Game of Thrones S6E6: Blood of My Blood

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The episode begins with Meera and Bran still running from the White Walkers and Wights. They are eventually found, but are saved shortly after by a hooded man we haven't met yet. Bran has several flashbacks that continue to hint at the R+L=J idea. Sam and Gilly arrive with Gilly's young son at house Tarly, where Sam was born. There, Gilly meets Sam's mother and sister. Tommen has a talk with the high sparrow, confessing his worry. Tommen is allowed by the high sparrow to see Margery. Margery seems to have come to a new look on life that I think is a little bit scary. Once again, Tommen shows his signature naivety that I feel will be his eventual (and inevitable) downfall. One thing that does make me curious is whether or not Margery is playing a larger game than she is letting on. Immediately, I came to the the conclusion that I despised Sam's father. I felt and understood the awkwardness that Sam and Gilly felt during their dinner with Sam's family. Disgusted by his father's small-minded bigotry, Sam defies his father's decision to have Gilly work in the kitchens and their son raised a bastard, by taking his father's sword and leaving with Gilly and the baby in the middle of the night. I'll be honest, some of these moments drag a touch for me. Arya watches the next piece of the play. Arya does poison the wine, though she hesitates before doing so. One of the most interesting things about this episode is that Arya has officially renounced becoming "no one." This does put her on the list of potential characters that don't make it to the end of the season because the waif is now hunting her with the order of "don't let her suffer." Jamie Lannister makes a move to prevent the high sparrow from allowing Margery to take the walk of atonement. Tommen, however is swung to the side of wanting to atone for his sins. I grow to hate the high sparrow more and more. Jamie Lannister is banished from King's Landing. Returning to Bran and Meera, the hooded man is revealed to be Benjen Stark. Walder Frey is revealed to have captured Edmure Tully. Jamie has a discussion with Cersei, and we learn that he is being sent to deal the whole Tully issue. Daenyres and Daavros ride to bring the Dothraki to Mereen with the plan to return to Westeros and take back what she believes to be rightfully hers.

9 / 10         

Money Monster

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A Jim Cramer-type character named Lee Gates (George Clooney) hosts a show called Money Monster (hence the movie's title). One day everything seems to go off as usual, and is running pretty smoothly. The show's head producer (Julia Roberts), then notices that something is off. A man named Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) who has disguised himself as a delivery man has snuck onto the set of the show. He then straps a bomb to Gates's chest and takes the studio hostage. He is now several thousand dollars in debt because he took advice from Gates and invested in stock from a company. From there, things unfold into new paths that you may or may not expect them to take. So, the million dollar question is: Do I recommend seeing this movie? Yes. But, wait for video. For the most part, I think Jodie Foster does a good job with the direction. The writing and directing do take some stumbles here and there, unfortunately. The elements of humor can be fairly hit-and-miss. The movie has a fairly slow pace, and walks this fine line between being boring and being entertaining. While the movie does occasionally stumble into the boring category, it is entertaining for the most part, and thankfully never crosses the line into being unwatchable. However, with a few exceptions, it also can't quite reach a level higher than decent. My problem with the writing isn't so much that it's bad. I just feel that it either doesn't dumb things down enough or it expects you to know about some of the topics they mention going into the movie (an issue I feel The Big Short tackled far better). With the more negative stuff out of the way, the cast is solid. George Clooney and Julia Roberts have a pretty good back and forth. But, Jack O'Connell owns the movie, giving what I believe to be an Oscar-worthy performance. He makes for a strong antagonist. This guy is a human being with a relatable motive. He's just a guy who's pissed off because he got screwed over. He's also armed with a gun and a bomb detonator who's a little bit prone to angry outbursts, and you never really know if he's going to yell or react violently However, I personally feel that they do kind of shoehorn a secondary antagonist in towards the end of the movie, and it doesn't quite work as well for me. So, yes this still a decent movie despite some of its noticeable stumbles.

7 / 10       

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

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Is Neighbors 2 a fantastic movie? No. I do think it is a good movie though, and a decent way to kill 90 minutes. I feel as though the characters were able to grow from where they were in the first film. That's not typically something you see in a comedy sequel. The reason for this is because, a lot of times, filmmakers just try to do what worked again. So, if a character actually grew over the course of the first movie, they would have regressed for the sequel. Zac Efron's Teddy is an awkward position in this movie because his friends are all growing up around him, and he doesn't feel valued anymore. The characters played by Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne are reaching a point where they actually do ask themselves if they really are good parents. I'll be honest, the jokes are pretty hit and miss. Some of the gross-out gags don't really work that well, and some scenes do feel a touch long. Other jokes do really manage to stick their landing. The acting is solid. The story is a bit of a rehash of the first movie, with just enough differences for it to work. It's nice to see that this movie is better than it easily could've been, even if it isn't the most necessary movie.

