http://www.filmmonthly.com/ en Copyright 2012 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:23:09 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is just the latest attempt to revitalize the nostalgia for the Saturday morning cartoons. There have been countless attempts, such as 2008’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold and 2010’s The Looney Tunes Show, but the good news about Mystery Incorporated is that it finally feels like Cartoon Network is starting to get things right. The second part of the first season isn’t without its problems, but in the long line of recent cartoon failures, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated deserves credit for bringing our beloved 1960s heroes and heroines to a new generation. Part of the charm of the series is that it builds upon some of the memorable story elements of its predecessors, even verging on meta at times, without seeming desperate to distance itself from its source material. The only difficulty that the show has is establishing who its target audience is. As a grown man and self-professed cartoon lover, I loved all the winks and nods to the original series, but if the show is aimed at children, this type of humor is sure to be lost on them. On the other hand, the dialogue and character development, what little there is, is as stilted as ever which is sure to drive off most adult viewers. I can only assume that both characteristics are a desperate attempt to please both the children and their parents, but the show has difficulty juggling the two. Besides the constant shift in tone, which is a common problem in contemporary cartoons, the show brings a modern sensibility to it. True, Fred is still cursed with that outdated ascot, but the show does its best to bring the rest of the story world into the present day. One of the most complex ways the show tries to achieve this is through its ongoing storylines. Yes, folks, you heard me right. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is going the way of The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo and doing its best to maintain a storyline throughout the series, including a season long search for a treasured item and (gasp) relationship drama between Shaggy, Velma, and that adorable third wheel, Scooby-Doo. Unfortunately, for those interested in taking up the show, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Season One Part Two is not the place to start. As embarrassed as I am to admit it, there were several points throughout the two disc DVD set where I found myself completely and totally lost. The plot surrounding the gang’s search for a cursed treasure with their arch-rivals in hot pursuit is a welcome change of pace from the standalone nature of the original series, but it’s a bit of an investment for today’s ADHD youth. However, the crowning achievement of the series is in its roots as a cartoon. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated may have a tenuous grasp on its storytelling techniques, but the animation is as engaging as ever. The characters are drawn with a vintage flair with a few updates, such as bows to Velma’s hair…ya know, in case you were unclear that she’s a woman. While the new look for the gang is a welcome improvement, the real credit goes to the villains. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated isn’t afraid to go dark, with its content and its animation. The show doesn’t veer away from concentrated blacks and heavy tones to an otherwise lighthearted show. Scooby-Doo! Mysterey Incorporated: Season One Part Two is a mixed bag. Its inconsistent humor and character development is sure to frustrate any older cartoon lovers, but for those with children, it will be a welcome relief from a lot of the other cartoons on these days. Even if you don’t pick it up for the mysteries, although there are some fun ones, it’s worth taking a look at for the animation alone.]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/scoobydoo_scares_up_good_fun_but_little.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/scoobydoo_scares_up_good_fun_but_little.html Small Screen Monthly Video and DVD Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:01:59 -0600 Futurama initially recieved its share of expected negative criticism. I, for one, believe their recent output to be as strong as their run on FOX, and the reduced number of episodes per season (thirteen down from a usual twenty-two) has strengthened the watchability of the series. A typical network run of episodes often leaves too much room for filler and lazy ideas, but by reigning in the quantity, a consistency in quality can emerge. Any fan of Futurama knows there's no arguing that the show has always delivered the goods, but this method of episodic brevity leaves you wanting more. This endlessly inventive show has more in common with comic strips and storytelling techniques of yesteryear than the well-worn formulas of television. Keeping in the Groening tradition, it's always been a fringe show but, unlike its sibling series The Simpsons, it never really found mainstream success. As a result, the writers seem content with their cult following and, though this is speculative, would rather satisfy them than attempt to reach a wider audience. Whenever they do have special guest stars, they're not exactly ratings-grabbers: Stephen Hawking, Al Gore, David Cross, and Beck to name a few. Patton Oswalt continues that tradition with a guest spot as a villian in this volume. With stories rooted in every science fiction creation you can think of, and an equal amount of attention paid to scientific facts, Futurama is frequently the most entertaining prism in which to think about the universe in all its mystery and wonder. It's also very funny to boot--with that Simpsons-esque subversive and absurdist humor laced throughout these wonderfully original stories--though I do feel it's erroneous to treat this series as strictly comedic. The jokes are usually decoration for the ideas being presented, ideas that are sometimes so massive in scope, so jarring in their complexity, that it's like a religious experience for the scientifically minded. That will only sound