Emily Thrace

I think its less the budget and more the writing. Thar's the real reason this movie didn't do as well as Hunger Games. Grown adults are much less likely to go to a badly reviewed YA movie than they are one that got great reviews in spite of being based on a YA book. I also think paying up the action angle was a major misstep. It targets completely the wrong audience. Even Hunger Games has a largely female audience and I think that hurt repeat numbers and growth from the older female audience. My mom went to Mockingjay because she heard it was good and she liked the first ones. The reviews more than anything really hurt the movie and prevented any buzz from building. The bottom line is if older audience members feels embarrassed to go to your movie they're not going to go. Plus the movie was so far from the book most of the book fans felt cheated. I think making the movie less of a thriller and more of a character story would go a long way. The last book lends itself more to that anyway. Not to mention their going to have to put some the political stuff back in to get the plot make any kind of sense. Without Marcus and Evelynne;s power plays there is no story for inside Chicago. They're also going to have to work real hard to make any of the Tobias crap work at all. Most of his actions were barely comprehensible in a screwed up 18 year old they'll look damn near psychotic in Theo James grown up Four. There is one bright side to this box office news

I don't see that happening and I like Luke. I liked his expression when he saw the photos though. I think Luke has already figured out Will's deal and just doesn't care. I do think he would cut Will lose in a heartbeat if he thought it would hurt his bottom line he's already done it to Jeff. Luke doesn't mix emotion with business he not gonna care that Will is a good guy or even that he personally likes him. Its not personal its just business are words he lives by. I do think in this case he would end up regretting it though because I think he truly likes Will and has enjoyed being his mentor and it might be chance for Luke to grow a little. . Juliette is mentally ill I can't really hold her behavior against her. As John Locke once said "crazy people don't think their crazy they think their getting saner". In Juliette's mind everybody else is over reacting and she just getting shit done. Having been depressed I get it (Although mine was more of a garden variety depression). I mean when I was depressed I knew theoretically I could leave my apartment and nothing terrible would happen. But every time I walked out the door I was couldn't shake the almost overwhelming feeling something terrible would happen while I was gone. So I stayed inside as much as possible to the point where I wouldn't leave the house for days. Looking back now it seems nutty but at the time it was the only way I felt safe. I think Juliette is doing something similar. Motherhood terrifies her so she doing every thing she can to avoid it. Deacon's cancer is probably getting similar reaction. Plus Juliette always been one to act out, so I think on some level she is taking out her anger and frustration on those around her.

There s one crucial difference to me though and I think its going to come back big time next week. I think Bucky likes Rayna and respects her but he's not family. In fact I wouldn't be shocked to find that Bucky has a family we've just never heard about. Glenn would walk through fire for Juliette and doesn't really have anybody else I don't think its a knock on either of them Bucky's style works for Rayna and Glenn's works for Juliette. Also Glenn has that thing growing on top of his head. Its also possible for Scarlett to designate where Beverly organs go if she dies. So its possible that Beverly could get in accident driving to Nashville and Deacon could get her liver that way. Considering Rayna is Lamar's daughter I'm surprised she didn't think of arranging for Beverly to have an "accident" . It would have been a lot cheaper for one and its not like anyone would really miss Beverly anyway. (I kid, mostly. I know Rayna is paragon of virtue with awesome hair who would never consider such things, It would be totally soapy though) Edited cause wok and works are two very different things.

I don't know if its dreaming Coulson was certainly willing to work with him this time around. Although I don't think its so much that Ward has forgiven Ward as much as he has accepted what Ward did and isn't angry anymore. I think Coulson has accepted that season 1 Ward doesn't really exist and sees potential in the real Ward that he's come to know. I don't think of it as so much forgiveness and that Coulson wants to go back to where things were but he has accepted what Ward has done and wants to move forward. I don't think Coulson is at the point where Ward is family again but I do think he cares about Ward and what happens to him. I think if it would solely up to Coulson and he had full control of SHEILD Ward would be back on the payroll. Maybe not a part of the the direct team but a friendly in the field much like Mike was. One of the more consistent notes about Coulson is that he is very optimistic about people and what they can be. It showed up in how he handled Raina and Hunter as well. He can be unrealistic like in Raina's case but I actually find it one of his most endearing qualities.

