Tag: Actors

Game of Thrones – “The Laws of Gods and Men”

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Myles McNutt's avatarCultural Learnings

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“The Laws of Gods and Men”

May 11, 2014

“We prefer the stories they tell. More plain, less open to interpretation.”

This is why the Iron Bank of Braavos prefers numbers.

They’re strange, in this way: whereas the other groups who jostle for power in Westeros (and across the Narrow Sea) are interested in histories and lineages, the Iron Bank is only concerned with numbers. It’s why they’re unmoved by Stannis’ claim to the throne by blood, and why they’re won over by Davos’ claim that Stannis is the closest Westeros has to a stable ruler should Tywin Lannister meet his end.

Interpretation is at the heart of law, of course, and of the men and women who enact it. Although the majority of the episode is taken up by an actual trial, the storylines that precede it show the reverberations of other forms of justice, in which similarly cruel…

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Game of Thrones: Season 4, Episode 5 (“First of His Name”)

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Sympathy for The Devil- err… Cersei:

GoT_S4_E5_Margaery_CerseiTommen Baratheon is crowned king in a cheerful ceremony, watched closely by mom Cersei and grandpa Tywin (actually looks happy). Margaery Tyrell looks on from a balcony; she and Tommen share a meaningful look.  Cersei notices this, and walks over to Margaery.  They have a (somewhat) pleasant convo, where it looks like a truce is reached.  Margaery acts humble/coy, saying she “hadn’t even thought of what comes next” (marrying).  Cersei says her own wedding to Loras will occur after the young couple’s.  (No wine in Cersei’s hand here.)     

Later, Tywin admits that there’s no gold in the Lannister mines to Cersei, something Tyrion and Jaime probably don’t know.  Hey, she’s getting some of the respect/trust she’s been seeking from daddy!  He mentions the Iron Bank of Braavos.  The Lannisters need the Tyrells more than ever, we realize.  (There is wine in this scene.)

GoT_S4_E5_Oberyn_CerseiCersei comes to visit Prince Oberyn Martell, who’s a bit of a poet, in one part of the royal gardens.  They talk a stroll (followed by the royal guardsmen, of course) and talk of daughters.  (FYI: Oberyn’s got 8 of them!)  Cersei clearly misses Myrcella, who Tyrion arrranged to be sent to Dorne more than a year ago. (I presume that she’s been promised to one of Oberyn’s nephews.)   The queen points out a beautiful ship that was commissioned for her daughter, who “loves the water.”  The wow moment occurs when Cersei corrects Oberyn: “Everywhere in the world they hurt little girls” (so true, and one of the themes of this entire series). 

Lena Headey is wearing less makeup and more simple, sedate colored clothing.  Her face is serious, set w/ worry at times, while resigned to her fate at others.  Joffrey’s death has taken it’s toll for sure.  She has some of the best lines, too!

On the road w/ Arya and The Hound:

GoT_S4_E5_AryaArya is saying her prayer (names of all her enemies) while The Hound tries to sleep.  She’s solely focused on revenge.  The wow moment:  She names him, too!  Early the next morning, The Hound knocks her down while she’s practicing the “waterdancing” taught to her by Syrio Forel (a fan fave).  He proclaims that Ser Mandon was able to kill Syrio b/c he had “armor and a big sword.”  Arya needs to learn to fight dirty.

Littlefinger proves that “a very small man can cast a very big shadow”: 

Yes, I know Varys said that line to Tyrion (Season 2), but don’t forget that Lord Petyr Baelish is also a “small man.”  He’s from a “minor house” and grew up w/ Catelyn (his first love) and her younger sis, Lysa (who becomes his wife in this ep).  When Brandon Stark (Ned’s older bro) came to claim Cat as his bride, Littlefinger fought him, and was badly wounded.  Now, we see that Lysa is crazy about him- ugh!  She’s also insanely jealous, as we learn in that tense scene w/ Sansa.  

GoT_S4_E5_SansaHe [Littlefinger] comes from no strong lineage, with no family to support him or noble deeds to give him claim to glory, and so he has had to toil for everything he’s ever earned.  He is the first of his name in a different way [than Tommen], in that he is the first member of his family to be Machiavellian enough to angle his way into a position of power, providing the foundation for a legacy of his own moving forward.  -Myles McNutt (Cultural Learnings blog)

The wow moment: When Lysa (Kate Dickie) passionately embraces Littlefinger, asking “what wife would’ve trusted you as much as I’ve trusted you?”  We (finally) learn that her hubby, Jon Arryn (Hand of King Robert), was poisoned by herself at the request of Littlefinger (“we had a wedding night years ago, remember?”)  Shudder! 

