Open Discussion – February 2, 2011

Feb 2, 2011 by Vic Holtreman 

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

Open Discussion – January 26, 2011

Jan 26, 2011 by Vic Holtreman 

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

Open Discussion – January 21, 2011

Jan 21, 2011 by Vic Holtreman 

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

‘Fringe’ Midseason Premiere ‘The Firefly’ Spoilers Discussion

Now that Fox has officially named the dreaded timeslot at the end of the week Fringe Fridays, it’ll be interesting to see how well this fan-favorite series will hold up against televisions other weekend powerhouses.

When we last left Fringe almost two months ago, Olivia was attempting to readjust herself to a life that was taken over by her counterpart from an alternate dimension. After breaking down in front of Peter and demanding to know how he wasn’t able to tell that the impersonator wasn’t her, fans were left in suspense as an Observer recited four mysterious words, “He is still alive.”

With Fringe finally returning, not only were we finally find out exactly what the Observer was referencing in his ominous phone call, but we also learn more about the Observers and what exactly must happen when one of them chooses to interfere with destined events.

While the Observer element will make up much of tonight’s sci-fi aspect, there is a more personable storyline included in the midseason premiere, with Christopher Lloyd guest starring as Roscoe Joyce, the keyboardist for one of Walter Bishop’s favorite bands, Violet Sedan Chair. These two men – one a mad scientist and one a musician – will begin their episodic journey as strangers, but as Walter helps Joyce remember how to once again play music, these two will each find a kindred spirit within one another.

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An Observer makes contact with the Fringe Team to help rectify a mistake. Meanwhile, Walter befriends Roscoe Joyce (guest star Lloyd), keyboardist for Walter’s favorite 1970s band, “Violet Sedan Chair.” Walter will learn the real reason the band broke up, and realize that the lives of these two men, who have never met before, overlap in strange and unexpected ways.

If you’re posting comments here, assume that anyone in the conversation has seen the episode – if you haven’t seen the episode, I would recommend you don’t read these comments here until you have. You’ve been warned.

Discuss away!

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Fringe airs Fridays @8pm, on Fox

Follow me on Twitter @anthonyocasio
Follow me on Screen Rant @screenrant

View the original article here

Open Discussion – January 19, 2011

Jan 19, 2011 by Vic Holtreman 

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

‘Being Human’ Series Premiere Review & Discussion

With much care and great consideration for the source material, Syfy has successfully re-imagined Toby Whithouse’s hit BBC series Being Human for the American television viewing audiences.

Set in the heart of Boston, Being Human follows three supernaturally disposed outcasts who, after failing to obtain any sense of normalcy on their own, come together in an attempt to support each other throughout their superordinary tribulations that result from attempting to survive daily life.

Aidan (Sam Witwer), the vampire; Josh (Sam Huntington), the werewolf and Sally (Meaghan Rath), the ghost all serve as the reluctant protagonists for this series. In addition, providing wonderful depth to not only the multiple preternatural worlds that this series attempts to realize, but also the main characters are Bishop (Mark Pellegrino), Aidan’s one-time master; Emily (Alison Louder), Josh’s sister – whom he ran away from – and Danny (Gianpaolo Venuta), Sally’s now ex-fiancé.

With a series of beautiful introductory tracking shots, the initial tone of the premiere is perfectly set by the accompanied voice-over and supplemental visuals of Aidan and Josh attempting to survive the hardest moments of their paranormally inflicted lives. In this case, turning into a werewolf (Josh) and drinking an unsuspecting victim’s blood (Aidan).

Unfortunately, as the series jarringly transitions past its wonderfully elegant opening, viewers may find themselves initially put off with the intentional direction with the core series. Instead of the familiar single-camera look that many television series have, SyFy’s Being Human consciously decided to set itself apart by using handheld cameras for its visual stylings.

To its credit, the handheld camerawork does succeed in providing a richer, more intimate depiction of Being Human’s colorful characters. Although, considering the original British series also makes use of handheld cameras, this could become a point of contention for those already weary of this American re-imagining simply replicating the source material.