ridiculous to those who are not acquainted with the adventures of the Planet Express crew. But for those who agree, let's not get ahead of ourselves: the show is smart fun for all ages that can capture the imagination of the thoughtful viewer, but it mostly dabbles in big ideas rather than fully explore them. I don't want to give the impression that the show is didactic to the point of tedious overkill. In fact, the writers never cease to amaze me with their freshness and rapid pacing, flexing their creative muscles at every possible point to create unique entertainment, first and foremost. This recent collection of episodes is in synch with everything I wrote above, and is noted as an Emmy winner for Outstanding Animated Series. The release features commentary on every episode, a featurette of Matt Groening and crew answering many fan questions, deleted scenes, and more. The switch to widescreen in their return has made for appropriate contemporary viewing, and the digital transfers are as beautiful to look at as expected. Some episode standouts include "Mobius Dick"--which is a space variation on the literary allusion of the title, with a bermuda triangle-style wormhole in the location of their mission (also Professor Farnsworth describes his concern as "grief diarrhea")--and "Reincarnation"--a vignette episode that showcases a variety of animation styles and blatantly stands out against any animated program on television (a bit of a show-off episode, really). We get more exposure to the workings of the robot Mafia in the first episode: "The Silence of the Clamps", which is a crazy space western mob episode where you'll hear the word "clamp" more times in 22 minutes than you ever expected to--including The Clash song "Clampdown". The robot mafia will do more than intimidate you out of squealing, they'll rewire your circuits to ensure that you can't testify. And "Neutopia", which may suffer from a familiar battle of the sexes storyline, but they spin the concept on its head in a time when gender norms are being challenged and championed, giving the episode a relevance that may or may not be intentional. Futurama is not just high brow mixed with low brow, but the highest of brows (literature, philosophy, science, etc) mixed with the lowest of brows (toilet humor, slapstick, bad puns, etc). I suspect its lack of a substantial fanbase is due to either the feeling of it being above you (because it's a science based show) or that it's beneath you (it's animated, silly, on television, whatever). The creative team behind these stories are certainly putting the only show quite like it on the air, and though many would love to replicate it, there's no easy formula for churning out an episode of television that is akin to Futurama. It requires too many ingredients, with knowledge and a sense of humor running neck and neck for the most important of them. Futurama Volume 6 is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from 20th Century Fox. You can catch new epsiodes on Comedy Central.]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/futurama_volume_6_on_bluray_and_dvd.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/futurama_volume_6_on_bluray_and_dvd.html Small Screen Monthly Video and DVD Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:26:09 -0600 Being Human is certainly a show with something to prove, something it freely acknowledges with its first two episodes of its sophomore season. Besides living up to the reputation of its BBC predecessor, the scripted series is finally beginning to understand its own potential. While the first season was, more or less, a carbon copy of the UK Being Human, minus the charming accents, as the series progressed, it gained the confidence to strike out on its own. It hasn’t completely divorced itself from the source material, with similar narrative elements in both series, but season two presents some of the similar conflicts with a new sensibility. One of the most charming aspects of the US re-imagining is its sense of comedic timing. Sam Huntington, who plays werewolf Josh, has the sort of bumbling, boy-next-door quality that makes him so engaging and simultaneously relatable. While Huntington is certainly given the most humor to deal with, Being Human allows its two other protagonists to share in some of the laughs. The specter Sally, portrayed by Meaghan Rath, shines in the first episode when she finds herself at her high school reunion. Even Aidan, played by Sam Witwer, who is typically handed the heaviest of plotlines is given the opportunity to garner a few laughs. But to characterize Being Human as a comedy would be a grievous mistake. The show’s tenuous dance between the dramatic and the comedic is all part of its charm. After last season’s finale, it seems difficult to imagine anything funny about the situations that these three unlikely roommates find themselves in, but Being Human knows how to give viewers the best of both worlds. While the humor is charmingly disarming, the drama is equally compelling. While many shows place their characters in compromising positions in the season finale, only to hurriedly bail their protagonists out in the season premiere, so much of the new season is a continuation of the first. The show seems to relish in the turmoil of Sam, Aidan, and Sally. Even as an audience member, it’s hard not to do the same. However, the most compelling element of season of Being Human is its continual exploration of the duality of its characters. The question of the three “monsters” and their desperate attempts to cling to their humanity is nothing new to the series, but it is just as important as ever. Even when Being Human is at its most fantastical, it never loses its human interest. It’s that one kernel of truth, even when dealing with supernatural beings such as vampires and the like, that keeps Being Human so well-grounded. In the end, the beginning of Being Human season two shows a great deal of promise. The show has finally decided to stop living in the shadow of its source material and strike out on its own. Its casual flirtation with the humor and horror of life after life makes for, at the very least, entertaining television.]