And poor Sansa- what’s going to happen to her now!?  Oh yeah, she’s to be her (crazy) cousin Robin’s bride.  Shudder!  Also, can anyone in Westeros have a normal marriage!?GoT_S4_E5_Lysa_Littlefinger
Dany and Ser Jorah have a serious talk: 

Finally, a meaty scene w/ Jorah (Iain Glen)- yay!   I’m glad she’s listening to Jorah’s advice again.  He tells the khaleesi what’s up in Slaver’s Bay (democracy is not going smoothly, as she’s imagined).  Dany decides that she will rule, as queens do. 

Emilia Clarke is owning this role; I’m liking her more and more with each ep of this season (took me a while, I know).  Dany seems wiser, too.  Some viewers want more of the Dany story, like more large fight scenes, but I’m sure HBO’s budget won’t allow for more.   

On the road again… w/ Brienne and her trusty squire, Podrick:

Brienne and Pod provided some (much-needed) humor in this ep!  He can’t ride a horse very well, forgets to skin the rabbit before roasting it, but gains some respect after recounting the tale of how he saved his former master, Tyrion, from being killed by one of the Kingsguard at Blackwater Bay.  Finally, Brienne lets Pod help her take off her armor.  

Burning down the house (Craster’s Keep):

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Meera was saved from being raped, thanks to Jon and his small band of men from the Night’s Watch.  Bran was almost reunited w/ his half-bro!  Oh well, Bran has more to do (as we learn from Jojen’s vision).  Locke got hold of Bran, but the boy entered Hodor’s mind and used his big/powerful body to kill the Bolton bannerman. 

It was good to see Jon fighting after some time, though Karl Tanner was close to killing him.  One of Crastor’s daughter-wives helped him out, thank the old gods and the new!  Jon didn’t fight dirty, until the very end.  Craster’s Keep was destroyed, though the women didn’t want to go to Castle Black.  They’ll try and make their own way (unlike the slaves that Dany freed).  Fans were esp. happy to see Jon reunited w/ his direwolf, Ghost.  

Game of Thrones: Season 4, Episode 2 (“The Lion and The Rose”) – Top 10 Moments

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SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from the most recent episode of Game of Thrones.   got_s4e2_bros 10) Tyrion toasts himself and the Lannister siblings:”…the Imp, the cripple, and the mother of madness” at breakfast w/ big brother, Jaime. 

got_s4e2_jaime9) Jaime and Bronn (who has graduated from common whores to the wife of a knight- “she’s a screamer, that one”) practice swordplay on a secluded cliff.  Jaime uses his left hand (of course); Bronn treats Jaime just like anybody else.  (Jerome Flynn continues to get some of the best/funniest lines!)

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8)  We may’ve been happy to see Ramsay being dressed down by his father, Roose (“My banners not yours.  You’re not a Bolton- you’re a Snow.”)  However, as that (tense) scene goes on, Ramsay gains some points via Theon (who has revealed that Bran and Rickon Stark are still alive).  Roose, now Warden of the North, listens intently to his bastard, and gives him another task (“…maybe I’ll reconsider your standing.”) 

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Theon now looks like a completely broken man.  He finally learns that Robb (who he thought of as a big brother) was murdered.  Alfie Allen will have some (more) acting challenges this season, I’m sure! 

7) Varys tells Tyrion that Shae has been found out (we know by one of Cersei’s spies), but he can help her escape across The Narrow Sea.  At the wedding breakfast for Joffrey, Cersei points out Shae to Tywin (who warned Tyrion in Season 2 that he’d kill “the next whore I find in your bed.”)  Then we have the break-up scene- Tyrion tells Shae that she’ll “have a comfortable life in Pentos,” how he wants to be true to his wife (Sansa), then cuts her down so much that she starts to weep loudly (though she’s a tough gal)!  Peter Dinklage surprised me in this scene, since I didn’t think Tyrion could be so harsh with someone he loved.    got_s4_e2_dragonstone 6) At Dragonstone (Stannis Baratheon’s stronghold), we see few men being burned at the stake for not converting to The Lord of Light; such occurrences were mentioned in Season 2.  Melisandre presides over the event.  One of these men is the brother of Selyse, but she doesn’t care, being a total fanatic.  My favorite character is back!  Ser Davos (Liam Cunningham), looks away while they’re burned.  He tells Stannis: “He worshipped the gods of his fathers, and his fathers before him.  They were the gods of your fathers, too.”  Stannis doesn’t like such comments, since he’s also devoted to this new religion.  