7 / 10   

Game of Thrones S6E5: The Door

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Sansa receives a raven that tells her about the Tullys potentially taking up arms against the Boltons. I'll be honest, this is becoming one of my favorite story lines within the season. Season 6 has shown a Sansa Stark that is more world-weary. She has a bitterness towards Littlefinger. In the past, I admittedly haven't been the biggest fan of Sansa, but this season has turned her into one of my favorite characters on the show. Should Ramsay actually die this season (god willing, I personally hope it's Sansa that actually manages to kill him). There's a creepy little moment between Tyrion, Varys, and a Red Woman that gives a look from Varys I've never seen before. We're given a bit more of Arya's training to become no one. That honestly gets me wondering, though. Will she? She is sent to spy on an actress who the servants of the many-faced gods have been hired to kill. She sees a play that makes a mockery of both the Lannisters and the Starks, particularly Sansa and Ned. I found this beat interesting because, even though Arya claims to be no one, she had a look of disgust on her face at the way her family was portrayed. Daenyres and Jorah have a touching goodbye. Both Yara and Euron Greyjoy lay claim to the salt throne. When a good number of people side with Euron, Yara, Theon, and their own supporters smartly get the hell out of dodge. Finally, Bran's training with the Three-Eyed Raven gets cut short. The White Walkers manage to find them. The Raven and the tree-like children are killed. We also learn "Hodor" is Hodor's legacy. While Bran was what the Raven called "inside", he accidentally warged into a young Hodor, then named Willis. Willis then begins to seizure, screaming "Hold the Door" until all he is able to say is "Hodor". This moment is both sad and a little freaky at the same time, at least for me. Hodor is killed while Bran and Meera are able to escape. He is ultimately awarded a hero's death, which is something that isn't granted to many characters on the show. I'll be honest, this season keeps ramping up the ante, getting me more and more excited for what's yet to come.

10 / 10     

Game of Thrones S6E4: Book of the Stranger

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The episode begins with Jon Snow preparing to leave the Night's Watch and go God-Knows-Where. As he is getting ready to leave, Brienne of Tarth and Sansa Stark arrive. There's a bit of a quiet moment of embrace and catch up between Sansa and Jon. One of the things I loved about this moment is that it shows just how headstrong Sansa has grown, as well as being a bit more bloodthirsty than the innocent girl she once was. Melisandre then realizes that Jon Snow may have been the prince that was promised. Littlefinger begins to manipulate Lyssa Arryn's son, and manipulates things to his potential benefit. Tyrion meets with the surrounding slave masters, coming up with a solution that could potentially benefit all. Jorah and Daavros enter the city and make a rescue attempt to get Daenerys out of the city. She refuses to go without doing something first. There's a small moment I quite enjoy between The High Sparrow and Margery Tyrell, with the High Sparrow actually showing her kindness and allowing her to see her brother. Meanwhile, Cersei and Tommen come to a realization. Margery must be kept safe. Cersei makes friends with her enemies, as a way to take power back from the High Sparrow. I can't believe I'm actually starting to root for Cersei. Theon returns home and makes amends with his sister, asking to help her take her place on the Iron Throne. There's a tense scene between Ramsay Bolton and Osha. Sadly, it's Osha that gets a knife in her neck instead of Ramsay. But, there's still six episodes left season. I suppose I can dream. Sansa tries to rally Jon when they discover Ramsay has Rickon. Daenerys burns the Dothraki Khals to death, and takes command of the Dothraki.  So far, season 6 has continued to build up steam for me. Every storyline here had a purpose, and I was fully invested, even in story lines that have dragged for me in past episodes this season. 

10 / 10      

The Forest

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 The Forest stars Natalie Dormer from Game of Thrones as a young woman who goes searching for her missing sister in Japan’s fabled Suicide Forest. While there, the trapped spirits of those who commit suicide torment her psychologically. First things first, I want to get the positives out of the way. I love the location of Japan’s suicide forest, as the setting and the lore behind is fairly creepy and makes for a good backdrop for a horror movie. The cinematography is pretty solid too. There’s a moment where you see Natalie Dormer walking down a hallway, and the way it is filmed is genuinely creepy. I want to talk a little bit about Natalie Dormer’s performance in the movie. Generally, I thought she slipped between being good and being bad. Although, I will admit I do think she gets better as the movie goes on. There are points where I think she can be very expressive, which I personally feel is due to her natural talent. Other times, I feel as though she is sleepwalking through her performance, and can sometimes give a flat, monotone delivery. The male lead on the other hand, played by Taylor Kinney, is generally fairly charming through his entire performance. Overall, I think the best way to describe this movie is hit and miss. The scares also easily fall into this category. One of the first major scares you get is a mix between a lazy, uninspired jump scare that doesn’t work and a tired, cliched dream sequence. Nowhere do I feel the idea of hit and miss is better exemplified than by the shift the movie starts to take about halfway through. The first half I feel is kind of boring. Once our main characters enter the forest and night settles in, I start feeling more of the atmosphere and actually think the scares are a little more effective. Continuing on the first half of the movie, which I feel is the weaker half, the pacing is slow, and I really don’t think that always works in the movie’s favor. At points, the movie drags and plods along, and that really drags the movie quite a bit for me. oh, and if you're wondering, this is a horror movie. So, yes, the main character does make some pretty idiotic decisions. Overall, I think this movie has a boring first half, and is almost saved by a pretty strong second half, where the scares actually become more psychological and I actually found I had started second guessing myself. I still find this movie incredibly uneven, and found this to be a solid one-and-done movie for me.

