Breaking Bad cast break out big time in 2014

So the stars of Breaking Bad were here long before they got the call to become forever set in stone as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman but now all eyes are on them as they make their first steps in the post-Breaking Bad world. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul must now be two of the hottest stars in Hollywood with everyone wanting to get a little bit of the Breaking Bad magic dust sprinkled all over their new film. So far they've been snapped up for six projects across 2014 with Paul leading the way with four films to Cranston's more restrained two.

Hellion

When motocross and heavy metal obsessed, 13-year-old Jacob’s delinquent behavior forces CPS to place his little brother Wes with his aunt, Jacob and his emotionally absent father must finally take responsibility for their actions and each other in order to bring Wes home. Cast: Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins, Deke Garner, Jonny Mars, Walt Roberts.
Read more at http://collider.com/hellio-images-infinitely-polar-bear-images/#VGWuPsBI9Pzhm9M4.99

When motocross and heavy metal obsessed, 13-year-old Jacob’s delinquent behavior forces CPS to place his little brother Wes with his aunt, Jacob and his emotionally absent father (Aaron Paul) must finally take responsibility for their actions and each other in order to bring Wes home. Joining Aaron Paul in the cast are Juliette Lewis and some relatively unknown individuals. It's been in Sundance this year and has some decent reviews.

When motocross and heavy metal obsessed, 13-year-old Jacob’s delinquent behavior forces CPS to place his little brother Wes with his aunt, Jacob and his emotionally absent father must finally take responsibility for their actions and each other in order to bring Wes home. Cast: Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins, Deke Garner, Jonny Mars, Walt Roberts.
Read more at http://collider.com/hellio-images-infinitely-polar-bear-images/#VGWuPsBI9Pzhm9M4.99

A Long Way Down

Four people meet on New Year's Eve and form a surrogate family to help one another weather the difficulties of their lives. Aaron Paul is joined by Toni Collette, Imogen Poots and Pierce Brosnan. It's based on the 2005 novel of the same name written by Nick Hornby (of About a Boy and High Fidelity fame).



Need for Speed

Fresh from prison, a street racer (Aaron Paul) who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins. The more I hear about this, the more excited I get. Refreshingly free of CGI, this has the potential to be awesome fun. Paul is joined by Dominic Cooper and Imogen Poots (again!).



Exodus

An account of Moses' hand in leading the Israelite slaves out of Egypt. Christian Bale takes the role of Moses. Let's hope the director of photography doesn't get in his way while he's trying to part the sea. Aaron Paul is Joshua under the direction of Ridley Scott and the rest of the cast is rounded out by Ben Kingsley, Joel Edgerton and Sigourney Weaver.

Godzilla

A giant radioactive monster called Godzilla appears to wreak destruction on mankind. Bryan Cranston plays Joe Brody and is joined by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. It's directed by Gareth Edwards who made the memorable Monsters. Should be interesting to see what he does woth this kind of budget.



Get a Job

A comedy centered around a recent college graduate, his friends, and their attempts to secure employment.  Cranston is joined by Miles Teller, John C. McGinley and Anna Hendrick.

What are you most excited to see the Breaking Bad boys star in this year?

TV in 2013: Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Walking Dead, Homeland and more

I watched a crap load of TV in 2013. Films have always been my big thing and even with The Wire, The Sopranos and 24, I still didn't jump on the loving TV bandwagon. But this year, that really changed. I'd been slowly but surely getting stuck into a few TV shows and this year, two of my favourites finished forever; Breaking Bad and Dexter.

Helpfully my friend also showed me a way to keep up with TV shows without having to subscribe to ludicrously expensive TV services. More importantly I got sent a few TV boxsets to review for Filmoria and I also got lots of work writing for Yahoo on both The Walking Dead and Homeland.

These are all the TV shows I watched in 2013. If I reviewed them, then just click the titles to see my reviews:

TV shows I watched in 2013:

Unit One Season 1

'Unit One might not reach the heady heights of other recent Danish crime exports but has plenty to offer fans of the genre and will certainly please fans of both Mads Mikkelsen and Nordic noir with a healthy feminist streak.'