I might be alone here and I admit I have a soft spot for Ward, but I think part of him might have sincerely wanted to know how Fitz is doing. I think his delivery was a little tone deaf but there was no real way to say it without stirring things up. I do think Ward cares about Fitz on some level, like he said before he could have just shot FitzSimmons he dumped them in the ocean so they could have a fighting chance. I'm not saying that excuses what he did or that he not an asshole. I can just how in his mind he actually does care how Fitz is doing and its an interesting insight in to how his twisted mind works. Like Coulson said there is a glimmer of humanity in him its faint but it is there. I also loved the expression on his face when he found they were looking for Skye it was a solid bit of acting. Like his heart leapt at the thought but he also hated himself for it . That will be an interesting reunion.

Word. I just feel like the doc is completely bland plus I have to side eye him a bit for dating a patients family member. The crap Scarlett was trying to get him to pull is exactly why that is a bad idea. I just feel like this is going to end badly and this guy is going to show his ass yet. I think people bond and mother in different ways and I don't think Juliette has crossed a line yet. All things considered I think its more likely Juliette feels like Cadence is better off with Avery or his mom than she doesn't care at all. Therapy might help but I think Juliette is nowhere near being incapable of being a mother. Not everyone's experience is the same some women do struggle at first. Plenty of people don't insta-bond with their newborns they just don't admit it. I think that's part of what's going on here. Especially given Juliette's driven and hard edged personality and her personal history.The show is actually dealing with something fairly taboo and I like it so far but I want to see the payoff. I just would like to see more of the vulnerable Juliette and less of the harpy.

.What interesting is that McNulty and Bunk kids are not that far removed from the cycle of poverty We don't learn much about Bunk's background but his speech makes it fairly obvious he didn't come from money (Really the only clue is his lacrosse sweatshirt which makes me think he was a ghetto kid who got out via athletic scholarship). McNulty's season two monologue about his dad makes it clear he was from a poorer working class background. Really without a few lucky breaks and good decision on their parents parts those kids could have been Ziggy or Micheal. Part of that is the show overall motif that the cops are not all that different than the criminals they pursue. I also think it included in this season in particular to point out that the cycle of poverty can be broken. Not to mention the impact fathers can have in their kids lives. Although I do think more than anything the point is how money and the stability and options it offers affects what kids can be. I love that the show took time to criticize standardized testing. Its something that I think does so much harm and really limits kids from poorer backgrounds. I think contributes to why Americans get mocked as morons (I don't know if some of you realize this happens but its a fairly common opinion on the northern side of the border). I work for an American company and while I have definitely known some intelligent Americans you are a very literal bunch who struggle when it comes to problem solving a scarily high percentage of the time.(Although my company does deal with more of the lower end of the income spectrum) Standardize testing is probably part of the problem there. Teaching kids how to pick a,b c or d doesn't help people learn to problem solve and figure out when the answer is actually e. Aw I liked Snoop, I think like most of the wire characters she was a product of her environment. I don't see her as heartless I think she was a good soldier who was committed to doing her job. I think she could be called cold but she was also very loyal to Chris and kind to Micheal in her own way. I think this is a fair point. While The Wire does try its depiction of women is still flawed. In the end its a male driven story written mainly by men. That doesn't make it a bad show it just means its not perfect. Its actually probably the one area David Simon truly improved on with Treme.

I'm wondering if Avery's mom isn't going to come into to the story somehow. They keep bringing her up and since when has this show cared about character continuity? She might end being a good childcare solution assuming she can come and stay with them for a while. I think that's also something Juliette needs is a role model someone who can help her be a better mother and build her confidence in that area.

