Tag: Actors

Game of Thrones: Season 4, Episode 1 (“Two Swords”)

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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 season premiere of Game of Thrones.  
Where did you get this much Valyrian steel?  -Jaime

From someone who no longer had need of it.  -Tywin

In the opening (wordless), the Hand of the King, Lord Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), is having Ned Stark’s sword (heavy/long) melted down into 2 separate ones.  It’s an unexpected sequence for a season opener.  Tywin presents one sword to his first-born son, Ser Jamie (Nicolaj Coster-Waldau), who now has to wield it w/ his good (left) hand.  However, Jamie disobeys Tywin’s order of leaving the Kingsguard and settling down at Casterly Rock, the Lannisters’ ancestral home.  (What do you think of  Jaime’s new hairdo?)

Keep it, a one handed man with no family needs all the help he can get.  -Tywin to Jamie

Tywin is disappointed by Jaime’s decision (basically disowns him), but lets him keep the sword. 

Viewer Comment: “Two Swords” can be applied in many ways. the greatest symbols of House Stark are destroyed (Grey Wind’s pelt) or recast in someone else’s image (the great sword, Ice).  As Ned’s sword is destroyed, Arya – who has been reforged by her adventures – reclaims one of the clearest connections to her past, her own sword, Needle. It’s also interesting to see that as great as the Lannister’s are, they lacked an heirloom Valyrian sword (like other great houses), and no amount of gold could buy one.

 

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You took too long.  -Cersei to Jaime, rejecting his advances

Jaime (fitted by Qyburn w/ an ornate/golden hand) is very hurt/shocked to be rejected by his twin/only love Cersei (Lena Headey), who we know had been messing around with cousin Lancel.  Some viewers wondered what were “those symptoms” that (ex-maester) Qyburn mentioned?  The twins’ break-up scene is interrupted by one of Cersei’s spies, who heard Shae yelling inside Tyrion’s chamber.  Uh oh!      

GAME OF THRONES season 4: Pedro Pascal, Indira Varma. photo: Helen Sloan

Tell your father I’m here, and tell him the Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts.  -Oberyn warns Tyrion

There’s a new kid in town, but he’s not like any other knight we’ve met so far!  Prince Oberyn Martell (Chilean actor Pedro Pascal), nicknamed the Red Viper, travels to Kings Landing from Dorne, a desert land w/ customs very different from the capital.  His “paramour” Elaria Sand (Indira Varma) is by his side; she played a supporting role in HBO’s Rome.  When Olyver (now promoted to “procurer” in Littlefinger’s brothel) calls her “my lady,” she quickly corrects him.  “I’m a bastard.”  As Weiss and Benioff explained (extra segment), Dornish society doesn’t make outcasts of illegitimate children. 

We also quickly learn that Oberyn, who is charismatic, dangerous, and vengeful, likes things his way!  He tells Tyrion what’s up- he’s looking for revenge for what happened to his older sister, Elia, at the hands of The Mountain (following Tywin’s orders).   I think the casting folks made the right decision to have a newcomer in this role.

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We see more of Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Sansa’s (Sophie Turner) marriage.  She’s deeply depressed, won’t eat (not even her fave lemon cakes), and seeks the godswood (trees representing the old gods).  Poor Sansa!  Later on, in the garden, Ser Dontos (the drunken/disgraced knight who’s life she had Joffrey spare), gives her his mother’s necklace (the only thing he has of any value).  This is an unexpected and sweet scene.  Turner’s really grown as an actress over the seasons! 

Someone forgot to write down all your great deeds.  -Joffrey says, flipping through The Book of Brothers

There’s still time.  -Jaime calmly replies

Is there?  For a 40-year-old knight with one hand?  How can you protect me with that?  -Joffrey retorts

Later on, in a scene w/ Ser Meryn (Ian Beattie) and King Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson), Jaime is once again cut down.  Ser Meryn resents the fact that Jaime will be the one guarding Joffrey at his upcoming wedding.  And Joffrey continues to be a little jerk- no shock there! 

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Lady Olenna Tyrell (Dame Diana Rigg) is not happy w/ the jewels in King’s Landing.  She even tosses one into the garden- LOL!  (My first thought: That could be a desi situation!  No offense to any easygoing desi matriarchs out there.) 

Aren’t you just marvelous!  Absolutely singular!  -Lady Olenna admires Brienne of Tarth

Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie) comes to speak w/ Lady Margaery (Natalie Dormer).  On their garden walk, Brienne explains to the future queen that Renly (a man they both cared for) was killed by a shadow creature bearing the face of his older brother, Stannis.  Oooh, I really want these ladies to be gal pals! 

