[TV] Homeland: Season 2

My partner and I totally got into the first season of Homeland when it first aired, and so there was no question in our minds about getting involved in the second season. Sure, Claire Danes does end up playing a rather crazy woman and we all wonder how she managed to get involved in intelligence work in the first place. But it's a good show with some interesting plot twists, and thus we continue on.

The show is definitely one of the more intense drama shows that we follow, and that's a credit to both the quality of the writing and the talent of the actors. And the show generally avoids overly ridiculous turns in the narrative, except maybe for some of Carrie's decisions. Then again, she is written to be sort of crazy, so there.

And you'd think that a show like this would be more tiring or draining to watch, especially at the end of a long work day. But I never really feel that way. That says a lot, right?

[Movies] Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

When The Hurt Locker first screened locally, I had little to no idea what it was about. It featured unfamiliar actors and a rather stark setting, but my lingering interests in the military and foreign operations in the Middle East. And my partner and I were pleasantly surprised by that movie and were certainly glad that we managed to catch it. so it became as little to know surprise when it became such a hit at the Oscars and we had already seen it.

Insert feeling of smug hipster satisfaction here.

Fast-forward to the present day and nearly everyone has director Kathryn Bigelow on their Oscar radars. And would you expect anything less given Bigelow has the distinction of being the first female director to win the Academy Award.

Given this is her first movie since The Hurt Locker, expectations have been running a tad high. And again she showed no hesitation in tackling a rather famous and yet potentially controversial story with this film - one that is bound to polarize audiences and critics alike.