Author: Will Harris (Page 107 of 261)

Will is a member of the Television Critics Association and has written for Decider.com, the Onion A.V. Club, The Dissolve, Indiewire, Rhino.com, TV Week Magazine, The Virginian-Pilot, Popdose.com, and EW.com along with writing for Bullz-Eye.com and Premium Hollywood.

Heroes 3.5 – There’s a Peacefulness and a Rage Inside Us All

October 14, 2008 / Will Harris

Okay, so Linderman isn’t real.

After this week’s twist that Daphne could also see him, I really thought for sure that maybe he wasn’t just some twisted creation of Nathan’s psyche, but now we know that he’s actually nothing more than the work of one of Papa Petrelli’s minions. That’s right: we finally got the big reveal of Robert Forster this week, which I’ll get to in more detail in a bit. First, let’s talk about some of the other goings-on from this episode.

Sorry, but Moninder has reached the point of ridiculousness now. I was accepting the similarities to “The Fly,” but…really? He’s taking down people in the park, dragging their bodies home in a manner so careless that he’s literally leaving a trail of blood behind him, and then he’s…cocooning them? Give me a break. The only possible up side to the storyline at this point is that we may soon see the last of Maya, but somehow I suspect that we couldn’t possibly be that lucky.

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Ando Claire Bennett Heroes Heroes blog Heroes Season 3 Hiro Milo Ventimiglia Mr. Linderman Nathan Petrelli Peter Petrelli Robert Forster Sylar

Greetings to the New Show: “Life on Mars”

October 9, 2008 / Will Harris

It’s time to lead off with another one in my seemingly endless series of shameful admissions, but for such an avowed Anglophile as myself, this one really hurts: I’ve never seen a single episode of the original British version of ABC’s new series, “Life on Mars.” And, frankly, I’m really, really embarrassed about it, because, boy howdy, is it a show that’s right up my alley.

Here’s the premise of the British version: Sam Tyler, Detective Chief Inspector with the Greater Manchester Police, is hit by a car in 2006…and when he wakes up, he’s in 1973. Not only that, but he’s a Detective Inspector with the Manchester and Salford Police Criminal Investigation Department. That’s right: he’s still Sam Tyler…and people in 1973 know him as such. So the question at hand is whether or not he’s traveled in time or if this is all just an elaborate fantasy concocted by his mind while he’s in a coma.

Totally awesome concept, no? I don’t know how I missed out on it, especially since it also takes its title from a David Bowie song, but on the up side, it means that I can appreciate the American version a lot more, since I won’t be constantly comparing it to the British version or complaining that it’s a word-for-word Xerox, problems which kept me from latching onto “The Office” right away.

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Fall TV Preview, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

American Life on Mars David Bowie Fall TV Preview Gretchen Mol Harvey Keitel Hunky Dory Jason O'Mara Jonathan Murphy Life on Mars Lisa Bonet Michael Imperioli

Heroes 3.4 – In The Future When All’s Not So Well

October 6, 2008 / Will Harris

Although most of this week’s highlights came from the future, we did get a few interesting moments in the present. Mohinder tried to get a handle on his new abilities, only to find that his control over them isn’t what he hoped it might’ve been. What the hell is he doing to his neighbor, cocooning him? Despite how it may have seemed to many of us, Tracy discovered that she’s actually a triplet, but did you notice how Herr Doktor referenced that the triplets were named Tracy, Nikki, and…Barbara? The sequences with Nathan Petrelli and Mr. Linderman are very interesting, if only because I’m now totally uncertain about whether or not the latter does indeed continue to exist in some manner that allows only the former to see him. And Matt Parkman’s new buddy sent him spiraling into a white-eyed vision, which brings us to…the future.

Even with all of the advances in special-effects technology, it’s clear that we will never successfully reach a point where an actor can perform a scene with himself and not have it feel cheesy…or maybe it’s just because the only difference in Milo Ventimiglia’s PresentPeter and FuturePeter voices was that the latter was a tiny bit more growly. Either way, while the scene of the two Peters chatting with each other worked surprisingly well when they were interacting in the crowd, as soon as they headed down the alleyway and the focus of the scene was solely on them, I was very much in “gimme a break” mode. Fortunately, FutureClaire put a couple of caps in FuturePeter before I had to worry about it too much.

I liked the way FutureMohinder was couched in shadows, hissing his words, but what I really liked was that transition from the present to the future, with Mohinder’s voice slowing down on the tape recorder as it suddenly gained a coat of dust and a cockroach running over top of it. A small moment, but an awesome one. It was also good to see Molly again (kids grow up so fast these days), and the relationship between Parkman and Daphne is an intriguing one, to be sure.

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Ando Claire Bennett Heroes Heroes blog Heroes Season 3 Hiro Matt Parkman Milo Ventimiglia Mr. Linderman Nathan Petrelli Peter Petrelli Sylar

Old Show, New Season: “Pushing Daisies”

October 1, 2008 / Will Harris

If the pilot for “Pushing Daisies” wasn’t the single best hour of television to emerge in the 2007 – 2008 fall TV season (and it wasn’t, because I still say that honor belongs to the pilot for “Reaper”), then it can at least be said with some confidence that it was the one which made the greatest visual impact, courtesy of its gorgeous colors. It also had a pretty damned unique premise, involving Ned (Lee Pace), a guy with the ability to bring dead people back to life – but only for a minute at a time, lest their return to life result in the death of someone else – who splits his time between making pies, solving crimes, and pining for Chuck (Anna Friel), a girl he can never touch. Oh, right: it also had a script that was sweet, sentimental, unexpectedly dramatic, and very, very funny.

Hmmm. Suddenly, I’m beginning to wonder if I need to go back and re-watch the “Reaper” pilot. Maybe I got this one wrong.

Nah, just kidding…but “Pushing Daisies” is a great show, and after having re-watched the entire first season on DVD, I found myself geared up to see where things were going to go with the series, especially after that bombshell they dropped in the season finale: that Aunt Lily (Swoosie Kurtz) is actually Chuck’s mother.

Season 2 kicks off with a considerable amount of catch-up, which only makes sense, given not only how complicated the series is but also how long it’s been since the show was last on the air. This is a good thing if you’ve heard lots of great stuff about the show but were concerned that you couldn’t possibly get into it at this late date. Believe me, this is about as good a summation as you could hope to receive…and while it’s stuff that the regular viewers will already know, they’ve managed to slide in a few new scenes here and there to keep it interesting for everyone.

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, TV, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Anna Friel Chi McBride French Stewart Kristin Chenoweth Lee Pace Missy Pyle Pushing Daisies Swoosie Kurtz

A Chat with Mitch Pileggi

October 1, 2008 / Will Harris

You may know him as FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner on “The X-Files” or, more recently, you may have thrilled to his recurring role on “Stargate: Atlantis” as Col. Steven Caldwell, but either way, if you’re a sci-fi fan, you probably recognize the face of Mitch Pileggi. Pileggi’s resume is wide and varied – he’s recently popped up FX’s “Sons of Anarchy,” has turned up on CBS’s “CSI” and “Cold Case,” and was a regular on ABC’s short-lived (but thoroughly brilliant) “Daybreak” – but now it’s The CW’s turn. After a one-off turn on “Reaper,” Pileggi has found his way onto a flashback episode of “Supernatural,” playing Sam and Dean’s grandfather. We spoke to Pileggi in conjunction with the episode, which airs on Oct. 2nd, which gave him the opportunity to praise the cast of that show, speak to the variety of work he’s done, and stand bemused at people’s fondness for his 1989 cinematic collaboration with Wes Craven.

Stay tuned for…