The first two volumes of the “X-Men” animated series contained some of the most memorable episodes in the show’s five-year run. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Volumes Three and Four. In fact, many of the episodes that appear are nothing more than retreads of previous stories, like the four-part “Dark Phoenix” saga and the two-part “One Man’s Worth,” which plays out like “Days of Future Past: Part Deux.” Throwaway villains like Sauron (“Savage Land, Strange Heart”) and Shadow King (“Xavier Remembers”) also return, even though there are far more interesting baddies in the X-Men universe that have yet to appear. It isn’t all doom and gloom, however, as we do get guest appearances from Dazzler, Iceman, X-Factor, Nightcrawler and Psylocke, as well as some great one-off episodes featuring Wolverine (the cleverly titled “Weapon X, Lies and Video Tape” and “The Lotus and the Steel”). And in keeping with the comics of that time, the two-part “Sanctuary” is a virtual scene-for-scene remake of Chris Claremont’s short-lived, three-issue “X-Men” run. It’s not good enough to rank among the best episodes, but it’s definitely one of the high points of these surprisingly hit-and-miss two-disc sets.
…then you’ll be missing the best new show of the fall season.
You may recall from my Fall TV Preview that I said of the pilot for “Community,” “When I watched it, I was convinced that I was watching the funniest sitcom of the new season. I was not wrong.” Now, granted, I was predisposed to like the series before I’d even put the screener of the pilot into the DVD player – I’m a fan of Joel McHale’s work (I’ve got a TiVo season pass for “The Soup”) and Chevy Chase’s work in virtually every film that he made during the ’70s and ’80s (though, to be honest, the only film he’s done since then that I still enjoy revisiting is “Memoirs of an Invisible Man”) – but it certainly didn’t hurt seeing “Daily Show” correspondent John Oliver turn up in a meaty guest role within the first few minutes, and it didn’t take long for me to fall for the ensemble as a whole.
Here’s a rundown of the characters:
* Jeff (McHale), a fast-talkin’ lawyer whose degree has been revoked * Pierce (Chase), a man whose life experience has brought him infinite wisdom * Abed (Danny Pudi), a pop culture junkie * Britta (Gillian Jacobs), a 28-year-old dropout with something to prove * Troy (Donald Glover, a former high school football star trying to find his way * Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), a sassy middle-aged divorcée * Annie (Alison Brie), a high-strung perfectionist * Señor Chang (Ken Jeong), a slightly unhinged Spanish professor
When I arrived at the TCA summer press tour, I was a man on a mission: to interview as many members of the cast of “Community” as I possibly could, so that I might do my damndest to get people to watch the series. Not that it necessarily needs my help, given the incredible promotional push that the network is putting behind the show, but, still, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a sitcom that’s this funny and has this strong an ensemble from the word “go” (seriously, I think I’d have to go back to “NewsRadio”), and I wanted to do whatever I could to get the word out. In the end, I ended up chatting with five of show’s regulars during the tour (McHale, Pudi, Brown, Glover, and Jeong), catching up with two more by phone after making back (Jacobs and Brie).
Sadly, Chevy Chase was surrounded by hordes of my peers through his time at the tour, and attempts to secure a phoner with him prior to the run date of this piece were unsuccessful. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll be able to talk to Chevy sometime in the near future…and, y’know, don’t be afraid to drop NBC an E-mail and ask them to try and make it happen for us…but in the meantime, click here (or on the above graphic), then sit back and enjoy these conversations with the rest of the cast.
