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Something New starring Simon Baker

Posted on April 30, 2010 Written by ripitup

Something New starring Simon Baker and Sanaa Lathan. Image from: http://www.impawards.com/

When successful corporate lawyer Kenya ( Sanaa Lathan) is set up on a blind date, she is less than pleased to see that her date is Brian Kelly (Simon Baker). Not that Brian isn’t good-looking. He is. The problem? He is white. So Kenya doesn’t even give him a chance. But after a chance encounter and a situation she can’t get out of, she decides to hire Brian as a landscape architect for her garden. Even though she thinks they don’t have much in common, their personalities and taste seem to be opposite and she can’t look past the racial issues, she finds herself falling for Brian. Once she lets go, they start having a great relationship. But there will always be doubts (mostly racial) and prejudices on her part. This eventually drives them art. But then she meets Mark (Blair Underwood)-an ambitious black man also working in the corporate world. Obviously he is not without issues. But most importantly, he is not Brian…

The movie is a sweet little romance. I know it is labeled as a romcom but I don’t think it has many funny moments. It is as romantic as its supposed to be with all the right amount of complications and obstacles. It is fun and completely harmless but nothing to tell the home about really. 6.6 on IMDB. 6/10 from me. Well, obviously if you want me to rate according to the screen time and the beauty level of Simon Baker, than it is a 10/10. If you do like Baker, yeah- you should watch it. I enjoyed it. Plus, it was a fun change to see Simon in casual wear after watching him in suits all the time in The Mentalist.

Favorite Lines – Obviously, they came from Brian.

Kenya: I don’t do dogs.

Brian: Neither do I. We’re just friends.

***

Brian: I take it you don’t do white guys.

Kenya: I just happen to prefer black men. It’s not a prejudice, it’s a preference.

Brian: Sure, it’s your preference to be prejudiced.

***

Brian: I love you.

Kenya: I don’t know what to say.

Brian: Should I give you a hint?

***

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The Mentalist starring Simon Baker

Posted on April 19, 2010 Written by ripitup

Simon Baker as Patrick Jane in The Mentalist. Photo from: photobucket

Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) is a mentalist, helping the CBI (California Bureau of Investigation) with their cases.

A mentalist-as the definition appears on the screen right before each episode starts- is someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion.

Patrick used to pass himself off as a psychic and had more than a good 15 minutes of fame too. But when the serial killer he was helping the police catch killed his family to show he wasn’t as smooth or smart he believed himself to believe. After that, Patrick assists the CBI full-time. He profiles the suspects and the victims. By using his mental capabilities, he makes almost perfect assumptions. Although his theories don’t always amuse the detective in charge, Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney), she is aware of how big an asset he is. Mind you, she doesn’t always approve of his tactics. However, more often than not, he ends up being right.

A good friend of mine suggested I should watch The Mentalist. His reasoning was that I loved House and there was a big chance I would like this show too. As a fellow House addict, he wasn’t wrong. There are some uncanny similarities in the way how their mind works, how smart they are and how much attention they pay to details and how much they can derive from little stuff that could mean not much to others.

There are of course many differences as well. Patrick Jane doesn’t really mind talking to people. He takes pleasure in figuring them out whereas House really hates every extra “social” minute he has to spend. He is less of a loner and he used to be much less unconventional. He was married with a kid, until it was taken away from him. He sure gets to smile more often. But the thing is, there is no reason a fan of House can’t enjoy The Mentalist and vice versa.

Simon Baker is a good actor. You might have dismissed the tv show The Guardian he was previously starring in. I did. And you could have just labeled him as the pretty boy in The Devil Wears Prada. However, when I watched him in Sex and Death 101, I realized that he could indeed be worthy of all the fuss. Don’t be fooled by IMDB’s genre tags for Sex and Death 101. It is not a romantic comedy by any means. It is a black/dark comedy and obviously the romance is attached is very unconventional to say the least. Not a great movie but it is interesting and different. And then I watched him in The Lodger. He plays the mysterious lodger who may or may not be a serial killer, highly admiring Jack The Ripper. And again, although the movie wasn’t that good, Simon was.

