‘BURN NOTICE’: SEASON FINALE

Did you enjoy it? Because it was my brother who edited this awesome episode — spoilers below:

Michael, as we saw in tonight’s episode, was willing to do just about anything to keep Fiona out of prison, including burning his fellow spies. Now, how far will he go to free her? “I’m hoping he’ll go to any lengths to free me, now that I’m locked up,” she says. “I think that’s perhaps one of the more realistic reasons why Fiona sacrificed herself, because she thinks that if anyone can get her out of jail, it will be Michael.

Fiona has, at times, questioned Michael’s need to return to the CIA, and during the finale, Anson suggested that he gave Michael a life by burning him — barring contact with his family, friends and the woman he loves – instead of “ruining” his life as Michael is prone to say. Could he ever just be happy with what he has? “He just seems so bloody driven to serve with the government for some peculiar reason that makes absolutely no sense to Fiona,” Anwar says.

Fans will have to wait until the new season begins to see how much time, if any, Fiona spends behind bars. While the violence-prone, former member of the IRA could probably handle herself in a crowd of criminals, Anwar thinks that Fiona won’t get too comfortable. “I think Fiona had a hard time in a window-washing outfit,” she says. “I don’t know if orange is going to suit her.”

“MARRIED… WITH CHILDREN: THE COMPLETE SERIES” ON SALE FOR $35

Naturally, I purchased this season by season over the last few years. Thankfully, denial has kicked in and I’m presently unable to tell you how much I spent.

What a deal for over 200 episodes and about 20 million laughs from one of the most talented sitcom casts ever assembled.

TWEET OF THE YEAR

From our own Dana Loesch to Ellen Barkin … Epic.

Barkin started it.

FIRST POSTER FOR ‘ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER‘

Great title but, then again, “Cowboys and Aliens” had a great title, too.

RAVES FOR ROONEY MARA IN ‘DRAGON TATTOO”

When you consider the intimidating shoes Mara had to step into, the universal plaudits she’s receiving for her performance are more than just a little impressive. Noomi Rapace was so perfect in the original trilogy, I can only assume Mara took it in a completely different direction. It doesn’t hurt to be guided by a genius like David Fincher, of course.

Anyway, good for her.

BEACH BOYS TO TOUR FOR FIRST TIME IN OVER FOUR DECADES

After months of negotiations, Wilson rejoins two other founding members, Mike Love and Al Jardine, as well as Bruce Johnston and David Marks. Together, they will release a new album and stage an international tour in celebration of their 50th anniversary.

Wilson and the group last toured together in 1963, though they continued to record together through the release of their landmark album “Pet Sounds” in 1966, and preparations for the legendary “Smile,” which was partially finished in 1967 and not officially released until last winter.

“This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again,” Wilson said in a statement.

‘AVATAR’ BREAKS MORE NEW GROUND:

From 20th Century-Fox:

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Lightstorm Entertainment announce AVATAR available digitally with first-of-its-kind interactive features in the “AVATAR iTunes Extras Special Edition” beginning on Tuesday, December 20. “AVATAR iTunes Extras Special Edition” lets fans deconstruct some of the movie’s most memorable scenes to reveal how James Cameron applied special effects to create the breathtaking world of Pandora. “AVATAR iTunes Extras Special Edition” will be available at www.iTunes.com/Avatar for pre-order starting today, December 16 for $19.99 HD/$14.99 SD.

Fans can experience the global box office sensation like never before as they control scene deconstructions in simultaneous views. This new feature will also enable consumers to interact with the performance capture and visual effects levels in 17 of the film’s scenes. For the first time ever, Green Screen X-ray gives users an interactive look through the visual effects levels to see the original green screen footage behind a pivotal scene.

“Digital platforms like iTunes usher in new ways to interact with and watch movies like AVATAR,” said Aubrey Freeborn, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Product Management for Worldwide VOD and Electronic Sell-Through, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “These new interactive features enhance the experience and encourage digital ownership.”

“AVATAR iTunes Extras Special Edition” also features an original screenplay by James Cameron, Cameron’s scriptment (a novella with some scenes broken out into dialogue), a gallery of 1,700 images and more.

MI:4 OPENING TO RAVE REVIEWS

Review aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes has clocked a whopping average score of 93% for the film, while some of its leading trumpet blowers have included critics from the likes of USA Today, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times – among many others. USA Today was particularly effusive in its praise, claiming that of the ‘Mission Impossible’ installments, “‘Ghost Protocol’ is easily the best of the lot,” whilst The New York Times commented that it “gets back to action basics with globe-trotting, nifty gadgets, high-flying stunts and less loquacious villainy.” Its Los Angeles counterpart meanwhile focused on director Brad Bird, noting “Bird has done a stylish and involving job here, turning in an entertaining production that’s got considerable visual flair, especially in its action-heavy IMAX sections.”

