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Underused Character: Felipe Lobos

December 14, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

Hello everyone, this is a new features column I shall be writing for. Essentially its purpose is to spotlight characters from the world of Film TV and other media have massive potential for exploration and deserve bigger roles than they currently have.

The popular Starz series Power is centered around James St. Patrick, a legitimate businessman and nightclub owner who is also Ghost, one of New York’s top drug kingpins, and is is hoping to break from the latter career. One of the main obstacles in his path is his crime boss, Felipe Lobos. In the series, Lobos is one of the main antagonists with a violent and vicious nature, and is the source of the FBI’s investigation into the drug ring that Ghost is a part of.

Despite the fact that he mentioned many times and has a few scenes- he’s never given much chance to show his dangerousness in person. He’s given a few moments like where he seems to be interrogating someone and is preparing to chop up people with a machete- but we never get see any of the “blood spilt” that he seems prepared to do. And the show doesn’t exactly shy from violence either- so it doesn’t make much to keep Lobos under wraps the way that they choose to. What I think the character needs, and seems to be going for- is a kind the violent, controllable criminal that characters like Gyp Rosetti (Boardwalk Empire), Don Logan (Sexy Beast), and Norman Stansfield (Léon the Professional) had perfected. I don’t know if it’s because the actor’s schedule simply limited how much they could do with them, but I feel as though the show’s next season will have some more opportunity to have him and I seriously hope they can take advantage of it. One thing I find unique about the character is his sense of style. The styles of his suits and shirts are bold, unique and interesting enough to make him one of the best dressed men on tv.

Another thing that I like about the character, at least from a personal standpoint, is that he is gay. I liked that I think it allows diversity into how gay characters are incorporated into current television. . Often it seems like most, gay characters are portrayed as more friendly– the gay boyfriend and whatnot–and, as a result, aren’t given much edge that seems to be coveted in today’s entertainment. Not everybody agrees with my wish on this — One reviewer complained that making the character gay is a bit homophobic as it’s meant to add to his “freakiness”, and certainly not helping the show is having notoriously homophobic rapper 50 Cent being its executive producer and co star. And while I do see their points, and at times wonder it myself, I can’t help but think that the overall character, or at least the potential of the character, offers some more flavor and diversity we haven’t seen much before.

Plot twist this character deserves: (write a few sentences describing the kind of plot that would give this character a chance to shine.)

Lobos escapes from prison and goes on a warpath on Ghost’s life. He blows up the club that Ghost has worked to bring up the entire show, brutally tortures his right hand man and close friend Tommy, goes after his love interest and FBI investigator Angela Valdez and starts the set up his old mentor and rival Kanan to take Ghost’s place as the leader of his New York distribution. This may sound pretty big, but when Ghost said that “Lobos goes scorched earth” I expect to see it.

Spectre: A Throwback to Over 50 years of Bond- for Better or Worse

November 30, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

When I entered the theaters to see the latest James Bond film Spectre, I admit i had very high expectations. After the greatness of Skyfall and my own love of the mythology, I was near a fever pitch to see it, especially for the actor Christoph Waltz, an actor who is extremely perfect for any role that has “bond villain” attached to it. And while I overall enjoyed the film, I felt that there were some flaws in it that lowered the bar just a bit from the surprising enjoyment of Skyfall. However it is still a very much enjoyable bond film, a proper conclusion for daniel craig, and a great setup for future films.

At the start of the film, Bond is going behind MI6 orders and directive to uncover a shadowy organization known as SPECTRE and with the help of the daughter of an old enemy (Léa Seydoux) he finds that the chilling leader SPECTRE (Christoph Waltz) has a dark connection to his past- and has been a constant phantom on his life. First off, I will praise the overall look and acting of the film. Daniel Craig shows us again why he’s the perfect (and probably my favorite) James Bond, Christoph Waltz being a good, if underused, bond villain and with many of the supporting cast from Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Andrew Scott, Dave Bautista (who played a nicely menacing henchman), Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci all doing their job well. This movie probably had the best pre opening credits sequence in any Bond Movie I’ve ever seen, with a very impressive continuous shot of Bond moving through Mexico City’s Day of the Dead celebration and later getting into a fight on a moving helicopter. And while I wasn’t initially crazy about the new Bond song “Writing’s on the Wall,” it worked surprisingly well with the opening credits sequence, which incorporated the infamous SPECTRE organization’s octopus logo in some very creative ways. Overall, I will say that the film feels more like an older Bond film- which is good for fans of the older films, but might cause some ire with those that liked the darker realism of some of Craig’s other films.

