DEXTER 2.6 – "Dex, Lies And Videotape"

Writer: Lauren Gussis
Director: Nick Gomez

Cast: Michael C. Hall (Dexter Morgan), Lauren Velez (Maria LaGuerta), Julie Benz (Rita Bennett), Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan), David Zayas (Angel Batista), Erik King (Sgt Doakes), Keith Carradine (Special Agent Frank Lundy), Jaime Murray (Lila), James Remar (Harry Morgan), Silas Weir Mitchell (Ken Olson), Dave Baez (Gabriel), Preston Bailey (Cody), JoBeth Williams (Gale Bennett), Christina Robinson (Astor) & Katherine Kirkpatrick (Laura Moser)

Dexter attempts to delete incriminating video footage of himself -- as his relationship with Rita hits a new low, and his relationship with Lila hits a new high...

"The voices are back. Excellent."

-- Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall)

We're halfway through season 2, so it seems like a good time to take stock. Despite losing a sense of mystery this year (as our chief villain is Dexter himself), the deepening of his character and intriguing developments surrounding his history, have helped make season 2 just as compelling – just in a more introverted way...

Dex, Lies And Videotape finds Dexter (Michael C. Hall) still grappling with the news his biological mother Laura Moser (Katherine Kirkpatrick) had a relationship with his adopted father Harry Morgan (James Remar) before her death, as part of a botched drugs sting. It's a revelation that makes the ordinarily unflappable Dex begin to question exactly who he is...

Indeed, much of this episode deals with Dex's weakening grip on his situation, as he tries to conceal incriminating evidence of him coming to light – as he's been caught on CCTV cleaning his boat of blood stains, thanks to surveillance ordered by Agent Lundy (Keith Carradine).

Lundy himself, a continually entertaining new character, begins to lean heavier on Dex's forensic skills – as he can't stand seedy Masuka (C.S Lee). Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) becomes jealous her brother is apparently more popular than her in Lundy's eyes now, which has a neat pay-off when she later realizes his true motivations and can't resist a quick hug...

A dinner discussion Debra shares with boyfriend Gabriel (Dave Baez) confirms she's beginning to treat Lundy like father – as her real dad was distant with her (he told her "cop stories" at bedtime...) This brief moment helps explain Debra's determination to succeed in the police force -- to please and impress her father who, unbeknownst to her, was too busy channeling her step-brother's murderous tendencies into vigilantism...

Dexter's home life also takes a battering, when Lila (Jaime Murray) is invited to dinner by Rita (Julie Benz) and her mother Gail (JoBeth Williams). She initially impresses everyone, but accidentally spills the beans about her road trip with Dex on an answer-machine message overheard by Rita.

Rita, already jealous Dex has such a sexy N.A sponsor for support, is furious to hear they stayed in a motel together – but even more confused when Dex tells her about his mother's murder, and can't understand why he'd confide in his N.A sponsor but not his own girlfriend!

Elsewhere, I've been interested to see what the writers do with Sgt Doakes (Erik King), whose recurring plot has always been tied to exposing Dexter, but found closure a few episodes ago. However, while Doakes was initially satisfied Dex's "big secret" was just a drug addiction, he reconsiders things when he discovers Debra isn't aware her brother's a recovering junkie.

Doakes is soon sniffing around like a bloodhound in Dex's office and finds the old police audio tapes between Laura and Harry. For the first time, Dex cracks when Doakes starts pestering him again and makes a formal complaint to LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) -- who makes it clear to Doakes that he'll be kicked off the force if he doesn't stop harassing Dexter...

While it's slightly disappointing to see the Doakes/Dex relationship back to the status quo, it's given a certain freshness now Dex is prepared to take matters further. Dex has always been worried an official investigation into Doakes' behaviour will just exacerbate his problems and perhaps expose his secret (a reaction that seemed to prove his guilt in Doakes' eyes), so I'm interested to see where this leads now. Has Dex made a bad choice complaining to LaGuerta, our of pure frustration?

This is certainly an episode where Dex makes some fundamental errors of judgment. Following Doakes' threat, Dex takes refuge back at Lila's house, where he can use her as a decent sounding board – because she thinks his "problems" and "addiction" are drug, not murder, related. The inevitable finally happens and Dex beds Lila – and, amusingly, his voice-overs stop for their post-coital cuddle. Well, temporarily....