EW’S BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

The weeks leading up to Christmas can be tough going at the multiplex, with kids studying for exams and parents rushing to prepare for the holidays. Nonetheless, the one-two punch of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked — plus an IMAX preview of the newest Mission: Impossible flick — should snap the box office out of its autumn funk.

—–

—–

LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

The Iowa debate. My thoughts can be found here.

—–

—–

SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

‘EXPENDABLES 2′ ONE-SHEET

FOX TV PICKS UP ANIMATED COMEDY FROM RUSSEL BRAND… OH JOY

10 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ‘A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS’

STEVEN SPIELBERG TALKS ‘TINTIN’ AND ‘WAR HORSE‘

IS ‘ROMY AND MICHELLE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION’ HEADED TO BROADWAY?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE KIDS FROM ‘HOME ALONE’?

KEANU REEVES TO MAKE HIS DIRECTING DEBUT WITH ‘MAN OF TAI CHI‘

BOB SEGER’S FAMOUS VINTAGE GIBSON GUITAR STOLEN

R.I.P. JOE SIMON, CO-CREATOR OF CAPTAIN AMERICA DIES AT 98

HOW TO PICK HOLIDAY MOVIES TO WATCH WITH GRANDMA

DIRECTOR STEPHEN DALDRY WANTS TO BRING MICHAEL CHABON’S ‘THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY’ TO HBO

AGREED: THE ROGER CORMAN DOCUMENTARY LOOKS GREAT

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF ‘DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER‘

COLIN HANKS ON PLAYING DEXTER’S DOOMSDAY KILLER

SIX THINGS MOVIES GET WRONG ABOUT THE WORKPLACE

TOP TWELVE HEART-WARMING CHRISTMAS / HOLIDAY MOVIES

A LOOK AT THE CAREER OF CHARACTER ACTOR ROBERT CORNTHWAITE

THE GOLDEN AGE MOVIE POSTERS OF HAROLD SEROY

TOY CONCEPT ART FOR TIM BURTON’S UNFILMED SUPERMAN MOVIE

A LOOK BACK AT CARROLL BALLARD’S ‘BLACK STALLION’ AND ‘NEVER CRY WOLF‘

35 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM ‘THE BOURNE IDENTITY’ COMMENTARY

—–

—–

CLASSIC PICK FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17

TCM:

8:00 AM  EST: All Mine to Give (1957) –  Pioneer children fight to build a new family after their parents die. Dir: Allen Reisner Cast:  Glynis Johns, Cameron Mitchel , Rex Thompson. C-102 mins, TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format.

Please note that I am only skipping ahead to Sunday for the opportunity to recommend this little known, but very effective Christmas tear-jerker.

—–

—–

Please send comments, suggestions and tips to jnolte@breitbart.com or Twitter @NolteNC.

And I’m sure the television audience at-large has seen it on various programs through the years, probably with the same semi-amusement they feel toward regular commercials. My earliest memory of TV product placement was “Knight Rider,” and I’m not ashamed to say one of my biggest childhood fantasies was Simonizing K.I.T.T.

I’m not naïve (about this); I realize product placement has been and will always be a part of movies and TV. To be fair, it’s now become downright necessary for the TV sponsors, since digital technology lets you skip over the ad breaks cleanly. It’s a wonderful breakthrough; you’re no longer forced to hear perky people describe cheese as “melty,” a vomit-inducing plight from which even the best VCR couldn’t entirely shield you.

But there’s an annoying new trend, and it’s not the little scene-blocking visual plugs that briefly occupy the lower half of the screen (DON’T get me started.) It isn’t like the “Seinfeld” episode with the Kenny Rogers Roasters plot, and it’s a far cry from James Garner getting behind the wheel of a Firebird and suddenly becoming even cooler.

No, what I’m talking about is how TV characters have recently started to visibly, dramatically, almost droolingly enjoy the products and talk about them on-script. And it’s happening on my shows, which is clearly unacceptable.

There was a scene in a “House” episode where the characters sat quietly in a Lexus as the driver backed it into a parking space. I had a clear view of the spot thanks to the back-up cameras the director of photography was focused on, and just in case I was still conscious after getting clubbed in the head with that, the car’s owner (Dr. Taub, played by Peter Jacobson) stayed behind for a beat and looked adoringly at it while his colleagues had already disappeared inside the building.

I almost shouted “get a garage!” at the screen.

I never missed an episode of “Monk” during its eight-season run, and after roughly the 73rd overt reference to Sierra Springs, I suddenly no longer felt the urge to write star Tony Shalhoub and ask him which brand of drinking water his character preferred.

On more than a couple of episodes of “Psych,” Shawn Spencer (James Roday) made it a point to talk about his favorite pretzels (Snyder’s of Hanover), and just like with products I actually do buy, I felt absolutely no urge to go out and get some simply because I saw them being hawked by a TV character. You can also attribute the no-urge to the fact that I despise pretzels – if you told me to choose between munching on a bag or giving an angry rottweiler a hernia check, I’d tell you to flip a coin.

