Turns Out, There's a lot to 'Forgive'

Turns Out, There's a lot to 'Forgive'

Nicolas Winding Refn did the hard work of describing his newest film for me.  At the Los Angeles Film Festival, the director introduced his latest feature Only God Forgives by explaining it thus: Drive (his last feature) was like doing a great hit of cocaine with your buddies in college.  This film is like having the worst acid trip, sinking into a chair, watching what's around you and asking 'what the fuck?'  What the fuck indeed.

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It's 'Arrested Development'

It's 'Arrested Development'

While the newest season of Arrested Development, which premiered in it's entirety on Netflix in late May, is a solid and self-referential return to the beloved series, something is missing.  Yes, all your favorite characters are back, including the minor players such as Lucile 2, Barry Zuckercorn, Bob Loblaw, Jean Parmesan, and Ann (her?).  And sure, it deftly picks up where the third season abruptly left off.  However, due to the actors scheduling constraints, each of the 14 new episodes focuses only on a singular character.  By the end of the season the intertwining stores come together in expert fashion, but it's the character interaction, and their interactions with Michael, that is missing.  Forcing them to be separate, the season loses out on the spark that is created when the cast is skillfully playing off one another. 

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