Sunday, December 7, 2008

Dexter and violence

All aboard the "Dexter" train...

Well I finally got on board the "Dexter" train and so far the shit has been a ride. I declared at some point during the first episode that I hated Doakes then sometime during the second episode I declared that I hated LaGuerta (or maybe Laguerta) even more. Then around episode three I decided that Doakes' story took an interesting turn and I thought he was on the precipice of being likeable and that he routinely fucked that up for himself. Three more episodes later he has stepped farther from the edge but can't seem to make the leap. LaGuerta, on the other hand, hasn't done much for herself. Telling Tucci's family (Tucci, by the way is a victim of Dexter's latest playmate-- The Ice Truck Killer, who has been amputating the guy's body parts and recreating photos from Dexter's family album. The photos are actually a trail to where Tucci can be found) he was alive was something I thought was going to blow up in her face for sure. I'm glad it didn't though, not for the character's sake, but because I like the show's humanity. There's not much more satisfying than watching what I think will be a soulless demon who sates his murderous impulses by killing other demons trying to achieve humanity in a way that will be much more than the facsimile of such that he's managed to produce so far.

I think the show is fantastically acted (even by the characters I hate). Michael C. Hall is magnetic and Julie Benz etches a believable portrait of a woman hiding behind a constant mask of smiles. I don't know if that mask of smiles will fail her in a big way or even what and when Dexter will reveal to her, but I find her nervousness and trepidation endearing. James Remar and Michael C. Hall's chemistry and code is the glue that hold's the show together and Remar even gets my favorite moment of the show thus far. When Dexter steps out of his apartment and it starts to rain and the rain turns to blood and Harry says, "Storm's coming." If moments like that don't get your engine revving then you might not be human. It's also kick ass and reliable foreshadowing. Props.

Also, how'd you like Scott William Winters of "Good Will Hunting" fame as the brother-in-law of a slain cop who looked to be setting up Doakes for a fall? I liked them apples. Of course, by apples I mean the whole goddamn thing.

Action....

I watched "Punisher: War Zone" this weekend and found it to be gloriously over-the-top but, in truth, I appreciated the manic overacting by Dominic West and Doug Hutchinson a little bit more than I appreciated the violence. Nick Santoro (a writer for "Prison Break") was one of the co-writers of this thing and despite knowing this film is based on a certain run of the comic book series, Santoro's touch which is a "Prison Break"ian staple can be felt in the undying loyalty between Loony Bin Jim (Hutchinson) and his scar faced brother Jigsaw (West) who manage to love each other unconditionally whilst simultaneously hating everything else in the world... Speaking of "Prison Break," Robert "T-Bag" Knepper plays the lead villain in "Transporter 3" which is, putting it mildly, something of a still birth. It's not bad enough to make me yearn for "Transporter 2" but it's enough to make me wish I hadn't been so fond of the first film.