Fortunately, this perfectly cast series instantly proves to supersede any inclinations that Syfy’s re-imagining may simply be another poor British adaptation. The combination of Witwer, Huntington and Louder – who in their own right, are all able to portray exceptionally personable depictions of ambit characters – allows Being Human to consistently deliver deep emotional storylines, no matter how fantastical the subject matter.

Aside from Being Human’s pilot serving as an introduction to the series main and recurring characters, much of the episode is centered around Aidan and the repercussions that result from unintentionally murdering his fellow co-worker. With film and television already filled with numerous depictions of vampires and like-kind, it’s refreshing to see that Being Human is attempting to distant itself from Hollywood’s typical sensationalistic portrayals of these other-worldly creatures. Instead, Being Human focuses on using vampires, werewolves and ghosts as integral elements for providing rich character progression.

In the age of worldwide televisual availability, comparisons between Syfy’s version of Being Human and its original BBC counterpart are inevitable. Despite being completely unwarranted and categorically incorrect, there will be some who wrongfully choose to relegate this series down to simply being an uninspired copy. For those that are willing to put aside all natural Anglophilian instincts and arrogance, a truly wonderful television experience awaits you.

While American remakes of popular British series are typically a poor re-imagining of the series’ core elements, Syfy’s Being Human has proven itself to most certainly be the exception to that rule. With terrific casting, fully realized characters and an emotional depth not typically seen in a series with such fantastical surroundings, Being Human has become the benchmark that all future British adaptations should strive to meet.

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Being Human airs Monday @9pm, on SyFy

Follow me on Twitter @anthonyocasio
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Open Discussion – January 14, 2011

Jan 14, 2011 by Vic Holtreman 

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

Open Discussion – January 12, 2011

Jan 12, 2011 by Vic Holtreman 

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

‘Californication’ Season 4 Premiere Review & Discussion

David Duchovny returns as playboy author Hank Moody on Californication tonight. How does the fourth season of Showtime’s opus to excess start? Read on to find out.

After three years of sincerely trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his girlfriend and daughter, Hank reached a low point in Season 3's finale over a year ago. Arrested after assaulting a police officer with dwindling hope of reuniting with Karen and Becca, the author emerges from jail in “Exile on Main St.” with little remorse and even less tact. As he tries to hold his career together after his scandalous and now public affair with a manipulative underage author, Hank and Charlie negotiate for the screenwriter position of the book that Mia stole from him in season one. At the same time, the two try to beat the rap and make amends to their significant others. They don’t try very hard.

The appeal of Californication lies in its brazen and unapologetic approach to money, sex and drugs on the West Coast. There’s plenty of that in the fourth season premiere: Hank begins indulging his vices mere moments after leaving jail, while simultaneously proclaiming his love and devotion for his estranged girlfriend and daughter. Fans tuning in for the show’s quick wit and brazen dialogue won’t be disappointed as Hank and Charlie, along with seemingly everyone in the movie business, rattle off as if they’re swearing on commission. The cable-only dialogue is enjoyable, and after the extended melodrama of the latter half of season 3 it’s good to see the writers returning to one of the series’ hallmarks. There’s also plenty of visual candy on display for those who want it – of Duchovny and his bedfellows.

Throughout the episode Hank continues to speak of his noble intentions while charging headlong into the habits and situations that made them leave in the first place. For example, Karen spares just enough time to Hank to explain her revulsion at his relationship with a then-16-year-old Mia. The girl had intentionally concealed her age, so at the time Hank wasn’t guilty of much more than an overactive libido and extremely poor judgement. But by the time the episode ends we once again see him bedding a girl half his age mere moments after appealing to her – and the audience – that he just wants his family back. For a brilliant writer, Hank seems to have a remarkably dim appreciation of cause and effect.

Hank treads water just above personal ruin and far below his own potential. While it certainly makes for a believable character, I take issue with the fact that the show expects us to sympathize with him. We’ve seen Hank make the same mistakes for years, topping himself in almost every episode. The series began with Hank as a talented man trying to overcome his own shortcomings and the obstacles others place in front of him. But now Hank is four years older and apparently none the wiser, and all the problems he faces at the beginning of the fourth season are of his own making. Why should the audience continue to care about a man who refuses to better himself? At this point, the show is simply presenting us with Hank’s (admittedly enjoyable) character traits and letting Duchovny loose in Los Angeles.