Finally, Baker is the leading actor in a show well worthy of his talent and of your time. It is interesting, captivating and sometimes gruesome (due to the nature of the crimes). But our character Patrick does not come without a sense of humor. And neither do Teresa and the members of her team. And it is set in California, my favorite place on earth.

As the tagline of the show states, let the mind games begin. And I do love a good mind game!

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Justified starring Timothy Olphant

Posted on April 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

Justified starring Timothy Olyphant — Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens in Justified. Image from: http://plaintom.files.wordpress.com

Miami. Day. Outdoors. Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) meets a man at a restaurant. He has told the man to leave town and he hasn’t. He warns him, the guy doesn’t actually think that Raylan will really kill him. At least not then,not in front of everyone. But eventually he pulls his gun, “justifying” Rylan’s shooting him.

Timothy Olyphant in Justified — Timothy in Kentucky. Image from: http://ewwatchingtv.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/timothy-olyphant_l.jpg

Raylan is a US Marshall. And since it is not wild west, his actions aren’t exactly welcome and he is sent to the Kentucky office as a “punishment”. Since Raylan grew up in Kentucky, it is the last place he wants to go.

Life in Kentucky won’t be simple. His ex-wife has moved back, an old friend/a guy who he has mined together in his youth ( Boyd- played by Walton Goggins) has turned into a terrorist/criminal/Nazi. Boyd’s brother has been killed. The “murderer” is none other than the brother’s wife Ava (Joelle Carter). Ava is more than happy to see Raylan-her old crush- back.

So this is how Raylan’s new life in Kentucky starts with lots of complications. It is fun to watch Timothy as the Marshall who can grab and shoot his gun faster than any criminal. He is smart, to-the-point and well…not afraid at all.

Raylan’s past is complicated- with a criminal of a father and an ex who claims Raylan is the angriest man she ever knew. After all, how we see him is totally different. He is calm, cool and very cold-blooded.

Timothy Olyphant is an actor who can fit any role. So far, he has been a drug dealer (Go), a porn star’s manager ( The Girl Next Door), a guy hired to kill a lawyer (Damages), a programmed killer (Hitman), a wild west sheriff (Deadwood) and a bisexual falling in love with his gay boyfriend’s heterosexual and female best friend (Advice from a Caterpillar)….

Yep, the list goes on. He has shown versatility even in parts that might resemble each other a little bit. He has done TV and big screen, played the good guy and the bad guy. But mostly, he has done the “grey” character he is so apt at. A humane character with faults and virtues.

Justified is a one cool drama/thriller, with a little western vibe thrown in.

Also starring: Nick Searchy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel, Natalie Zea,

It is engaging and our lead character is charismatic, to say the least. The show is in its 1 season. May it have a long life.

Moon starring Sam Rockwell

Posted on April 4, 2010 Written by ripitup

Moon starring Sam Rockwell. Image via: christybharath.files.wordpress.com

Some time in the future, astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is stationed on the moon. The world’s energy problem has been solved with helium-3 and it is massively available on the moon. Sam is alone in his station except for his talking computer Gerty (voice by Kevin Spacey). He is approaching the end of his 3 year-contract with Lunar Industries and he can’t wait to go home to his wife and baby daughter.However, he starts having problems. He starts imagining things. And outside the station, he has an accident. When he wakes up back at the station, he is in for a massive surprise….

I wish I could write more but anything else will be giving spoilers. The truth is, it is safe to say the movie really begins after Sam wakes up in the infirmary. The first scenes of the film are used to show the surroundings, get to know Sam and his mission. While it is not boring, the pace is slow. But after Sam wakes up, it is one intriguing revelation after another.

Sam Rockwell is almost the only actor and he has done fascinating job at keeping your interest and winning your empathy.

I’m not the biggest sci-fi fan, but when a movie is good, you have to give its due. See it.

Directed by Duncan Jones. Screenplay by Nathan Parker.

8.0 on IMDB, voted by over 40.000 people. Yeah, I am not the only one who liked it.