Dan's Media Digest

Letterboxd: FRANKENWEENIE & TAKEN 2

2013-05-25T12:00:00.000+01:00

I've started using Letterboxd to post short reviews of films, which will be linked to in this blog's sidebar. I'm also going to 'mirror' a selection of DMD film reviews over there, and vice versa here. So starting from now, the past two or three Letterboxd entries will be collated into an occasional blog post...

Frankenweenie (2012)

Tim Burton's best film in years is also his biggest commercial failure, despite being a "remake" of exactly the sort of thing that gave him his big break in the 1980s. It seems big audiences don't like pure Burton—or at least not in animated, monochrome form, without Johnny Depp lending his vocals. I'm glad Burton appears to have used his post-ALICE IN WONDERLAND cachet to make something as personal and non-commercial as FRANKENWEENIE, but it'll only really be loved by dyed-in-the-wool fans who don't feel it's a backwards step. Still, at this point in Burton's career, a backwards step to try and recapture former glories is perhaps better than dancing in circles with CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY or DARK SHADOWS. I just wish SWEENEY TODD didn't feel like such an aberration, when it should have heralded a fresh start.

Budding film-maker Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) loses his beloved dog Sparky in a traffic accident, prompting the almond-faced boy to resurrect his dead pooch like his mad scientist namesake, which manages to work against all the odds. This being a feature-length remake, the story is expanded to allow for the extra running time, but if I'm honest things didn't really get interesting until almost an hour into the picture. The film takes awhile to achieve the resurrection we all know is coming, then kind of twiddles its thumbs until a storyline about other children resurrecting dead animals arrives—leading to fun sequences involving a vampire cat, wererat, and a GODZILLA-style giant tortoise. Sadly, that rush of activity and horror comes too late to save things.

FRANKENWEENIE isn't a bad film, it's just a pointless one. I only hope Burton's trip down memory lane awakens some of the hunger he used to have until MARS ATTACKS!, through reconnecting with actors like Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder (BEETLEJUICE), and Martin Landau (ED WOOD). I wondered if maybe the film was symbolically bringing Tim Burton back to life, and with IMDb telling me his next project is a biopic of American artist Margaret Keane (BIG EYES) maybe that's true...

Taken 2 (2012)

The movie that reinvented Liam Neeson as a full-blown action hero (leading to THE A-TEAM and THE GREY), TAKEN was never going to get an easy sequel.

In the Luc Besson-produced original surprise hit, Neeson was mesmerising as a joyless ex-CIA agent whose daughter was kidnapped by European sex traffickers while holidaying in Paris. He punched, kicked and electrocuted gonads across La Ville-Lumière in his unyielding mission to rescue his offspring—starting with a brilliant phone warning that's since become part of pop-culture ("I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career.")

TAKEN 2 is at a disadvantage from the start, when it becomes clear this will be an absurd follow-up where the grizzled father of a nondescript character Neeson killed is after him for revenge... and swoops when he's on a trip to Istanbul with his wife and daughter in tow. I'd accept awkwardness in any sequel to TAKEN 2, but it has a DIE HARD 2-style problem in asking us to swallow "the same shit" happening to the same guy twice. But the bigger issue with TAKEN 2, which you never expected to be high art, is that the graphic violence has been dialled down so it could play to more audiences at the cinema—which means it all feels very safe and struggles to grip and shock.

Instead, enduring memories of TAKEN 2 are silly ones—such as a moment when a kidnapped Neeson helps screen-daughter Maggie Grace (still playing teenagers just shy of 30!) locate him using a map, a ruler, a shoelace... um, and some grenades. Thing is, I'm all for silliness in B-movies -- it's just that we could have used more scenes that registered like that, because after this tired "remake" your enthusiasm for a potential TAKEN 3 is at rock bottom.

The CW's ARROW: did the first season hit the mark?

2013-05-24T10:30:00.000+01:00

Warning: contains major spoilers. I didn't expect to watch all of Arrow's first season, but this ersatz Batman was surprisingly entertaining—although, like many US network shows, it began to test my patience with an inexcusable 23-episode run. The second-half was consequently much weaker and you could feel the writers filling time, but it helped that Arrow had built itself a large world of characters, relationships, and storylines.

There was also the clever idea of telling two distinct stories: the present-day crusade of wealthy playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) cleaning up his city as vigilante 'The Hood'; and how he was reborn as said superhero after years stranded on an island. I actually preferred the island storyline most of the time--despite the fact we know where everything's headed and that Oliver's life is never in danger--although that storyline was a victim of the season's length.

The big finale, "Sacrifice", ended the show's inaugural season on a high-note; with fisticuffs and city-wide destruction. The show has borrowed many elements from Batman and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy (in particular), so it was only right the finale involved the destruction of a suburban district—echoing the scenes of chaos from the end of Batman Begins. We even had some old clichés like a device to disarm by cutting some wires, although I appreciated it being an Ocean's Eleven-esque "earthquake device" instead of a bomb.

More importantly, Arrow kept an emphasis on character. The first season was ultimately about two best-friends discovering the sins of their fathers: Oliver (whose dad was killed for rebelling against a corporate a conspiracy to regenerate the city by half-destroying it), and his best-friend Tommy (whose dad was the chief conspirator, who moonlighted as Oliver's nemesis 'the Dark Archer'). Incidentally, was it ever explained why Tommy's dad Malcolm (John Barrowman) also decided to dress in a hood and go around shooting arrows with a bow? That can't be coincidence. Maybe we'll find out in season 2.

What I enjoyed most about Arrow is that it felt more focused and purposeful than these shows tend to. A lot of it owed a debt to other superhero properties (including a foundation in comic-books of its own), so it's not that original, but its crutches seemed to give the writers greater confidence. It was always moving and wasn't afraid of bring some ideas to a conclusion, while setting up fresh stuff. I'm not sure the writers can sustain this for years to come, because the island-based storyline already feels worn-out and we've barely scratched the surface of the five-year period Oliver was a castaway, but we'll see.

The only thing I actively dislike about Arrow is Stephen Amell's performance as the earlier Oliver, because he's decided to play that part as a whining brat. It just makes me wonder why people in the present don't comment on the fact Oliver's personality's done a complete 180, because his flashback persona makes it feel like Oliver's a 10-year-old boy in a floppy wig. Amell's 32 years old, so I assume the island-Oliver is in his mid-20s, but he just doesn't behave or even talk like anyone that old. It's laughable how limited Amell is in this dual role, but a blessing he's convincing in the primary role of 'hunky costumed hero with abs of steel'.

The first season ended with a key death and pyrrhic victory, leaving you wanting to see how things will continue in the second season. Considering the fact I didn't think Arrow would keep me engaged for 23 hours, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt about their chances of success spinning the story out for another year, and perhaps more.

What about you? Did you watch Arrow? Did it surprise you and keep you watching, or did you give up on it?

MAD MEN, 6.8 – 'The Crash'

2013-05-23T10:00:00.000+01:00

written by Jason Grote & Matthew Weiner / directed by Michael Uppendahl

It seems like Matthew Weiner so enjoyed "Far Away Places" from season 5, which featured hilarious scenes of Roger Sterling (John Slattery) getting high, that he couldn't resist co-writing an episode where almost every character was on amphetamines—prescribed by a doctor, at the behest of the firm's new partner Jim Cutler (Harry Hamlin), to inspire increased creativity and productivity in the workforce. I may be in the minority with this, but I found a great deal of this episode too self-consciously ker-azy for its own good, and consequently had a tough time really caring about some of the serious issues and sub-plots that were part of the mix.

I assume it wasn't unusual in the 1960s for a doctor to inject employees with "energy serums", but it was still a bizarre thing to happen in the context of Mad Men. It definitely produced some amusing moments; like Ken (Aaron Staton) tap dancing, or Stan (Jay R. Ferguson) getting a pen stuck in his forearm during an office version of William Tell's apple-shot, but it just wasn't as hilarious or compelling as I think was intended.

