Solitary Man (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)The film follows Michael Douglas as he comes to grips, or doesn't, with his age and the fact that his personal life as passed him by. The movie begins with Douglas receiving the news that he needs some test performed on his heart because his doctor has some concerns. Time then flashes forward six years, where Douglas is now divorced with a daughter in her early 30s (played expertly by Jenna Fischer), a grandson who is five, and a girlfriend (Mary Louise Parker) who he is using for her father's power. Hints are dropped that Douglas was involved in some sort of scam that caused him to lose his extremely profitable business and threw him into a scandal that destroyed his reputation. The rising action begins when Douglas must escort his girlfriend's daughter to his alma mater for the weekend. While in Boston, Douglas makes a terrible decision that threatens to unravel whatever life he has left.
Though this film received little attention, I thought that it was absolutely excellent and worth an Oscar nomination (being that they're handing them out willy nilly now). Susan Saradon plays Douglas' ex and does so expertly with just the perfect amount of anger, pity, and old love. Douglas plays the philandering 60+ year old who still thinks he's 20 perfectly. The end of the movie leaves people guessing, but can also be used as a conversation starter and had me thinking about the film long after I left the theater.

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Ben (Michael Douglas) once ruled a car-dealership empire vast enough to fuel a glossy Manhattan lifestyle and endow a library at an East Coast university. But by the time he arrives at the college with his girlfriend’s daughter, Allyson (Imogen Poots), who is a prospective student, his world has collapsed around his ears. A business scandal has cost him his income and his marriage to Nancy (Susan Sarandon). His ever-present lust for every passing attractive woman threatens to take what little Ben has left. Even his new relationship with Jordan (Mary-Louise Parker) oscillates with tension. When Ben takes Allyson to tour the school, his motives are more than mixed.

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Weeds: Season Four Review

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(More customer reviews)for my favorite tv show. Yes, this season was a major departure from the original premise of the show, some people may be put off by how different it is. It's more violent, more disturbing, and much more intense. But it had me on the edge of my seat during almost every episode and I loved the new additions to the cast, specifically Demian Bichir. Mary-Louise Parker was phenomenal, and I loved the direction Andy's (Justin Kirk) character took. There is still humor, but it's much less zany. My one criticism is what they did with Doug - he simply doesn't fit in well outside of Agrestic. But Nancy's progression from small-time dealer to a player in a Mexican drug cartel and its moral implications whose fascinating to watch, and Jenji Kohan turned in a terrific finale, as usual.

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Everyone’s favorite pot-selling soccer mom, Nancy Botwin, is back in the complete fourth season of the hit series WEEDS. Last time we saw her, Nancy’s business (and house) was going up in smoke. So the Botwin bunch has relocated near the border for a fresh start with some new buds. Life’s looking green again in this subversive and buzz-worthy comedy.

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Weeds: Season One (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)If a show is dark, funny, subversive, and controversial, you know its on HBO or SHOWTIME, the only channels bold enough to have produced shows that network TV would run away from. Weeds is exactly one of those shows. A comedy about a young suburbanite mother with two kids who turns to dealing pot after her husband dies, Weeds flies directly in the face of the conventional comedy. That's what makes it such a good show. Weeds has already been picked up for a second season, so this show will be around for a while!
Nancy Botwin (Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker) has a normal life as a housewife in the LA suburb of Agrestic. She has a nice husband and two wonderful kids and a slacker brother-in-law named Andy(Justin Kirk). When her husband dies suddenly, Nancy needs a way to come up with a steady income so she can support her family. So she turns to dealing pot, and becomes the pied piper to the pot smoking denizens of Agrestic, including her accountant, Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon). So how can you be a full time dealer and mother without getting busted, without your brother-in-law horning in on the action, and how can you lecture your kids when you break the law to support them? This show explores the humor in these predicaments as well as the drama in the 10-episode First Season.
The acting in Weeds is superb. Parker was wonderful in West Wing and is even better here, and Elizabeth Perkins makes a great comeback with her role as Nancy's frenemy Celia Hodes. Kevin Nealon is hysterical as Doug, reminding people how good a comedian he really is when not starring in bad material. Like other Showtime hits, this show not only explores Nancy's life and loves, but develops dramatic arcs for the lives of the other main characters, giving the show much more depth and range.
The complete first season on 2 discs contains all 10 first season episodes with a run time of 283 minutes. There are 6 cast and crew commentaries, and several featurettes including "Smoky Snippets" and "Smoke and Mirrors: Original Marijuana Mockumentary." It is in 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Check out their website for more info. Reeommended.
A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO

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WEEDS SEASON 1 - DVD Movie

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Weeds: Season Six (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)After the rather low key Seasons 4 and 5 (great in their own right, but vastly different from Seasons 1, 2 and 3), Weeds seemed like it was heading for it's end. In all honesty, where could this series possibly go? Well, the answer awaits in the immensely rewarding 6th Season.
After the shocking events in the 5th Season's finale, Nancy and the gang (minus Celia, which is a blessing since the show didn't need her anymore), are off on the road. Sending the characters on the run was a risky but inspired move because it exhausts them dramatically, puts them in contact with some wacky people and locations (adding much of the humor missing from Season 5), adds a real sense of urgency and danger and keeps the pace brisk and engaging.
What works best about sending Nancy and Co on the lam is that it also lets the show backtrack it's history, letting the characters come to terms with what they have done over the years. It's in that self reflective nature that the show brings in a wholly unexpected emotional level. The finale here is not necessarily shocking in terms of plot, but shocking for what Nancy does emotionally, when you see it, you will never think she had it in her. Season Six of Weeds is decidedly different in almost every aspect, but it also brings all of the shows past seasons into a greater light.
Since we finally get to really see what is going on under the surface with Nancy, Andy, Silas, Shane and yes, even Doug, we begin to understand their past (before the show started), their actions during the series and then how they react during Season Six. With the writing in such top form, the acting is even better. Mary-Louise Parker is as riveting and unlikeable as ever as Nancy Botwin (though the frustration you feel with her during the season is specifically calculated and snaps into focus during the finale). Justin Kirk really takes the front seat as a father figure and leader, being the emotional ground for which the family stands. Hunter Parrish as Silas gives a haunting, aching performance showing how he is really questioning his role in the family and what he truly wants in life. Alexander Gould as Shane is as dark as can be, but we also get to see beyond that facade and into the soul of a tortured young boy. Kevin Nealon as Doug is not exactly needed but adds some nice comedic touches and the send off (for now at least) of his character is rather poignant. Season Six also has a fantastic array of guest stars including Linda Hamilton, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, a very memorable and funny Richard Dreyfuss and a slew of returning cast members from previous seasons (how these past characters are integrated into the story is very clever).
If you are a long time fan of the series, Season Six of Weeds will be vastly rewarding and emotional for you, it's a complex, decidedly different, and introspective season that rewards in spades. A great show that just keeps getting better.
This Season Six set contains the episodes:
- Thwack
- Felling and Swamping
- A Yippity Sippity
- Bliss
- Boomerang
- A Shoe for a Shoe
- Pinwheels and Whirligigs
- Gentle Puppies
- To Moscow, and Quickly
- Dear-Born Again
- Viking Pride
- Fran Tarkenton
- Theoretical Love Is Not Dead

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Season 6 of this highly acclaimed series turns over a new leaf when pot-selling soccer mom Nancy Botwin (Golden Globe® winner Mary- Louise Parker) tries to leave behind her illegal operations. Includes the complete Season 6 with all 13 episodes on 3 discs.

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