There’s no more character development to be found in the series’ lead – it’s time to either introduce a game-changing element or give us a look at the other players. Sasha, the actress hoping to play Mia’s role in her book’s movie adaptation, may fit the bill. She’s hopelessly infatuated with Hank, even as he explains that his heart lies elsewhere. She goes so far as to mimic the book’s tagline (and Hank’s own life) in an attempt to endear him to her. When Hank inevitably breaks her trust, be it with his estranged family or someone new, there should be some good drama to be had. Look for Sasha to play an increasing part in the coming season.

Charlie comes off as more annoying than endearing as he tries to fix Hank’s life while commiserating on his own misfortunes. The attorney he hires makes for some great dialogue, and since women are powerless to resist Hank in Californication, it’s almost certain that she’ll be an intimate part of this season’s plot. Karen and Becca, the characters I do feel sympathy for, are almost completely absent. While they may finally be gone from Hank’s life, it would have been nice to see more of their reactions to his continually collapsing situation.

Californication is as raunchy as it ever was as it begins its fourth year. The adult-only themes and humor are still enjoyable, but if the main character continues his unapologetic slide downwards, it’s hard to see how the plot will stay compelling.

Californication premieres tonight at 9:00 PM on Showtime.

View the original article here

‘Merlin’ Season 3 Premiere Review & Discussion

SyFy’s BBC import Merlin has captured its fair share of fans on this side of the pond, and American audiences can see Season 3's 13-episode run on Frinday nights at 10.

How does the first episode fare? We review the Season 3 premiere episode “The Tears of Uther Pendragon” and discuss in the comments.

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The season starts off a year after Morgana’s betrayal and dramatic disowning of King Uther Pendragon. Unbeknownst to Uther and everyone else, Morgana has been with her half-sister Morguese plotting the kingdom’s downfall. Young Prince Arthur and Camelot’s knights have been searching for the king’s ward for a year, with Merlin keeping quiet in the hopes that no one discovers his nascent magical powers – or that he poisoned Morgana to end the curse Morgause had placed on the castle. When she’s welcomed back to Camelot with open arms, Morgana begins the machinations of a plot to drive Uther insane and topple the kingdom.

Morgana uses her impressive skills of manipulation and her own emerging powers to achieve her nefarious goals. With help from her sister, she hides an enchanted mandrake root under Uther’s bed which begins to warp his mind. At the same time, Morgues recruits a neighboring warlord to invade the kingdom while its king is incapacitated. In Camelot, Merlin begins to suspect Morgana as the cause of the king’s malady while Arthur struggles to rise to the challenge of assuming command. Merlin follows Morgana and discovers the sisters’ plot, only to be captured and left for dead. The episode ends with Merlin rescued by the dragon Kilgharrah and an army besieging a leaderless Camelot.

The story and acting are par for Merlin‘s course: solid but not outstanding. The compelling part of this series, and certainly what will bring fans back for its third season, is its modern take on legendary characters. Merlin has this in abundance. The first season was spent cementing the relationship between Arthur and Merlin, and the second season was largely concerned with fleshing out the rest of the core characters. As the third season begins, it’s clear the writers intend to capitalize on the work they’ve done setting the stage for some more earth-shaking story developments.

Morgana’s treachery and skillful deception is entertaining to watch. We’ve seen this character evolve from a naive ward of Uther to a villain in her own right, and it’s clear that her classically nefarious side will be on full display as the season continues. Uther’s paranoid and often brutal reigning serves as a good reminder of whose actions set up most of the conflict in Camelot. But the two main draws leave something to be desired – Arthur and Merlin squabble like schoolyard kids, and Arthur continues to berate and tease Merlin for his lack of fighting prowess. Yet, when faced with the gargantuan task of assuming his father’s throne and fighting off a potential invasion, Arthur becomes immediately serious and contemplative. The back-and-forth between the two is entertaining, but the sudden shifts in character are hard to reconcile with an Arthur who is still very much a boy.

