The Philanthropist

Have you ever had an impulse, one which has no foundation in logic, and which runs counter to our biological drive to hoard and be selfish? We admire heroes precisely because we recognize that our default mode is to be selfish, to care for ourselves and our loved ones before any stranger that may require our beneficence. We comfort ourselves with the notion that we’re not criminals, and therefore, at the very least, we are not actively making the world worse. Sometimes, we make ourselves feel better by throwing money at a cause. If we can’t ship out to South America or volunteer for the Peace Corps, perhaps we can send financial aid instead. Perhaps one takes a more cynical view, arriving at the conclusion that charity is in itself selfish, since those who do it are in it for the attention, or to ease their own gnawing consciences. Is there such a thing as a selfless deed? Nevertheless, isn’t it to our credit that we have those gnawing consciences? If our Darwinian drive dictates that we be selfish to protect ourselves and our families at the expense of others, then isn’t the fact that we feel for others, for strangers in far-off lands, a good thing?

The Philanthropist, NBC’s summer premiere about a billionaire-playboy-turned-humanitarian, may seem like too shallow a vehicle to tackle such questions. After all, what do the folks over in Hollywood know about human suffering on a global scale? Curiously, however, the show works, and it does so while feeling vibrant and human rather than didactic. James Purefoy stars as Teddy Rist, a fast-living, globe-trotting man who finds a moment of clarity in the middle of an African village. This brings us back to my opening question: the illogical impulse to do good, particularly when that good runs counter to our own well-being. In the midst of a hurricane, Teddy sees a poor boy and saves places him onto a safety raft, sacrificing his own place onboard. Upon returning home to NYC, Terry finds that he can’t put the boy out of his mind and returns to Africa in search of him.

With excellent production values, the show comes to life when Teddy is abroad. The exotic locations photograph beautifully, and even the impoverished towns that Teddy visits are a welcome respite from the monotonous settings of other tv shows. As a character, Teddy is but the last in a long string of rich boys playing heroes: from The Scarlet Pimpernel to Batman, the motif is a recurring one. Teddy measures up as a character because he seems genuinely concerned for the people that he is trying to help, and because he does it through charity, rather than violence. Teddy doesn’t don a cape and mask and beat up the bad guys; he tries to deliver vaccines to villages where they are desperately needed. This isn’t to say that the character (and the premise) are unproblematic. After all, Teddy seems to think that bribing people is a legitimate way of getting around the local systems of corruption. Furthermore, the people that he helps (at least in the pilot) are African, bringing forth racial questions to the tune of White Man’s Burden and Western Imperialism. Whether or not the show will tackle these questions remains to be seen, though the issue is briefly noted in the pilot.

In terms of casting, James Purefoy is an inspired choice. Having played bad boys in Rome (my favorite HBO show…ever) and Vanity Fair, James brings that Marc Antony-esque swagger and adventurous spirit to Teddy, but then he adds a deep sense of loss and empathy to the character that make Teddy more substantive and compassionate than Purefoy’s previous roles; he truly seems to care. If there is a problem with the show, it is with Teddy’s life in New York. Teddy’s turbulent background includes broken relationships and the loss of a son, all of which drive him away from his home in America. While I like the notion that Teddy is running from unhappiness, thereby bringing his motives into question, I find it too facile and reductive for the writers to give the rich playboy a dead son as the trigger for his quest to right wrongs. Can’t a person feel sympathy for a fellow human being without having anagolous experience in his/her own life story? I don’t need to have AIDS or see someone close to me die of AIDS in order to feel sympathy for an AIDS patient. It would have been more interesting to me if Teddy’s change were not so easily explained.

Teddy’s son is not the only problem he left behind in New York. He lost his former girlfriend Olivia (played by Neve Campbell) to his best friend Philip (Jesse L. Martin). Though Martin acquits himself well with very little to do in the pilot, Campbell seems out of place, and uninteresting. Lindy Booth, playing Teddy’s assistant A.J., has the same problem; she’s there to beg Teddy to stay out of trouble, and this gets tiresome very quickly. Perhaps these characters will get more development in future episodes? Do we even want to know more about them? The pilot itself is entirely about Teddy, and it works well, but I don’t know that it would, if centered on the other characters. In a previous post, I questioned whether the charm of Nathan Fillion would be enough to sustain my interest in Castle, despite its weak supporting cast and its uninspired writing. The answer to that is a resounding “No” and I gave up on that series. I think The Philanthropist falls more in line with House, as a series with a strong lead who has enough support from the other players and the writing to make me tune in time and again. Like House, The Philanthropist can choose to focus on one character alone, but the supporting players need to be strong enough to make that character’s world an interesting one. It could also go another way by becoming an ensemble piece, but I doubt that they will pull away from Teddy to make that happen.

