Thursday, 4 August 2011

2108 Lots of blood, sex, nudity and gangsterland violence

The programme advised that nudity, sex and earthy language would follow. It was the penultimate episode of Camelot. There was a similar warning before the last episode of Spartacus Blood and Sand and the first of a six episode Prequel which has nothing to do with Spartacus, but featured Batiatus and his wife making their way, and explaining something of their respective personalities

But first a film Intolerable Cruelty which I was tempted to see in theatre when it was first released because it stars the adorable Catherine Zeta Jones. I was also attracted because the film is Directed and Produced by Joel and Ethan Coen who also contributed to the screen play. The film also stars George Clooney playing George Clooney together with Geoffrey Rush and Billy Bob Thornton, the latter two among my top score of favourite male actors.

The premise of the film is no matter how cynical, calculating, ruthless and hard bitten an individual can become they will abandon everything they believe in and have practised when they meet the right person. In this respect it is a repeat of the film Up in the Air. In that film Clooney is out Clooneyed by a woman but in Intolerable Cruelty they out do each other but decide to go for love happy ever after.

Clooney plays a top notch lawyer with two claims to fame. He has devised as prenuptial agreement which is water tight so that once signed the terms are binding with no legal loop holes. The second is his ability to win settlements for his clients regardless of evidence, fault and actual responsibility.

The film opens with a show case in which a woman is caught with a pool maintenance man by an early returning husband who comments that they have no pool.

Clooney manages to get everything for the wife in the divorce settlement with the husband Geoffrey Rush left on the street.

In the second case Catherine Zeta Jones has married a wealthy man and then sets out have him caught in a motel room engaged in sexual role play. He engages Clooney and Zeta Jones is ultra confident until Clooney take her out for a meal during the trial in order for a colleague to break in and photo her address book and this leads to the discovery that she asked a concierge to find her a rich man who is easily manipulated and as a consequence of his testimony she loses everything.

Hell bent on revenge she finds Rush and enlists his help in a complicated plot which involves her marrying an oil man(Billy Bob Thornton) and she asks Clooney to prepare a pre nup agreement which gives her nothing should the marriage not last, however he tears up and eats the agreement at the marriage ceremony. She then divorces the husband and obtains a settlement which makes her a rich woman, or so Clooney is led to believe!

The two meet in Las Vegas where he is about to address once more a convention of marriage lawyers to give another cynical how to win lecture but announces that because he has found true love he is giving up his career to undertake pro bono work. The two marry. He signs a pre nuptial to show he is not doing it for the money but she tears it up, But after one night she leaves him and he finds out that she was not rich as her husband was an actor recommended to her by Rush. She is therefore entitled to half the marriage assets which is in fact half of his wealth and she has none. She has her revenge.

Clooney engages a hit man but before the assassination takes place Clooney finds out that in fact Zeta Jones has become wealthier than himself because her previous husband has died and had not changed his will so leaving everything to her. If they divorce Clooney will find himself financially better off when the total assets are divided. Clooney takes steps to stop the assassin. At the negotiation for the settlement they decide they want to be with each other. Zeta Jones suggests to the TV producer former husband who Clooney put on the street an idea for a new TV show starring her second husband the actor played by Bill Bob. Everyone gains and true love triumphs. The programme is called America’s Funniest Divorce Videos. Ha Ha funny.

Now to Camelot and I am going to cheat and provide the Wikipedia account of the final two episodes of this season although I cannot believe there is going to be another.

“Morgan (Arthur’s half sister and shape shifting devil worshipping ambitious murderess of her own father) convinces Igraine (her step mother who her father raped killing the husband in battle before making her his lawful wife and Queen) that she is just hallucinating (Igraine having escaped returns to Camelot and finds Morgan in the form of her double and who has bedded her nice friend Merlin) and escapes Camelot now in her (Morgan's) form.

When Merlin and Igraine confront Morgan at her castle about this, (I cannot understand why they do this and why Merlin would let him and Igraine be captured) she and her followers arrest them. She (Morgan as Morgan) then anonymously stages a raid at Bardon Pass, hoping that Arthur will be inadequate to stop it, positioning her to become acknowledged as the better ruler of Camelot, and proceeds to travel to Camelot with her new prisoners, Merlin and Igraine.

Leontes (Guinevere’s husband) confronts Guinevere about her relationship to Arthur, and then confronts Arthur about it. During the battle Kay (Arthur’s foster brother) is shot by an arrow, becoming in desperate need of medical attention. Arthur and his friends realize that the only way that they will succeed is if one of them stays behind. Arthur volunteers (to make up for having seduced Guinevere), and his friends depart the battle grounds, and Arthur prepares for a full out battle to the death with Morgan’s army.

In 10 "Reckoning" (Part 2) Morgan's plan to overthrow Arthur is exposed. However, the nun Sybil takes credit for Morgan's treasonous schemes, claiming she planned everything and Morgan knew nothing about it. Sybil is executed, and while the public accepts this story, Arthur and Merlin are not deceived.