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I can tell you it’s a very interesting season for Jon because he doesn’t have a paternal or commander looking out for him anymore.  In the previous three seasons he’s gone through about six different patriarchal figures and I think now he’s, where he was being groomed, I think now he’s a leader and that’s what this whole season is about for him.  -Kit Harington

If we beheaded every ranger who lay with a girl, the wall would be manned by headless men.  -Maester Aemon

We learn, from Tormund, that Ygritte missed killing Jon (Jon Harington) on purpose.  I liked the small scene between Jon and Sam, where Jon reminisces about his half-brother Robb.  He’s coming into his own, gets a great scene in front of he Night’s Watch council.     

GoT_Dany_newDaarioDragons, Khaleesi, they can never be tamed not even by their mother.  -Jorah warns Daenerys

Whoa, those 3 dragons have grown!  Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) points out that they can’t be controlled now.  Another change: Daario is now played by Michael Huisman (who I’ve seen in HBO’s Treme).  Hmmm… we’ll see how it plays out.  I hope there are sparks between him and Dany (Emilia Clarke).  “It looks like the cast the actor, not the look, which is a good thing,” said Joanna Robinson (co-host of A Cast of Kings podcast). 

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 Little lady wants a pony.  -The Hound teases Arya

Little lady wants to get away from your stench.  -Arya retorts

Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), looking pretty grown, and The Hound (Rory Cochrane) happen upon an inn where she spies the man who killed her friend, the butcher’s boy (back in Season 1).  He still has Needle (her sword).   

You lived for the king, you’re going to die for some chickens?  -Polliver (now a Lannister man) asks

Someone is.   -The Hound replies matter-of-factly

Inside the inn, they are approached by that repugnant man (now part of the Lannister army; his band of misfits is under The Mountain’s command).  The Hound takes his attitude for a bit, then attacks.  Arya exacts her revenge, using Needle (a gift from Jon).  This scene is sending a mixed message- a young girl killing and enjoying it (note the little smile).       

Viewer Comment: Tywin is thinking that he’s pretty much wrapped up the rebellion, but Oberyn, the Tyrells, Dany, and ultimately Arya are all indicating in their own ways that the Lannisters still have a lot more battles to fight.

GREAT Films about the Immigrant Experience

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Avalon (1990)

This is a gorgeous film directed by Barry Levinson (Diner, Homicide, Liberty Heights, etc.)  It’s a talent-laden (Armin Mueller-Stahl, Aiden Quinn, and a very young Elijah Wood play the male leads) drama set in ’50s Baltimore.  The film explores 3 generations of a tightly-knit, middle-class, Jewish-American family.  My dad really liked this story; it’s suitable for all ages!   

Mississippi Masala (1999)

I tell all my desi friends (and anyone who likes good films) about this one!  I first saw it as an undergrad.  This small-budget/educational/realistic film was directed by Mira Nair; she also plays a small role as a catty auntie.  The screenwriter, Nair’s close friend/collaborator Sooni Taraporevela, said the basis for the love story between Meena (Sarita Choudhury) and Demetrius (Denzel Washington) was partly inspired by a fellow Indian gal pal at Harvard who fell in love with a black (Jamaican) man.  The dialogue is spot-on and the sweet romance between Meena and Demetrius is as hot as the setting (small towns of Mississippi).  There is another kind of love in this story- Jay (veteran Indian actor Roshan Seth), Meena’s father/lawyer-turned-motel manager, desperately trying to get back property/citizenship in his native Uganda (scenes were filmed in Nair’s own Kampala house).

Sidenote: I saw Sarita at a staged play reading in NYC (back in 2006).  Film does NOT do her justice; she’s stunning in real life! 

My Family/Mi Familia (1995)

Unfair deportation, police aggression, gangs/crime, Catholicism, and the ties that bind families are explored in one of my all-time favorite films.  I saw this first during my 12th grade American History class; later I saw it w/ my family (they all liked it a lot, too).  It was directed superbly by a Californian of Mexican heritage, Gregory Nava (Selena, Frida).  The music is an integral part of the story, as is the moral compass/strength of matriarch Maria Sanchez, who is played by Jennifer Lopez (younger) and Jenny Gago (older).  The male leads are played by Jacob Vargas (Jose), Esai Morales (Chucho), and  Jimmy Smits (Jimmy).  Edward James Olmos plays the aspiring writer, also the narrator.  Scott Bakula plays the husband of Toni (Constance Marie).  The setting is primarily East L.A. (a long-established Latino neighborhood). 

Nuovomundo/Golden Door (1996)

Don’t let the language (primarily Italian) deter you from this unique/educational film; it contains some magical realism.  It was produced by the famed Martin Scorcese, himself a proud Italian-American.  The (nearly unspoken) love story in the film is between kind-hearted Italian peasant Salvatore (Vincenzo Amato) and mysterious/redheaded Englishwoman Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg).  Salvatore decides to sail to the U.S. so his family, which includes two teen sons and mother, can survive.  Crops won’t grow on his land, and his brother is already settled in NYC.  However, after their ship lands on Ellis Island, there are more tests/tribulations ahead! 

