Burn Notice: Same Old Story

Dammit, Burn Notice, I want to like you so much but my patience dost wear thin.  You’re brimming with sexy, talented actors, impressive action, narration that’s both witty and informative, and a treasure trove of gadgets on the fly that would make MacGyver seethe with envy.  So why does tuning in each week feel like a tiresome chore–like mowing the lawn or flossing, but with explosions and bikini montages? Read more

Burn Notice: Do No Harm

Burn Notice returned after last fall’s hiatus and boy, those sunny Miami locales look even more inviting now that it’s the dead of winter.  The episode begins with a bang…or rather, right after a bang, the bang that brought Michael Westen closer to death than ever before.  Mysterious operative Carla set him up and rigged Michael’s hideaway, but he leaped over the balcony and bounced off his car right before the bomb blew.

Sam arrived to bring him back to consciousness and get him out of there, but there was no time for rejoicing, because a car full of bad guys arrived to make sure Michael was dead.  Michael is a little woozy, probably due to nearly being incinerated, so Sam has to take the wheel and lead the high-speed car chase.  Luckily, Sam is reliable in a pinch and the spy buddies make their escape.

With their car nearly totaled, Michael and Sam start moving on foot, trying to put as much distance between themselves and Carla and her minions as they possibly can.  But before they get very far, Michael observes a man acting suspiciously and barely saves him from killing himself by stepping in front of a bus.  This is all before the credit sequence mind you!  That’s one of the many reasons I love Burn Notice.  They don’t waste any time getting to the action.

Turns out Mr. Suicidal is Kenny, a father desperate to save his son Jack who has a serious heart condition.  There’s a progressive treatment center in Arizona that may be able to help Jack, but Kenny can’t afford it because he was recently scammed out of $250,000 by someone who claimed to have a son with the same heart condition who was cured through a bogus treatment.  Kenny’s plan was to kill himself so that his son would get the insurance money, but Michael reluctantly gets emotionally involved and has other ideas.

Fiona tries to trace the chemicals used in the bomb and teams up with Michael to get Kenny’s money back, though she wishes he would take it easy for a bit after almost getting killed.  Michael seems to need a client to help so that he has something to keep him from falling apart.  The plot thickens when the surveillance car from before reappears.  Sam urges Michael to run with him but Michael refuses.  Looking a few fries short of a Happy Meal, Sam picks up a brick, walks over to the car and shatters the driver’s side window.  Then he does something truly loony, something Martin Riggs would have done: he tells the driver he’ll make his job easy for him and gets in the car.

Michael now finds himself holed up in a room with Carla and her associates.  Carla looks ready to blow a gasket, interrogating Michael as to what’s going on and why her assassination operation that she blackmailed Michael into helping with was sabotaged.  Michael looks astonished: “You’re asking me?  Last time I checked you put my brother in jail, you chased me halfway across Miami, and you nearly got my head blown off.”  Carla claims she had nothing to do with the bomb at Michael’s hideaway.  What?  If she wasn’t responsible then who is?  It’s an answer Michael wants to know, as do I.  It’s a great scene because Michael finally loses his composure and yells at the top of his lungs.  It’s really dramatic to see this character finally start to become unhinged in the face of all that has happened.

Back on Kenny’s case, Michael stages an interrogation of his own on Todd, the enforcer who works at the clinic in Coral Gables that Sam traced Kenny’s scammers to.  Sam threatens Todd with a knife, for as Michael says via voiceover, “violence perceived is violence achieved.”  Meanwhile Michael struggles to keep it together, because as he explains, you never get used to nearly dying-”brushes with death are like snowflakes: each one is unique and icy cold.”

Sam and Michael succeed in working up the ladder of the scam organization using very creative interrogation techniques.  They figure out the head honcho is a woman named Rachel.  The plan is to set up a scam for her to get in on, and then threaten to take her to the cops until she gives up the money.  But, like often happens in the show, things don’t go exactly as planned.  The episode boasts a couple of great, unexpected scenes that reveal new sides of the characters, like when Fiona has to play with Jack and when Sam and Michael come to blows over Michael’s plan.

Welcome back, Burn Notice.  Glad you’re here to stay.

Season 2, Episode 10: Do No Harm (originally aired January 22, 2009)

For another take on this episode, check out Same Old Story by Paul Secrest.

For more on Burn Notice, click here.