“Burn Notice,” now one of my and my wife’s all-time favorite shows, may just as well be renamed “The Hyundai Hour.” It’s not just that the bright-blue Genesis Coupe owned by Gabrielle Anwar’s Fiona sees a lot of action. It’s that other characters have actually made excuses to borrow it from her rather than use their readily available Porsche, and in one of its earliest appearances openly raved about it after riding in it.

But the most shameless, glaring plug came courtesy of the ubiquitous voice-over by star Jeffrey Donovan. During a scene where Hyundai and driver were in the midst of a herd of dangerous villains, I was treated to the following passage, verbatim, by the very same narration that normally educated me about stuff like which skillet works best for fashioning a homemade bomb: “Making a getaway is always more about precise handling than raw horsepower. So in a hostile situation, rear-wheel drive is a nice advantage. That said, it doesn’t hurt to have over three-hundred horsepower at your fingertips.” As much as I enjoy this show overall, I was ready to make like Elvis and shoot the TV set, thankfully averted by my currently being between guns.

I’ve even been subjected to this on a show I hate, “Royal Pains.” It went like this: I turned on the TV just to have a little background noise while I worked, it was already on the station, and I happened to glance at the screen at the precise moment one of the annoying characters looked like he was about to dry-hump a Toyota Sienna.

You may have noticed that most of the above-mentioned are USA Network programs, and for the record, this is coincidental. Truthfully, most of my favorite shows simply happen to air on USA.

But for the right price, I’ll say all of them do.

‘BURN NOTICE’ RETURNS — AND YOU SHOULD WATCH

Full disclosure, my brother is an editor on the show but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a terrific piece of escapism with a patriotic protagonist and the awesome Bruce Campbell being, well, awesome:

Just when Michael thought he was out, they pull him back in.

Or rather, he — bad dude Anson, the last member of “Management,” the guys who got Michael burned in the first place — pulls him back in.

Anson (guest star Jere Burns) revealed himself in the summer finale of the show. And in tonight’s episode, “Damned If You Do,” the first of six new episodes that will lead to the Dec. 15 season five finale, Anson continues to blackmail Michael (Jeffrey Donovan) and girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) into carrying out his dastardly deeds.

My pretty wife’s “Burn Notice” addiction is unprecedented and also kind of adorable.

WSJ: ‘J. EDGAR’ SUGGESTS THAT HOOVER WAS GAY

As does the trailer. So no surprise there. ‘Variety’ adds that the film contains a ‘homoerotic wrestling scene.‘ More from the WSJ…

Hearing about the direction the movie was headed from his Hollywood connections, Mr. Baker helped draft a letter to the filmmakers, citing “a monumental distortion.” The Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI also weighed in. “We objected to the inference that he was homosexual but didn’t want the letter to be inferring we were opposed to gay relationships,” says spokesman Craig L. Dotlo.

Mr. Dotlo says former members of Hoover’s security detail say they never saw any indication of a romance between Tolson and Hoover. “Is it possible that they could have had a closet relationship? Sure. Our point is that there’s no empirical evidence.”

You see, it doesn’t matter if there’s evidence or not. In Hollywood, all that matters is that there’s a rumor.

There’s no way in hell Eastwood could make this movie without a ‘homoerotic wrestling scene’ or something of the like and survive the politically correct onslaught. He’d be crucified as a bigot, coward, and homophobe.

This is The New Hollywood Production Code. The fascism of political correctness will always trump artistic freedom. To be clear, though, I’m not saying Eastwood caved to this reality. From the statements I’ve read, he believes in the story he told and the way in which he interpreted the relationship between Tolson and Hoover. So more power to him.

That, however, doesn’t change the fact that the current climate in Hollywood would’ve made it impossible for a director to make a different choice without suffering a “Passion of the Christ”-like backlash.

…a peek into the future.

GOOGLE EYES POTENTIAL STRATEGY TO DELIVER CABLE TV SERVICES TO CONSUMERS

From search engine to superpower:

The strategy would involve combining Internet, video and phone services similar to cable and telecom companies, and Google has had exploratory talks with Walt Disney Co., Time Warner Inc. and Discovery Communications about delivering TV channels over the video service.

As long as it’s cheap.

ABOUT THAT BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE PASS

In order to get the Streaming portion through Dish I have to shell out $25 for yet another piece of equipment. This is a problem and will be the problem as streaming becomes the new way we enjoy home video.

It’s not the $25, it’s being forced to have all this new equipment for each new provider. The powers-that-be need to figure out a way to deliver all of this through a single piece of equipment and my vote goes to the Blu-ray player.

My Blockbuster subscription is for a free 30-day trial, but I’ll likely hang on to it. I like being able to get DVDs from the actual store.