Jack Irish

'Jack Irish is a cut above many TV movies, injected with plenty of Aussie charm amidst the occasional stereotypes and distracting subplots, but shot, edited and scored very effectively. While Irish is the focus, the supporting cast offer just as much fun and help to illuminate the central character. Guy Pearce is a very welcome presence to the small screen and makes further Jack Irish adventures a welcome prospect.'

The Killing Season 1

'What I loved about The Killing is that there was a thick web of characters surrounding the case. They all felt very real and provided a great deal of interest and suspense into the events after the murder. The family of the victim, a politician and his campaign crew and more and more assorted suspects keep clotting up the case and providing fresh intrigue and fresh suspects throughout the 20 episodes.'

The Walking Dead Season 2

Better than the first season but I still hadn't fallen in love with the series yet despite loving the premise.

Black Mirror Season 2

The second episode of this season, White Bear, was one of the best bits of TV I'd ever seen. Check out my reviews of White Bear and The Waldo Moment here. 

Game of Thrones Season 1

Loved it so much, I started reading the books on holiday in Thailand. I got half way through the second season and then stopped so I could read the second book first. Now I've just finished A Clash of Kings, I'm going to finish watching the second season and then move on to the third books.

Arrested Development Season 4

Disappointing but still had it's moments. I also got a perfectly timed second free trial month from Netflix to watch it all. Not enough Job, not enough Tobias and a bit too convoluted and clever-clever for its own good!

Breaking Bad Season 4

Best season of the series yet. The dynamic with Gus Fring went to another level and dominated this season and I loved every minute of it. Ended with an absolute shocker too. Walt had descended to his absolute lowest and scummiest and suddenly I found myself caring for Jesse again.

Unit One Season 2

'Unit One series 2 furthers the drama of the first series and has a consistently fascinating array of mysteries and murders. The increasingly challenging relationships of the team might at first appear to take a back seat but by the end of the series, the members of Unit One are still the ones audiences will warrant worthy of further investigation in future series.'

Breaking Bad Season 5

Even better than the fourth season, this was pretty much perfect TV. Episode 14: Ozymandias was literally unforgettable and was the pinnacle of the show for me. Read how excited I got about it here. Then I wrote a piece for Yahoo on saying goodbye to two of TV's greatest anti-heroes, Dexter and Walter White. They will both be sorely missed although White went out on a massive high whereas Dexter kind of over stayed his welcome.

The Walking Dead Season 3

'It was an incredibly eventful season with Michonne getting to kick ass, The Governor becoming a truly terrifying threat and supporting characters like Glenn and Daryl finally really getting a chance to shine. With the deaths of Lori and Andrea, it even tugged hard at the heartstrings before all out war made for an action packed final episode. Season four will have a lot to live up to.'

Homeland Season 1

I had to race through this as I had to catch up with the whole show before season three started and I began my writing for Yahoo on the series. Loved season 1 but kind of wished it had ended with Brody blowing himself up and then that would have been that!

Dexter Season 6

The Colin Hanks starring series was ok but ended with the mother of all cliffhangers; Deborah finding out about Dexter. That was enough to keep me watching the next season.

Dexter Season 7

It all started losing the plot a bit here with Deborah knowing about Dexter's secret life. However, again it ended with an absolutely gobsmacking climax; Deborah killing LaGuerta. I personally think that would have been a pretty brilliant and bleak way to end the show.

Homeland Season 2

Not nearly as good as the first but much better than the third season. 

Low Winter Sun Season 1

'Low Winter Sun sits in the very long shadow cast by other far better dramas but is a success on its own terms, acting as an autopsy of a dying Detroit that would soon be declared bankrupt.'

Homeland Season 3 

Opening episodes recap 

Episode 3 Review: Tower of David

Episode 4 Review: Game On

Episode 5 Review: The Yoga Play  

Episode 6 Review: Still Positive

Episode 7 Review: Gerontion

Episode 8 Review: A Red Wheelbarrow

Episode 9 Review: One Last Time

Episode 10 Review: Good Night

Episode 11 Review: Big Man in Tehran

Episode 12 Review: The Star

I am still currently watching:

The Walking Dead Season 4 which we are half way through and will start again in February.

