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Showing posts with label Harry Dean Stanton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harry Dean Stanton. Show all posts

Monday, July 17, 2017

Twin Peaks: The Return 1.10: "No Stars"

Twin Peaks: The Return 1.10 tonight concluded with a better than usual song, which is saying a lot, since those concluding songs are often the best part of the episode.  Tonight's song, sung by Rebekah Del Rio - who, I don't know, reminds me a little of Monica Lewinsky, was entitled "No Stars," a nice touch, since the episode has even more stars than usual, but who's counting.

One of those stars, Harry Dean Stanton, even sung a song himself, "Red River Valley," as one of our psycho bad guys left a river of blood in a nearby trailer.   There's no end to the evil on Twin Peaks, every bit as prevalent as the inscrutable.

As to the central plot, we're making maybe a little bit of progress with good Cooper recovering his identity.  At very least, coming with Jones' beautiful wife leaves him with a big grin on his face, which is the most emotion by far we've seen from this zombie in the past nine episodes.

The FBI is also making some small painstaking progress in getting on top or to the bottom of this, getting a crucial photograph of bad Cooper at the scene of a New York crime.   But the question still remains of when someone will make a breakthrough in either putting this all together, or, in good Cooper's case, realizing who he is.

I've been assuming all along that before The Return concludes, we'll have that epiphany, but for some reason, after tonight's episode, I'm not so sure.  No matter, as the long as the episodes keep concluding with outstanding songs in front of that red curtain.

See also Twin Peaks: The Return 1.1-2: Superluminal Sans Cherry Pie ... 1.3-4: Coffee and Cole ... 1.5: The Mod Squad Meets Big Love in the Diner ... 1.6: Red Door and Childish Scribbles ... 1.7: Lost and Not Lost ... 1.8: Atom Bomb and Mr. Homn ... 1.9: "I Don't See No Hidden Buttons"


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Sunday, January 10, 2010

Big Love Season 4 Starts with Casino, Psycho, and Birds

Well, I missed the Beachboys and the skating on cracking ice at the beginning, but otherwise, what a splendid return of Big Love for its fourth season on HBO this evening!

Harry Dean Stanton puts in what is likely one last performance as Roman Grant, in the flesh - but it's been frozen, courtesy of Adaleen, and placed in a chair in a pose reminiscent of Norman's dear mother in Hitchcock's Psycho. She's been writing checks and doing business under his name, which attracts the FBI, and a whole lot of aggravation for both Alby and Bill.

Alby, however, may have an ace in the hole, with the new trustee of Juniper Creek. The two have a romp in the woods, prior to either knowing who the other is. Lots of room here for some good story complications.

The FBI dogging Bill may ruin his new casino partnership with the Blackfoot Indians, but so far so good. Kenny Rogers was supposed to sing "The Gambler" at the opening, but Ben and his band step up when Kenny's plane is delayed, and Ben does a great job with the song. The patrons certainly liked it, and gambled away a whole bunch of money.

Bill's relationship with Nikki may at last be soon "repaired," to use that great term of Barb's for sleeping together again. Margene certainly hopes so, she's been picking up Nikki's "share" - "not that I mind," Margene adds, but still.

Zeljko Ivanek's back as Nikki's first husband and the father of their teenaged daughter. At this point, he's apparently off Heroes and Damages, but still on True Blood and it's good to see him in Big Love. With Harry Dean off the show, Zeljko's an excellent addition to Bruce Dern and Grace as inimitable Big Love creepy, crazy characters. Ok, Frank and Lois are sometimes endearing, too, and there were some fine scenes tonight with parrots.

So Big Love is off to a fine new season. And, hey, though I did miss the Beachboys, it was good to hear Johnny Cash singing "Walk the Line" as Frank drove into town.


6-min podcast review of Big Love

See also: Big Love, Season 3 ... 1. a 4th ... 2. Two Issues Resolved, Two Not So Much ... 6. Exquisite, Perfectly Played ... Big Love Season 3 Finale: Bigger Love ...

