If you’re one of many people who feel that “Dragon Ball GT” hurt the integrity of the “Dragon Ball” franchise more than it helped it, you probably also consider the final episode of “Dragon Ball Z” as the official ending point of Akira Toriyama’s beloved anime. Of course, you’d be wrong to think that. While “Dragon Ball GT” is quite the abomination, Toriyama and Co. released two more “Dragon Ball Z” films that take place after the end of the series, and believe it or not, they’re actually quite good. The plot of “Fusion Reborn” will probably sound familiar to fans (something about the inhabitants of Hell wreaking havoc on Earth while Goku fends off the latest, greatest evil supervillain), but thanks to a nice mix of action and comedy, not to mention the first appearance of Gogeta, it’s actually pretty entertaining. (Bonus points for Hitler’s comment about Trunks and Gohan: “Blonde hair, blue eyes, super strength. I should be recruiting them.”) “Wrath of the Dragon,” meanwhile, is perhaps the best “DBZ” movie of the lot because it actually feels like the writers put some thought into creating an original story. This one involves the unleashing of an ancient monster, and though the monster itself is defeated rather easily, it’s the relationship between Trunks and Taipon (the hero in charge of trapping the monster) that really makes the film feel like it’s more than just one, long 40-minute fight sequence. It’s too bad the other movies don’t adhere to the same set of rules, because while “Fusion Reborn” and “Wrath of the Dragon” feature a similar checklist (action, comedy, and more action), they go the extra mile in making the actual stories satisfying as well.
In a sense, there’s really no reason for me to write a full-length review of “Mistresses,” BBC America’s latest contribution to the guilty-pleasure pile.
When I was working my way through the four-disc set of the series, which includes the first two seasons of the show, I made a comment about my current viewing on my Facebook page. Jeanne Jakle, TV critic of the San Antonio Express News (not to mention significant other of our own Ross Ruediger), responded by saying that it possessed “just enough sluttiness and sleaziness to offset the soapiness,” adding that “the British accents made it seem classier than ‘Sex and the City.’”
Now, I don’t know about you, but these two phrases alone would’ve been enough to make me want to check it out. Still, the more discerning viewer might prefer to have a bit more information about the series before diving headlong into “Mistresses,” and we here at Bullz-Eye live to serve.
America has already endured its share of “Sex and the City” knockoffs, and the two with the highest profiles – “Cashmere Mafia” and “Lipstick Jungle” – have already been knocked off the air. In Britain, however, they’ve tried a different tactic, avoiding the lighthearted feel of Stateside series and staying almost entirely serious with their gaggle of gal-pals. There are four female characters in “Mistresses,” and although there are occasions where their storylines will leave you begging for a little humor, you can’t say that they don’t manage to remain enthralling as a result.
As a physician, Katie (Sarah Parish) is the closest thing the group has to a grown-up; too bad her idea of maturity involves sleeping with a married patient and, after he dies, finding her way into an affair with the man’s son. Trudi (Sharon Small) is a 9/11 widow who’s trying to raise her two children and considering stepping back into the world of dating, but she’s hesitant because she doesn’t want to fall in with someone who wants her solely for the sizable settlement she received after her husband’s death. Jessica (Shelley Conn) is a party girl and the queen of the one-night stands, which makes her the envy of the rest of the girls, but they’re a bit shocked when her flirtation with the same sex seems to be the love she never knew she was looking for. And lastly, there’s Siobhan (Orla Brady), the married one in the bunch. It almost goes without saying that she’s the unhappiest one of all, doesn’t it?
Just as the title of the series implies, there’s a fair amount of infidelity going on within “Mistresses,” though it’s different from character to character. Katie’s is the most obvious, of course, but the woman with whom Jessica is enthralled – Alex, played by Anna Torv (now best known for her role as Agent Olivia Dunham on “Fringe”) – is engaged to be married to another woman, and Siobhan seeks sexual gratification outside of her marriage when her husband’s desire to have a baby abruptly moves from overscheduled and unromantic coitus to a total lack of sex drive. And what of Trudi? Well, the problem here is that you can’t say too much about her situation without giving away the best (and, ultimately, the harshest) storyline of the season, so let’s just say that, yes, there’s cheating involved on her end as well.
If there’s a problem with the second season of the series, however, it’s that you can’t help but feel that either these are the unluckiest women in all of Britain when it comes to love, or they’re among the most foolish. It’s been said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, but, wow, talk about having problems with short-term memory! Katie has further problems with a younger man and a married man, while Siobhan still can’t manage to get things right in her marriage. You can almost excuse Trudi for her issues, though, given what she’s been through in the past. The real exception here is Jessica, whose unexpected actions in the season premiere set up her surprising storyline, and whose shenanigans during the course of the subsequent episodes definitely keep you guessing.
“Mistresses” isn’t groundbreaking television, but, well, it’s like Jeanne said: it’s unabashedly a soap opera, but you get a healthy soupcon of sexiness, and the accents class it up enough to make you feel okay about watching it. All told, the first season is by far the better of the two, but by then, you care enough about the characters to stick around through the second as well.