Still, I did enjoy watching Don's (Jon Hamm) absolutely meltdown: wasting three days work on an "ad campaign" for Chevy that turned out to be a plan to get Sylvia (Linda Cardellini) back now she's ended their affair. It was also good to see the Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) and Stan romance progress, after he revealed he's been secretly grieving the death of his cousin in Vietnam, shortly before they kissed. Sadly, this good work was later undone when Peggy saw him having sex with someone else, so maybe these two will never get together. But I hope they do, because Peggy deserves someone far better than Abe the loser.

While the 'drug-taking at work' scenario didn't sit right with me, I did enjoy a similarly bizarre storyline where Sally (Kiernan Shipka) was left to babysit her brothers, only to find a large black lady in Don and Megan's (Jessica Paré) apartment, claiming to be her grandmother Ida. Sally's an intelligent teenager, so I liked how she at least attempted to question Ida, before later trying to call the police, although I wasn't very convinced by her performance. If she knew Ida was deceiving them and was slowly robbing the place, she was suspiciously cool about it. Maybe that's a sign of how innocent kids were in the 1960s, but as a child of the 1980s I'd have been terrified if a strange woman was snooping around the house while my parents were out. It felt a little odd to me.

The flashback to Don's childhood was pretty good, even if my tolerance for these flashbacks has started to drain over the years. Here we learned that a sickly Don lost his virginity to a prostitute, Ms Swenson (Megan Ferguson), who played nursemaid to him when he was ill, to the anger and shame of his mother when she found out and beat him with a spoon. It was interesting, but I'm beginning to feel like Mad Men is beating us over the head about Don's mindset when it comes to women and sex. After six seasons, we fully understand that he's easily bored and doesn't like commitment, and much of that stems from his weird upbringing as a country boy living in a whorehouse.

Overall, "The Crash" was definitely an enjoyable episode with amusing moments and some excellent lines ("are we negroes?" Bobby asked Sally, upon hearing about Grandma Ida), but it just wasn't anything special to me. Maybe it was too peculiar for its own good, because I found it hard to invest in anything or take it too seriously, but it also lacked subtext and was so heavy-handed it irked me. On the plus side: Betty (January Jones) is back and she's lost weight, so now she's back to being a glamourpuss just in time for her husband to run for office...

22 May 2013 / Sky Atlantic

A&E's BATES MOTEL: was the first season worth checking in for?

2013-05-22T10:00:00.000+01:00

Warning: spoilers for season 1, which hasn't aired in the UK (at time of writing).

I reviewed the pilot of A&E's Bates Motel, which had promise but didn't 'wow' me, then recorded an audioboo after episode 4 to admit things were improving. Now the entire first season of 10 episodes has aired in the US, so I thought I'd pitch in with some cumulative thoughts. Firstly, the show does itself no favours with its association to Hitchcock's masterpiece Psycho, and I still don't quite understand why A&E couldn't have ordered an original serial killer/mystery drama that doesn't sit in this shadow. Still, considering its iconic pedigree, I don't think Bates Motel is a bad show or a lazy cash-in; occasionally it's even pretty good, at least as something unchallenging but fun to watch.

The thing that sticks out to me about season 1 is how it was bisected, which I assume was intentional so it could end after six episodes if A&E had to pull the plug. Or maybe executive-producer Carlton Cuse's years working on Lost means he's done with wheel-spinning, and wants to work on a show that has a fast and furious pace, and doesn't keep a hundred balls in the air at once.

So for half the season we had the mystery of a Chinese girl the Deputy Sheriff had kidnapped and was abusing in his basement; and then a second mystery about a creep called 'Abernathy' (Jere Burns) who arrived at the motel, generally acted very strange, then made the bizarre move of dumping a corpse in Norma's (Vera Farmiga) bed after she had the audacity to kick him out. For me, the first half worked a lot better, because the situation with Abernathy was too clouded and didn't resolve in a satisfying way—although it did confirm the local Sheriff (Nestor Carbonnell) isn't beyond taking the law into his own hands to protect "his town".

While the storytelling was quite ropey, a lot of this season was rescued by the cast. Freddie Highmore is very good as the new Anthony Perkins, and is both sympathetic and extremely odd at times. The fact Norman is often coerced into killing by a vision of his domineering mother, before suffering from a 'fugue state' immediately afterwards, has worked quite well. The poor boy's mental health issues are what stops you from finding Norman too distasteful.

In fact, much of the time you watch Bates Motel and consider his mother Norma to be the real crackpot. Vera Farmiga's performance is the best thing about this series, because she walks a difficult fine line between being a committed, passionate, sexy, protective, loving mother... and a selfish, controlling, argumentative, deceitful, volatile, manipulative, crazy person. I find Norma both very compelling and extremely irritating, which is perfect.

The second tier cast is also pretty good; but a special mention should go to Max Thieriot as Dylan (Norma's other son), who almost wandered into events as an unexpected ingredient, and has gone on to become one of its better characters. He's one of the few sane people on the show, and it's fun to see him struggle to find his place in the Bates family: almost becoming a father-figure to Norman (trying to steer him towards normality), but never being fully accepted by Norma (perhaps because her mind games don't work on him). I've also enjoyed Olivia Cooke as Emma, the young girl with cystic fibrosis who takes a shine to Norman, whose affection isn't reciprocated, because Norman's loves high school hottie Bradley (Nicola Peltz). One of the weirder things about Norman is how he's such a hit with the ladies (which is ironic considering he'll become a lady killer in the other sense of the word). Once girls realise his hobbies have recently come to include taxidermy, the feminine attention should drop off... right?

Overall, Bates Motel has a long way to go before I'd consider it to be very good television, but it's a decent time-waster that's managed to pull off some exciting and shocking moments in a short space of time. Knowing how difficult it must have been to turn a property like Psycho into a 'contemporary prequel' (by widening the scope to include a town full of oddballs, in a community financed by growing weed), it's done a good job on most fronts.

I'll be booking a room for season 2, which has already been commissioned.

A&E, Mondays.

How to Watch Television Properly

2013-05-20T10:30:00.000+01:00

Television's big business. Millions are spent creating content for people to sit down and watch. So the least you can do is watch it properly. And yes, that means not on your iPhone, while on a train, with headphones stuffed in your ears. I watch television semi-professionally, so here are my tips for how to watch it best...

1. Buy a BIG television.
Oh yes, you'll need a television in order to watch television. Duhh. The bigger the better, too. Size does matter in this instance. That means larger than 32" because it's not 2003 any more, grandad. I'd specify widescreen, but I think it's impossible to buy otherwise without first purchasing a time machine. Or if you get your electrical goods imported from Uzbekistan.

2. Get HD.
It isn't the 20th-century. Everything's filmed in high definition now, so why are you still watching soft and muddy SD with all that artifacting? Don't you want to count the eyelashes on Brad Pitt, or inspect the cleanliness of Scarlett Johansson's cheek pores? When a tree appears on TV, I want to see every single twig on each individual branch. And the ants crawling on said twig. And the antenna on those stupid ants. You owe it to yourself to get HD. David Attenborough agrees with me about the ants.

3. Wire for SOUND.
You're not going to watch TV using its own inbuilt speakers, are you? Those strips of gauze along the bottom or sides? Call them speakers? Invest in surround sound, my friend. HD surround sound. If you're over-50, this may be the point where you need to call your kids for help. But if you watch TV without at least five speakers dotted around your room (with a sub-woofer), to the consternation of your cohabiting loved one, you're not doing it right. And if the speakers can't be positioned in the optimal cube-like arrangement around you, make some furniture adjustments. Or drill holes to wall-mount the speakers. Or just move house.

4. Get comfy.
The easiest part of the process; because if you're male it's easier to talk your girlfriend/wife into buying a fancy new sofa. Things only get tricky if you insist on a reclining La-Z-Boy with beer can holders and gull-wing arms for storing snacks. I'm going to be lenient and say you can appease your loved one by opting for the luxurious sofa, provided you hog the middle.

5. Lights! Curtains! Action!
Turn the lights off. Close the curtains. Kick the dog out. Put the kids to bed. Turn the bubbling fish tank off. Strangle the cat. Even if you're only planning to watch Coronation Street, good TV-watching demands darkness and seclusion. Concentrate.

