"Non-stop": Not that bad.

I promised some reviews of questionable fare and all I’ve given you is Oscar nominated movies.  Binge-watching the nominees left me emotionally exhausted.  I took a few weeks off and returned to a much lighter set of movie listings.  

Thus….”Non-Stop”, starring Liam Neeson.   This was the perfect antidote to my prestige-film fatigue. Simple, mindless (albeit nail biting) escapism.  Not particularly original or breathtaking - but a good time.  And Neeson sells it - he sells it hard.  

I enjoy this sub-genre of film where Liam Neeson plays a hardened man with a past who is forced into extraordinary situations. (the Takens, The Grey, etc)  And I am not really one for action films usually.  It might have something to do with that fact that Liam Neeson is a proven high-caliber actor and I trust him to take care of me on my forays into blood-lust.

I also secretly want to support him because I suspect that his change in career path is due to the passing of his wife, Natasha Richardson and he makes these films to cope.  So, basically, I take an action movie and make it into a drama.  I am certain that this thought process does nto going into the actual making of these movies but it was goes into my thinking about the movie.

I also think I am little bit in love with Liam Neeson.  

But about the movie….Neeson plays an Federal Air Marshall with a drinking problem.  We see him scope out the scene, from his woozy point of view, looking for suspicious individuals.  On board, it quickly becomes clear that there is a threat via a series of text messages.  But..wait for it...the texts are coming from inside the plane!  Do bee do bee doooo.

We are introduced to several character tropes, which we eye suspiciously in turn...a couple of times.  I won’t give anything away but the film does a good job at putting forward a stereotype, assuming you will suspect it, then doubt yourself, and then make you think you were right in the first place.  Basically what all whodunnits do but I think here it is done more self-consciously.  

Or perhaps I give it too much credit.  I really like Liam Neeson.

So, for a good time, go see Non-Stop.  There aren’t many better options right now.  (Although I hear the Lego movie is good too.)

How I Met Your Mother Recap: "Gary Blauman"

Soooo...I watch a lot of TV.  

And, like my taste in movies, I get really excited about some questionable fair.  But "How I Met Your Mother" has been consistently good for near on nine years.  So I don't expect any hate mail for singing it's praises.

This isn't really a re-cap.  More just musings.  Last night's episode was called "Gary Blauman".  It is all about...well several things.  Ted and the Mother go on a walk - their first date presumably.  He tells the story of Gary Blauman - a wedding guest of Barney and Robin's who showed up having not RSVP'd.  Everyone has a different take on Gary and how his faux pas should be handled - based on their previous experiences with him.  

At first, I was kind of annoyed.  There are three episodes left and you use one of them to introduce a new character.  I like me some Taran Killam but still.  But then...it was so much more.   In a very depressing but very impressive long 360 degree shot, we see little scenes of many of the beloved minor characters that have propped up over the years letting us know where they are "now" - or in 2030.   

It must have been a crazy expensive day of shooting because there are cameos out the wazzoo.  It was hella satisfying.  

Missing was James Van Der Beak - so my ardent hope is that he will make an appearance next week and we will get ONE MORE ROBIN SPARKLE VIDEO!



And there was another surprise (at least for me) ....Gary Blauman ISN'T a new character.  He's always been there!  He worked with Barney at AltruCell, then GNB.  He's appeared in FOUR episodes before yesterday's.

The continuity of this show always astonishes me.  The creators went for the long game and it is paying major dividends.  The episode that explored "the mothers" past nearly did me in.  It was so satisfying after all of these years.  And it could have been crap...but it wasn't.  (If the writers of HIMYM wrote for The Mentalist, perhaps that show wouldn't be in its current predicament.  More on that another time...)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that CBS is able to get all the guest-stars to reappear - it is one of the most successful shows on TV right now.  But what gets me is how rarely I have been disappointed.  It meets my expectations - and I am a hyperactive dreamer so my expectations get pretty high.

It was a sweet episode that made me laugh and feel feelings.

Now give me some Robin Sparkle and I will be yours forever.