Game of Thrones, episode four

Last night was the episode two of "Game of Thrones."  Below is a list of this week's winners and losers.  Be warned there are spoilers ahead!    

Winners

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer. Rejoice.

Let the countdown begin, the last movie of the series is released at midnight on July 15.

Game of Thrones

"Game of Thrones" was just as good as expected, and critics across the board seem to agree it will do well at the TV awards later this year.  Anyone who enjoyed the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Tudors," or any show that has at least 15 main characters, should give "Game of Thrones" a try.

I won't rehash the plot of the first episode, but I will establish some bullet points of what they should expect, and why they should tune in.  SPOILER ALERT!

• Heavy fantasy elements including a Predator lookalike, and zombie children.

• A lot of boobs, rape and twincest.
• Wolf puppies

• A promiscuous dwarf
• Decaptiation, dismbowelment, and a ten year old being thrown out of a window
• Serious facial hair

TV show food truck

Two Sundays from now HBO premieres "Game of Thrones," so this week they promoted the debut by sending out food trucks in New York and LA.  Each truck was stocked with dishes that included racks of rabbit, squab, roast duck, and lemon cake desserts, all made by "Top Chef's" Tom Colicchio.


I thought the DC Pie Truck was a treat, but clearly I've been missing out!

Downton Abbey

It's obvious that period dramas have become the hottest thing in movies and television.  "The King's Speech" won the Academy for Best Picture and critics just adore shows like "Mad Men" and "Mildred Pierce."

I've recently become obsessed with Masterpiece Theater.  To anyone who enjoyed "Pride & Prejudice" with Colin Firth, I highly recommend "Downton Abbey."

On tonight...

"Mildred Pierce" on HBO, "The Killing" on AMC, and "The Borgias" on Showtime.  All at 9pm.  My DVR only records two programs at a time.  TV gods, why are you so cruel!?

Load up Celery Man, please.

Just in case anyone forgot about this.

Harry Potter!

UPDATE: The Hunger Games

I am not ashamed to admit that I enjoy books marketed to people much younger than I am.  One of my all-time favorite books is The Giver.  I adore the Harry Potter series, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I read all of the Twilight books, but loath myself for it. 

Add to that list The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  Set in a future dystopian United States, each of the country’s twelve districts is forced to choose one male and one female under the age of eighteen to compete in a deadly televised competition where only the winner survives.  The protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, volunteers herself to participate in the Hunger Games when her younger sister’s name is drawn from her district’s lottery.  I highly recommend these books since they’re a very quick read, and quite entertaining.

I must not be the only person over the age of fifteen that enjoyed “The Hunger Games” because there is a film adaptation in the works, and the battle for the lead role as Katniss have become quite contentious.  Names being floated around late last year included Chloe Moretz from “Kick Ass,” Saoirse Ronan who was in “The Lovely Bones” and “Atonement,” and Emma Roberts who played the feature role in “Nancy Drew,” and is more famously known for being Julia Roberts’s niece.  

More recently, the contenders appear to be Emily Browning who can be seen in this month’s “Suckerpunch,” “Little Miss Sunshine’s” Abigail Breslin, Oscar-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld from “True Grit,” and “Winter’s Bone” Oscar-nominated star Jennifer Lawrence.  This weekend Lawrence pulled ahead of the pack just in time for talks with Lionsgate, which is scheduled to begin sometime next week. 

As previously stated, I felt Lawrence’s performance is “Winter’s Bone” was the best of the year, so I’d be quite pleased to see her in the role.  If it didn’t go to her, I think Hailee Steinfeld, who is closer in age to the protagonist, would be a great second choice. 

Not a great choice?  Alex Pettyfer, who has allegedly met with the film’s producers about the role of Peeta, Katniss’s teammate at the Hunger Games.


UPDATE: Jennifer Lawrence has officially gotten the role of Katniss.  Also, Hunter Parish from "Weeds" is in talks for the role of Peeta.

Nerd Alert!

Game of Thrones preview from HBO.

Comic book movies

I have a soft spot for comic book movies.  Sometimes they're bad (Spiderman 3) and sometimes they're great (The Dark Knight).  X-Men First Class looks heavy on the CGI, but has the potential to be pretty good. 

History Nerd

This year marks the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War and to commemorate the event there are a number of television shows and movies coming out in the next four years. 

As a self-proclaimed history nerd I’m really looking forward to what’s being labeled “Shark Week with muskets.”  The History Channel will feature a week of programming which will include Civil War-themed episodes of "Pawn Stars" and "American Pickers," a two-hour special called "Grant & Lee," and "Gettysburg" a film produced by Ridley Scott.  "Gettysburg" will focus on stories of the soldiers who fought, and strip away the romanticized veneer of war by presenting the battle as a visceral terrifying experience though reenactment footage and CGI.

Due out in April is “The Conspirator,” directed by Robert Redford, which tells the story of Mary Surratt the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln.

Then of course there’s Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” which is scheduled to begin filming this summer, and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” which is still in the casting stages.

Life is like a box of chocolates

The wisdom of movies:

Love Brad Pitt's accent.



On the record...

I cannot wait to send these: