Month / April 2016

by Nerdy Spice

Links We Loved This Week – 4/29/16

The AV Club wrote a fantastic article on how the Good Wife broke all the rules of TV legal dramas, and then broke itself. Also, the NYT did a great interview with Julianna Margulies and the Kings – though they got quickly shut down when they asked about Archie Panjabi!

Last week was Charlotte Bronte’s 200th birthday (read our piece on Villette here). Electric Literature ran an interesting piece (that we VEHEMENTLY disagree with) on rereading Jane Eyre and finding it somewhat less awesome.

 

We saw The Huntsman: Winter’s War last Friday. We were all really excited for it, and at least one of us was also pretty drunk, but we HATED it. Here are some takes from around the web:

Gizmodo says, “The fact that we get to see this pointless, silly movie made with an A-list cast… is one of the great marvels of our age.”

The Mary Sue laments that it’s “generic white male hero number eleventy five million.”

The Atlantic mourns the “bizarre camp classic that almost was.”

by Nerdy Spice

The Good Wife Recap: 7×19 “Landing”

 

We ended last week’s episode on what was supposedly a cliffhanger, but if you were looking forward to seeing the resolution of that big question (will Alicia wait to divorce Peter till after his legal troubles are over) happen onscreen, you’ll be disappointed.

That said, this episode finally zoomed up to full speed and delivered a whole bunch of major plot developments. I also had the privilege of seeing this screened with a large and very engaged audience at the Tribeca Film Festival (my write-up is here), which made it really fun.

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by Keets

Daredevil Recap: 2×01 “Bang”

About your recapper: I haven’t read any of the relevant comic books, but I do know that The Punisher will be showing up in this season, played by Jon “M’ask you sum’min” Bernthal. (I also watch The Walking Dead. Let’s not talk about that right now.) I’m also technically writing this having already watched the whole season, because I couldn’t stop. This will make it slightly awkward when I make fun of the show for awkwardly telegraphing things that are obviously going to happen, but I think we can all get over it—and I promise to warn you before any actual-factual spoilers, but there shouldn’t be any.

About the show: Charlie Cox is Matt Murdock is Daredevil. He has a cool suit. Vincent D’Onofrio a.k.a. Kingpin a.k.a. Wilson Fisk is in jail. Karen Page killed a guy last season and feels guilty about it. Foggy is Matt’s buddy, and law partner, and knows that Matt is Daredevil. He doesn’t really approve.

Let’s get started!

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by Nerdy Spice

Nashville Recap: 4×15 “When There’s a Fire In Your Heart”

Previously on Nashville: Star Autumn Chase almost took Layla on tour with her, then went with Scarlett and Gunnar instead; Maddie thought something might be wrong with Colt; some girl named Vita stole from Deacon and disappeared, which somehow made Rayna really passionate about helping troubled girls; Luke asked Will to come back to his label; and Juliette quit a movie to be with her daughter.

Scarlett and Gunnar are in Dallas to join Autumn Chase’s tour. Scarlett is freaking out about “remeeting” Autumn—even her hair, which has a sort of “twelve-year-old boy who just woke up” vibe to it right now, looks freaked out. Gunnar light-heartedly teasing her for her fangirlishness, so she teases him back about his love for James Taylor.

They arrive at Autumn’s tour meeting, and Autumn gives them big hugs and a glowing introduction to her crew. Scarlett gushes under her breath to Gunnar about how amazing Autumn is, only to watch Autumn wrap up the meeting by coolly firing a guy in front of everyone. She strolls away, and Scarlett and Gunnar make “oh fuck” faces.

Nashville 415 ohfuck

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by Nerdy Spice

The Good Wife – A Farewell at the Tribeca Film Festival

I went to a Tribeca Film Festival screening today of tonight’s new episode of The Good Wife, followed by a discussion with Robert King, Michelle King, Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, and Cush Jumbo about the show and the upcoming finale.

First of all, the episode was fabulous. You should all watch it. The drama kicks up for both the clients and the main characters, and some of our favorite guest stars are back (notably Dillinger and the rest of the NSA crew, plus the inimitable Kurt McVeigh). Cary makes a sad-eyed appearance, and there’s also an amazing moment between Peter and Alicia that shows so many layers of how they feel about each other. I’ll be recapping it later on, but yeah. Tune in tonight.

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by Janes

Henry James’ Rebel Without a Cause

“Her life should always be in harmony with the most pleasing impression she should produce; she would be what she appeared, and she would appear what she was. Sometimes she went so far as to wish that she might find herself some day in a difficult position, so that she should have the pleasure of being as heroic as the occasion demanded.”

Henry James, born on this day in 1843, created the indomitably original female character of Isabel Archer, who, like many of the greatest Victorian heroines, was idealistic to the extent that it was her defining quality, and yet did not have particularly defined ideals. Just as Middlemarch‘s Dorothea was a revolutionary without a revolution, a Theresa who never had the opportunity to manifest her lofty ambitions into independent action, Isabel Archer was a highly moral woman who was never expected to develop any specific morals, an idealist without any ideals.

by Nerdy Spice

Nashville Recap: 4×14 “What I Cannot Change”

Previously on Nashville: Will was gay, and Luke dropped him; Will met a girl who released her album independently; Deacon turned the Bluebird into the Deacon and Rayna and Beverly Show, so Frankie relapsed; Avery agreed to let Juliette have supervised visits with Cadence; and Vita stole from Deacon and Frankie, and Rayna found her car all burned up in the parking lot of a motel.

We open on Juliette. Juliette’s back, guys! YAY. Juliette (sporting a new tousled bob, and a soft pink sweater that I think represents her newly warm and fuzzy spirit), is changing Cadence in a pink-wall-papered, golden-lit room. It’s all one big Hallmark card to motherhood for a moment.

Nashville 414 Juliette and baby

She kisses and sweet-talks the baby until the therapist, with Emily looking on smiling, tells her it’s time to go. Juliette gives her to Emily with a little bit of sadness but no fireworks and then tells her therapist, “I’m sad to see her go. But other than that I feel good.” They agree she’s ready to go home.

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