The investigative aspect of episode 6 revolves around a Bay Harbor Butcher copycat murder attempt in an abandoned train carriage. Angel (David Zayas) finds a suspect, Ken Olson (Silas Weir Mitchell, formerly of Prison Break), a dysfunctional man who considers the Butcher a heroic figure...

The thought occurred to me that Dexter should frame his own copycat as the real killer, as a means to escape the investigation... but this idea wasn't the chosen direction. Instead, Dex quite bizarrely decides to kill Ken and leave his chopped-up body parts for his work colleagues to discover in the same train carriage...

While his actions mean other copycats are unlikely to surface now (or face the wrath of the real killer), it also hands the Feds a tonne of fresh evidence and the knowledge the Butcher is able to follow the investigation! It just seemed crazy to me that Dex could be so stupid, even if this episode deals primarily with his mild-mannered temperament being pushed to breaking point. But would he really be this reckless?

Oh well. On the plus side, Dex does manage to delete the incriminating video tape of himself cleaning his boat – which was also too convenient and easy for my liking. Is nobody going to notice a chunk of footage is missing from one particular camera, pointed at one particular boat?

Overall, Dex, Lies And Videotape was certainly a compelling and engaging episode, despite some worrying slip-ups from Dex. I'm not sure if they were intentional, or the writers just needed to manufacture some mistakes to progress season 2's arc, though. I guess we'll find out in due course...

While it was mildly disappointing to see Doakes revert back to his old ways so quickly, I'd rather that happen than lose Doakes to the background – where Angel now languishes. It was also weird to see Dex treat the threat of imminent exposure so calmly! I know he's not a normally-adjusted person, but would he really so blasé about things at times? Mind you, he never seems to muse about what effect his unmasking would have on those around him very often (perhaps by design), but... his calmness still seemed odd.

Incidentally, while Masuka has always been a little geeky, it was frustrating to see him treated so distastefully just to make Lundy's preference of Dexter work! He's always been comic relief in my eyes, not a seedy pervert with "she-male" pornography to hide. Mind you, it's perhaps designed to show how "ordinary" people are hiding behind themselves, too...

But generally, this was a good episode that moved the plot forward in terms of Dexter's psychology. The final scene, where Dex refuses to lie to Rita about sleeping with Lila (risking an end to their relationship), then walks to Lila's sanctuary in the pouring rain, seems to herald a seismic shift for Dex's social structure...


4 November 2007
Showtime, 9.30 pm

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 1.5 - "Sally Returns"

Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin

Director: James Bobin

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Arj Barker (David), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Frank Wood (Greg), Sutton Foster (Coco), Eugene Mirman (Eugene), Rachel Blanchard (Sally), Ramsey Faragallah (John) & Murray Bartlett (Mark)

Sally, the ex-girlfriend of both Bret and Jemaine, is back on the scene and rekindles old memories...

Murray: There's something I wanted to talk to you about actually, Jemaine. Umm, it's not good news. Planet Jemaine... supernova'd. Yeah, there's nothing left of it, apparently -- just a huge gaseous cloud and the beginnings of a black hole.
Jemaine: When did this happen?
Murray: Uh, about 4 million years ago.

Sally Returns is guilty of relying on themes and ideas Flight Of The Conchords can't seem to shake off, surrounding the social difficulties of Bret and Jemaine around women. Yet again, Sally (Rachel Blanchard) causes them to both to fall madly in love with her, and the episode becomes another doomed romance with a weird "love-triangle". And, while we don't get a band break-up exactly, Bret and Jemaine are split when Jemaine gets his own place to impress Sally...

The series' riffs on a handful of ideas every episode is becoming faintly amusing for all the wrong reasons, but Sally Returns is fortunately saved by having some genuinely funny jokes, songs that actually tell a narrative story (so don't feel as forced) and a plot that you can become invested in. It helps that Sally is a character we're already familiar with, so for the first time we have a subjective opinion on a character and situation.

