Law & Order: Criminal Intent had an excellent season finale last night. As soon as I realized who the blonde was, I thought, “Oh, crap.” They sure put Goran through the ringer. Target and suspect at the same time. Son of a murderer, to boot. But the ending was oh so creepy when the culprit said that Bobby was “free” now, rid of all of his encumberances. It had a certain perverse logic that you could see Goran got and, perhaps deep down, appreciated.
I think Dan’s lame-duck act on Big Brother is going to blow up in his face sooner rather than later. It got him this far, but I think his deal with Ollie was a huge mistake. If he wanted to shake things up, he should have reneged on the deal. Putting Ollie and Michelle up, now that would have been a strategic move. This way he’s got the weakest player and his best (former) ally side by side. Bad strategy.
We saw Bottle Shock yesterday. A Sideways-esque feel-good movie about one of a group of California wineries that entered a blind taste competition in France in 1976. The term “bottle shock” refers to damage done to a wine in shipping, like a bruise, that takes time to repair before it should be drunk, but also, of course, refers to the shockwave the contest sent throughout the wine world. Stars the reliable Bill Pullman as a former law partner who gave up his cushy life to pursue the dream of making wine. Alan Rickman (“you think I’m an ass. And I’m not really. It’s just that I’m British and you’re not”) is terrific as a British wine snob who’s trying to make a name for himself in France (unsuccessfully, when the film starts). It is his idea to travel to Napa Valley and find some wines to compare against the French. Rachel Taylor (Transformers) is delightful as the apprentice to the apprentice and love interest of Pullman’s son, a ne’er-do-well surfing hippie. Eliza Dushku has a small part but is the film’s real hero, in a way.
We also saw Mamma Mia!, which was light and breezy and entertaining. The singing was mostly good, though Pierce Brosnan was a little painful to listen to (and watch while he was singing, too). Nice setting, good use of music. Mostly harmless.