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/being_human_eps_12_of_season_two.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/being_human_eps_12_of_season_two.html Small Screen Monthly Sun, 22 Jan 2012 10:45:48 -0600 The best cop show on TV (currently) is back, and in some ways it's better than ever. I say that with much love for the first seasons when the show was still on NBC and had a very solid cast that fit together nicely. Knowing that, let me simply say that TNT's current season has added two very well known actors, plus one lesser known, with some hefty experience and great presence who fit perfectly into this already powerful ensemble. I'm talking about LDP and Lucy Liu. Yes, Lou Diamond Phillips puts on the black uniform of the L.A. police and joins the beat. And so does one of the most under-appreciated actresses in Hollywood, Ms. Lucy Liu. And her character is really going to surprise you. The third new addition is Dorian Missick, who takes over as Detective Adams' (Regina King) new partner (thankfully). And he is a great improvement over Josie. Returning from Season 3 are regular cast members Ben McKenzie, Shawn Hatosy, Michael Cudlitz, and the aforementioned Regina King. But the best news of all is that Southland returns on Tuesday, January 17 to TNT. It's been a year since Officer John Cooper (Cudlitz) went into rehab for both his back and his drug addiction. Now he's out working the streets for the first time and partnered with Officer Jessica Tang (Liu), and in so doing is experiencing role reversal from the seasons previous when he was the older, more capable officer to his ride-along rookie. Cooper's former rookie, Officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie), has been partnered with Sammy Bryant (Hatosy), who continues to struggle with the various traumas of his recent past. And even Dewey (C. Thomas Howell) returns in all his un-PC, un-tactful glory. I miss Officer Chickie Brown (Arija Bareikis) and Detective Nate Moretta (Kevin Alejandro), but sometimes a series must lose some of its best characters to survive. Other guest stars will appear throughout the season, including Carl Lumbly as the new police captain, Lisa Gay Hamilton as a worn-out mother of a talented but troubled daughter, and Martha Gibbs will appear as the relative of a suspect Detective Adams is investigating for murder. Shot on location in the streets and neighborhoods of Los Angeles (some of the more scary parts of L.A., too), Southland captures a realistic, natural environment where similar situations can and often do occur in real life. The premiere episode for Season 4 opens with a bang, sucks you in and gets you pumped. Don't miss it, Tuesday nights starting January 17th on TNT. Check local listings for showtimes. http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/southland_season_4.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/southland_season_4.html Small Screen Monthly Television Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:47:33 -0600 Perfect Situational Awareness Okay, is there a sexier secret agent than Sterling Archer? Or a dumber one? Sure, his ex-girlfriend Lana is the brains of the operation – and does she ever dress to show the curves – but Archer’s apparent inability to locate his clothes most days means equal opportunity eye candy. And there you have it, a TV show where any given episode has more nudity, sex, gunfire and mommy issues than several 007 features put together. And much more fun. Did I forget to say it’s animated? Of an Awesome and Ass-kicking Nature Season 3 of this anachronistic and hilarious spy spoof is coming our way in just a few weeks, but in the meantime, you can settle in with Season 2, just released on DVD (or Seasons 1 and 2 both now on Blu-ray). Even better, invite a few friends over, because Archer is a TV series meant to be shared. When you’re not laughing out loud, you’ll want to nudge the person next to you as your jaw drops at some of the “holy shit snacks” that come out of Pam’s mouth. During the 13 episodes of Season 2, Archer gets engaged, becomes a father, meets a movie star, deals with breast cancer, gambles away a fortune and tries to figure out who his father is, not necessarily in that order and not quite in the ways you might imagine. Along the way, like any good spy, he globe-trots, from Russia to Monte Carlo to Scandinavia to the Louisiana bayous. He manages to ingest a lot of Zima along the way and continually finds himself in compromising situations (yes, we’re talking about you, Anka). Though I had watched the episodes as they were originally broadcast, I decided I owed it to you, yes, you, to marathon through the Season 2 DVDs just to be sure this series is as good as I remembered. Though it’s been nominated for and even won some awards, I had to be sure, right? And my conclusion? Yes. It is. Good. Really good. Not since the animated Tick has a hero been so quotable or made me this tingly (Spoon!). The aesthetic of the show is a mashup of different eras and technologies, giving the series contemporary aspects while borrowing elements from mid-20th Century Modern to create a feel that’s both fresh and oddly familiar. It’s Like My Brain’s that Tree and You’re Those Little Cookie Elves For those of you who haven’t read his file, Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) works for ISIS, a vast organization run by his mother Mallory (Jessica Walter) – and that’s enough right there for major dysfunction. But there’s more! His ex-girlfriend, Lana (Aisha Tyler), is the agency’s top female agent, unlucky in love just enough to create massive trust issues. Add to this Malory’s glue-eating secretary Cheryl Tunt (Judy Greer), the head (and I do mean, head) of HR Pam Poovey (Amber Nash), comptroller and sex addict Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell), the (perhaps) ex-Nazi head of research Doctor Krieger (Lucky Yates), and openly gay intelligence analyst Ray Gillette (creator Adam Reed), and well, you’ve got just about as dysfunctional an office setting as you can imagine. Throw in Archer’s childhood manny and now British valet, Woodhouse, and the dysfunction takes the concept of family as far off track as