Leontes then dies protecting Arthur at Bardon Pass and Igraine is killed by Morgan. Arthur strips Morgan of the name and banner of Pendragon and says her castle is no longer protected. Morgan visits Sybil's grave and, upon hearing a voice telling her to bear a child, disguises herself as Guinevere and has sex with Arthur. Wow what a surprise.

To explain what happens in the final episode of the first series of Spartacus Blood and Sand I again use an annotated Wikipedia.

The turning point comes when Spartacus is set to fight his only friend in the ludus (Gladiatorial training camp/school), Varro, in an exhibition match celebrating the coming to manhood of the Capuan magistrate's son, Numerius. Ilithyia, who has hated Spartacus since he embarrassed her husband Glaber by his mutiny, seduces the young man and convinces him to demand death for the loser of the match. Spartacus wins (as expected), and when the young man gives the "thumbs down", Batiatus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the boy's powerful father, forces Spartacus to comply and kill Varro. While suffering from both his wound in this match and his remorse and sorrow over having to kill his friend, Spartacus has fever dreams that lead him to discover that Batiatus arranged Sura's death. Knowing that it is all or nothing when it comes to resistance of his enslavement, he resolves to "kill them all" and lead a revolt against the ruling house he once fought for.

In order to get his revenge, Spartacus enlists the help of Crixus and the rest of the gladiators to defeat the house of Batiatus once and for all. A battle to the death between Crixus and Spartacus is arranged for the Capuan elite at the ludus. Doctore (who Batiatus refers to by his real name, Oenomaus) confronts Batiatus about Barca's (Gladiatorial colleague) death and Asher’s (fixer for Batiatus) hand in it.

Spartacus gains support from Mira (wife of Varro seeking revenge) who is tasked with opening the gate to the villa from the training area. Crixus resists aiding Spartacus in hopes of reuniting with Naevia (former favourite slave to the wife if Batiatus until she discovers relationship with Crixus). However, after learning he was weakened to ensure Spartacus' victory, at the last moment he joins with Spartacus. Doctore initially stops Spartacus from killing Batiatus.

In the ensuing chaos of the gladiators killing the guards and some guests, Crixus persuades Doctore to join him with Spartacus, Illithyia escapes and has her guards seal the door to the ludus from the outside, Doctore, making good on his word, tries to kill Ashur but ends up being eluded, Crixus grievously wounds Batiatus' wife, Lucretia, with a sword stab to her abdomen piercing her womb and killing their unborn child, Aurelia kills Numerius after revealing to him that Varro was her husband, and Spartacus finally kills Batiatus in front of the seriously wounded Lucretia. After the massacre, Spartacus vows to make "Rome tremble". Thus the series ends, I will write more of the Prequel.

It was left to the Sopranos to provide more of the old fashioned gangster land violence although the episode Funhouse is fully of psychological insights arising from a series of nightmarish dreams experienced by Tony as he develops a fever after eating at an Indian restaurants and then eating more at the restaurant of his Italian friend Artie Bucco.

Among the dreams Dr Melfi noticing he has a giant erection seduces him on the desk in her consulting room and Tony finding that he has an incurable disease pours petrol over himself before all his friends except Pussy and explodes in a ball of fire. However the most significant dream is the one in which he confirms that Pussy Bonspensiero has become a spy for the Feds. He goes with his two closest associates to the home of Pussy and while the other two persuade Pussy and his wife to give them coffee, Tony uses his food poisoning to use the bathroom and check out the main bedroom where he finds the wire tap which Pussy has not had time to use, plus some micro tapes. They take Pussy out for a boat trip where the three shoot him and weighed down he goes to sleep with the fishes. Later Tony tells the family he has bought a new boat.

He also brings a mink fur coat for Carmela and prepares for Meadow’s graduation and party. With Janice sent on her way there is no one look after his mother so he arranges for his other sister to visit and try and talk some sense to Livia. But the sister says her husband will not allow Livia to live with them. The only solution is for Livia to stay with her sister and Tony gives them tickets for a flight to Arizona. He does this knowing the part of a small stolen group which leads to Livia and sister being detained at the airport and the arrest of Tony just before the graduation which upsets Meadow who returns to the house with friends to see him being handcuffed and taken to the police station. However this is a minor problem which his legal counsel sorts out although Tony is in a panic mood full of guilt at having had to kill his long term friend Pussy.

He is in the same mood when he visit Dr Melfi who detects that despite his bravado and Tony being Tony there is some great sadness troubling him. At the graduation Party Tony tells Christopher he is being promoted and he also see the father he ruined of his daughter’s college school friend. He says he is getting a divorce and going out to west to start a new life as a rancher. Tony who at the start of the episode was in a self congratulatory mood with lots of money coming in and new scams in hand celebrates with family photos as the second season comes to an end, but the third season immediately follows nest week.

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