Tonight’s episode, “Homewrecker”, starts out much differently than most of the other of episodes of The Closer. Normally an episode begins with the murder, or with Brenda struggling with some personal aspect of life in Los Angeles or sorting out her relationship with her boyfriend, FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard. Instead, this episode opened up with choppy video interviews involving different interviews the detectives of the Priority Homicide Division. You can tell is a handheld camcorder. As it turns out, the murder scene is being filmed by forensics people for presentation in the upcoming court case, once Brenda and her team of highly trained investigators figure out whodunit.

The beginning plays a little off and not as personal as many episodes do, but it quickly regains that feeling. The story was intriguing, and the mystery seemed like it was over almost as soon as it got started. Which would’ve been a disappointment. But I can always count on the writers to throw in a lot of twists when it comes to Brenda finding out who the murderer actually is.

A mother, a father, and a twelve year old daughter lie murdered in their home. Even as the PHD team is processing the scene and gathering information, a cell phone rings in the attic. When they break into the attic they find the couple’s seventeen year old son strung out on drugs. He claims to have been in the house when his parents and sister were killed — but he didn’t hear anything. It takes Brenda just seconds to totally rip his story to shreds. Then the truth begins to emerge — a very tangled and twisted truth that took me in a direction that I found surprising.

Watching Brenda work is magic as always. She puts together the incongruencies about the case and figures out her trap to bring the murderer to justice and get the confession she needs to close the case.

In the meantime, financial cutbacks at the LAPD have forced the department to release new financial guidelines. According to these guidelines, one member of every team- including Brenda’s PHD team — is going to have to be transferred to a different department or take early retirement. Detective Lieutenant Provenza’s neck is on the chopping block.

The add further stress to her life, which all the viewers of the show have come to love, Fritz — Brenda’s live-in FBI special agent boyfriend — is putting pressure on her to go house-hunting. If she protests and says she doesn’t have time, especially with the triple homicide she’s currently working. But longtime fans of the show know that Brenda hates any kind of change.

I have to admit, the show does play into a lot of fantasy element, but I love it. Case in point, Brenda moved the body at one of the crime scenes. No way, no how would a seasoned investigator do something like that. It corrupts the evidence and interrupts chain of custody. Another point is when Brenda confronts the murderer and ends at dumping the victims’ clothing on the table between them to raise the emotional stakes. That would not be done either. Again, of the chain of custody would be interrupted as well as the evidence being subject to getting tossed out and of the courtroom and the case.

All and all, though, the episode was everything I’ve come to expect the show. The laughs were there, the compassion was there, and — most of all — Brenda’s neurosis and personal problems marked everything she did.

I hope you DVRed this one because it was a classic episode of the series. Also, I hope you recorded the earlier broadcast. The second broadcast of the evening was not aired commercial-free. The season is just beginning! Will Brenda and Fritz find a house? Stay tuned.

I have fond memories of watching classic Winnie the Pooh cartoons as a child but even fonder ones of my parents reading me A.A. Milne’s classic tale of a boy and his stuffed bear. To this day I have a copy of the Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh on my shelf. Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, and Christopher Robin are all unforgettable characters that many children grow up loving. I know that I am one of many.

In 1961 Walt Disney obtained rights to the British bedtime classics and he predicted that Pooh Bear and his friends would be huge. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh brings together three of Disney’s classic shorts, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974). All three were combined in 1977. These short cartoons are what propelled Winnie the Pooh out of the pages of a book and into the hearts of America.

In Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, Pooh muddles his way through the acquiring of honey from a bee hive high up in a tree. He rolls in black mud and floats into the sky with the help of a balloon in what has to be an instantly recognizable image; Pooh hanging by a blue balloon as he sings about wonderful honey. I have not watched Pooh in years but I was instantly transported to the moment I first watched him when I was little and I enjoyed it just as much even though I am a little older.

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day won an Academy Award in 1968 for best cartoon short. Walt Disney never got the chance to see Pooh become a household name; he died in December of 1966 before the short was finished. But Pooh and the Blustery Day is one of the most well known of the shorts.