you could get. All of the voice actors are exceptional, especially H. Jon Benjamin (nominated for an Emmy for this role), Aisha Tyler and Amber Nash. The animation is surprisingly expressive in some of Archer’s closeups, fitting for a character who seems to be gradually overcoming (at least some of) his narcissism and actually developing emotional complexity in Season 2. Big points for this production being made in Georgia and Missouri, proving there is intelligent life outside of Hollywood. I Was Picturing Whore Island The 5 bonus features on the DVD are equally fun; my personal favorite is “Semper Fi,” but probably the most revealing is “ISIS infiltrates Comic-con.” All are worth your time. Watching the episodes again and enjoying the extra features was like revisiting that long-ago crush – you try to figure out why it’s been so long since you’ve spent time together. And now there’s no reason not to. Archer and Lana can be sitting right on your shelf, just waiting to hang out with you. And if the previews are any indicator, Season 3 is going to keep the long winter hot: Archer drunk and slathered in every bodily fluid there is (his words, not mine, I swear). What? Is it so wrong to have a little man crush on a cartoon character? Season 3 premieres on FX starting January 19, 2012.]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/archer_complete_season_2.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/archer_complete_season_2.html Small Screen Monthly Video and DVD Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:52:52 -0600 Absolutely Fabulous) is the star of the popular British medical soap opera “Dr. Willougby.” Sinclair, a vindictive and overly selfish individual uses the show and her costars to further her own public image in this sitcom from the late 90s. The rest of the cast includes Sinclair’s co-star, Ralph Whatman (Brian Protheroe), the show’s frustrated producer, Emma (Isobel Middleton), and the soap opera’s two eccentric writers, Geraldine and Gill (Tanya Moodie and Ursula Holden Gill). The series is a witty and fun little comedy, with a certain uncomfortable quality, which was later perfected in shows like The Office and Peep Show. It’s really surprising that this show didn’t find an audience to sustain it for longer than this one season. It’s far from perfect, but certainly worthy of a second season. One would think that Joanna Lumley’s involvement alone would get viewer’s attention. Personally, I’ve never seen Absolutely Fabulous but am more than aware of its insane popularity. Given her performance here, I can see why her other series would be so popular. The Donna Sinclair character goes far beyond the typical selfish, greedy, rude actress character. She is much more clever than any bland archetype could be. Demonstrating again and again that she is a true student of the human condition; able to infect her target with any idea she wishes, to take any action she wants. She’s pretty much Lex Luthor, if he was the star of a day time medical soap opera. Sinclair’s ability to manipulate those around her over the most petty and low-stakes things creates a hilariously satirical dynamic within the show. As good as Ms. Lumley is here, the real asset of the show is the ensemble cast that has been assembled around her. Sinclair’s co-star, Ralph Whatman, is arguably the best part of the series. Each episode brings a new paranoia or neurosis from Ralph, which always feels tangential to the overall story of the episode, but it’s interesting to see how his individualized story line overlaps the rest of the episode. It’s easy to think of Ralph as an early version of Jerry from Parks and Recreation; he is consistently looked down on and ignored even though he remains crucial to the soap opera’s success. So, it’s interesting to see the structure of each episode work to separate Ralph from the rest of the cast in this overtly condescending way. Other noteworthy characters include Geraldine and Gill, the soap opera’s only two writers. Now, stories about writers are never as interesting as writers think they are. It’s inherently low stakes to center a storyline on a writer’s inability to write, or meet a deadline, and it’s usually very uninteresting. But since Dr. Willoughby thrives so well on making fun of low-stakes storytelling, having these two querky writers makes enormous sense. To top it off, these two characters are extremely funny. It’s hard to tell if they take their jobs too seriously or not seriously enough, but whichever way you want to watch it, it works. In one episode, the duo decide that the show could use some levity, and decide to write in some comedy to the soap opera. It’s not a bad philosophy; combining comedy and drama. Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, Sports Night) has made a whole career out of this type of writing. But when Geraldine and Gill try to write comedy into “Dr. Willoughby,” it basically gets reduced to cheap Pratt falls tagged onto the end of a scene about cancer. It’s painfully unfunny within the reality of the show, but amazing to us watching at home. The DVD contains all 6 episodes of the series in widescreen, but has no special features.]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/dr_willoughby.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/dr_willoughby.html Small Screen Monthly Video and DVD Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:08:08 -0600 The Ben Stiller Show, a writer and star of HBO's Mr. Show, and a co-star in FOX's much-beloved Arrested Development. He's a social critic on and off the stage, with a keen observational eye that frequently targets ignorance and American hypocrisy. And his publicized feud with Larry the Cable Guy only cemented his position as a spokesperson for the counter culture. All these perfectly lead up to his new show The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, which Cross co-created with Shaun Pye and stars as the title character. In what could be dubbed "An American Idiot in London", Todd Margaret is a fish out of water story wherein the fish splashes around obnoxiously, yet proudly. Todd Margaret is sent to the United Kingdom to be in charge of outsourcing his company's