Jemaine again plays gooseberry in the opening scene, where Bret and girlfriend Coco (Sutton Foster) amuse themselves on the sofa by tickling each other -- despite neither being ticklish. Later, Jemaine meets Sally again in a laundromat and, following the show's funniest song so far (Business Time; a ruined love song), Jemaine starts to make moves to secure her love. Unfortunately, Bret has similar plans once he realizes Sally's back, despite going out with Coco, and both compete for Sally's affections with increasingly extraordinary presents for her impending birthday...

I still wish the series would just move away from the competing duo aspects, particularly involving woman and band break-ups, but fortunately there's enough spark and good humour in episode 5 to keep things interesting. Rachel Blanchard is particularly adept at this brand of humour, as Peep Show is similarly low-key and reliant on the same straight-faced cuteness she brings to Conchords.

The non-Sally aspects of the show are more successful, however -- particularly scenes of Jemaine moving into a new "apartment" the size of a cupboard ("a compartment"), Murray (Rhys Darby) deciding to move the band into real estate by purchasing stars ("Murrayland"), only for Jemaine's to go supernova "... about 4 million years ago", and a decent finale that neatly ends Sally's recurring storyline.

Overall; some fun moments, a watchable storyline, a few great lines and two songs that actually aide the story instead of distract from it too much. Also nice to see someone mention the Conchords actually have a music video released on the internet (the robot vid from the Pilot), as I was beginning to think these guys never do anything musically.

Flight Of The Conchords is still a disappointing series for me, but this was a definite highlight and helped sustain my wavering belief that a truly great episode is around the corner...


23 October 2007
BBC Four, 9.30 pm

TOP GEAR: OUT OF AFRICA

The Top Gear specials are undoubted highlights of the show, otherwise they wouldn't be termed "specials", surely? After recently travelling to the North Pole in a "car versus sled" adventure, the Top Gear trio ventured to sunnier climes – to cross the Botswana in three sub-£1500 cars...

As usual, each presenter's choice of vehicle was ridiculed by the other two: Jeremy Clarkson went for a 1981 Lancia, James May chose a 1984 Mercedes 230E and Richard Hammond plumped for a 1963 Opal Cadet. As the rules states, all three vehicles weren't allowed to be 4x4, or at all suited to the African off-road, which made the challenge all the more interesting...

With the people of Surrey claiming they need big 4x4 off-roaders to cope tiny hills, the challenge was designed to prove that even decrepit cars can cope with the dust, heat and inhospitable African landscape.

Beginning on the Botswana/Zimbabwe border, they started the 1000 mile trip across the "spine of Africa" to Namibia. Even the Vice President of Botswana arrived in a microlight to wish them good luck, as no car had ever driven across the nearby salt flats, which are as wide as Portugal!

The problem facing Top Gear specials is one of believability. I never expect stark reality from these shows, as it's obviously never just 3 men being sent out into harsh environment with no back-up. The support of a camera crew and mechanics is therefore a given, even if their presence constantly undermines attempts to make everything seem very perilous.

There will also be some rehearsed jokes and amusing ideas/tricks to play on each other -- which is fine. The sight of James May's car being packed with a cow's head and chunks of meat to attract flies and lions was very funny, even if it didn't seem to work and went undiscovered by May...

I only really get frustrated with these Top Gear specials if great chunks of the adventure begin to play like everything's on autopilot. There wasn't too much of that here, although a sudden decision to traverse a river seemed a bit strange. The team never saw a river on their maps when they were planning this trip?! Plus, if they were so close to the finish, would they risk certain drowning like that? No, of course not. A calculated risk.

Overall it was all good fun and seemed less pre-arranged than the trip across the US Deep South awhile back. I could have done without "Stig's African Cousin" turning up to pointlessly race the cars around a track, though...

As ever, it's the Boy's Own spirit and cynical camaraderie that proved most enjoyable, with the trio's banter always amusing to listen to. The visuals are also superb at times considering the difficulties facing the film crew on such trips. In particular, some sunset sequences and views across the vast Kalahari Desert were great – although, as Clarkson noted, the crew's ability to capture giraffes and elephants on camera won't be giving David Attenborough sleepless nights!