We learn more about Selyse later on in a dinner scene, where she tries to connect w/ her husband over their shared struggles during the war.  She misses, of course, as Stannis is a man cut off from his emotions.  Selyse calls their daughter, Shireen, “a stubborn little beast.”  Stannis commands: “She’s my daughter.  You will not strike her.” Hmmm… maybe he’s not all bad?  

Melisandre wakes up Shireen and tells her more about her religion: “There is only one Hell, Princess, the one we live in now.”  Carice Van Houten has such a screen presence! 

5) “Bastards are born of passion, aren’t they?  We don’t despise them in Dorne,” Prince Oberyn Martell coolly explains to Tywin and Cersei after introducing his “paramour” (lover/companion) Ellaria Sand.  This reminded me of one of Edmund’s speeches from King Lear:

Why brand they us

With “base,” with “baseness,” “bastardy,” “base,” “base”—

Who in the lusty stealth of nature take
More composition and fierce quality
Than doth within a dull, stale, tirèd bed
Go to th’ creating a whole tribe of fops
Got ’tween a sleep and wake?
Perhaps George R. R. Martin (who wrote this episode) was inspired by Shakespeare there?
4)  “And neither will you,” Loras Tyrell one ups Jaime with these words, when Jaime says he’ll never marry Cersei.  Good one!   Brienne-and-Cersei

3) “But you love him” Cersei replies to Brienne, who’s surprised by this accusation.  Jaime, the topic of this tense conversation, is watching both ladies (but can’t hear them).  Gwendolyn Christie reveals more of Brienne in this episode with just a few looks: social unease, innocence (of politics), and good manners (even toward King Joffrey, who cuts down her beloved Renly).   

2)  All the insults, looks (inlcuding reactions of other guests), and tension between Joffrey and Tyrion involving the cup of wine  got_s4e2_pie 1) Joffrey choking and eventually dropping dead- just what we wanted for so long!  (Twitter folks cheered with happiness, too.)  But what killed him?  The wine?  The pie?  And who planned it?  So many suspects… 

The Lunchbox (2013) starring Irrfan Khan

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Viewer comments:

…this gentle and thoughtful director shows human nature running a very natural course.

It had humor, seriousness, lessons, insight, beauty, love, family, decision-making, sadness, reflections, invisibleness, self-doubt, invention, perseverance, respect, aging, determination, coming to terms when enough is enough and genuine affection in how feelings grew by words alone…

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Here is the perfect film (from a first-time director) for smart/sensitive viewers who want an alternative to Bollywood.  Neglected middle-class housewife/mother, Ila (Nimrat Kaur), yearns to win back the attention and love of her husband Rajeev, one of the many strivers in the new India.  Rajeev barely looks at Ila, is glued to his cell, and often comes home late at night.  With the help of her (unseen) upstairs neighbor, she creates delicious (vegetarian, as she’s Hindu) recipes, and packs them in his tiffin (lunchbox). 

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This lunchbox is supposed to be picked up each afternoon and delivered (via rickshaw, truck, and bus) to his office.  However, it goes to a Sajaan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan from The Namesake, Life of Pi, etc.), a lonely/Christian government accountant just a month away from retirement.  He likes the food, so an empty lunchbox is delivered back to Ila.  Feeling appreciated, she decided to write him a thank-you letter. 

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The two lonely people begin a correspondence, bringing (much-needed) hope and optimism into each other’s lives.  They share thoughts in their letters that no one else knows, from the mundane to the deeply personal.  Are they just pen pals?  Or is there possibility for more?   

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Saajan is dreading retirement, and postpones the training of his replacement, Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a younger Muslim man eager to learn/succeed. I enjoyed the slow reveal of Shaikh’s life- he’s got a fascinating story under that big grin.  His character’s struggles and yearnings embody that of many modern, urban men.  Siddiqui (still in his 30s), played a pivotal role in Midnight’s Children, and is an actor to watch.   Nimrat Kaur is very easy to relate to; I’d never seen her before.  She had a make-under for this role; she’s a very glamorous woman in real life.  Irrfan Khan continues to (quietly) create magic- he simply becomes the character!  He still has a long career ahead (only in his mid-40s).  This  is a must-see!