The Movie Journal

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 10 "1984" August 03, 2014 The back half of this season has been excellent. Watching the group finish the PC in time “for the computer to be on shelves by Christmas” has been nothing but entertaining. The season finale, “1984” while still entertaining, ends the season on a little whimper. This episode is all about the characters drifting off into their own thing. Maybe there were a few big speeches, but no crazy surprise was in store for us. I was surprised because the episode does not take the normal route that finales usually do. Instead, we have a more quiet, introspective episode. The GIANT was an immediate success. Computerland purchased the computer for an enormous amount of money. Joe and Gordon are now rich. They become owners of Cardiff Electric. With Gordon as the master engineer and making the big bucks, he still is not entirely happy. He even shaves his noteworthy beard to add an intimidation factor to his looks (not...

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 9 "Up Helly Aa" July 27, 2014 “Up Helly Aa” is the penultimate episode of Halt and Catch Fire ’s first season, and it is a beautiful episode. The main theme is “betrayal.” Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Cameron’s vision for the Giant has been compromised by both Joe and Gordon, which will undoubtedly lead to an interesting future for the three characters. The final scene is amazing and rather crushing. Donna played a bigger role here and Kerry Bishe did an excellent job. The scenes were Gordon chewed her out and her reactions are great. This episode is funny, moving, and entertaining from start to finish. Joe sold his sports car for $11,000 and the gang hope that is enough money to promote the Giant at COMDEX in Las Vegas. They arrived in Gordon’s station wagon. With the bad publicity Cardiff Electric received over the embezzlement scheme, Joe hopes to use it to his advantage. With the usage of smoke and mirrors, they sh...

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 8 "The 214s"  “The 214s” is no doubt the best episode in Halt and Catch Fire’s interesting first season. A lot of action took place. Gordon becomes sane and acts like a leader! John Bosworth makes the change from angry boss to tragic hero with a knack for inspirational speeches…and a father figure. Donna has a decision to make because after all, her neighbor and former coworker of Gordon’s “knows what she is up to.” The episode, written with excellent character moments from Dahvi Waller and Zack Whedon, is an excellent, tense watch. And for the first time in a long time, the gang is back together! Breathing in the same room as one another. Wooooooow!! John Bosworth is hauled away in handcuffs when it comes to light (with Cameron’s help) that he embezzled money from the company to keep the project afloat. Nathan Cardiff delivers a stop work order for the PC, now known as “The Giant.” The PC was going to be displayed at COMDEX, but...

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 7 "Giant" Gordon, the Cardiff’s team working man, is falling apart…and quickly. That is one of the biggest storylines we see in “Giant.” In the previous episode, Gordon gave Cameron’s idea backlash about giving the computer a personality type. This week, his gives even more backlash…this time to Joe regarding the computer’s aesthetics. We learn that Joe had a secret lover who is now dying of AIDS, and he works as a design artist. Simon Church, played brilliantly and emotionally by D.B Woodside, shows up with his input for the PC’s design. That storyline felt a bit superficial and contrived. It did not feel as developed despite the strong individual performances. However, the “Gordon falling apart” storyline and the storyline about Cardiff’s financial ruin held my interest. With COMDEX looming, the next step in the PC’s creation is its design. Gordon believes the PC is good as is and any changes to the design means loss in functio...

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 6 "Landfall"  July 06, 2014 “Landfall” is an episode that has a hurricane swirling around the background and is used as the episode’s main focal point to tell its story. In terms of character development, they are pushed forward with some explanations and some actions we least expect from them. The main plot is put on the backburner for now, but this episode is more character-oriented. It’s funny, but also sad considering what happens as Hurricane Alicia rages on. This episode happens as Hurricane Alicia strikes the Gulf Coast. Despite the tempest, excitement is in the air as their PC nears completion. That said, Cameron wants to make the user interface more friendly which means Gordon needs to do some extra engineering work which he does not want to do. Joe, however, seems to be on board. Cameron and Joe, whom been having a sexual relationship, break up with each other. Cameron and Bosworth have a heart-to-heart with Bosworth ...