Thursdays at 10/9c on USA

Photographs courtesy of USA

House: Drama, Drama, Drama

It’s been quite a while since the last new episode of House, so here’s a quick refresher before we dive into this week’s:

• House/Cuddy = Off.
• Foreman/Thirteen = On.
• Cuddy/Brain-Damaged Baby = On.
• Chase/Cameron = On (romantically), Off (screen).
• Wilson, Taub, Kutner = Irrelevant.

Huh.  You know, I’ve never actually seen an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and yet I suspect House is looking more and more like it every day.

This week’s episode was probably aiming for moving, but landed closer to over-the-top.  Our patient, Jeff, is a 32-year-old husband and father who’s been suffering from constant debilitating pain for years to the point that he’s become suicidal.  The show does everything in its power to establish Jeff as a parallel to House, up to and including having Taub say to House’s face, “We’re not diagnosing you.”  At one point they even have Chase make what I assume was a concerned face in House’s direction, although it was tough to tell since Chase was wearing a surgical mask at the time.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  This episode still had plenty to love.  There was Cameron sassing Thirteen.  There was Cuddy subtextually rejecting House, again, over and over.  There was Wilson carrying a giant stuffed yellow chick.  And there was Chase. (I love Chase, even when he only gets two and a half lines and never takes off his surgical mask.) Oh, and there was also partial Hugh Laurie nudity, which I’m sure made some fans quite happy.

Also, Thirteen turns Foreman down so she can pay more attention to herself for a change, and Foreman manipulates her into going out with him anyway.  Go, Foreman, I guess.  And Kutner and Taub debate the ethics of suicide. (Peter Jacobson does a great job taking this generic dialogue and making it his own; I can’t say the same for Kal Penn).  By the end of the episode, Kutner has deduced that Taub attempted suicide when he was younger.  House probably figured that out five minutes into the ep, but congrats either way, Kutner.

Meanwhile, Cuddy is foster parenting the baby, Rachel, from the Christmas episode, and easily passes her home inspection from the foster parent agency (which was obviously going to happen – didn’t Cuddy watch Six Feet Under?).  House is suffering from more pain than usual (because he’s sad about Cuddy, aw) and takes out his frustration by committing insurance fraud and bribing a plumber after his pipes burst. But he also finds time to torment Cuddy, a la “Joy,” by trying to force her into predicaments where she’ll have to choose between her job and her kid.  This time, though, Cuddy is way over House’s mind games, and is persuaded by Wilson not to overextend herself.  So she offers Cameron her job, because Cameron is good at psychically assessing House and apparently that’s all Cuddy ever has to do.  Besides paperwork, which Cameron is also good at. (And anyway, Cameron has been running the ER for, like, six weeks or something, and is therefore obviously qualified to be Dean of Medicine.)

Anyway, back to Jeff.  He gets the usual round of inaccurate diagnoses and ineffective treatments, including House torturing him on a hunch. (Everyone acts shocked about this, like House has never tortured anyone before).  Jeff tries to kill himself three separate times, and once even gets his kid to create a distraction for him (look, I get it, the show wants to be heavy, but come on, every single week you give us patients in excruciating circumstances?  And yet you won’t reward us with a non-masked shot of Jesse Spencer every now and then?  Come on.) Until House figures out that Jeff has epilepsy and it’s screwed up his brain or whatever, and since it’s 8:54 we know he’s right.  No one in the family looks too thrilled that House has found a treatable diagnosis for Jeff, but hey, it demonstrates that there’s help out there somewhere for House, too.  And that means we can all feel warm and fuzzy.  Because the show hasn’t already tried and failed to cure House multiple times.

I think we’ve all learned something very special here today.

Season 5, Episode 12: Painless (originally aired January 19, 2009)

For another take on this episode, check out Painless by Cameron Cubbison.

For more on House, click here.

House, Tuesdays 8/7c on FOX

Photographs courtesy of FOX Broadcasting Company and IMDbPro

The Office: Gentlemen to Your Corners

After a disappointing Christmas episode, The Office was back in tip top shape and rip-roaring for a bloody good fight on Thursday night.  Most aptly titled “The Duel,” this week’s episode finally broadcasted the much anticipated showdown between Angela’s rival lovers.

In the first corner was Sir Andy “The Nard Dog” Bernard, Lady Angela’s adoring fiancé, who was just told by the master of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, Sir Michael Scott – as he drove off in his vehicle for a subplot of awkward conversation with Sir David Wallace – that another scoundrel’s been getting dirty with his lady.  Enraged by the news, Sir Andy of the Cornell Clan demanded that his rival for fair Angela’s attention rescind his claim to the prudish maiden.  But the bobbleheaded man would not relent.