Some of the best parts of the episode are seeing Uther Pendgragon get his comeuppance. Much of the drama in the series is set up by Uther’s ruthless slaughter of hundreds of magic users, and when the women and children he drowned in his rage begin to appear as cold and terrifying hallucinations, you begin to sympathize with the warlocks and sorceresses intent on toppling his throne. Merlin remains the only magic user in Christendom who isn’t out for Uther’s blood, and even that’s only in the hope that Arthur fulfills his destiny as Camelot’s greatest king.

The production design, cinematography and costumes are among the best seen yet in the series. It’s clear that the crew has hit its stride with Merlin and are becoming comfortable in its medieval world. And then there are the special effects. There’s no nice way to say it: the CGI in Merlin is awful, and continues to be so as the series progresses. cramped action shots and greenscreen effects abound. In part two of the episode there’s a scene where sword-wielding skeletons animate and attack the castle, presumably having just finished their gig on Jason and the Argonauts. It’s hard to fault bad effects on a TV budget, especially in something as difficult as a period piece, but the CGI just doesn’t match the impressive fit and finish of the rest of the series.

However, Merlin fans don’t tune in for blockbuster-level production values – they want story. And for the most part, the episode delivers. We get to see more of the blossoming relationship between Arthur and Guinevere, and Uther’s bipolar love for Morgana and hatred of magic is compelling. There isn’t much for Merlin to do except react to the antagonists, but the tension created by his secret keeps you wondering how he’ll stay undercover. There are, unfortunately, a couple of sore spots. The writers seem to reach for poison more often than the average Castle Elsinore tenant; Morgana poisons a guard that she failed to murder, marking what must be the dozenth use of the plot device in the series. And the climax that sets up for part two sees the villains ride off in the sure knowledge that their intricate trap will finish off Merlin once and for all. That trick was old when The Once and Future King was published, and it’s disappointing to see it here.

All in all, the episode is a decent reintroduction to Merlin‘s core characters with an excellent set-up to next week’s concluding episode. Those hungry for the continuing adventures of the wizard and the would-be king will be delighted, and eager for the next piece of the story – which, trust me, will pay off on the premiere’s setup.

Merlin airs Fridays at 10 PM on SyFy.

Note: If you’re new to Merlin, or if you just want to catch up on the story, Hulu is currently streaming all of season 1 and 2 for free.

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‘The Cape’ Series Premiere Review & Discussion

NBC’s The Cape is the network’s newest attempt at perfecting the serialized superhero television format. Set in the fictional Palm City, The Cape is centered around the soon-to-be masked vigilante Vince Faraday (David Lyons) – the last remaining “good cop” in a city filled to the brim with corruption.

Following the explosive death of the Chief of Police at the hands of Palm City’s super villain Chess (James Frain), Faraday must seek employment with Ark, the corporation seeking to privatize every governmental element of this struggling city.

After stumbling upon Ark’s secret transportation of illegal weapons, Faraday comes face to face with the mysterious Chess – who turns out to be none other than Peter Fleming, the billionaire owner of Ark and Faraday’s most recent (and final) employer.  Follow Fleming’s framing of Faraday as the nefarious Chess, Faraday loses his family, reputation and almost his life.

With the help of Max Malini (Keith David) and a gang of circus performing bank robbers, Faraday is able to transform himself into his son’s favorite comic book superhero and Palm City’s only hope at redemption, The Cape.

Series creator Tom Wheeler, the scribe of the upcoming Dreamworks Shrek spin-off, Puss in Boots, fortunately took a note from the numerous fans complaining about the long, drawn-out storytelling that plagued the now-forgotten Heroes and was able to include all of this back-story and Faraday’s subsequent transformation into The Cape within the first 15 minutes of the series premiere. This implementation of quick-paced plot progression, while typically resulting in disjointed storytelling, resonates perfectly within the graphic novel stylings of The Cape and thankfully continues throughout.

