Category Archives: TV

‘Arrow’ offers good take on comics hero

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Yes, I rolled my eyes a bit when I heard that CW’s new series about the DC Comics character Green Arrow was called “Arrow.” It’s another instance of the “we’re ashamed this is based on a comic book” mentality, I thought.

“Smallville” instead of “Superboy,” “Mercy Reef” instead of “Aquaman,” and, frankly, the preponderance of “dark” in modern-day Batman movie titles. And yes, I know Batman’s called “The Dark Knight.” And Superman is “The Man of Steel.” I’m not going to be convinced that there isn’t some embarrassment at work there.

The producers constantly emphasizing that “Arrow” was a gritty, realistic world without superpowered heroes was another red flag, it seemed.

So I didn’t watch the first few weeks of “Arrow.”

But after catching up with it, I’m actually finding myself enjoying the series.

If you’re not familiar with Green Arrow the comic book character, he’s a mix of Batman and Robin Hood and he’s been a staple of the DC universe for decades. Oliver Queen is a billionaire orphan, like Bruce Wayne, who turns his thirst for revenge into nighttime vigilante work. He’s got a quiver of trick arrows that’s not unlike Batman’s utility belt and he prowls the dark alleys of Star City, protecting the innocent.

There have been two high-profile depictions of old Ollie in recent years. One was the sarcastic, liberal-leaning conscience of the “Justice League Unlimited” animated series.

The other was in live action. Justin Hartley played a good Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in “Smallville.” He was that show’s Batman substitute when Bruce Wayne couldn’t be deployed by the producers and Oliver became virtually the second lead of the show.

When the CW decided to follow “Smallville” with a Green Arrow series, a lot of people assumed the role would be filled by Hartley. But the network cast Stephen Arnell in the role and while he’s apparently become famous for his abs – he could bounce an arrow off his stomach for a three-corner trick shot – he’s actually pretty good in the role of a rich playboy/obsessed crimefighter.

The series follows Oliver Queen, back in Star (for some reason here called Starling) City after being shipwrecked for five years. In flashbacks – one of which intriguingly included a glimpse of the two-tone mask of DC villain Deathstroke – we see Oliver’s time on the island after his father, rich industrialist Robert Queen, killed another shipwreck survivor and himself so that callow young Oliver might live.

In modern-day scenes, Oliver has a list of bad guys who are taking a bite out of the city. In each episode, he confronts them, threatens them if they don’t change their ways and contribute to society, and then clashes with them when they ignore his warning.

Oliver, unlike Bruce Wayne, isn’t opposed to killing when forced to. It makes the edgy hero even edgier.

The show’s supporting cast does a good job of backing Arnell. Characters are a mix of those created for the show and others like Black Canary herself, Dinah Laurel Lance, GA’s longtime main squeeze. This Dinah is pretty quick with her fists and feet, but we’ve yet to see if she becomes the fishnets-wearing superhero.

They’re sprinkling the show with mystery and mythology and, best of all, other DC characters, including Deadshot the assassin and, in an upcoming episode, Huntress, the superhero previously seen in the “Birds of Prey” series. In that series she was the version of the character who was the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. The character here won’t have that genealogy, however.

I’ve watched the first three episodes of “Arrow” so far and I’m enjoying the show’s dark, gritty tone. Arnell is good, the other characters are at least not too annoying and the action scenes are fine.

I’ll stick with “Arrow,” even though he’s lost the colorful part of his name.

 

 

Thoughts on Disney becoming the master of jedis

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So you might have heard this a few days ago, but Disney – home in recent years to Pixar and Marvel – bought Luscasfilm. For a cool $4.05 billion.

Setting aside that staggering figure for a moment – hella big even though the price tag was probably a bargain – the announcement made the Internet freak out and produced wonderful memes like the one above by Geek Girl Diva.

It also left us wondering what happens next. Well, some of that we already know. Disney immediately announced it would make three more “Star Wars” films, with the first coming out in 2015 (the summer of the “Avengers” sequel). The films would be episodes 7, 8 and 9, the long-rumored continuation of the story that left off with “Return of the Jedi.” Will we see aging Han Solo? Luke leading a rebuilding of the Jedi order?

There was some degree of fanboy moaning about the news, but probably less than there might have been if “Star Wars” creator George Lucas hadn’t made so many mis-steps with the prequel trilogy beginning in 1999.

A lot of people – and I think I count myself in this crowd – think that it’s perfectly fine for somebody other than Lucas to oversee the fate of his creations, for a couple of reasons:

Lucas has been pretty tone-deaf about what’s wrong with the (particularly later) movies.

