Yet another dark turn in True Detective, that intense indie-like thriller starring the amazingly versatile Matthew McConaughey and the laid-back (except when he isn’t) Woody Harrelson; only this time the plot will sorely test the loyalty of us fans because the episode got really twisted as our antiheroes struggle with demons inside and out. I’m in for the long haul, but I have a suspicion that I’m being played. We know that “true” in the title has always been a red herring, but now it’s acquired a more ironic definition, since—spoiler alert—we know it doesn’t refer to Cole and Hart, at least not from an epistemological perspective! And we get another clue about why McConaughey and Harrelson are the executive producers of this addictive HBO “who-keeps-on-doing it?” I dig it; I trust it won’t go lame like The Killing did. And if McConaughey doesn’t win the Oscar for best actor, in his transformative performance in Dallas Buyers Club for which he lost more than 40 pounds, there is no truth at the Academy! * * *
And speaking of that disappointing Seattle remake of the hit Danish series, The Killing, the only reason to stick with that show, which shamelessly is being brought back, yet again, is Joel Kinnaman, the edgy toothpick-chewing sidekick with his ex-addict attitude gnawing his every waking moment. He’s cool, but his cold fish co-star Mireille Enos is just too boring to make her character’s dysfunction compelling. But maybe that’s just me. I’m glad Kinnaman is having a hoot in the stupid remake of RoboCop, which has been panned but still raked in more than $21 million since it just opened. I fear this trend of redoing dumb films from the ’80s, like Endless Love ($13.4 million), is just getting started. It was crap the first time but then you had an excuse. Now, there’s none. * * *
And this House of Cards phenom is proving that Netflix is evil! Forget the “tale of two cities,” let alone “two states,” this hit show is dividing the nation into two classes of those who stream Netflix and those who don’t. God, now we’ve got two seasons to binge on. The economy will only suffer as we stay indoors. Even President Obama is a fan, and he wishes, facetiously maybe but you never know (i.e. Osama bin Laden), that he could do what Kevin Spacey gets away with as the murderous Francis Underwood in his quest for political power in Washington, D.C. * * *
The only reason I wish I was in high school is that I might be more interested in this new “Star-Crossed” overhyped series on the egregious CW channel, about an alien hipster and his Earthling heartthrob, you know, it’s just another take on that sci-fi classic, Romeo and Juliet. But come on. Besides, on Feb 26 starts season two of another show about aliens, The Americans, on FX. And from what I gather, this KGB undercover couple is having some trouble adjusting to suburban life in D.C. Too bad they can’t spend more time in New York or L.A. but that’s not their mission, I guess. I still have to catch up. * * *
And what happens if events overtake me and I fall behind, as I always do, and then suddenly on April 6 it’s time for Game of Thrones! Oh, I fear that Daenerys will not be a good queen because absolute power does tend to corrupt absolutely. And do I have to watch Kit Harington diminish his prowess as the protagonist “Jon Snow” as he struts among the ash holes in that new movie Pompeii? I think that’s a distant video on demand. You have to prioritize. And life is too short when you only have two eyes glued on one screen at a time. * * *