Game of Thrones Season 2 which I am about half way through and intent to finish now that I have read A Clash of Kings.

Dexter Season 8 which I just have the final ever episode left to watch!

In 2014, I intend to get through Game of Throne season 3 and hopefully 4 when it comes out, finish The Walking Dead season 4 and watch Homeland season 4. I'm also tempted to start on Boardwalk Empire and Under the Dome.

What TV have you been watching this year?

Why don't you stay awhile? More 2013 lists from I Love That Film:

World Cinema in 2013

Best books I read in 2013

2013 List of Shame or 25 films I should have seen this year

2013 Top 10 Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction

2013 Top 10 So Far (written in July)

Best British Films of 2013

Top Documentaries of 2013

Top 25 Films to see in 2014

 

More popular posts at I Love That Film:

TV in 2013: Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Walking Dead, Homeland and more

Analysing La Haine

5 MUST SEE films at the BFI London Film Festival 2014

Valentines Day; Time for Romance

The Femme Castratrice in Horror

Why I Love The Hunger Games

Using Critical Approaches to Study Fight Club

  

Short Story: LIVING FOR THE WEEKEND

Need for Speed trailer stars post Breaking Bad Aaron Paul

Speeding ahead of Fast and Furious 7 and into cinemas next year is video game adaptation Need for Speed starring Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul. Just in case you thought the Fast and Furious movies were getting over blown and overly dramatic, the trailer for Need for Speed has operatic music, epic long shots and seemingly words spoken like a psalm or biblical quotation. Only thing missing is Jesse Pinkman's trademark 'Bitch' at the end.

So it's a video game adaptation and its got lots of cars racing around. So far so uninteresting. However the presence of Aaron Paul in another haunted role adds the promise of plenty of emoting in amongst the screeching tyres and explosive stunts. Most promising of all it looks refreshingly free from dodgy effects so hopefully the producers of this carnage have found a need to keep it real.

It will be interesting to see if Need for Speed can become as big a franchise as the Fast and Furious series. I was expecting very little before seeing this trailer but now I've seen Paul in action and some pretty tasty looking street scenes, things are definitely looking up. The voiceover might be teetering dangerously close to laughably over dramatic but I think Paul may have the chops to make us care for this character even as everything (hopefully) explodes around him. And I have to say I am a sucker for anything that has helicopters against cars...

Check out the trailer:



What do you reckon? Pole position or back of the pack?

More popular posts at I Love That Film:

TV in 2013: Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Walking Dead, Homeland and more

Analysing La Haine

5 MUST SEE films at the BFI London Film Festival 2014

Valentines Day; Time for Romance

The Femme Castratrice in Horror

Why I Love The Hunger Games

Using Critical Approaches to Study Fight Club

  

Short Story: LIVING FOR THE WEEKEND

Batfleck, Beorn, Dexter and Walter White

In my writing for Yahoo Movies and TV, I've been tackling a range of issues this week from defending the casting of Ban Affleck as Batman (probably not very convincingly) to the coolest new character to watch out for in The Desolation of Smaug and finally bidding a very fond but sad farewll to TV's greatest anti-heroes: Dexter Morgan and Walter White.

I’m a bit behind on Dexter because the final episode of season 8 and the finale of the whole show is airing on Sunday and I’m just approaching the end of series 7. I’m a bit concerned for the direction it’s taking, suspecting that the writers may have left this one out in the Miami sun for a bit too long.

Breaking Bad on the other hand is going out on a monumental high, especially after the left episode left my jaw continually on the floor and sent me hurtling up and down an emotional roller coaster of sympathy and hatred.

In defence of Batfleck 

As an avid Affleck fan since the start of his career, here’s why haters should hold their tongues before they see Batfleck in action.

Why new character Beorn will become the real hero of The Hobbit trilogy

 

Forget Smaug the Dragon, Bard the Bowman and Bilbo and the dwarves, the most exciting character in Peter Jackson’s 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' sequel will be Beorn, the half man, half bear recluse.