Then we have Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! "The most wonderful thing about Tiggers is I’m the only one!" Even now I’m singing that song and making the growling noises in my head. I love Paul Winchell as Tigger, his voice is the perfect fit. While some voice actors might come close, for me there is only one Tigger. In the short Tigger’s bouncing is addressed as Rabbit gets fed up with being knocked down constantly. But soon the friends of 100 Acre Wood realize that Tigger is not Tigger unless he is bouncing.

The Friendship Edition also has some great special features. For the kid in us all, or for that matter your own kids, there is sing-a-long with Tigger, "100 Acre Wood" game, and a bonus short "A Day for Eeyore" (1983). For the adult, well, there is "The Story Behind the Masterpiece" featurette that includes interviews with Paul Winchell, (voice of Tigger) and Jon Walmsley (voice of Christopher Robin), as well as some of the animators.

Isn’t this the way childhood should be? Fun, light-hearted, and while life is not perfect, you have your friends there to help you solve the problems. A childhood would not be complete without this experience and as an adult you will enjoy reliving your own childhood.

Written by Caballero Oscuro

Gypsies. Just the mention of the word conjures images of mystery and danger, but how much do you really know about them? Sure, most people immediately picture a nomadic, hobbled old woman wearing a head scarf and one large hoop earring who might glance at you with a piercing evil eye as she tries to steal your money or your baby. However, as Johnny Depp points out in this film during a brief interview, "what you've believed about these people has been a lie your entire life." The truth about gypsies is far less threatening, and as it turns out, quite enlightening.

As conveyed in this riveting new documentary from filmmaker Jasmine Dellal, gypsies are more correctly identified as the Romani people, an ethnic group scattered across the globe. They are not wandering nomads, but instead have forged vibrant communities in their respective lands. They mostly share a common language and traditions, but have also integrated into their home countries to the point where there is not much that ties them together. This is evident in the range of music styles chosen for inclusion on last year’s six-week concert tour across North America that serves as the basis for this film.

The Gypsy Caravan 2006 tour united five gypsy bands from four countries, and the film follows the tour on the road as well as on location in their homelands. Their musical styles incorporate diverse but related elements like flamenco and brass band, folk music from India, and violin music from Romania. As one performer notes in the film, two of the only things the Roma have in common are their language and their heart, or passion, about their music. The film expertly captures this passion live on stage, but also shows glimpses of their daily lives on tour and back home. While the music might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the film shines by examining the Roma passion and sense of community in spite of their different countries of origin.

As we get to know the performers, we see glimpses of their homes and families in Spain, Macedonia, Romania, and India. These interludes between performances give the film its weight, as we learn to accept and care about these people rather than just enjoy their musical compositions. From the old man who worries about the future of his family when he’s no longer around to support them through his performances, to the “Queen of Gypsies” who describes her life experiences raising 47 adopted children, we see how fascinating their backstories are while concurrently enjoying their vibrant music.

Gypsy Caravan is now playing in New York and opens in Los Angeles on June 29. For additional information, please visit the website.

Written by Fantasma el Rey

American Pastime is set during World War II and is the story of a Japanese-American family’s relocation to an internment camp. Revolving around baseball, jazz, and family, it is a good-hearted movie that tells a wonderful tale but at times takes the all-too-beaten path in doing so. It's an enjoyable film and in some respects one could call some of the themes timeless.

Spanning the years 1941 to 1946 we see how the Namuro family copes with life in Camp Topaz, Utah. Attempting to make the place more than merely livable, they begin to fix the camp by giving it a feel of home. Youngest son Lyle (Aaron Yoo) loves jazz and baseball and aided by the latter was to be the first Namuro to attend college. Then along came Pearl Harbor, bringing Lyle’s dreams to an abrupt end. Lyle grows to hate baseball, rejecting his father’s offer to play on a camp team. Instead Lyle starts a swingin’ jazz band and, to help ease his misery, sells booze and gambles.