latest energy drink called Thunder Muscle. Upon arrival, Margaret treats the locals with misplaced authority; assuming they're going to be impressed that he's American, he pompously thrusts his presence into the community. This makes for interesting satire, as Margaret is the disreputable foreigner in this situation, and the rest of the characters mostly play as foils to his follies. Like many intelligent comedy shows since the arrival of Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant's original The Office, the influence of said show is evident in Todd Margaret. In keeping with the current wave of auteur sitcoms: the season is brief, has a narrative arc, and no laughtrack. The titles of the episodes are in a literary tradition, resembling chapters from novels. For instance, the first episode is titled "In Which Claims Are Made and a Journey Ensues". Each episode begins with Margaret being prosecuted for a series of endless crimes--a new set with each episode--and the season basically works as a backstory to the list of charges. The supporting cast is almost entirely actors from the U.K., aside from a noteworthy performance by American actor Will Arnett, whose character is relentlessly chauvanistic, whilst demanding his hedonistic lifestyle be aided by those around him. Todd Margaret is a character who's hard to label with a single adjective, but to be "Todd Margaret-like" is to specifically be the worst kind of "American". He's arrogant, naive, territorial, and impulsive. He's also capitalistic to a fault, turning any subversive thought he has into a way to better market the energy drink, instead of applying it to something more useful. Thus, there are traces of a conscientious part of his brain, but it's not allowed to cultivate due to his corporate ties, which is a sound criticism of the psychological pathology that comes with incorporating capitalism as the primary part of a thought process. This seems very deliberate on the part of Cross and company. Cross dives headfirst into the performance as Margaret, selflessly making himself the fool at every turn. Margaret is an anomaly--a lightly defined caricature in a world of regular people. It's hard to sympathize with him, but it's possible to empathize with him. His behavior is lampoonish, not grounded in realism, but the motivations behind his behavior are oddly human. The "poor decisions" come from his compulsive lying. The "increasingly" is due to the veritable Russian doll of lies that Margaret tells. The knowing responses to his lies result in Margaret having his naivety turned against him, and he's exploited by the other characters either playing along or compounding his verbal follies with "just missed it" corrections, forcing Margaret to keep guessing his way to a plausible lie. He is also a perpetually isolated character, having no real friends other than a cafe owner (played by Sharon Horgan) who's only nice to him out of pity. At one point she apologizes for him, saying "he's an American...who hasn't been here very long". The pause is telling about the reactions the locals have to him, and the completion of the thought explains why she is apologizing for him. The threads of the season arc are a bit scattered, and they don't quite coalesce into a piece, but there's plenty of unpredictable hilarity along the way. It's undoubtedly a reaction to "George Bush's America", functioning as a direct illustration of Cross's views on the Iraq War--how ignorance, lies, and impulses can snowball into epic disasters. It plays as a bag of ideas, so it's hit-and-miss throughout, but it has plenty of potential to develop into a more solid series. It's different and memorable enough to endorse; The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret is a flawed, funny, original satire that's worth your time. The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret: Season One is now available on DVD from MPI Home Video. You can catch Season 2 starting January 6th, 2012 on IFC. ]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/the_increasingly_poor_decisions_of_todd_margaret_season_1.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/the_increasingly_poor_decisions_of_todd_margaret_season_1.html Small Screen Monthly Video and DVD Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:08:38 -0600 Downtown Abbey, we find the Granthams and their family of servants have already weathered scoundrels, scandals, and a momentous succession crisis. But by November, 1916, the Great War has rendered everything — and everyone — forever changed. Even Downton Abbey itself, like its residents, has risen to the call of duty and transformed. At the war front, life intensifies for Downton's young men in the face of untold horrors. Meanwhile, at Downton, war makes new and often unjust demands. Some rise to its call for a stiff upper lip and a useful turn, and others see change as an opportunity for either growth or exploitation. Far from the trenches, there remains no shortage of scheming, meddling, and dangerous attractions. As other great houses crumble, a diminished Downton Abbey struggles to prevail into a new era with its residents and its honor intact. Maggie Smith (David Copperfield, Gosford Park), Elizabeth McGovern (A Room With A View), Michelle Dockery (Return to Cranford), and Dan Stevens (Sense and Sensibility) return with an all-star cast to season two of Julian Fellowes' Emmy Award winning drama, Downton Abbey. At first, I was afraid that taking this much-loved cast of characters and their world into the grim depths of war might cause a shift of such tremendous and insurmountable proportions as to forever alter the spirit and mood of the show and possibly render it unwatchable. But upon viewing the first extended episode I knew they had made the right decision. If anything, Season 2 has proven to be even more intriguing and exciting. Many of the characters have grown and changed in surprising ways, but also in ways which expand upon their stories and draw us further into their world. And the series brings some very important historical elements to bear upon their world with some unexpected outcomes. All of this makes Downtown Abbey, Season 2 the must-watch program of the new year. Once again, Masterpiece Classics have outdone themselves. The series premieres Sunday, January 8th and runs through February 19th, 2012, airing at 9:00p.m. Eastern Time on PBS. Check your local listings for exact air times in your area. For more information on the new season, visit PBS' official Masterpiece page for Downtown Abbey here.]