0:00:00-SPOILER WARNING FOR GAME OF THRONES EPISODE 6 SEASON 7 courtesy of Law and Alyx. Also new Sounder!
0:04:14-Besides Law and Alyx, Jack is in the house. Law is pissed at Kupka. What else is new? Where’s Ammon? Somewhere. Law is also pissed at Ammon. Jesus Christ. Why does Jack have so many names? Breaking news sounder audition or something.
0:19:26-GOOGLE VOICE.
1:16:50-Jack talks about Movie Pass.
1:24:16-GAMECAST SEGMENT.
1:41:56-TV ROUND UP. Law begins with Mr. Mercedes. Then The Sinner. Gone: The Forgotten Women of Ohio, Ray Donovan, I’m Dying Up Here, Rick and Morty, and Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. Alyx discusses The Defenders (Jack watched the whole fucking thing) and thoughts are given. Jack has Preacher, Twin Peaks, Crashing, Archer, and Five Came Back. Game of Thrones (spoilers of course, as earlier stated).
2:55:09-WHAT DID YOU WATCH? Jack has Mad Dog with Soul. Alyx details Dave Made A Maze, (which Law also watched), and Goon: Last of the Enforcers (again, Law saw this).
I like to think I have a pretty good eye for quality. As someone who enjoys shows like The Wire and Six Feet Under, films like Mad Max and Ex Machina, and video games like The Witcher and Metal Gear Solid V, I have a pretty high standard for my entertainment, as I’m sure most of us do. We like to be entertained but we also like to feel like what we’re participating in is worth something. Our measure and value of that worth is what makes something, well, worth doing. If we didn’t have a value for watching The Empire Strikes Back for the hundredth time, then why would we do it? For all of us, our tastes are governed by a certain checklist we have in our head. For example, if Quentin Tarantino directs it, I’m there opening night. I don’t care if it’s a reimagining of My Little Pony, I’m fucking in. If a new Grand Theft Auto is announced, I’m going to play it. Similarly, if David Simon writes it, chances are I will be watching it. I knew from the outset that no matter what it was about or who was involved, Show Me a Hero would be a miniseries I would need to see. Simon is more than proven in my mind off of The Wire alone, so it’s interesting seeing his sensibilities tackle the story of Yonkers, New York with such a steady hand.
For those of you who don’t know what this is, Show Me a Hero is the story of Yonkers, New York Mayor Nick Wasicsko during a time when low-income housing was essentially segregated into sections of Yonkers. To combat the problem, the federal government stepped into force the low-income housing to be integrated with the high-income neighborhoods, something that the citizens of those neighborhoods could not live with. The story is an emotional and racially charged piece of American history, so who better than Simon to draw out the best pieces of it for his miniseries. Oscar Isaac, starring as Mayor Wasicsko, is going even further to prove he may be the best actor working today. While he was a lot of fun in Ex Machina, and of course he’ll be solid in this year’s Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, it’s here where he may end up hanging his hat as this is some of the best and most subtle acting I’ve seen since Pacino in The Godfather Part II.
While the story may sound dry from the outset, it’s anything but. Granted, there is some political talky-talkyness, but it stays grounded in the story of Mayor Wasicsko, a fan of Bruce Springsteen and by all accounts an incredibly down-to-earth, likable character. His main conflict comes in the form of having to deal with fellow city council members who oppose him publicly despite his hands being tied in the matter. Alfred Molina does a great job as the heel here, acting like the largest dick you’re ever likely to see, outside of, of course, real politicians. To explain the story beats would be a disservice as, at six hours, there isn’t an exorbitant amount of ground to cover here. What I came away with was the feeling I got when it was all over.
I don’t claim to be someone who is embroiled in current events. I’m not much into politics and I keep to myself for the most part, but there was something about Isaac’s portrayal of Wasicsko here that was truly inspiring to watch. Despite the negativity and violence around him, Wasicsko never took it home with him, to his girlfriend and eventual wife Nay Wasicsko. There was a really wholesome, sweet center to the story that made the journey for this character all the more difficult to watch. It’s one thing to see someone do the right thing at all odds, but to see someone with such sincerity be emotionally battered on a consistent basis is horrifying to watch. Simon and Isaac get this across flawlessly, harkening back to the Bubbles days from The Wire.
I know how this story may look to those who haven’t experienced any of David Simon’s previous work but I implore all of you to check this series out. It’s relatively short compared to his other work but it is of the same level of quality as what has come before it. It’s rare that we get anything at all from this writer, so when something comes down the pike I’ve learned to absorb and enjoy it for as long as possible. I’m going with very high honors here and giving Show Me a Hero a solid 9 soft tacos on 10.