6. Snack time!
Watching TV is hard work. Your brain burns calories too, right? So you need sustenance, and that means snacks. Nothing too crunchy or noisy, natch. Pizza is the connoisseurs choice because it can be ordered in, and is eaten in near-silence. Or nachos. Drinks? Non-alcoholic beverages only. I'm serious. People have spent millions producing this TV show for you, and you're going to watch it drunk? Do you go the cinema drunk? No. (If you answered yes, we can't be friends.)

7. Get a notepad.
To take notes on. Yes, you heard me right! Scribbling notes about TV focuses attention and increases your understanding of narrative. You don't want to kick back and miss something because you let your concentration slip. So make notes.

8. Make peace.
It's almost time to actually watch TV, so time for final prep: mobile phones off, land line unplugged, computers on standby, and a steel reserve to ignore anyone who knocks on your front door (unless its's followed by the words "police, open up!" yelled through your letterbox). Oh, and make sure you have your remote controls and a spare pack of batteries.

9. Viewing.
Now you're watching TV... but, most importantly, you're doing so properly. You've shown your respect to the TV Gods with the above ritual and can finally enjoy your gogglebox entertainment in peace; certain that you're seeing it in the best possible circumstance, environment, and atmosphere.

10. Hang on...
You're watching a torrented copy of The Carrie Diaries on a 22" CRT Alba? I give up.

TV Picks: 20-26 May 2013 (Arrested Development, Eddie Izzard's Mandela Marathons, Nina Conti: Talk to the Hand, Towns, The Vikings, etc.)

2013-05-20T10:00:00.000+01:00

Below are my picks of the week's most notable new shows premiering/returning to UK screens; and as further proof TV's undergoing radical changes, two are online streaming exclusives...

MONDAY 20th

Ohio Slave Girls: Their Story (Channel 5, 8pm) Documentary on the recent discovery of three young women, held captive in a basement for 11 years in Cleveland, Ohio.
PICK OF THE DAY Panorama: Hillsborough - How they Buried the Truth (BBC1, 9pm) Investigation into the UK's worst footballing disaster, and how officials hid the truth for years.
Branded a Witch (BBC3, 9pm) Documentary about the rise of attacks on children accused of witchcraft in Britain.

TUESDAY 21st

PICK OF THE DAY Towns with Nicholas Crane (BBC2, 9pm) Series 2 of the factual show looking at some of the country's most interesting "forgotten" towns, beginning with a look at Oban in Scotland.
Love & Death in City Hall (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary about the Belfast City Hall registry office, where significant moments in people's lives play out.

WEDNESDAY 22nd

Nothing.

THURSDAY 23rd

Fat Family Tree (Channel 4, 8pm) Health special where Dr Dawn Harper investigate a theory that lifelong weight problems originate from family genes.
PICK OF THE DAY Eddie Izzzard's Mandela Marathons (Sky1, 9pm) Documentary following the comedian's attempt to run 27 marathons across South Africa in as many days; one day for every year Nelson Mandela spent in prison. (1/2)
The Hunt for Britain's Sex Gangs (Channel 4, 9pm) Documentary following the work of police in Telford during Operation Chalice, investigating major child sex abuse crimes.
The Last Days of Anne Boleyn (BBC2, 9pm) Historical documentary about the first English Queen to be executed.

FRIDAY 24th

PICK OF THE DAY The Vikings (LOVEFiLM) Season 1 of the Canadian-Irish historical drama about a legendary Viking's attempt to conquer the south of England. Starring Travis Fimmel, Clive Standen, Gabriel Byrne & Katheryn Winnick. (All 9 episodes, streamed to subscribers.)
Henry VIII's Enforcer: The Rise & Fall of Thomas Cromwell (BBC2, 9pm) Historical documentary on the chief minister to Henry VIIII from 1532 to 1540.

SATURDAY 25th

PICK OF THE DAY David Bowie: Five Years (BBC2, 9.20pm) Documentary focusing on five key years in the singer's amazing career.

SUNDAY 26th

PICK OF THE DAY Arrested Development (Netflix) Season 4 of the cult US comedy about an eccentric and dysfunctional family, revived by Netflix. Starring Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambor, Portia de Rossi, David Cross, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat & Jessica Walter. (All 15 episodes, streamed to subscribers.)
Clare Balding's Secrets of a Suffragette (Channel 4, 8pm) Documentary about the tragic event when activist Emily Davison was struck by George V's horse and killed.
Nina Conti: Talk to the Hand (BBC4, 9pm) Standup comedy recorded live, with ventriloquist Nina Conti performing in Sydney, Australia.

DOCTOR WHO, 7.13 – 'The Name of The Doctor'

2013-05-19T10:30:00.000+01:00

written by Steven Moffat / directed by Saul Metzstein

His stories aren't perfect, but Steven Moffat has so much confidence and ostentatiousness as a storyteller I can't resist his tent-pole episodes. A few stretches of "The Name of The Doctor" even made actual sense, until Moffat wanted to wring something extra from a scene and it resulted in the usual sense of illogic.

It's always been the case that Moffat's brain buzzes with big, bold ideas. You can sense the joy of them being realised on television. As big finales go, it doesn't beat "The Big Bang" because series 5's pay-off was tighter and the emotions felt purer, but this certainly a vast improvement over the cluttered and ludicrous "Wedding of River Song". It helped that it was tackling huge issues of mythology, which is like catnip to Whovians—so not only were we being forever teased by the possibility of The Doctor (Matt Smith) revealing his real name, but we also had the mystery of Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) to resolve, and a climax taking place in The Doctor's own tomb on the volcanic planet of Trenzalore...

If you were watching this episode expecting to be rewarded with The Doctor's name then you obviously don't understand the joy of that perennial enigma, or realise that any writer would never dare risk ruining a core part of the character. So no, we didn't learn The Doctor's name here, although it was fun to be reminded that he'll be known by future "names" (The Beast, Storm, The Valeyard) over the coming aeons. The way that Moffat teased us with The Doctor's moniker was good fun, because it never felt like a torturous cheat. I especially liked the moment River Song (Alex Kingston) must have said his real name in order to open the antediluvian TARDIS, but we couldn't hear her because she was psychically linked to Clara.

The mystery of Clara was half-explained in the frenzied teaser, before we came to fully understand how this 'Impossible Girl' could have been reincarnated across Time to interact with all incarnations of The Doctor. I even bought into the nature of how this happened, with Clara entering the Doctor's "remains" (a vertical scar across Time & Space, crackling away like a lightning storm in the centre of the ancient TARDIS console room), and erased the damaging efforts of the Dr Simeon (Richard E. Grant) in rewriting The Doctor's entire history for the worse. It's just a shame this whole notion stretched the limits of what the budget could achieve, because there were some rather laughable special effects shots of Jenna-Louise Coleman digitally-inserted into classic Who episodes. Still, the idea itself was rather wonderful in the show's 50th year, and was perhaps worth the chintzy treatment just to see the moment The First Doctor (William Hartnell) stole a defective TARDIS from Gallifrey. Who knew they resembled metal pillar boxes as a default?

The idea of Trenzalore being The Doctor's final resting place also lived up to the location's hype over the past few years, and it was beautifully brought to life as a hair-raising graveyard. Having the TARDIS itself become The Doctor's tomb, enlarged to enormous size on the outside due to a malfunctioning brought about by age, was also a really nice idea. It reminded me of what stars do after billions of years; expanding to enormous size.

However, this episode wasn't entirely successful in all respects. Victorian trio Madame Vastra (Neve MacIntish), Jenny (Catrin Stewart) and Strax (Dan Starkey) get less appealing with every appearance, having peaked in "The Snowmen", and at times it felt like they were only involved because it would help fill time. After all, when you reflect on events, the core storyline was surprisingly straightforward for a Steven Moffat instalment, which was part of the reason it worked so well. Although there were still a few areas that weren't fully explained, or were wilfully incomprehensible. It made a loose sense that River Song could be in psychic contact with Clara after their initial meeting (although she wasn't asleep, which Vastra told us was a requirement), but quite how The Doctor could see River is anyone's guess.

