Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On

"What kind of pizza do you like, Jesse?" -Todd Alquist Spoilers ahead.  If you've seen Breaking Bad , go check this movie out.  It's worth your time.  If you haven't seen Breaking Bad , drop what you're doing and go watch it.  You're missing out. El Camino is an epilogue to Breaking Bad that shows what happened to Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) after the end of the series.  He has to avoid both cops and criminals as he tries to find a way out of Albuquerque. What Works: Aaron Paul is definitely the best part of El Camino .  He gives a fantastic performance.  He's been through so much and it's not over yet.  He's desperate and determined.  What's really nice is that he's still Jesse, but has learned a thing or two from Walter White (Bryan Cranston) over the years. I love everything at Todd's (Jesse Plemons) apartment.  It's a really exciting sequence.  We get an amazing overhead shot of Jesse searching...

"I'm the only hope you have." -Marcus Wright Death row inmate, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) was executed in 2003, but somehow wakes up in a post-apocalyptic 2018 to find the human race at war with the machines.  His life is saved by Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), who is captured by the machines.  Now Marcus has to team up with John Conner (Christian Bale) to save save Kyle, but can John trust Marcus? What Works: I do want to give the filmmakers props for doing something different with this movie.  All of the sequels are pretty much the same story with different characters.   Salvation is certainly not the same as the others and I commend them for doing something different even if the execution was all that it could have been. The acting is pretty solid all around.  Everyone does a good job, especially Yelchin.  The actors are not the problem with this movie. Finally, there is one really cool action sequence.  It has Marcu...

"I'm not lost anymore." -John Locke Season 2, episode 5 of Lost follows Sun Kwon (Yunjin Kim) as she loses her wedding ring.  She searches frantically for it and gets help from Jack (Matthew Fox), Hurley (Jorge Garcia), and Locke (Terry O'Quinn), but is still unable to find it.  When Kate (Evangeline Lilly) tries to comfort her, Sun shows her the bottle with the messages from the raft that suggests something has gone wrong with the raft.  In the process of digging up the bottle, Sun finds her ring. On the other side of the island, Ana Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez) starts organizing the group to hike to the main camp.  When Michael (Harold Perrineau) gets a direction on where the Others might be, he takes off into the jungle.  Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) and Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) go after him.  They have a close encounter with the Others, but hide from them.  Jin also stumbles across the body of a man called Goodwin (Brett Cullen)....

"Time takes everybody out." -Rocky Balboa Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) is the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).  He gives up his career in finance to pursue his dream of boxing.  He convinces Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him and soon finds himself in a match against the world champion, Ricky Conlan (Anthony Bellew). What Works: Michael B. Jordan is a fantastic actor and doesn't disappoint in Creed .  Going into this movie, I didn't know that Adonis was a child from an affair and didn't have the name Creed.  That was an interesting twist and I really liked it.  It really helped define the character and shape Jordan's performance. Sylvester Stallone is fantastic as Rocky, as per usual, but this time we get a Rocky who has no fight left.  It's an emotional story and Rocky gets an excellent character arc, especially considering he isn't the main character any more. The cinematography is spec...

"Live for nothing or die for something." -John Rambo John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) lives in Thailand and reluctantly takes a group of Christian missionaries into war-torn Burma to give aid.  When the missionaries are captured, Rambo takes a team of mercenaries in to free them, but they will have to take on the brutal and sadistic Major Tint (Maung Maung Khin) and his army. What Works: Sylvester Stallone does a job with the role once again.  He actually has a decent character arc.  He's completely given up on the world and lost faith in humanity, but eventually comes around to do the heroic thing.   The violence in this movie is insane.  The action in the 2nd and 3rd movies was over-the-top and a lot of fun.  While it's over the top here, it's not fun at all.  This is brutal violence that shows some of the atrocities committed in Burma.  I have to respect the filmmakers for going in this hardcore direction to make a poi...

"I'll talk to you when I want to talk to you." -Karishma Patel Well, this episode was much easier to watch than last week's episode.  It still feels a little gross to watch because Dan is still around, but at least Aaron and especially Missy went home.  Anyway, let's get into the gameplay. Who Played Well: We'll start with Karishma, who managed to find a Hidden Immunity Idol, took a bold move and held onto the Idol, and eliminated Missy.  This felt like a coming-out episode for Karishma and I hope she can keep it up. Elaine won Immunity and she and Tommy both helped eliminate Missy, which was the best move for both of them. Noura also won Immunity and orchestrated the Aaron vote, which was a great move.  She got Dan, Lauren, Janet, and Dean on board to make a really solid move. As gross as Dan is, I like that Janet reconnected with him.  It's the right move for her as much as it sucks.  It's also pretty amazing that she didn...