Helping along this accelerated rhythm is the investigative blogger and The Cape’s pseudo sidekick, Orwell (Summer Glau) who, with her police corruption-revealing website and Watchtower-esque handling of information, serves to quickly highlight our protagonist’s next objective and makes sure there is never a scene that lingers too long. Unfortunately, there are some exceptions where a heavy-handed attempt at emotion slows the story down to a crawl.

In terms of supervillains, Chess/Peter Fleming proves to be the most poorly realized nemesis of the series’ many. While his role as the main antagonist and proverbial patriarch is clearly defined, it is his stable of caricaturized henchmen that provides much of the great suspense and intrigue contained within The Cape’s two-hour premiere.

Despite Scales (Vinnie Jones) perfectly embodying the typical brooding enforcer for Chess’ malevolent plans, it is Cane, the master poisoner for the secret society known as Tarot, that not only provides the most enjoyment, but also offers viewers a glimpse at what intriguing subplots will be touched on as the series progresses.

Of course, one rhetorical question that persists throughout is whether The Cape is reveling in its inherent campiness or attempting to be seen as an equal to some of television’s best dramas. Whether intentional or not, the numerous scenes of awkward dialogue, obvious jokes and over-emphasized emotional sincerity makes for an endearing viewing experience, akin to the 1960s version of Batman, starring Adam West.

Unfortunately, it still remains to be seen whether or not television viewing audiences will warm to a series such as this. While there are enough action scenes to keep everyone on the edge of their seats, a musical score equal to that of many theatrical releases and a unique take on television’s superhero genre, the overall jocular delivery may cause many to wrongly dismiss The Cape for being a poorly executed series, rather than the enjoyable ride that it most surely is.

Without seeing any episodes following the premiere, it’s hard to tell whether or not this quirky, yet entertaining, style of storytelling will continue. But, if one thing can be unequivocally said about The Cape, it’s that it has promise.

Final Thoughts

Despite preconceived notions of skepticism and disappointment from potential viewers, The Cape delivers – for those able to suspend disbelief – a thoroughly entertaining viewing experience, with solid action scenes, a terrific score and an intriguing plot paced so quickly, you’ll feel as if you’re watching a visual representation of a graphic novel.

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The Cape premieres January 9 @9pm, on NBC. Following its premiere, the series will move to its normal timeslot on Mondays @9pm, starting January 17.

Follow me on Twitter @anthonyocasio
Follow me on Twitter @screenrant

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‘V’ Season 2 Premiere Review & Discussion

Tonight, the Visitors return and we finally see what became of Anna’s burst of human emotion in the season 2 premiere of V.

When we last left the world, Erica had taken it upon herself (with the help of Joshua and Lisa) to do one thing you probably shouldn’t even do to a dictator alien that wears human skin – kill her children. Of course, that lizard-headed figure of fallacy deserved it – considering her intentions to take over the planet Earth.

That being said, not everyone made it out of the first season finale of V intact. Following Anna’s capture of Valerie and her unborn baby, Ryan had to watch as both his alien child was taken from him and his fiancé was murdered. Unfortunately things became even more complicated when Joshua revealed himself as being one of the Fifth Column. Even though Anna killed and then, er, unkilled Erica’s main alien contact, I’m sure that Joshua will never be the same freedom fighting reptile that he used to be.

As for Lisa and Tyler, these two love birds need to sit down and have a discussion. With Lisa forming an alliance with Erica to take down Anna, and Tyler becoming completely engulfed in Anna’s rhetoric, it’s only a matter of time before things take a turn for the worse.

With Red Sky unleashed on the planet, the world is on the brink of war and there is chaos all around. Ryan is being kept in isolation on the mothership since Anna wants to experiment on his hybrid baby. Seeking redemption for being used by Anna, Chad wants to fight with the Fifth Column. Erica goes on a journey to find a scientist who can give her the answers to what Red Sky is and it’s there she learns the horrifying secret of what the Visitors are planning to do.