A billionaire many times over, he’s shown little inclination to make new “Star Wars” movies (maybe that’s not a bad thing considering the prequels).

I will say, however, that Lucas and his people made a very good decision regarding the “Clone Wars” animated series on Cartoon Network. The series has been far more adult, far more diverse and far more interesting than the prequel movies.

Most importantly, although 30- and 40- and 50-something fans don’t like to admit it, the “Clone Wars” series reached a whole new generation of fans.

I just asked my son if, when he thought of “Star Wars,” he thought of the movies or “Clone Wars.” He answered, “Clone Wars.” He’s seen the live-action movies on DVD but that didn’t have the impact on him that seeing the original trilogy had on me, as a teenager and young adult.

“Clone Wars” has kept “Star Wars” alive and relevant for a new generation.

Although a lot of people have complained about changes Lucas made to the original movies – the Han Solo/Greedo shootout comes to mind, of course – for subsequent re-releases, he has, at least, kept them in the public eye and at the top of fanboy discussions. When was the last time somebody had an Internet meltdown about “The Last Starfighter?”

Beyond the new trilogy, what are we likely to see?

More merchandising, of course. Not that there wasn’t plenty of that anyway.

Regular theatrical movies and new TV series and releases of original content on disc.

Someday, in the future, dramatic mashups and re-imaginings of the existing movies and characters. Disney based “Pirates of the Caribbean” on a Disney park ride, after all, so there’s a willingness to try new things if audiences will respond. Who’s to say we won’t see feature films or series based on minor characters and events from the familiar stories, ala “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead?”

And that’s a good thing. There’s always been debate about whether “Star Wars” was for kids or for the general moviegoing audience or for the fans who’ve kept it alive and relevant and in the public eye for decades, even during some pretty lean times.

I think the answer is that “Star Wars” has been for all of those audiences. And Disney has the power to reach all them.

Today in Halloween: ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’

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My lifelong love of all things Halloween is no doubt based, to a great extent, on the Charlie Brown Halloween experience.

I’m not sure I saw “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” when it first aired in 1966. Even if I saw it the following year, it quickly became part of my Halloween ritual, skipped only when – gasp – it conflicted with actual trick-or-treating.

But what a sublime show.

The TV take on Halloween (and fall) storylines from Charles M. Schulz’ classic “Peanuts” comic strip, written by Schulz, directed by Bill Melendez and featuring another classic “Peanuts” score by Vince Guaraldi, “Great Pumpkin” became the embodiment of Halloween for many of us:

The opening sequence, as Lucy and Linus pick out a pumpkin to carve, much to Linus’ horror.

Linus’ letter to the Great Pumpkin and the seduction of the innocent, Sally.

Trick-or-treating after Charlie Brown has some trouble with the scissors and gets more than his share of rocks.

The Halloween party.

Snoopy – or the World War I flying ace – making his way across a scarred landscape, in a series of shots so moody and somber they would never see air in a new special today.

The disappointment in the pumpkin patch.

ABC is showing “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” at 8 on Halloween night. Beware half-hour TV timeslots, because the show has been edited over the years. Better to enjoy the full special on disc.

 

 

Today in Halloween: ‘Mockingbird Lane’

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I’m just a wee bit tired of coy TV show titles. I suppose “Smallville” started it all. Here was a TV series – often enjoyable, especially toward the end – that seemed embarrassed to embrace its true nature as a Superboy story.

Other shows with titles that seem too cool for school in some ways included the Aquaman show that was kinda sorta inspired by “Smallville” and carried the title “Mercy Reef.” Sufferin’ Shad, but that sounds like something Aquaman would have exclaimed. It’s probably just as well the show never came to pass. It would be in its sixth season by now and Aquaman, who I’m sure would have had a cooler, subtler name, would have just begun talking to his pet clown fish.

So there’s precedent, title-wise, for “Mockingbird Lane,” the apparently failed NBC pilot that aired tonight as part of the network’s special night of Halloween programing that included an episode of “Grimm” and … a Chris Hansen show about busting would-be Internet hitmen and scam artists?

But, surprisingly, “Mockingbird Lane” was better than could have been expected. Or maybe a high level of competence should have been expected, considering it was co-written and produced by Bryan Fuller (“Wonderfalls”) and directed by Bryan Singer (the first two, good “X-Men” movies).