Rising to meet the Nard Dog in this duel for the petite wench’s affections was his adversary and Angela’s secret husband, Sir Dwight “Ohh Dee” Schrute of the beet farm province.  Armed with a speed somewhere between a snake and mongoose, a deputy sheriff’s experience, and an array of disturbing childhood stories and songs, Sir Dwight was prepared to face down Sir Andy, in the parking lot, at lunch time, with a broad sword.

The gentlemen’s prize was the err… lovely, hardly lovable Miss Angela “Monkey” Martin who was torn between the man who’d won her hand and the man who’d won her heart (why must she keep repeating it?). Due to her perplexing state of confusion, Lady Angela was willing to honor the results of the duel, even after the protests of the much-adored Lady Pam of the ample bosoms and adorable Banana Republic attire.

To supervise the fight was Lady Pam’s betrothed, the tall, handsome, and facially animated Sir James Halpert, who attempted to retrieve all of Farmer Schrute’s hidden weaponry from their secret troves around the office.

Finally, it was time for the match.  Schrute awaited Bernard in the parking lot, waving his rope weapon.  The office patrons filled the viewing gallery in the conference room to observe the fight.  But what was that taped to the bushes?  Why it was a note of forfeiture from Sir Andy.  Sir Dwight stood to read it, turning his back on the field of battle, a moment which Sir Andy took full advantage of to sneak up behind Sir Dwight in his inching, silent Prius.  A shrewd move, Sir Oscar observed.

Soon, Sir Andy had Sir Dwight pinned against the bushes, his car crushing Sir Dwight against the surrounding fence.  Sir James interfered to make sure Sir Dwight’s legs were not broken.  But, alas, they were just asleep.  So Sir James retired inside and allowed the two combatants to continue their verbal assaults.  But soon words which ended the quarrel were spoken.

The two men, having both valiantly survived their duel, returned to their desks.  But who was the winner of Lady Angela’s hand.  It was not Sir Andy, fore he promptly cancelled his order for the matrimonial cake.  But, great Scot, it was also not Sir Dwight, who discarded a long-cherished token of his lady’s love, his bobblehead.  It seemed the duel was called a draw when they discovered they’d both been deceived.

A difficult lesson for Lady Angela: entertain too many gentlemen and you may end up an old maid.  It is best to stick with one noble heart than flit betwixt too many.

Fare ye well, faithful DunderMifflinites, ‘til next week.

Additional DunderMifflinite lesson of the week, courtesy of Sir Dwight: “Don’t turn your back on bears, men you have wronged, or the dominant turkey during mating season.”

Season 5, Episode 11: The Duel (originally aired January 15, 2009)

For more on The Office, click here.

Thursdays, 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC

Poptimal.com’s The Jone Dome Ep. 8

Episode #8 – January 21, 2009 – This episode: Skippy Weinstock (Black Cheetah Girl) alleged wild romp, 2008′s Worst, Britney/Brittany, Skinny Jeans, and Benjamin Button. Read more

Fringe: Bound

Fringe is back!  And dare I say it: Another good episode, even with the slugs…

Previously, Olivia was kidnapped by the bad guys.  Without missing a beat, she wakes up strapped to a stretcher, rolling down a hallway.  So…nothing’s changed in the Fringe universe, where everyone gets kidnapped and strapped to stretchers.  She’s wheeled into a large room and approached by – Oh my god, it’s Benjamin Button!  Read more

Supernatural: Ripped from an Austrian Headline

Supernatural returns to The CW for its fourth season, leading the cute paranormal hunting brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) to tackle a psychotic female ghost that lives within the walls of an old house.  Like Sam and Dean, the show has surprisingly managed to survive and outlast while its counterparts have met their maker.  Unfortunately, the brothers’ constant attempts to remain hopefully sarcastic in the face of death, demons, and monsters with witty banter often comes off as stiff and not so witty.  Still, the dynamic duo must be doing something right. Read more

Gossip Girl: The Flying Yaleman

It’s the day we, but mostly Blair, have been waiting for–the day Yale sends out its acceptance notices.  Blair’s father, his French lover, Dorota, and George the Bulldog are all wearing Yale sweaters to greet Blair as she comes down for breakfast.  This is all a pep talk for her inevitable acceptance to Yale later this day.  I suspect this is all a set up for disappointment later that night at the opera.

