Category: External TV (Page 314 of 419)

Heroes 2.6 – One Less Bell To Answer

October 29, 2007 /

So Claire’s back, but Kristen Bell’s nowhere to be found. Is there some sort of ruling that the two can’t appear in the same episode? And as long as we’re asking questions, did cheers get dumber since I was in high school? I mean, they were never Shakespeare to begin with, but are they really busting rhymes about planting trees now…? Claire is so prone to being swayed by peer pressure…or, specifically, the words of one cute boy…that it’s a wonder she hasn’t been captured and utilized by The Company by now. Her avenging angel is clearly a man who’s in love with his power, but despite her concerns about his plan to get her onto the cheerleading squad, you can’t argue with the results.

HRG and Brother Voodoo are off chillin’ in the Ukraine, and it’s like Starsky and Hutch reunited. HRG is back to his bad-ass ways…and, worse, he’s intimidating the man who trained him in the first place. You know the guy’s not screwing around when he’s threatening to have Brother Voodoo removed all of his most treasured memories…and he starts with the day the guy met his wife! I like the ongoing comparison between Claire and HRG and how neither of them are being truthful to the other. And speaking of a lack of honesty, did anyone really think that Ivan was being truthful when he said that the company had changed…? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now, after that “oh, shit” moment when HRG popped a cap right into Ivan’s forehead. (“That’s a hell of a powerful gun,” said my wife, when Ivan went flying backwards after the shot.)

Mohinder’s really between a rock and a hard place when the fate of Monica’s abilities are placed in his hands, but the big revelation is that Bob (Stephen Tobolowsky) isn’t just a bad-ass; he’s a DICK. When Mohinder finally snapped, I think it was fair to say that no-one believed Bob’s sudden recanting of his earlier threats toward Mohinder; Tobolowsky’s just too damned good at playing a complete skeeve, and Nikki’s appearance at the end of the episode was suitably ominous.

Sylar’s trying to sway Maya over to the dark side, but Alejandro’s not having any of it. To watch Sylar seem to soak up Maya’s power, though, was to witness sheer evil bliss, and his speech to Alejandro was downright chilling.

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

Scare of the Day: “Sometimes They Come Back”

October 29, 2007 /

Movies based on Stephen King novels and short stories are a dime a dozen, but it’s pretty well documented that King’s track record for his adaptation has never been spectacular, and it’s only gotten worse in the years since he’s starting embracing television. After watching “Sometimes They Come Back,” however, one wonders why he opted to make it a TV move rather than a theatrical release; it’s actually one of the better films to have been based on one of his works.

Tim Matheson plays Jim Norman, an idealistic young teacher who returns to his hometown after a several-year absence – now with a wife (Brooke Adams) and son (Robert Hy Gorman) in tow – in order to teach at the local high school. The reason for his departure is an ominous one: his older brother was stabbed to death by a group of local hooligans, who promptly got their just desserts by having their car be hit by an oncoming train while they were still inside. Now, he’s back in town, but being older and wiser doesn’t mean isn’t still haunted by the events of his past…and we do mean that literally.

The second he’s back in town, Jim begins to find himself flashing back to the day of his brother Wayne’s death, and it only get worse when it turns out that the ghosts of the punks who killed Wayne have found their way back to town and into his classroom. They’re “up from Milford,” as they put it, and to make room for themselves in the class, they have to kill other students; unfortunately, no-one seems to see their death car, as it were, except for the victims and, naturally, Jim himself. It’s a horrifying situation for Jim, and it gets worse as the local law enforcement begin to suspect him in the deaths of his students; eventually, he realizes that the only way out of the situation is to confront the demons head on.

“Sometimes They Come Back” is an enjoyable flick that keeps the suspense level pretty high throughout, but it’s also the kind of film that’s best appreciated when one turns their mind off and simply accepts the premise. Otherwise, you’ll be asking questions about the consistency of the ghost’s rules…like, say, why they can be seen when they’re in the classroom but not when they’re tooling down the highway in their muscle car. Just don’t worry about it; just be creeped out.