“Mockingbird Lane” was based on “The Munsters,” that silly sitcom that aired from 1962 to 1966. The show’s premise was that the Munster clan – Frankenstein-like Herman, vampiric wife Lily, son Eddie (a werewolf), Grandpa (a vampire, last name Dracula) and niece Marilyn (a cute, “normal” blonde – was a perfectly normal family, especially compared to the wonderfully twisted Addams clan. The comedy arose from the public’s reaction to the Munsters.

Apparently Fuller and Singer set out to remake the series, but in subtler fashion, and NBC was interested enough to buy an hour-long pilot but hasn’t okayed – and maybe won’t okay – an actual weekly series.

So tonight’s episode served to introduce and maybe bid farewell to the Munsters, who live at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. The plot revolved around the search for a heart for Herman, whose ticker is worn out because of his love for his family, as well as efforts to keep Grandpa from killing too many of the neighbors.

It took me a while to figure out what was missing from “Mockingbird Lane.” It was Fred Gwynne’s boisterous overacting and booming laugh as Herman. Jerry O’Connell was fine, maybe welcome, as a quiet and contemplative Herman.

The entire case was fine, especially Eddie Izzard as Grandpa. It was unimaginable he would follow the endearingly cornball lead of Al Lewis as the original Grandpa. Izzard instead played the old vampire patriarch as quietly menacing.

Random observations:

I liked the use of bits of the original show’s theme music throughout “Mockingbird Lane.”

Since O’Connell didn’t sport a traditional Universal Frankenstein head in the show, I enjoyed how they introduced him. With a lantern hanging behind him, Herman’s silhouette had a decidedly square look.

Izzard looked decrepit during the show, only reverting to his normal appearance at the end. It’s a nice touch.

Likewise the suggestion that niece Marilyn has got … something … going on besides being the boring “normal” girl. Anyone this into the smell of a decaying old mansion has a dark side.

Of course, we may never know for sure.

 

 

‘The Walking Dead’ returns with ‘Seed’

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When last we saw the survivors of the zombie apocalypse, they had weathered a long, long season at Hershel’s farm and were on the verge of discovering the prison where, we imagine, much of the third season of “The Walking Dead” will take place. Andrea, meanwhile, has been rescued from walkers by a mysterious woman with a sword and two zombies in chains.

The woman is, of course, Michonne, a fan favorite from the comics, here played by Danai Guirara. She’s only one of the changes in the new season.

Tonight’s third season premiere of “The Walking Dead,” “Seed,” opened with Rick leading the others into a a house, cleaning it of zombies. Months have passed. We can tell because Lori is pretty far along into her pregnancy. The group has turned to foraging in a big way. Carl rustles up canned food and Daryl shoots and plucks an owl. (Sorry Hedwig.)

The group comes across the prison and it seems like a natural hunkering-down place, complete with two sets of fencing to keep walkers out. The survivors set about cleaning the inside of the prison of zombies. Because they’re low on ammo, that means hand-to-zombie-hand combat. There’s some funny, innovative stuff here, including how you kill walker prison guards in protective riot gear.

While the prison assault – yeesh – is taking place, we meet Michonne, who is a badass. She and Andrea have formed a bond over the past few months as well. I’m looking forward to their getting to Woodbury, the town overseen by the Governor.

Aside from the gleefully gory walker extermination scenes, a lot of tonight’s episode left me oddly unmoved until near the very end, a nicely claustrophobic inside the prison that seems to seals the fate of a major character.

Random thoughts:

I know Daryl looks cool on it, but I wouldn’t be riding a motorcycle with zombies lurching around. Same for Maggie’s strappy tank top, hot as it is. I’d be wearing heavy Carhartts or something.

New opening credits. Still pretty creepy.

Lots of walker wasting tonight.

Daryl wields a crossbow and gives backrubs? He’s dreamy.

Still can’t bring myself to care about Lori. Just can’t.

Coulson Lives? Coulson Lives in new ‘S.H.I.E.L.D’ series?

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Is Clark Gregg destined to return as Agent Phil (“His first name is Agent”) Coulson in the upcoming “SHIELD” TV series?

Those newsy guys and gals at Comic Book Resources are reporting that Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel’s TV unit, and Joss Whedon, “Avengers” director and Marvel movie and TV universe consultant, took the stage (the latter via video) at New York Comic Con and announced that Clark Gregg would be part of the upcoming “SHIELD” TV series:

“He’s headlining the S.H.I.E.L.D. show and always was.” said Whedon.

Loeb confirmed Clark Gregg is the first member cast in Whedon’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Gregg was on hand too.

