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Thursday, December 24, 2009
TV Wonderland: FRINGE Season 1, Disc Five
{SPOILERS AHEAD}
Uh. WOW.
Two nights ago I saw the Sharks, after letting a goal score and an icing, win a face off, work it up the left board, hit the point, hit Joe Thornton streaking in the middle, he passed it back to Demers, and KILLED a one timer to the left of the net as Chicago goaltender shift to his right. All done in like 3 seconds. And my jaw dropped. But I picked it up quickly to stress out during the final minutes of the tense game.
But, when I watched the finale of Season 1, "There's More Than One of Anything", my jaw was floored and I held up both my hands with three fingers up to make that "W - O - W" thing. Yes, WOW!
Reveals! Resoutions! More mysteries! More questions!
[[[[ ONE LAST SPOILER WARNING ]]]] (some of the following refers to the last two episodes, not just the finale)
Advancement of Plot
Okay. Season finales are supposed to kill this part. FRINGE did. Massive Dynamic isn't the archetypical evil corporation. Well, not yet. Although, they are responsible with the freak happenings: William Bell, cortexiphan, etc. David Robert Jones was the real enemy behind everything in this season, but now that he has opened various windows to the other side there will be massively dynamic problems. Yes. William Bell doesn't seem to be evil and Walter believes this in his old friend. William Bell is muthaeffing Spock!
Character Development
Walter has been able to resolve some issues with the Jacksonville kids and disrupting this first go at rifting through spacial planes. Walter also has connected with Peter. And vice versa. They all had major roles in resolving this episode and season's problem: Olivia worked her skills as an agent, Peter reached out to Walter as a son, and Walter remembered - something extremely important. We also had the Observer say something. He's Walter's friend.
And, Peter Bishop died in 1985! The original Peter Bishop. The one we know and love is the doppleganger from the other side. Walter used his research to reclaim his son (Peter was a sickly boy - as we were told earlier in the season).
Olivia's abilities have expanded. This goes beyond the season finale, but during the final quarter of the series the cortexiphan in her started triggering expansive abilities. She began seeing the other side in brief episodes - maybe some sensitivity to Dr. Jones' windows. But, we find out at the end that it goes beyond visions but actual teleportation - physical teleportation. Maybe it was by invite?
Broyles and Olivia shared a moment where Olivia rambled on about fighting through beauracracy (very Sydney-like) and Broyles asked her to hush because she essentially had him at hello.
Astrid, in the pen-ultimate episode, gave herself and the audience a solid when she said something to the effect of her not being affected by what she sees in the lab anymore - took the charred and severed jaw and said, "someone hasn't been flossing". Funny.
Empathy Level
By this point, if we don't care about what happens to our cast, then why would we watch? Everyone was on and every piece was essential to each.
Intelligence/Wit
Quirks. Nods. See tv notes below.
Charm/Initial Reaction
Initial reaction? Fuckin' WOW, dude. That's it.
Standalone Strength
Although this episode easily could've been a part 2 from the previous, this season finale rocked as a singular piece of episodic television. Set up, levity, resolution, and openings for more.
FRINGE has skyrocketed to the top of my DVR sched. Fa' sho.
NOTES From the last two eps:
The Road not Taken:
Easter eggs and other shit:
the cereal that walter likes was also in susan's cupboards
Susan's bookshelf included: arthur c. clarke: childhood's end (some sci fi thing) and some other allusions to scifi/fringe related stuff.
olivia's breaks into the house (very sydney bristow)
star trek nutjob played by Clint Howard (nice!) (obviously)
walter's explanations - in layman's terms:
combustion - he used the cereal box
pliability of space and time - deja vu - the road not taken (physically) - he used chalk and the idea of decisions and alternate decisions that take place in other realms
peter explains his music thing - father son - peter really evolving into Walter - Astrid makes not of this.
shadows: olivia walking into susan's apt.. entering, shifting over
There's More Than One of Anything:
Wizard of Oz - Sci-fi easter egg (and alter-universe nod, also)
peter had a childhood memory - important because it's usually Walter. AND, we now know why Peter doesn't remember a lot of Walter's memories.
reiden lake - reiden didn't amass much on google (a volcanic ridge on one of jupiter's moons; city in Switzerland)
shadows: walter telling peter that he had to go to other side to replace something dear to him that he lost. peter is halved by the shadows. symbolism.