The return of saturnine Dr Simeon, possessed by The Great Intelligence, was a welcome one; mostly because I love Richard E. Grant in this role. Doctor Who has worryingly few villains that are just good actors doing a 'boo-hiss baddie', so it's a treat whenever one gets the chance to lock horns with The Doctor. And speaking of The Doctor, Matt Smith was very good throughout this episode, because it was a story that reduced his clownish antics to a brief scene playing blind man's bluff, and then gave him serious matters to contend with. I wish Smith was being given more storylines like this, where he gets the chance to emote and push himself into some darker areas. It's great he can shift gears, but a pity less writers seem willing to give him reason to.

Finally, the top secret ending was curious. It appears to reveal that an incarnation of The Doctor (the twelfth and final one?) is the "secret" the Time Lord will take to his grave. It's all too hazy to discuss with much authority right now, but will clearly form the linchpin of the 50th anniversary special. My rough prediction is that John Hurt is a future incarnation who make a bad decision in he name of "peace and sanity" that goes against The Doctor's ethics, so November's feature-length adventure will involve The Doctor having to vanquish a future incarnation with the help of a past incarnation (David Tennant). This will likely result in Moffat using the anniversary year to alter Who mythology and give The Doctor a fresh cycle of twelve regenerations, thus securing the show for another half-century, but that's a pure guess on my part.

Overall, "The Name of The Doctor" was a great finale once you accept some baffling aspects that don't withstand scrutiny, and accept that some things will be explained in future stories. (Well, we hope--not everything does.) The core sweep of the story and explanation of Clara's "immortality" worked well—even if it was essentially a better version of the series 1 finale when Rose Tyler was likewise scattered across time and could 'undo' the Daleks. Fans will have loved the many nods to the show's past, and it was clever of Moffat to have nipped some fan objections in the bud by using this penultimate episode to involve all the classic Doctors (through CGI, old footage, and body doubles). Oh, and the eyeless 'Whisper Men' were underused but marvellously scary on a visual level.

18 March 2013 / BBC1

There is no 'Next time...' preview this week, but I thought you'd like to read this piece Steven Moffat wrote for The Guardian thanking fans for not spoiling the finale's surprises. If you're not already aware, the series 7 Blu-ray was accidentally sent to a couple hundred US fans a week early, but the international fan-base successful kept spoilers off the internet (unless you really went looking...)
As a thank you to fans for keeping the finale's secrets safe, the BBC released footage of Matt Smith and David Tennant talking about Doctor Who's impact on their careers, in-between filming scenes for the 50th special. Enjoy!

Letterboxd: MACGRUBER (2010)

2013-05-18T16:36:00.000+01:00

I've signed up to Letterboxd, which is a "social network for sharing your taste in film"; which basically means it lets people review, rate, and keep track of all the films they watch.

I encourage you to follow me there, or else follow me on Twitter where I'll be posting links to future Letterboxd reviews. Alternatively, you may have noticed a widget in the left sidebar of DMD, where I'll list my five most recent Letterboxd reviews.

By means of a special preview for people too lazy to click a link (they exist), below is my inaugural Letterboxd review of 2010 spoof comedy MacGruber:

My hope for an AUSTIN POWERS-style discovery of a comedy classic everyone ignored at the cinema was short-lived, with this laborious and unfunny '80s action hero spoof. Based on a Saturday Night Live character parodying MacGyver, Will Forte plays the eponymous hero who's called back into action, RAMBO III-style (or HOT SHOTS II-style?), to stop a terrorist played by Val Kilmer—whose name, Dieter Von Cunth, is probably the cleverest thing about this lame comedy.

Forte gurns and yells his way through a storyline that runs out of good jokes after 20-minutes, before the plot gives out 10-minutes later. It was a struggle to stay awake an hour in. Ryan Phillipe gives the film's best performance as MacGruber's reluctant sidekick, but all of its best moments are in the trailer, and the writing gets little mileage out of doing for '80s action cinema what AUSTIN POWERS did for '60s spy thrillers.

It doesn't even have a firm grip on its lead character; who's introduced as an all-American hero with the medals to prove it, but spends the entire movie being inept and infuriating the boss who lauded him. It's like a PINK PANTHER movie if Commissioner Dreyfuss went looking for the retired Clouseau, and had somehow forgotten what a clutz he is.

A weak SNL movie, which I guess is upholding a tradition rarely broken.

Trailer: CBS's INTELLIGENCE

2013-05-18T14:47:00.001+01:00

Here's the trailer/promo for CBS spy-fi drama Intelligence, about an ex-Navy SEAL implanted with a microchip that gives him a mental link to the worldwide information grid (i.e. the internet, WiFi, telephone and satellite data.) "Six Million Dollar Man for the information age" is how it's being sold, but it also feels like a straight dramatic version of NBC's Chuck. Josh Holloway's a good pick for the lead, but his character doesn't 'pop' in this trailer like Sawyer did on Lost.

It'll also be interesting to see how this show operates, because on most spy shows the hero needs other characters to be his 'eyes and ears' from a surveillance van parked close by, but Holloway's character has less need for that type of backup. Incidentally, I much prefer these types of promos, that have cast/crew 'talking heads' simply telling us what the show's about, with clips giving us a flavour and feel of things.

Intelligence premieres early-2014 as a mid-season replacement on CBS.

Trailers: Showtime's DEXTER (season 8) and Fox's SLEEPY HOLLOW

2013-05-18T10:00:00.000+01:00

After yesterday's blog about an effective 'Masterpiece' promo I enjoyed, Showtime have released the official trailer for Dexter's final season. It's a little bit spoiler-y and suggests some avenues the show may ultimately take to resolve itself. There appears to be a lot of character-based content for Dex and Deb this year, following the climax of season 7 (which is both appropriate and great to see), but not a lot else to get excited about... beyond the fact this show is building towards a definite ending, which is exciting in itself.

Of all the trailers that have been released for US network Upfronts presentations, I feel like I have to write about the one for Fox's Sleepy Hollow. God, this looks insane! Adapting Washington Irving's famous ghost story for television struck me as a difficult task, but the ways in which they've "broadened" the idea are plain ludicrous...

Ichabod Crane now travels 250-years into the future, to fight a resurrected Headless Horseman, who may actually be one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Oh, and Ichabod's now part of a mystery/prophecy that can be explained by reading President Washington's diary, National Treasure-style? I don't know what to say.

Only, here's the thing: the production on Sleepy Hollow looks first-rate, I already like Tom Mison as the English-accented hero, and he appears to have a nice rapport with Nicole Beharie as the town's modern-day black Sheriff. So there are positives here, based on the trailer. I've always liked the idea of historical characters finding themselves in the future too, because the reverse happens far too often to remain interesting. (It's just a worry this trailer already suggests Ichabod quickly adjusts to the extreme culture shock.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Sleepy Hollow looks like stupid fun, but will likely struggle to keep going past a dozen episodes. I have a funny feeling I'm going to enjoy Mison/Beharie together as a potential romantic pairing and 'ghostbusters', but wish they were in a TV show with a concept that makes more sense, that you can visualize lasting five seasons or more.

Teaser: DEXTER - the final season

2013-05-17T17:58:00.000+01:00

How do you want to be remembered?

The eighth and final season of Showtime's Dexter is a little over a month away, so the publicity machine is awakening. We've already had a few brilliant posters (embedded below) but here's a clever promotion selling the idea of Dexter Morgan leaving a legacy. It's also a nice reminder of how enjoyable this show's been, for the most part. Yes, it made the unfortunate error of sticking to a successful formula for too long (i.e. Debra should have been made aware of her brother's homicidal tendencies around season 5), but I was very happy with the season 7's repair job. It'll be a challenge to end Dexter in a way that's both satisfying and surprising (haven't fans guessed every possible outcome by now?*), but I just hope the last leg of this show is a thrilling one.

Dexter returns 30 June. ( * I still think it should end with Dexter on Death Row, but considered a 'folk anti-hero' by the majority of the city's population. Anyone agree?)

