seriously. Ever. She just…needs to go.

*SPOILERS*

This is all fine and dandy, and ending the episode like that would have been perfectly satisfying. But it takes an extremely dark turn, even for a show like this. After successfully pulling off the robbery, the little kid from the first scene reveals himself to the group and waves at them. Stunned, Todd is the only one who waves back but suddenly he pulls out a gun, shoots, and kills the child. Now, if you’ve been following this season, you’ll know that Todd was developed excellently as a loyal addition to the group, and I thought the show would actually take a more Ocean’s 11 direction than anything, but nothing is ever as it seems with “Breaking Bad”.

Usually, I’m not a fan of when well-developed characters suddenly flash their dark side, but this one just seemed, in a strange way…natural. Jesse’s always been a fan of kids (he’s almost gotten himself killed over kids he didn’t even know), and Walt, a father himself, was surely appalled by what happened. But then there’s Todd. He’s a young guy with nothing to lose and we really don’t know his predicament when he enters the scene. Of course, that all changes when he reveals himself to be a ruthless killer. I’m interested if cooking meth will even be a major point of the show anymore, or will the manhunt to end all manhunts ensue, ending with Walt’s demise and Hank’s obvious reveal of the identity of Heisenberg.

I though the show was going in one direction, instead, it took a turn that I never saw coming, and I kind of love that.

4.5/5 Bears

Breaking Bad: 504-“Fifty-One”

In the fourth of episode of Breaking Bad‘s final season, much of the season’s plot has been put on hold to take a moment and focus on the dynamic between Walter and Skyler. Their rapidly deteriorating marriage is the major focus of this episode. Words are exchanged, things are said, and Walter continues to be the most intelligent man on the entire show. Meanwhile, Mike, Walt, and Jesse are looking to find a way to handle Madrigal, who may or may not have betrayed them.

What could have been this episode’s strengths end up being the major weaknesses. The emphasis on how much of a raging bitch Skyler is, versus how much of a controlled family man Walt is – makes itself apparent within the first five minutes of the episode, where Walt gets himself and his son extremely expensive cars. The sequence is oddly hilarious and I’m not sure how much I was supposed to laugh, but I’ll admit I was definitely cracking up.

I never liked episodes that focused on Skyler, and here we see everyone in a panic because of her. She’s really the only reason everything isn’t going according to plan, and what she says to Walter at the end of the episode is unforgivable and wrong. She may have proved herself momentarily a couple seasons back, but she’s just reverted to her old nosy, selfish, and frankly unintelligent ways. On the other hand, Marie is proving to be a valuable addition to the White family. She and Hank (who’s losing weight faster than a cancer patient, ironically enough), are definitely stepping up to the plate as both siblings-in-law to Walt and Skyler, but also as aunt and uncle to Walter Jr. and Holly.

Stepping away from all of that, though, another major issue I had with this episode was the mild usage of Jesse and Mike, and the complete absence of Saul. Breaking Bad works mainly because of the chemistry between Walter and Jesse (I swear, these [Breaking]bad puns are completely unintentional), but the lack of that here is really apparent. That is, of course, until the end.

*SPOILERS*

Jesse buys Walt a watch for his 51st birthday. In fact, he’s the only person to get him a gift and it’s a beautiful watch that Walt genuinely likes. He wears it, brings it back to Skyler and explains to her that the watch was given to him by someone who was pointing a gun at his head just a couple weeks ago. They’re now good partners and friends, so if their relationship can be mended, so can Walt and Skyler’s marriage.

He then leaves and takes the watch off, putting it on his nightstand. It ticks, and ticks, and ticks, and as the seconds get closer to the next minute, the ticking becomes louder and more intense until the end where it sounds like a gun cocking or the minute hand changing (or both).

I’m thinking that the watch is either bugged (unlikely) or that it’s merely a visual representation of Walt’s literal ticking clock. It’s possible that the cancer may come back and kill him since, as of this point, there isn’t anyone on the street who serves as some kind of imminent danger. But I guess we’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out.

