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The ten episodes that comprise Series [season] Two of Pie in the Sky originally aired in the winter of 1995. Such is the show’s writing, direction and acting that it remains as entertaining now as it was then. The series stars Richard Griffiths [best know as Harry Potter’s Uncle Vernon] as Henry Crabbe; a semi-retired detective inspector who has opened a restaurant [in his wife’s name for legal reasons] called Pie in the Sky.
New York City. Summer. It’s hot and muggy and Richard Castle, the bestselling mystery writer has fallen into another mystery even as he scrambles to finish his Nikki Heat novel. As usual, Castle is procrastinating – and this summer he has a shiny new toy to play with thanks to his daughter, Alexis, who has made the mistake of introducing her father to Twitter.
While the Castles vacation in The Hamptons, a foot washes up on the beach. The police think it’s a shark attack but Castle, as usual, thinks it might be something more. And now he has put himself in the middle of the investigation, tweeting his theories as he goes. The police are amused, but could he be right?
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On Thursday evening [CBS, 10/9C], CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will go where it has never gone before – a science fiction convention. Hodges [Wallace Langham] and Wendy [Liz Vassey] are attending WhatIfItCon when they run into each other. She’s dressed as Yeoman Malloy from Astro Quest, a Star Trek-like classic SF series, while he’s carrying a very tricorder-like prop from the show. Before they can get over their amazement at encountering each other in such unlikely circumstances, the dead body of Jonathan Danson [Reg Rogers] is discovered in the captain’s chair on a replica AQ set constructed for the con.
When it’s discovered that Danson’s downbeat re-imagining of the series caused a major uproar, suddenly the list of possible suspects increases exponentially. Dr. Penelope Russell [Battlestar Galactica’s Kate Vernon], who is making a documentary on the AQ phenomenon; Melinda Carver Jaime Ray Newman], Danson’s financier, and one particular trio of fans would seem to be the most likely candidates, but can anyone else be ruled out?
The title A Space Oddity works on three levels: it serves as a reference to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Pace Odyssey [as parodied by Mad Magazine]; it was the title of David Bowie’s third album – the one that made him a rock star, and it reflects on the sometimes overly zealous way fans can fixate on a beloved series/movie/novel. On yet another level, it could be a reference to an imagined romance between Hodges and Wendy, in an Astro Quest setting… And wait until you see the reference to the Klingon language! Don’t blink, though, or you’ll miss Galactica creator Ronald D. Moore’s cameo.
Written by Galactica veterans David Weddle and Bradley Thompson [from a story by Naren Shankar], A Space Oddity is a well constructed mystery that makes use of fannish temperament, professional jealousy, and even the set of the Astro Quest bridge to full advantage. The romantic imaginings of Hodges and Wendy make a fun counterpoint to the grimmer aspects of the mystery – and you will not believe what classic Star Trek phrase ends the teaser… Michael Nankin [another Galactica veteran] deftly weaves the dark, the prosaic and the humorous of the episode together to create an entertaining CSI investigation.
Final Grade: A-
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Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys is an odd and interesting manga. It’s about a group of men who formed a club when they were kids and now find the symbol they used for their club appearing in their adult lives.
As Kenji and his friends come together for the funeral of one of their old gang, Kenji receives a letter from the deceased – a letter that includes the symbol [which the others in the gang have long since forgotten]. At the same time, there is a mysterious fellow who calls himself Friend, who performs feats, like levitation, above a stage floor on which is inscribed the circle. There’s also a mysterious girl who is troubled by unusual noises that emanate from something big in the night.
Disappearing families, deaths made to appear to be suicides, seeming supermen – and the evilest twins in history – make for an exciting read. Urasawa balances the mundane and the unusual with deftness. He has a gift for delineating a solid character with a minimum of information, and his layouts are fresh and frequently subtle. The story’s complexities – it frequently moves between time periods and groups of characters – are intriguing, and Urasawa builds layers of mystery which each shift.
