Cue the sad songs

Real-life local heavies make wake-scene cameos as Dallas lays J.R. Ewing to rest

This time J.R. Ewing really is dead. Episode 8 of the second season of Dallas on TNT put the character in the ground once and for all, with veteran cast members from ye olden days standing graveside: Steve Kanaly as Southfork ranch hand Ray Krebbs; Ray’s once-upon-a-time hayloft canoodling partner, Lucy Ewing, played again by Charlene Tilton; her daddy, Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford); J.R.’s mistress, Mandy Winger (Deborah Shelton); and his last young bride, Cally (Cathy Podewell).

It remains a mystery exactly who killed J.R. Was it a petty thief in Nuevo Laredo who broke into J.R.’s hotel room and shot him? Or did new Ewing nemesis Harris Ryland (Mitch Pileggi) have something to do with it?

Exec producer Cynthia Cidre wrote this week’s script, titled “J.R.’s Masterpiece.” Directed by Michael M. Robin, it was certainly the strongest hour of the season so far (seven more episodes to go), featuring a heart-tugging emotional breakdown by Patrick Duffy as Bobby.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban all uttered nice bits of dialogue.

Linda Gray, the strongest player in this series reboot, turned in a beautiful performance with her reading of a letter from former hubby J.R. as she stood over his casket. Seems the ol’ rascal had fallen back in love with the former Miss Texas. His letter, delivered to Sue Ellen the day before he died, expressed apologies for all his misdeeds and asked if he could take her to dinner sometime.

Gray’s tears were genuinely moving. She and actor Larry Hagman were close friends for 30 years, so she probably didn’t need to dig too far into The Method to feel her character’s grief. (Hagman died November 23, having completed five episodes this season.)

More highs, lows and in-betweens:

Sad songs: The slowed-down arrangement of the opening theme set the somber tone for this week’s send-off of the show’s central character. Sue Ellen’s visit to J.R.’s Southfork bedroom, where she caressed their wedding photo, was set to the bittersweet tune “The Bottom” by Houston singer-songwriter Charlie Robison. Lyrics: No need to worry about tomorrow/Cause you're not here/I'm going all the way down/To the bottom.

As cast members old and new watched J.R.’s coffin lowered, the music was “Down to the River to Pray,” from the soundtrack to O, Brother, Where Art Thou? (Get it?)

Nobody mentioned frackin’ methane: What this season of Dallas has lacked is exploration of personal relationships instead of all that phony passion for the exploration of oil and methane. Less shop talk and more family drama made this week’s show the kind of compelling experience for viewers that keeps us tuning in.

Best line: “I’m a bit drunk now,” said Sue Ellen, standing at J.R.’s grave and admitting she fell off the wagon the night before. (Linda Gray at 72 is at least twice the actress she was 30 years ago.)

Wake-up call: The wake for J.R. at Dallas Petroleum Club stirred up interesting new couplings. Sue Ellen flirted with brother-in-law Gary (though maybe just for oil lease reasons). And J.R.’s son, John Ross (Josh Henderson), engaged in some steamy smooch-fu with step-cousin Emma (Emma Webb) in the back seat of his (or somebody’s) car.

Locals paying tribute: Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban all uttered nice bits of dialogue in their wake-scene cameos.

J.R.’s favorite cocktail: Bourbon and Branch, which was served at the wake. Here’s the recipe.

Damn, Pam: Before he was killed in Nuevo Laredo, J.R. had been in Abu Dhabi searching for Pamela Barnes Ewing, birth-mom to Christopher (Jesse Metcalf). This is where the new Dallas breaks the mythology of the old one. Pam, played back in the day by Victoria Principal, was shown being blown to smithereens in a car wreck with an oil tanker in series one’s episode 282.

They made a half-baked attempt at bringing on a “new” Pam with a reconstructed face (played only once by Margaret Michaels), but even that Pam said she had only weeks to live. Because Principal has turned down all requests to reprise her role, it’s a mystery who will be playing the new-new Pamela Barnes Ewing.

Coming up: Joan Van Ark returns at Gary’s wife, Valene. (They were the couple at the center of Dallas spin-off Knots Landing.) And Bobby has to reexamine his life and marriage in the post-J.R. universe.

---

New episodes of Dallas air at 8 pm, Mondays on cable’s TNT, with frequent reruns.

Larry Hagman had shot five episodes of Dallas before his death in November 2012.

Photo courtesy of TNT

Larry Hagman had shot five episodes of Dallas before his death in November 2012.

unspecified

Movie Review

Safe cracking is a snap for White Lotus alum Leo Woodall in Tuner

Photo courtesy of Black Bear

Leo Woodall in Tuner.

Of all the ways that movies depict people trying to steal money and other valuables, safe cracking is among the least exciting. By design, it’s a laborious process that only those with a very certain set of skills can do. While clever editing and the right music can enhance scenes of safes being cracked, there’s a reason that the method is among the least used in heist films.

In the new film Tuner, Niki (Leo Woodall) has a job and a condition that just happens to lend itself well to committing that specific crime. He works as an apprentice piano tuner for Harry (Dustin Hoffman), usually doing the hard work while Harry schmoozes the client. Niki is well-suited for the job because he has a rare condition called hyperacusis, which makes him both sensitive to loud noises and able to hear subtle things that others cannot.

When he runs across a trio of criminals trying to break open a safe at a house where he’s tuning a piano, he helps them more out of frustration than avarice. But when Harry goes into the hospital and racks up huge bills, Niki decides to join the group to make some quick money. They soon want more than he’s willing to give, and he must find a way to extricate himself from them without losing himself completely.

Written and directed by documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher (making his narrative feature debut) and co-written by Robert Ramsey, the film has a nice pace to it despite there being relatively little action. Roher and Ramsey spend the first third or so establishing Niki, Harry, and Harry’s wife Marla (Tovah Feldshuh) as characters, letting the audience understand their relationships and how they interact with each other.

The time they devote to the personal storytelling pays dividends when Niki starts to descend into crime, as his divided loyalties - not to mention the danger of the thefts - insert tension into the plot. That stress is heightened even more when Niki starts a relationship with piano student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), as getting closer to her necessitates a series of lies.

There comes a point, though, where the plot stagnates to a degree. Niki’s end goal, if he has one, is never clear, and it’s obvious that it’s only a matter of time before things start to fall apart. After starting strong in their character development, Roher and Ramsey take shortcuts as the film rushes toward its conclusion. This is most notable in a weird argument scene between Niki and Ruthie that comes out of nowhere and seems to serve no purpose in the story.

Woodall, who had a memorable turn in season 2 of The White Lotus, is on the cusp of breaking out, and this understated-but-compelling lead role should help him become an even bigger name in Hollywood. Hoffman has a small role, but he remains as interesting as ever despite the lack of screentime. Liu (Bottoms) is also an up-and-coming actor who should become a star with more roles like this one.

Tuner is a low-key thriller that succeeds because of the way the filmmakers approach the under-used method of robbery. Even if it doesn’t quite reach its potential, the film maintains a high quality throughout thanks to its storytelling and acting.

---

Tuner is now playing in theaters.

movies film