Monday, August 23rd

My bad for being AWOL for three weeks. Personal victory has led to less time to type.

Iron Man 2
Weeds
Mad Men
True Blood

Wow, this is a long list.

Iron Man 2. Boy, I have to say I liked the first Iron Man. I enjoy the RDJ's charm, his rakish hair, his one finger of scotch away from disaster attitude. I was excited for his return to Tony Stark, and overall the film didn't disappoint. Was it at all believable? -- A particle accelerator in the basement? New element? Scarlett Johansson's nasty perm? No. But I mean, it's a man that flies around in an iron suit. So barring the many military secrets I'm not privy to, I think reality as a basis for review is kind of a waste of time. I love Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, his gold teeth, bird and remarkably skinny legs for being such a barrel on top. His little smirk didn't seem at all Russian (not that I know many Russians or exactly what I mean by that -- maybe it was his tan skin, remarkable considering how much time he was supposed to have spent behind bars and locked in a room building electric tentacles), but he was an enjoyable villain to watch, and the battles were fun and fast. My only complaint about Sam Rockwell, who plays a scheming prick in a suit so well, is that his neck and chin were obviously self-tanned, evident by his bright orange palms during the scene in the jet hanger. His nose, forehead and cheeks, however, were pale and haggard. But who cares, boy can rock a suit. As far as the choice to replace Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle, bravo. Cheadle brings a wink and a smirk to the straight-laced Rhodey, making him much more enjoyable. Also, his voice is above and beyond Howard's squeak, which I think is painful. And speaking of painful, boy some actresses can just keep going even though everyone seems to hate them but casting agents. I'm talking to you, Paltrow. Your Pepper Potts could be a weak character, or it's just your weak acting. I ban basically feel how eager you are to kick off those killer heels and go name more of your spawn for common fruit. The only thing good about her was that magic gizmo on her CEO desk. And even though I hated her hair, I thought ScarJo as the girl in spandex was okay. That's a compliment. Overall, enjoyable romp with some ideas you can think about if you want or toss aside like those delicious looking strawberries that only a character as lame as Pepper Potts could be allergic to.

Weeds, End of Season Five, 6:1

I had given up on Weeds. They left the suburbs, Nancy started getting spanked in limos - the only upgrade of season four was Silas. Whew. And I didn't even watch all of season five until I heard season six was gearing up. I thought, what the hell. I watched some late in the season episodes and was brought back in when Shane took a croquet mallet (not a stick) to the evil PR machine Pilar. Do I like Nancy? No. Is Shane a sociopath? Completely. The only people I can really root for are Andy (despite himself) and Silas, who has turned surprisingly level for a kid with such a horrible upbringing. I'm actually excited to see where the season goes. But when I compare now to then, I miss seasons one and two complete with Heylia, Conrad, Chris died for your sins and other things that made for good comedy. The move to the border town made this show a telenovela. Let's see if moving north can take it back to where it used to be.

Mad Men, 4:5

Oh, Sally. Cutting your hair, killing kittens (if you believe the e-mail), your character has always creeped me out, but it's been especially bad since Grandpa left...You are bringing the distinct possibility of Betty ordering a hit on Don, and if you mess with my Don...I will go Shane Botwin on you. But anyway, I enjoyed the politics of this episode brought on by the Honda account. Roger, WWII still fresh on his mind, is furious about the possible deal, while Pete (who showed some surprising backbone) is furious, as is most of the team, with Roger for basically ruining their shot. But how could that stop Don? Oh no. To screw over the competitors, he pretends to make a commercial (LOL at Peggy on a motorcycle) and effectively wins against that annoying guy who intruded on his date with the wife of the crazy Felowship of the Sun guy from True Blood. And while Don is great to look at, the guy makes a shit dinner date. All he does is smoke and not respond to earnest, if annoying, attempts to make him smile. Fail. Anyway, enjoyed the episode, love the humor in Don's secretary Mrs. Blankenship.

True Blood, 3:10

1. Bring back Alcide.

2. See above.

Anyway, this week was...jumbled to put it nicely. As it has been for much of the season, there is too much going on. We finally get read of the shifters in Louisiana, and we get the werepanthers. We get rid of Franklin, and poor Jason thinks it's a good time to say, Hey Tara, I know I just saved your life, but let's call it a wash because I kind of murdered your soulmate. Whoops. Tara's number has been up, she's annoying - her character gets into the worst situation, is perpetually pissed off, and I think the show could do better. And speaking of doing better, Sookie and Eric kiss! The world says, keep going. What does Eric do? Chains her up in the basement a la Lafayette (don't even get me started on his V time with Jesus - that was the biggest waste of time in the world). Unless their "powers" are going to play in the next episode, take ABC Family's advice and wait, mmmkay? And speaking of unnecessary, I really didn't need Sam's origin story of being a violent killer. I mean, where did that come from (girl from John Tucker Must Die!). Not the best of the season, but some good moments. I hope the finale is better.