Monday, September 26, 2011

Pan Am (ABC) - Television Review



Pan Am, ABC's high-flying new period drama soars and provides viewers with escapist fun.

The new series, set in 1963 follows the lives of two pilots and four stewardesses working on the iconic Pan American Airways during the Jet Age. Set in a time when air travel was at the peak of everyone's interest, Pan Am is a stylistically beautiful and entertaining show. The musical score is very period appropriate and scene fitting, adding to the quality of the one-hour pilot episode. Christina Ricci is the most recognizable name of the cast, but other notable stars is Mike Vogel as new pilot Dean, and Kelli Garner's character Kate provides plenty of intrigue in her espionage storyline.

The episode opens to a missing stewardess, Bridget, who just so happens to be the girlfriend of new captain Dean. As the new Majestic Clipper takes off on its maiden voyage from New York City to London's Heathrow Airport, viewers are giving flashbacks and glimpses into the lives of each character. First there is Laura Cameron(Margot Robbie), the sister of Kate who leaves her groom at the altar to travel the world much to her sister's dismay. There is Ted(Michael Mosley), Dean's co-pilot on the Majestic, and Collette(Karine Vanasse) who has been having an affair with one of her passengers.

The flashbacks are well-executed, used in a clever way to make the long flight across the Atlantic Ocean less claustrophobic and boring. And as viewers get more to the back-story of each of the characters, there is plenty of gossip, plenty of romantic entanglements, and loads of juicy secrets to keep audiences at the edge of their seats.

Pan Am was not only eye candy for those who cannot get enough of Mad Men's 60s era feel, but it was also a new show with a first-class story to tell, and a damn good script to go along with it.

Pan Am airs Sundays at 10/9c on ABC.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Hart of Dixie (The CW) - Television Review



Summer Roberts Rachel Bilson is back on television in The CW's new Hart of Dixie!

Dr. Zoe Hart graduated at the top of her class and was on her way to become a successful cardiothoracic surgeon until her plan goes awry and she loses both her boyfriend and career. In what she calls her "purgatory", the young doctor with absolutely not bedside manner moves to Bluebell, Alabama.

Rachel Bilson is at her cute and adorable best, and it is clear that the role of Zoe Hart was entirely written for her. But Bilson isn't the only star in this show, the supporting cast, which consists of Friday Night Light's Scott Porter and My Generation's Jaime King is also full of personalities, and truly makes the pilot episode one heartwarming experience.

Like its sister series Gossip Girl, the show features a flawless musical score, with soft rock and country tunes that match the setting entirely. The dialogue is also sharply written, with many witty humor and well-thought out one-liners that matches up to what normally comes out of Blair Waldorf's mouth.

All in all, the episode was just full of heart (no pun intended), and hands down one of the best new shows on television this season. Rachel Bilson is a familiar face on television that is surely welcomed, and Hart of Dixie has earned itself a season pass on my iTunes.

Hart of Dixie premieres Monday September 26 at 9/8c on The CW.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Revenge (ABC) - Television Review



“Two wrongs can never make a right because two wrongs can never equal each other.”

Emily VanCamp stars in ABC's new soapy drama series "Revenge", which, as the title reveals, is about a young girl seeking revenge for something that happened to her father when she was a child.

Emily Thorne(VanCamp) , who is later revealed in the pilot as Amanda Black, moves to the Hamptons and mysteriously begins to target specific individuals in the cookie-cutter community, particularly the wealthy Grayson family which consists of stone cold Victoria(portrayed by Madeleine Stowe), her husband Conrad(Henry Czerny) and their children Danny(Joshua Bowman) and Charlotte Grayson(Christa B. Allen).

The pilot opens to a murder, which is instantly revealed to be the death of Danny who is engaged to Emily. After the discovery of the dead body, the show takes us back 5 months prior to the engagement party, when Emily first moved into her new home. The extended flashback format used in the episode was a major problem for me, as not only do we now know the result of a lot of things that will occur in future episodes, but it also takes the suspense out of Emily's vengeful acts.

While the series was mysteriously engaging and leaves you with many questions, I am not so sure how far the premise of Emily seeking revenge can go, namely for how many seasons. The pilot moved along at a rather slow pace, and the flashbacks within the flashback only made things go even slower. Many critics have praised VanCamp's portrayal as Emily Thorne, but what I saw of her portrayal was merely an emotionless and unmotivated performance.

"Revenge" is your typical primetime soap opera, with elements of lying, cheating, stealing and murder all added into the mix. But where it differentiates itself from other soaps, is that while normal dramas might take a few episodes to deal with a revenge plot, this show has opted to do so in the span of an entire series. In other words, "Revenge" is just a bit too dragged out.