I think she tries but I still feel like the power balance between them is uneven and Alex could do with someone more on his level. So many of their stories have Alex mansplaining to Jo about medicine and life and it just doesn't work as well for his character. With Meredith and Derek that worked because while Derek was more advanced career wise Meredith was more worldwise so their was a balance there. With Jo and Alex, Jo is from the same streetwise school as Alex so Jo doesn't really bring anything specific to the table beside a plucky attitude. Plus Alex's straight up delivery means he comes of as an ass when he is delivering Jo the benefit of his experience. I know TPTB are going for a opposites attract she gets him to lighten up he gets her to darken up vibe here but feel like there a disconnect in how the show wants us to see Jo/ Alex versus how they actually come off. I feel like the age gap romance simply doesn't suit Alex's character. Alex has already spent his whole life being the "mature" one in his family his person should just let him be himself. I also think that while Izzie was completely over the top Alex does need someone who call him on his crap more than Jo is willing to. Some of the stuff with Alex's dad could have gone down a lot easier if Jo had just confronted Alex and gotten him to deal with it. I think what appeals to me most about the idea of Alex/ Maggie not because of her thunder but because of how she confronts people personally. When Maggie confronted Meredith about not going to DC, she wasn't shouty or judgy she was quite and firm and laid out her points calmly but still let Mer know she was upset. That something I think Alex might respond to really well since it wouldn't make him defensive the way Izzie's harping always did. In fact its something Alex has responded to well before its one of my favourite things about his relationship with the cheif (Him getting Alex over his fear of the elevator will always be one of my favourite moments). It might not work as well with Alex/Maggie but I would like to see them try.

I like the whole Maggie/Alex idea actually. Jo is fine but I think the age gap works against these two. I feel like Alex has to be "grown-up" with Jo to much of the time. He's always the one taking care of Jo. And since Alex is someone who takes of everyone he could actually use someone who takes care of him. That actually what I liked about him and Lexie she the only person they've ever put Alex with who actually seemed to give something back. Plus Alex and Jo are boring. Every conversation is Jo says something plucky, Alex grumbles, rinse, repeat. I think the marriage issue is going to come up again and Jo is going to balk and Alex is going to walk away this time. Maggie may be a motormouth but her banter with Alex was at least funny. and fun to watch. I like their dynamic and the chemistry feels a lot less forced. Shonda is usually pretty die hard when it comes to her ships but Maggie didn't exist when she created Jo for Alex so who knows.

Its somewhat predictable but yet they twist the familiar enough to make it shine. Like one of my favourite moments tonight when it was Neil who comforted Aurora when she was upset. Because while Aurora is clearly the head of the team Neil is the heart, Its a very old team mom team dad dynamic it just that usually the genders are reversed. Its an old story but they twist it enough that it offers new insight and makes it a tale worth retelling. Besides as the saying goes the last original work was the Bible anyway. I do think the show does a good job creating tension. I may have known Irish would betray them and it was a trap but I had no idea when the trap would be sprung or who would be caught in it. I assumed the polish guy was a dead man walking so I was surprised when they made it clear. I also liked that the IRA girl turned not because she was besotted with Harry but because of her own conscience and disgust at what the Nazis were doing. A lesser show would have had Harry confess his feeling and have that break her. The amount of thought that goes in to even a relatively minor characters actions and trying to subvert expectations goes a long way to keeping the show unpredictable. I also love that the show is talking about the Nazi extermination of mentally ill and disabled people since it rarely dealt with. I can't believe how much my heart just broke for an SS officer. His wife reaction to the truth was so real and wonderfully acted At the same time the show also showcases Alfred and his mental differences and how much of an asset he can be. It the balance that part of what makes the show so good. They aren't trying to portray heroes or villains just people and that more than anything makes this show so wonderful to watch. Balance keeps the show from feeling manipulative and some how much more powerful for it.

Something I noticed is that Bobbi set of the tech bug/EMP by touching something in her chest. Could she have some kind of tech implant. Also I love that Hunter is alive and well he my fave right except for possibly May. Partly because Hunter is a truly flawed person who seems to genuinely want to do better. Mostly because the actor is charming and funny as hell. I awed when Bobbi gave 3/Xena the token, I really hope those two kids can work it out.

I think its less about sex and more about Tom. I think she feels Ben will understand her pain in way no one else will. I mean she can't go to Scott so Ben would be the obvious choice for comfort. Although I suspect she knew who Tom's father was and perhaps has fantasized more than once about them being their own happy little family. I just don't think she thought Ben would leave Christy and was afraid of leaving Scott (I definitely feel like Jess had legitimate reasons to be afraid of Scott). I also think on some level Ben knew Tom was his. I'm just not sure if it was Ben was just to afraid to admit to himself or if it was an instinctive imprinting response and he wasn't really aware of it. In any case their relationship seems a lot closer than Tom being just some neighbors kid. I think he just feels guilty to admiting it now, like if he had taken responsibility for Tom sooner he might still be alive. Has Jess's sister been cleared? If she was boning Scott than she would have pretty much the same motive as Christy. It could be she thought getting rid of Tom would drive Scott away from Jess and get him to move on with her. Plus as his aunt he would have trusted her and she would have had no problem gaining access to the house.

