I was left with a deep and abiding feeling Gina Cerano is set for good things. A great action star, fabulous looks, and more than average acting skills, I would consider myself an instant convert. I recommend picking up a rental from your local vending rental and checking it out. Haywire is thoroughly enjoyable and I rate it a Strong Seven perhaps even a Weak Eight (out of ten).

Sold.

Just that quickly the Gallagher family is another fabulous viewing experience and well worth the time. I have seldom come across a more diverse ensemble cast that one both roots for and against (mostly for) in a long time. From Fiona to Liam, the entire cast offers a unique insight into a family always on the edge of poverty or drama. Consider me a convert and after consuming season one in a matter of a month, I eagerly await the release of season two (which just ended on SHO).

Well written, expertly directed, and acted with precision, True Grit easily moves into the top-five westerns I’ve ever watched. The plot is enthralling and filled with rich characters fully immersed in the genre. It is a pleasure to watch on the big screen and I can see myself making this a purchase for my permanent collection — an honor rarely bestowed on any recently released films. Furthermore, True Grit shows the acting talents of Jeff Bridges in a role few will be familiar with: a fat, aging law man who is quick to anger but moves with deliberate and mostly deadly intent.  Now I see why there is Oscar talk regarding this role.

True Grit is worth paying a premium price for theater viewing because it is an exceptional piece of American film making. Grand vistas, with a gritty storyline, I strongly recommend this film and would rate is a solid to strong 8 out of 10.

AMC has come through again with The Walking Dead. Based upon a comic book series of the same name, The Walking Dead is a post-apocalyptic setting where zombies have taken over and a small band of survivors struggle to avoid becoming dinner for “the walkers” stumbling around. But this series is so much more than a simple zombie flick — truth be told, it rewrites the genre. The typical zombie fare is a steady diet of gruesome deaths lashed with special effects and lots of screaming. The protagonists are typically moving from encounter to encounter and the most we find out about them is how fast (or slow) they are in reacting to the next threat. The Walking Dead goes much further. The series is a character study of people in the worst of circumstances, making tough decisions, while trying to eke out a niche to survive in. The weekly plot lines are compelling and become a high-point on the DVR each Sunday.

The Walking Dead has become a run-away hit and AMC has commissioned another 12 episodes to compliment the first six. I look forward to watching the series unfold and applaud AMC for taking a shot at something completely different … and winning.

The heart and soul of this picture is the daily toll placed on these young men as they strive to live in some of the harshest conditions in modern combat. We watch as they are repeatedly ambushed, assaulted, and bullied until the commanding officer has enough. In the dead of night, he orders a small squad of men to create a observation post on the very summit the locals are using as a vantage point for sniper fire. Once established, the story continues with intense combat sequences, the never ending labor to improve fortification, and the camaraderie of soldiers under fire. This picture is a testament to enduring spirit and the sometimes heart-wrenching pain suffered by those in harm’s way. The platoon has just one goal: survive the deployment and return home.

I personally found this picture inspiring, tragic, powerful, and thought-provoking. Because of the distance and gap between the U.S. and the war, one sometimes forgets the real pain these men and women endure. Though this isn’t a multiple viewing kind of film, Restrepo should be watched at least once. Let’s not forget those veterans.

The guy’s reaction is too good! Well done, Directv. Excellent marketing team responsible for dis. I has it, too.

In its third season on AMC, Breaking Bad is acted with perfect realism, has inventive and engaging dialog (read: writing), and is pushed to the screen with intense emotion and on-point direction. Though I’ve also seen the first two seasons, Breaking Bad has become one of my all time favorite television shows. Set in the southwest, Breaking Bad (no spoiler here, these revelations are exposed in episode one of season one) is a story about a high school chemistry teacher who falls on hard times and begins cooking the purest, most perfect form of crystal meth seen in recent history. The story winds around his troubles, disasters, self-discoveries, and all-out drama that seems to dog his every step.

A true drama, Breaking Bad is the classic edge of your seat production model where each episode is perfectly balanced and hooks the viewer into the next. Of the people I’ve talked to about the show, many have heard “good things” about it but few have actually seen it. Take my advice: rent the first disk of season 1 and drink in all the goodness (and foulness) that is Breaking Bad. You won’t be disappointed.