Special Features: Although we receive no commentaries, we do get two features, one for each season of the show included in “Volume One.” The first is “The Making of ‘Mistresses,’” which offers a half-hour look into Season One, while the second, “Sex, Lies, and Infidelity,” takes the Mistresses and their significant others and gets their opinions on the topics addressed in the show as well as their thoughts on their characters at the end of Season Two. Both are top-notch, which is just as we’ve come to expect from BBC-produced bonus material.
“Reaper” is dead. Well, probably, anyway. As of this writing, the show’s fate is technically still in flux, and it certainly can’t hurt for fans to continue to show the series the same support they always have, but to read the comments by two of the show’s stars – Bret Harrison (Sam Oliver) and Tyler Labine (Bert “Sock” Wysocki) – about the future of “Reaper,” it’s fair to say that neither actor is overly optimistic about seeing a Season 3. That’s not to say, however, that they wouldn’t be up for the idea of returning to their characters if they were given the opportunity to do a proper two-hour “Reaper” film. As you’ll soon read, the guys were mostly pleased with Season 2 of the series – now available on DVD from Lionsgate – and would be excited to further explore the events which were set up in the finale. Just as long as there’s no further exploration of Sock’s stepsister…
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Season 5 of “The Next Food Network Star” is still young, and New York based Brett August was the second contestant to be eliminated. August was brash and bold, maybe like a stereotypical New Yorker, but ultimately it was the fact that the judges perceived August to have a lack of desire to really want to be a Food Network Star, at least compared to the other contestants. We had the chance to ask August a few questions on his way out…..
Premium Hollywood: Did you think you could have told Bob Tuschman and the other judges that you really wanted to win and that you could win a bit more convincingly, and that if you did you wouldn’t have been eliminated so early?
Brett August: I don’t know if that would have affected my outcome. But you look at yourself and you learn so many things, like I looked at myself and knew I was going bald on top of my head. There are so many things you learn, and it was just great. I loved it.
PH: Did you think April Fool’s Day was a tricky holiday to work with?
BA: Yeah, it’s a wonderful holiday to some people but I have never cooked for it. But now that I’ve come home, I’ve written up about twenty recipes for April Fool’s Day.
PH: What are your plans for the future?
BA: I think I’m going to start playing basketball for the Lakers. I’ll be their 2- guard. Well, really, the sky’s the limit, and I am hoping that this opens up so many doors for me.
PH: Do you feel bad about speaking up regarding helping Melissa or did you feel like something had to be said?
BA: It’s the competitive spirit in me that came out a little bit and for people who don’t know me; you might not want to watch me play basketball in Central Park. But Melissa and I are friends, and we might go out for martinis.
PH: Who do you like of the remaining eight to win it all?
BA: You know, it’d be great if they could all get their own TV show…they are all great individuals and amazing people. I’m going to wish them all luck, and whoever comes out on top deserves it.
The Next Food Network Star airs on Sundays at 9pm/8pm central on The Food Network.
Those who saved up a little extra pocket change from the lack of Blu-rays released over the last few weeks will probably want to grab a hammer and break open the piggy bank, because there are a slew of must-own titles hitting stores today. Even better is the variety, from new horror films and old classics to cult television shows and HBO mini-series, this week features one of the best HD line-ups that you’re likely to see all year.
The new adventures of Jason Voorhees may just be the latest in a long line of mindless sequels (in fact, one might even argue it’s little more than a compilation of greatest hits from the first three films), but it does serve as an excellent reboot of sorts that horror fans should appreciate. While Jason’s ninja-like stealth is a bit ridiculous, it’s but a minor obstacle in an otherwise entertaining slasher flick. The kills are just as inventive as they were 30 years ago (there’s even a Blu-ray exclusive featurette that takes an in-depth look at the seven most memorable ones), and at the end of the day, that’s all anyone really cares about. Whether or not it truly revitalizes the franchise is a whole another matter, but at least Warner Bros. is willing to stand behind their product. The Blu-ray release is one of the studio’s best yet, and includes an extended (but still R-rated) cut of the film, as well as a making-of featurette, deleted scenes and a picture-in-picture video track.
Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 Cold War satire isn’t exactly the kind of film that benefits from high definition, but it still looks remarkably good for its age. Though I’ve never really been a fan of black-and-white cinema, “Dr. Strangelove” is one of the few exceptions. It’s probably because the movie would seem absolutely ludicrous in color. Not only are many of the characters (like George C. Scott’s General Turgidson and Peter Seller’s Strangelove) already so outlandish that they’re practically cartoons, but the monochrome effect lends a certain seriousness to the film that only makes the events that follow even funnier. The “Inside Dr. Strangelove” retrospective included on the disc – which covers everything from Kubrick’s original idea of making a serious political thriller to an 11th hour legal coup designed to delay the release of the similarly-themed “Fail-Safe” – should be of particular interest to fans of the film, while the addition of never-before-seen pages from the screenplay sheds new light on the infamously deleted cream pie fight ending.