As it stands, the pilot of The Philanthropist was very intriguing, fast-paced and surprisingly moving. It speaks to that gnawing conscience inside all of us that wants to alleviate the pain in the world. Put simply, it’s wish fulfillment, the desire to become the type of person who could rise above selfishness. Of course, it wouldn’t be fun if Teddy didn’t stumble along the way, but that’s what makes life (and tv) interesting: the flaws in the plan. I, for one, can’t wait to see what Teddy will be up to next.

The Philanthropist airs Wednesdays at 10PM on NBC.

I Tweet!

I’ve been experiencing a crippling case of Writer’s Block recently (and by ‘recently’, I mean the last three months), so I figured there was nothing to do, but to come clean. I’ve added my Twitter link to the sidebar, since I’ve (thankfully) retained the ability to string together posts < 140 characters. I'm also following some cool peeps on Twitter. These are people who elevate Twitter beyond the tedious and mind-numbing updates regarding breakfast cereals or grocery lists (Do I really need to know when you're doing your laundry?). Not these guys; they make the best use of the limited space and make Twitter (dare I say it?) fun. Perhaps you'll find them interesting?

giagia- Self-proclaimed “science-groupie”, married to Physicist Brian Cox, consultant on films like Danny Boyle’s Sunshine, and host of the television science series Horizon. Gia always posts fun updates regarding Brian’s latest projects, as well as science in general.

feliciaday- Felicia Day first came to my attention as Slayer-in-training Vi on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she has since developed quite the online following through her self-produced web series, as well as her leading role on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. She’s a fan favorite on Twitter, with her regular updates regarding books, gaming and technology.

BrianLynch- Brian, a writer and pop/geek-culture enthusiast, single-handedly makes the case for getting a Twitter account. His posts are quirky, original and hilarious.

StephenAtHome- Colbert, aka the God of my idolatry, posts regular updates regarding guests that have visited his show, as well as his unique views on the news headlines of the day.

Those are the people I follow; not many, as you can see. Mostly, I wonder how long this Twitter fad will last. When the mainstream media reports on a fad, you know that it’s on its way out, and Twitter recently was featured on shows like The Today Show. Will this post be dated within a few months? Probably, but for now (and especially in light of that Writer’s Block I mentioned), we’ll go with the flow. If you have someone whose tweets are worth following, post the link below!

“Good Night, Folks…”

“There’s a hole in the world. Feels like we ought to have known.”

I was going to write a review of Be Kind, Rewind. I was going to write an Actor Spotlight post about someone NOT related to the Whedonverse, since my first was about Giles and Wesley. Instead, I felt the need to write about this guy: Andy Hallett. Most of you probably never heard of him. Even people who have seen him on Angel probably wouldn’t have recognized him on the street. Andy was not the most widely known actor in the world, but those of us who were fortunate enough to catch him on Angel know what a great talent he was. I’m using the past tense here because it was just announced that Andy died on March 29th from a heart ailment. He was 33 years old.

Andy was discovered by Joss Whedon singing in a nightclub, and he was asked to come onboard Angel…as a singer in a nightclub. The big difference was that Andy’s character, Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan (Lorne, to his friends), was a green, horned demon from the dimension of Pylea, one who liked to dress in loud, flashy suits to match his larger than life personality.