Assuming this wasn’t some kind of joke that was misinterpreted, it’s pretty cool news. As everyone who saw “The Avengers” knows, Coulson – who had small roles in most of the Marvel movies leading up to “The Avengers” – died by Loki’s hand in the movie.

His death gave the Avengers something to avenge.

Despite an on-stage reference – which might have been a joking one – to Life Model Decoys (lifelike robots developed by SHIELD in the comics and mentioned by Tony Stark in “The Avengers”), we’re left wondering how Coulson will return in the “SHIELD” TV series.

Did he not really die at Loki’s hand in “The Avengers?” If so, that kind of cheapens his death.

Will the TV series be set before the events of “The Avengers?” If so … not another prequel.

Will Coulson be a hologram, something like the hologram doctor in “Star Trek: Voyager?”

Or will Phil be reborn as the Vision, the android Avenger?

We’ve already seen this cool fan-made sculpture of Gregg as the Vision, and we’ve noted here before that “The Avengers” seems to hint at Coulson being the Vision. Remember the whole “cellist girlfriend” thing? Remember how Ain’t It Cool noted that Vision’s wife in the comics, Scarlet Witch, is a cellist?

Here’s to some more news, and soon.

 

‘The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror’ for 2012

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For a couple of decades, “The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror” was an annual ritual in my household. Even after we weren’t watching the show regularly, we would tune in each October (sometimes November, when Fox pre-empted the show for post-season baseball) to see the yearly collection of horror and sci-fi parody shorts.

So we watched the show this week. And yes, this is another of those “‘The Simpsons’ isn’t as funny as it used to be” entries.

A quick overview:

The pre-credits “cold open” of the show might have been the most consistent of the stories in the episode. Set in Mayan times, Homer is about to be sacrificed but Marge saves him, thus dooming the Earth to destruction in … 2012.

The next segment, about the creation of a black hole (“Can we call it that?” Homer asks in a stage whisper) that swallows most of Springfield and transports it to an alien planet where the aliens worship everything that’s worthless. Good premise, funny visuals, totally flat punchline.

A parody of the “Paranormal Activity” movies follows and ends with Homer on the receiving end of a demon-Homer-demon threesome. Ugh. The only good part of the segment? Timelapse video, taken overnight like the “Paranormal” movies, of Homer peeing. And peeing. And peeing.

And peeing.

The final segment has Bart traveling through time, ala “Back to the Future,” meeting his parents when they were young. There’s a nice callback to Artie Ziff, the rich young nerd/suitor of Marge.

What I miss about the annual “Treehouse of Horror” episode:

The gravestones. I loved the ironic and sarcastic tombstones that the “camera” drifted past as episodes opened.

Kang and Kodos. Everybody’s favorite aliens are glimpsed at one point. But I sure wanted  more.

The wrap-arounds and introductions. Remember how earlier episodes had wrap-around framing devices? And that introduction that had Marge taking the stage to parody the introduction to the original “Frankenstein?”

Is it too simple to say … the funny stuff?

On the TV: What I’m watching (and looking forward to)

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Thanks to a lot of work and only a little bit of time, I’m playing catch-up on fall TV shows.

There’s nothing at the moment that I’m looking forward to as much as Sunday’s return of “The Walking Dead.” Here’s hoping the third season of Rick, Daryl, Merle and the rest will be a great one.

Really, considering the machete hand that Merle is sporting, how can it be anything but cool?

In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been watching.

“The Mindy Project” features Mindy Kaling, late of “The Office,” in a sitcom she created and writes. Kaling plays a very different character from Kelly on “The Office.” In this case, she’s a physician who (sitcom cliche alert) is more proficient at work than in her personal life.

Kaling has a likable presence and the supporting cast is quite good. And here’s a bonus: The second episode was better than the pilot.

“Alphas,” in its second season on SyFy, is one of the best shows I’m watching now. This series about a group of mutants who work for the government has a nice, X-Men-type mythology – good mutants versus “evil” ones – an intriguing bunch of characters and a good cast.

“Alphas” is also casting to appeal to geeks, with recent appearances by Summer Glau of “Firefly” and Sean Astin of “Lord of the Rings.”

“Last Resort” continues to be my favorite new fall show. I’ve written about its first two episodes and I’m looking forward to the third.

“Raising Hope” has been on for a few seasons now but I’m always pleasantly surprised by how fun it is. It’s a silly, non-sequitur-filled show about a goofy, white trash family. If you liked “Scrubs,” you’ll probably like it.

‘Last Resort’ episode ‘Blue on Blue” pushes buttons

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Two episodes in, ABC’s serial drama “Last Resort” is still surprising me, not only in its level of intensity but in how it’s advancing its plot.