—–

—–

SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINK-TACULAR

‘BURN NOTICE’: BRUCE CAMPBELL TEASES BIG GUEST STARS AND BIGGER EXPLOSIONS

THE WRITERS OF ‘THE SMURFS’ ARE NOW WRITING A ‘POPEYE’ MOVIE

JUSTIN BIEBER ADDRESSES PATERNITY SUIT ON ‘TODAY’

BURT REYNOLDS TO PLAY HIMSELF ON ‘ARCHER‘

THE SECRETS OF HOLLYWOOD AGENCY MAILROOMS

INEVITABLE: FROM THE MAKERS OF ‘AUCTION HUNTERS’ COMES ‘LUGGAGE WARS‘

MEET THE NEW MISS MONEYPENNY

SIMON KINBERG WRITING ‘X-MEN: FIRST CLASS’ SEQUEL

STEPHEN FRY REUNITED WITH LOST WALLET DURING NIGHTMARE JOURNEY

STARZ ANNOUNCES ‘SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE’ START DATE

FIVE SHORT FILMS INSIDE LONGER ONES

EVEN SALMAN RUSHDIE IS MOCKING KIM KARDASHIAN

WRITERS HIRED FOR ADAPTATION OF GRAPHIC NOVEL ‘BOILERPLATE: HISTORY’S MECHANICAL MARVEL‘

CANON UNVEILS NEW DIGITAL CAMERA SYSTEM FOR FILM, TV PRODUCTION

BATMAN SPARKS A RIOT IN NEW YORK

PICS FROM ‘MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL’

ANDY SERKIS WILL RETURN FOR ‘APES’ SEQUEL

WHOOPS! CLEANER SCRUBS AWAY PART OF ARTWORK

PLAYING ‘GRAND THEFT AUTO’ IS SEXUAL HARRASSMENT, APPARENTLY

15 ZOMBIE MOVIES CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT

FIRST LOOK: BILL MURRAY AS FDR IN ‘HYDE PARK ON HUDSON’

THE 10 MOST EXPLOSIVELY MASCULINE CAPTAIN KIRK BATTLE TECHNIQUES

EFFECTS GURU RICHARD TAYLOR DISCUSSES HIS WORK ON PETER JACKSON’S ‘DEAD ALIVE‘

FILM SCHOOL 101: YOUR PROJECTIONIST AND YOU

COULD LEGALIZING POT RUIN THE STONER MOVIE EXPERIENCE?

HOLLYWOOD’S SCARIEST RUMORS, MYTHS, AND LEGENDS

20 FACTS ABOUT ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S ‘THE BIRDS‘

FOR YOU SCREENWRITERS: HOW TO HANDLE DIALOGUE

—-

—–

LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Cars 2 (2011): Going to write a full review today. Short version: Straight-to-video story wrapped in breathtaking visuals and brilliant physical direction.

—–

—–

CLASSIC PICK FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5

2:00 AM EST:  Requiem For A Heavyweight (1962) –  A washed-up prizefighter tries to free himself from his ruthless promoters to build a new life. Dir: Ralph Nelson Cast:  Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney. BW-85 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format.

Two things about this beautifully heartbreaking movie that deserve more discussion. The first is how against type the actors are cast and how well it works. Quinn is the gentle giant, the victim; Gleason is a son of a bitch; Rooney is all repressed, helpless rage — the story’s impotent conscience.  The second thing is the stunning black and white cinematography. This is a beautifully filmed production where you feel as much as see the seedy world in which it takes place. Both the design and the lighting add as much to the success of the story as any other element.

—–

—–

--Please send tips/suggestions/requests/complaints to jnolte@breitbart.com

Set in modern-day Dallas, The Good Guys was created by Matt Nix, the brains behind the USA Network hit Burn Notice. As Nix and his team proved in that show, he is a master of satisfyingly complex plotting. Those who enjoy a whacking good story in which characters are confronted with tough moral choices will enjoy Burn Notice immensely.

But whereas Burn Notice includes elements of comedy but is basically a crime/espionage/adventure drama, The Good Guys is more directly comic in intent. The premise is simple: two Dallas police detectives who have fallen out with their bosses are exiled to handle lame, unchallenging property-crimes cases. The brilliant twist that Nix and his team put on this premise is that each case leads to a much bigger crime, often involving murder, which ultimately results in the two detectives bringing very big criminals to justice.

Thus the show amusingly illustrates the “Broken Windows” crime-fighting theory of James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling—literally, in the case of episode 2, “Bait and Switch.” In fact, the third episode, “Broken Door Theory,” proves that the show’s creators know the theory and recognize it as an inspiration for the show’s concept: the two detectives discuss the notion and what it means: “The idea is you got to stop the small crimes before they become the big ones,” Stark explains, correctly.

The producers are right in observing that criminals usually start with small crimes and work their way up to bigger ones and that big crimes tend to be made up of smaller ones—as when a murder involves a case of breaking and entering. Solving the burglary can lead to the discovery of the murder. Of course, most small crimes are not parts of bigger ones, so the producers have the good sense to show us only those that do—and to make sure that they’re assigned to our protagonists.

