Tag: War

Thoughts on Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episodes 9 & 10

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SPOILERS: Don’t read if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from E9 and E10 (the season finale) of the show.

Episode 9: A Dance of Dragons

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Jorah (Iain Glen) surrounded by the Sons of the Harpy.

Some will say this was a betrayal… of the contract that showrunners have with the audience.  Sometimes you can just go too far.  -Ben Mankiewicz (What The Flick?!) noting some viewers’ opinions of Sansa’s marital rape

This would never ever, ever happen in a normal TV show, and that’s part of the reason we watch this show.  -Cenk Uyger (Ben’s co-commentator) on Shireen’s death/sacrifice by burning

This was a VERY hard to watch ep (if you’re still watching)! We find out that, just before dawn, Ramsay and a few of the Bolton bannermen came and took ALL the horses.  Also, the sellswords (half of Stannis’ army) rode away in the middle of the night. Davos (LOVE him, as always) is sent away by Stannis to The Wall.  Davos wonders why HE needs to go when any other man would suit.  He gives Shireen a present (a deer he carved out of wood) before he rides away.  Poor little Shireen is walked from her tent to a pyre.  She cries and calls out for her father, but the soldiers just lower their heads and do nothing.  Suddenly, Selyse finds her motherly feeling (FINALLY), but it’s TOO late!  Melisandre has already set fire to the pyre.

The second half of the ep was like something you’d see in a feature film- WOW!!!  How cool was it when Jorah speared Dany’s would-be assassin!? (BTW, where did ALL those Sons of the Harpy hide their masks?) There was some heavy fighting, BUT finally Drogon flew in for the rescue.  It was a GREAT ending for the ep!

Episode 10: Mother’s Mercy

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Stannis (Stephen Dillane) realizes that he is defeated.

Go on.  Do your duty.  -Stannis’ last words (to Brienne)

There is no rightful heir right now to Westeros!  -Cenk Uygur

Cersei is (FINALLY) punished!  (FYI: They closed a lot of streets on location and used a body double for some of the shots, as Lena Headey is pregnant.  I didn’t know re: the double until I heard A Cast of Kings podcast.)  Yes, Cersei has done TERRIBLE things, BUT it was tough to see her treated in such a way.  What will come NEXT from her, I wonder!

Is he (Jon Snow) dead?  Is he alive?  Will he be raised from the dead by Melisandre? (We saw Thoros do that before, BUT maybe she can do that, too?)  And what about Theon/Reek and Sansa?  So many questions…

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Jon (Kit Harington) lies wounded from the MANY cuts inflicted by the Night’s Watch.

Good Kill (2015) starring Ethan Hawke, Bruce Greenwood, Zoe Kravitz & January Jones

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NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review. 

This is a small (as in intimate) movie w/ a VERY serious message- distancing and dehumanizing your enemy is ALSO a way of dehumanizing yourself.  I went to see this film back in May w/ my ladies’ movie Meetup; there was a brief Q&A w/ Ethan Hawke (VERY pleasant/thoughtful guy) and the director (Andrew Niccol, a Brit).  Aside from my group, there were press folks, and many associated w/ MSNBC’s news show, Hardball (Chris Matthews was the moderator).  A few members of the armed forces were also present; they seemed to relate to a LOT the film from comments I heard.  

Good_Kill_cockpitFighter pilot Major Tom Egan (Hawke) is STILL fighting The War on Terror, though he now works from a pod in the Nevada desert, not too far from the suburban Las Vegas home he shares w/ his wife, Molly (January Jones), and their two young kids.  Tom and his team conduct drone strikes; it looks a LOT like playing a video game (disturbing, yet darkly humorous to a layperson).  We see that Tom is dissatisfied w/ his work; his supervisor Lt. Col. Johns (Bruce Greenwood- provides wry humor and some of the best lines) knows that it’s NOT an ideal situation, but they are still “doing good.”

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This is a one man’s journey (Hawke is VERY well-suited) type of film, which uses tight close-ups on Hawke and his team, which later includes a young newbie, Airman Suarez (Zoe Kravitz, who does a decent job).  The people in Afghanistan (locals, baddies, etc.) are seen in grainy video- no closeups there.  Check out this film (recently available on Redbox) to see what happens! 

Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 8 (“Hardhome”) – Memorable Lines

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Killing and politics are not always the same thing.  -Tyrion explains to Dany

My concern is that The Faith does not adhere to the same standards of proof as The Crown.  If you’ll excuse me for saying, belief is so often the death of reason.  -Qyburn says when visiting Cersei in her jail cell

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I rose him up.  I made him.  I will not kneel before some barefooted commoner and beg his foriveness!  –Cersei says of The High Sparrow

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They weren’t Bran and Rickon! It was two farm boys.  –Reek reveals to Sansa

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So here we sit- two terrible children of two terrible fathers. -Tyrion says to Dany

I’d given up on life until Varys convinced me that you might be worth living for.  -Tyrion explains to Dany

Sometimes a man has to make hard choices. Choices that may look wrong to others, but you know are right in the long run. -Sam explains to Ollie

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I’m not asking you to forget your dead!  I’ll never forget mine!  – Jon replies to the female elder

Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 7 (“The Gift”) – Memorable Lines

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SPOILERS: Don’t read this post if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from Season 5, Episode 7 of Game of Thrones.

You’re losing all your friends, Tarly.  -Ser Alliser tells Sam as Maester Aemon’s body dead is burned and Jon rides off to meet w/ the Wildling clans

5x07-The-Gift-game-of-thrones-38516551-500-333Your name is Theon Greyjoy, last surviving son of Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands. Do you hear me? -Sansa declares to Reek (AKA Theon)

I’ve been naturalized by a royal degree. -Ramsay says to his new wife
By Tommen Baratheon?  Another bastard. -Sansa replies  

I killed a White Walker, I killed a Thenn, I’ll take my chances with you.  -Sam says to the two Night’s Watch men trying to attack Gilly

5x07-The-Gift-game-of-thrones-38516495-500-333All rulers are either butchers or meat.  -Daario gives his opinion to Dany

Game-of-Thrones-5x07-The-Gift-Cersei-TommenI would do anything for you. Anything to keep you from harm. I would burn cities to the ground.  -Cersei tells Tommen

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You are the few and we are the many.  -The High Sparrow concludes in his talk w/ Lady Olenna

What will we find, when we strip away your finery?  -The High Sparrow asks Cersei

Look at my face!  It’s the last thing you’ll see before you die! -Cersei screams at her jailor