Hannibal: Season One

A Psychological Slow Burn: A Show That Stays Remarkably True To The Legacy Of Hannibal Lecter
I think it's fair to say that Hannibal Lecter became an American horror icon for most people with the Oscar winning film "The Silence of the Lambs." Personally, I discovered Lecter back in 1981 when author Thomas Harris introduced him in "Red Dragon." As a kid, I read this novel with a sick fascination and it was easily the scariest book I had read up until that point. Michael Mann adapted it into the film "Manhunter" in 1986 with character actor Brian Cox in the Lecter role, but it wasn't until 1991 and Anthony Hopkins that Lecter became incredibly popular. Hopkins revisited the role with another interpretation of "Red Dragon" and then "Hannibal," and has owned the role ever since. When I heard that NBC was helming a drama based on Lecter, I thought it was a disastrous idea! Network television is no such place for such evil! But I must say that the program has far exceeded my rather limited expectations. Created as a prequel to the events of "Red Dragon," the show has a...

Fascinating
Its hard not to compare this show to the Following with Kevin Bacon. On the surface, they're very similar. Tortured main character, gruesome murders, creepy psychopaths. Yet, they are, in essence, nothing alike. Bacon's character is a cliche. Will Graham, the protagonist in Hannibal, is so beautifully drawn, I can't take my eyes off him. He is a "special investigator" with the FBI. Those who work with him see him as fragile, so much so that they all seem to be holding their collective breath, waiting for him to shatter. The thing that makes him weak in their eyes is his stunning depth of empathy. This is how he solves crimes. Hannibal Lecter, a psychologist (and future notorious psychopath) who works with the FBI and Graham, has a different perspective. When Graham asks "how do you see me?", Lecter replies, you are "the mongoose I want under the house when the snakes slither by."

The production quality is high, the supporting cast is great. The show is smartly written.

I Savor This Show
Absolutely brilliantly done with a cast of characters whose acting talents are far superior to nearly every other on network television. You cannot surpass the level of depth of character development, the writing, where as they discuss real theories of psychology; build up, and character development between Will Graham and Dr. Lecter is unlike anything else on television and cannot be done with a movie.

Eventually we will view shows like this one not to be just a show, but rather a series of movies, each telling a story, where at one point a 2 hour movie will not be enough anymore to satisfy our palate for something as savory as this series.

This will become a classic.

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Mud

"Mud" could've been called "Ellis"
"Mud" (2012 release; 130 min.) is the newest film from writer-director Jeff Nichols, who just last year brought us the excellent "Take Shelter" thriller (starring Jessica Chastain). As the movie opens, we get to know two young boys, 14 yr. old Ellis (played by Tye Sheridan) and his best friend Neckbone (played by Jacob Lofland), in a small boat on the Mississippi river, on their way to an island where they have found something incredible: a boat that somehow ended up high in a tree. The boys think the boat is abandoned and want to make it their playground, only to find out that someone is living in the boat: Mud (played by Matthew McConaughey). Mud is a refuge of the law for killing a man who got involved with Mud's on-again, off-again girlfriend Juniper (played by Reese Witherspoon). Mud gains the trust of the boys and convinces them to assist him in getting the boat lowered from the tree. We also get to know Ellis' family, as his mom and dad are going through tough times and are...

Well-written, well-acted and very well directed!
MUD may be the best movie of 2013 through the end of April. I was thoroughly entertained and captivated from the opening moments until the final shot. The movie is so well crafted and acted. It grapples with resonant themes. This is a small movie that never feels small. It's as gripping as any blockbuster thriller...yet is told on a small, personal level.

It all starts with a great script by director Jeff Nichols (who also did the outstanding, but leisurely paced TAKE SHELTER). Nichols is telling a coming-of-age story...and that's about as worn-out an idea as you can think of. Yet even as portions of it feel as familiar as a Mark Twain novel...it's also never less than fresh and invigorating. Nichols has packed his script full of serious themes, yet he never forgets to tell a good story.

The story is set in Eastern Arkansas, right along the banks of the Mississippi. In fact, our hero is Ellis, lives in a houseboat right on the water. His parents (Sarah...

****1/2
Genre-wise I would say "Mud" is best described as a coming of age drama thriller. Matthew McConaughey sporting the most terrifying prosthetic dentures in film history outside of the horror genre, stars as the title character Mud. As good as he is in his role and as good as the other adult actors are, the film ultimately belongs to the young teen actors Tye Sheriden (The Tree of Life) and Jacob Lofland (film debut). I actually would love to see these boys get noticed come Oscar season but that isn't likely to happen.

Film Breakdown
After a flood in a small Arkansas town, two teenage boys discover a boat lodged in a tree in a wooded area near the river. They quickly discover that someone resides in the boat's cabin area. The boys soon find out that it is Mud living in the boat and that he is hiding out for reasons I won't say in this review. In no time road blocks are set up to try and find Mud, one of the boys lets Mud know of this development and that is when Mud...

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