skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Tomorrow night (February 26) will see the premiere of two more shows, both of which look back in time at men at arms. I used to think the fall was a busy time, but it is pretty amazing to see the number of new shows appearing in January and February, with even more to come next month.
-- Parade's End (HBO): Based on Ford Maddox Ford's four book series, Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) plays the role of Christopher Tietjens, an English gentleman, employee of the Imperial Department of Statistics, husband in a dysfunctional marriage, and soldier in the trenches of war. The original story, very broad and complex, was adapted for the screen by Tom Stoppard and primarily covers the first three books. The 5-part drama will show over three consecutive nights. You can see a trailer on HBO is you want to see the quality of the production. This is a much deeper look a the British than the surface dwelling Downton Abbey (and we already know what Cumberbatch thinks of Downton Abbey). Parade's End was broadcast in Great Britain last summer and was well received. The Guardian noted:
Parade's End looks beautiful, is wonderfully made and has some
fantastically resonant and descriptive language: Tietjen's comparison of
the noise on the Western Front to a "wet canvas being shaken out by a
giant" just one of many sublime moments of dialogue. I've also enjoyed
getting to know a source text that is not, perhaps, as well known as
others.
-- Golden Boy (CBS): Speaking of Downton Abbey, you may remember a Turkish visitor in the first season of the show who caused a stir with Lady Mary. Well, the actor, Theo James, is back as a police officer, Walter Clark, who works his way up the chain to become New York City's youngest police commissioner. Co-starring Chi McBride as Detective Owen, who is always fun to watch whatever he is in, it covers Clark's difficulties in gaining the respect from fellow officers as he moves up. I like the initial meeting between Clark and Owen, particularly where Owen holds open the car door for Clark only to slam it when he approaches, noting "Who am I, Morgan Freeman? Open your own damn door." And so it starts. You can watch the pilot episode here if you cannot wait.
If you have not had the chance to see the new FX show The Americans then you are missing out on a fascinating story about a KGB family undercover in Reagan's Washington. I discussed the show in an earlier entry before having seen the show and I was was hooked after viewing the pilot. Keri Russel and Matthew Rhys are superb as the KGB couple with their own internal issues while being watched by their masters and outrunning their American counterparts. I would put it in the same category as AMC's Rubicon, though the former was more of an indoor show while the latter has plenty of high-energy outside drama. Unlike Rubicon, The Americans is getting a second season. This is great news for all of us.
You may have heard that Donald Trump is using HBO Realtime's Bill Maher for a comment he made in one of his monologues. Back on October 26, 2012, Maher has this to say in his "New Rule" segment:
Donald Trump must immediately submit to DNA tests to determine whether he is, in fact, the love child of a human woman and an orangutan from the Brooklyn Zoo.
Look, Donald, I'm not saying that your mother was repeatedly f**king an orangutan back in the 1940s. I don't know if that's true. I hope it's not true. But, given your face, your physique, your intelligence level...and, of course, your hair...the American people deserve some real proof that your mother did not spend most nights in 1945, covering her body in banana oil, sneaking into the monkey cage and compulsively humping an orange-haired ape. Somebody had to say that.
Trump and his legal team recently sued Maher for $5 million because of this comment. This seems to be one more attempt for Trump to get publicity for himself and Maher is using it to rain down even more insults on the man (you can see his February statements here). Trump's lawyer thought it was helpful to share a copy of Trump's birth certificate with Maher to prove trump was not born in a zoo. I wonder how much money was spent preparing that very important letter.
The other week on the Conan O'Obrien Show, Maher further defended comedy and said Trump was wasting the time of the legal system, noting the legal system is not a "joke" and "...it's not a toy for rich idiots to play with." Maher also put down Trump's relevance in today's society, pointing out "He's not even a real person...it just like a pop reference from the 80s...it's like having a spat with JR Ewing" (go here for the clip).
Another sad day for the American legal system while a good day for comedians everywhere.
If you missed Maggie Smith on last Sunday's 60 Minutes then you missed a rare opportunity to learn more about this actress in her own words. T
he star of Downton Abbey discussed how she never watched the show and thought it appropriate that her character should die off, though not to worry since she has already committed to appearing on a fourth season of the show.
In the interview, she discussed how her parents thought she was too ugly to go into acting and recommended typing instead. Yes, it sounds like a plot line in Downton Abbey. We also learn a little bit more about her 53rd film Quartet, which is directed by Dustin Hoffman who joined her for part of the interview. Overall, it is an interview you will want to check out. Go here for the full video.
You can see the CW's new show, Cult, tonight (February 19) at 9pm ET/8pm CT. While the program covers a level of TV addition that might be the dream of most networks, I get the impression this amount of devotion is somewhat dangerous. Starring Matt Davis (from The Vampire Diaries, another CW cult-classic), as detective Jeff Sefton trying to locate his missing brother, you will be entering into a world where television is the medium for some pretty strange behavior, not that reality TV is any good for us.
Here is the plot outline from the CW:
The fictitious show, centered on the cat-and-mouse game between a
charismatic cult leader and the detective who was once a cult member,
has become an obsession for its viewers – and now some of its devotees
seem to be taking their fixation to deadly extremes in the real world.