5 / 10   

Game of Thrones S6E3: Oathbreaker

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One of the things I love about Game of Thrones is that each season feels like a progressing, sprawling story. So, what happens in Oathbreaker? First off, Arya Stark comes closer to becoming "No One", and even gets her eyes back by the end of this particular episode. Tyrion and Varys discover who is funding The Sons of the Harpy. Cersei and Jamie Lannister seem to be coming closer to getting their revenge. Oh, Rickon Stark is back! Haven't seen him since season 2, I think. Sadly, his direwolf is now dead (which I'm taking as a bad omen for little Rickon), and he's now the prisoner of Ramsey Bolton. Danaerys has a talk with the other Khaleesi in a tent sort of thing, a place where she is now supposed to stay for the remainder of her days (we'll see next week). Tommen Baratheon has a fairly interesting talk with The High Sparrow. Bran Stark's training continues to show some of Ned Stark's own past, going so far as tease the possibility of R+L=J. Jon Snow begins coming to terms with his own resurrection. There are some surprised looks from Melisandre (who also teases the R+L=J possibility when she says Stannis wasn't the prince who promised) and Davos. Jon serves up his last act as Lord Commander of The Night's Watch by executing the brothers (including Olly) who betrayed and murdered him before leaving for who knows what. This does raise a question for me though. Will he become Jon Stark, or possibly even Jon Targaryen? We'll see. We've still got roughly 7 episodes to go this season. Honestly, this is the first episode I've seen this season that never once dragged and kept me completely invested the whole time.

10 / 10       

Captain America: Civil War

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 Captain America: Civil War is the thirteenth overall entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I firmly believe this is one of the best movies Marvel has ever done, taking its place along with The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, the first Iron Man, and The Winter Solider as one of my top five MCU movies. There appears to be a lot that needs to be balanced, and the Russo Brothers manage this juggling act incredibly effectively. Civil War takes Marvel into a gray area they don’t normally explore. You’re effectively given the two sides to this argument that these characters are dealing with, and you’re given the pros and cons for both sides. I like the idea the actions of the Avengers can sometimes have consequences, and this movie does a really good job addressing that. All of the actors shine in their roles. Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Sebastian Stan are the ones who really stand out to me. These are performers that manage to give depth to their characters and relationships. Downey should be commended in particular. To me, this feels like his movie in the same way I felt Age of Ultron belonged to Jeremy Renner. Downey’s emotions are one of Civil War’s anchors. Of course, that’s not to take away from franchise newcomers Tom Holland and Chadwick Boseman, both of whom I can’t wait to see more of. As for the addition of Baron Zemo, I felt that, at first, he was unnecessary. But, by the end of the movie, I felt that they did a decent job of working him into the story without it feeling forced.

10 / 10 

Game of Thrones S6E2: Home

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Like I did last time, I'm going to be going pretty in depth with what happened in this particular episode. First off, I'm glad that Home actually addresses what's been going on with Bran Stark. I like the idea of his beginning to train with the Three-Eyed Raven, played magnificently by the great Max Von Sydow. After that, a battle breaks out at the wall between the men of the Night's Watch and the Wildlings, which seems to end in the way you actually want it to end By that, I mean some of the men who betrayed and murdered Jon Snow are captured and imprisoned. After that, we cut to see what's going on in King's Landing, where the Frankenstein's Monster-like Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane begins killing off Cersei's enemies. At this point in the series, Cersei appears to now be very broken. I find it interesting just how much I love to hate the High Sparrow, but I do love this little moment of tense dialogue between the High Sparrow and Jamie Lannister. Once again, Mereen is my favorite part of the episode. Tyrion discusses the state of things with Varys, Missandei, and Grey Worm. This is largely because of just how much I love Peter Dinklage and the character of Tyrion. Tyrion even goes so far as to unchain Daenerys's dragons to prove himself a friend. Meanwhile, Arya Stark continues her training to be a servant of the Many-Faced God, and appears to be coming closer to believing that. Ramsey Bolton kills his father and newborn brother to secure his legacy as Lord Bolton. Theon and Sansa part ways, as Sansa heads north for Castle Black with Brienne of Tarth and Podrick. Balon Greyjoy has a heart-to-heart with Yara. He then meets with his brother, Euron Greyjoy, which culminates in Balon's death and Yara swearing vengeance. Davos asks Melisandre to bring Jon Snow back to life, and may even be the one person to motivate her back into helping him after she seems to have given up. She attempts to bring him back to life, and seemingly fails. However, the episode ends with Jon Snow opening his eyes. I believe this is a good episode (I have yet to see a truly bad Game of Thrones episode), even if it does drag a little more in some places than The Red Woman did.

9 / 10