Actually the majority of child stars simply quit and go into other careers. They do have a much higher addiction and prison rate than average population however. A couple of reason for that don't really apply to the Arnold-Klein's situation. In that many of the worst cases there were underlying family issues that fame magnified and made much worse. Joe Jackson beat his boys long before the had a hit record, and Joe was definitely a big part of Micheal's issues. Drew Barrymore's mother was an addict. I could list about a dozen more examples but my point is Bill and Jenn while not perfect parents don't seem to have those sorts of issues. Another thing that separates Will and Zoe from kids on other tv shows is they're not actors they're just living. Something that known to cause issues in grown-up child stars is that they grew up around adults and can have trouble connecting with real people. Or they've spent so much time performing a role that's expected of them they don't really know themselves. Will and Zoe don't have these expectations so they won't have to worry about these issues. For the most part the show focuses on their disability not their antics, I could them having issues with certain aspects of the show (the same way some kids find home videos embarrassing) but for the most kids on these reality shows have a very different experience than sitcom kids.

Ah so the fact that her accent got distinctly more Northern Irish in the final scene was probably deliberate then. Her accent wanders quite a bit in the scenes where shes fixing up Harry I had a lot of trouble placing it. I wondered if it was a Newfie who was passing themselves off as Irish(Which Canadian production have been known to do. The accents are hard to tell apart unless you know the difference.) The actress was probably going for a more standard southern Irish accent in those scene to make it harder to guess her intentions. The memory about her husband would have been a lot easier to place had she done it in a more standard Belfast accent. Or it could just be that the actresses accent in naturally somewhere between Belfast and Dublin since she is from somewhere in between.

Yeah promising on group liberation for collaborating is something the Nazi's did a lot though. Its how they got a lot of Croation and Ukranian volunteers There were IRA splinter groups who were involved with the Nazi's apparently. So the show may be showing something accurate here. Something that threw me about the nurse was that her accent was hard to place. I suspect the actress isn't actually Irish.

I kinda feel like Brendan really doesn't have a problem with Drew at all. I just think he's bad at communicating that he's grew up a couple of miles from where i'm sitting.so I get what he's saying. He just not someone whose used to communicating his thoughts and feelings like a lot of guys I know. He was raised Mennonite they don't believe in dancing, he actually seems fairly open minded. I doubt he would have taken the job if he wasn't. I actually loved the look(Although part of it is that how MIchael would look at Maria which added to the overall Roswell nostalgia of the scene)he gave after Kenny pointed it out. He clearly wasn't complaining about Chavez being shirtless Plus I don't think Drew is really at the point to be ogling his male co-workers yet. I mean he out but he still a little cautious which is consistent with his character. Not to mention I can see Drew not wanting to make that type of comment because he would be worried about how Chavez would take it. Its still a very different thing in our society for a man to something like that about another man.

God I love this show. Its dark but its still makes room for humor. Aurora is so fucking awesome(seriously this show is like a study in how women can succeed in a command position). Neil made me cry, and so did the Nazi. Its definitely one oft he best things on television anywhere not just the CBC. After the disappointment of Strange Empire I am so glad this show lived up and personally surpassed the hype. The IRA element could be problematic as I don't believe they were ever even loosely aligned with the Nazis. For one the Nazi's thought of the Irish as lower lifeforms not full on vermin but not Aryan much like they thought of Poland or the Soviets. I'm going to assume this girl is a gunrunner who got stuck in France after the invasion who is trying to survive. It was a nice touch on the shows part though, to have say her husband was shot for his resistance but not have her say which resistance he was a part of.