Monday, December 21, 2009
TV Winter Wonderland Redux: FRINGE
TV made its impact in my life, once again, in the winter of 2003. I just finished my first semester of Grad School and I had over 5 weeks of time off to do absolutely nothing. For the most part, that's what I did. While doing so, I dusted off the complete sets of Alias Season 1 and 2 that we had in the house and decided to watch them. Numerous TV marathons after, here I am blogging about TV. I decided to take some time off this winter break to start taking a few things off my list. One of them: FRINGE.
There were a lot of reasons I wanted to like this show when it premiered in the Fall of 2008. It was a JJ Abrams joint. It's about weird science fiction. I like TV. I went maybe 4-6 episodes into the season and never loved it. In fact, it disinterested me so much that I discontinued it from my dvr. With having LOST and Battlestar Galactica, I already had enough dark/heady/serious stuff to pay attention to. (Supernatural's well done and sometimes very dark and sometimes steeped in drama, but it's balanced. Smallville's a farce. Eureka's super quirky and light. Bones is also.)
So, I scoffed a bit when I would hear people talk about FRINGE on Facebook like must-see stuff. Like it was a cult-hit worth anything. And, then it began to pick up steam towards the end of the season even from highly pretentious critics (who I often trust, pretentiousness aside). So, with the mix of the enthusiasm of friends and the support by critics that it was watchable, I decided to catch up through NetFlix.
I got through parts of Disc 2 over the past few weeks. Most of these episodes were reruns in a sense because I had seen some of them. But I didn't remember them that much meaning I didn't pay attention while watching because I was engaged. Made it to Disc 3 and some of the stories started picking up. I watched two of those episodes last night. Went onto Disc 4. Watched most of that last night and capped the 4th episode this morning. Boy, it's getting good.
Not sure where the turn happened. There are still some lulls here and there, and some Alias-ing going on. But it's solid - way more solid than Flash Forward, for instance.
Two of the major issues I had when watching it were not connecting with Olivia and not liking Walter - I thought he was hard to understand and thought his quirkiness was more annoying than interesting. Oh, and a third was not being able to see Peter (because I always see Joshua Jackson as "Pasey" from Dawson's Creek.) In fact, this is what I wrote last September:
Fringe, on the other hand, is not Eureka. And, I'm not sure what I think of it yet. Well, I do, actually. I want to like it and I'm hoping that it'll get better. As of now, there are interesting moments but also many moments when I feel disconnected (and somewhat bored). I still haven't warmed to the lead. I still see Pacey. I'm slowly understanding Walter a bit more (I think they're intentionally lessening the density of his lines).
Pretty good. I remembered. Anyway, those issues have dissipated for me. I think Olivia's the shit. They Sydney-ed her. They balanced out her stoicism and scorn with a softer side like what Sydney had in the first season of Alias. Not that I Olivia or Fringe could or should become Sydney or Alias, but the balancing of her story is needed - not because she's a woman and she needs a soft-family side. But ALL lead characters need complexity - and for her it was added when her sister and young niece became part of her life. Then, in the episode "The Ability", the larger arc of the show's mythology and Olivia's life got expanded infinitely. Although, I'm still wondering if that was her or if it was Peter. Here's a review on one of the episodes that was very Alias-ish. Spoilers beware.
Pacey, I mean Peter is growing on me, also. He's essential to the show because he's the only real human of the three leads - or at least as it is now. He also has his internal conflict to resolve with how he interacts with his father. He translates Walter for us. He supports Olivia for us. Slowly, he's also becoming more essential to solving the mysteries with his "network" of guys rather than being a younger and more common sensical version of Walter.
As for Walter, what I had pondered about his lines in fact came into fruition. He did become easier to understand both in his lines and also as a character. His quirks are still out there and sometimes still random but I enjoy them more. I'm not sure if that's just because it grew on me or if they've written them in more naturally. As it typically is, these types of quirks are easier to write once a character has settled in rather than at the beginning when they seem forced. He has become my favorite character in the show. He obviously "knows" everything. He's involved with all the "science". He is also the character that has the largest capacity to grow - and we get to see it every week. He's regaining his humanity. He's gaining some resolution. He's evolving and earning the trust and understanding from Olivia and Peter - just like we're supposed to be doing also.