Was it environmentally insensitive? Well, I don't think 3 old bangers (the cars, not the drivers) travelling across Africa is going to cause much harm to planet Earth -- in the grand scheme of things. Critics need to look at the millions of parents taking their kids to school in 4x4's when there are buses to be used, before they start acting holier-than-thou about Top Gear!

This wasn't the best Top Gear special -- and originality was diminished by the fact it was a lead-in to Ewan MacGregor and Charlie Boardman's own African adventure for The Long Way Down – but it was still an entertaining way to spend an hour.


4 November 2007
BBC2, 8.00 pm

BIONIC WOMAN 1.5 – "The Education Of Jaime Sommers"

Writer: Elizabeth Heldens
Director: Jonas Pate

Cast: Michelle Ryan (Jaime Sommers), Miguel Ferrer (Jonas Bledsoe), Molly Price (Ruth Treadwell), Lucy Hale (Becca Sommers), Isaiah Washington (Antonio Pope), Kevin Rankin (Nathan), Lara Gilchrist (Carly), Erin Karpluk (Robin), Matthew Smalley (Pt. Matt Walsh), Juan Riedinger (Student Sean), Trevor Addie (Parkinson's Patient), Jordan Bridges (Tom), Kenneth Welsh (Dr. Howard Samuels), Valerie Tian (Aoki), Shafin Karim (Nadeem), Sunita Prasad (Nadeem's Girlfriend) & Lee Majdoub (Student Buyer)

Jaime goes undercover in college as a British student, to investigate a professor suspected of illegal activities. However, her task is complicated when she falls for the teacher's assistant, who's also a suspect...

Jaime: So I'm a glorified fax machine?
Nathan: Come on, don't sell yourself short. You can also open cans.

While this isn't the most exciting episode, it's easily the most level-headed and accomplished in some key areas. For once, the messy mythology is pushed into the background and we're given a simple mission for Jaime (Michelle Ryan) as she infiltrates a college, posing as a British exchange student called Clarissa White.

Notably, this episode is the perfect excuse for Ryan to use her real accent. While her American accent has been impeccable, you can sense a truer spirit to her character emerging here – as she doesn't have to keep one part of her mind focused on maintaining a false voice.

The change in Jaime's attitude is so welcome, her English accent accent is constantly maintained for "method acting" reasons. Indeed, when she dips back into the American, you can't help but feel slightly disappointed. Can a "system glitch" keep Jaime's accent firmly in the UK region, please?

The main story this week concerns some illegal neural implants that can, essentially, control peoples' minds. A great teaser illustrates this by having an injured US soldier shoot his comrades dead inside a medical tent, although sadly this technology isn't fleshed out or well-utilized in the story.

Jaime's sent into college because Dr. Howard Samuels (Kenneth Welsh), who works on campus, could be involved in the implants. It's not long before Jaime is developing a relationship with hunky Tom (Jordan Bridges), one of Samuels' assistants, who makes an obvious play for her affections.

Elizabeth Heldens' script is more interested in a romantic plot than the neural implant idea -- which is slightly disappointing, but because the Jaime/Tom romance works so well, it's easy to forgive...

Michelle Ryan looks far more comfortable in this educational setting – with its vague Alias and Buffy overtones. The story benefits from keeping The Berkut Group in the background as support for Jaime, instead of having agents assigned to hold her hand at every turn. I particularly like techie Nathan (Kevin Rankin) munching on noodles as he peers through Jaime's bionic eye via a monitor back at the base.

Ultimately, The Education Of Jaime Sommers (dumb title aside) finally gives us characterization to savour, some engaging performances from Ryan and Bridges, better use of Antonio Pope (Isaiah Washington), who masquerades as Jaime's uncle at one point, and a generally enjoyable vibe. Unfortunately, the episode is let-down by the fact it totally fudges the interesting neural implant macguffin, and that plot is drowned by the fish-out-of-water antics of Jaime adjusting to college life and love.

As entertaining as this episode was, it mainly serves to highlight the problems in Bionic Woman's usual episodes. I'd prefer it if Jaime was British and living a dual-life in a US college, despite the fact such a set-up isn't perhaps the most original idea. But, then again, we are talking about a remake of a 70s TV show -- so originality's never been an issue before...