Lorne wasn’t supposed to last; he was a green, red-eyed demon! He burst into song on a regular basis! If he didn’t become a caricature, he was destined to be too precious for the show to withstand, a distraction. The great thing about Andy is that he didn’t let Lorne become either cartoony or affected. Despite being “the Life of the Party”, he never let the very overt quirks of his character detract from the main story. In his hands, a character that was designed to be a temporary curiosity, a freak, became a most familiar and welcome face on the show. Lorne was a gentle soul who despised violence and loved music, qualities that made him an outcast in his world. Under his great humor and pizzaz, one sensed an undercurrent of sadness, first for the family that rejected him, and then for his friends, who were being corrupted and damaged by the fight against evil. Despite being a demon, Lorne was the most human and most humane of all the characters on Angel.

By all accounts, Andy the man was not very far removed from his character. He was thrilled to meet fans at conventions, and his colleagues have always spoken very warmly of him. Fan reactions to the news of Andy’s passing have been universal in their affection for the man, and the light he shone wherever he went. I think that bringing laughter and music to people is one of the best legacies a man can leave, so even if you don’t know who Andy was, I can assure you that his legacy was very great, indeed.

Random trivia fact: Joss Whedon has appeared only once in one of his shows, in a cameo as Lorne’s brother Numfar on Angel’s “Through the Looking Glass” episode in the second season. He famously did “the Dance of Joy for three moons” at his mother’s prompting when Lorne disappeared from his home. “No longer do the Dance of Joy, Numfar!”

Random trivia fact 2: Andy was a background extra in the “Hush” episode of Buffy. He was sitting in the back of the classroom during Buffy’s dream sequence, in which she is kissed by Riley in the middle of Professor Walsh’s lecture.

-Artemis

Ashes to Ashes

The British show Life on Mars was an award winning series centered on a modern-day cop, Sam Tyler, who wakes up in the year 1973 after being struck by a car. It was so successful that an American remake was commissioned for ABC (the remake received mixed reviews and was cancelled in its first season), and a spin-off was created for the BBC, premiering this month in BBC America. This spin-off, Ashes to Ashes (both series take their titles from David Bowie songs), stars Keeley Hawes as DI Alex Drake, a detective with intensive training in psychoanalysis, who is transported back to 1981 after being shot in 2008. Drake had been studying Tyler’s case, and she is shocked to meet the same men that Tyler encountered during his time in the 70s. She begins to suspect that she is in a coma (as Tyler was during the original series), hallucinating about the case, and not actually travelling through time. Taking tips from Tyler’s notes, she tries to fix radios and other devices to receive messages and clues about her actual condition in the 21st century.

Both series combine the overriding cop genre with a sci-fi/fantasy twist, the ambiguity behind the time travel. Are the protagonists insane, in a coma, or did they actually travel through time? Will their actions in the past affect the reality in the future? If they are in a coma, will they wake up? There are aspects of horror as well, as Alex is haunted almost daily by a sinister clown from the David Bowie “Ashes to Ashes” video, who seems to have answers regarding her condition. Though life for Sam Tyler must have been difficult during his trip to the 70s (I didn’t watch the original show or its American remake), a situation of this kind must be infinitely more difficult for Alex, a woman trying to prove her worth in a 1981 police force. Besides her gender, her background in and reliance on psychology alienate her from the rest of the force. She has a desperate need to get back to the job and the life she left behind, a life that includes her small daughter.

The ensemble of the show is excellent, especially the returning characters from Life on Mars, who have aged and grown in the years since Tyler’s trip back in time. Dean Andrews returns as Ray Carling, a racist, sexist detective on the force, who is resentful of Alex Drake’s command. Marshall Lancaster also is back as Chris Skelton, Sam Tyler’s friend, who has grown in confidence and nerve since we last saw him in the 70s. Finally, there is the phenomenal Philip Glenister as Chief Inspector Gene Hunt, a man wise enough to know that Alex’s skills can come in handy, though he is also tied to the old way of doing things; he’s like a dinosaur who knows the end is coming for his kind, but who refuses to go without a fight. These men aren’t stereotypes, and their points-of-view, though very different from Drake’s, are not dismissed out of hand. In the leading role, Keeley Hawes is strong in that she is confident in her skills and her logic, and vulnerable in knowing that she is very much out of place and out of her comfort zone in this era.

In addition to a beautiful recreation of the 80s, and a rocking soundtrack (just like its predecessor), Ashes to Ashes is full of suspense and social observations regarding Margaret Thatcher’s England. The stakes are high for Alex Drake, especially in her role as a single mother, making the show feel very urgent. Hopefully, Ashes to Ashes will be embraced stateside, despite the failure of the Life on Mars remake.

