Last Man on Earth

Will Forte takes a crack at TV with a new comedy on Fox called Last Man on Earth. The premise is as simple as it sounds and Forte is funny enough to be able to handle the camera himself for long periods of time, but the show takes a dynamic turn rather quickly (2nd episode I believe). Not to ruin this thing, but Forte is NOT ALONE. Forte is put in various situations and my personal favorite is his inflatable pool filled with booze and margarita mix. This show has slowly been falling out of favor with me as his characters quirks and antics are already getting old. I originally thought it was pretty funny, but I'm already close to punting on this one. McGruber is the only reason I've stuck it out as long as I have. Bottom Line: 5.9 out of 10. Not recommending this one unless you are a BIG Will Forte fan.

Foxcatcher

The tale of Mark & Dale Schultz and the interactions with John du Pont could have probably been an entire TV series with several seasons. The eccentricities and complexities of Du Pont were just scratched in Foxcatcher, but even that is very impressive. Mark Schultz won the 1984 gold medal and was primed to repeat in 1988. His coach, best friend, and mentor was his older brother Dale. They both won gold medals at 1984, but Mark was the prime candidate to repeat due to being younger. John Du Pont, part of the Du Pont chemical fortune, decides to "help" Mark in his training by paying him to stay and train with the people of his choosing at Foxcatcher Farm. The farm is located on the du Pont estate in Newtown Square, PA near Valley Forge. Mark excitedly tells Dave, but Dave has no desire to uproot his family and move to PA. Mark starts training and brings some other wrestlers to Foxcatcher Farm. Du Pont and Mark become very close at Mark wins the World championship and seems primed to repeat his Olympic gold medal victory in 1988 in Seoul. Things become complication and Mark becomes psychologically damaged. Dave is brought in to help, but the situation worsens. The story is really the character study and performances of Tatum, Ruffalo, and Carell. All are very strong, though I will say after seeing the documentary that is shown being created in the film, Carell is too much in his portrayal of du Pont. Tatum is excellent as a wrestler in total mental & emotional turmoil. Ruffalo is phenomenal as Dale Schultz. I really thought his portrayal of Dale Schultz was especially impressive considering he is 47 and he looked like he could still wrestle at the Olympic level. Bottom Line: 8.7 out of 10. Very good movie that covers a TON of ground and very complex issues. It neither condemns or deifies anyone in the story. Very well done.

Whiplash: J.K. Simmons Oscar on a Silver Platter

J.K. Simmons playing a psychotic band teacher prone to fits of rage? How could THAT role EVER work out? It was made for J.K. Simmons and he knocks it out of the park for the most part. The film follows a drummer prodigy played by Myles Teller who is accepted into an academy to essentially play drums. He works harder than everyone and gets invited to Simmons' symphony as a freshman (AKA "First year" in band talk), which simply doesn't happen. Simmons threatens him and berates him verbally, as well as the other players. Teller becomes even more devoted to his craft and essentially obsessed by it. He practices the point of blisters and callouses that bleed all over the drums. The relationship between Simmons and Teller is essentially the film, but there's entirely too much Teller & not enough Simmons, hence the best SUPPORTING actor Oscar for Simmons. Bottom Line: 8.2 out of 10. Certainly worth watching for Simmons just OWNING it as the psychotic band teacher. Not on par with some of the other best films nominated, but it's worth watching.

House of Cards: Still Awesome

I hope there isn't anyone surprised that House of Cards is great in Season 3. A phenomenal cast, interesting and well-written story, and such interesting subject matter come together beautifully again. Robin Wright & Kevin Spacey carry the heaviest weight, but the various seasoned newcomers do a great job of helping out. The standard twists and turns continue to shock & awe. I love how the show continues to pull no punches and plow through incredible moments and subject matter. What's sacred? How far would one go to accomplish their goals, or their goals for the nation? What constitutes a friend that you would do anything for, or someone you just use until they aren't useful anymore? It's so fascinating because you feel like this could very well be true. It could ALL be exactly how politics functions. It's probably infinitely more exciting than the petty bullshit that fills the average dealings of our Washington folks. It does make politics interesting, so that has to be a win. I love how it focuses on just one party and doesn't deal with the back & forth and begging for votes to push things through like the past seasons. It's probably the best show currently airing. Mad Men has a chance to unseat that with it's final season, but I'm doubting it. Bottom Line: GET ON BOARD. If you haven't watched it yet STOP waiting and get Netflix or borrow someone's password & username.