Five shows you should be watching

I truly don't have the words to describe how great this show is, so I won't try.
"Lord, is “Friday Night Lights” good. In fact, if the season is anything like the pilot, this new drama about high school football could be great — and not just television great, but great in the way of a poem or painting, great in the way of art with a single obsessive creator who doesn’t have to consult with a committee and has months or years to go back and agonize over line breaks and the color red; it could belong in a league with art that doesn’t have to pause for commercials, or casually recap the post-commercial action, or sell viewers on the plot and characters in the first five minutes, or hew to a line-item budget, or answer to unions and studios, or avoid four-letter words and nudity."

By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN

New York Times

Five shows you should be watching

Anytime an Elmore Leonard story is being adapted you know that you're potentially in for a treat. Justified has it all, the perfect southern location complete with accents and colloquialisms. A standout leading man in Timothy Olyphant (Rayland Givens), wild west shoot outs, dysfunctional families and a love triangle.
Central to the show's greatness is Olyphants depiction of Givens. Olyphant plays him with a cool, quiet confidence of a man that can handle himself in any situation, often a moment's notice. The show's pilot literally begins with Raylan giving a fugitive two minutes to leave town or he'll him gun down. Incredulous, the thug replies: "what are you going to gun me down in broad daylight?" Raylan's response: Yes. and he does. Justified is a modern day cowboy tale with the quiet confidence of it's star.

Five shows you should be watching

For my money this may just be the best show on television.(not necessarily my favorite) To try to explain Breaking Bad to someone is a difficult task because there isn't any other show like it. The show's premise is simple enough, a chemistry teacher with terminal cancer turns to making meth so he can leave something behind for his struggling family. The places the the writers of the show take this premise are nothing short of amazing. Breaking Bad is an exploration of why good people do bad things, for good reasons. It's a crime show with twisted morals and ends justify the means logic. Even more riveting than seeing how the characters get to these dark places,is their journey there.

Five shows you should be watching

There are other shows on USA that are more charming(White Collar), funnier(Burn Notice) but I don't believe there is another show that has the depth of In Plain Sight. The show follows the exploits of US Marshall Mary Shannon, her job is to help relocated witnesses adapt to their new lives in the Witness Protection Program. Of course there's the perfunctory action but the show is more than that. It boasts the most eclectic cast of characters on television from Mary's partner who is a walking episode of Jeporady, to her mother,a immature alcoholic who just happens to still live with her daughter. Each week the show introduces new witnesses to the fray that are every bit as colorful.


This is not a show of perfect people, each character flawed and fractured, struggling to find redemption and often times failing. They are characters who live in quiet desperation trying to squeak out an existence. There hasn't been a time where I watched the show that it didn't make me think about the nature of life, family and humanity as a whole.

Mike Tyson,Bobby Brown and Wayne Brady, nuff said!

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Eddie Long and the Prosperity Gospel

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs I Timothy 6:9,10

The irony of this passage that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to a Timothy a young pastor/church planter. It defies logic how there can be a book in the bible that pretty much speaks out on the folly of chasing wealth, but there can still somehow be a movement/pseudo gospel that teaches Christians how to get wealth.

First this particlular text is widley misquoted. Often people quote it thus "Money is the root of all evil" Of course the text properly says that the love of money is the root of all evil kinds of evil. However because people don't read verse 9, they just look at themselves and say I don't love money so I'm ok. Briefly taking a look at the prosperity gospel its hard to argue that the men that purport it don't love money. If you have a mansion, drive a Rolls, wear custom made suits, and fly on private jets it's hard to say that you don't love money. Not to mention that these preachers continually preach about the subject.

If we were talking about Sean "Diddy" Combs we'd all agree that he loves money, he makes it and spends it lavishly. The man talks about it constantly in his songs and videos. Of course he loves money. However we have prosperity preachers that live the same lifestyle and somehow they don't love money. Prosperity preachers are preaching about the good life, essentially making a faux rap video in the pulpit and parishioners slurp it up the same way a 13 year old girl does Justin Bieber.