He also takes an interest in Katie (Sarah Drew), the daughter of the camp’s military supervisor (Gary Cole). This of course causes greater tension in the nearby town of Abraham. Lyle finds himself at odds with his father and now with Katie’s pop as well. As if that weren’t enough, rebellious Lyle and his respectful, older brother Lane begin to feud over right and wrong. To ease the tension between town folk and “prisoners,” a climactic baseball game is arranged that pits the local pro team, including Katie’s father, a former Yankees prospect, against Camp Topaz’s best. Of course, Lyle makes a return to the diamond in this ultimate showdown.

The Romeo and Juliet love story and the effect it has on the two different families is a story we’ve seen before as are the clashes that go on within the two lovers’ families. The squabbling brothers and the squabbling father and son, while the understanding mother tries to hold it together and play peacemaker, are very familiar plotlines as well. Not surprisingly, the game’s final outcome is decided between Lyle and Katie’s father. We’ve seen these formulas enough and I would rather watch a documentary on baseball and the internment camps, although I can see how it must be told this way in order to reach a wider audience, which allows for some fine performances from Aaron Yoo, Sarah Drew, and Gary Cole.

To his credit director Desmond Nakano does well in mixing actual vintage footage throughout the film. I do admire the fact that he also includes a scene where camp dissidents try to rally other internees to ask questions, like why other Americans weren’t put into camps. The Germans and Italians were also enemies of The U.S. Were they not interned because they were harder to spot, making them less of a target for violence? If that’s the case, then I guess it was for their own protection that the Japanese were locked away and forced on their “trail of tears.”

Overall, American Pastime has accomplished its goal in telling a story about a little known facet of our history and how baseball, that all-American game, played its part by presenting the story in an entertaining way everyone can relate to. When I’m in the mood or if it’s on television I will probably watch again, which is the mark of a good movie.

There’s a scene in Ratatouille in which a food critic is so overwhelmed by the food he eats that it alters his perception. It burrows deep in to his mind, finding a moment so personal and pure that the food itself becomes the embodiment of all life’s joys. Anyone watching Ratatouille, director Brad Bird’s follow-up to his first Pixar animated film The Incredibles, will undoubtedly react the same way the food critic did.

I loved Ratatouille. I loved its sharp and superlative animation. I loved its unexpected telling of a rather formulaic story. I loved the moments of slapstick humor and the darker moments of dread. In fact, it’s hard to find a part of this movie I didn’t love.

When we are first introduced to Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), a country rat with dreams of making great Parisian dishes and not of stealing scraps, the film doesn’t seem to have a leg to stand on. Yet, the paced progression of his adventure romances us in a ways rarely seen in most studio animations (none since Bird’s The Incredibles).

The moment Remy fixes a soup ruined by the garbage boy Linguini (Lou Romano), we are hooked into Ratatouille. The Remy/Linguini cooking team (Remy with the nose for cooking controls Linguini’s hands) ends up impressing food critics, the public, and a certain female cook with an eye for Linguini.

Of course, Head Chef Skinner (Ian Holm), who is set to inherit the famous restaurant in which Linguini works until he discovers Linguini is the rightful heir, doesn’t like the new guy getting attention. Likewise, the food critic Ego (Peter O’Toole), who brought the once five-star restaurant down a star, doesn’t want to see any revitalization. Just when Remy and Linguini are in a position to take on both Skinner and Ego, Remy’s lowbrow rat family, from which he was luckily separated, finds him and wants to bring him back to the colony.

Sometimes the hardest part of writing a review is describing the story because it often necessitates talking about plot points out of context. Until you see the moments I’ve described, you don’t really get the full picture of the amazing success that is Ratatouille. It’s an unlikely success to be sure, this easily unbelievable story about a rat using a man as a puppet, but Ratatouille works because it does exactly what great movies are supposed to do: it makes you want to believe.

Yes, there is magic in Ratatouille, but its magic cannot be credited to the Pixar brand. Even more so than The Incredibles, the humor and heart in this film singularly reflect what writer/director Bird has to offer audiences as a true auteur of animated film. While the appeal of Pixar’s sensibility has waned thanks to its last two non-Bird releases (Finding Nemo and Cars), Bird has been a refreshing individual voice who can reinvigorate and reinvent what Pixar has to offer. Ratatouille is the best example of this yet. And thanks to Bird, animation’s master storyteller, Ratatouille is also the best film so far this year, animated or otherwise.