With the revelation of “red sky” at the hands Anna’s burst of human emotion, the second season of V begins with a more angry tone. Gone is the general acceptance from the public that highlighted much of the first season. Something such as this is an interesting and welcoming move that certainly sets the feeling and pace as the series ventures into what might be its final season.

Of course, the aggressive focus is one that could not last, as it would prematurely progress the series story-arc beyond the central focus, so that element is quickly removed. While the proverbial “pep-talk” from Anna to cover her underlying intentions with “red sky” was a little simplistic, it felt well within the character’s obvious traits.

Unfortunately, this was not the only thing that felt simplistic. In the first season’s series finale, many of the main characters went through intense emotional hardship. When we visit them in the second season premiere, those elemental references are somewhat touched upon, but generally not given the focus that they needed.

Instead of dedicating a specific amount of time to highlight any of the personal struggles that Erica, Ryan, Joshua, Lisa, Tyler, Chad or Anna are currently dealing with or attempting to overcome, each character was given their own minute scene to provide some kind of personal perspective and halfhearted progression. After that, the focus returned to the general “bigger picture” storylines, with multiple characters in each scene and their personal struggles highlighted, but mostly hidden.

With that, one cannot mention “bigger picture” storylines without touching upon the highly anticipated reveal of what the adult Visitors look like beneath their skin covering (not to mention a Visitor skeleton). On both accounts, the long-awaited reveal was everything that fans of the series could hope for. They revealed more than enough to satisfy all those interested, all while providing the skeletal base to help fans completely picture the actual reptile-based Visitor in their mind.

At first glance, the use of a much younger actor to portray the lab-rat Tripp Donovan (who found the Visitor skeleton) seemed a bit odd compared to the general make-up of our familiar Fifth Column segment. Fortunately after a few interesting scenes and copious amounts of scientific dialogue with the word “phosphorus” in it, the character felt like one of the team.

Unfortunately, the continual references to this sage chemical element is still one of the weakest elements of the entire series. Despite the fact that the series completely explains the reasoning and purpose behind it, there’s still something odd about aliens relying solely on something that is part of household baking powder.

Despite rattling off numerous faults of the season 2 premiere of V, the episode was actually a great start to the second season. Sure, certain elements were missing, but that can happen with any series. What’s important is that what made it to the screen is not only entertaining and intriguing, but also provides the audience a bit of uneasy anticipation about what’s to come and a touch of excitement about actually seeing it when it does.

In that respect, V delivers completely… they just had best not do this every week. (Which they don’t. The subsequent episodes that I’ve seen are completely enjoyable and have few faults.)

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V airs Tuesdays @9pm, on ABC

Follow me on Twitter @anthonyocasio
Follow Screen Rant on Twitter @screenrant

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‘Southland’ Season 3 Premiere Review & Discussion

Southland returns to TNT for its third season premiere tonight. The show has made a name for itself as a hard, no-compromise cop drama that doesn’t shy away from brutal crimes and honest characters. In stark contrast to lighter fare on both network and cable TV, Southland aims to bring the audience on a ride-along with the beat cops and detectives of the LAPD, showing every tense moment and hard choice. (which may be why it made the jump to cable last year.) The season 3 premiere of Southland delivers on the points that made the previous two seasons excel: showing the monotony, frustration and occasional terror that police experience in a city rife with gang violence and apathy.

The synopsis, courtesy of TNT:

SOUTHLAND Season 3 Episode 1 “Let It Snow” – Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King) endures a stressful adjustment period with her new partner, Josie Ochoa (Jenny Gago), as they investigate the disappearance of an illegal immigrant. Detective Russell Clarke (Tom Everett Scott), Lydia’s former partner, adjusts to a new desk job on the force. Meanwhile, Detectives Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy) and Nate Moretta (Kevin Alejandro) look for the killer of two gangbangers and Officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) catches the eye of an attractive woman during a traffic stop, while his partner, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), struggles with increasing pain.

The show treads familiar ground as the story follows the disconnected story lines. Those who tune in for the unflinching looks at street-level violence won’t be disappointed, though those looking for more development after season 2's finale may find the first new episode a little lacking.