24 October 2007
NBC, 8/7c pm

STRICTLY COME (DIRTY) DANCING - Week 5

Bugger. So Lilia Kopylova (and that bald bloke who clings to her waist) has left the show! She was in the bottom 2 -- thanks to the Great British Public -- and stupidly voted off by the 4 Judges, when they had the ideal chance to ditch Nicole Cutler instead...

What a shame. No more cute Lilia and her great choreography, with those sparkling tiny dresses and enough energy to power BBC Television Centre for a week.

Anyway, the show itself: I now think you're better off watching X Factor on Saturdays. Not that it's any better (it's worse by all accounts), but because Sunday's pre-recorded Strictly Come Dancing is much better than Saturday's live show...

Why? Well, you get Saturday's highlights (minus the interminable padding), great professional group dances, a performance by a singer/band, the actual result of the viewer's vote, a tense "dance-off" and the judge's final decision on who goes...

If you can wait 24-hours... trust me, Sunday is where it's at...

Kelly Brook
Whoah! She looked amazing this week! Great black/red dress, tiny skirt showing every inch of those great legs and a very red-hot performance overall.

Nicole Cutler
Long yellow/white dress, sadly hiding practically everything. Big disappointment. She should have gone, I tells ya!

Leticia Dean
A black/turquoise number, some glimpses of legs, but let down with some very odd face-pulling at times and a lumpy performance.

Camilla Dallerup
Stylish dress, severe hairstyle, keeping her great pins behind a long dress, but still with that great smile.

Ola Jordan
She's got itall: curvy legs, hot body, slim physique. So why is she somehow always a disappointment? Oh well, great cleavage and a stealthy performance made her very easy on the eye, but... she should be getting 9s and 10s!

Alesha Dixon
Very pretty in a long yellow dress, but no legs again and the performance was quite slow and unmemorable for me.

Lilia Kopylova
Nice red dress and Lilia's always cute and fun, with a great stomach. Not one of her best, though, but hardly deserving of the boot. The show spiritually ends when L.K goes...

Kate Garraway
She looked okay in a purple/red dress, and had great hair. Above all, she actually danced and came out quite well...

Flavia Cacace
A very tight top and sparkly dress with hot-pink skirt, amazing legs and raven-hair. Sexy.

Penny Lancaster
A long cyan dress, hair up, float and elegant, with great skin, but little else this week. A shame.


Overall, week 5 was mainly memorable for judge Arlene claiming "the foxtrot is one of the most difficult challenges known to man". I think Sir Edmund Hillary would disagree, there!

And why the big deal about the fact Gabby was voted off? Okay, I'd prefer it if all the hot women were around until the last possible moment, but it's clear to me that people like seeing celebs actually improve...

After 5 weeks, the quality isn't going to skyrocket much more, is it? Not for people who are competent dancers (Kelly, Alesha, Penny), at any rate. Whereas, with the likes of Leticia and Kate, it's actually interesting to see them get better each week...

So anyway, my personal leaderboard currently stands like this:

1. Lilia Kopylova -- 31 -- and she was doing so well...
2. Kelly Brook -- 29 -- top of the chart next week?
3. Ola Jordan -- 27 -- edging up the chart!
4.- Alesha Dixon -- 25
4.- Flavia Cacace -- 25
5.- Camilla Dallerup -- 24 -- bit of a drop!
5.- Penny Lancaster -- 24
6. Nicole Cutler -- 19 -- grrr!
7. Leticia Dean -- 18
8. Kate Garraway -- 15

"I'm A Predalien... I'm A Illegal Alien..." *

Wow, the guys behind Aliens Vs Predator Requiem really don't care about spoiling their film's big surprise!

Avert your eyes now if you want to be shocked by the appearance of the "Predalien"...





Oooh, creepy. On a related note, I've been hearing good things about AVP2. As cynical cash-ins go, it's rumoured to be far better than AVP (not hard), and at least gets the design and performances of the Aliens and Predators spot-on.

I'd prefer a serious Alien 5, or even a Predator 3... but I'm treating this like the silly monster-mash it's designed to be... and hope it's some fun...

