It’s that time of year again, when the television industry hands out awards that essentially mean nothing (to anyone who isn’t a nominee, winner or someone who works with them), but provide a nice framework for discussing the year in TV. As always these are nothing to take too seriously but it is a welcome chance to celebrate when the right nominee emerges victorious. This year in particular provides a lot of possibilities for recognizing what I consider the best television has to offer, as the perennial winners somehow seem weak (although I say that every year and they still win). The Emmys are a different beast than the Oscars, as there are not 20 other awards given out to the same batch of nominees for the 3 months leading up to them. It is much more difficult and fun to predict these winners and the possibilities seem endless before your hopes are shot down. Will the Modern Family spell finally be broken? Will Breaking Bad finally win for what may have been its worst batch of episodes in 3 years (still fantastic and arguably better than the other nominees)? Will Louis C.K. parlay his record breaking nomination haul to an acting or producing win? Did Emmy voters love the final 30 Rock season as much as the rest of us? Will they acknowledge the moronic lack of nominations for Arrested Development’s revival? As usual, I will let my own personal bias sway me when I don’t think there is a lock to win, which may be true for every single category this year. So go forth and enjoy my meaningless commentary on a meaningless awards show that I might not even be watching in real time due to Breaking Bad’s penultimate episode.
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When I first saw the Prisoners trailer, the cast looked great and the story interesting but I assumed the trailer gave away everything so it sat in the back of my mind as something I might see if I had extra time. Then it began to premiere at festivals and the buzz grew exponentially. What once looked like a throwaway thriller became an instant must-see that clearly had more to it than the trailer suggested. I was a little worried my expectations were too high, but this thriller did not disappoint. The basic story is that two young girls go outside to play during a Christmas dinner and then disappear. A fidgety, quiet suspect named Alex (Paul Dano) is immediately taken into custody and he looks the part perfectly, so you just assume he is guilty. After detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhall) is unable to find any evidence against Alex, he is released despite the families' protests. At this point, one of the fathers (Hugh Jackman) takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps Alex to get any information he has. Perhaps this seems like it is spoiling too much - and it would be for any ordinary film - but this story continues to twist, turn and add layers until it all falls beautifully into place in the finale. Personally I did not see the end coming and did not feel any of the red herrings were superfluous. It is amazing how quickly this 150 minute film moves and leaves you satisfied but wanting just a little bit more. |
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