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/downton_abbey_season_2.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/downton_abbey_season_2.html Small Screen Monthly Television Video and DVD Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:09:05 -0600 The Simpsons The Fourteenth Season Whoo-hoo! After a long, inconsolable break, a new installment of Simpsons season releases has finally arrived. Many critics have claimed for years that The Simpsons have gone downhill, that the writing has become increasingly lackluster. But any true fan, as well as your average television viewer will discover, Season Fourteen has some tricks up its sleeve. The Fourteenth Season of The Simpson’s has an ongoing theme: Halloween. The outside packaging, as well as the inset booklet, bring to mind the Simpson annual Halloween tradition “Treehouse Of Horrors”. Our hosts for this season are the one-eyed aliens from Rigel -7 known as Kang and Kodos. The Blu-Ray release even has two bonus episodes of the Treehouse Of Horrors (V and VI). The screen menus take place in a haunted house and feature various Simpson regulars dressed like characters from the various Season Fourteen episodes. There are a number of memorable episodes in this set. First and foremost, “How I Spent My Strummer Vacation”, featuring the quest voices of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello, and Brian Setzer. There is also “Prey Anything” with Homer pushing the limits of faith and religion. “Scuse Me While I Miss The Sky” guest stars Eric Idle as a documentarian who comes to Springfield and throws Bart and Lisa into a state of doubt. This season also featured what is listed as the 300th episode of the series. I mention “listed as” do to questions over the years as to whether or not “Barting Over” is truly the 300th episode, or possibly the 301st or 302nd . The Simpsons The Fourteenth Season is obviously a must-have for any true Simpson fan. My recommendation is for the Blu-Ray release. The upgrade in picture quality was quite impressive. Some of the bonus features in this set include the aforementioned Treehouse Of Horrors V and VI, as well as two compilations. The first is all of the opening sequences of Treehouse Of Horrors I-XIII. The second is a collection of scenes from the first thirteen Halloween spectaculars. Whether DVD or Blu-Ray, do yourself a favor: buy this set. The Simpsons are always worth a look. Especially Marge, who got breast implants this season! ]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/dvd_releases/the_simpsons_the_fourteenth_season.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/dvd_releases/the_simpsons_the_fourteenth_season.html DVD releases Small Screen Monthly Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:41:11 -0600 30 Days of Night) graphic novel Remains. It’s Peace Day. A machine colloquially dubbed the “Nuke Oven,” which is said to render any nuclear material harmless, is ceremoniously activated just outside Reno, NV with unexpected results. The machine explodes upon activation and creates a zombie-infested wasteland that spreads out in all directions. The survivors of this catastrophe around Reno take up shelter in an abandoned casino/hotel. The in-fighting and lamenting that typifies your standard zombie movie’s cast of characters ensues. The movie boasts an excellent setup and a promising location for its survivors to inhabit. Well, maybe the setup isn’t that exciting. While I like the concept of the Nuke Oven being responsible for the zombies, the ways the survivors escape zombification is all too reminiscent of Night of the Comet. Although I make no judgment calls here as to the relative quality of Night of the Comet, associating your zombie film with another that features teenage girls playing dress-up at the end of the world should probably be avoided. Still, the setup works overall. Unfortunately, the movie struggles to maintain the pace of its opening as the narrative progresses. It seems every time the story really gets moving, the narrative devolves into yet another scene of characters drinking and relating their troubled pasts to one another. It subsequently takes an inordinate amount of time for the pace to pick back up. This trend persists all the way up until the end of the film. Additionally, these scenes of characters opening up to one another serve only to distance us, the audience, from the characters. After all, the scenes’ inconvenient placement within the narrative consistently stymies our enjoyment of the action and muddles the natural flow of events, leaving us generally unreceptive to their interior issues. But this is a problem that many survival horror films suffer from, if usually to a lesser degree. Still, if you’re a zombie film or Steve Niles fan, Remains is not a bad way to spend a couple hours on December 16. The movie stars Grant Bowler (True Blood, Ugly Betty), Lance Reddick (Fringe, Lost, The Wire), Miko Hughes (Pet Sematary) and Tawny Cypress (Rescue Me, Heroes) and is written by John Doolan and directed by Colin Theys, the team behind Alien Opponent and Assault of the Sasquatch. You can check out the exclusive online pseudo-prequel, “Remains: Road to Reno,” here. (I say pseudo-prequel because it actually takes place elsewhere during the events of the film proper.) This 11-minute short serves an interesting companion to the movie in that we delve deeper here into the process of zombification, which goes virtually unexplored in Remains.]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/steve_niles_remains.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/steve_niles_remains.html Small Screen Monthly Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:30:56 -0600 here.]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/television/page_eight.