BEFORE: Time for a TV-watching update. On my first-tier of shows (CSI, Law & Order: SVU, Fox animated shows) I've finally hit December's programming. I'm always about 4 months behind on these, which only creates a problem when I'm enjoying the "Iron Chef" Christmas battle as people are getting ready for Easter. On my 2nd tier of shows (The Voice, Face-Off, Storage Wars, Restaurant: Impossible, Bar Rescue), I'm more caught up, but still running about 2 weeks behind. I'm current on "American Idol" and "Survivor", and I'm stockpiling episodes of "The Amazing Race" so I can binge-watch them right before the season finale. And my wife and I are watching "Hell's Kitchen" together (though this season is just more of the same, so it's nothing to write home about) and that's about all, since there's no new "Top Chef" or "Next Food Network Star" airing right now.
All of this means that I don't usually have time to try new shows - I've passed on "Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead" in recent years, and now I feel like it's too late to jump on those bandwagons, and I'm OK with that. But we have started watching "True Detective" at the same time (me On Demand, her on computer) and at just 8 episodes, that's not too much of a burden. So far I'm really digging the show, I'm reminded of the feeling I used to get watching new episodes of "Twin Peaks", and I think that's a fair comparison - a brutal murder, quirky characters and a metaphysical detective are just some of the elements the two shows have in common, only "Twin Peaks" tended to be a whole lot sillier sometimes. I think I know where the story's going, but of course I could be way off.
In the late-night wars (Part 3), my world has been rocked by the announcement of Letterman's forthcoming retirement. My BFF Andy recently wrote a great breakdown of why Dave is still his (and my) preferred late-night TV host - check it out here: http://ihnatko.com/2014/03/28/my-1135-pm-tv-comedy-provider/ - and I agree with most of his sentiments. I also gravitate toward both Stewart AND Colbert, however, and I'll watch one of the Jimmys if Dave is on break. What will I do without Letterman? I guess that depends on who takes his slot on CBS - maybe I'll just catch up on the prime-time backlog. If Ferguson moves to 11:30 I'll consider that - but I know that somewhere, Craig Kilborn is second-guessing his career choices right about now.
I think Dave kept track of the number of shows he's hosted on CBS and NBC, and as that number got close to 6,000 I bet he began to wonder how many shows is enough, or even what "enough" starts to mean. Believe me, I feel his pain.
Linking from "Payback", William Devane was also in "The Dark Knight Rises" with Michael Caine (last seen in "Bewitched").
THE PLOT: When his brother dies under mysterious circumstances in a car accident, London gangster Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to investigate.
AFTER: I'll admit I had trouble following this one, and I think that's partially because of the thick British accents - I had the same trouble with "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". But I think the other part of the problem here is that Carter doesn't give much away - maybe he's making up the plan as he goes along, or maybe there's no plan at all, since his investigation of his brother's death seems fairly random. Maybe it's just going in several directions at once.
In a method similar to the one seen in "Payback", Carter works his way up the chain of a criminal organization - here it's just Newcastle instead of Chicago, but it also feels a lot more realistic here. Also, Carter is like Porter because they're both positioned as anti-heroes, the least evil people by default, because their intentions are slightly more noble.
I found this to be fairly confusing overall, there were just too many underworld characters that were very indistinguishable from each other, and often it was tough to tell what Carter's plans were. A voice-over similar to the one in "Payback" might have helped, providing more exposition than the non-talkative Carter was willing to provide. Perhaps it's my fault, and I wasn't paying close enough attention.
It's a dark, gritty film, and I can see how it influenced British crime films for decades.
Also starring Ian Hendry (last seen in "Damien: Omen II"), Britt Ekland (last seen in "The Man With the Golden Gun"), John Osborne, Bryan Mosley, George Sewell.
RATING: 4 out of 10 bathroom stalls
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