Revenge airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Playboy Club (NBC) - Television Review



It certainly is no Mad Men, but it sure as hell was entertaining and fun.

The Playboy Club premiered on NBC last night, and being one of the most talked about shows of the new season, it certainly delivered in the soapy drama department. Amber Heard stars as Maureen, a new bunny at the Chicago Playboy Club, and almost immediately does she get herself into all sorts of trouble. First, she leaves her cigarette-selling duties to go dance with customers, and then she finds herself killing a big crime boss back in the storage closet. Luckily for Maureen however, the dapper and handsome Nick Dalton(portrayed by Eddie Cibrian) comes to her rescue, and the two immediately agree on an alibi that they spent the night together to quickly cover up the murder.

There is plenty of drama and intrigue in the pilot episode, with a supporting cast that boasts interesting plots as well. From Janie and over-protective bartender boyfriend Max, to the secret agenda of Alice and her later revealed homosexual husband, the show has a lot of promising potential. And while Amber Heard and Eddie Cibrian were both good in their respective roles, the true shining star is Laura Benanti, whose portrayal as the dominant Carol-Lynne was so good, it made me wish that the show was solely focused on her.

While the pilot episode was stylistically beautiful and full of interesting storylines, it is not to say that it did not have any weak points to it. The dialogue could most certainly have been better, and when compared (once again) to Mad Men, is clearly lacking in any quality. Further, the narration by Hugh Hefner was distracting and felt out of place with the episode, though thankfully the narration will not be happening in the following episodes.

For all the haters and doubters out there, The Playboy Club is not the least bit bad. And for those who can't get enough of nighttime soaps and 1960's period dramas, this is definitely a show worth checking out.

The Playboy Club airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Ringer (The CW) - Television Review



Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to television in The CW's "Ringer" was highly anticipated, over-hyped, and full of expectations. Going in to watch the pilot episode this past Tuesday, I must admit that while the show did not disappoint, it did not amaze either.

Gellar plays identical twin sisters, Siobhan and Bridget. Bridget is a recovering alcoholic and prostitute, who is trying to escape from having to testify against a criminal. On the day before the court trial, Bridget escapes to meet with her sister Siobhan who she has not seen in ten years. But after Siobhan goes missing, Bridget soon learns that her sister's life is less than perfect and full of skeletons in the closet as well.

Sarah Michelle Gellar does a very good job at portraying two roles in the series, and it is believable that Siobhan and Bridget are two separate people though her performance is nowhere near as convincing as Dominic Cooper's portrayal of identical twins in The Devil's Double. The pilot moves along quickly as well, with several plot twists and one final big twist at the end that will no doubt leave many viewers wanting more.

So where did it fall short? In my opinion, all the lies, secrets and scandals in the interwoven storylines between the characters were all done before, and personally there was nothing special or new about it. What also bugged me was how poorly done the CGI was in the boat scene with Siobhan and Bridget. I could not help but laugh out loud at that scene altogether. The dialogue was rather bland and unmemorable, and even at times a bit cliche.

But despite these flaws, "Ringer" is still a fun soapy drama series that has me hooked not because of its good storytelling, but rather for its superior cast (Ioan Gruffudd and Kristopher Polaha also star) and just mere curiosity as to where the creators will take this show next.

Ringer airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

Monday, September 12, 2011

The Secret Circle (2011) - Television Review



Love triangles, attractive teenagers, and plenty of mystery and intrigue—No I am not talking about The CW's cult phenomenon The Vampire Diaries but new series The Secret Circle from TVD producer Kevin Williamson.

Gone is the The Vampire Diaries's Mystic Grill and in its place is The Boathouse Grill, and Life Unexpected's Britt Robertson is the protagonist, Cassie Blake. The series features similar spooky and eerie cinematography from its sister show, and opens with a bang in a haunting murder sequence. Williamson's writing is at its best here, and in many ways the dialogue in this pilot is much better than that of The Vampire Diaries.

But while the Pilot Episode had its moments, the show is not nearly as good as Vampire Diaries. Sure, it took some time for Vampire Diaries to take off, but at least that Pilot Episode actually had substantially engaging characters and a plot that moved forward and kept you wanting more. In this case however, The Secret Circle simply left be clueless and confused rather than intrigued. The Pilot Episode went by quickly, but I felt like nothing happened. We simply were given a lot of questions and little to no character development.