"Talk to the hand." -T-800 When a new Terminator, a T-X (Kristanna Loken), is sent back in time to kill John Connor (Nick Stahl) and his future wife, Kate Brewster (Claire Danes), John realizes he didn't stop Judgment Day, but merely postponed it.  He and Kate are joined by a new T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to once again try to put a stop to Skynet. What Works: It's always fun to watch Arnold play the T-800.  He has some great lines in this movie (and some not so great ones), but I love the character and enjoy watching him. This movie is incredibly over-the-top, which typically I wouldn't enjoy, but it has its moments.  The Los Angeles car chase near the beginning of the movie is completely insane and I couldn't stop laughing at all the destruction.  I also love that after the T-X crashes a helicopter into the hanger, the T-800 does the same thing with a bigger helicopter. Nick Stahl is a big improvement over Edward Furlong as ...

"You know, I think you try harder when you're scared." -Rocky Balboa Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) runs a small restaurant in Philly and is grieving the death of his wife.  The current heavyweight champion of the world, Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver), is not respected in the boxing community because he has never fought a real contender.  When a computer simulated match shows Rocky beating Mason in a fight, Mason challenges Rocky to get in the ring one last time. What Works: Sylvester Stallone has always been great as Rocky, but he gets to take the character in a much different direction here.  He's dealing with the death of his wife and a strained relationship with his son.  It's a great performance from Stallone. I really enjoyed the subplot about the relationship between Rocky and his son (Milo Ventimiglia).  They both do a great job and it's an emotional story.  I love the motivational speech Rocky gives his...

"Hasta la vista, baby." -T-800 Skynet sends another Terminator back in time to kill a 10-year old John Conner (Edward Furlong), but this model, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) has significant upgrades.  John's older self sends one of the T-800's (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back to protect him and save the human race. What Works: T2 is a thrilling movie with some incredible action sequences.  The chase through the Los Angeles waterway is iconic, and the last half hour is a nonstop juggernaut of action.  This is what all action movies should strive to be. The twist that the T-800 is a good guy this time around is wonderful and executed to perfection.  It's a god-tier twist and justifies why this sequel should exist.  Schwarzenegger does an incredible job and watching him work side by side with Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) is a dream come true. Speaking of Sarah Conner, Hamilton is even better than she was in the first movie.  She's been ...

"Come with me if you want to live!" -Kyle Reese In 2029, humanity is at war with machines.  The machines get desperate and send a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she can give birth to John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance.  The humans send Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) back to 1984 to protect Sarah from the seemingly unstoppable cyborg. What Works: The Terminator has a very simple premise, but executes it expertly thanks to director James Cameron.  He gives some excellent action sequences and plenty of thrilling moments.  The movie does a great job of creating a sense of danger.  You know that the Terminator is always coming and nothing can stop him.  It makes for a very tense film. The pacing is also excellent and the movie flies by.  We get action sequences at a pretty steady pace and just when things start to slow down, the Terminator comes back. ...

"Luck is for dudes!" -Heather Swanson South Park ditches Tegridy Farms and becomes PC Babies!  This episode follows Strong Woman as she competes in a strongwoman competition and takes second place.  She loses handily to Heather Swanson, a transgender woman who looks remarkably like Macho Man Randy Savage.  Heather is also Strong Woman's ex-boyfriend, who is out for revenge.  Heather is obnoxious after her win and rubs it in Strong's face.  PC Principal attempts to stand up to Heather, but is called transphobic in the process.  Ashamed that the PC Babies will think their father is transphobic, PC Principal invites Heather to speak to the students of South Park Elementary. Meanwhile, Cartman, Butters, Stan, Scott, and Clyde have started a board game club, but are forced to allow girls to join.  Tammy and Nicole are much better at the games than the boys and Cartman, Butters, and Scott go to Congress to force the girls out of their club. ...

"I have a little doubt in my mind." -Jamal Shipman Well...this was a miserable experience.  Two hours of sickening behavior.  I'm simply disgusted.  This is my least favorite episode of Survivor  and I don't really want to talk about it anymore, but I still need to take a look at the gameplay.  Let's get this over with... Since this was a double episode, I'll split this into two parts. Who Played Well: I'll start with Aaron who managed to win a brutal Immunity challenge.  He also managed to patch things up with Tommy and and they both helped eliminate Kellee, who was a huge threat. Dean, Elaine, and Lauren were all on the right side of the vote.  I'm not 100% sure if Dean made the right move in not telling Kellee she was in trouble, but he did protect his own game. Jamal may have been on the wrong side of the numbers, but going after Dan was 100% the right call for him.  I also liked how he got Noura to spill the...

"I always called it 'the shining.'" -Dan Torrance This sequel to The Shining follows a grown-up Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) as he battles alcoholism and tries to live with what has happened him.  He becomes connected to a young girl, Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran), who also "shines."  She becomes the target of an dark force and the only way for her to survive is for Dan to return to the Overlook Hotel. What Works: Surprisingly, my favorite part of Doctor Sleep is Kyliegh Curran's performance as Abra Stone.  Abra is incredibly likable and an absolute badass.  She shows no hesitation in taking on the evil that is coming for her and the scene where she walks through Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) is amazing.  She and McGregor have great chemistry and it's very easy to root for her. McGregor also does a great job and gives a very three-dimensional performance.  I believe he went through the events of The Shining and I really like...

