This week tv land has been all-a-twitter with news of a Charlie’s Angels remake (anyone else starting to HATE that word?) by ABC, who recently had good ratings with their remake of V (which I watched, found mediocre, and felt no compulsion to either review or keep watching – sorry).
First reaction: HELL NO.
The more measured reaction: I’m actually a fan of the original 70s version, ever since I got a VHS boxset for my 14th or 15th birthday. It’s good fun and mostly hilarious in a camp, 70s way. However, there’s no denying that it’s very much of its age – as much as I love the stories where the Angels go undercover as convict prostitutes, underwear models or beauty pageant contestants (BOJEST!), they’re enjoyable in the sense that we can shake our heads and say ‘ah, those crazy exploitative 70s!’. As it happens, my favourite character was always Sabrina, the girl who played the journalist/photographer/lawyer and usually got to keep her clothes on.
So what could we expect from a modern version? The recent films tried to parody the exploitative nature of the Angels’ investigations, but I can’t help but feel like they also fell into the trap themselves.
I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but YAY only one week to go until the Season 2 Premiere of Legend of the Seeker! Yes, the return of cute woodsman-cum-hero Richard, his drop dead gorgeous and kick ass true wuv Kahlan and Zeddicus Zu’l ‘Cockblock’ Zorander is only SEVEN DAYS AWAY!
Zedd, Kahlan, Richard and Cara
Remember the woman on the right? That’s Cara, the Mord Sith (aka killer dominatrix) from the Season One finale. Something tells me we’ll be seeing a lot more of her. Could make for some interesting tensions in the R/K relationship…
‘Denis Leary’s Apostle Films recently acquired the rights to 1997 sci-fi film Gattaca for a TV adaptation.
The company plans to develop the property as an hour-long crime series set in the future, reports Variety. NCIS writer/producer Gil Grant has been tapped to pen the project, which is being developed through Sony TV’s international division.’
What. What. Whaaaaaaat?
Minor freakout aside, let’s look at this objectively. Gattaca is a really good movie with a pretty excellent sci fi premise (genetic engineering creating an underclass of people). This could work…I think. There are so many ways to explore the valid/invalid concept that could make for a riveting show.
On the other hand, I’m not sure I like the sound of a crime series. Gattaca does have a vague murder mystery but it’s fairly secondary to the main plot and really just serves to up the tension for the main character. Is there really scope for a different crime mystery every week? Or would it be a series long arc like True Blood? I prefer that idea, as it would allow them to look at the world in more depth, rather than just having ‘invalid criminal of the week’.
‘Epitaph One’ is the thirteenth episode of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse (Season One), an epilogue produced for a fraction of the regular show’s budget to create the required amount of episodes for the international and DVD market. It’s a brave game-changer, taking us forward to a post-apocalyptic future where the implications of Dollhouse’s technology are explored in a gripping and exciting story.(spoilers for 1.13 and 2.1 follow)…
Interesting tidbits in the Guardian about a new Channel 4 genre series, Misfits:
‘The show, which will air on E4 from 12 November, features a cast of five teenage “outsiders” who get caught in a flash storm while on community service and develop superpowers.’
You can watch the first teaser trailer here. It’s a cool looking campaign, and apparently they will be releasing a graphic novel to promote the series too.
This actually looks like a good concept and could conceivably be an enjoyable show. Of course, me saying that makes it highly probable that it won’t be…
I’m looking forward to this movie. Chicago may be radically different from the stage show but it’s still a pretty good film, and Nine looks to be basically the same style. It’s also got some awesome actresses in it – Cotillard, Kidman, Cruz, Dench…and, uh, Fergie. And DDL, who is amazing.
The pilot for hot new show Glee aired absolutely ages ago, but it’s now running as a full series and is well worth checking out…unless you’re like my boyfriend and are a soulless hater of musicals.
The show follows a group of misfits who attend their high school’s ‘Glee Club’ (if, like me, you have no idea what one of those is, wiki tells me it’s a choir that specialises in short songs. They also seem to do dance routines that can be highly elaborate). Self important Rachel (Lea Michele) believes she’s destined for stardom but is at the bottom of the social heap; mouthy Mercedes (Amber Riley) longs to fit in; flamboyant Kurt (Chris Colfer) starts every day by being thrown into the dumpster by the football team. Leading them is the absolutely adorable Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), a teacher who rediscovers his creative talent.
Apparently Warehouse 13 has been a huge hit for Syfy (still lmao over that name), so on a whim I decided to check out episode one. It’s a fun, light-hearted sci-fi/crime mix that could be a really good show…but unfortunately contains very little in the way of originality. (very light spoilers)
I’ve been looking forward (ho ho) to Flash Forward for several months, ever since a copy of the pilot script found its way into my hands. I found it to be an enjoyable read, delivering an intriguing sci-fi premise as well as meaty character plotlines – exactly the sort of thing to reel me in. The pilot, however, left me feeling a little disappointed.