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 5 "Adventure"  June 29, 2014 “Adventure” is definitely an adventure for our protagonists in this episode of Halt and Catch Fire . The writing is beginning to catch up with our characters. In other words, the show has some excellent character development. The episode also shows where Joe got his manipulative streak from- his own father, Joe Sr. played wonderfully by John Getz. In fact, this entire episode is about trying to find a father figure. Joe with his own father, Cameron with Joe’s father (until she realizes what a jerk he is), and Gordon with his intimidating father-in-law. Gordon becomes more developed here. The pilot introduced him as an alcoholic man with some high stage of depression-and that was not really shown until this episode. He had a very amusing sequence where alcohol causes him to insult Japanese businessmen. The episode seemed to skip some weeks into the future. The article from Wall Street Quarterly was r...

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 4 "Close to the Metal" June 22, 2014 “Close to the Metal” has a lot working for this episode. It’s an incredibly fun watch and I found this episode surprisingly relatable. I am sure this happened to everyone, but remember the sheer panic you had when you were working on a huge project school or work-related, but you fail to back it up. Yeah, that’s the main problem and I thought it was shot effectively. This episode also gives more to Kerry Bishe’s character, Donna. Donna gets chewed out at her Texas Instruments job, but she finds herself interwoven in the Cardiff storyline. Apparently, she really does not like Cameron (mutual feeling as Cameron wrecks the Clarks’ house as she babysits the kids) and Joe (she really gave him a smackdown). I wasn’t too sure of the family aspect of the Clarks in the pilot, but I admit the chemistry is there and I am becoming more interested in the family dynamics. In this episode, Cameron fails to ...

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 3 "High Plains Hardware" June 15, 2014 Halt and Catch Fire hit some minor roadblocks in “High Plains Hardware.” The writing left some to be desired, but its characters, while mostly set in individual settings, continue to entertain us and grow as characters. Joe does lose some of his mysterious ways, but I am still intrigued by his character. Mackenzie Davis continues to brightly shine and give the show a taste of her punk attitude. Jean Smart costars as a rather nasty potential investor who demands 80% of proceeds if the PC turns out well. Yeah, I’m sure Joe is not gonna like that. Cardiff Electric has to fire a majority of their employees because of Joe’s PC project. Gordon is forced to let go many of his engineers but is struggling to do so. A talk with his friend finally gives him motivation, but his friend’s career is now jeopardized. The friend also has something with Gordon’s wife, Donna. Hmmmmm. Joe realizes that portab...

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 2 "FUD" June 08, 2014 After creator Christopher Cantwell set the ball rolling with his excellent foundation-laying work in the series premiere, he gets to work here. “FUD” is a character-driven episode that features fine performances from Pace, McNairy, and Davis. Pace continues his secret, troublemaking ways. Boy, he knows how to deliver a tantrum-whether it was destroying Cameron’s basement office or the information we learn that he caused two    mjllion dollars worth of damage to IBM when he left. Or the ending! Davis continues getting into mischief as she shoplifts. Also, Gordon is still at the mercy of his wife, who seems to exhibit some professional jealousy. The wheels are turning, and we are getting more and more into our characters. The episode starts with the IBM legal team hammering Cardiff to see if any of their secrets are being stolen. Joe makes them believe that all they are doing is creating a PC clone and Camer...

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1, Episode 1 "I/O" June 01, 2014 Halt and Catch Fire’s premise does not light my mind with excitement. I mean, does anyone really care about The Computer Age in the 1980’s? It sounded like I would be bored to death with technical mumbo jumbo from the onset. Considering the rave reviews the series received from people I trust, I decided to give it a shot. After all, AMC did produce Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul . Yeah, after giving the series premiere, “I/O” a watch, I’m hooked. Yes, there is technical babble throughout, but the characterization and the performances are dynamite. The show is all about the mysterious Joe MacMillan, played spectacularly by Lee Pace. What is his endgame? What are his ultimate motives? Why does he want to work at Cardiff Electric of all places, especially with IBM on his resume? Many questions that hopefully will be answered as the season progresses. The character is a hothead, a driven man who does not really...