Dan and Serena are also talking about Yale admissions and who will and won’t get in.  They are interrupted by Rufus trying to sneak out of Lily’s room that morning.  Lily tries to smooth it over now that the kids know their parents are hot ‘n heavy, but it’s still awkward–almost as awkward as when Eric has to ask Lily to take a cold shower because his room is beneath hers.  Lily brushes it all off and wants to announce her relationship with Rufus at that night’s charity event at the opera.

At school there’s a new, barely-graduated English teacher, Miss Carr.  Serena likes her and Dan, or “Daniel,” may have a crush.  Nate and Dan talk about going to the opera that night.  (This opera must be amazing.)  Anyway, Nate watched the whole Ring Cycle on DVD with Vanessa and now they are both going, especially since he’s got his family’s money back and their box seats.

Chuck goes to see Lily to strike up a deal, presumably to knock Jack out of Bass Industries.  Lily is more concerned about Chuck’s well-being and she invites him back to her apartment.  She also rejects Chuck’s ideas to plant cocaine in Jack’s gym bag and to have two tranny prostitutes make advances toward Jack.  For reasons unknown, those girls owe Chuck a favor.   (Where’s that episode?!?)

At Constance, Dan shares his excitement over getting into Yale.  Serena, who also got in, lies to Dan (surprise, surprise) about getting wait listed, so she can spare Blair’s feelings . . . oh yes, Queen B also got wait-listed.  After a Veruca Salt-like demand to see Headmistress Queller, Blair learns that she is at the top of the wait list and she will be admitted if anyone else drops out; however, she’s concerned that Miss Carr may stand in her way–it seems Miss Carr doesn’t agree with Blair that second-semester seniors get a free pass.  Serena, meanwhile, is having doubts about going to Yale.

After a frustrating meeting with Jack, Lily goes back to Chuck about getting dirty to bring down Jack, but “the bastard is untouchable.”  This new alliance turns cold quickly, though, when Chuck learns that Lily is bringing Rufus to the opera that night, or as Chuck put it, “parading your mistress in public.”

With some encouragement from Miss Carr, Serena drops out of Yale, which gives the spot to Blair.  Dan is disappointed because he always thought Serena (a) wanted to go to Yale and (b) wanted to go to college with him.  Are these two getting back on ice so soon already?  Of course not, they like to drag these two along with routine ups and downs.  Some say it’s realistic, while I say it’s frustrating.  But that’s addressed later in the episode.  Now it’s time for the opera.

At the opera, Lily and Rufus talk about where they can sightsee while visiting their children at schools: Dan at Yale and Serena at Brown (hopefully).  Nate and Vanessa walk in, accompanied by Nate’s weird mid-90s hair; their unspoken conflict is that Vanessa bought cheap seats as a gift to Nate and she doesn’t know he has box seats.  Dan accidentally slips about Nate’s really nice seats, so that’s fun.

Rufus and Lily are very touching in the lobby and to an objective observer, it’s definitely tacky since Lily’s husband, Bart, only just died.  While Rufus panics over his inability to read an opera calendar–this isn’t The Magic Flute that he studied (read: got pointers from Eric), a man walks over to ask Lily about finishing to prepare the documents.  A (figurative) light bulb goes off and she tells Chuck to meet her in a few minutes while she does something.

In the opera house, we have some comedy as Vanessa interacts with an old woman and dusty candy in the woman’s purse.  In the lobby, Dan watches another opera, The Magic Side-boob starring Serena, and they discuss all the troubles that will come from not going to school together, especially since their parents are now dating.  And speaking of those two, they’re making out on the public staircase like horny teenagers.  She sends them all in to see the opera while she attends to business.

And what of Blair?  She’s going to her seat when Headmistress Queller calls to say Miss Carr straightened out Blair’s grade in her class.  Blair will get an A and quicker than Blair can eat her own foot, she rushes off to stop her vengeful plot against Miss Carr.  Blair finds Miss Carr standing alone in Central Park one hour after Blair lied and said she’d meet her to take her to the opera.  Miss Carr, who inexplicably is still waiting an hour later, is unreasonably forgiving . . . at least until Blair drives away and Miss Carr starts dialing on her mobile.

As Miss Carr reports the incident to the Headmistress, Lily explains to Chuck that the mysterious papers were for her to adopt Chuck and for Bart to adopt Serena and Eric.  Bart had signed them before he died but Lily forgot to sign after Bart died in the interim.  Chuck agrees to the plan since it will mean Lily will replace Jack as his legal guardian (and take over in Chuck’s place at Bass Industries).  Jack walks over to stop the signing but Chuck signs the papers anyway.