Those cases turn out to be very interesting and amusing, with pleasingly twisty and surprising plot-lines. Jack Bailey (Colin Hanks) is a young, ambitious detective who is very frustrated about being stuck investigating low-level burglary cases, such as the theft of a humidifier from a thrift store. He’s trapped at the bottom of the heap because of his excessive candor: he has a habit of pointing out the mistakes of his superiors in the department.

His partner, Dan Stark (Whitford), is a classic character (literally). He was once a famous hero—he saved the life of the governor’s son twenty-five years ago—but has decayed into a heavy-drinking, irresponsible time-server. Stark, however, still has the courage, intelligence, and intuition that once made him an extraordinarily good cop. (His name means ‘strong’ in German.) Though rather short, dumpy, and not handsome, Stark is a hard-nosed, rule-breaking throwback to the iconoclastic hero cops of the 1970s and ’80s, such as “Dirty Harry” Callahan, John “Die Hard” McClain, and Mel Gibson’s Lethal Weapon character, Martin Riggs.

Bailey’s and Stark’s strengths are used to establish an important point that is made clear in the untitled pilot episode: that the department is underutilizing these two men because the government’s inflexible, bureaucratic rules prevent the department from using their talents. As a minor burglary comically develops into a complex and case involving dangerous villains fighting over a million dollars in ill-gotten money, it all leads to murder, kidnapping, and assorted mayhem. Stark and Bailey doggedly pursue the investigation, find the villains, and save the innocents.

And after all that? They’re dressed down by the assistant DA for breaking procedural rules and told by their boss that they’re lucky they aren’t being fired. Later, however, Assistant District Attorney Liz Traynor (Jenny Wade), an attractive young lady whom Bailey used to date, praises him and his partner for their efforts in the case: “Completely, totally, and unofficially off the record: that was some good work.”

In addition, Bailey and Stark receive a letter of praise from one of the parties in the case, the erstwhile second-best assassin in the world (now the best, having killed his predecessor), lauding their bravery and honor.

In the aforementioned “Bait and Switch,” a broken window leads to the discovery of an international car-theft ring. The main criminals are a pompous Englishman and a corrupt Dallas policewoman. A petty criminal ends up helping Stark and Bailey, and the various criminals consistently double-cross one another. That’s a common element throughout the series’ first season.

The “Broken Door Theory” episode includes an amusing thematic element as a flu bug passing from person to person parallels the way way one crime leads to another in the main story.

These long strings of causality have a point beyond the humor and enjoyable suspense. At any point the miscreants could choose to stop at the damage they’ve done so far, but instead they press ahead to additional, worse offenses. That serves to emphasize the voluntary nature of their actions, thus making the viewer continually aware of the criminals’ moral culpability. The offenders are not driven to crime like the fictional Jean Valjean in Les Miserables; they choose it freely, like real-life criminals.

There are also many small moments of politically incorrect charm. In episode 7, “Hunches and Heists,” a character who is a vegan and yoga practitioner on a “path to spiritual enlightenment” expressed in New Age gobbledygook is a vicious gangster. That’s the kind of upending of conventions the show does continually, and for which it deserves special praise.

Likewise, the central characters are more than just a conventional Hollywood male-buddy team. Bailey always wants to do things by the book, following established police procedure, whereas Stark is intuitive, inventive, and smart, and entirely devoted to getting results, regardless of the rules. That, of course, leads to continual tension between the two, yet it also expresses the value of individual initiative the need for “a little rebellion now and then,” in Thomas Jefferson’s immortal words. Thus the show explores what we as individuals give up in the desire to live in an orderly society, and what we should never give up: individual honor and initiative.

As with Stark and Bailey themselves, there’s a good deal more to The Good Guys than may initially be apparent, and it, too, is “some good work.” And that’s for the record.

At 10:10 into the episode, Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell) explains to Michael Weston (Jeffrey Donovan) that an individual who they are checking up on in Florida, “Owns a gun, but it is registered.” The only problem is that Florida, where the show is said to be occurring, and the vast majority of the rest of the US, doesn’t have gun registration. Indeed, only four states require the registration of handguns and one state requires the registration of all long guns (several other states require the registration of so-called “assault weapons.”

At 16:20 Sam Axe says: “The cops are probably matching ballistics right now even without your gun.” Ugh? Now I concede there’s possibility that this comment might have been geared solely to freak out Tim (the suspected thief”, but given the previous conversation about guns being registered between Weston and Axe, I am not so sure. And there are never any knowing winks between the main characters to indicate that they are in on some joke they’re playing on the bad guy.

Now the only possibility is that two states (Maryland and New York) have spent millions of dollars registering the ballistic fingerprints of new handguns before they’re sold. The notion is that this data bank could then be used to catch criminals from bullets found at crime scenes. But this never solved any violent gun crimes for the simple reason that the friction from the barrel that produces markings on the bullets also causes the inside of the barrel to wear (read: “change”) and thus produces different markings on bullets over time. Also two barrels that come off the same assembly line will initially very likely produce essentially the same markings on a bullet (it would be like taking molds of all new tire treads with the notion of keeping them on file to help solve crimes where tire tracks are available).