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/television/page_eight.html Small Screen Monthly Television Video and DVD Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:29:51 -0600 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. This 7 part series follows George Smiley (Sir Alec Guinness), a former British Intelligence expert that was forced into retirement. George gets reinstated, due to the fact that a Russian spy has infiltrated the highest form of security of MI-6, or what is also known as “The Circus”. George leads the investigation to find out who the mole is and secure the intelligence leak in this riveting Cold War thriller. John Irvin's adaptation of this espionage thriller is a well crafted gem of a series. Irvine's sense of direction is pitch perfect for a series like this in utilizing his casts acting abilities, effective cinematography and shooting in great locations for the maximum use of the drama built into Le Carré's novel. Since the series isn't heavy on action, all of these elements are used to create an enormous amount of suspense, from the very first frame, down to the last. Every single actor in the show, from Guinness' Smiley to Ian Richardson's Bill Haydon are top notch and take the material to another level. One of the most important things about making something during the Cold War, there must be a sense of terrifying atmosphere. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy creates this sense of atmosphere from the very beginning and never let's up. Acorn Media's presentation of the show is in a full frame 4:3 aspect ratio and is presented on 3 DVD's. There are wonderful production notes on the inner workings of adapting the book into the series, as well as an interview with Le Carré about it. With Le Carré's history of being an actual MI-5 agent, the history and accuracy are very much real and the intricacies of a dangerous web of deception are truly frightening. Acorn Media releases this set just in time for the new adaptation by Tomas Alfredson, with another all star British cast. After watching this set, the expectations are pretty high for Alfredson to top Irvin's classic BBC series. Highly Recommended! ]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/tinker_tailor_soldier_spy.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/tinker_tailor_soldier_spy.html Small Screen Monthly Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:50:36 -0600 Justice is a courtroom drama miniseries from BBC. A town that was once known for its rich history and involvement with the Beatles has now become a cesspool of crime run by a local mobster by the name of Jake Little (Jake Abraham). There is prostitution, gang violence, burglary, and pretty much anything else that would make a city high-risk. Little turns innocent citizens into mobsters with the prospect of money and fabulous gifts like shopping sprees and cars, and people are falling for his tricks left and right, as fortune isn’t something that comes to the people of Liverpool very often. Throughout the five-episode series, Judge Coburn’s every unorthodox move is tracked by Louise Scanlon (Gillian Kearney), a zealous reporter for the Liverpool Enquirer. While this slows him down, he doesn’t let it get in the way of his main priority: shutting down the crime rings in the city and bringing peace to the stricken residents of Liverpool. Judge Coburn is a great character. He has a Sherlock Holmes-like ability to find clues and to sniff out danger, and he always seems to make the best decision for everybody, whether people like it initially or not. He’s a determined, powerful figure with a shady background that is only slightly revealed as the episodes progress, but his heart is rooted deep in the city. Whether it’s giving a youngster community service in exchange for jail time because of a genuine change of heart, or firing a dishonest employee who was becoming a good friend, Judge Coburn is always making changes for the better. Each episode does a good job of multiple threading – there’s a lot going on, but just enough to keep the viewer intrigued; there’s never too much happening at once. There are funny moments, heartwarming moments, scary moments, and quite a few shocking moments in this entertaining series. While some of the one-liners are a little gimmicky, and some of the music is very odd, Justice is a pretty solid drama. Judge Coburn has become more of an impacting force in the city than he realizes, and despite the daily threats, he promises that if “Anybody wants me out, let them come and get me. I’m not leaving without a fight. I’m here to stay.” ]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/justice.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/justice.html Small Screen Monthly Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:52:24 -0600 using his very own catchphrase. He has had many TV shows and Emeril's Table on The Hallmark Channel strikes a balance between his big audience show Emeril Live and the standard cooking show format of Essence of Emeril. Emeril's Table has two Halloween episodes airing on consecutive nights: "Halloween Treats for Kids" airing Tuesday 10/25 and "Halloween Isn't Just for Kids" airing Wednesday 10/26, just in time for viewers to grab ingredients from the grocery store and make menus for their Halloween parties. "Halloween Treats for Kids" has very basic recipes that kids will certainly eat, but nothing truly ground-breaking in the recipes department. It does have something that is always worth a watch for children and the young-at-heart: Elmo! It's always great to see a muppet doing what muppets do best: making people laugh, helping people understand and generally spreading joy. Elmo is joined by a handful of adorable kids. Perhaps my favorite thing about this show was that nobody reigned the kids in. The kids were kids; they did things that kids do like make up songs, tell jokes and interject with any tidbit of information they think worth sharing ("I love sour cream!"). Too often children on TV are some sort of adult-child hybrid with more witty comebacks in one episode than I've had in my lifetime. Having an audience, especially Elmo, helps Emeril out tremednously. Sometimes he gets too into the cooking