Initial thoughts about “There’s No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3″ are now posted on my Lost blog. Given the hour, I must get some sleep now.
Good morning, and happy Friday.
*UPDATE: New, additional theories are now posted. Have a nice weekend!
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There are two new shows which have just been given the green light, both of which immediately earn a TiVO season pass in my house.
FRINGE
You had me at ‘written and produced by J.J. Abrams.”
To me, this series seems to be the long overdue and successful heir apparent to The X-Files. The cast includes Lance Reddick from The Wire (who has been making mysterious appearances as Matthew Abbadon on Lost as well) and Joshua Jackson (who appears to have finally shed his Pacey image from Dawson’s Creek).
And although I’ve been openly critical of Transformers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (who wrote the film and are writing the sequel) are now head writers on Fringe. They also scripted J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek movie, so I may have misjudged them, and will be eager to see their words come to life in this new series.
Click here to view the Fringe trailer (but fear not, Lost fans…though this particular scene takes place on an airplane, the show is not at all similar to the look, feel and characters of Lost). I also suggest bookmarking the excellent Fringe TV site as your go-to resource for the show from here on out. And make sure to check out the fantastic promo posters, like the one above. Love it.
DOLLHOUSE
Two words: Joss Whedon.
The writer, producer and director of fan favorite/cult classic series’ Serenity, Angel, Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer describes Dollhouse as “a suspense drama about a girl who can have any personality
except her own.” In the press, the show has been compared to everything from the film Total Recall to Alias, The Pretender and Quantum Leap.
Click here to view the trailer. And make sure to bookmark Dollverse and Whedonesque for all related show info.
[spoiler alert: if you have not seen this yet, minor details that may be considered spoilers are contained below; read at your own risk]
The arrival and success of Iron Man marks the end of a long drought in the cinematic landscape. It has kicked off what is destined to be a summer of blockbusters, and reinvigorated both the industry and a sea of eager fans who have been crawling along the movie desert without an oasis for quite some time now.
Directed by multi-hyphenate Jon Favreau (who’s previous stints behind the camera have included Zathura and Elf), Iron Man is action packed and tech savvy. It maintains a decent pace, and the story is compelling enough to fill the two hours without thinking about the length as you watch.
I expected to be entertained, but was pleasantly surprised by the acting in Iron Man. After all, most comic book adaptations are known for stellar performances by the CGI teams, and not the humans who play-act in front of green screens.
Despite Robert Downey Jr.’s personal issues, his talent has always been obvious and admirable. He has clearly shed lingering demons for this particular role, and offers up a franchise superhero with more wit and intelligence than most of the flawed men who jump with capes and powers from the small pages to the big screen.
Jeff Bridges makes an excellent corporate villain. It’s amazing how much a bald head enhances one’s menace. Although many will forever align Bridges as The Dude from The Big Lebowski, I’ve always been partial to 1984′s Starman.
It’s no secret that I have never been on Team Gywnnie, but Paltrow is actually pretty tolerable and likable in Iron Man. She more than holds her own as a female Alfred to Tony Stark, Iron Man’s emotionally unavailable alter-ego. And Terrence Howard plays the perfect patient sidekick to Downey’s crazy genius; I look forward to more of him in the sequel.
pop culture tangent
Lost fans may recognize actor Faran Tahir, who plays lead terrorist Raza in Iron Man. He appeared briefly in “The Shape of Things to Come” two episodes ago, as Widmore’s man in Iraq (the one that Sayid killed when he cornered Ben).
Everyone has their favorite superhero and/or cartoon, and so they view movie adaptations of them with specific personal criteria. Mine just happen to be acting, story and cheese factor. I am a big fan of the Superman, X-Men and Batman film franchises (especially the reinvented Chris Nolan series), and loathe the Spider-Man trilogy and Transformers.
To me, the acting in Spider-Man just killed all three films, whereas horrible dialogue, gratuitous violence and sexism ruined Transformers.
What I love about Iron Man (at least compared to the movies above) is that it combines seamless special effects with a good script and performances, plus eye-opening technology that doesn’t seem unrealistic and campy. In addition, the relationships between the main characters aren’t forced or insincere, and there is an actual and obvious heart and humanity beneath the machinery and superhero facade.
Overall, I highly recommend Iron Man
for almost everyone. The film landed a PG-13 rating (for gun and war violence),
but I think it’s pretty tame family fare for ages 10 and up.
** NOTE: Although I was not aware of it at the time and thus did not stay for it, there is an extra scene after the credits roll for Iron Man, so stay in your seats for the duration!