Finally, at 35:30, Michael Weston has this conversation with the bad guy in the episode.

Michael Weston: [The gun] was stolen and the serial number has been filed off.

Damon (Jeff Parise): Which means that it is untraceable.

Michael Weston: Completely untraceable.

Again, I concede that it is possible Mr. Weston knew this statement was false, but that he made it anyway to freak out Damon. In this case, though, part of the statement is true and part of it is false. Why add in incorrect information if you have a strong explanation anyway and the false information might let the person you are trying to trick think you don’t know what you are doing? It is particularly troublesome in this show because the whole premise is that Mr. Weston has all the angles on potential problems thought through.

The false part of the statement involves the claim about serial numbers. Serial numbers can’t really be effectively filed off. The stamping of the number into the metal creates structural abnormalities in the metal below the stamped number that can be discerned by a forensics lab. The portion of the metal where the numbers were stamped is denser than the surrounding metal and that makes it possible to determine the original serial number.

Now the statement about the gun being stolen is a different matter because there is no one to trace the gun back to. That said, given the earlier statement in the show about gun registration, registration doesn’t work to solve crimes. In theory, if a gun is registered and it is left at the scene, it could theoretically be traced back to the owner. There are a couple of problems with that. 1) Crime guns are virtually never left at the scene of the crime. When they are left at the scene it is almost always because the criminal has been seriously wounded or killed, and thus you are going to catch the criminal anyway. 2) Even when the crime guns are left at the scene they turn out not to be registered to the criminal who left them at the scene.

Here’s a link to a piece that I wrote for the Canadian Newspaper “The National Post” a few years ago. Additional information is available in the forthcoming third edition of More Guns, Less Crime.

Don’t get me wrong, the show is still entertaining, but the frequent factual errors can become quite disconcerting. “Burn Notice” used to really stand out from other television shows for its insightfulness. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. One suspects that political correctness on gun issues might be the cause for the changes.

Madeline Weston: Should I call the police?

Sam Axe: No, that would make it way too easy for them. Cops take us to the station — they know where we are and they know that we are unarmed.

The segment reminded me of an even even more politically incorrect show: “The Rifleman.” The episode entitled “The Anvil Chorus” aired on December 17, 1962, and is summarized this way:

Blacksmith Nils Swenson (Joe Higgins) is asked to serve as temporary Marshall for the town. He asks all the citizens to check their guns at the Marshall’s office while they are in town. His intention is to make the town safer, but that is NOT the result. When three thugs arrive and begin to cause trouble, the unarmed citizens have no means to protect themselves. Lucas (Chuck Connors) is summoned to help rescue Mark (Johnny Crawford) and the Marshall.

As a friend of mine noted to me, “Of course, Lucas relies on his gun to secure Mark’s rescue.” The episode of “Burn Notice” might not seem as relevant to most people as the above episode of “The Rifleman” (after all, when you’re not dealing with spies, research shows that police are quite effective in deterring criminals), but it stills gets the point across. When guns are banned, instead of making things safe for the victims, you make things safe for the criminals. Instead of gun free zones deterring criminals, they actually serve as a magnet for them.

Is it really surprising that all the multiple victim public shootings in the United States where more than three people have been killed have all taken place where permitted concealed handguns are not allowed? Or that states that pass right-to-carry laws have a 60 percent drop in multiple victim public shootings and that to the extent these attacks still occur, they overwhelmingly take place in those few areas with the state where permitted concealed handguns are not allowed?

I am an unabashed lover of the acting craft. I see virtually every movie, large and small, that passes through the US marketplace, and, taking nothing away from Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz and Heath Ledger, not all of 2008’s best performances have been recognized. I’m not going to be obvious here. Clint Eastwood was snubbed for Gran Torino, but he received lots of acclaim for the role including being named Best Actor by the National Board of Review. My goal is to highlight 10 performances from last year that have received virtually no acclaim in the US. Many of these roles can be found in hardly-seen, under-appreciated movies that came and went without much notice. Each and every one of these movies deserve a spot in your Netflix (or Blockbuster) cue.

My list is by no means definitive. If you have a favorite performance from 2008 that sticks with you, this is a great place to tell the world. There were 20 actors nominated on Oscar night, but there is a lot of great work that hasn’t been recognized with a walk down the red carpet.

–

1. JEAN DUJARDIN, 0SS 117: CAIRO NEST OF SPIES
This was the funniest movie of the year for me. OSS 117, a reboot of a previously successful franchise, was a hit in France, but generated only about $300,000 in very limited engagements in the US. Dujardin is a James Bond-style secret agent who bumbles his way across the middle east with the panache of Sean Connery and the comic physicality of Peter Sellers. He was nominated for Best Actor at the Cesar Awards (French Oscars), but almost nobody saw Nest of Spies here. The sequel OSS 117: Rio Ne Repond Plus is due later this year. Steve Martin, who badly resurrected the Pink Panther franchise, should watch this movie with a deep sense of shame.