The Prosperity Gospel at it's heart is based on greed and pride. It's interesting to note that these preachers rarely preach about these subject. I may be wrong as I haven't listened to Bishop Long in years, but I'm betting there aren't a lot of sermons you can't point to where he spoke on the former subjects. The teachings literally serve as a how to guide to teach people how to get wealth. Conversely the text above clearly says that the desire to get wealth will cause you to fall into temptation.

Somewhere the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ has been exchanged for a Gospel that uses God/Jesus as a means to get something. The true message of the Gospel is that God is what we get. It's sad that so many have fallen pray to these modern day snake oil salesmen. Even the most cursory assessment of theology and context, cause this already shaky gospel to collapse under its own weight.

When you think about it it's almost laughable. They claim to be a part of a religion who's leader is God incarnate, who subsequently leaves the majesty of heaven to become human and sacrifice himself for his people. What about following that kind of God says I'm going to get paid? Even more egregious is how the early Christians were treated. Let's start with the disciples shall we. Peter was hung on a cross upside down, John was burned alive, and later died in prison. The rest were martyred. And Let's not forget John the Baptist. The man Jesus said was the best man ever born from a woman. He was BEHEADED!!!!! The man that paved the way for Jesus was taken to prison and BEHEADED for doing God's work, for literally preparing the way for God.

Let's not even mention Paul, who was blinded, beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned and virtually run out of every city. Again what about that screams money cometh? Lastly the the early church constantly persecuted and literally fed to lions for sport in front of a bloodthirsty audience would make a UFC crowds look docile. Compare that Gospel, the conviction that it took to withstand that kind of persecution, to die for it. To say a Joel Olsteen sermon, worse yet a Creflo Dollar one.

So what does this have to do with Bishop Eddie Long? Everything. Whether the Bishop is innocent or not there are factors that led to his fall. The lavish lifestyle that he led ,the power, the influence, when these factors are left unchecked,it is almost certain that temptation will be given into. Bishop Long has profited of the backs of his flock in excess, it is that same excess that led to these allegations. He could fly anywhere, buy anything, how often do you think that Bishop Long was told no? It's a failure of accountability, ego and at it's worst.

As for the Bishop's innocence or guilt. I don't know I wasn't there but I will leave you with the words of Johnny Cash.

Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's done in the dark will be brought to the light

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down

Lonestar

What you need to know: Robert Allen(played by James Wolk) is a Texas con man living in two different cities, simultaneously trying to balance two different women and two different cons.

What You'll Love

The Cast: Solid all around, the series' lead is handsome and likable. The female costars are beautiful and have acting chops,the legendary Jon Voight adds depth.

Texas: Everything is bigger in Texas and the lone star state(pun intended )provides the perfect backdrop for this drama.

Complexity: It's impossible to watch this show for five minutes and not see the irony of this con artist living two lives that he's actually happy with, not to mention two wives. The show navigates it's tensions perfectly, in fact adding to them. In the pilot the lead character Robert Allen decides to go legit,(kind of) by using one con to fund another into a legitimate business venture.

What you'll hate

Low ratings: Lone star's rating's were abysmal, why is anyone's guess. The odds of a complete season airing are very slim at this point. Combine that with the fact that most shows ratings go down after the premiere and things look bleak indeed.

Trailers/TV spots: The majority of the premiere was spoiled by a three minute long trailer that could easily be found on You tube or the show's site. The plot points from the set up to the conclusion were all in the shows trailer. Perhaps it did it's job in getting me to watch, however it's seems that the advertising campaign could have benefited from a less is more approach.

Where do they go from here: The pilot is very strong, one of the reasons for this is that much of the story was crammed into the pilot. Truthfully it felt more like the first four episodes. It's hard to see how they are going to keep things interesting for another twelve episodes. The show's writers have shown considerable storytelling ability thus far, so they may be up to the task.


Bottom Line: Lone,star is a standout, critically acclaimed show, that just may be canceled very soon. Catch it while you can.

Grade: A

The Town Quick Hits

What you need to know: The Town stars Ben Affleck as the leader of a band of bank robbers who follows in love with one of the key witnesses in one of the robberies.

What you'll love

Affleck: Affleck stars and directs The Town and is solid in both positions. His brooding, conflicted bank robber is the the engine in which the movie is built.