Britt Robertson is talented and portrays the female lead role of Cassie Blake very well, but standing beside her costars she looks a lot younger, making the other stars in the show look like they don't belong in high school. Thomas Dekker was decent as Cassie's potential love interest, Adam, but the true shining star is Phoebe Tonkin as resident bad girl Faye Chamberlain. Tonkin is so sassy and ruthless she gives Ian Somerhalder a run for favorite badass on TV. Gale Harold is also a standout in the Pilot, playing the Big Bad and father to Shelley Hennig's character Diana.

The Secret Circle was indeed mysterious, and Kevin Williamson proves that he is a mastermind of the teen supernatural genre, but whether or not this show is worth investing time in is uncertain. Maybe the pace will be picked up in the following episodes, but as of now there seems to be just too much of the "secret" element to the show and not enough character development with the people in the "circle".

The Secret Circle premieres Thursday, September 15 at 9/8c on The CW

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Ghost the Musical (2011) - Theatre Review



GHOST the Musical was a innovative, visually stunning and emotionally invigorating production here in the West End.

The stage adaptation of Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore's 1990 film of the same name, GHOST is a new West End musical that opened on July 19, 2011 at the Piccadilly Theatre and is expected to transfer over to Broadway spring of 2012. Starring Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy, the musical follows a couple, Sam Wheat(Fleeshman) and Molly Jensen(Levy) who are attacked one night while returning to their apartment. And when Sam dies, he turns into a ghost, guiding Molly to help her find his killer.

Directed by Tony Award winning director Matthew Warchus and featuring music by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard, the show features a timeless love story that will surely captivate an audience. Caissie Levy gives a commanding performance as Molly Jensen, exuding so much heart and emotion into the role that at times, you can feel her pain of losing the love of her life. Richard Fleeshman also shines in the role of Sam, and his rock/pop vocals fits perfectly with the musical numbers in the production.

The highlight of the show however, is the set design and special effects that make the "ghost" in GHOST so real. With out of this world illusions and projections and holograms, viewers will be wowed by every out of this world act Fleeshman is able to perform thanks to the creative team behind this production.

The only flaw I had with the show is the number "Ball of Wax." The song feels out of place, immediately removing all sorts of emtions from the previous scene where Sam dies. Maybe a slow number should be inserted before it, but if it were me I would have played up the somber emotions of the audience first before lightening up the mood with the very old school Broadway number that is "Ball of Wax."

With a very talented cast and creative team, memorable ballads, and special effects that completely knocked the movie's effects out of the park, GHOST is a musical that is not to be missed.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Midnight in Paris (2011) - Film Review



Woody Allen has made a hit in the city of lights with the sultry and alluring Owen Wilson starring movie, Midnight in Paris.

With an impeccably beautiful script written by Allen, and stunning cinematography Darius Khondji and Johanne Debas, Midnight in Paris documents the trip of an American author Gil(Wilson) who takes a trip to Paris with his worldly and rather annoying fiancee Inez(Rachel McAdams). Gil is struggling to finish his first novel, while his fiancee and in-laws want him to stay in Hollywood to continue his blossoming career as a screenwriter. While taking a stroll in the city by himself one night, Gil stumbles upon a car passing by after the clock strikes twelve filled with flapper girls and other passengers dressed as if they were from the 1920's. Going along for the ride, Gil discovers a whole new world in the city filled with famous writers and philosophers of the Lost Generation like Ernest Hemingway(Corey Stoll), Gertrude Stein(Kathy Bates), and F. Scott Fitzgerald(Tom Hiddleston). While embarking on these getaways at midnight, Gil also potentially falls for a beautiful woman named Adriana(Marion Cotillard) in this other world.

Whether or not his journey to the Lost Generation is real is beside the point, as the film's narrative will make its viewers care more about seeing Wilson's character spend another night in the 20's rather than wonder how that whole domain exists. And when the film comes to a close, it only leaves you wanting more of this fun and artsy fantasy that Gil gets to experience. The film also manages to make Paris even more attractive than it already is, if that is even possible.

Owen Wilson is perfect as the wide-eyed and imaginative Gil, and Rachel McAdams delivers as the whiny and detestable fiancee of Gil's. The slew of actors who portray the various philosophical thinkers and writers, portrays their onscreen counterparts so well that it almost feels as if that is how the real Hemingway or Fitzgerald really should be. Marion Cotillard also gives a noteworthy performance as Gil's love interest Adriana, though her performance lacks the sex appeal that her character was suppose to deliver.

Midnight in Paris is pure escapist fun, making the city of Paris look more refined, captivating and attractive than it ever did before. There is a level of elegance and artistic beauty to Woody Allen's latest film, and it is a work of art that should not be ignored.