Last September, I also wrote this about FRINGE:
Earlier in the [2nd] episode, Walter referred to Jules Verne. [I think] That was a nod to original science fiction when technology really was theoretical and the concepts of hard science fed the fluffiness of imagination. So, I appreciated that moment and [it revealed] what I THINK they want this show to be: and old school science fiction jaunt masked in very very heavy drama.
The science is obviously beyond "fringe" and is much more fictional. I don't see an issue with this. It's farfetched, but so are a lot of shows. It's TV. I'm not going to worry about it. What I do like a lot is the sense of adventure this show has. It's also full of suspense, mythology, and an expanding level of empathy for its characters and dynamics.
What I am very interested in, though, involves a larger arc of the series. At first, it seemed like Massive Dynamic would be the core of the mythology of the show - and it still might be. But, in a few episodes there have been a group of people/scientists that believe in metaphysical theories of folded space and time (multiple/parallel universes/planes). They follow a bible based on those theories. (SPOILER!!!!
!!!!! !!!!!! It !!!!! Was !!!! written !!!!! by !!!!!!!!! Walter.)
What it brings up is the great exploration of faith versus science - a theme in all of JJ Abrams "scifi-ish" shows (Alias - Rambaldi's science and his followers' faith, LOST - Locke's faith versus Jack's logic). I don't think faith is the absence of science and science is by far not the absence of faith. Science, in fact, is fueled by faith. Sometimes we are bogged down by the idea that true faith lives in the absence of full knowledge and since science is that method of answering questions that it must be in competition with faith. But science goes nowhere without faith - it goes nowhere without postulating far out ideas that either get proven, disproven, matched, or exceeded. Flight was a matter of faith - faith that it could truly happen and it was achieved through science. Beyond that, though, are the theories of creation and space. Do we really KNOW that we live in a galaxy formed around a SINGULAR ball of gas? And do we really KNOW that the universe is almost infinitely full of these balls of gasses? And do we really KNOW that there is an end to this universe - and if there is - do we really KNOW that there is an absence of anything beyond? We've been taught that - and yes I believe with excitement - but we have no real way of knowing. We can't beam ourselves to the end point or to Saturn or to that galaxy where they recently found a red dwarf star surrounded by a planet that's somewhat similar to Earth. We have faith that all this science is true. I know I'm not the first person to say this and if this is somehow "scientologist" that is very much unintended, but it's a fascinating idea that FRINGE explores and challenges in every episode.
Yes, it's getting good.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Cool Crowd: Dollhouse (Stop-Loss, The Attic)
[Spoilers included. Beware.]
Wow.
Maybe there's something about apocalyptic and surreal sets in the Dollhouse universe that get me all the time, but I thought these two episodes were the best since the "unofficial" Epitath One episode.
These two episodes answered two questions of Dollhouseverse. What happens after a a doll is done with a contract? What happens in the attic? Both also pushed forward the overarching endgame story.
In "Stop-Loss", Victor (or Anthony) reaches the end of his 5-year contract, but with ramifications. The Rossum group has another violent, militia-type arm and it instituted a hostile takeover on Victor's personal freedom - feeding on his loneliness. His run with the Dollhouse may have cured his PTSD, but it didn't give him a community. Sierra's (Priya) role was reduced to a love-interest and victim as Echo took her, the real her, into the rescue mission. It was a good display of how different the effect of the imprints have on different dolls - Echo being superhuman, superdoll utilizes them all. Victor became a better soldier. Priya was reduced to being a the unknowing victim that she was before she entered the Dollhouse. The sensory chip elements were clunky at the least and terribly lame at the most. Yes, it showed how exemplary Echo was, but it really cheapened the sum of the episode because it seemed forced. Afterwards, DeWitt gets a moment of clarity , sort of. She ices Echo! Yes! Victor, Sierra, Topher, and Boyd take on DeWitt and Eliza's two emoticons are gone! Actually, no. DeWitt sends Echo to the Attic.. along with Victor and Sierra. Boyd gets escorted out. And DeWitt emerges as a true blue Cruella DeWitt, like Topher said.
