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The Bridge starring Diane Kruger: Goes Between Very Engaging & Seriously Boring

Posted on August 22, 2013 Written by ripitup

The Bridge is an adaptation of the Danish-Swedish show called (Bron/Broen).

I came across it while I was checking out summer thriller series, and I go between really liking the show and being turned off by it.

The Bridge is like a weird combination of gory thriller, compelling human drama and well, annoying soap. I hate the soap part. Let me walk you over the plot if you haven’t checked it out already:

El Paso detective Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) and Mexican cop Marco Ruiz (Damien Bichir) find themselves at the same crime scene when a murder has cut a body in half, and well placed it so that half will be on the Mexican and half on American soil. Sonya is a *strange workaholic who follows the rules, and because the victim is an American judge, claims the crime scene is theirs. Marco has no objections.

But it later turns out that one half of the body doesn’t belong to the judge, but a Mexican woman-which also gets the Mexico PD involved.

There is a serial killer out there who is killing Mexican women so that people will pay attention, but he isn’t above trying to kill or threaten others who get in his way.

It doesn’t help matters that the killer loves sending his messages through the substance-loving journalist Daniel Frye (Matthew Lillard), Sonya has a condition which disables her to be sensitive, diplomatic or empathetic, there’s a secret tunnel a widower’s (Annabeth Gish) late husband used for illegal purposes and Marco’s marriage is about to get on shaky ground. And then there is Steven Linder (Thomas M. Wright) who would quite fit the profile of a serial killer, except he seems to be more interested in saving women in some way than killing them….

I really like the (possibly) Asperger’s syndrome-suffering Sonya and how her condition makes for stressful, difficult or sometimes downright funny situations.

For instance: how Marco’s wife found out a certain thing.

I like how Marco presents a full contrast to Sonya’s rule-abiding and literal behavior and logic.

The serial killer aspect is engaging, chilling and it is fun watching Marco’s interactions with Hank (Sonya’s boss, played by Ted Levine), Sonya and others at the station.

But even though the events might be connected, I absolutely can’t stand the widow, the female Mexican gangster as well as the male one and their interactions with anyone. It feels too much like a soap.

I also don’t understand why we have to see the personal life of every character, minor or major. I am not interested in Marco’s wife’s life outside of Marco or the kids, the widow’s sex/business partnership with Ray (Bryan Van Holt) or internal/external struggles of Daniel.

So the show ranges from promising to annoying, boring to engaging and back. So far I have seen all episodes, but I did use the fast-forward button at times. I recommend giving it a shot, but be prepared for all the goriness and raunchiness FX allows.

I’m not against gory or raunchy if used well, but I just didn’t see the point of Ray going down on the Mexican mob woman, e.g. I don’t think a lot of viewers enjoyed the scene. Oh well… I’ll give it the next episode for the sake of all the scenes that were worth watching.

Yeah, I know, I have mixed feelings about the show. I also think each episode can be 5-10 minutes shorter. I’d watch the original, but I’ve been to movie message boards and know who the killer is there. Ouch.

How do you like The Bridge? And have you seen the original?

Fun cast note: Matthew Lillard and Diane Kruger worked together before in Wicker Park.

Also on Diane Kruger

Unknown starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones & Aidan Quinn

Wicker Park starring Josh Hartnett, Diane Kruger, Rose Byrne & Matthew Lillard

Copying Beethoven starring Ed Harris, Diane Kruger and Matthew Goode

The Hunting Party starring Richard Gere, Terrence Howard and Jesse Eisenberg

Basic starring John Travolta, Connie Nielsen and Samuel L. Jackson

Posted on June 30, 2010 Written by ripitup

Basic starring John Travolta, Connie Nielsen and Samuel L. Jackson. Image via now-movies.com

Army Ranger Dunbar (Brian Van Holt) is being interrogated by Captain Julia Osborne (Connie Nielsen). The situation is very serious: Dunbar’s team mates from Special Forces trainees and their sergeant Nathan West (Samuel L. Jackson) are all missing, presumed dead. The only other survivor aside from Dunbar is Kendall (Giovanni Ribisi), and he is lying in a hospital bed, in critical condition. There is a big chance Dunbar is guilty but when he says he will only talk to another ranger like him, Osborne’s supervisor Styles (Tim Daly) decides to call in a favor from his old friend/ex-Ranger Tom Hardy (John Travolta)- despite her objections.

Osborne and Hardy don’t at first get along that well. After all Hardy has left the army, is now a DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agent. It doesn’t help build her trust that there have been some bribery charges against him and he is sort of suspended.

