Film

An archive of blog entries about films and film production.

US TV

Review: Day Break 1×1-1×2 (US: ABC; UK: Bravo)

16 November 2006 Rob Buckley 4 Comments

In the US: Wednesdays, 9/8c, ABC
In the UK: Bravo, starting in the Spring

Groundhog Day is one of those movies that has entered the vernacular. We all know what someone means when they say they’re having a “Groundhog Day”. It’s so all-pervasive and clever an idea, virtually every science fiction and fantasy show of the last decade, from Stargate SG-1 to Xena: Warrior Princess, has had its Groundhog Day episode, in which the lead keeps waking up on the same day, over and over again, until something’s fixed.

I’ll tell you one show that hasn’t though: 24. Until now that is. Because in the great 12-week lull until Lost returns next year, ABC has given us Day Break, something that marries the excitement and tension of 24 with a day that just keeps repeating.

Continue reading “Review: Day Break 1×1-1×2 (US: ABC; UK: Bravo)”

Superman II returns

9 November 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Superman II had a slightly chequered history. Director Richard Donner shot it and Superman back to back, but after disagreements with the producers, he was replaced on the second movie by Richard Lester. Now, after much fan clamouring, he was given a chance to have another go and the results are now being shown in select cinemas/theaters and on DVD.

IGN has some clips from the new print so you can decide which version you like better. Actually, I think I like Lester’s version, but your mileage may vary.

While I was gone…

9 November 2006 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

…the following exciting things happened:

  • Happy Hour and Eamonn Holmes’ game show The Rich List appear to have been cancelled. It’s not official yet, though. That’s mighty impressive for our Eamonn, since Fox only aired The Rich List once.
  • 20 Good Years has also been shot in the head and buried in the back garden where, hopefully, the neighbours won’t find it. Surprisingly, for a show clearly intended for the over-60s market, the reason for its execution was lack of success in the 18-49 demographic.
  • The wonderful Dexter has been picked up for a second season. Yey!
  • Studio 60 has been picked up for a full season. Half a yey: it’s getting better, but it’s still not there yet, as far as I’m concerned. Find some more targets to be funny about except Christians, Aaron Sorkin. When even the characters start complaining that the show’s sole target for satire is Christianity, you know you need to start thinking about other things to avoid becoming a one-note show.
  • John Corbett is to appear in a US version of the Beeb’s Manchild. That appears to be a slight format change, since the original, which starred Nigel Havers, Anthony Head, Don Warrington and Ray Burdis, was about men in their 50s.
  • David Tennant is ‘cagey’ about whether he’ll commit to another series of Doctor Who after the next one.
  • British actress Lena Headey is to play Sarah Connor in Terminator spin-off series The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Really, you just can’t move for Brits in US shows these days.
  • Men in Trees has been picked up for a whole season and given Six Degrees’ time slot. I knew I should have waited till the fifth episode before dropping it. Damn. The latter show isn’t coming back till January at the earliest. Seeing as I stopped watching it in the middle of the last episode, thanks to near-terminal boredom, that’s not too upsetting.
  • Jericho is to emulate Lost and take a 12-week hiatus before returning in February. The aim is to avoid re-runs, which can spell death in the ratings for serialised dramas.
  • The Nine, which I said from the beginning was rubbish but no-one else seemed to believe me, is getting duller by the week and looks like it’s not long for this world.
  • NBC is to remake The IT Crowd.
  • Martin Scorsese is to make television shows. Maybe.

It’s all go when I’m away, isn’t it?

The Bourne Ultimatum gets its baddie

2 November 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

It’s already filming yet until now, it didn’t have a baddie. Now The Bourne Ultimatum, the last in the original Robert Ludlum trilogy to be filmed with Matt Damon as Jason Bourne/David Webb, has got itself an evil Spanish-speaking assassin at last: Edgar Ramirez. You might have seen him in that Keira Knightley rubbish, Domino, but that’s unlikely.

Why Spanish-speaking? No idea, although the villain of the book, The Bourne Ultimatum, is Carlos The Jackal, the infamous Caracas-born terrorist. Interestingly, Carlos’ real name was Ilich Ramírez Sánchez and Edgar Ramirez was also born in Caracas. However, Ramirez will be playing an assassin called Paz. Fun parallels though, right?

The Hughes Brothers to direct Kung Fu

2 November 2006 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

The talented Hughes brothers have won the coveted chance to direct the movie version of Kung Fu. I’m actually starting to look forward to it now, since Warner Brothers have put some actual talent to work and they’re intent on preserving the “zen spirit” of the show. The Hughes brothers have also approached the Shaolin Temple outside Beijing – to do what, I don’t know, but that shows a certain sensitivity to the subject matter that I wasn’t expecting.