In the parallel worlds of the show-within-a-show, the cult’s leader,
Billy Grimm, is played by actor Roger Reeves (the double role of
Billy/Roger is played by Robert Knepper, “Prison Break,” “Shameless”).
Roger plays Billy as a compelling but ruthless leader, a man whose
primary agenda is winning back his former follower and lover, Kelly
Collins, played by actress Marti Gerritsen (the double role of
Kelly/Marti is played by Alona Tal, “Supernatural,” “The Killing”).
Since escaping from the cult, Kelly has become an LAPD detective. When
her sister is kidnapped, Kelly finds herself drawn back into an
investigation of the group’s activities, and she struggles to keep Billy
at a safe distance, knowing he would stop at nothing to get her back.
As the television show grows in popularity, cast members Roger and Marti
feel the effects in their “real” lives – Roger isn’t sure who he can
trust, and Marti is beginning to realize that being the star of this
particular show may have truly dangerous consequences.
The only person who seems willing to help Jeff with his investigation
into this double world is Skye Yarrow (Jessica Lucas, “Melrose Place,”
“Cloverfield”), a young research assistant for “Cult” who has also
started to grow suspicious of the increasingly dark happenings
surrounding the show. Jeff and Skye are both driven by personal reasons
to uncover the mysteries surrounding “Cult.” Jeff is focused on
finding Nate, the brother he raised following the death of their
parents, while Skye is searching for answers about her father, who went
missing 10 years ago and is presumed dead. All Skye knows is that her
father was investigating Steven Rae, the reclusive executive
producer/writer who created “Cult.” In fact, she took the job on the
show in order to make contact with Rae and see if he will answer her
questions. Jeff and Skye are practically strangers to each other, but
they are united by the common goal of finding out what happened to their
family members.
Jeff will need all of the investigative skills he honed as a
journalist to make sense of the treacherous world he and Skye have
entered. It soon becomes clear to Jeff and Skye that the gruesome plot
twists on this television show are much more than fantasy for some very
unfortunate people. The hardcore fans of “Cult” would kill to see what
happens next…
The show's website already has the pilot available for viewing. After watching it I can say it's an interesting twist having a show within a show (a CW show, of course), though this is a delicate novelty that may not stand the test of time.
In the right hands and with the right amount of balance, we may have two good shows on our hands. As the San Francisco Chronicle writes,
"Cult" could work over time, but it could also implode because it's a
very high-concept show. In other words, it depends heavily on the
gimmick of the show within a show, refracted by social media. Beyond the
gimmick, will there be enough to maintain our interest? If not, "Cult"
could easily wind up as one TV show in search of an audience.
Will the program find it own band of dedicated fans? Possibly. The CW has done well with vampires, super heroes, and demon hunters, so it knows its fan base and should be able to deliver.
If you enjoy AT&T's "It's Not Complicated" commercials where the kids are let loose to cover any topic, you probably enjoy the straight delivery of actor Beck Bennett. My favorite ad clip it the kid who suggests taping a cheetah to his grandma's back to make her faster. Beck seems to have a talent in such forums, and you can see more of his talent with unscripted kids in his YouTube series Fresh Perspectives. He puts on the show with his partners called the Good Neighbor team. I particularly like the kids' discussion on the debt ceiling, which I found more coherent than the entire set of Republic debates. And the conversation on Libya is more informative than the recent Senate hearings (with one little girl showing even more passion than Secretary Clinton).
And now Beck and team may have his own show on Comedy Central called "The Good Neighbor Show." If you want to see what type of comedy this team can do, check out the groups Unbelievable Dinner. Hopefully, Comedy Central will have the wisdom to give this group a chance.
If you had a chance to see Daniel Day Lewis in the film Lincoln, you may have had your fill of dramatic recreation of history. If not, you may be disappointed with a Lincoln in the hands of Billy Campbell, a less accomplished actor. If not, you may be avoiding history books by big mouth Bill O'Reilly. If not, the National Geographic special on Sunday (February 17) called Killing Lincoln is for you.
All of that said, I plan to watch it because I enjoy programs that illuminate history, and Billy Campbell is a good actor in his own right (see 4400 and The Killing for some of his more charismatic roles). However, I am not a fan of Bill O'Reilly, so I will leave that point aside.
Here is a little background on the special from National Geographic:
April 14, 1865. One gunshot. One assassin hell-bent on killing “a
tyrant,” as he charged — the 16th President of the United States. And
in one moment, our nation was forever changed. This is the most dramatic
and resonant crime in American history: the true story of the killing
of Abraham Lincoln. From Executive Producers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, and narrated by Tom Hanks, National Geographic Channel's first original docudrama, Killing Lincoln, based on the New York Times bestseller,
combines re-creations with historical insight in a thrilling chronicle
of the final days of President Lincoln and his assassin, John Wilkes
Booth.
The two-hour special is a welcome
addition to a list of period pieces on television that provide viewers
which options beyond reality shows and poorly scripted comedies. I put the History Channel's drama Hatfields & McCoys into this same category of beneficial period pieces. I hope to see many more of these programs. And I recommend visiting the website for the show since it provides a lot of additional information on Lincoln and Booth - something I would expect from National Geographic.
Posts