"The Attic" seemed like a natural part-2 to this mini Arc although each episode was meant to stand on their own. The tide was drastically changing in the Dollhouse. DeWitt has turned into a corporate sycophant who's hellbent on downing Echo to regain complete control of her Dollhouse. For the first time, Topher seemed to be in legitimate danger. The other subplot in this episode was the task of regenerating Ballard's brain function by imprinting him. Topher gets an assist, a hand-off if you will, from his.. assistant in figuring out a way to generate that function. Wildcat formation - they decided to try to imprint another part of his brain. Is that real? I don't know. It was interesting though. And now, we have get to guess what part of the brain was sacrificed? Well, it wasn't his anger section (medula oblongata?). I think they might have wiped his feelings for Echo.
The more epic and imprinting, pun!, story of this episode was the attic. There already is a large homage to The Matrix that this show makes with imprint technology as its essence. The attic experiences spoke even more closely to the Matrix. There's a worldwide network of all the Dollhouse attics that feed off of adrenaline and detect actives by anger. Never seeing it, I think there was a hint of The Cell also since we were inside various heads and there were many surreal images. One big reveal is that Echo's original identity pre-Dollhouse, Caroline, holds the answers to bringing down the Rossum group. The other big reveal was more exciting: DeWitt's not a corporate sycophant. In fact, she's played her part well to stay under the radar and is now becoming the leader that she once was. DeWitt sent Echo into the attic knowing that she would be able to find the answers. She brought Ballard back because they need more help. It is now the LA Dollhouse's job to bring down the larger, more evil Rossum group. Cue the final act.
Not sure why Sierra and Victor had to go the Attic, also. Did DeWitt believe they were as abnormal as Echo was? Did she think Echo needed their support? There were a lot of incomplete conversations in DeWitt's office that we're not supposed to know about. Did DeWitt play the part all the way through until she knew Echo came out of the plan alive? What was the point of Topher's assistant's reaction when she returned to the lab after her talks with DeWitt?
This was a great episode for numerous reasons: the two big reveals set up a great final run, the work dynamics between Topher, Boyd, and Dewitt were done well, the Attic imagery was extremely dark and disturbing (but meaningful), and everyone else but Eliza had to convey the deepest emotions.
But, these two episodes bring up a legitimate , yes useless, question: What could Joss Whedon have done realistically to extend this series beyond two full seasons (44 episodes)? The pimping-per-week stories grew old. The only times this series has run full throttle was during their sprints towards the end of seasons (and essentially the end of the series). Season one: Echo frees herself from the slavery of the imprint technology. Season two: Echo masters the imprint technology. There would have been the spread of the technology to the general public aka weaponry. But, how would have those bigger, cooler ideas have been broken down each week in the rent-a-doll formula? Would it have been abandoned after Season 2?
Not sure. There must have been a longer endgame, but I'm not sure the filler in between would have been good enough to give this show a longer shelf-life.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Cool Crowd: 1st week of Dec 09
Not a complete run of each show.. the shows on the rotation being:
Glee
Supernatural
Stargate Universe
V
Flash Forward
Smallville
Dollhouse
Bones
Last week, the new episodes were only available for Glee, FF, Dollhouse, SGU, and Bones.
Bones was enjoyable as always, but I'll leave it at that. I LOVE BONES. And at that.
Glee was also enjoyable. A nasty Sue. Shue finally realizing the truth. Most excited is the end of that arc. I've realized that my most enjoyable experiences with Glee are:
- the "musical" scenes of Glee - no, not just the singing, but when the singing and dancing is done OUTSIDE of the regular performances
- the drama is mainly about the kids and their families
- Sue being Sue
- and, of course, the poignant and sweet musical pieces (like when they were supporting Quinn, supporting Quinn and Finn, and during the Imagine performance with the choir from the school for the deaf.)
My least usually are the scenes that involve:
- Shue's wife
AND
- the counselor girl
I think Mercedes and Rachel have the best female voices (easy). I think Artie by far has the best male voice.
Now, onto the two surprises of the week as experienced in SGU and Flash Forward.
Both rookie shows had good pilots that allowed for a lot of fun, detailed, action packed drama in the coming story telling. Both shows have been widely uneven in cluding ensemble casts where only a few characters have shined and some weeks that may be interesting but relatively leave us viewers with mixed feelings - if not complete dissatisfaction. But, last week, both had some very interesting episodes.