When you finish, I’ll be very surprised if you don’t run straight to your TiVo and order yourself up a season pass for “Community.” It’s that good. I swear. And if you don’t believe me, here’s proof:
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The competition: “Modern Family” and “Cougar Town” (ABC), “Criminal Minds” (CBS), “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC), “The Beautiful Life” (The CW)
Starring: Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Corey Monteith, Lea Michele, Dianna Agron, Matthew Morrison, Jessalyn Gilsig, Chris Colfer, Patrick Gallagher, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, Mark Salling Producers: Bradley Buecker, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy (“Nip/Tuck”), Zachary Woodlee (“Eli Stone”) Network’s Description: A one-hour musical comedy that follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to transform the school’s Glee Club and inspire a group of ragtag performers to make it to the biggest competition of them all: Nationals. McKinley High School’s Glee Club used to be at the top of the show choir world, but years later, a series of scandals have turned it into a haven for misfits and social outcasts. Will Schuester, a young optimistic teacher, has offered to take on the Herculean task of restoring McKinley’s Glee Club to its former glory with the help of fellow teacher Emma Pillsbury. It’s a tall order when the brightest stars of the pitch-imperfect club include Kurt, a nerdy soprano with a flair for the dramatic; Mercedes, a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up; Artie, a geeky guitarist who spends more time avoiding bullies than chasing girls; and Tina, an awkward girl who needs to suppress her stutter before she can take center stage. Will’s only hope lies with two true talents: Rachel Berry, a perfectionist firecracker who is convinced that show choir is her ticket to stardom; and Finn Hudson, the popular high school quarterback with movie star looks and a Motown voice who must protect his reputation with his holier-than-thou girlfriend, Quinn, and his arrogant teammate, Puck. Driven by his secret past, Will is determined to do whatever it takes to make Glee great again, even though everyone around him thinks he’s nuts. He’s out to prove them all wrong – from his tough-as-nails wife Terri Schuester to McKinley’s cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester to an über-hip world that thinks jazz hands and sequined tuxedos litter the road to infamy rather than pave the way to Hollywood dreams. The Buzz: Crazy insane. (Insane? Crazy?) Fox’s decision to air the pilot for the show back in May and let it simmer for the summer was one of the strongest marketing moves in recent television history, as evidenced by the ridiculous amount of iTunes downloads of the songs from the show, and while having the cast turn up at Comic-Con might’ve seemed out of place at first, given how close the lines for “glee club members” and “comic book and sci-fi aficionados” lie on the geek flowchart, it shouldn’t have. And now they’re preparing to tour the malls of America…? The buzz buzz buzz you’re hearing in the drum of your ear is the sound of “Glee.” Pilot Highlight: If you didn’t want to leap to your feet and applaud at the end of their performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” you are dead inside. Dead, I say. Bottom Line: It’s going to be like having a new volume of “High School Musical” airing every single week, except with sensibilities falling closer to “Freaks and Geeks.” If it isn’t a huge hit, and if the soundtrack to the show isn’t one of the biggest selling albums of the holiday season, I will be shocked…and crestfallen, too, as I’m totally in the “Glee” club as well.
There’s a definite feeling of apathy about this week’s new box office releases, but on we go.
Topping this Labor Day weekend’s movie newbies is the Gerard Butler sci-fi action flick from the team who brought us “Crank.” “Gamer” adds a video game twist to such past violent media commentaries as “Death Race 2000” and “The Running Man.” Lionsgate isn’t screening this one for critics, so there’s no reason to assume there’s anything terribly clever or satirical about it, though a capable supporting cast led by Michael C. Hall (Showtime’s “Dexter“) as a villainous game designer as well as Ludacris and Kyra Sedgwick seem to indicate someone, at one point, hoped to do something interesting with this one. As for commercial success, it appears to all be laid at the feet of Butler. Nothing against the very capable Scottish thespian, but I just don’t see this one beating last week’s leader, the gimmick-driven 3-D horror opus, “The Final Destination.”
And that, I’m sure goes double for next of the three new major releases of the week, the Sandra Bullock headlined screwball romantic comedy, “All About Steve.” A film which the nation’s critics might well wish Fox had withheld, it has achieved the still fairly rare honor of a 00% Rotten Tomatoes “Fresh” rating (as in 100% “rotten”). Costar Bradley Cooper’s newfound recognizability via “The Hangover” probably won’t help much here, and Thomas Haden Church doubtless deserves better. Apparently the creators of this one intended Bullock’s character to be a lovable eccentric, but instead wound up with the more usual sort of eccentric — the kind who’s just weird. There’s likely a reason this one’s being dumped at the end of a long movie summer.