Eh its implied in the book, they just can't come right out and say it because the morality police would be all over that shit. Tris has to get dressed before she leaves for Erudite she wouldn't need to do that unless she had already taken her clothes off. Veronica Roth has confirmed that I believe. I doubt anyone would have been happy with how Veronica Roth ended things. A coherent narrative might have satisfied the critics but the readers would have still felt cheated. At the end of the day most people want the happy ending or at least something like it. I mean the biggest critics of the epilogue for Hunger Games are Gale/Katniss shippers. Ditto Harry Potter and Harry/Hermione fans Ultimately I think TPTB are too concerned with the bottom line to take the risk of sticking with the original ending. Yeah they took a fairly ridiculous part of the novel and made it ..... dumber. Not to mention they stripped out any semblance of soul or brain the story had. The worst part is it made Tris into the special snowflake who has to save them all. One of the few things this series had over Hunger Games that Divergent didn't do that..

I think Lionsgate has just accepted Divergent is the red headed step child of their current stable and didn't expect much in terms of return. They're moving out od the young adult niche so as long as the divergent series doesn't flop their happy. I don't know about that Theo James is pretty much the only reason ONTD is going ot see the movie from what I see. I really don't think his age hurts him much if anything it broadens his appeal. I definitely noticed he seems to be pulled back a bit from promo and that the studio is pushing Miles and Ansel more.I think its mainly because of how big they've gotten. Its probably partly that Miles and and Ansel are bit more practiced(Theo's older but he's only actually been acting for a few years and he came up through the English system and he seems greener when it come to the Hollywood PR machine) and probably seek out the publicity more(I suspect Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort have dedicated PR people and Theo James does not). I do think the studio might be a bit worried about what Theo might say though. I think he's too professional to really be critical at this point but he is definitely unpolished enough to put his foot in his mouth. Especially as the promo material shows Marcus having a bigger role, and I suspect there is some good work there that got cut in favor of more fight scenes. That's actually what really disppointed me about this movie, it was really dumbed down. Which is bad because the book wasn't brilliant to begin with. I wish they had included at least some of the Dauntless politics and the Marcus backstory. I can see not including all of it but the action started to feel redundent after a while. Its hard to care about the stakes when everyone is just running around with guns. Not to mention radomly shooting Eric in front of everyone makes Four look like a pyschopath. Theo James did really well with the material he was handed, the look on his face when Peter brings in Tris's body was heartbreaking (Even though I read the books and knew what was coming). I did like that they expanded Peter's character. Miles Teller is one of the best parts of the series and TPTB realize that. I really liked his dynamic with Four too. That's one relationship I wish had gotten more focus in the books but never got it. I liked how Peter seems to want Fours approval it makes him human. I always felt like Peter probably came from similar situation to the one Tobias was in and feel like that was a missed opportunity in the book. In the hands of a lesser actor the character could be a mess but Miles pulls it off nicely. Although given what happens in Allegiant the chaacter could still end up a mess. Ansel Elgort was disappointing though its been a while since I've seen an actor as over-hypped and undertalented as he is. Shailene Woodley was there, she wasn't bad but shes no Jlaw either. Maybe if the material had been better she could have done more. I wish we had gotten more of Christina(Although I'm wondering if there were some scheduling issues in Christina's case) and Tori. Especially considering how great the Tori/ Four freindship is in the Four novel. It would have been an easy way to get a different side of Four to simply show him with someone like Tori who mentored him. Especially since they seemed to have combined Zeke and Uriah for the movies.

I really really love this show thank god its already renewed. I like that we finally got Aurora's backstory and that it wasn't a huge moment but I have a feeling it may come into play later. This story really got to me, while the stories of place like Auschwitz are well known this horror is something far less talked about. Its still just as awful in its own way. Breeding programs are simply disgusting on so many levels not just on a feminist level but they step on so many racial and even basic ideas about killing ones children for something like a cleft palate (which is a bit of fridge logic since while their is a genetic component to a cleft palate there is an envirmental factor there. I doubt any of the girls where allowed to smoke or do heavy drugs. ). It just makes my skin crawl. I've done enough research to not be truly shocked by anything the Nazi's have done but actually seeing something like this brought to life is chilling. I also like from a show perspective that the team couldn't save everyone. The note about the dud bomb was a nice touch as well. Whle open armed resistance is was rare amonst Jewish victims of the nazi's small acts of passive resistance like that were common place. The show really doesn't seem to interested in showing people as passive victims and I am really liking that. Those small acts of resistance added up in the end too. The Nazi's had huge problems with defective equiptment partly from a poor design process but largely because of a huge dependence on slave labor who were actively sabotaging them. Its sometihng that hindered them more than once and may have actually shortened the war.