Lily goes to touch-up her makeup in the bathroom as Jack walks in and locks the door.  I’ve seen Pretty Woman and I know where this is going.  Jack shoves Lily and is about to sexually assault her when Chuck breaks the door down, pulls Jack away, and slugs Jack in the face.

Boy, Chuck’s come a long way since his attempted rape of Serena on the first episode of this show.  Back in the opera a less felonious act is going on: Nate convinces Vanessa to go to his box and then he makes a move for hers.  Oh yes, I went there.

In the end, Chuck meets Lily at her apartment and learns that she had the Board send Jack back to Australia, sans pressing of charges.  Lily tells Chuck the company is his when he turns 18, and that she only wants him to be a part of her family.  To add more sugar to this sweetness, Chuck accepts her outstanding offer to move back in.  And as Chuck’s heart grows three times in size, we at home say, “Awwww.”

But all is not right in Whoville.  Headmistress Queller tells Blair that her latest stunt with Miss Carr earned her a detention and raises doubts about whether she’ll ever attend Yale.  Blair leaves stunned and tells a waiting Dorota and George the Bulldog that war is underway with Miss Carr and not just conventional war, black-ops.  But Miss Carr, I mean “Rachel,” is doing her own reconnaissance work of sorts: she visits Dan at the gallery and they have a lovely chat as Dan ignores a call from Serena.  This Dan-Miss Carr business is very Never Been Kissed/Mary Kay Letourneau and neither is a good thing.

Season 2, Episode 16: You’ve Got Yale (originally aired January 19, 2009)

Listen to The J Factor with J.B. and Jaimie here or on iTunes.

For more on Gossip Girl, click here.

Mondays at 8/7C, The CW

Photographs courtesy of The CW

Grey’s Anatomy: Sweeter Notes

Only dark and twisty Meredith could hang with a serial killer and not show signs of being freaked out. How would I react if I came face-to-face with a cold blooded lady murderer? I’m pretty sure I would be creeped out and run in the opposite direction.  Then again, I also wouldn’t be caught dead in an OR. My scare-o-meter has a pretty low threshold no matter how much I like to push it.

We pick up where we left off last week, except this time there is someone who actually does scare the bejesus out of Meredith. Mrs. Momma Shepherd stops over in Seattle Grace to see her hunky, thick-haired son Derek. Raising a whole family of doctors, you know that this woman is one tough cookie. She wastes no time becoming the mama of the hospital, grilling Meredith on her life, questioning Lexie on her sex life but giving her the thumbs up, fussing over Owen’s sleep patterns, and chastising Mark for having such low expectations for himself when it comes to real romantic relationships.

Speaking of Mark, he and Callie have been working together a lot lately. It seems that no matter how many women they throw at this chick, they realize they can never replicate the chemistry between these Mark and Callie. A man who tried a leg lengthening surgery through the use of some wicked-looking rods ends up with those rods removed and the loss of an additional half inch. To a man who’s 5”3’, that’s no small thing. He complains and complains (obviously something he’s done all his life), until his brother breaks, recounting all the things he never confides in his own brother about because all he cares about is how short he is. It takes this outburst for him to realize that maybe size isn’t all that matters.

Bailey’s still trying to figure out how to help the cute little boy who’s grown up before her eyes. Bailey wants to be proactive while Arizona says they have to believe in the process. Like a fairy godmother granting both of their wishes, Karev has news that they’ve got organs! Unfortunately once the surgery is underway, Sadie realizes there is something wrong with them and there’s only 24 hours to find donors.

Patient numero uno is getting under Derek’s skin and sidling closer to Meredith. He says he doesn’t want to die strapped to a chair like an animal, choosing to die in the hospital instead. He even offers to donate his organs to Bailey’s patient. While Meredith wavers on resuscitating him when he flatlines, Derek adamantly won’t allow him to die. The patient prods Derek, comparing Derek’s job as a doctor to his choice to kill women which doesn’t bode well with McDreamy.  Meredith, on the other hand, gives him the out he wants. She tells him that if he were to damage his already sensitive brain, he probably wouldn’t live. He waits, oh five seconds, before slamming his head against the metal bar of his bed.

On a side note, Owen asks Christina out on a date but after thinking about the bad times overseas, he gets drunk and shows up late. Meredith also confesses to Momma Shepherd that she’s not the type of person mothers like because she feels bad for serial killers. Sloan tells Callie to walk tall even though she loved and lost before he goes after Lexie, and Izzie breaks up with her ghost because she wants a real world relationship.