Some things I wasn’t crazy about:

The love story. The film has a “love story” between bond and one of the women that didn’t really feel very authentic, certainly not as much as vesper lynd (his love in Casino Royale) and while she was an interesting enough character it seemed a bit rushed and forced.
Ralph Fiennes taking over from Judi Dench as M came off as a little stuff, although he’s a talented enough actor whom I’m hopeful that he can bring some more energy to it later. Additionally the “oldest bond woman” who I was more interested in originally had very little screen time or importance to the plot, which was annoying.
While I found some of the dynamic between Bond and SPECTRE’s leader intresting, I felt a little cheated in the fact that we didn’t see more of the organization as a whole- more members doing more things (in fact my parents had suggested it had been interesting if they had done a “roll call” and had other past bond villain names listed- or something to that effect).
The villain’s main motivations could have also used some more explanations. The one’s given felt a bit empty and lacking to justify the scope of his plans. I definitely felt he was underused and could have had more screentime, things to do, and richer dialogue even. I mean Christoph Waltz is a perfect actor to play a bond villain and I didn’t feel they utilized him well enough.

Since it is Sean Morris reviewing a Bond movie, I will naturally also take a moment to discuss the tailoring. Tom Ford can seemingly do no wrong as Bond’s tailor with a sharp windowpane in the opening scene, incorporation of an revamp of an old look- an ivory jacket on a train ride that hasn’t been seen on bond in decades- and one of my personal favorite of all bond looks- his three piece suit with a pin collar bar, which might be a first for Bond- that also incorporated some throwback elements, including the turnback cuff- a style not seen in ages and in synonymous with Bond. However I wasn’t a fan of his double breasted bridge coat during the funeral scene- it looked dated, unstylish and even ill-fitting. While I believe he only wore the one suit, M’s double breasted chalk stripe looked incredibly well made and it showed off nicely on screen. Andrew scott’s C wore some very trendy outfits that showcased his youth. By contrast, Christoph waltz’s costumes left me with some mixed feelings- partly because it was hard to see some of the details in scenes at night, but I appreciated the incorporation of the nehru jacket (which is synonymous with Bond villains like Dr. No and Blofield) but felt there were some things they could have paired better with it. I was not a fan of how in one look Christoph was sockless and wore loose leather slippers instead- in certain shots it made him look a bit silly and less menacing than he should be.
Overall, this movie worked as an older styled James Bond film. Whether you enjoy it is a matter of taste and preference above all else. And while I thought some of the plot elements could have been better, I’m happy to have this piece of mythology back in the Bond franchise and am curious as to where it will go next.

Damages: The Most Ruthless Woman on Television aka your next Netflix binge

November 5, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

Before Francis Underwood killed a dog in cold blood, before Annalise Keating manipulated law trainees, before Walter White did illegal acts in the name of a good cause there was one woman who did all of this, and more, but never with quite the cold heartedness and grace that exists inside of Glenn Close’s Multi-Wmmy winning and critically acclaimed role as Patricia “Patty” Hewes.

The series first begins with the young lawyer Ellen Parsons (played by Rose Byrne- who was nominated for the series multiple times). We find her wandering the streets of Manhattan covered in blood. The show then cuts back to a few months earlier as she first gets a job at Patty Hewes prestigious law firm, where Patty is trying a case against ruthless billionaire Arthur Frobisher (played Ted Danson- who was twice nominated for an Emmy in the series) and his secretive lawyer Ray Fiske (Željko Ivanek- who won an Wmmy for his role). Ellen soon realizes that this case is more closely connected to her than she thought and gets pulled into Patty’s web of lies, secrets and murder.

Each season tackles a new case for Patty and her firm, and each one with layers of intrigue, deception and even personal connections to Patty and Ellen. Many of the cases reference real life events like the Iraq war and the Bernie Madoff scam. Throughout the series one, of the most interesting dynamics to see is the complex relationship between Ellen and Patty. Together they’ve been teacher and student, enemies, friends, and more, but what cannot be denied is that they bring out the best, and worst in each other and for Ellen she see’s a glimpse into her potential future and for Patty she see’s a younger version of herself- and neither of them are certain if that’s a good or bad thing.

Glenn Close is consistently stellar in the series. and she alone makes it worth watching In bringing to life Patty Hewes, she brought to life one of the most formidable characters to, in my opinion, ever come onto any media format: whose craving for victory and power over all aspects seemingly holds no bounds and has resorted acts that are just shy of eating her own children.