HANNIBAL, 1.8 - 'Fromage'

2013-05-17T10:00:00.000+01:00

This show is already very serialised, but "Fromage" almost felt like a third part of the "Entrée"/"Sorbet" two-parter, continuing the idea that Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) is consumed by loneliness and sees a chance of real friendship with Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who can adopt his perspective but is different enough to be of interest. The 'killer-of-the-week' storyline also got closer than ever before to Lecter's secret life, as his idolising patient Franklin (Dan Fogler) revealed his friend Tobias (Demore Barnes) recently spoke of playing someone's neck like a musical instrument, before a trombonist was found with the neck of a cello rammed down his throat in order to play his vocal chords. Yeah, icky.

Lecter helped Will realise the murder was a weird "serenade" to a fellow killer, while knowing the culprit is a Baltimore music teacher called Tobias; who's trying to get Hannibal's attention of. And it worked, leading to a compelling episode where Lecter made the acquaintance of a fellow psychopath and potential friend, but through therapy with Dr Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) came to realise that Will's the person who stands the greatest chance of peering over the psychological wall he's built to protect himself. Of course, we know from the books and movies that when this does happen, friendship is not the outcome.

"Fromage" was a joy from start to finish. I particularly like how Hannibal remains sharp and intelligent without being too opaque and pretentious. It's not a dumb show, by any stretch of the imagination, but it has a great way of taking viewers on a journey while giving them just the right amount of information to inspire deep thought. There are always lots of little touches I really enjoy; like Lecter's plea that Tobias not kill Franklin during their dinner together (showing he does have a degree of fondness for his hero-worshipping client?), even though he's eventually forced to snap Franklin's neck when the situation with Tobias gets out of hand.

Dexter has done similar storylines where two serial killers become aware of each other, leading to a cat-and-mouse game—first with the Ice Truck Killer first season, but perhaps most notably when Dexter encountered John Lithgow's 'Trinity Killer' (which was a season also about friendship)—but Hannibal briskly covered much of the same ideas in a fraction of the time.

During the climactic fight sequence between Lecter and Tobias in his office, I was taken by how the show didn't take the lazy option and present its famous anti-hero as a 'superman' for whom Tobias was little more than a pest. Indeed, Tobias had the upper-hand for much of their painful-looking brawl, and it took a great deal of effort and luck for Lecter to eventually walk away victorious.

Besides this week's odd Lecter-Franklin-Tobias triangle, we also had more scenes where it's becoming clear Will's beginning to lose his mind (imagining the sound of distressed animals, hallucinating the dead Garrett Jacob Hobbs), and even the BAU's experts are starting to exchange worried looks about his mental state. This was also the episode where Will made a move on Dr Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas), who attracted Lecter's affections only last week. Upon being told of their kiss, Lecter was quick to rationalise it as Will's mind seeking stability, which certainly sound feasible... but maybe Dr Lecter's trying to dismiss the fact his potential "best friend" is making moves on his potential "girlfriend", which could cause some problems in their relationship. A weird love-triangle is starting to take shape.

Overall, "Fromage" was a fantastic episode, and one I keep replaying choice moments of in my head: the mesmerising performance of The Unit's Demore Barnes as the sicko musician who makes violin strings from human guts (whom we actually met last week, but I'd forgotten); the tete-a-tete between Lecter and Tobias over dinner, trying to figure each other out over a meal; and the mention that Dr Du Maurier retired after a patient attacked her (and she killed him?) Right now, the only thing about Hannibal that's beginning to bother me--only slightly--is the occasionally incessant soundtrack, which sometimes drowns scenes that need to breathe more. (Although this may be because I don't get to hear a 5.1 sound-mix, so it may very well sound more nuanced on DVD).

written by Jennifer Schuur & Bryan Fuller / directed by Tim Hunter / 17 May 2013 / NBC

Everybody loves Riddick, right? A defence.

2013-05-16T11:30:00.000+01:00

1999's Pitch Black was an inventive sci-fi actioner that introduced us to Vin Diesel, who mostly failed to capitalise on that promising start as a Hollywood action hero. I know he's part of the Fast & The Furious movies, which have somehow become box-office dynamite, but he only rejoined that franchise after solo projects xXx and Babylon A.D flopped at the box-office. And that's a pity, because I really like Diesel as an action star. He has a gravelly voice that could give Satan the willies, and is muscular without being too much of a Schwarzenegger-style cartoon.

More than that, I love the anti-hero character of Riddick he's played in the aforementioned Pitch Black and its poorly-received 2004 sequel The Chronicles of Riddick: a bald convict who can see in the dark, constantly hunted by bad-ass bounty hunters, whom we learned in Chronicles is the galaxy's last Furyan.

What sets me apart from the majority of people is my geek-love for Chronicles of Riddick, which wasn't considered a hit at the cinema (costing $120m and raking in around $115). I just don't get why more people don't like this space opera, which is essentially a dirty hybrid of Star Wars and Flash Gordon. The whole section with Riddick escaping a subterranean prison was worth the price of admission alone, and I love the climax where—spoiler alert!—Riddick defeats Colm Feore's fast-moving villain, slumps victoriously onto his empty throne, and in so doing becomes the next Lord Marshal in the eyes of his enemies.

While it wasn't a resounding box-office hit, I'm sure Chronicles has broken even by now. It may even have turned a profit after almost 10 years of DVD sales and TV deals. But the popularity of Pitch Black was definitely overestimated and writer-director David Twohy's plan for a Chronicles trilogy fizzled out.

Until now...

I'm not sure exactly why, but Universal was distributing a third movie in Twohy's invincible saga, imaginatively entitled Riddick. Maybe Vin Diesel has clawed back some brownie points after helping make the Fast & Furious into an unlikely money-spinner (a fifth sequel out now, a sixth is planned), but it's more likely it just makes financial sense. Riddick has a relatively low budget of $38m, although that's more than the $23m Pitch Black was originally produced for. But maybe they're fairly equal when you factor in a decade of inflation?

The trade-off is that Riddick won't delve into any of the story Twohy had planned for his epic Chronicles sequels. Instead, it's blending the two aspects of both previous movies most people agree were its strengths: so you get another gang of mercenaries trying to capture Riddick for bounty (like Chronicles), and it all takes place on a planet plunged into a darkness that comes alive with nocturnal nasties (like Pitch Black). The best of both worlds, you might say.

The first full-length trailer was released yesterday, which I've embedded above. I'm glad it doesn't look cheap (which was an early concern because of its independent funding), it's great to see Vin back in his best ever role, and there are some very cool-looking monsters scurrying around looking for lunch here. My only fear is that it's not going to give us anything new, because it almost feels like a glossier remake of Pitch Black. Oh, and the trailer commits the cardinal sin of (seemingly) explaining the whole damn movie. There also aren't many funny moments, and part of the reason I liked the previous movies was because of its dry sense of macho humour. I hope the actual film contains as many laughs as it does aliens.

Riddick premieres 6 September in the US and UK. Be sure to book your ticket. In the meantime, go rent Pitch Black and watch Chronicles of Riddick with a more open mind. It perhaps overreached at times and was sometimes a bit silly (usually whenever Dame Judi Dench was floating around), but it had more going on its cerebellum than the Star Wars prequels that were in full swing at the time.

MAD MEN, 6.7 – 'Man with a Plan'

2013-05-16T10:00:00.000+01:00

The merger of ad agencies Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and Cutler, Gleason & Chaough came with all the pain and power-struggles one could reasonably expect, with the empires of Don (Jon Hamm) and Ted (Kevin Rahm) groaning under the stress. Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) isn't happy she now has a smaller office, but is more indignant by Don's sly tactics in putting Ted in his place by getting him drunk in his office and sending him out to make a fool of himself in front of his staff, both new and old. The fact this only happened because Don was irritated a scheduled meeting wasn't deferred for 40-minutes because of his own avoidable absence just made it even more frustrating for viewers.

"Man with a Plan" was an hour about power and domination; both at the office as everyone tried to adjusted to changes and find their roles with the company, but also with Don's love life. The affair he's having with Sylvia Rosen (Linda Cardellini) took a rather unexpected turn in this episode, with Don relishing turning her into his 'submissive' sex slave. It was interesting how this all came about just as he's feeling less important at work, meaning he was perhaps seeking to reassert his masculinity in a sexual way. Unfortunately, while Sylvia was certainly aroused and intrigued by this new and exciting version of Don, it ultimately left her feeling cheap and used—becoming the catalyst for her deciding to end their liaisons through shame.