Bostonian flavor: At this point movies about Boston, with it's jargon of townies and southies etc... could get a bit old. However Affleck finds a way to direct a movie that is a love letter to his hometown that it's sappy. The setting of Boston is definitively a character in the movie but it puts on an understated performance.

Heist Flick: Hollywood doesn't produce many of these movies anymore. Affleck finds a way to breathe new life into a genre that has almost become extinct.

Supporting Cast: Affleck's sophomore offering utilizes many of the same supporting cast of his first film. Not surprisingly they add richness and depth to the movie.

What you'll hate

The Second Act: The difference between this film being a great film and a good one is the second act. The film gets bogged down during the act choosing to focus on the love story. More interesting would have been an exploration of the protagonist's other relationships.

Predictable: The premise is original and puts a nice spin on the traditional heist picture. The rest of the film is your standard crime flick. This is not to say the film's execution isn't solid. However it's not reinventing the wheel.


Bottom line: The Town is a solid heist movie, Affleck's direction and performance are strong.

Grade: B

The American

If one is to believe the trailers for this movie, this film is George Clooney’s best attempt at a Jason Bourne impersonation. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything The American is the anti-Bourne. Enthralling car crashes are traded in for well-crafted dialogue; hand to hand combat is exchanged with planning, strategy and mediation.

The American is a test of sorts for the American movie going public. The movie’s title is ironic in a sense, because this is perhaps one of the least American movies in sometime. The film is a methodical if not downright slow at times, mediation on the solitary desolate life of a man of violence. As the film’s main antagonist puts it; “You got close, you used to know better than that.”

Despite the slow pace the move begins quickly, with Clooney’s character held up in a cabin with a beautiful woman. The romantic rendezvous is violently interrupted. Interestingly enough the gun fight is shot in the snow in almost most total silence, which is definitely a harbinger of things to come. Clooney easily dispatches of the Swedish (yes you read that correctly, trust me it works though)assassins, and the girl. Which raises a small point of contention, If Jack is so ruthless that he would kill his girlfriend simply for witnessing him in action. How is the audience ever supposed to root for him?

Soon thereafter Jack is told by his Boss that he must lay low until the trouble with the Swedes is over, Jack retreats to the Italian countryside.The movies second act is definitely the hardest on audience attention spans. It is in Italy where Jack slowly (and I mean slowly) begins to find himself and a semblance of happiness. Jack goes through the monotony of each day, however the film slowly and often silently began to peel back the layers of Clooney’s character. Essential in this task are the movie's supporting players. A priest, a hooker with a heart of gold and a fem fatale.(stop me if you’ve heard this one before) Despite being complete stock characters in their genesis, all three of these characters work, mostly on the back of superb performances from the actors.

Paolo Bonacelli plays a priest in the film but it is probably more accurate to say that he plays Jack’s conscience. Paolo takes what could easily be trite and cheesy and delivers a weighty performance filled with gravitas. Watching him perform you are mesmerized by his face, it’s as if each wrinkle is telling a story. The movie’s best moments are often when he is occupying the screen.

The film's other supporting cogwheel is Violante Placido as Clara. Violante’s portrayal serves as an oasis in a desert of silence and brooding. She is the film's solitary ray of light. The film probably would be better served if she was not playing a hooker; this would have given the script and actress the ability to fully explore the character's joy and optimism. In contrast the movie wouldn’t have had an excuse to constantly show her naked, so I guess that won out at the end of the day.

Predictably Clooney’s character must complete one last job before leaving “the life”. He must build a very specific kind of weapon for a beautiful Fem Fatale,(played by Thekla Reuten).
What the weapon will be used for is unknown to both Jack and the viewer until later in the film.Jack’s meticulous labor building the weapon gives us insight into what kind of man he is.Intentional, methodical, solitary, paranoid. It’s a tribute to Clooney’s skills as an actor that he is able to maintain the audience’s attention while essential building a gun.

The American is an existential window into the lifestyle of a hit man, or whatever job Jack has in the movie. (The movie never explicitly says) If you’re looking for a popcorn flick that beats you over the head with action and dialogue, this is not the movie for you. The American is a serious oft times deliberate picture that actively engages the mind. Somehow I don’t see that as a bad thing.

GRADE: B