"How good does it feel to sell out?" -Zach Galifianakis While filming an interview with Matthew McConaughey for his show Between Two Ferns , Zach  Galifianakis accidentally floods the studio and nearly  drowns McConaughey.  To meet his contractual obligations and to achieve his dream of being a network talk show host, Zach has to take his show on the road and film ten episodes in two weeks or face the wrath of Will Ferrell. What Works: I love Between Two Ferns and I think this movie does the show justice.  We get plenty of fantastic interviews and hilariously-awkward moments.  This movie really captures the spirit of the show and that's all we could ask for. Zach  Galifianakis is amazing and I don't know how he manages to film these interviews with a straight face.  He's so funny and says the most absurd things.  How the crew was able to keep it together while filming this, I'll never know. I like that they ...

"I wish more of our young boys had your blind fanaticism." -Deertz During World War II, Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is a ten-year boy and an enthusiastic member of the Hitler Youth and even has Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi) as an imaginary friend.  One day Jojo discovers that his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), is hiding a young, Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), in the walls and Jojo has to figure out if he's loyal to his country or his mother. What Works: Jojo Rabbit is one of the funniest films I've seen in a long time.  It's utterly absurd and reminds me of an episode of  South Park with this level of satire.  It takes a really dark subject matter and plays it for laughs for the vast majority of the film.  Granted, we don't see any of the Holocaust in the film and it doesn't get grisly until the later part, so it's easier to keep the tone light, but it still works extraordinarily well. That said, when the...

"I'm no tourist." -John Rambo Now living in seclusion in Thailand, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is approached once again by his old commanding officer, Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna), for help on a mission to war-torn Afghanistan.  Rambo refuses, but Trautman goes anyway and gets captured.  Rambo decides to go into Afghanistan to rescue his friend, but has to go up against the brutal Soviet Colonel Zaysen (Marc de Jonge). What Works: As to be expected, Rambo III has a bunch of action sequences and a couple of them are pretty solid.  I like Rambo and Trautman's escape from the base and the entire 3rd act is pretty fun.  We get one amazing moment where Rambo kills a guy by hanging him and blowing him up at the same time. The final face off between Rambo and Zaysen is nothing short of amazing.  Rambo drives a tank, while Zaysen flies an attack helicopter.  The two of them drive headlong at each other, guns blazing, and driv...

"I'll be back." -Sarah Connor An advanced Terminator called a Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna) is sent back in time to kill Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes).  At the same time, Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an augmented human is sent back to protect her, but even she isn't enough to stop the Rev-9.  Luckily someone with experience fighting Terminators is willing to help...Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). There will be some spoilers ahead, so I will say that Dark Fate is okay.  It's entertaining enough, but I would say wait for Netflix.  You don't need to spend money on this one.  Regardless; spoilers ahead.  You've been warned. What Works: I really enjoyed the first half of this move.  We get some great action sequences and exciting moments.  The sequences at the auto factory and the detention center are really great and the car chase is a lot of fun.  It's the high point of this franchise since Judgment Day. I also really enjoyed the...

"Have a cluckity-cluck-cluck day, Hugo." -Jin Kwon Season 2's 4th episode follows Hurley (Jorge Garcia) as he starts his new job of taking inventory of all the food from the hatch.  Hurley is not thrilled because when he has to tell people no, they can't have anything, they get angry at him.  Eventually Hurley decides to quit the job, but Locke (Terry O'Quinn) won't let him.  Hurley decides to blow up all the food with dynamite, but Rose (L. Scott Caldwell), who Hurley took on as his assistant, talks him out of it.  Instead, they hand out all the food to the survivors in one giant feast. Jack (Matthew Fox) and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) further explore the hatch and find that a section of it has been completely covered in 10 feet of concrete, which lends some credence to the button actually saving the world. Claire (Emilie de Ravin) finds the messages in a bottle from the raft when it washes up on the beach.  She shows it to Sun (Yunjin Kim), who d...

"Everybody's had enough of Tegridy Farms." -Mayor McDaniels In "Season Finale," Randy finally gets arrested for blowing up people's yards back in "Mexican Joker."  As the Marsh's happily face closing Tegridy Farms, the White family is devastated after their son, Jason, is killed after being run over by a police car and can't even get marijuana to cope.  They end up adopting two Latino children from an ICE detention center and start protesting for the release of Randy. Randy gets a hold of President Garrison for help and he sends Rudy Giuliani in to assist.  Randy begins to realize what a terrible father he has been.  One of the White's adopted kids, Alejandro, gets fed up with the White's and goes on a violent rampage, which confirms the existence of Mexican Joker.  Randy is released and returns to Tegridy Farms as the farming season comes to an end. What Works: I loved the beginning of the episode where Ran...