3/5 Bears

TV TRIVIA: This episode, titled ‘Fifty-One’ in reference to Walt’s 51st birthday, aired the same night as the latest episode of HBO’s Newsroom, which was titled ‘5/1’. Weird. Right? No. Whatever.

Breaking Bad: 503 “Hazard Pay” Review

Die Hard 5: New Rumors About “John McClane Jr”

So last month we told you about the upcoming 5th installment of the Die Hard franchise – A Good Day to Die Hard, and we had some casting suggestions as to who we’d like to see play McClane’s son. Well now rumors are surfacing about the front-runners for said role, and they appear to have totally ignored me. But that’s fine, I’m gonna go opening night anyhow.

So here are, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the front-runners:

Die Hard 5, which is now called A Good Day to Die Hard, will attempt to find the young man to play Bruce Willis‘ son, with frontrunners Liam Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, and Ben Foster among those who will take part in chemistry reads with Willis, reprising his role of John McClane, on November 12 and 13. (We¹re hearing the part of Hemsworth’s to lose.)

So, they think that Liam Hemsworth (Thor‘s little brother and upcoming star of the Hunger Games) has the role barring a terrible screen test. I have to say, that even though I didn’t name any of these guys on my list, I’d be fine with any of the 3. And while I’m pretty apathetic towards Hemsworth, I actually really like the other 2.

Aaron Paul of course is the co-star of AMC’s Breaking Bad, and I’m a big fan, but my pick of the 3 would be Foster.

Ben Foster, though starting out on the Disney Channel with Flash Forward, he went on to star in action movies like Hostage (with Bruce Willis) and The Mechanic (with Statham). He also has comic geek cred with his roles in The Punisher, X-Men: The Last Stand, and 30 Days of Night. 

Sounds good to me!

 Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Breaking Bad: Season 4, Episode 12 – “End Times” Review

Sunday night we saw the 2nd to last episode of the season, and despite the ending, it was still the calm before the storm, and overall, not a great episode.  As we start we see the fallout of Walt’s actions last week. The DEA has been warned of a threat on Hank’s life and the whole family is being put into protective custody. The whole family minus Walt, who is holed up in his house with a gun waiting to be executed.

While in protective custody, Hank convincing Gomey to take a look at the laundry, to which Steve begrudgingly agrees. While there Gomez has no idea that Pinkman is right below him cooking meth. Gus’ laundry disguise for the meth lab worked perfectly despite Hank’s  insistence – they found nothing.

The biggest development however is the way in which Gus decides to deal with Walt. Since Jessie won’t ok the hit, Gus has to figure a way to change Jessie’s mind. One method is to make Jessie think it’s his own idea, which is why Brock suddenly gets sick. It becomes apparent pretty quickly that Brock has been poisoned with RICIN!!! DUN DUH!!!

Pinkman freaks out, and think back to his earlier conversation with Saul, deduces (incorrectly) that Walt is responsible. This is the desired effect Gus was shooting for and Jessie heads over to Walt’s. Once there he easily obtains Walt’s gun and confronts him for (not actually) poisoning Brock.

Once Jessie calms down, Walt is able to convince him Gus must be responsible for the ricin, and they plot to finally handle Gus once and for all. So the plan is that Jessie will skip the cook and wait at the hospital, luring Gus there. This works perfectly. While Gus is inside, Walt wires Gus’ dorkmobile to explode. Problem is, Gus, as usual, is a few steps ahead of the game, and does not re-enter his car.

So Gus’ apparent 6th sense has saved his live. This is how the episode ends, with Walt utterly defeated again. Like I said, I didn’t think the was a great episode, but that is in no way an indication that I thought it sucked, it’s just simply further setup for this upcoming Sunday night.  I’d say 3/5. 

As for what’s in store this week, I think Hank is gonna get to play hero again. I was kind of hoping Gus would just kill Walt’s whole family and then we could see Walt explode and rampage his way through the organization. Also, I’ll be curious to see what kind of role, if any, Mike plays in the finale…