I actually really most of this episode even Frank was less annoying than usual. Ian hearing he would be be dependent on meds for decades hit me hard. I know what that's like it really hard to hear that you will never be "normal" again. I really hate when people say its "treatable" and they really mean suck it up. Treatable so often means your fine until the other shoe drops. Most chronic conditions are a daily part of your life even if its in small ways. Healthy people rarely have any idea how good they have it and I like that the show isn't brushing off what a major adjustment any illness is no matter how "treatable" it is. Sammi's instruction to Chuckie were horrifying but as so often is the case on Shameless it was felt very real. It was terrible parenting but Sammi was ultimately trying to protect Chuckie. I can see why Sammi thought it was good idea(since its been shown Sammi uses sex to get what she wants by default more than once) even if it was a truly awful idea. Sammi ultimately isn't an uncaring parent she just doesn't know enough to stop herself from repeating the cycle. Lip's storyline annoys me slightly because it reeks of male fantasy but its also similar to something that happened to the shows creator so I'm going to wait and see on this one. Although if the were really going to mirror the original writers story Lip would be sleeping with Yvonne(I miss her) not some hot college proffessor.

I loved NightingGale I have a feeling I should know more about her and that she is definitely based on someone real. There seemed to be a reference to Ella Fitzgerald with the band calling her Lady(Ella Fitzgerald's band leader callled her Lady Ella) but she was born in Virginia not New Orleans. I half expected Sinclair to call the british kid in the bombing class Flemming on his way out the door. As much as this show seems to want to avoid referencing real people I doubt TPTB will be able to resist the Bond reference. Although I did like the idea that Sinclair is caught between American and British interests. It such a typically Canadian dilemma, and one that was fairly common in WW2. Geography means we have to work with the Americans on defense but the British still didn't see us as independent(some apparently still don't if the imdb board for this show is any indication) it resulted in some tricky politics at times. I liked the intent of Harry's story but the execution was a lttle trite. I swear I've seen the exact same plot elsewhere. Maybe the problem is just Harry. With his character being so green I feel like he just set up for the fall and I can't quite invest in him just yet.. Eventually somethings going to really test him and then he could end up being a very different character. I also like that the show didn't reach for the obvious conflict and have the American have an issue or react to the African American Jazz singer. The Nazi's were obviously racists but the American was allowed to be tolerant. The shows hit a nice balance with NightingGale slamming segragation but not making her victim. I also have to echo the Alfred love. The show is doing well at showing him as odd but not helpless and nicely perceptive

Well that was tense, I have a feeling I'm going to be saying that about every episode. I like that the show is trying to show the Nazi's as human with the head Nazi and his little boy and the secretly gay Nazi(he might be an interesting source in future episode). It adds texture to the show and helps with ambiguity. iIs actually one of the more nuanced protrayals I've seen and I've watched a fair amount of WWII drama's. We still have guy's like The Bleeder(The blood draining technique mentioned as hs signature sounds familar. I wonder if he was a real person or if I've heard about that technique somewhere else before) who are depraved sociopaths but the Nazi leadership really did encourage that kind of thinking. I think that's part of why the show feels so real, even The Nazi's character's have a lot of thought given to them. I also liked all the little character notes about the chracter's being idealistic(even Neil has his feeling about criminals) that they are all probably going to lose before this is over. It was a little contrived that Aurora got out of actually sleeping with the Nazi's both times but she still new at this too so I'll give them a pass on that. I did like how none of the guys even Neil ever really considered leaving her behind. They may still be getting to know each other but they trust each other which will be important for the future.

My working theory is Bobbie and Mack are working for Talbot or possibly Tony Stark/Maria Hill. Although if Tony wanted the cube for the Avengers you would think he would just send in Cap to ask Coulson for it. I suspect Captain America could ask Coulson for his left nut and Coulson would hand it over no questions asked. Of course that begs the question of whether the Avengers know Coulson is alive. Thor should know because of Lady Sif if nothing else. Simmons turn is a bit extreme but she always been very young and sheltered. Plus she someone who tends to defer to authority so taking anauthoritarian postion on something doesn't seem totally OOC. Most forms of bigotry are about fear and I think Simmons is afraid of losing anyone else right now. Plus shes a control freak and she been reactionary to things she can't control before(most notably Fitz's injury).