"Fringe" - TV review

Last night I watched the 1-1/2 hour series premiere of "Fringe," the new sci-fi series on Fox that was created by J. J. Abrams, who is also responsible for "Lost," which I think this is best show currently on television.  Considering that I had been severely disappointed with the most recent new series I'd tuned in to see (that would be "90210"), I was hoping "Fringe" would be a success rather than a bust.  And good news; it most definitely is a success.  In fact, if it keeps up the quality of the pilot, I could easily see this being a show we'll be watching for some time.

The series centers around Olivia Dunham (newcomer Anna Torv), an FBI special agent who gets drawn into a series of strange events happening all over the world that people are calling "the Pattern."  In the first episode, she is brought in to help investigate what happened to the passengers and crew of an international flight that landed in Boston airport with no signs of life (Abrams sure seems to have a thing for problems involving airplanes, doesn't he?).  After the life of her partner is put in jeopardy, she tracks down Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble from "Lord of the Rings"), a scientist who was once famous for conducting experiments involving "fringe science" (teleportation, mind control, etc), but has been rotting away in a mental hospital for 17 years.  In order to get to him, Dunham is forced to find and bring in his estranged son, Peter (Joshua Jackson, whom some of you may remember as Pacey on "Dawson's Creek").

Although there are some similarities in tone and style to "Lost," "Fringe" most closely resembles "The X-Files," as it seems to focus more on mystery-of-the-week plot-lines rather than a series-long mystery (which should make it much easier for people to get into and follow).  Thankfully, the makers of "Fringe" focus just as much on the relationships between the characters as they do on the science-fiction elements.  Torv, Noble and Jackson all have great chemistry together, and the show doesn't look as if it'll get bogged down in conspiracy theories and such (as many people believe "The X-Files" and "Lost" did in later seasons).

If you missed the premiere last night, Fox will be re-airing it at 8pm on Sunday, and new hour-long episodes will air Tuesdays at 9pm.  Whether you're a fan of sci-fi or just great television, you absolutely owe it to yourself to check out "Fringe."  It's easily the best new series of this year.

What's new on DVD and CD this week: 9/9/08

Here are this week’s new DVD and CD releases:

DVD

The Fall

Grey’s Anatomy: Season 4

Baby Mama

The Forbidden Kingdom

CSI: Miami: Season 6

In Treatment

Smallville: Season 7

Ugly Betty: Season 2

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: Season 3

Medium: Season 4

Fox Horror Classics Collection: Volume 2

The Big Lebowski: 10th Anniversary Edition

Brian Regan: The Epitome of Hyperbole (stand-up comedy)

CD

Gym Class Heroes - “The Quilt”

Tricky - “Knowle West Boy”

LL Cool J - “Exit 13”

Dar Williams - “Promised Land”

Civet - “Hell Hath No Fury”

Calexico - “Carried to Dust”

The Dead Science - “Villainaire”

Horse Feathers - “House With No Home”

The New Year - “The New Year”

People In Planes - “Beyond The Horizon”

The Shaky Hands - “Lunglight”

The Sound of Animals Fighting - “The Ocean and the Sun”

Static Thought - “The Motive For Movement”

BREAKING NEWS on Batman 3 villains!

Hey everybody; I just read this and had to post it.

Michael Caine, aka the legendary actor who plays Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred, has stated that he has talked to the studio and they've told him the new villains that will appear in the next Batman film and the actors who will be playing them.

According to Caine, Johnny Depp has signed on as The Riddler, and Philip Seymour Hoffman will be stepping into the role of The Penguin.  While Johnny Depp has been rumored to be interested in playing The Riddler for a while now, the addition of The Penguin to the cast is pretty surprising; as I've reported before, director and co-writer Chris Nolan has said that he doesn't like The Penguin as a villain and would never use him in a film.  Maybe he's had a change of heart or something; I imagine seeing Hoffman take on the role could change anybody's mind.

Of course, this could all turn out to be either a joke by Caine (who is fond practical jokes) or misinformation.  But from what I've seen it appears to be legit, and whatever the truth turns out to be it'll definitely give Bat-fans something to discuss heatedly for quite a while...