Goodbye Dexter Morgan and Walter White

 

Within two weeks, ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Dexter’ fans will be mourning the loss of two of TV’s greatest ever anti-heroes. Here's why fans loved the infamous Dexter Morgan and Walter White.

If all that isn’t enough, I’ve also been weighing in on a bunch of other topics for Yahoo Lifestyle and Yahoo News from proposed British rail networks to the benefits of quitting smoking.

HS2 rail project benefits the few but costs us all dearly

Reports are suggesting that the High Speed 2 rail system could have a bold and brilliant impact on the UK economy. I’m all for planning ahead and trying to get people off the roads but HS2 and all the reports surrounding it, reek of false optimism to me.

How swapping from smoking to jogging changed my life

In quitting smoking and starting running at around the same time, I used jogging as a distraction from wanting a cigarette in the evenings. It worked and soon I found myself craving a jog, rather than a fag after work.

That’s it from me for the week! What you have been writing and watching?

Breaking Bad: The final countdown

Shell shocked is how I feel right now. I just watched Season 5 Episode 14 of Breaking Bad from between my fingers that were clasped for most of the episode over my eyes and clutching my head. If you aren't up to date with the show then I strongly suggest you stop reading this right now as here will be spoilers! We are now 2 episodes away from the finale and the latest episode titled Ozymandias is sure to go down in history as one of the best bits of TV ever written.

Taking its title from a sonnet (thanks Wikipedia) whose central theme is the 'inevitable decline of all leaders', this episode was an emotional roller coaster of the most terrifying kind. Starting with the blistering cliff hanger of the previous episode where all the central players ended up facing off against one another with far too many guns thrown into the mix, it wasn't long before a much beloved character was dead in the dust.

Walter White has descended over five series from family man and high school chemistry teacher to meth dealer, murderer, drug lord and utter, utter bastard. Creator Vince Gilligan has stated that he wanted to write a show where the protagonist gradually became the antagonist. Over the five series, Walt has become more and more morally questionable and despite staying true to his family man values (at least where his own immediate family is concerned) he has become a truly repugnant figure by the end of the fourth season (if not before).

The problem with Walt is that he is still in many ways the protagonist and everything he has done, it could be argued has been done for his family. OK so a lot was just to save his own ass too, but he has always had a strong desire to protect and provide for his wife and children. Most viewers will likely have been rooting for him throughout even as evil has frequently overcome him.

However Walt has become increasingly arrogant, ruthless, scheming and just damn hard to like. The turning point for me was when I realised he had poisoned the child at the end of series 4. Until then I had been rooting for him to come out on top against the sinister and terrifying Gus. As soon as Gus was defeated and there was no antagonist to Walt's 'protagonist', I realised just what I'd been rooting for and quickly shifted sides. Or wait was it earlier? Was it when Walt forced Jesse to murder Gale in order to save their skins? I'm not sure.

Series 5 for me has just been about hoping that Jesse gets as far away from Walt as possible and seeing that Walt is brought to justice. I have started to hate Walter White. I have started to root for Hank. I have started to feel much more sympathy for Jesse who I so often thought of in the past as stupid and a total liability.

But still, thanks to the incredible performance of Bryan Cranston there are these odd moments where I (and I'm sure most of us) find myself empathising with Walt again. In this last episode he failed to save Hank, dropped Jesse right in the shit and stole his own child from her mother. But when he pleads for Hank's life, breaks down in tears and appears to save Skyler I see that little sliver of good in him again. It is, as I said earlier, an emotional roller coaster. Never did I think the show could get much darker but seeing poor Flynn/Junior watching as his parents fought with a knife was seriously distressing TV. And then there is the fate of Jesse to think about.

With only two episodes to go, Breaking Bad is destined to get darker and to go down in history as one of the greatest dramas ever put on screen (cinema or TV). There is hope in how Walt left Holly at a fire house but I'm still not sure if he was saving Skyler through his final phone call or simply distancing her from what else he is about to do. As for Jesse I guess as long as he is alive there is still some hope. I'm still gutted Hank is gone and as much as Walt tried to help, he deserves to be punished for his part in this.

