Gamer Review

Gamer

Starring: Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Logan Lerman

Director: Mark Neveldine

Violence.  Guns.  Blood.  Death.  This review could end right now and you would know everything you need to about the film, Gamer.  What fun would that be though, right? 

Only three words were spoken in the first five minutes of this film.  After the first two or three I started to get worried.  Even though this film was in color, I thought maybe I had put in a silent film from decades ago.  That wouldn’t exactly make sense either though, as films were nowhere near as gory back then as this particular one was.

Gamer is probably a video game lover’s dream.  The story involves Ken Castle (Dexter’s Michael C. Hall) and his video game empire.  He has created games (Society & Slayers) that can be played at home, similar to the popular The Sims and Halo.  Only Castle’s games involve real-life people and those people are being controlled by other humans out of the comfort of their homes.

Kable (Gerard Butler) is the main character/attraction in Slayers, only he is not aware of his participation or popularity.  He is a pawn, being controlled by a teenager (Logan Lerman), in Castle’s plan for domination.  Castle has taken the video game concept and turned it into a sadistic money-maker and changed the way humans interact.

The concept behind this film was too reminiscent of the Bruce Willis film, Surrogates.  Both took an opportunity to show what the world would be like if we lost control of our own free will.  Hall was somewhat entertaining, but I already know him as a killer (Dexter), so another project in that realm wasn’t necessary.  Butler was acceptable as the tortured man, trying to escape the evil and reconnect with his family, but his character was too predictable.

There was nothing I enjoyed about this action/fantasy film.  The violent nature and gruesome plot was a little much for me.  I don’t play video games, nor do I see the point to viciously murdering someone for fun in those games, so probably not a big surprise that I found this film to be awful.

I don’t recommend this film to anyone, but if you still want to see what it’s about, you might want to think again if you have a weak stomach.

 

   

Catching up with Dexter and Nurse Jackie

I love drama.  I especially love TV drama.  Sadly, I don’t have Showtime, so in the past I’ve bought Dexter on DVD just so I could keep up with my favorite serial killer.  I got lucky for the latest season though.  Showtime On Demand had a free preview this past weekend and I was able to catch up on season 4 of the show. 

Michael C. Hall plays Dexter with such ease that it can be frightening at times how good he is.  I tried to get my mom to watch and she said, “Yuck, I’m not watching a show about a serial killer.”  Oh boy, is she missing out!  Dexter is about a man, Hall, who is adopted after a trauma in his childhood and is never quite the same afterwards.  He has a desire for the darkness in life and his father, played by the always entertaining James Remar, finds a way for his son to quench his deadly thirsts along with living a pseudo-normal life.

The supporting cast has the right blend of mystery and openness.  Dexter’s sister, Deb (Hall’s real-life wife, Jennifer Carpenter), is such a departure from the typical female characters we’re used to.  She is brash and has the mouth of a trucker and never once apologizes for it.  She’s tortured in her own right and when/if she ever finds out the truth about her brother, Emmy could be calling her name.

My favorite supporting character is Angel (David Zayas).  He is so likeable and his character and personality fleshes out this already stellar show.  Masuka (C.S. Lee) provides just the right amount of comedic relief for this dark drama.  I can do without Quinn (Desmond Harrington) though.  I didn’t see any redeeming qualities to his abrasive take on this character.  Season 5 villan, Trinity (John Lithgow), is genius.  Known for more light TV fare, Lithgow hit it out of the ballpark with this role.

This series is a must watch.  Get past seasons on Netflix or go buy the seasons, you won’t be disappointed.

After I caught up on Dexter, I introduced myself to season 1 of Nurse Jackie, starring Edie Falco.  I found myself surprised at how much I enjoyed this show. 

Falco plays the title character and the show revolves around her self-imposed double life.  Jackie is a pill popping nurse who is married with two children.  The only problem is that no one she works with is aware of her marriage or children.

I’m not sold on the supporting cast just yet, but Dr. Cooper (Twilight’s Peter Facinelli) is a bit on the wacky side and is a fun character to watch develop.  Jackie’s protegé, Zoey (Merritt Wever), is an uncomfortable, awkward young woman.  She is an annoying character, but she brings some balance to an otherwise loopy cast of characters.

In addition to the first season, I saw the first two episodes of the second season.  I’m curious to see what path this show is going to take.  I believe that the show will improve as we get more background on additional characters and how they all fit together.