So far we’ve seen an exchange of nuclear weapons, a country wiped half off the map, a rogue nuclear sub and, with the second episode, maneuvering by other countries and interests.

Anybody else having trouble imagining this series running five years?

If you haven’t seen it yet – and I certainly recommend it – “Last Resort” is about what happens when the principled captain and crew of the world’s most advanced nuclear sub, the Colorado, gets orders through unorthodox channels to launch missiles on Pakistan.

Capt. Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) questions the order and is relieved of command. His executive officer, Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) raises the same concerns and another American ship tries to blow them out of the water. The global situation quickly spirals out of control: Another sub launches nukes on Pakistan and Chaplin is branded as a “nuclear madman.” Chaplin, Kendal and loyal but green Lt. Grace Shepard (Daisy Betts) decide to take shelter in the cove of an Indian Ocean island. Chaplin broadcasts to the world an ultimatum: Keep a distance of 200 miles or I’ll launch a nuke. Just to prove his point, he fires a shot over the bow of Washington D.C.

In the second episode, Chaplin and the crew are reacting to forces testing their resolve. Early on, a U.S. sub crosses the line and Chaplin chases it away. Then a jet appears in the sky and the sailors quickly figure out that a Navy SEAL team has jumped out at high altitude and is hours away from the island.

While Kendal and Shepard prepare an away team – sorry, I can’t stop thinking of “Star Trek” while watching “Last Resort” – to meet the SEALS, Chaplin takes to back channels to figure out just who’s about to invade “his” island.

The second episode of “Last Resort” impressed me with how quickly it advanced the plot. We learn what’s happening with Kendal’s wife (Jessy Schram) at the hands of the government back home and we learn that Chaplin is keeping secrets. We see Shepard’s leadership continue to be tested. And we get a better idea of the island doings, including the now imprisoned chief of the boat (Robert Patrick) and King (Daniel Lissing), a SEAL who might shake off his guilt to become a player on this chess board.

Random thoughts:

I keep expecting Hurley to show up in an old VW van. Some of the Hawaii locations look very familiar.

Braugher has a big scene each episode, either a dramatic speech or an emotional moment. The guy is Emmy bait already.

My favorite part of the show, besides the military speak and chain of command, is the strong bond developing between characters.

I love the show’s intensity but it also makes me wonder how they can sustain it.

Classic TV: The finale of the ‘Mary Tyler Moore’ show

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Along with “All in the Family,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and a handful of other series, “Mary Tyler Moore” helped usher in a new era of situation comedy on television.

Let’s not forget that “MTM” premiered in 1970, the same year the campy “Flying Nun” show ended its three-year run. And when “MTM” wrapped up in 1977, “Cheers” was only five years away. I’d argue that “MTM” paved the way for smart, adult shows like it. TV moved a lot closer to “Cheers” than “The Flying Nun” over the course of those few years and I’d maintain that “MTM” was a big reason why.

“MTM” wasn’t groundbreaking, especially compared to “All in the Family,” but did seem, at the time, to perfect the three-camera, live before a studio audience, form of the genre.

Set at a Minneapolis TV station, the show followed the antics of Moore, playing 30-something single woman Mary Richards, and her co-workers. The series featured some of the best and, for their time, funniest, episodes of any sitcom, including the legendary funeral for the TV station’s kid’s show host, Chuckles the Clown.

Unlike some bloated, extended finales, the last episode of “MTM,” airing in 1977, stuck to the half-hour format that served the show so well.

The show opens with Mary, Lou and Murray worried that the new TV station owner will fire Ted, the dumb and pompous anchorman for the station’s newscast. But very quickly they find out that they’re the ones whose necks are on the chopping block, along with man-hungry “Happy Homemaker” Sue Anne (Betty White).

Some random observations:

The staging of the show was always spot-on, complete to the group shuffle over to Mary’s desk to get tissues.

Likewise, the comedic timing of the cast is perfect, with everyone tossing off their lines with fine-honed glee.

My god, how did I forget that Ted and Georgette had adopted Cousin Oliver (Robbie Rist) from “The Brady Bunch” as the show wound down?

And how gimmicky and annoying was Cloris Leachman, beloved from “Blazing Saddles,” as Mary’s friend Phyllis? It’s hard to imagine they built even a short-lived spinoff around the character, who returned for the “MTM” finale.

And Valerie Harper’s Rhoda character – who also came back for the final show – wasn’t a lot better. Both characters made Moore and her character seem like models of low-key comedic restraint.