I finished the two hundred-pages of Volume One: Friends in almost no time at all. Indeed, 20th Century Boys practically read itself to me – Urasawa’s storytelling skills are that sharp. If this isn’t classic storytelling, I don’t know what is.
Final Grade: A
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The winter premiere of The Closer [Mondays, TNT, 9/8C] is following a pretty hard act – it’s mid-season cliffhanger, and so we both learn the fate of Detective Sanchez [Raymond Cruz] and witness Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson’s [Kyra Sedgwick] reaction to Fritz’s marriage ultimatum. Even better, there’s an apparent case of suicide that coroner Dr. Morales [Jonathan Del Arco] won’t sign off on – and he’s extorting Deputy Chief Johnson into taking the case [or he’ll take it to another division, making her team look like idiots!].
The deceased is a recovering drug addict and con man who seems to have gone straight – though that doesn’t jive with the recollection of his ex-wife which is, in turns at odds with the experience [or at least testimony] of his pastor [church in a slating rink!] and cancer-suffering girlfriend. Add in the after effects of the cliff-hanger’s two-pronged dilemma – and the presence of Brenda’s parents [Barry Corbin and Frances Sternhagen], who are visiting for a few days before setting out on a Hawaiian cruise – and you’ve got all the ingredients for a truly odd mix of confusion, misdirection and pathos. The episode, Good Faith, is also notable for actually having scenes that do not require the presence of DC Strong.
Upcoming episodes feature a body found in the trunk of a car, and a suspected rapist/murderer whose lawyer has a track record of successfully defending sex offenders.
As usual, The Closer is written well enough to give us a few moments pause over each ep’s mystery, but it remains most notable for giving us a strong lead character that continues to grow as a person – and as a high-ranking member of the Los Angeles Police Department. Though this is Sedgwick’s show, there are moments for several members of her team as well as J.K. Simmons’ Assistant Chief Pope [who gets some really good stuff in the premiere].
All in all, The Closer hasn’t yet lost a step. It remains one of the best [and most watched] programs on cable television.
Final Grade: B
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I’ve just seen the two-hour premiere of season five of Lost [ABC Wednesdays, 8/7C, beginning on Jan. 21st]. You think it was strange and wild and exhilarating before? Just wait until you see what’s next!
Although my agreement with ABC is that I can’t give away plot points, I can, perhaps, give clues. I can tell you that Vincent’s back – and that Sawyer plays a more prominent role. I can tell you that things have changed between Benjamin Linus [Michael Emerson] and Sayid [Naveen Andrews]; that Hurley [Jorge Garcia] has reached his limit on lying – and that Sayid’s life may depend on him; I can tell you that a potential legal problem may change Kate’s [Evangeline Lilly] and Aaron’s lives, and that Charlotte [Rebecca Mader] may not be well. And speaking of Hurley, remember Dave? And Charlie’s enigmatic appearance at the mental institution ["I'm dead. And I'm here"]? I can safely say that Hurley sees dead people.
There are lots more clues that I could give you in that vein, but when the events to which they allude happen, all that’ll happen is that some answers will be given [like why Hurley finally reaches his limit with The Lie] and more will be asked [like what’s happening to the people who were left on the island]. Even the titles of the two parts of this season’s premiere have titles [Because You Left & The Lie] that are carefully gauged to give hints that spawn unexpected answers and set the stage for more [and possibly bigger] questions. As is always the case with Lost, context is everything.
Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof co-wrote Because You Left and Stephen Williams’s direction keeps up a pace that matches that of last season’s three-hour finale. Revelations are given in quick bursts and emotional moments in almost a state suspension – but no scene lasts for more a few moments. The Lie, written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed by Jack Bender, keeps up that pace, for the most part but lingers a bit more over the key emotional sequences, giving them more heft as the give and take of answers and questions mounts.
I have to say that I enjoyed the season five premiere episodes as much as the three-part season four finale. Everyone we care about gets a choice moment or two and the plot forges onward. The rollercoaster ride that is Lost is definitely maintaining the quality level it regained last season.