that he forgets that the viewers at home are not in the kitchen with him, let alone in his body, understanding and observing everything he is doing and thinking. Elmo would ask questions whenever he felt kids wouldn't understand something; Elmo is very savvy. He also counted eggs being cracked and talked about colors with the kids. I don't know that kids would actually enjoy watching the show aside from all the Elmo parts and seeing the other kids on the show; the rest is all pretty straight-forward cooking show content. "Halloween Isn't Just for Kids" was a little more up my alley with more enticing recipes (I actually "Mmm"-ed out loud) and more practical guests in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, the kids were adorable and wonderful, but the adults functioned more on my level. When Emeril did that thing again when he would get too far inside his own head, the adult panel on this show would ask the practical questions that needed to be asked. For example, he said to add three tablespoons of mustard for a recipe. A guest asked what kind of mustard and Emeril replied "dijon." Any person making the recipe at home knows there's a difference between the taste of yellow mustard and dijon mustard. Of course all the recipes are posted online, so maybe I'm being too picky here, but small details like that make a big difference in even imagining how something will taste. On Emeril Live, Emeril would say he wished the viewers at home had "smell-o-vision" and I have to agree with him. Some of the recipes on this episode looked absolutely mouth-watering. In conclusion, I'd say if you're a real foodie, definitely check out "Halloween Isn't Just for Kids" if only for the recipes. If you have kids that are at an age where helping in the kitchen is becoming a curiosity, watch "Halloween Treats for Kids" and try making some of the recipes together; they're really easy and include stuff that kids like to do like adding sprinkles and using a cookie cutter. If you don't fall into either category, this one probably isn't for you.]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/emerils_table_halloween_specials.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/emerils_table_halloween_specials.html Small Screen Monthly Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:09:56 -0600 Bones is a television show on Fox based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to the forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel). It seems to be a temptation for critics to determine that the sixth season is when a good TV show forgets about its characters and merely starts meandering into crazy, nonsensical plots. Fortunately, there is no sign of that in the sixth season of Bones. The characters are still true to their original personalities although they have grown throughout the seasons in ways a normal person would grow given the same circumstances. If the plots start getting a little too topical or unwieldy, the writers bring them back down to earth with these solid characters. So, what's so great about season six? Season six is a six disc set; that's a lot of Bones for your buck. Season six has some great episodes too from the silly "The Maggots in the Meathead" with Dr. Brennan's full analysis of the "guido tribe"(she mistakes Jersey Shore for a documentary series) to Dr. Brennan's deep transformation from rational scientist to paranoid delusional in "The Doctor in the Photo" when she over-identifies with the victim and worries that she will die alone and unnoticed. Whether light-hearted or character-altering, each episode is written with the benefits of intriguing mystery and fascinating science, acted with a deep knowledge and loyalty to the characters, and presented in a visually stunning way. One of my favorite surprises of this season was seeing David Alan Grier as Dr. Brennan's intern (or "squintern" as Booth calls them because of their tendency to squint when trying to deduce and observe). Grier plays a children's television show host trying to get Dr. Brennan on his show. Dr. Brennan is reluctant since she considers Professor Bunsen Jude "The Science Dude" to be less of a scientist than she'd ideally like to work with. Professor Jude offers to help her with her current case to prove that he is a real scientist and his show is worthy of Dr. Brennan. David Alan Grier always turns in a wonderful performance and this episode is no exception. Diehard DAG fans will be delighted. Bones seems to turn to guest actors that breathe life into the wonderfully-written characters as opposed to just shoving Britney Spears in front of a camera, hoping for the best and promoting the crud out of it. The special features are few but enjoyable. The gag reel is always a fun little device, but especially entertaining to see Emily Deschanel flub her lines since her character is always so serious and occasionally, humorless. I always wondered how Emily could be related to Zooey (the indy darling star of Fox's The New Girl); you can see the resemblance in the gag reel. There's a pilot for The Killing, which, while nice, is not really part of the Bones experience. The commentaries show the devotion the crew has to the show, but don't add a whole lot of new or useful information. The gem among these special features is certainly "The Visual Effects of Bones" documentary. It's easy to forget how intensely visual Bones is since the performances, mystery and science usually command one's attention. But Bones's visuals encompass the obvious challenges of creating realistic human remains and bodily functions, as well as fancy computer science illustrations to the less obvious skill of reconstructing backgrounds. I was amazed to see how much green screen work goes into an episode of Bones and it is flawless. This set is a must for any Bones fan. If you're unfamiliar with Bones, new episodes premier on Fox starting November 3rd and reruns can be seen on TNT fairly regularly. ]]> http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/bones_season_6_on_dvd.html http://www.filmmonthly.com/small_screen_monthly/bones_season_6_on_dvd.html Small Screen Monthly Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:34:53 -0600