Months ago I tapped this film as my most anticipated for the summer. It seemed to be the rare blockbuster that was remotely concerned with the world we live in, and it turns out that that’s true…to a point. Even if Elysium ultimately falls a little short of expectations, it’s still one of the absolute…
Author: Alabama Liberal
TV Review: Clear History
HBO debuted this Larry David-starring TV movie on Saturday night in hopes of placating Curb Your Enthusiasm fans who have been waiting two years for another season (if there will even be another one). I can’t say it’s an entirely successful substitute although I really love the idea of David branching out into different plots and directions….
Movie Review: 2 Guns
A textbook example of how expectations can alter your experience at the movies. I think this movie looked like generic junk a couple months——-hell, a couple weeks before it opened. And then the buzz got progressively better a few days before it opened (reviews were actually good, there were rumored to be interesting twists, Paula Patton had…
Movie Review: The Wolverine
To say that this Wolverine is vastly better than the first standalone film for him is the ultimate backhanded compliment. I’m only saying this movie is good (not great) but judging by all the lackluster superhero/comic-book movies clogging up theaters in the last couple years, that just might be good enough. What Works: The Wolverine…
Mom Joke: The Golfer
A golfer was involved in a terrible car crash and was rushed to the hospital. Just before he was put under, the surgeon popped in to see him. “I have some good news and some bad news,” says the surgeon. “The bad news is that I have to remove your right arm!” “Oh God no!” cries…
TV Review: Premieres of “Breaking Bad,” “Low Winter Sun,” and “Talking Bad”
Breaking Bad has now been so excellent for so long, that it’s become easy to take it for granted. Tonight’s episode was an alive, full-blooded reminder of why you shouldn’t. [Spoilers ahead…and potentially huge spoilers in just the first scene that showed a future version of Walt…well, just watch it.] In the mid-season cliffhanger from…
The 5 Seasons of Breaking Bad Mirror the 5 Stages of Dying
I thought I might share an observation I’ve noticed about the five seasons. The main plot of the show: a mild-mannered, brilliant (and perpetually under appreciated) high school chemistry teacher gets cancer and begins cooking a purified form of crystal meth (to provide for his family once he’s gone, to pay for his medical bills,…
TV Review: Hell On Wheels
TV’s only true Western is back in style last night with a Saturday night third season premiere that almost no one watched because it was Saturday night. [Although I like that AMC is thinking outside the box, and that I could have a show to watch if I’m ever at home or bored on a Saturday.] The…
Mom Jokes: Love is Blind
Love is Blind Joel and Linda met while on a singles cruise and Joel fell head over heels for her. When they discovered they lived in the same city only a few miles apart, he was ecstatic. He immediately started asking her out when they got home. Within a couple of weeks, Joel had taken…
This Coming Weekend is the Best Pop Cultural Weekend of the Year
Why can’t I wait for this upcoming weekend (August 9th through the 11th)? Welp, it just so happens to be the best pop cultural weekend of the entire year. “That’s a pretty bold claim Alabama Liberal? How can you back that up?”—-Every loud mouth on the internet. All right, I’ll tell you… Friday, August 9th:…
Movie Review: “The Act of Killing” May be the Most Jaw-Dropping Documentary I’ve Ever Seen
A foreign film…an independent foreign film…a independent foreign documentary. That’s what The Act of Killing is, and so, naturally, very few people in the United States will ever even hear of it, let alone watch it. Still, those that do catch it are going to be watching one of the most subtly audacious and thought-provoking documentaries…
TV Reviews: “The Killing”‘s Better Than Expected Season (Plus “Falling Skies”)
For a show that started off being awful (its first two seasons always promised more than they ever delivered), The Killing’s third season sure is an improvement. I’ll admit that I was skeptical that the season could maintain its early momentum and keep from sputtering out into an aimless stream of red herrings. However, the…
Live-Blogging the “Real Time” Season Finale @realtime #realtime
All year long, I’ve been struggling with a case of political fatigue. I just can’t get too excited about the same issues as last year (Republican’s blocking Obama, drone attacks, the endless debate about the economy) without the stakes of an imminent election. That’s why most of the articles this year have been geared more…