And from Season 2: 2: Oh, Happy Day, and Not ... 3: Sons and Mothers ... 4. Help Me, Rhonda ... 5. The Waitress and More... 6. Just Lust ... 7. Margene's Mama ... 8. Polygamy and Misgivings ... 9. Swing Vote Margene ... 10. Polygamy as the Ultimate Cool/Bad ... 11. Family in Crisis ... Big Love Season 2 Concludes







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The Plot to Save Socrates









"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book

Monday, March 23, 2009

Big Love Season 3 Finale: Bigger Love

An at turns breathtaking, heart rending, heart warming, and mostly highly satisfying finale to an outstanding Season 3 of Big Love last night on HBO.

The two things I liked most -

1. Sarah's engaged to her love, and Bill (and more or less Barb) will not stand in the way. Sarah's always been one of my favorite characters on show. She's been a through a pregnancy and losing the baby this season, and I'm glad to see her putting her life together. I assume we'll be seeing a little less of her in subsequent seasons, if she and her husband don't live with Bill and company, that's ok. Good job Amanda Seyfried!

2. Nikki reconnected with her 14-year old daughter, and both will be living with the Henricksons. This is an important development. Bill said last week that something deep inside Nikki was "broken," which he didn't know how to fix. It may well be that what was most undermining Nikki's life and sanity was her guilt about abandoning her daughter. Their reunion, and Bill's taking them both in, should make a big difference. Fine performance Chloƫ Sevigny!

Otherwise, Roman's dead - killed by Joey. I don't mind that (though I'll miss Harry Dean Stanton). But the story skipped a bit too quickly from Roman having a gun on Bill on the road, and then Roman showing up on the compound and Bill at FBI offices ... So, how did Bill get away from Roman?

But that's a minor quibble to great finale of a great season of Big Love! Bill Paxton was great Bill H., Ginnifer Goodwin as Margene, and Jeanne Tripplehorn as Barb! I'm looking forward to Season 4 of this series, which manages to make a guy married to three women as truly much the same as the couple living next door.




5-min podcast review of Big Love finale

See also: Big Love, Season 3 ... 1. a 4th ... 2. Two Issues Resolved, Two Not So Much ... 6. Exquisite, Perfectly Played








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The Plot to Save Socrates



"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book


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Monday, August 27, 2007

Big Love Season 2 Concludes: Polygamy and Great Performances Affirmed

Big Love concluded its second season on HBO tonight with an affirmation of the Henricksons by Barb. Of course there were other important threads, but the most important was Barb's resolution of her status in the family - to Bill, Nikki, and Marge.

As I noted in reviews of previous episodes, I think Barb has been struggling to find herself and her truest feelings about her polygamous marriage all this year. A large part of this process has been dealing with what the public knows of her family. Season One ended on the humiliating outing of Barb as polygamous by the judges of the state contest for best mother - behind the scenes, but still degrading for Barb.

In the visit to the gambling casino a few weeks ago, Barb looked happy at the end, when Bill announced to his new partners that Barb and Margene were both his wives.

Tonight, it was Barb who did the announcing to the neighbors. This will be a profound change for the Henricksons - they will no longer be denying their lives to at least the people on their block.

Two other great performances tonight were given by Amanda Seyfried as Sarah, who finally gave herself to her boyfriend, and Harry Dean Stanton, who played Roman just right after coming out his drugged days and nights.

I won't tell you the ending, in case you haven't seen it, but suffice to say that Bill will have his hands full, at least business-wise, in Season 3 - but, of course, that's the way it's been from day one in this marvelous, winning series.

See also reviews of other episodes: 2: Oh, Happy Day, and Not ... 3: Sons and Mothers ... 4. Help Me, Rhonda ... 5. The Waitress and More... 6. Just Lust ... 7. Margene's Mama ... 8. Polygamy and Misgivings ... 9. Swing Vote Margene ... 10. Polygamy as the Ultimate Cool/Bad ... 11. Family in Crisis






The Plot to Save Socrates


"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
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