But when Hardy proves himself as great an interrogator as Styles said he was, Osborne decides to follow his lead. After all, he has gotten both Kendall and Dunbar to talk. The problem is, their stories are contradicting. And even more confusing is the fact that Kendall seems to be showing Dunbar in a guilty light despite the fact that he saved Kendall’s life.

So what is the real story? Did one of the soldiers finally lose it because of how horribly West treated them? Or is it a whole lot more complicated than that?

I loved this movie. In fact, I adored it. I do have a weakness for John Travolta movies- especially thrillers: Do Face Off, Broken Arrow, Swordfish, From Paris with Love, Mad City ring a bell? Yes, there are more but these are my favorites and Basic joined them right away. The difference of Basic, though is that the action doesn’t exactly involve Travolta. We get flashbacks to the awful stormy location where the soldiers were supposed to complete their training. There is great suspense and as many great twists as in a John Grisham novel. I loved how the story surprises and entertains and impresses you at all times. The movie, in my opinion is horribly underrated at 6.3 on IMDB. I think it is a solid 8 but I rated a 9 for the entertainment level and frankly to get the movie closer to the rating it deserves. Written by James Vanderbilt. Directed by John McTiernan.

A very strong drama/thriller with a great cast. Now, that’s my kind of movie .

Posts featuring Travolta:

Hairspray

From Paris with Love

Actor Musicians and Musician Actors

Favorite Actors to Play Villains

Buy Basic on Amazon.com

Cougar Town starring Courteney Cox

Posted on April 2, 2010 Written by ripitup

Cougar Town starring Courtney Cox — It was time we got a decent comedy. Yes, it started airing in 2009 and I just discovered it. But hey, trust me- the concept will never go out of fashion. Courtney is just as funny as she was as Monica. And even more gorgeous. Photo from: impawards.com

Courteney Cox is back and Cougar Town makes me want to watch Dirt. Well, most probably the only thing these two have in common is Courteney Cox and that’s OK.

Cougar Town cast featuring Courtney Cox, Josh Hopkins, Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd, Brian Van Holt, Christa Miller and Ian Gomez — Cougar Town Cast. From left: Josh Hopkins, Busy Philips, Christa Miller, Ian Gomez and Brian Van Holt. Sitting down: Courteney Cox and Dan Byrd. Photo from: http://blog.newsok.com/television/files

Cougar Town basically rocks. It is not exactly original but it is not originality that makes it work. I mean I am guessing you have seen the hot 40-year-old single mother with a teenage son, trying to cope in the world? The cute but reckless and immature ex husband? The hot single male neighbor dating younger chicks only to later develop a crush on our hot single mom? The edgy, Grinchy best friend who could have actually got along with House?

You did see it before. But most probably not all together, set in Florida, along with a younger, air-headed blonde employee and now with this much chemistry between the characters. And by chemistry, I mean comedic timing.

The premise:

Jules Cobb (Courteney Cox) is 40, newly divorced and not very hopeful about her future love life. She is surrounded by younger women dating older men or older women dating younger men. Not that men her own age seem promising: Her next door neighbor Grayson (Josh Hopkins)- also newly divorced- has made a habit of dating college girls. She is also busy raising her teenage son Travis (Dan Byrd), supporting ex-husband Bobby (Brian Van Holt), trying to keep her two best friends- neighbor Ellie (Christa Miller) and employee Laurie (Busy Philips) from killing each other. But Laurie has other plans. Just because Jules didn’t spend much time partying and dating before, doesn’t mean she can’t start now.

So Jules throws her private life into the equation: mostly gorgeous younger men.

But maybe neither her ex nor Grayson aren’t as shallow as they seem….

The funniness level:

The pilot is by far one of the funniest pilots I have ever seen. The show doesn’t really care about men’s feelings, let me tell you. Although, I think men will like Grayson, Bobby and some men will find familiar territory with the family man/Ellie’s husband Andy (Ian Gomez).

Although the show is no way verbally or visually as explicit as Sex and The City (mind you, I love Sex and The City), it shows women out there. With all the beauty issues, family obligations, careers, relationships and sexual/romantic needs, what women think and feel are openly explored:

Laurie doesn’t analyze relationships as well or often as she should and ends up in the beds of wrong men.
Jules’ colleague Barb is like SATC’s Samantha a decade and some plastic surgeries later.
Ellie has a hilarious way of showing married life sex.
And Jules…well, Jules even has to teach one of her boyfriends how to kiss. And women are all familiar with the “too much tongue” issue that most men seem to be going through.

Women will have fun. And men will have fun. But I suspect women will laugh a little more. You will not be laughing out loud all the time, but you will be entertained. And it is no sitcom. So no laughter effects and no tiny little set. Oh, and a word for the hopeless rock addicts like me: Bobby has a great rocknroll taste in music.