On a happy note, Momma Shepherd tells Derek that Meredith’s the one, the type of person who can help him cope with his feelings surrounding his father’s death with her compassion and understanding. She even gives him the family ring to prove it.

On a sweet note, Christina is there for Owen when he opens up about the horrors of Iraq through a story of his best surgery. Plus she hops in the shower with him. (Simmer down. They’re both clothed.)

On a EVEN sweeter note, Alex asks Izzie to road trip to Iowa with him to meet his mom.

All this drama has set up Grey’s Anatomy for what seems like a season finale with the “duh, duh, DUUUUH!” to go with it.  But thankfully, it’s SOOOO not! I have nothing but giddy excitement for next week. Will Derek propose? Will Bailey save her “kid?” Will the best neuro-surgeon in the land try to fix the man who doesn’t want to live and could save another’s life? Will Izzie really let go of Denny? Or is it the other way around? Did tonight bring Christina and Eric closer? Is George being slowly phased out? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Season 5, Episode 12: Sympathy for the Devil (originally aired January 15, 2009)

For another take on this episode, check out Tanya Lane’s review, Mommy McDreamy here.

For more Grey’s Anatomy reviews, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC
Photographs courtesy of ABC

Notorious

Sometimes it takes a certain type of viewer to appreciate a certain type of film.  We all have our own personal tastes and biases which color the way we perceive things and movies are no exception.  Having said that, I enjoyed Notorious more than I thought I would, but that’s probably because I’ve been listening to hip hop since I was in the first grade and the Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls aka Frank White was my favorite rapper.

The movie opens with young Christopher Wallace reciting some lyrics with a buddy in the schoolyard.  The late rapper’s real life son plays him in the movie, and does a wonderful job capturing his father’s burgeoning love for hip hop.  Angela Bassett (Meet the Browns) portrays his mother, Voletta Wallace.  She and Christopher have a loving relationship, and share a tender moment when she consoles him about his father’s apathetic approach to parenthood.  As Big enters adolescence he yearns for the nicer things in life, and earns a reputation as a fearsome neighborhood emcee.  Intelligent but bored with school, he starts hustling. When his mother discovers his illegal activity she gives him the heave ho.  Rhyming on the corner one day, he encounters one Kim Jones, who would go on to become the infamous Lil’ Kim.  I’ve heard that she was none too pleased with her depiction in the film, and I can’t blame her.  She comes across horribly – like a clingy, desperate, and raunchy woman.  Her lone redeeming quality (aside from being a gifted lyricist) was her undying loyalty to Big. Unfortunately that loyalty also made her a little pathetic. Faith, in sharp contrast, was depicted as more of the type of woman you wouldn’t mind taking home to meet your mother.

This is a movie for hip hop fans.  If you can’t remember rocking to “Juicy” back in the day, or “One More Chance,” you might not appreciate the movie as much as I did.  The movie was a revelation in that it showed a side of Christopher Wallace heretofore hidden.  I had no idea he was such a caring individual.  In his own words he was “black and ugly as ever,” but he never lacked female companionship.  The movie illustrated how it was possible for women to fall in love with him, something I never quite understood before.  He was funny and charming, both with Kim and Faith.  Another aspect of the movie I appreciated was its chronological depiction of his musical career, including the inspiration for his music.  I loved one particular scene showing his initial reaction to Puffy’s suggestion that he sample the 1980’s classic “Juicyfruit.”  Puff had to convince him to use the beat, and the song went on to become a classic.  Little tidbits like that are insightful, and only a hip hop fan can appreciate a detail like that, in my opinion.  It also captured Big’s frustration and disappointment with his deteriorating friendship with Tupac, which led to both of their untimely demise.

Notorious is a must-see for all the hip hop heads out there.  You can add it to the catalogue along with Belly, Krush Groove, etc.  The casting was fantastic, especially when you consider that Jamal Woolard (Big) had no formal acting lessons before this movie.  Derek Luke (Catch a Fire) effectively captured Puffy’s hunger and ambition, though his dancing was comical at times.  Come to think of it, Puffy’s dancing is comical too, so that actually works.  My only criticism of the movie was that some of the dialogue was too expository, and thus a bit contrived.  Other than that, there wasn’t much room for improvement.  The movie goes a long way in cementing the incredible legacy of one of the best to ever hold a microphone.

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