What do guys think about these choices?  I'm all up for casting the Hoff, and while I was holding onto the rather small hope of seeing "Doctor Who" star David Tennant take on The Riddler, I'm pretty sure Depp would provide quite an interesting spin on the character.

What’s new in theaters this week: 9/5/08

Here are the films released in theaters today:

Opening in Wide Release:

• Bangkok Dangerous - Nic Cage is a cold-blooded hit man who heads to Bangkok to pull off a series of jobs and winds up falling in love with a local girl.  This is a remake of the Asian film of the same name and directed by the same guys (the Pang brothers, who have also directed “The Messengers” and the original Asian versions of “The Eye”  series).  I like their work and I like Nic Cage, but this film doesn’t get me very excited; might be worth waiting to see on DVD.  Rated R.
  

Opening in Selected Release:

• Everybody Wants To Be Italian - A lovelorn fishmonger, after years of trying to win back his ex-girlfriend, gets involved in a romantic case of mistaken ethnicity.  Looks like a fun little rom-com with an Italian twist.  Rated R.
• Mister Foe - A twisted Freudian tale about a teenager who fancies his step-mother until he becomes convinced that she murdered his mother.  I know that makes it sound like a really dark film, but the trailer makes it look like a really interesting and cool little dark-comedy.  And it stars Jamie Bell (“King Kong,” “Jumper”), one of my favorite modern actors.  I’d recommend looking out for this one.  Rated R.
• Ping Pong Playa - A trash-talkin' suburban slacker discovers his true gift as a ping pong player to defend his family's honor at a local tournament.  This film looks like it succeeds where “Balls of Fury” failed... making a very funny movie about ping pong.  Rated PG-13.
• A Secret - Francois, a solitary, imaginative child, invents for himself a brother as well as the story of his parents’ past. But on his fifteenth birthday, he discovers a dark family secret that ties his family’s history to the Holocaust and shatters his illusions forever.  I saw the trailer for this movie a while ago and it looks really good.  It also helps that French actress Cecile De France (“High Tension,” “L’auberge Espagnole,” “Around the World in 80 Days” [the version w/ Jackie Chan]) co-stars in the film.  She’s one of the best actresses working today; I try to see everything she does.  Not rated, but may contain some adult content.

News of the World - 9/4/08

Here are some of today’s headlines:

• There’s going to be a new LIVE-ACTION “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie!  Considering “TMNT” was my number one obsession as a youngster, I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or start jumping up and down with glee.  Hey, it worked for “Transformers,” didn’t it?
• Even though the answer has been echoed by everyone in the know (including the movie’s screenplay), Aaron Eckhart has confirmed that Harvey “Two-Face” Dent did indeed die at the end of “The Dark Knight” and will not be re-appearing in the next Batman film (which has currently been dubbed “The Caped Crusader”). 
• So, with both Two-Face and the Joker gone, what villains will be making an appearance in the next trip to Gotham City?  While nothing’s been confirmed, the most consistent rumor is that we’ll be seeing the Riddler, and many possible names have been attached (chief among them are Johnny Depp, Guy Pearce and David Tennant from “Doctor Who”).  Some other rumors have included Harley Quinn, the Joker’s obsessed protege (Kristen Bell from “Veronica Mars”/”Heroes” has been attached to that rumor), and Catwoman, though whether she would be a villain or ally is up for question (Angelina Jolie has expressed interest in playing her).  But one villain is definitely out of the running: the Penguin.  Director/co-writer Chris Nolan has stated that he hates that character and will never use him (sorry Danny DeVito).
• Tuesday’s two-hour premiere of “90210” got huge ratings... but it also got terrible reviews from both critics and regular TV viewers, so, like I said, expect this series to die a relatively quick death.
• Want some more movie sequel news?  There’s going to be an “Evil Dead 4,” and yes, it will be directed by Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell as Ash.
• And finally, two of the best series nobody watched while they were actually on TV are now getting big-screen sequels: “Arrested Development,” the award-winning comedy series that eventually turned Jason Bateman (“Juno,” “Hancock”), Will Arnett (“Blades of Glory,” “Horton Hears A Who”) and Michael Cera (“Superbad,” “Juno”) into stars, and “Veronica Mars,” the highly-praised teen detective dramedy series that starred Kristen Bell (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Heroes”).  Both of these projects are currently in the earliest stages of development, but if I were you I’d start catching up with both these great series on DVD immediately.