But, y’know, honestly, I’m not entirely sure why “Sometimes They Come Back” has suddenly gotten a reissue; it might look better than it did in its previous release, but it certainly doesn’t have anything in the way of special features. Still, if you’re a King fan and this one’s flown under your radar for all these years, you might as well enjoy a version that looks pristine. Just stay away from the two sequels, which have precious little to do with either the original film or, indeed, anything King has ever written.

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, External TV, Horror Movies, Movie DVDs, Movies, Scare of the Day, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Scare of the Day: “Starz Inside: Bloodsucking Cinema”

October 27, 2007 /

This feels like a complete cheat of a Scare of the Day, but yesterday was a long damned day, and, frankly, I went for the shortest thing in my pile that was even remotely appropriate to the concept: a screener of the new Starz documentary, “Bloodsucking Cinema,” which – shocker! – offers up an hour-long history of the vampire as portrayed in motion pictures. (Given the title, I’m sure you in no way saw the subject matter coming.)

Unfortunately, the first reaction that the documentary is likely to inspire is the realization that there have been a lot…a LOT…of not-great vampire movies in recent years. It’s all but a universal truth that flicks like 1922’s “Nosferatu the Vampire,” with its uber-creepy performance from Max Schreck as the title character, and Tod Browning’s 1931 version of “Dracula,” which proved to be the defining moment of Bela Lugosi’s career (not to mention the albatross around his neck for the majority of his life), are all-time vampire classics. Unfortunately, it’s not like any of the principals from those movies are still among the living to discuss their experiences…but, hey, Uwe Boll and Kristanna Loken are chomping at the bit to chat about “BloodRayne”! Same with Len Weisman and the “Underworld” flicks, Stephen Sommers and “Van Helsing,” and Stuart Townsend and “Queen of the Damned.”

Not exactly on the same level, is it?

On the flip side of the coin, though, the conversations with Cheech Marin reminded me that it’s been too long since I last saw “From Dusk ‘Til Dawn,” and the interview segments with John Carpenter and John Landis and the clips from their respective vampire films – “Vampires” and “Innocent Blood” – made me think that I should give those flicks another chance, that maybe they’re better than I remember them. (In particular, the moments I saw of James Woods’ performance in “Vampires” during the special made me wonder why the film doesn’t stand out for me; he seemed to be having a ball, and yet I can’t for the life of me recall a thing about the flick, even though I know I’ve seen it.) I’m still not convinced, however, that watching Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula” again from start to finish wouldn’t leaving me feeling like a week had gone by, but, dammit, I was almost tricked into thinking otherwise. It was also nice to see Joel Schumacher reminiscing about “The Lost Boys,” though seeing Corey Haim only served to remind me how awful “The Two Coreys” was, and as a comic geek, I took great enjoyment in seeing an on-screen interview with Marv Wolfman, co-creator of “Blade.” (Oh, yeah, and writer / director David Goyer shows up to discuss those films as well.)

To give credit where credit is due, however, “Bloodsucking Cinema” does offer a bigger-picture view of the vampire film, even if its talking heads tend to represent sub-par examples of the genre. It does indeed stretch all the way back to “Nosferatu,” then moves forward, stopping long enough to speak of Lugosi, Christopher Lee’s portrayal of Dracula in the Hammer Studios films, the underrated Mexican vampire films which served to inspire “From Dusk ‘Til Dawn,” and even offers brief mentions of comedies like “Once Bitten” and Mel Brooks’ “Dracula: Dead and Loving It.” The differences in the vampire mythos from film to film are compared and contrasted, and by the end of the special, things have gotten downright philosophical, with Carpenter musing about how he would deal with the curse of eternal life.

“Bloodsucking Cinema” actually premiered on Friday night, but it’s being re-run on Halloween night at 9:00 PM EST. I know, it’s hard to accept that anything involving clips from “BloodRayne” is worth seeing, but this is worth catching. It’s certainly not all-inclusive (what, no “Blacula”?), but given the financial limitations inherent in cross-studio clip borrowing, they do they best they can, and the results are quite enjoyable.