The premiere episode of Ashes to Ashes will be re-broadcast this Saturday on BBC America.

-Artemis

Actor Spotlight: Watchers Edition

So, I decided to create a category that lets my inner fangirl come out and play (more than she usually does, anyway). The result is a Spotlight category for past movies, television shows, and actors that I really dig (as opposed to current releases that fall into those categories). Today, we have my two favorite Whedonverse actors, the watchers Anthony Stewart Head and Alexis Denisof, both of whom are celebrating a birthday this week. This way lie spoilers….

First up, Anthony Stewart Head (February 20, 1954):

Giles: Buffy Summers’ beloved watcher, Rupert “Ripper” Giles, was my favorite character on that show, someone who managed to be both paternally encouraging and mighty intimidating (when he got his “mean” on, that is). He tried to set a good example for his Scoobies, but he could also be enough of a smartass to attack Maggie Walsh for being dismissive of his parental abilities and trying to replace him as the central authority figure in Buffy’s life (”A New Man”). Always great with swords and chainsaws, Giles also has been known to rough up his enemies with his bare fists, and to kill a guy (”The Gift”) or two (Buffy Season 8, # 9), if the occassion calls for it. In fact, of the core Scoobies, Giles is the one who will hesitate least when it comes to killing someone. Demons fear Buffy, but the rest of the world should fear Giles.

Tony: Before Buffy, Tony Head was known for his performances in a series of Gold Blend ads, and his post-Buffy career has seen a great deal of work over in the U.K. (he left Buffy in Season 6 to spend more time with his family overseas). Besides the hilarious Manchild, he has enjoyed success as Uther Pendragon in Merlin (scheduled to come stateside on June 21, 2009) and as the Prime Minister in Little Britain. Most recently, the new series Free Agents features Tony as company boss Stephen Caudwell, described by the show’s website as “a ruthless scoundrel completely without morals and possessing all the sexual responsibility of an alley-cat.” Though Merlin is the more high-profile series, I’m personally dying to see Free Agents, since it seems geared toward a more adult audience, in the same style that made Manchild such a delight. I hope that it makes it to our side of the pond. If you get a chance, try to netflix the aforementioned Manchild, or the first season episode of Spooks (American title: MI-5) called “Traitor’s Gate”, featuring Tony as rogue agent Peter Salter, who collaborates with a terrorist organization; a truly intense performance from our Mr. Head in a spectacular hour of television. Other than that, my greatest wish for Tony is that someone greenlights that Ripper spinoff/made-for-tv-movie that was in the works, focusing on that darker side of our beloved Rupert Giles. In the meantime, for those of you who require a Giles fix, I greatly recommend the Buffy Season 8 series, especially the No Future For You volume set, focusing on Giles and his partnership with vampire slayer Faith.

Alexis Denisof (February 25, 1966):

Wesley: My other favorite watcher, and my favorite character in the entire Whedonverse, was Wesley Wyndham Pryce. Seriously, how many times have you seen a character (on television or in any other medium) have such a great story arc? Wesley taught me a lot of things about the nature of characterization itself, especially the notion of growing/changing a character without violating the character’s core persona (contrast this with Cordelia Chase, a character who changed wildly beyond recognition, without design or consistency, and one of the few times that Mutant Enemy dropped the ball in the personal arcs of one of its characters). The uptight Wesley who was willing to let Willow die during one of his earliest appearances on Buffy (”Choices”) is the same Wesley who was willing to kidnap Connor several years (and a hell of a make-over) later (”Sleep Tight”). The ruthlessness was always there, as were the skills (he just couldn’t tap into them until he overcame his lack of confidence). The Buffy Wiki tells us that Wesley was the best marksman in the entire Buffyverse, even better than the slayers and vampires who fought at his side. One can see this even as early as his first season on Angel, in episodes such as “Expecting” and “The Ring”, when the normally shy Wesley turns dead serious. Eventually, Wesley would develop his fighting skills to a point where he could take on demons and vampires single-handedly, and regularly would shoot an opponent as soon as look at him. In the case of his own father, Wesley emptied a clip into the elder Pryce’s face with barely a blink of an eye (”Lineage”). When he wasn’t busy shooting up his enemies, Wes has also been known to torture people, keep women chained in his basement, and carry on an affair with a mortal enemy, all the while hoping to steal the girlfriend of one of his best friends….and he’s one of the good guys! Even Numfar agrees that Wes was awesome, as evidenced by his recent response to the question of favorite character arcs at Whedonesque: “For a long term arc, you can’t beat Wesley Wyndham-Price. Talk about empowering a geek!” There you have it from the Master himself, ladies and gentlemen.