My question for Breaking Bad fans is when did you stop rooting for Walt or are you still hoping he's going to come out on top? Also if you fancy leaving a prediction, how do you think Breaking Bad is going to end?

One more thing... how f**king cool is this?

June Movie Reviews and Round up

In June, I watched a meagre 11 films and there are two reasons for this. 1 was Arrested Development series 4 and the other was Breaking Bad series 4 (and the first half of series 5). Those wonderful folk at Netflix gave me a second free trial this month and I used it to full advantage. The last time they gave me a free trial I watched the first three series of Breaking Bad and this time I've used it to get right up to date.

Although I haven't written much about Breaking Bad, it has pretty much become my favourite show on TV. Series 4 exceeded my wildest expectations. It was perfection and to be honest, I thought perhaps it would have been best for everyone involved to leave it with the bombshell that was dropped at the end. Where the hell could series 5 possibly go to better what had already come before?

Series 5 did then seem to lull a bit but on the plus side is also fulfilling the promise of everything the show and particularly Walt has been leading towards all this time and the first half concluded with another beautiful bombshell. I cannot wait to see how this show ends!

On the other hand Arrested Development was a bit convoluted and too clever-clever for its own good. There was still some of the old charm but nowhere near enough of Gob and Tobias for my liking. I hope if they continue, it picks up again.

The movies I watched in June are as follows. Click the links to check out my reviews:

The Master
This is the End
Come As You Are (Hasta La Vista)
Summer in February
Man of Steel
To the Wonder
Star Trek Into Darkness
Desert Runners
Monsters University
The Internship
Magic Mike

I also re-watched Les Miserables at the Open Air Cinema at Hedsor House which was a really cool experience.

The always entertaining David Jackson came back to I Love That Film to write a couple of excellent pieces: Fight Club and the Doors of Perception and Second-Hand Stories, Second-Hand Opinions

Other highlights of the month were getting the Starburst Magazine Cover Story: The Wolverine Preview. I actually wrote two pieces for this issue of Starburst so that was really cool to see them in print.

My first year at Filmoria passed and I wrote a piece to celebrate. I also got my first clip joint article published on The Guardian website on the Best Battle Speeches in the Movies.

Here at I Love That Film, the huge milestone of 200,000 page views was reached (finally after over two years)!

I also had some more articles for Yahoo Movies published and a very kind Message from the Side By Side Producer about my review of the documentary at Filmoria.

None of the films I watched this month could compete with the majesty of Breaking Bad but I liked This is the End and Star Trek into Darkness quite a lot. However if I could recommend only one, it would be the documentary Desert Runners. Please check out my review to find out why.

I also didn't really get into The Master I'm afraid. What were your best and worst of the month?

A Universal Celebration: Lovefilm Just Got Lovelier

Good readers you may have read my rant a while back about the Lovefilm rental service VS Universal Studios dispute that has been ongoing since 2009.  If you haven't, go read it here!


Back in March I was basically having a right good bloody moan about it and was sick and tired of the poor communication that was happening between Lovefilm and their customers... myself included.  So I wrote:

'Since 2009 there has been a dispute between Lovefilm and Universal Pictures.  Lovefilm can't rent out any post-2009 Universal Pictures films.  This means just this month I cannot put Safe House, Wanderlust, Contraband or The Greatest Movie Ever Sold on my rental list.  I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!'
 
I really was mad.  Like shaven headed crystal meth dealing teacher Walt White mad!  Mad enough to phone Lovefilm.  Mad enough to repeatedly email Universal.  Mad enough to bombard Lovefilm's Facebook with whingy comments.  Mad enough to give Netflix a go.  I had my 1 month free trial and got through the first three series of Breaking Bad and then quit.  The selection is not great and I couldn't figure out how to make myself a list.  I've currently got around 120 titles waiting to be sent to me or watched via streaming so it's important for me to be able to add films to lists.  Netflix didn't cut it!