Actors, Actresses, Documentaries, External TV, Scare of the Day, TV

Friday Night Lights: “Backfire”

October 27, 2007 /

If you’re in Mexico looking for a miracle cure for your paralysis and the receptionist says, “The doctor will probably be in sometime next week,” it’s probably not a good idea to stay there and undergo back surgery that involves stem cells extracted from sharks. Jason’s little speech at the karaoke bar was quite uncomfortable and I’m hoping that Tim can talk him out of the surgery.

Riggins had a few good lines in Mexico, but my favorite was the rant in the hotel room: “What are we watching? What is this? What are we doing, Six? We’ve been here for a week. We’ve got a bag of money, booze, no women, no stories, no memories.”

He had another great line when Jason bailed him out of jail. To the guard, he said, “Cheers. Go Cowboys.”

Classic Riggins.

No one in Dillon seems all that concerned about his absence from the team. Of course, that might have something to do with all the drama regarding the head coaching position. I thought it was a nice twist for McGregor to fight the firing, but Buddy’s speech at the hearing must have put the kibosh on the appeal. McGregor has his own speech for Eric, and he had a point about Eric being involved. Given Eric’s propensity for doing the right thing, I think McGregor’s words will haunt him for some time. Also, I think McGregor will reappear as an opposing coach at some point, probably for a very good team.

Then there’s the storyline about Lyla’s charity for the ex-con, but she’s being a little too goody-goody for my taste. It was funny, however, how Buddy jumped on the opportunity to buy his daughter’s love back by giving the kid a job. It doesn’t seem like there’s much chemistry between Lyla and the ex-con, but this could be the start of a relationship.

Tami opened up about her own adolescent decisions which helped Julie see things more clearly when the Swede forgot about their date. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Julie started to shape up once her dad returned. She seemed really happy to see him.

Finally, we have the Tyra/Landry storyline. I was hoping that Tyra would just shut up when the detective tried to wrap up the interview, but she was obviously thinking that the jig was up. But the look that Old Yeller gave her when he saw her in the interview room means that this plotline isn’t over. Has he already found the watch? Or is he just concerned about Tyra?

External Entertainment, External TV, Friday Night Lights, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

The Office: “Local Ad”

October 26, 2007 /

The series is back to its regular 30-minute format, which I think works a little better because it leaves the viewer wanting more, but as soon as Michael said that the branch was shooting a commercial, it was all about the payoff of seeing the final cut at the end. The group started with a little brainstorming, and when Pam, who is probably the most creative person in the office, suggested an idea, Michael quipped, “Even the receptionist is getting in on the creativity.” You just knew that her graphics were going to be the best part of the commercial. At some point, I’d love to see Pam’s artistic career take off, but not until the series winds down.

Michael’s interaction with the ad guys was terrific, from his introduction of the workers in the office – “These are our accountants, and you can see that they are very different sizes” – to his thoughts on the Nashville branch’s ad – “That sucks.” I especially liked it when he told them to leave and the one ad guy said, “I’m not arguing with this guy.”

The Dwight/Angela/Andy romantic triangle (if you can call it that) took an interesting turn when Andy told Dwight that Angela kept calling him “D” (for “AnDY,” he thought), which really put some wind into Dwight’s sails. Not that he needs it. He seems to have plenty of wind in his face flying around in his Second Life. That brought us to the payoff of that bit – Pam teasing Jim about his avatar. Pam wanted to learn more about Philly Jim, the well-built, guitar-playing sportswriter, and who can blame her? But Jim wanted to move on. (And who can blame him?)

The scene with Darryl and the gang writing a jingle was pretty funny as well. His deadpan “what’s rap?” line was classic. Michael’s criticism was terrific:

“I hate it. I don’t hate it, I just don’t like it. At all. And it’s terrible.”

I actually thought the commercial turned out pretty well, though I didn’t catch the subtle humor of the “I’m your son” bit between Dwight and Phyllis – how does a woman not know that she has a child? – until I watched it a second time. The “Chariots of Fire” music was a nice touch, and I especially liked the shot of Kelly in India and the scene with Stanley picking up trash. (I believe he was wearing a shirt and tie underneath his state-issued jumpsuit.)

What were your favorite moments?

External Entertainment, External TV, The Office, TV, TV Comedies

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