–

2. PATRICIA CLARKSON, ELEGY
Sold about $3.5M in tickets at American box offices. In many ways, Penelope Cruz’s performance here is more courageous and luminous than her winning turn in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but I am choosing to focus on Patricia Clarkson who brings a heartfelt honest to her small role. I am always impressed when a woman is unafraid to appear nude in a film, especially if it gives us a window into that character’s soul. Clarkson is close to 50 and her character is maintaining a purely sexual relationship with Ben Kingsley’s David Kepesh. She has no illusions about being young or being in love. She is settling for the occasional comfort of a tumble with this man, and sadly, her constant career demands make a permanent loving relationship a faraway idea.

–

3. BILL IRWIN, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Loading a dishwasher has never been so dramatic. Primarily a theatre actor (he played George alongside Kathleen Turner in the 2005 Broadway revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf), he does something very different in Jonathan Demme’s documentary-style Rachel Getting Married. He is the buttoned-down, peacemaker who is hiding a shattered emotional interior that comes forward in a remarkable scene in which he demonstrates how to correctly load a dishwasher. Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway and Golden Globe nominee Rosemarie DeWitt were both excellent, but Irwin’s performance has stayed with me in a meaningful way.

–

4. ELSA ZYLBERSTEIN, I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
This extraordinary French film from the masterful Phillippe Claudel features the luminescent-but-prickly Kristin Scott Thomas, who was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Drama and many other awards. Elsa Zylberstein portrays the fully accepting sister who loves without any strings attached. She unwinds the mystery about why her sister committed a horrible act, and simultaneously remains patient and receptive. She allows for as happy an ending as this film can possible allow. Her soulful beauty softens the rough edges of Kristin Scott Thomas’ Juliette.

–

5. CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, REDBELT
David Mamet does a movie about Mixed Martial Arts. Go figure. The master of dialogue practices jujitsu in real-life, and now he has found a way to incorporate it into one of his films. Chiwetel Ejiofer portrays Mike Terry whose mantra is that “There is always an escape.” Some Hollywood types, played with the appropriate dollops of sleaze and smarminess by Tim Allen and Joe Mantegna, put him in an impossible situation, and he must find the escape. A buff Ejiofor delivers physically (easy to buy him as a badass), and he has a rigid sense of honor. His scene with Emily Mortimer in which she exorcises a past demon in worth the price of admission.

–

6. KARINA FERNANDEZ, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
I love Happy-Go-Lucky. Writer/Director Mike Leigh takes a full year rehearsing and improving with his actors in order to finalize the script. He hit solid gold with Poppy, played by Sally Hawkins, who won the Golden Globe and, I assume, narrowly missed an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. The same can be said for Eddie Marsan as the anal retentive driving instructor Scott. But my shout-out here goes British stage actress Karina Fernandez who, in two short scenes, demonstrates her rigid and unbending love for the flamenco and that those very steps may be the only thing keeping her from becoming emotionally unhinged.

–

7. HAAZ SLEIMAN, THE VISITOR
So much of the lightness in Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins’ turn in The Visitor is his reaction to the joyful drumming of Haaz Sleiman’s Tarek Khalil character. His co-star Danai Jekesai Gurira is also wonderful, but something tells me that the Lebanese-born Sleiman will be heard from again. After drumming with reckless abandon at one point, Tarek realizes that he is going to be late and says his girlfriend will kill him because he’s on Arab time, “It means I’m late by an hour. All Arabs are late by an hour, It’s genetic. We can’t help it.”

–

8. CANTINCA UNTARU, THE FALL
The weirdest, most fantastical movie of 2008 was directed by Tarsem Singh, whose best-known previous film was the strikingly visual horror pic The Cell, starring Jennifer Lopez. This is a fable told by an injured, drug-addicted stuntman in the early 20th century who befriends a little girl. Lee Pace (brilliant in the 2003 film Soldier’s Girl and also seen in ABC’s short-lived Pushing Daisies) weaves a spectacular fantasy that plays out in the imagination of a little girl played by novice actor Cantinca Untaru. I love this movie, and I’m not alone. Roger Ebert wrote, “You might want to see this for no other reason than because it exists. There will never be another like it.” Part Wizard of Oz. Part Lord of the Rings. 100% original. And it all works because of the innocence and spontaneity of a chIld actress before the camera for the first time.

–

9. KATE DEL CASTILLO, UNDER THE SAME MOON
She is absolutely beautiful and has a number of popular telenovelas to her credit including El Derecho De Nacer, Ramona, La Mentira and Imperio De Crystal before mading the jump to American television with the 2002 PBS series American Family from creator Gregory Nava (Selena, Mi Familia). This heartbreaking story of a little Mexican boy who decides to try to make it over the border to find his mother, working as a nanny and sending money home, is sweet and pulls at the heartstrings, and this Patricia Riggen movie also features a strong performance from Mexican comic actor Eugenio Derbez.