It’s in significantly fewer theaters than its competitors at only about 1,500, but Mike Judge’s “Extract” simply has to be better than either of them. At a 55% RT rating, the nation’s critics pretty much reflect the divided reaction of my fellow PH-er Jason Zingale, who calls it “a wildly uneven film that is deftly funny at some points, and just plain dull in others.” Still, though Jason 100% detested Judge’s earlier, barely released, “Idiocracy” that film got better reviews and the portions I’ve seen on cable certainly made me laugh — not that anyone cares what us critics think. As the writer-director of “Office Space” and the creator of TV’s “King of the Hill” and “Beavis and Butthead,” Judge is a knotty figure when it comes to movies. His now legendary workplace comedy was pretty much dumped at the box office only to be discovered later on vide0, and “Idiocracy” got even less promotion than the original release of “Space.” (Jason would say for good reason.) “Extract” star Jason Bateman is a skilled comedian but despite important parts in numerous hits, including “Juno,” he’s a very long way from the film stardom of his onetime TV son, Michael Cera. Still, both Judge and Bateman have a lot of pent-up goodwill. Maybe there’ll be a surprise here, but don’t bet the farm, or even the garden, on it.
That leaves two 100-theater releases. The first is a horror flick being dumped after the demise of Paramount Vantage. “Carriers” seeks to milk horror from pandemic fears. Quarantined from critics, it stars the talented Lou Taylor Pucci and the new Captain Kirk, Chris Pine. Speaking of James Tiberius, the other release isn’t new at all but another chance to catch J.J. Abrams’ hugely entertaining (if oddly filmed) “Star Trek” in Imax, which has certainly lived long and prospered at the box office.
Late last month, it was announced that Fox would not be airing an episode of “Family Guy” dealing with abortion. Instead, it was announced that the episode, entitled “Partial Terms of Endearment,” would only be available on DVD. Always aiming to please, creator Seth MacFarlane hosted a table read of the episode last night in Hollywood to members of the press.
Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter and Paul Cullum for the story. It would have been great to see the cast read the show in its entirety.
After listening to the jokes that produced some restrained laughter from the audience, it’s obvious the episode would have caused an uproar from countless groups involved with abortion. Of course, “Family Guys'” fan base couldn’t care less. Something — though I’m sure there are well-researched studies that have the answer — has happened with today’s younger generation that makes them immune to offensive material. Perhaps it’s the power of the Internet. There’s too much of everything, and that will be the case in America until we’re run by some totalitarian regime. That will never happen, and in the meantime audiences can have their fill of vulgarity on YouTube, Hulu, and countless other websites that supply comedy. It’s all over the place. Jokes, ideas, and issues are all up for grabs on the Internet. For these creators, whether they be aspiring Hollywood writers or a group of junior high school kids with a camera, there’s no line they can’t cross. They can’t “push the envelope” because there’s nobody watching over their shoulders.
If you listen to Seth MacFarlane in interviews, he advocates this form of DIY comedy. If he weren’t as successful as he is, he would be out there posting comedy bits on YouTube. He worked hard enough, reading scripts at the Writers Guild, learning the history of television, and creating his own content. It paid off. Now he works for one the major networks and he isn’t able to get away with everything. Nevertheless, “Family Guy” is the first cartoon in decades to be nominated for “Best Comedy Series” at the Emmys. Controversial and unsavory, his show still has some of the funniest jokes on television.
So, MacFarlane and crew read the script, along with a 16-piece orchestra, mainly to voters from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He admitted this was intended to score more votes and I hope it does. Whereas Fox’s advertisers might have pulled their support if the show aired, members from the Television Academy love to see shows takes risks.
You can watch clips from the reading after the jump.