Flash Forward: A561984
* Charm/Initial Reaction *
My initial reaction to this episode was.. "hold up, this is actually good. I have to pause this and watch it when I am going to pay attention." Really. There have been way too many episodes of this series so far that were ridiculously forgettable. I've been trying to be patient to wait for the payoff - hoping there was a payoff. Invasion started slowly and rolled to the end that never got resolved, but I'm glad I stuck by it. I felt like this episode, though still having faults, should've been the 4th of the season. There were SOME answers that emerged into more questions. The character I particularly care for, Dimitri, was essential. Simon became a real part of the story. The action was good. The trailers for the upcoming shows look good too. Let's hope they follow through.
* Advancement of Plot *
There was a lot of advancement in this episode. This being a serialized drama, it needed it. The characters needed it. The audience needed it. Finally, there was levity to what was going on in the world. Only a few episodes have dealt with it.
* Character Development *
There are three extremely important characters in this show so far: Mark, Dimitri, and Simcoe. Two of them moved forward while other supporting characters moved ahead also. Every episode can't say this and more FF eps have been terrible at pushing forward stories and empathy.
* Empathy Level *
I don't trust Simcoe, but I did care about him and where he was headed. Dimitri's impending death is becoming more real and yes, I care. Why? He's the only character that I really have any attachment to.
* Intelligence/Wit
This show isn't much of a witty show. Not sure if there are easter eggs or little bits that can pique a fanboy's brain. I guess, for this show, there was action and reveals that made sense. So, I guess that works.
Mark, as a lead, still doesn't emit much of a need for empathy. I don't care much for Bryce one way or the other. He's just there until they run standalones for him that get NOBODY anywhere.
* Standalone Strength *
Yes, it could stand alone. This series has had some good standalones. I don't think that is where this series struggles. It's connecting the weekly goings-on with the bigger picture and vice versa. Two main arcs: the Hong Kong story and Simcoe. I guess the running theme between the two stories are the impending guilt over situations that we assume aren't or will not be intentional.
Stargate Universe: Justice
* Charm/Initial Reaction *
Like FF, I had the same initial reaction a few minutes into the episode. Finally, something worth paying attention to. There have been some good episodes - or almost-good episodes here and there since the pilot. There have been the "how will we survive on this dying ship" episodes. There were the "let's deal with our shit through the [super lame] communication stones" episodes. There have been the bigger action episodes. Most seemed a little canned. Yes, character has been explored, but not effectively. In "Justice" there was a murder mystery. There was an increased tension on control over the ship. There were NO communication stones.
* Advancement of Plot *
Though there may have been explorations of characters, they haven't always been enmeshed in the larger story. This series relies on that larger story. This isn't about the Enterprise that explores worlds - this is about survival and how the peopleon board are reacting.
This episode's power struggle came to a powerful "end" that will have major ramifictaions in future episodes. What will happen now?
* Character Development *
What will happen now? Rush will have to survive. What will happen when he returns.
Camille is stepping up. Not sure I liked the female - male dynamic.
* Empathy Level *
Who did I care for? People, I suppose. Eli's always my favorite on the show. Chloe, not so much. Scott, not much either. The other soldier, I forgot his name, the hothead is becoming more interesting I believe. Corporal what's his face also got much more interesting after what happened.
* Intelligence/Wit
Tough to find wit in this show. Some nods to fans come in cameos (I assume. Never really been into the Stargate franchise.) The reveal about the "murder-mystery" didn't do much for me. Who else would it have been? The fight, though, was very interesting. At least lines are being drawn.
* Standalone Strength *
I suppose all of these episodes are meant for more singular episodic arcs wrapped in this general idea of survival on a wayward ship. This though, being a much better episode than others, stood out.
Overall, TWO great surprises as first half-of season finales. Flash Forward's previews looked awesome. Hopefully those just cover the first 3 or 4 episodes meaning they won't put one great scene in each episode and drag out the story. They need to go all-in. SGU can handle lowered expectations on SyFy. Flash Forward's only got a 1 season guarantee. They better step up.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Bringing back the Ranksgivings.
Back in 2006 when I decided to blog about television, I concocted a ranking system for all the hour-long dramas I watched each week. Since then, I decided to remove the ranking system because some shows that ranked "lower" seemed to be getting short changed. What did it really matter? I'm the only one reading this.