I’ve been a gamer for as long as I can remember with my earliest consoles being the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo. I remember sinking countless hours into games like VR Troopers (which was a Mortal Kombat knockoff before I knew what Mortal Kombat was), Super Mario World and Donkey Kong Country, beating the SHIT out of my brothers in anything that was multiplayer (they may still be butthurt) and enjoying every minute of it. I’ve always been the kid that hated going outside. To me, the worst thing you could do to me as a kid was tell me to “go play outside” the day after I got a new game. It’s not that I wasn’t sociable, I just didn’t see the value in running around in the sun playing sports that I never had any inclination to get good at. Throughout my gaming career, there have been ups, downs and some glaring omissions. I went the Sony route as a young kid and never really dove into N64, have never touched a single Zelda game and missed the Dreamcast. However, if you mention Crash Bandicoot or Spyro waves of nostalgia start kicking in and I’m reminded of the good old days when I was first being introduced to this world.
Games like Heart of Darkness, Wild 9 and the fantastic (and newly remastered) Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey all started moving me into a new world of gaming, but honestly as I got older games became less and less of a focus. I think there comes a time in gaming for every gamer worth his/her salt where things get stale. It’s happened to me in every iteration of console I’ve had and I’m sure it will continue to happen, but throughout the years there has always been one franchise that keeps on bringing me back. I don’t know if it’s the perspective, the humor or the chaos (probably a bit of all three), but every time I need to get a new console, it’s because of Grand Theft Auto.
My most fond gaming memories absolutely start and end with GTA. From the mundane, like reaching top speeds on Grove Street in San Andreas and whipping around the neighborhood trying to hit as many pedestrians as possible, to getting a tank to fly via the proper cheats and skill in Vice City to the very first time you pick up a hooker in III, this franchise, to me, is what gaming is all about. GTA presents the ultimate escape from everything, transporting you to a world you could never be a part of and giving you free license to do whatever you want.
GTA IV upped the ante with the incorporation of a truly impressive style of cinematography previously only hinted at in the GTA series, telling the story of Nico Bellic and his experience coming up in America as an immigrant in Liberty City, but truly each incarnation of the series has innovated in its own way. For instance, the brilliant property ownership and side-quests of building up your criminal empire in Vice City gave the game a more grounded RPG feel which to this day stands as the one feature that I hope comes back in future incarnations. In San Andreas, the fantastic gang-warfare and territory aspect keeps the area fresh and seemingly “alive” throughout your playthrough, and enough can not be said about the amazing jet pack in San Andreas (fingers crossed it comes back soon, the GTA world needs it).
It comes as no surprise to me that, yet again, Rockstar did something totally unique in GTA V. Granted the triple-lead character angle is stunning when used on the heist missions, but I’m actually referring to the genius current-gen first-person mode. I’ve played the story mode of this game twice through already and am already salivating at first-person mode, experiencing the iconic moments I’ve already experienced with a completely different perspective. In an odd way it actually makes the action more real which is both good and bad. I have read reviews from different gaming sites like IGN and Gamespot stating that the first-person mode actually makes them re-think their choices as to who they murder in broad daylight. That’s pretty impressive for a game that employs BJ Smoove as a self-help guru.
While GTA V is what I’m playing most these days, My PS4 is not even three weeks old, and I’ve been catching up on a lot of stuff. Here are some of my initial thoughts on the platform:
– The Last of Us has to be a contender for greatest game of all time
– Rayman Legends is the closest thing to Super Mario that I’ve played in years
– Helldivers > Destiny (but I’m still enjoying Destiny)
– Any game that lets you manipulate an elephant to do your killing for you is a-ok in my book (Far Cry 4)
– Dragon Age Inquisition re-iterates that if you want to complete a game 100% these days and it’s an RPG, get the guide lest you fuck something up
In movie/TV news, I’m rewatching Party Down and might do a recap of that this week, but I REALLY wanted to mention my brilliant hottie team this year. Quite simply, despite missing out on Star Wars and Avengers 2 points, I’m astounded that I got the picks that I did. I have to give props to Kupka, my brother in Binge, for reasoning out a few things for me, which was of course reciprocated throughout the process. I, like him, did have Angela Kerecz on my board last year, he just beat me to the punch on it (well played). Between Lizeth Hutchings, Lisa Ann Smith and Tamika Shanell Johnson, I don’t see how it will be easy for anyone in the BABADIIICK conference to touch me. I say this with confidence because I, much like my New England Patriots, know how to draft, and all y’all fucks are basking in my glorious benevolence at this point. Some afterthoughts:
– Pete MC, you chose correctly by taking Judy Greer first overall, I had her at #1 as well. Smart pick, I applaud you for it.
– Mike Scull, you will be my bitch this year XOXO.
– TM, I will take you down. So long as I beat you in the draft this year will have been a success.
That’s it everyone. Stay tuned for some sweet Better Call Saul commentary and, as always, Binge On!