* My apologies to The Police.

ROBIN HOOD 2.5 - "Ducking And Diving"

Writer: Debbie Oates

Director: Matthew Evans

Cast: Jonas Armstrong (Robin), Lucy Griffiths (Marian), Keith Allen (Sheriff), Richard Armitage (Guy Of Gisbourne), Sam Troughton (Much), Gordon Kennedy (Little John), Harry Lloyd (Will Scarlett), Joe Armstrong (Allan-a-Dale), Anjali Jay (Djak), Josie Lawrence (Matila), Sara Howarth (Rosa) & David Bamber (Blight)

Robin must stop a messenger revealing information to the Sheriff about King Richard's return, and later discovers there's a spy amongst his gang...

Ducking And Diving is a rather humdrum episode of Robin Hood, focusing on a quite uninteresting central plot that wastes the talents of its guest stars and is ultimately crippled by the fact a subplot (with traitorous Allan-a-Dale being slowly exposed) is far more interesting than the main story -- about a messenger who has information for the Sheriff (Keith Allen) about the King's return, but it must remain a secret to prevent an assassination attempt...

The main story wastes a guest appearance by David Bamber as ratty physician Blight, then crowbars in Josie Lawrence as an unconvincing "wise woman" Matilda -- who more closely resembles a school art teacher! As luck would have it, Matilda helped usher Robin into this world as a baby, so she helps the outlaw by drugging the messenger (Henry of Lewes) and turning him into an incoherent lunatic.

Unfortunately, Matilda's actions are discovered and the Sheriff's punishment is to expose her as a witch by ducking her in the local village pond. The treatment of witches in the Middle Ages is something I've been waiting to see appear in Robin Hood, but while the ducking sequence itself is well-crafted, it seems a waste to limit witchcraft to almost an afterthought here...

So while the thrust of Ducking And Diving is dispiriting and plodding -- not helped by Matilda's daughter Rosa (Sara Howarth) giving birth back at the outlaw's camp -- Debbie Oates' script gets some respect for unexpectedly exposing Allan-a-Dale (Joe Armstrong) as a traitor in Robin's midst. Allan's dealings with Guy Of Gisbourne has been a good recurring plot strand for season 2, but it's nice to see the writers refusing to stretch it to breaking point, and it's ended very well in episode 5.

For once, the last 10 minutes of an episode doesn't revolve around an escape from Nottingham Castle, but instead it's just a simple two-hander between actors in a tavern. I hope the series as a whole realizes character relationships and interplay are what audiences really want to see, as they're what make the action worth watching. Of course, now that Allan has been exposed, it's frustrating to realize nothing else is around to replace that recurring plot!

As side-notes, it's nice to see Little John (Gordon Kennedy) being treated as a normal human being, instead of a monosyllabic cliche, for the second week running. Little John was always my favourite "merry man", but his treatment in this BBC series has been especially weak for the most part. Hopefully this is the beginning of a turnaround for the character.

On the flipside, Much (Sam Troughton) is seriously beginning to irritate me now. He was quite effective comic relief during season 1, but he's become almost dangerous a liability lately. Purely for the purposes of the plot, it takes Much mere seconds to blurt out the secret about a traitor to the whole group, before a later slip-up with a knife almost costs him his own life!

Still, while Much is flawed, he's at least memorable -- compared to Harry Lloyd's limp Will Scarlett -- but his constant screw-ups are beginning to annoy me. Another script convenience arrives when physician Blight conveniently discovers (off-screen) that Matilda delivered Robin into this world. I can live with it, but it's still lazy plotting that proves irksome...

Overall, Ducking And Diving is only worthy of attention for Robin's discovery of Allan's betrayal, as the main plot is quite a bore. The ducking sequence, with Matilda fastened to a chair to be drowned, is great when it arrives -- even if her inevitable rescue is a far-fetched -- but I'd have preferred a proper episode about the treatment of suspected witches...

The tragic waste of guest star David Bamber, and a miscast Josie Lawrence, only confirm episode 5 as a disappointing misstep. It's only rescued from total failure by a late emphasis on character over action.