Even in the subplots there was issues of dominance and male ego at play; such as the scene where Pete (Vincent Karthesier) kicked up a fuss about not having a chair at an office meeting, prompting a receptionist to give hers up, which immediately led to Ted giving his seat up for the lady Pete's forced to stand. In one clever move, Ted came across as charming and gallant, while Pete was made to look like a petty misogynist. In fact, Ted proved to be something a brilliant tactician in this episode. He may have been humiliated by Don getting him drunk in front of his employees, but he had the last laugh by flying Don to a meeting upstate in his own private plane (an acquisition and skill that must have been almost unimaginably impressive in 1968), which had the desired effect of turning Don into a quivering wreck with the turbulence.

A lot of people, myself included, have criticised season 6 for repeating a few ideas we've seen Mad Men do before, but "Man with a Plan" suggested this was intentional. The episode ended with the real-life event of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated, five years after the same fate befell John F Kennedy, and that made this episode abundantly clearer. History was repeating itself for the characters, too: Peggy is back at SCDP and finding it difficult to accept this 'backwards step'; Burt Peterson (Michael Baston) was fired by Roger (John Slattery) for the second time; and Don's rejected by another lover, forced to return to his second hollow marriage.

Overall, "Man with a Plan" certainly gave me plenty to think about and contained some fantastic moments: from Don showing a less savoury side to his libido by bossing Sylvia around, to Roger's wonderful dismissal of Bert in his office. I even really like the surprise love story brewing between Joan (Chrisina Hendricks) and Bob Benson (James Wolk), who took her to an emergency room to remove what turned out to be an ovarian cyst. I had very little interest in Bob until now, but he works nicely as a pairing for Joan—who really needs a stable relationship in her life about now. I was less interested in Pete's issues with his mother, who has dementia, although anything that sends Pete into a meltdown is fun to watch.

written by Semi Chellas & Matthew Weiner / directed by John Slattery / 12 May 2013 / AMC

FROM DUSK TILL DAWN coming to TV

2013-05-15T17:55:00.004+01:00

Film-maker Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Sin City) is launching his own television network later this year: the El Ray Network. It will be English-language, but target Latino audiences as a "home of kick-ass entertainment", according to Rodriguez himself. Spanish-language channel Univision will be handling the sales and distribution of the El Ray Network.

Anyway, the more interesting news is that Rodriguez already has two scripted dramas poised to launch his network: an action-adventure show by Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci (Fringe, Star Trek), and a TV version of 1996 crime horror From Dusk Till Dawn (which Rodriguez directed from an early Quentin Tarantino script and Robert Kurtzman story).

From Dusk Till Dawn was a movie I don't mind admitting had me under its spell back when I was a teenage boy. I must have watched the climactic vampire attack in the Titty Twister brothel so many times it became unhealthy, and could recite most of the film from memory. In some ways it was my last big movie obsession, in terms of the number of times I've sat down to re-watch something. I still think it has some terrific scenes/dialogue, glorious so-bad-they're-good moments ("I love you too, Seth"), memorable side characters (whip-wielding Sex Machine, Vietnam veteran trucker Frost) and a very memorable "twist" (when the tone goes from indie-style crime drama to schlock horror mayhem and carnage).

As a fan I should be excited by the idea of a TV version, right? Well, not really, although I have an interest. I just don't have much confidence in this being a worthwhile endeavour; partly because it won't feature any of the original cast (beyond a probable Danny Trejo appearance), but also because the idea doesn't feel suited to long form storytelling.

I am glad Rodriguez is sticking to the original concept and using the same characters, ignoring the two horrendous direct-to-video sequels, but how will a TV version work exactly? Will it follow the adventures of the Gecko brothers (Tarantino and George Clooney in the movie) as they try to abscond to New Mexico with a preacher and his two children they've kidnapped, eventually chased by vampires? Is that a strong enough idea for a TV show? The idea is to "explore and expand on the characters and story from the original film, providing a wider scope and richer Aztec mythology", but is that achievable?

In terms of films that would make great TV shows, From Dusk Till Dawn appears very far down my list.

MSN TV: BBC1's FRANKIE

2013-05-15T16:24:00.003+01:00

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed the premiere of BBC1's new medical drama FRANKIE, starring Torchwood's Eve Myles as a hard-working District Nurse...

The prospect of fighting more aliens after the wretched Torchwood: Miracle Day gets less likely with each passing day, so Eve Myles has wisely moved on, taking the lead in a new medical drama that plays more to her strengths. I know Eve has passionate fans in sci-fi circles but as Torchwood's Gwen Cooper, she was always a hair's breadth away from being a total embarrassment leaping around with twin handguns. Far more believable during Torchwood's down-to-earth scenes, she was allowed to behave more like a regular human being. Frankie gives Ms Myles a great showcase for her naturalism, and she's indeed very watchable as the flawed heroine of this new BBC drama.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

Trailer: ABOUT TIME (2013)

2013-05-15T10:30:00.000+01:00

Richard Curtis time-travel rom-com ABOUT TIME fuses TIME-TRAVELER'S WIFE (even casts McAdams) and GROUNDHOG DAY youtu.be/u2PUMA6nFWk
— Dan Owen (@danowen79) May 14, 2013

HBO's FAMILY TREE

2013-05-14T16:49:00.002+01:00

Christopher Guest is famous for writing, directing and appearing in many 'mockumentaries'; most famously rock spoof This is Spinal Tap, but also Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman, et al. His work was a sizeable influence on Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's The Office, so in a roundabout way he's responsible for the faux-documentary style that's dominated small-screen comedy since the turn-of-the-millennium. Surprisingly, HBO's Family Tree marks his first TV project in an estimable career, working with Jim Piddock (who also appears as Mr Pfister), and it mixes many of the things you associate with Guest both personally and creatively.

Guest's half-British and the fifth Baron of Saling in Essex, so given his strong associations with the UK, it's fitting that Family Tree has such a strong English component. It tells the story of Tom Chadwick (Chris O'Dowd), an unremarkable Irishman living in London, who inherits a box of artefacts from a great aunt after she passes away. In this opening episode he decides to investigate a photograph of a Victorian gentlemen who could be his great-grandfather, with the help of perky best-friend Pete Stupples (Tom Bennett), and over the course of the show he'll meet many weird and wonderful relatives he never knew he had.

It's a lovely idea for a comedy and O'Dowd is excellent in the role of Tom; which is by no means a stretch for him as an actor, but nobody does quiet befuddlement quite like O'Dowd. There's a great scene where Tom's on a date with a pretty young woman who accidentally reveals she thinks dinosaurs still exist, that becomes hilarious purely because of O'Dowd's response to such idiocy: politely agreeing with her preposterous views to keep the dinner date civil.

Expert casting is the key to Family Tree. Regular cohort Michael McKean appears as Tom's couch potato dad Keith, and real-life ventriloquist Nina Conti transplants her stage act with simian puppet 'Monk' to play Tom's sister Bea—a woman who's learned to filter her private thoughts through the cheeky chimp. She's already proven to be the highlight of the show in most American critic's minds, but it'll be interesting to see what British audiences make of Bea and her cynical monkey sidekick—because Nina's act isn't anything new to us, so it loses that sense of first discovery. But she is very good, and at least she's found a fresh platform for an act she's been peddling since winning the BBC New Comedy Awards in 2002.

Overall, this premier episode is something of an appetiser, but there's clear potential here for something memorably eccentric and enjoyable. Guest has a good sense of British humour and people (a running joke involving spoofs of UK shows felt quite accurate), and even McKean's accent was largely convincing. More importantly, I love the simply concept of Family Tree because it opens up all kinds of doors as Tom explores his eccentric family's genealogy, and most likely learns something about himself and his place in the world along the way.

written by Christopher Guest & Jim Piddock / directed by Christopher Guest / 12 May 2013 / HBO

MSN TV: BBC2's THE FALL

2013-05-14T16:30:00.000+01:00

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed the premiere of BBC2's five-part crime drama THE FALL, starring The X Files' Gillian Anderson as a London detective sent to Belfast to help catch a serial strangler...