What matters though is that after reading over some of my older reviews, I've found that my viewing focus (and skill) was much more keen before. That's due, a lot, to being on a laptop or in the middle of a Words with Friends battle on the ipod while I watch the show. I think renewing this structure will help me be a more active viewer. I do want to get back to writing, so this is a good way to bring it back.
In my Wes Mantooth voice: "I hate you STRUCTURE..... but DAMN do I respect you."
the categories:
* Advancement of Plot *
(How well the show pushes forth the ongoing stories whether long term or short term. This doesn’t count for episode-contained plots. See Standalone Strength)
* Character Development *
(How well the show adds depth, complexity, and reasoning behind its characters.)
* Empathy Level *
(How well the show made me connect to the characters.)
* Intelligence/Wit
(I wasn’t sure how to operationalize humor since it isn’t necessarily a high point of focus for all of the shows. Instead, I felt that all writing has a level of complexity and wit to it without it necessarily being laugh-out-loud funny.)
* Charm/Initial Reaction *
(This is the original ranking system of initial enjoyment pre-BCS.)
* Standalone Strength *
(This is a tricky category because some shows are obviously built as serials. With that, I still believe each show, as in every chapter in a book, should be written within a compact, digestible arc. I believe that every episode should have all the elements of plot: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. In the end, this category is asking, “Can I enjoy this episode by itself?”)
and I'm removing this one
- Long Term Bias
(This acknowledges that I’m already bought in to many of my must-see shows. Therefore, I’ve subtracted a point from each of these shows that qualify for long-term bias. Yet, I must contend that long-term bias can also mean that I’m harder on some episodes if I feel it’s under-par of past episodes.)
I won't be comparing the shows against each other. So, naturally, this won't be a ranking system. Instead, it will be a viewing and reviewing guideline. Hence, the need for a "Long Term Bias" category is unneeded.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Movies. Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, still no one is reading.
I've had the opportunity to dive into some movies I've been wanting to see the past couple of weeks. Here we go:
Away We Go
Jim from The Office. Maya from SNL. You'd expect hilarity. No. I forgot that this was a Sam Mendes movie. Not that that's a bad thing, of course. This film experience was a good example of studio's mis-marketing. It was advertised as a quirky comedy, but it was much more of drama with hints of humor.
The film is a mix of a romantic dramedy, buddy pic, and road movie. It took me a few scenes to get into it, but once I finished I felt compelled to go back to some scenes and review the subtle or not so subtle landmarks the characters experienced.
Why I liked it? I'm not sure. I like slower movies and liked the characters enough at the end to care during its most poignant moment.
Drag Me to Hell
I was all up on this movie to see Sam Raimi do his thing even though I wasn't really into his thing before Spider-Man. No, it's not because of Spider-Man, but I knew he had a visual style that I wanted to check out. Horror? Yes. Comedy? Yes. Drag Me to Hell? I should've seen it in the movie theater. Why? Because there were shrieks, ewws, and yucks that would've been fun to experience with a crowd. Did I like it? Yes. I don't think there was much depth, but I didn't expect any. I didn't want to think to much and the movie didn't ask me to. There were scares, gross moments, chuckles due to the outrageousness of the "horror" scenes. I was entertained.
The Wrestler
I had the highest hope for this film being a wrestling fan all of my life and the fact that this covered the grittier side of the industry with respect. I've never seen any of Aronofsky's other movies although I've intended to. I thought the story was simple - the characters more complex. Although, Randy the Ram was by far the most complex. Bill Simmons either made or echoed a solid comment that Randy the Ram's story, a once hyper successful 80s wrestler (it's first national heyday) mimicked Mickey Rourke's career. There was early and vast success that deteriorated within missed opportunities and the damage of drug abuse. Marisa Tomei did a great job portraying Cassidy but we've seen that character before. They worked well together, I thought. Overall, it was done well, entertaining, tragically sad, and appreciative of the workers (the indie and somewhat successful wrestlers it featured in the film).
I was mildly disappointed in, what I feel, was the spoon-fed symbolism. One being the comparison of the wrestler's life with the stripper's life: selling of your body, performing under a different name so much that it becomes who you are to the people that are your "fans", the dead-ended nature of the industry once you're not at optimal physical condition. I also thought the scene where Randy's first going out to man the deli counter didn't need the sound track that came along with it. If you've seen it, you'll know what I was talking about. Fatal flaws? Not at all. I just feel that indies beg for more subtlety.