–

10. JASON BUTLER HARNER, CHANGELING
I did not like Changeling. I am a huge fan of Eastwood the director, and, for me, Angelina Jolie’s performance was one-note, Jeffrey Donovan from TV’s Burn Notice was doing a 1930’s rat-ta-ta-tat dialect while Oscar nominee Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) seemed to be playing it present day. As for the art direction, it’s been done so much better in classics like Chinatown and more recent noir like L.A. Confidential. But, the reason to see the movie is Jason Butler Harner as serial killer Gordon Stewart Northcott. He conveys a certain cavalier smarminess when confronted with his evil deeds. He enjoys the infamy he has achieved and uses it to manipulate and torture Jolie’s Christine Collins. Unsettling and unforgettable.

HONORARY MENTION
-in no particular order-

MILA KUNIS, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL

MISTY UPHAM, FROZEN RIVER

DON CHEADLE, TRAITOR

DAVID KROSS, THE READER

REBECCA HALL, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

JEFFREY WRIGHT, CADILLAC RECORDS

EVAN RACHEL WOOD, THE WRESTLER

DANNY MCBRIDE, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

DOMINIQUE PINON, ROMAN DE GARE

TILDA SWINTON, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

PAUL RUDD, ROLE MODELS

RICKY GERVAIS, GHOST TOWN

ALAN RICKMAN, BOTTLE SHOCK

Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter.

Joining Donovan’s character, Michael Westen, in helping him to get by without an identity (which was taken away by the spy agency upon his termination), avoid being killed by his former employers, and make a meager living helping people menaced by various villains, are ex-girlfriend and superspy Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) and buddy Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell), a former super-agent, “all-around Cold Warrior” (as the USA Network PR description charmingly puts it), and current FBI informant.

The series harks back appealingly to a long tradition of adventurous do-gooders operating outside the law, such as Erle Stanley Gardner’s Lester Leith and the ’80s TV show The Equalizer, while revitalizing the espionage genre with a much-needed dose of panache and high spirits.

The broadcast networks have been putting out mostly gloomy, dank crime dramas for a full decade now, and that style has largely run its course. Burn Notice should appeal strongly to audiences looking for a fresher, more positive approach that doesn’t deny the less pleasant aspects of human nature.

The program is innovative in another way. With “how to” shows being so popular on television, it was only a matter of time before somebody created a narrative fiction form of the series. Burn Notice is exactly that, right down to having a voice-over narrator fill us in on how it all works.

What “it” is that the show teaches us is how to dispense of confidence tricksters, mobsters, and other such miscreants.

Westen has been set adrift in Miami with no money and no way of making a legitimate living, his identity having been destroyed by his erstwhile employers. Under the watchful eye of the FBI, he tries to find out who put the burn notice on him and why, in hopes of having it reversed.

In the meantime, Westen helps people who are in trouble and cannot get help from the authorities. In one episode, for example, he protected a single mom from a Colombian drug trafficker who wanted her dead so that she could not testify against him in an assault trial. In another episode, he foiled some identity thieves who were preying on old people.

Westen uses his spy training to defeat the villains, all of whom are apt to resort to violence when their schemes are threatened. As a former spy, however, Westen is very skilled at both armed and unarmed combat, and he uses it well when necessary. His real gift, however, is at planning. In each episode he creates a scheme that lures the villains into not only incriminating themselves but also ensuring an additional benefit.

In the case of the drug trafficker, who is directly responsible for numerous deaths, Westen’s counter scheme results in the drug dealer’s execution by the dealer’s own associates. In the case of the identity thieves, Westen tricks their leader into providing him with their bank account numbers so that he can clean out their accounts and return the money to those from whom it was stolen.

That episode, “Identity,” is strongly reminiscent of Erle Stanley Gardner’s excellent Lester Leith stories. That’s a huge compliment, and Burn Notice gives the spy genre some of the panache and optimism evident in the Leith stories (and rather lacking from NBC’s My Own Worst Enemy). Donovan, last seen in the USA Network series Touching Evil, appears much more comfortable in this role than in the previous program, and his ability at comedy is used to great effect here. Anwar, Campbell, and Sharon Gless anchor the supporting cast with strong comic performances that also work well in the dramatic moments.

But the real attraction of the show is the plots. Combining the complexity of the schemes in the old Mission Impossible TV series with the benevolent, sticking-up-for-the-underdog spirit of The Equalizer, the plots are pleasing both to the aesthetic sense and the moral one.

In addition, the program’s prominent theme of the breakdown of legitimate authority in American society is a perennial one, having provided the foundation for vigilante fictions for more than a century. Its particular, unusual mix of old and new elements makes Burn Notice both new and interesting as a new season begins.