The most notable thing about BBC2's five-part drama The Fall is how it immediately sets itself apart from whodunnits like Broadchurch, Sherlock, Endeavour and The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. We're immediately aware of who the culprit is because he stands in front of a mirror and takes a photograph of himself for posterity. This gives the show a different angle to most other crime dramas that are often propelled by a sense of mystery and audience's desire for the detectives to crack the case and unmask the villain.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

Fox greenlight 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY

2013-05-13T19:09:00.002+01:00

Fox have leaped at the chance to bring their long-running hit 24 back to life, after executive-producer Howard Gordon proposed a "limited event series" of 12 episodes, in the wake of the inability to get the long-awaited movie made. Kiefer Sutherland has agreed to reprise his role as Jack Bauer, in a story that takes place several years after season 8's conclusion. How old is Jack at this point? 60?

Similarly odd, the plan is to keep the show's signature "real time" format, but simply skip occasional hours to tell the usual 24-hour story in half that time. The rationale being that most seasons of 24 contained 12-hours of relevant plot and 12-hours of sub-plots and "filler". I guess this means the story can now take into consideration issues like transportation; so, for example, whenever Jack needs to take a flight somewhere they can skip an "uneventful" hour without having to create in-flight peril for him to deal with, etc.

20th Century Fox Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden released a statement saying that "when Howard [Gordon] came to us saying he had an idea for a new chapter of 24, he quite simply had us at 'hello'. 24 is a signature series for this studio, beloved by critics and audiences worldwide. Howard's idea to revive the franchise as an event series couldn't be timelier, and with the brilliant Kiefer Sutherland on board to reprise his iconic role, we can't wait to get started."

Brian Grazer, Imagine Television's Chairman, added that he's "... both excited and proud that Howard, Kiefer, and I, along with ours partners at 20th and Fox, have this new opportunity to give 24 fans what they've been asking for--more Jack Bauer. It's been my experience that people love Jack Bauer because he's a guy who cuts through the red tape and gets the hardest things done. I am certain 24: Live Another Day will again have a huge impact on our culture."

Kiefer Sutherland himself has commented that "... the response to 24 is unlike anything I have ever experienced as an actor before. To have the chance to reunite with the character, Jack Bauer, is like finding a lost friend. The story ideas from Howard Gordon are exciting and fresh, and will not disappoint. Great thanks to 20th Century Fox Television, Imagine Television, and the FOX network for this opportunity. Make no mistake, my goal is to knock your socks off. See you soon."

Howard Gordon, the man responsible for bring the show back, added that "Jack Bauer has always been an exciting, thrilling character, and I confess that I've missed him. I think the audience has too. The character has evolved through the years, and this new and exciting event series format is perfect to tell the next chapter of his story and continue to reflect how the world is changing. Fans can rest assured that the Jack they know and love will be back."

24: Live Another Day is scheduled for a May 2014 premiere.

Trailer: Netflix's ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

2013-05-13T16:37:00.001+01:00

Fans have waited seven years for Arrested Development's return (or a year, if you're a late-comer like me), after it was axed by Fox after three seasons. It's now become the flagship resurrection for online rental service Netflix, who've taken the strange decision to release all 15 episodes simultaneously around the world on 26 May.

We've already had the discussion about the pro's and con's of such a delivery, when all 13 episodes of House of Cards was likewise made available together, but Arrested Development's creator Mitchell Hurwitz promises it makes more sense in this show's case. It apparently won't even matter what order you watch them each instalment in, which sounds... um, odd. We'll have to see how successful this little experiment is, but the good news is a very funny sitcom is making a miraculous comeback. Netflix's 'miniseries' is also a primer for a feature-length movie Hurwitz still intends to make, too, so the Bluth family are most definitely BACK.

Oh, and the above trailer looks very funny. Not quite hilarious, but funny. I need more context for some of these jokes, but it made me smile and I love a good underdog story. It's just nice to see all of these characters and actors back, and every so slightly bizarre only Alia Shawkat appears to have aged.

MSN TV: ITV's THE SUSPICIONS OF MR WHICHER - 'The Murder in Angel Lane'

2013-05-13T16:18:00.001+01:00

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed the two-hour ITV crime drama THE SUSPICIONS OF MR WHICHER, a follow-up to their 2011 adaptation of Kate Summerscale's novel, starring Paddy Considine as the eponymous Victorian sleuth...

British drama has a tendency to produce Victorian-era dramas or murder-mysteries, so the temptation to mix the two must be hard to refuse. Just recently the BBC found success with Ripper Street, but ITV's The Suspicions of Mr Whicher actually pre-dates it by a few years. The 2011 TV adaptation of author Kate Summerscale's award-winning book (itself inspired by the real-life Constance Kent murder enquiry of 1860) was enough of a success for ITV to commission a follow-up. Only this time, the story is an original creation, as there are no literary sequels. In The Murder in Angel Lane, we catch up with Jack Whicher (Paddy Considine) after the events of The Murder at Road Hill House. He's now working as a 'private enquiry agent' after leaving the police force in disgrace.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

TV Picks: 13-19 May 2013 (Case Histories, The Dales, Eurovision Song Contest, The Fall, Frankie, Ice Age Giants, etc.)

2013-05-13T10:00:00.000+01:00

Below are my weekly picks of the most notable TV shows premiering/returning to UK screens...

MONDAY 13th

May the Best House Win (ITV, 2pm) New series where proud homeowners show off their houses to three judgemental strangers, in the hope of winning £1,000 at the end of the week. Narrated by Guy Porritt. (1/30)
Auction Hero (BBC2, 8pm) New series where antiques dealer Andrew Lamberty uses his skills to help various charities. (1/3)
The Dales (ITV, 8pm) Series 3 of the travelogue taking a look at the people and culture of the Yorkshire Dales. Hosted by Adrian Edmondson. (1/12)
Only Connect (BBC4, 8.30pm) Series 7 of the tough quiz show. Hosted by Victoria Coren Mitchell. (1/13)
PICK OF THE DAY The Fall (BBC2, 9pm) New crime drama about a London detective sent to Belfast to catch a serial killer who strangles women. Starring Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, Laura Donnelly, Bronagh Waugh & Ben Peel. (1/5)
Skint (Channel 4, 9pm) Documentary following the lives of Lincolnshire's unemployed. (1/3)

TUESDAY 14th

Eurovision Song Contest 2013: Semi-Final 1 (BBC3, 8pm) Coverage of the build-up to the Eurovision Song Contest. Hosted by Scott Mills & Ana Matronic. Continues Thursday & Friday. (1/3)
PICK OF THE DAY Frankie (BBC1, 9pm) New drama about a district nurse whose work takes over her private life. Starring Eve Myles, Dean Lennox Kelly, Derek Riddell, Julia Ford & Carla Henry. (1/6)

WEDNESDAY 15th

PICK OF THE DAY Playing Burton (Sky Arts 2, 9.35pm) Biopic of Hollywood legend Richard Burton, starring Josh Richards.

THURSDAY 16th

The Tube: An Underground History (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary on the world's first underground rail network in London, to celebrate its 150th anniversary.
PICK OF THE DAY Cutting Edge: The Murder Workers (Channel 4, 9pm) Documentary looking at members of the Victim Support's Homicide Service, who help people bereaved by murder or manslaughter.

FRIDAY 17th

Pappano's Essential Ring Cycle (BBC4, 7.30pm) Celebration of Wagner's birth with a guide to his four-part Ring Cycle.
PICK OF THE DAY Natural World (BBC2, 9pm) Wildlife special looking at why hundreds of leopards are being stoned to death in India.
Rock n' Roll Britannia (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary on the birth of British rock n' roll mujsic.

SATURDAY 18th

PICK OF THE DAY Eurovision Song Contest 2013 (BBC1, 8pm) Live coverage of the 58th annual singing competition's finale, where the UK is being represented by Bonnie Tyler.