Anyway nothing I did worked.  I got no response from the companies involved but a lot of comments on the blog post.  Lots of people telling me to try Blockbuster, Amazon, Netflix etc.  But I LOVE Lovefilm and I wanted to stick with them and so I did.  Here's some of the interesting comments I received:

Anonymous said:  'I've just defected to Blockbuster because of the 'Universal Issue' - found a voucher for a month's trial for a quid. Their service is still not as good as Lovefilm's I'm afraid - the one time I used their 'top ticket' service (a service which guarantees you a title from your list no matter what) they throttled back despatch of my regular titles, so in effect, I'm getting nothing extra, just the guarantee of the title I want. It should be noted that new titles such as 'The Thing' and 'Contagion' aren't initially available as top titles..! In short, I've taken a holiday from Lovefilm but will return after 3 months'

RTB said: 'If Lovefilm don't, can't or won't carry new films from Universal, then they shouldnt be advertising with the strapline "We have everthing"... The only way these people will be made to understand how angry their customers are is if their customers vote with their wallets and take their business elsewhere. Blockbusters here I come!'

Sephen raised the issue of piracy and said: 'Given that LoveFilm and the other studios can play nicely, the fuss over movie piracy is a little undermined by a major studio being unable to settle on a deal with the UK's main (I'm assuming) movie rental service.

I don't pirate movies, but I don't think I'd have a hard time making peace with a decision to pirate Universal movies.'

Janetyjanet added: 'I used to be vocally and vehemently against online pirating of films and still am - but, if it's a Universal film I'm unable to get via LoveFilm, then I've started making an exception.

I don't feel great about doing it - but both parties have spectacularly failed to resolve the issue in over FOUR years so sod 'em...' 

It was great to see these people stumble across my post and give this kind of feedback.  I hope that some of them bothered the hell out of Universal and Lovefilm about the dispute and that in some small way, we played a part in what brings me to put fingers to keyboard today.

The other day I noticed, Lovefilm had added the title Repo Men to the Lovefilm Instant streaming service. I'm not desperate to see the film but I thought I'll add that to my list.  So I did and then the studio that released it caught my eye.  Universal!  I facebooked Lovefilm immediately to see if they would comment on this development but as usual... no reply!

So I did some digging and what did I find?


The Telegraph reports: 'Lovefilm has signed an exclusive streaming deal with Universal Pictures allowing its members early access to movies before they come out on general release.... Jim Buckle, managing director... said: "Lovefilm is proud to offer its members access to the highest quality content across multiple platforms from another of the world's most respected studios...." Additional Universal Pictures titles which are available to watch instantly in the UK include: It's Complicated, Nanny McPhee Returns, Leap Year, Green Zone, The Wolfman, Robin Hood, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, The American, Paul, Fast And Furious 5, Bridesmaids, Johnny English Reborn', Snow White and the Huntsman, Bourne Legacy, Dr Seuss The Lorax and Safe House'

 
















 

The Financial Times reports: 'Lovefilm... has struck a multi-year deal allowing it to show Universal Pictures’ content, marking the end of a two-and-a-half-year dispute between the two companies.
It gives Lovefilm exclusive rights to films such as Kick-Ass, Battleship and Bridesmaids for online streaming, granting subscribers’ access to Universal’s films. It also allows Lovefilm to rent out Universal movies on DVD – over a which disagreement first erupted in 2009.'

So Lovefilm users, this appears to be the beginning of the end!  It's been a long hard fight and it's hard to say if we were being listened to at all but least, finally we can see the signs of progress.  Now all that's left to do is to decide what to watch next?

 
Green Zone, Robin Hood and The Adjustment Bureau are all headed onto my list right now!  Hope they were worth the wait!

Any Lovefilm customers want to share their Universal film wishlist they've been waiting for?  How do the rest of you feel?  Will this have knock-on effects?  Are other rental services going to suffer now that Lovefilm have this 'exclusive streaming deal'?  You tell me!

Hooray for Lovefilm, hooray for Universal but most of all, hooray for all us film lovers!  Victory is ours!