"90120" review & Matty G's September TV viewing schedule

So, last night was the premiere of "90210," the new and very hyped CW remake/relaunch/revamp??? of the classic "Beverly Hills 90210."  I watched it, and, well, it was terrible.  Keep in mind that I loved "The OC" and liked "Gossip Girl" for a little while.  But yeah, this show is unbelievably dumb; it makes me miss "Veronica Mars" even more.  The cast is bland and boring, with the exception of the returning "BH90210" cast (Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty) and Jessica Walter, who some of you make remember as Lucille Bluth on "Arrested Development," as the alcoholic grandmother; unfortunately her limited presence just makes one miss "Arrested Development" even more.  And they keep using slang that I’m pretty sure hasn’t been used by anyone since the original "BH90210" aired (have you heard anybody say “dope” lately?  EVER!?!).  I predict this show will die pretty soon... if you like this kind of stuff (and, honestly, who doesn’t enjoy faux-tawdry high school exploits?), I strongly advise you just watch "Gossip Girl" instead (or re-watch "The OC," or even better, go check out "Veronica Mars" on DVD!).

But it gave me an idea: now that all the television shows are coming back, I’ve decided to compile a list of what I will be watching on TV this month (this will change a bit in October, as some other series won’t be returning until then - and I will update you all when it comes time).  Plus, I’ve even added the other series returning, just in case they might be of interest to some of you.

(note: I only marked "90210," "America's Next Top Model" and "Bones" as having two-hour premiere episodes because they are the only ones I'm aware of.  You may want to keep in mind that some of these other shows maybe having longer premieres as well)

Sunday

What I’ll be watching:

• Mad Men - 10-11pm, AMC  (currently airing)
  

What I’ll be watching on DVD (because I don’t get HBO, unfortunately):

• True Blood - 9-10pm, HBO (premieres 9/7) (it's a new series about hot vampires, so naturally I'm interested)
• Entourage - 10-10:30pm, HBO (premieres 9/7)

Monday

What I’ll be watching:

• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/8)
• Heroes - 9-10pm, NBC (premieres 9/22; will start re-airing at same time on Tuesdays on G4)

What I’m considering checking out now: 

• Life - 10-11pm, NBC (premieres 9/29)
  

What I’m considering checking out someday eventually:

• How I Met Your Mother - 8:30-9pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• One Tree Hill - 9-10pm, the CW (premiered this week)

What I won’t be watching:

• Gossip Girl - 8-9pm, the CW (premiered this week)
• Prison Break - 8-9pm, FOX (premiered this week)
• Dancing With The Stars - 8-8:30pm, ABC (premieres 9/22)
• Big Bang Theory - 8-8:30pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• Two & A Half Men - 9-9:30pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• America’s Toughest Jobs - 9-10pm, NBC (currently airing)
• Worst Week - 9:30-10pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• Boston Legal - 10-11pm, ABC (premieres 9/22)
• CSI: Miami - 10-11pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• Chuck - 8-9pm, NBC (premieres 9/29)

Tuesday

What I’ll be watching:

• Fringe - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/9)
  

What I’ll be watching on DVD (because I don’t get BBC America, unfortunately):

• Gavin & Stacey - 8:40-9:20pm, BBC America (currently airing)
  

What I’m considering checking out now:

• The Mentalist - 9-10pm, CBS (premieres 9/23; never heard of it before, but looks kind of interesting)
  

What I’m considering catching up with on DVD eventually:

• House - 9-10pm, FOX (premieres 9/16)
• The Shield - 10-11pm, FX (premiered this week)

What I won’t be watching:

• 90210 - 8-9pm, the CW (premiered this week, two-hour premiere)
• Privileged - 9-10pm, the CW (premieres 9/9)
• Biggest Loser - 8-9pm, NBC (premieres 9/16)
• Opportunity Knocks - 8-8:30pm, ABC (premieres 9/23)
• NCIS - 8-9pm, CBS (premieres 9/23)
• The Secret Life of the American Teenager - 8-9pm, ABC Family (currently airing)
• Greek - 9-10pm, ABC Family (currently airing)
• Without A Trace - 10-11pm, CBS (premieres 9/23)
• Law & Order: SVU - 10-11pm, NBC (premieres 9/23)

Wednesday

What I’ll be watching:

• America’s Next Top Model - 8-9pm, the CW (premieres 9/3, two-hour premiere)
  

What I’ll be taping and then watching directly after ANTM (at least for this month):

• Bones - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/3, two-hour premiere)
  

What I won’t be watching:

• ‘Til Death - 8-8:30pm, FOX (premieres 9/10)
• New Adventures of Old Christine - 8-8:30pm, CBS (premieres 9/24)
• Gary Unmarried - 8:30-9pm, CBS (premieres 9/24)
• Criminal Minds - 9-10pm, CBS (premieres 9/24)
• Project Runway - 9-10pm, BRAVO (currently airing)
• Do Not Disturb - 9:30-10pm, FOX (premieres 9/10)
• Top Design - 10-11pm, BRAVO (currently airing)
• CSI: NY - 10-11pm, CBS (premieres 9/24)
• Lipstick Jungle - 10-11pm, NBC (premieres 9/24)

Thursday

What I’ll be watching:

• The Office - 9-9:30pm, NBC (premieres 9/25)
  

What I won’t be watching:

• Hole In The Wall - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/11)
• Smallville - 8-9pm, the CW (premieres 9/18)
• Ugly Betty - 8-9pm, ABC (premieres 9/25)
• Survivor: Gabon - 8-9pm, CBS (premieres 9/25)
• My Name Is Earl - 8-8:30pm, NBC (premieres 9/25)
• Kitchen Nightmares - 9-9:30pm, FOX (premieres 9/11)
• Supernatural - 9-10pm, the CW (premieres 9/18)
• Grey’s Anatomy - 9-10pm, ABC (premieres 9/25)
• ER - 10-11pm, NBC (premieres 9/25)

Friday

What I’ll be watching:

• Apparently nothing.
  

What I won’t be watching:

• Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/5)
• Don’t Forget The Lyrics! - 9-10pm, FOX (premieres 9/12)

Saturday

What I’ll watch now and then, but not consistently:

• Saturday Night Live - 11:30-1am, NBC (premieres 9/13)
  

What I won’t be watching:

• Cops - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/6)
• MadTV - 11-12am, FOX (premieres 9/13)

What's new on DVD and CD this week: 9/2/08

Here’s this week’s new DVD and CD releases:

DVD

Then She Found Me

Married Life

The Promotion

Itty Bitty Titty Committee

Outsourced

Jet Li’s Fist Of Legend

Ballet Shoes

The Big Bang Theory: Season 1

Eli Stone: Season 1 

Life: Season 1 

Supernatural: Season 3

Ghost Whisperer: Season 3 

The Office: Season 4 

Desperate Housewives: Season 4

Ghost Hunters: Live From Waverley Sanitarium

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Doctor Who (the Tom Baker years): Invasion Of Time; Invisible Enemy & K-9 and Company

Transformers (blu-ray edition)

CD

Underoath - “Lost In The Sound Of Separation” 

Into Eternity - “The Incurable Tragedy” 

Rodney Crowell - “Sex and Gasoline”

Chemical Brothers - “Brotherhood”

New Kids On The Block - “The Block”

Blessed By A Broken Heart - “Pedal To The Metal”

T.K. Webb & The Visions - “Ancestor”

Toxic Holocaust - “An Overdose Of Death”

Lila Downs - “Shake Away”

Terrence Howard - “Shine Through It”

Young Jeezy - “The Recession”

Giant Sand - “Provisions”

Sonya Kitchell - “This Storm”