Liberty Heights (1999)

Another of Levinson’s fine films- this time focusing on brothers who live in a Jewish-American enclave of ’50s Baltimore.  The narrator, 17 y.o. Van (Ben Foster), and his college-going brother, Ben (Adrien Brody) are good kids trying to figure themselves out. You will relate to this film, especially if you are a 1st generation American, as the Kurtzman brothers navigate around heritage, parents, and wider racial issues of the ’50s.  Van befriends Sylvia (Rebekah Johnson), the only black girl in his class.  Ben makes new friends at a party and eventually falls for Dubbie (Carolyn Murphy), a gorgeous/troubled WASP.  Yussel (David Krumholtz), Ben’s best pal/smart-aleck, provides a lot of the comedy.  The parents in the film are portrayed by Joe Mantegna and Bebe Neuwirth.       

The Namesake (2006)

This is the first film exploring two generations of an Indian-American family (Bengali in heritage); it is based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel and directed by Mira Nair.  I saw it in 3 different theaters w/ different groups of family/friends (who all loved it).  Gogol/Nikhil (Kal Penn) and his little sister, Sonia, grow up on Long Island, the children of successful/overprotective immigrant parents, professor Ashok (Irrfan Khan) and homemaker Ashima Ganguli (Tabu).  Though the novel’s main focus was Gogol, Nair takes a deeper focus into the slow-burn love story between Ashok and Ashima (I enjoyed their scenes most).  Irrfan Khan is amazing; too bad he decided not to come to Hollywood!     

Criss Cross (1949)

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Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster) watches his ex-wife
Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster) watches his ex-wife

Tagline: The savage drama of an amazing double double-cross! 

This meaty film noir is a follow-up to The Killers (1946).  It reteams German director Robert Siodmak with star Burt Lancaster (age 35 here), who once again finds himself in a deadly love triangle.  Lancaster, cast against type as a loser, Steve Thompson, a man who returns to his native LA after a year of wandering about the country.  He doesn’t call up his ex-wife, Anna (Yvonne De Carlo), but they bump into each other. Steve still “has her in his blood,” much to the dismay of his mother.  Maybe it was bad luck?  Or fate?   

Anna (Yvonne de Carlo) & Slim (Dan Duryea) in the club
Anna (Yvonne de Carlo) & Slim (Dan Duryea) in the club

She’s all right, she’s just young.  -Steve

Hah! Some ways, she knows more than Einstein.  -Mrs. Thompson

Anna and Steve rekindle their relationship for a time, but then she sneaks off to marry gangster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea), who operates out of a local bar/nightclub.  Steve almost can’t believe his ears when the sympathetic bartender breaks the news.  Does Anna only care about money? 

That's young Tony Curtis!
That’s young Tony Curtis!

This is also the film debut (not credited) of Tony Curtis, who dances in the rhumba scene.  Later, Curtis and Lancaster would costar in Trapeze and Sweet Smell of Success. 

Steve is warned to stay away from Anna by old pal/cop Pete (Stephen McNally)
Steve is warned to stay away from Anna by old pal/cop Pete (Stephen McNally)

I should have been a better friend.  I shoulda stopped you.  I shoulda grabbed you by the neck, I shoulda kicked your teeth in.  I’m sorry Steve.  -Pete

This film is unusual for the genre, because Steve is not a loner, with no one to look out for his well-being.  He has a loving family- mother, jovial little brother, and future sister-in-law. He has a good friend in Lt. Pete Ramirez, a cop he’s known since childhood.  The many minor characters lend flavor to this film. 

Steve's fellow armored car guards at work
Steve’s fellow armored car guards at work

In time, he draws himself into Slim’s sphere, proposing an armored car heist.  This heist involves a elderly co-worker who’s seeing his widowed mother.  The main action scene was very well-done, as it looked quite modern. 

Love…  love!  You’ve got to watch out for yourself!  -Anna

The last scene of the film
The last scene of the film

He [Siodmark] fragments the narrative through flashbacks, counterposing the hopes of Lancaster’s return home with the desperation into which he has fallen.  He also slows down for virtuosic sequences that only a great director could bring off: a long scene when the heist is being plotted, with the bored DeCarlo smoking cigarettes (“It passes the time”) while the railway criss-crosses the window behind her; and an equally long one in the hospital, involving a cranked-up bed, a tilted mirror on the bureau, and a visitor in the corridor- a good Samaritan who turns out to be his worst nightmare.  -IMDB review excerpt

Anna is not like a typical femme fatale, as she’s not the planner.  Steve takes agency in the robbery, though he never wanted anyone to be killed, if possible.  He thinks naively, as he “wasn’t born into this” (Pete comments).  He cared about love, not the money.  The last quarter of the film is atmospheric, intense, and very well done.  Anyone can become a fool for love, even Lancaster.  Look at how young/sad/lost Steve looks when he sees Anna in the club (dancing carelessly) after so long.  This is a fine performance, layered yet accessible.