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Reviews
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Great Woody Allen Picture
I don't love Owen Wilson, but I think this role gets every good quality out of him possible, and his charm really drives the film forward. Midnight is the perfect Woody pic because it has lightness, comedy, human neurosis, philosophical drivel, and hatred for the same philosophical drivel, all wrapped up together. I love the more Apatow sort of comedies that dominate today, but this was a more classic and thought-provoking sort of film that I think raises the standard and refreshes the palette. I think it is great when a comedy can be nominated for best picture, and this one certainly deserves to be this year. Go see it for date night, and if you are with the right sort of woman when you do, you should marry her.
Hell on Wheels (2011)
Best thing AMC has put on.
And that is a lot for me to say because I think Breaking Bad is the second best TV show ever, right after the Wire. Me and my wife both love this show, and it leads to great conversations after each episode, about American history, bible stories, western movies, why bohannon is such an attractive man, whatever. I think the show ran the risk of taking on way too much subject matter early on in the show (a common mistake in dramas nowadays), but they still include enough character development and detail to make the environment intimate and real, while still plowing through their dozen or more plot threads. I just hope AMC realizes that they are going to have to continue spending money on this show to keep it good, and that they don't slash the budget like they did Walking Dead (which pretty much stagnated that show).