Entries Tagged 'television' ↓

12 Monkeys (SyFy) Preview



The last few episodes of Lost reminded me of this Twilight Zone classic, "The Howling Man." A lost traveler comes upon a monastery harboring a dark secret. The monks claim to have captured... well, see for yourself.

Take a listen to this...



Now maybe it's just my imagination, but I hear a howl when Smokey's in attack mode. A little homage/inspiration perhaps?

Write on!

Two weeks since my last post?! I almost feel like apologizing. A couple of recent (and not so recent) thoughts....


V and Flash Forward are both done until March, but I can't say that I'll miss them terribly. After a shaky start, V has settled into guilty pleasure viewing, nothing more. Flash Forward has always felt like a blatant attempt by ABC to catch lightning in a bottle. There's been a lot of flailing around in the last couple of weeks. Characters with inconsistent behavior, dumb plotting, and the overload of soap opera elements -- who really cares about the Doc's quest to find his Japanese true love? Lots of retooling during hiatus, but will viewers return to see the results? I still can't believe the network doesn't have supplemental content to keep fans engaged during that long of a break.



Better than Twilight -- yeah, I know, that's not saying much, but still.. Occasionally, more often than we'd like to admit, bad/cheesy stories sell. But don't just dismiss it as dumb luck. Understand that these stories are bypassing the head and speaking directly to the hearts of their intended audience. Can your stories do the same?


So I (finally) settled on my procedural and I'm getting there. Made some huge strides a few days ago. Early on, I promised myself that I wouldn't hastily throw something together just for the sake of a contest. No need to add another ill conceived idea to my unfinished spec graveyard. If this contest doesn't work out, I still have a pretty good start for a feature. The details for the first act are almost fleshed out. My biggest adversary is time. I suspect the contest will reach 1500 entries well before the January deadline. A productive weekend is a must.

Crazy


In search of inspiration, I revisited Raines on Hulu, the short-lived Jeff Goldblum series from a couple years ago about a detective who interacts with hallucinations of murder victims as he works their cases. More grounded than something like Ghost Whisperer, it's an intriguing premise that doesn't quite take off. Goldblum's great as a man battling to maintain his sanity, but too many of the episodes were hit or miss.



I also caught Mad Detective on Sundance's Asia Extreme. A brilliant-but-not-all-there former cop (there was an "incident" involving an ear) who claims he can see people's inner personalities, as well as the ghost of his wife. Think an insane Asian Columbo. A young detective enlists his help with a baffling case. Surprised this hasn't been remade for the States, probably just a matter of time... *googling* ... which will be sooner than later, according to this blurb in Variety.

I got bored with straight procedurals like Law & Order and C.S.I. years ago, but audiences still can't seem to get enough of them. The challenge for me is to find a happy medium -- hey, that's a thought...

Heroes meets Skins



Misfits is an upcoming UK series about five delinquents who get superpowers after being struck by lightning. Invisible Dude, Time Traveling Guy, Mind Reader Girl and Aphrodisiac Chick so far -- BTW, those are my nicknames. The fifth guy hasn't shown any special abilities... yet. Don't know about this one, but it can't be any worse than the current season of Heroes.

Point Pleasant Revisited



Remember this? Way back in 2005, a lifetime ago, I blogged about the short-lived supernatural drama regarding Satan's hot daughter and her struggle against a dark destiny. I recently caught the full 13 episode run during a marathon on Chiller -- really need to get out more. Anyway, it came across much campier than I remembered, much of it intentional. I now see how the show's creators could've played it safe and went with the typical vanilla drama, but they tried something different. Much belated props for that.

Near the end, Christina was acting like a Buffy villain, with the quips and everything! In case you're curious, nothing monumental happens in the finale. Christina goes over to the dark side, but she still has a sliver of good somewhere inside -- at least that's what some characters would like to believe. Ah, closure. Now I have one less thing to wonder about... is it time for those Nicholl's emails yet?

Eastwick Promo Trailer



Looks like a watered-down "Desperate Housewives" meets "Charmed". Three latent witches accidentally summon a devilish rogue to their quaint little town, (supernatural) hijinks ensue. Is this concept really capable of a 100 episode run? I have a hard time seeing it, but I felt the same way about "Charmed" when it debuted, so what the bleep do I know?

Deal Breaker?


So Kirk Acevedo is off "Fringe" and Meghan Markle joins the cast -- used to be one of the "Deal or No Deal" show-models -- as a junior FBI agent. Charlie was the skeptic. He didn't buy into the crazy theories, just did his job. Kinda like Skinner on "X-Files". Might screw up the dynamic. I also read that a slew of new writers are being brought in. Just when the show had started to find its legs....

"Mutant Chronicles" is exactly what you'd expect from a sci-fi zombie movie. Decent cast -- I didn't get the Pras from the Fugees cameo. Apparently, John Malkovich will agree to *any* script thrown in his direction.... maybe I should get his contact info! Simple, silly story. Struggles when it tries to go beyond the limited budget. Murky shadows and digital blood splatter can only go so far. I think plans for a theatrical release fell through.

Stuck in the mud with the new script -- okay, stuck is the wrong word. I have options, I just don't like any of 'em. Think I'll work on something else until inspiration strikes. I have an idea for a low budget thriller that I'd like to get off the ground anyway. By hook or by crook, I'm gonna start and finish two scripts this year.

Vamp Diaries Preview



Wasn't planning on another post about a show that has yet to air, but this extended preview recently popped up on youtube. Noticed some tweaks to the script. Turned out a little better than I expected. Judge for yourself...

Vampire Diaries



It's always hard to judge pilots, but there's a considerable amount of cheese wafting off the pages. Equal parts angsty teen soap and paranormal romance, "Vampire Diaries" disappoints at both. Starts off with a double-murder by supernatural means. Enter mysterious new (stud)ent with an obvious attraction to our female protagonist -- still mourning the loss of her parents. Throw in a jackass kid brother, annoying friends/frenemies, another attack and I guess we're supposed to be enthralled by it all. Did I mention the mind-numbing voice-overs when the two leads scribble in their journals?

We all know what the CW is trying to do here, but "Vampire Diaries" only succedes at making "Twilight" look like Romeo and Juliet. Not an interesting character in sight. Cringe-worthy dialogue at times -- surprising since Kevin Williamson is credited as a co-writer. With so many clichés coming at you left and right, you'll start to feel psychic. "Buffy" had the good sense to turn clichés on their heads, "Diaries" just hopes you're too young to know them.

Now I'm not the target audience, so maybe Tween girls will eat it up with a spoon -- casting did an excellent job. The books were enough of a success for someone to try and turn them into a series, which is all that seems to matter these days.

Throwback Thurdays: The Midnight Hour



Another 80s TV movie I found on youtube. This one is about teens fooling around with magic in a cemetery... unwittingly raising various creatures of the night. And since it's Halloween, they blend right in. Lots of bad acting, bad make up -- plus a song and dance number! This clip opens up with my favorite scene: hot girl alone in the wine cellar with a mysterious woman. You might recognize the song here, "How Soon Is Now" by The Smiths, also used in "The Craft" and the theme song for "Charmed".

“V” upfront trailer



I had my doubts about Morena Baccarin as the alien leader, but I like this softer take on the character. Lots of familiar tv sci-fi faces in the cast.