But another great piece of acting comes from Rose Byrne, whose character goes through some of the most interesting developments of Walter White/ Peggy Olson type character evolution I’ve ever seen. She and Close bounce off each other like rubber to cement and are electric in every scene.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the stellar co-stars, most noticeably Ted Danson’s corrupt CEO manages to be the complete antithesis of what one would imagine a corrupt CEO- hardly wears a suit, seems to have some genuine feelings of remorse and care for his employees, sort of buffoonish- but manages to make you feel both hatred and sympathy for him, thought mostly the former. The Show also has a stellar supporting cast which includes several A-listers lending their talent: : Tate Donovan, who plays Patty’s right hand man, John Goodman, John Doman, Ryan Phillippe, Timothy Plyphant, Noah bean, Zachary Booth, Martin Short, Marcia Grey Holden, Lily Tomlin, William Hurt, Tom Noonan M, John Hannah, Campbell Scott, Clarke Peters, Glenn Fleshler and many more.

The show’s nonlinear storylines and compelling characters make Damages exactly like the kind of show that many people at SLA enjoy, but done much better than a lot of them. All episodes are on Netflix and thus should be your Thanksgiving viewing pleasure!

Hannibal: The Best Show on TV Right Now

May 21, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

While the headline statement may be bold, it goes to show that NBC’s Hannibal is nothing short of a masterpiece. Plain and simple, it’s one of the most underrated and looked aside but remains to be one of, if not the best shows on television right now. From the beautiful, soulful acting to the artful cinematography, to the razor sharp costuming, the detailed sets, to poetic dialogue to even the careful color selection, Hannibal is a series that pays attention to the slightest details. In the hand of any other creator, Hannibal would have been another regular gritty police procedural, but showrunner Bryan Fuller has done something else- he’s elevated horror to an art form.

The series follows Special FBI agent Will Graham who has the unique ability to empathize with even the most savage and insane of serial killers. Head of the FBI Behavioral sciences Jack Crawford enlists Will to get into the mind of these killers in the hopes of catching them, but Will soon develops unsettling side effects and nightmares following his visits into the deranged minds. To help him cope with the trauma, they enlist renowned and cultured psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who takes will as a patient. Naturally, Hannibal is actually the most deranged of them all and sends Will down a metal spiral, along with meeting other characters from Thomas Harris’ books including the tough Jack Crawford, the insane sadistic Mason Verger the smarmy Dr. Chilton, and this season the terrifying Red Dragon himself, all in this acclaimed series (can’t underestimate that; it’s one of the few shows to receive 100% fresh on rotten tomatoes, beat every show for Hulu’s Best of the best, praised as one of TV’S best shows by IGN, A.V club,TVGuide.com, and New York Magazine; who called it “Bolder and more elegant than True Detective”, and “The best drama and Network television” to which I agree).

The visuals are in no small part of what makes the series so enjoyable. How the cinematography teams does Will’s visions, the transitions from scene to scene, the remarkable zoom ups and masterful costuming- from Hannibal’s beautiful three piece suits ( in my opinion, he’s the best dressed man on tv, (eat that, Don Draper) to journalists Freddy Lound’s unique style and more.specially the cooking scenes in which Dr. Lecter is serving up meat of human beings- dear God does it look good and tasty. All of this goes to show that the eyes are never left hungry (if you’ll pardon the pun).

Among the things I love about this show is that it doesn’t pander to its audience. It treats them like intelligent human beings and its shows through the artful metaphors, dialogue and brilliant plotlines shown. It’s able to sneak in references to the books and movies by using dialogue, but it always feels natural and leaves fun easter eggs for fans. It’s cast is also wonderful, with strong performances given around, especially by Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne, Gina Torres, Michael Pitt, Gillian Anderson and undoubtedly Mads Mikkelsen, who nails it so much as Hannibal I might have to say he’s the best version ,although it’s up for debate. It also has a wonderful selection of female characters, not yet including Ms. Clarice Starling, who NBC is fighting for the rights to her character who were lacking in the original content, including changing the gender of two who were previously male. One of the biggest concerns in making this series for a lot of people was that it would cover old ground- when it fact it does the opposite although they are starting on novel adaptations and is able to re-write material and change it up in bold, new and exciting ways. Another great aspect is its fans, deemed “fannibals” who are able to make HILARIOUS comics and memes posted below, stunning artwork and also has a wonderful showrunner who constantly engages and tweets with fans as well as other cast members posting concept art, symbolism and more, many times in real time with the episode.

Series 3 returns on June 4th and you can find the previous two seasons available on demand and on Amazon Instant streaming. I highly recommend this show to anyone with a taste for enjoyable television, trust me you won’t regret, you’ll just be hungry for more…