3 November 2007
BBC 1, 7.15 pm

TRAILER PARK: The Mist

Belief divides them.
Mystery surrounds them.
But fear changes everything.

Background: Director Frank Darabont, after successfully adapting two Stephen King stories (The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile) turns his hand to another: The Mist. The plot concerns a freak storm that heralds the appearance of a strange mist that envelops a small town -- trapping a group of people in a grocery store. But is there something nasty lurking outside, in the mist itself?

Review: This certainly looks like a quality spooky tale. The trailer's main flaw is that it gives so much away -- so be warned before viewing. Other than that, The Mist looks to be a good, old-fashioned, spooky story. The cast are mostly unknowns, which will help keep things unpredictable -- although The Punisher's Thomas Jane (who deserves a breakout role) is a main character. Darabont's talent behind the camera is very evident throughout, so this trailer definitely wet my appetite for the film...

Prediction: The quality of Stephen King film adaptations are generally poor to average, but Darabont seems to have the magic touch -- by choosing to adapt King's "lesser works" that make better cinematic stories. The Mist looks to be great fun and audiences should enjoy a horror that is of fun supernatural style, instead of the realistic gruesomeness of stuff like Saw and Hostel that are currently clogging up the genre.

480P (51 MB)
720P (123 MB)
1080P (187 MB)

(To play file: download and rename it to "whatever.mov")

The US writers' strike is on!

Okay, so the 12,000 members of the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) will start their strike in the US on 5 November -- meaning no new scripts will be written in America from Monday...

The WGA are on strike because their writers don't receive royalties for work in "new media" -- like DVD sales and internet-only material (like "webisodes").

When the manufacturers of DVD cases are making more cash than the writers of the actual material being watched -- you know there's a problem!

In the UK, the British Writers Guild Of Great Britain (WGGB) already have a deal that covers new media -- and a good job, too, as WGGB members can't go on strike! American writers are playing catch-up with the British system, and most people are fully behind them... as writers have always been the unsung heroes of the entertainment biz, particularly in movies.

Martin Scorsese's a great director, but give him a camera crew and 130 pages of blank paper... and you're not going to get Goodfellas!

So what does a strike actually mean for the everyday American?

Well, immediately -- David Letterman and his ilk aren't going to be appear quite so witty and clever without those opening monologues being written for them! So expect every US talk show to start having an emphasis on the actual celebrity interviews!

The new US TV season is about 6 weeks into its run. Most shows have about 9-10 scripts already written, but when they run out... expect big breaks mid-season, and lots of repeats...

Reality TV doesn't need scripts, so expect shows like American Idol to perhaps be expanded. Repeats of old shows from years ago will also be very likely. What's new, eh?

US networks could potentially start buying in non-US shows to plug gaps in their schedules, and perhaps more foreign language films in US cinemas? A silver lining in some respects, perhaps! But also expect bad movies to get theatrical releases, despite ordinarily going straight-to-video!

So, while networks and studios have contingency plans in place... completed, quality scripts are a hot commodity in Hollywood right now...

Variety has an interesting article about a "Brit List" that was recently circulated in Hollywood from UK sources. It's essentially a list of the 40 best unproduced scripts written by British and Irish writers. Hollywood studios aren't sniffy about the nationality of a great writer, so now they're starved of fresh WGA material... it might get a few WGGB writers a crack at the US market -- who knows?

The last time WGA writers went on strike, in 1988, it cost the US entertainment industry $500 million, but the cost will be far greater 19 years later -- with so many new branches of the showbiz industry. Insiders predict a $1 billion loss!

I fully expect the writers to win this battle, as they're not asking for anything that's unreasonable -- just a few cents per DVD that's sold, or whenever someone downloads their work onto a mobile phone...

Is that too much to ask?

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.6 - "His Visit, Day Five"

Writer: Alix Lambert

Director: Tom Vaughn

Cast: Austin Nichols (John Monad), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Paul Ben-Victor (Palaka), Luis Guzman (Ramon), Emily Rose (Cass), Dayton Callie (Freddie), Matt Mather (Dwayne), Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost) & Chandra West (Tina Blake)

John tries to help Cissy and Bill confront events from their past, as Butchie tries to organize a reunion between Tina and Shaun...