Final Grade: A+
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There was an overwhelming amount of great TV, this year [and, as you’ll see not too much later, an almost equally overwhelming amount of excessively bad TV]. Given the truly amazing amount of quality to be found between the networks and the various cable outlets, I’ve decided to list my favorite fifteen shows of the year.
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American Idol: Randy Jackson O..
Late last week, the affable and very busy Randy Jackson took a bit of time to talk to a group of journalists/bloggers...
Being Human’s Sam Huntin..
Sam Huntington of Being Human [Syfy, Mondays, 10/9C] is appearing as a guest judge on Face Off [Syfy,...
Ve Neil Make-Up Artist Extraor..
Ve Neil has a long history in Hollywood as one of the go to people for Make-up design. This year she...
Fringe’s Jasika Nicole T..
Although it was cutting things pretty fine, Jaskia Nicole spoke with the press about her characters’...
Marvel’s The Avengers Ho..
Earlier this week, Joss Whedon, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark gregg and Tom Hiddleston took part in a Global...
Chuck’s Joshua Gomez Tal..
Morgan Grimes has to be one of the coolest characters on television, he manages a group of misfits at...
Hip-Hop Icon RZA launches R..
Yesterday hip-hop icon RZA released a brand new app. called RZA’s World App. The app....
Wallace & Gromit comes..
For those that use a Garmin GPS and like to use different voices to tell the directions, here’s...
Far East Movement Partners ..
There’s some really cool tech accessories headed our way which will be released through...
Win a Spiderpodium iPad and..
This contest has ended. Please check back in the next few days for our latest contest. Spiderpodium,...
The Vampire Diaries Get Suc..
...
Konami releases details for..
February 21st, 2012 marks the release date for the first DLC (downloadable content) pack for...
Marvel Avengers MMO is Comi..
This week Disney Interactive unveiled the details of their upcoming Marvel Avengers Alliance...
Contest – Get up and ..
...
Konami Unites Metal Gear So..
This is something that Metal Gear Solid fans have been waiting for. Today Konami has released...
Mission Impossible Facebook..
On November 21st, 2011 Eclipse Magazine had posted an article about a new game for Facebook...
Safe House – Housekee..
After Green Lantern, it’s a pleasure to see Ryan Reynolds matching wits [and chops] with...
Coriolanus – Before H..
Had Coriolanus been in wider release before New Year’s, it would likely have made my list...
New Spider-Man Trailer..
Gotta say this summer is shaping up to be an amazing year for Super-Hero movies – The...
The Big Superbowl Movie Tra..
Instead of a million different trailer posts. All the big Superbowl Movie Trailers are here...
Ve Neil Make-Up Artist Extr..
Ve Neil has a long history in Hollywood as one of the go to people for Make-up design. This...
The Super Bowl’s Best..
You tell him, Tony! ...
The Double Blu-ray Review &..
The Double is a brand new straight to video (forgive me, I forgot what the PC term is these...
It’s A High-Def Flesh..
Maybe no one ever listens to Tim, but you can see him get snubbed in glorious high definition...
Michelle Loves Real Steel B..
If I did a top ten list last year, Real Steel would be on it. I first watched footage of the...
Styx: The Grand Illusion: P..
Tomorrow on January 31st, 2012, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release Styx: The Grand Illusion:...
Contest: Real Steel Hits Bl..
Real Steel is one of my favorite movies of 2011 and if I did a top 10 list, this movie would...
Battle Royale: The Complete..
Battle Royale and Battle Royale II are among the most brutally poetic films ever made....
Goin’ Down That Spook..
The River [ABC, Tuesday, 9/8C] is the latest attempt to produce a scary horror show for network...
SMASH Should Be A Smash!..
Smash [NBC, Mondays, 10/9C] is a risky oddball of a series that was developed for cable before...
NBC’s “SMASH”..
It is extremely refreshing to see a series where a courtroom, a hospital, or a crime scene...
NBC is scheduling the premiere of unique drama Awake for Thursday, March 1st in the 10-11...
2012 DGA Awards..
The Directors Guild of America honored directors from both the film and television industry...
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