Cooper’s continuing injury is the most prevalent theme of the beat cops’ plot, and his developing addiction to his pain meds becomes problematic. The show follows along as he and Sherman start a typical day of traffic control. When Cooper needs a moment to try and augment his medication supply, he assigns the junior officer a trivial traffic stop. Sherman pulls the speeding Porche over, but in a predictable move lets the attractive and showy female driver off with a warning. The scene feels forced and more than a little stereotypical – how many times have we seen a hot woman talk her way out of a ticket? – but serves to show Sherman’s own moral failings as he tries to convince Cooper to seek help.

From here the two are called to a shooting and we’re treated to an excellent action set piece. There isn’t a lot of set up; bad guys have automatic rifles, a cop is down and Cooper and Sherman are under fire. Southland manages to show off an impressive bit of screenwriting as the cops pull out some unconventional tricks to rescue the fallen officer and take down the suspects. The scene is tense and tight, with exactly the right amount of action and restraint, making for the best part of the episode by far. After the crescendo, the two accompany the downed man to the hospital where Cooper tries to convince his estranged wife to grant him more medications and Sherman (rather inexplicably) comes across the woman in the Porche again.

Detective Adams remains the upright and uncompromising investigator, but her new partner puts her off balance. Southland newcomer Jenny Gago delivers a sympathetic and believable performance as detective Ochoa. The two are a microcosm of the tense relationship between Latinos and African-Americans in the city, a contrast that the show isn’t shy about showing off as the pair investigate the disappearance of an illegal immigrant who is raped and murdered at her workplace. There’s an excellent scene as the two are driving to a suspect’s home that tells you everything you need to know about the new detective in a few short moments. The dialogue in this exchange shines. The animosity between the two is palpable while being subtle, even as their contrasting skills allow them to close in on the suspect. The women’s storyline proves to be the most compelling of the episode, as both are dealing with stressful home life while following the viscous deeds of their quarry.

The third sub-plot, following detectives Hatosy and Moretta, is dry and relatively uninteresting. Two gang members found murdered under a bridge are found to have raped the daughter of another powerful gang member. Aside from some tense moments while apprehending the suspect, this storyline left a lot of potential on the editing room floor. There’s no sympathy for the murder victims, there’s no sympathy for the violated girl – everything here is disappointingly procedural. Even the normally solid cinematography seems to take a dive, as several shots cross the line from cinema verite to downright bad camerawork. All in all, this one should have bee nleft alone to give the audience more time with the other two teams.

It’s worth noting that series regulars Arija Bareikis and Tom Everett Scott barely make an appearance in the premiere. They aren’t really missed; there’s enough solid action and dialogue going on that their absence goes largely unnoticed. But this could be an indication that there characters will be taking a backseat this season. If that means more screen time for Cooper and Ochoa, the third season is shaping up to be a memorable one.

All in all, “Let it Snow” is a solid return for Southland. It delivers on the points that make it a favorite for those who want more gritty realism than the likes of Law and Order can provide. Excellent pacing and storytelling allow the show to clip along, with only a couple of sore spots. The police drama isn’t always completely accurate, but seems to nail the feel of LAPD life down pat. Characters develop on a slow burn that doesn’t get in the way of the action. If this episode is an indication of things to come, viewers will be delighted with the new season.

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Open Discussion – December 29, 2010

Dec 29, 2010 by Vic Holtreman 

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

Open Discussion – December 17, 2010

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

‘TRON: Legacy’ Spoilers Discussion

While we do have a TRON: Legacy review where you can leave comments, we’ve set up this as a place where you can discuss TRON: Legacy spoilers without concerns about ruining the movie for folks who haven’t seen it yet.

If you’re posting comments here, assume that anyone in the conversation has seen the movie – if you haven’t seen the movie, I would recommend you don’t read the comments here until you have.

And while you’re at it, you can give TRON: Legacy your own rating right here:

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Discuss away!

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Open Discussion – December 10, 2010

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

Open Discussion – December 1, 2010

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

Open Discussion – November 29, 2010

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here

Open Discussion – November 24, 2010

Here’s your chance to choose the topics in our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

View the original article here