SUNDAY 19th

Chelsea Flower Show (BBC1, 5pm) New series looking at the Royal Horticultural Society's centennial exhibition. (1/15)
Ashley Banjo's Dancing Darts Players (Sky1, 6.30pm) Follow-up to Ashley Banjo's Secret Street Crew in January 2013, showing how the winners did indeed join his Diversity dance troupe on-stage.
Ice Age Giants (BBC2, 8pm) New series where Professor Alice Roberts investigates creatures that dominated the Earth around 40,000 years ago. (1/3)
The British Soap Awards 2013 (ITV, 8pm) Annual awards ceremony.
PICK OF THE DAY Case Histories (BBC1, 8.30pm) Series 2 of the crime drama. Starring Jason Isaacs, Amanda Abbington, Zawe Ashton, Millie Innes, Victoria Wood, James Cosmo & Gary Lewis. (1/3)
Australia with Simon Reeve (BBC2, 9pm) Travel series looking at the people and wildlife of the enormous country Down Under. (1/3)

State of the Blog: 4 million hits!

2013-05-12T13:00:00.000+01:00

I've been forgetting to chime in with these situation updates, although I doubt they're anyone's favourite thing to read. But they do serve a purpose and let regular readers know what's going on with the blog.

Anyway, the big news is DMD has achieved 4,000,000 page hits since I started it back in March 2006. There's been a reduction in visitors over the past year, no doubt because there's generally less content because I've altered my reviewing habits. The days of 4-5 new posts every single day are sadly over, so it will probably take me much longer than 7-years to achieve 8 million hits. But hey, that's still a lot of people and I can't complain. I continue to be amazed we're talking in terms of millions here, as I still remember the days when cracking 100 hits in a day was cause for private celebration.

In other news, as you've undoubtedly realised, my work for MSN has really kicked up several gears in 2013. At times DMD feels more like a gateway to MSN UK's site, where I've been covering various TV premieres. This can't be avoided and I've enjoyed having a different outlet; particularly as it's taken me out of my comfort zone and made me look at more home-grown stuff. The trade-off is editorial decisions aren't mine, so reviews can be altered in odd grammatically ways sometimes. Nothing too serious, but I wonder if readers of DMD notice 'my voice' is different over at MSN. It's all about house styles, see.

However, while I've definitely made a conscious decision to limit episodic reviews because the workload was starting to take over my life, I like to think there's still good reasons to keep visiting DMD. There are still a number of shows I will review every week, I just won't risk wasting my time on things I'm not excited by or know people like reading about. Sometimes that means only Hannibal and Doctor Who is being reviewed with regularity, but things change throughout the year.

I've also made a bit more of an effort to write "features", like that Things Fictional Characters Never Do post (which was astonishingly popular), a brief revival of the old Where Are They Now? (focusing on American Gothic), and the new Argumentelly idea--which I'd love to continue after a three post trial, but is very hard to organise with other writers who are (a) very busy and (b) prefer to get paid. Understandably. And there were very few comments beneath each piece, so I'm not convinced readers liked it as much as I did.

I think all of those things are fun and stop the blog becoming simple a repository of reviews and occasional news. It's a bit strange, but non-review content actually tends to do a lot better in terms of page-hits here. I assume this is because not everyone watches the same shows I do, but everyone can enjoy a tongue-in-cheek argument, a list of amusing TV-related things, a trailer, etc.

Anyway, many thanks for visiting DMD over the years--particularly if you're a regular and tend to leave comments. It's the main thing that keep DMD going and keeps me interested. Here's to 4 million more!

DOCTOR WHO, 7.12 – 'A Nightmare in Silver'

2013-05-12T10:33:00.001+01:00

After his superb Doctor Who debut "The Doctor's Wife" (one of the best episodes of Steven Moffat's era), expectations were unreasonably high for the sophomore effort of renowned author Neil Gaiman (American Gods, Neverwhere). Sadly, "A Nightmare in Silver" was an episode overburdened with nonsense and whimsy; quickly becoming both repetitive and tiring. The only thing it did well was improve the design and logic of the Cybermen as callous villains; even if most of its improvements came from Star Trek's own cybernetic nemesis The Borg.

Neil Gaiman's approach to this episode was very much in the capricious style of Douglas Adams, with an abundance of wacky ideas spun together. It lacked the relative simplicity of his inaugural Doctor Who story and, for me, drowned under a weight of silliness rather quickly. The Doctor (Matt Smith) and Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) arrived at a derelict alien amusement park called Hedgewick's World; promising Angie (Eve de Leon Allen) and Artie (Kassius Carey Johnson), the children Clara looks after, to have some fun that quickly turns terrifying. After meeting showman Mr Webley (Being Human's Jason Watkins) who owns a Turk-style Cyberman (once the enemy of his people, defeated a millennia ago), the mechanical menaces soon awaken from hibernation to resume war.

There were a number of things I did enjoy about "A Nightmare in Silver", or at least felt must have worked on the page (where Doctor Who's budget is less of a concern). The ways in which the Cybermen were revamped were largely successful, even if most changes owed a debt to Star Trek's The Borg, who in turn owed a debt to the show's original Cybermen. Their silver suits were sleeker, voices creepier, body language more menacing, and Gaiman introduced the excellent idea of Cybermen now "upgrading" people by having earwig-like 'cybermites' burrow into host bodies to take over their minds. I also liked the idea of setting this idea in a decrepit futuristic theme park, which means it was also something of a loose Westworld remake. It's just a pity Gaiman's vision presumably had to be scaled back, with the majority of the episode taking place in and around a castle surrounded by coloured lights.

Unfortunately, too much of everything else contained problems of one kind or another. Considering Gaiman's brief from Steven Moffat was to make the Cybermen "scary again", the tone of the story was too madcap and goofy for any kind of tension to build or actual scares to be delivered. This was a particular shame given the galvanising episode title and the clear potential for these new-look Cybermen to be a dangerous and compelling threat at last. They're no longer just metal men marching around screeching "delete" in unison, thank heavens. So quite why Gaiman decided to put them in a story where Warwick Davies was running around dressed as a flying ace, joined by 'comedy soldiers' (the fat one, the ginger one), Mel from EastEnders, and two annoying children, is anyone's guess. I think we deserved something that felt more like the nightmare the title promised.

I also didn't like the execution of the interesting idea The Doctor had to fight for control of his own mind after he's been assimilated—sorry, "upgraded", by the 'Cyber Planner' using cybermites. This ultimately led to Matt Smith having far too many scenes where he was arguing with himself (sometimes in a nothern accent, sometimes not), in-between chintzy sequences visualising the 'good' and 'evil' Doctors having discussions within the Doctor's psyche. Smith gave it his best shot, but Gaiman's dialogue just wasn't strong enough in these scenes, and it soon became very undramatic and even embarrassing to watch him try and fail to make these scenes alternate between drama, comedy and horror.

On a similar note, I found Clara too bossy and annoying for large stretches, and it's increasingly clear non-Moffat writers don't know who they're writing for yet. (A common problem whenever a new companion joins.) Sometimes Clara's believably feisty, sometimes she's fearless and assertive, and occasionally she's the stereotypical damsel-in-distress. I just didn't accept Clara as the kind of person who would immediately step up to command an army of soldiers and fight hundreds of Cybermen in The Doctor's absence. Coleman's performance just hit a lot of wrong notes in general because of the writing.

Overall, "A Nightmare in Silver" is a good way to describe what Neil Gaiman went through with this script. He's a great writer with a fecund imagination (the literary version of Steven Moffat?), but he's equally guilty of letting his creativeness run away with itself. This story was too garbled and cluttered; lacking a firm narrative, while opting for an oddball tone that worked against making these tin men chill your blood. It was like inserting The Borg into Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

There were some fun ideas, a few cool visuals, and lots of excellent modifications to the Cybermen themselves, but I can't wait for another episode to use them effectively. Oh, and I'm overjoyed Artie and Angie have been dropped off home after one adventure, because they're even worse than Martha Jones's underused family.

written by Neil Gaiman / directed by Stephen Woolfenden / 11 May 2013 / BBC1

Next time...

'He Said, She Said' Prequel