Six episodes is enough time to gauge the quality of a new TV show. John From Cincinatti is a curious mix of the sombre, the dull, the irritating, the intriguing, the mysterious and the humorous. There's either a deep and complex plot being slowly spun each week, or a laborious exercise in trippy confusion.

Thankfully, with His Visit, Day Five, the show takes a firm step forward and solidifies a few suspicions concerning eponymous John (Austin Nichols) and his impact on the local community. Here, John Monad and Vietnam Joe (Jim Beaver) team-up with Bill Jacks (Ed O'Neill), to find the hoodlums that "fatally" stabbed him...

Their search doesn't get far, as John senses some disruption with Cissy and "astrally-projects" himself across town, just outside her kitchen window. Amusingly, this "projection" doesn't speak in the same stilted manner, meaning John can converse normally when freed from physical restraint. His first act is to warn Cissy against suicidal thoughts, asking her, in the manner of a radio huckster to "Act now, Cissy. Baptize that fucking pistol!". It's the first unquestionably divine/supernatural act John has made in the show -- just when we needed a bit of solidity, too.

Rebecca DeMornay is superb here as Cissy, as her hissy-fit character is finally given some context (an acid-fueled molestation of her son Butchie when he was 13.) It'll be easier to get a handle on Cissy's outbursts and self-loathing from now on, and a good sign that the writers know what they're doing. It also highlights a dilemma when reviewing TV shows, as future episodes can provide hitherto unknown revelations that contextualize reasons for a character's annoying, aggressive or unlikeable behaviour.

Brian Van Holt remains his usual foul-mouthed self as Butchie, trying (very badly) to organize a reunion between surfer son Shaun (the ever-vacant Greyson Fletcher) and pornstar ex-lover Tina (a nicely understated Chandra West.) The culmination of events, when Cissy shares time with Tina and shows her how to make tuna sandwiches for grandson Shaun, together with the eventual meeting between mother and son, is also one of the better human moments of the series so far. Oh, and the "loaves and fish" has an obvious Biblical parallel...

This is still a maddeningly difficult show to feel at ease watching, with most characters remaining closed-off -- perhaps intentionally, so that John can open them up for us. The motel's "Three Wise Men" (lawyer Meyer, manager Ramon and new owner Barry) are still open to interpretation, although it was interesting to see Meyer gain a wife here --- played by 80s icon Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame, no less!

Ed O'Neill should also get a belated mention as gruff Bill Jacks, a widower who lives with caged birds and is curiously distrustful of John. O'Neill is famous for playing Al Bundy for years on sitcom Married... With Children, so it's quite a revelation to see him give a fine dramatic performance in something so tonally different. He's so good, he put the ghost of Bundy to bed within minutes of his appearance in episode 1.

This episode is certainly the strongest evidence for John's effecting the town's residents, with or without their knowledge. Filmmaker Cass (the delectable Emily Rose) spends a scene almost turning spiritual in her video work, banging pots and pans as if to summon a spirit guide, and even Bitter Freddie (Dayton Callie) shows a musical side with a saxophone.

But it's the closing moments that signal seismic shift, as John (still in his "projected" persona), somehow brings everyone together at the motel whilst speaking an eloquent monologue. For anyone struggling to understand this show, it's a vital piece of information, although it's quite a cryptic piece of prose in itself! The actions often speak a bit clearer, with polar opposites Freddie and Bill making beautiful music together and a spooky moment when John goes into the "haunted" Room 24 and calmly emerged carrying a grey-skinned corpse!

Certainly, John From Cincinatti is an acquired taste. Every time you feel you're about to get a grasp on it, something happens to cloud the water again. It's intentionally thick with confusion, bewildering characters and length monologues, but episode 6 is the first time I truly got the impression there might be a point to it all. Or, if not, there's at least enough queasy logic that the writers can begin to shape it into something quite profound over time.

His Visit, Day Five won't convert you to John From Cincinatti if you've made your mind up about it, or abandoned it episodes ago, but it's a reminder to the faithful few that there might be some method to its madness...


Posthumous Review
Written: 26 July 2007
HBO