Alexis: Of course, for Wesley’s arc to work, you need an actor who can deliver both extremes of Wesley’s personality, from pompous, ineffectual know-it-all to ruthless demon-hunting badass, and Alexis Denisof delivered the single most nuanced, subtle and engaging performance ever filmed for the ‘verse (or any other tv ‘verse, with the only possible match being James Callis as Gaius Baltar on Battlestar Galactica). The tragedy of Wesley Wyndham Pryce was Shakespearean in scope. Sadly, we haven’t seen much of Alexis since his days on Angel. He was in an English stage production of All My Sons, and he has guest starred as a bigamist on the tv show Private Practice and a self-centered news anchor on How I Met Your Mother (which stars his wife and former Buffy costar Alyson Hannigan). I’m hoping he’ll show up on Dollhouse eventually, and I told Joss as much in the two seconds I got to speak to him. Here’s hoping we see Alexis again, and soon! In the meantime, I highly recommend Angel: After the Fall for your Wesley fix; it’s a great and worthy continuation to the Angel series, written by the talented Brian Lynch (and crafted by Lynch and Whedon). Check it out! No, really, check it out….now! In fact, buy all of Lynch’s books, especially Spike: Asylum…seriously, Lynch is that good!

Random trivia fact: did you know that Tony Head recommended Alexis Denisof for the part of Wesley? They had worked together on the play Rope in England. The Hitchcock film of the same title was based on the this story of two college buddies/lovers who decide to murder their classmate, much to the horror of their disillusioned and cynical professor. Tony Head played the professor in the stage play, opposite John Barrowman (yes, Torchwood’s Captain Jack!) and Alexis Denisof as the two killers.

-Artemis

Joss Whedon at SoHo’s Apple Store

Joss Whedon attended an event at SoHo’s Apple Store to promote his show Dollhouse. As an added surprise, Joss brought the star of the show, Eliza Dushku, to participate in the presentation with him. A sequence from the first episode was screened, in which we are introduced to the concept of Echo (Eliza’s character) being imprinted with a different personality each week, as requested by each customer who purchases her time.

Joss spoke about the optimism that he feels for the show, especially since he feels that Terminator (which stars Whedon alumna Summer Glau) is a great lead-in and companion to Dollhouse. TV Guide critic and moderator Matt Roush also pointed out that Friday has become the new Geek trifecta, with a triple treat of Terminator, Dollhouse and Battlestar Galactica (the latter on the Sci-Fi Channel). Joss explained that he was very encouraged by the way that Fox had promoted Terminator, and the fact that the network has stuck by that show, despite a drop in ratings. Their treatment of Terminator makes him optimistic that they will stand behind Dollhouse.

Because Dollhouse is a mid-season replacement, it will only present 13 episodes. In an effort to attract fans and appease the network, Joss made a decision to move up some storylines from Season 2 to Season 1. His reasoning is that he wants to invite viewers to commit to the show as soon as possible, something that would be more difficult if he stuck to his original story-planning. Nevertheless, he still wanted to break the season in such a way that people can join in after the first episode. He said that the season will reach a major narrative juncture in Episode 6, where the mythology of the show really kicks off. According to Joss and Eliza, there is a good arc in place for the first season, but he has also plotted out five seasons of the show, should it require them.

Joss also announced some casting decisions for this first season. Amy Acker is onboard as a guest, as are fellow Whedon alumni Felicia Day and Alan Tudyk (or as Joss referred to him: “some guy named Alan that I impaled that one time”). I should add that I geeked out when I met the man and asked him to plleeeeaaaase cast Alexis Denisof, to which he replied, “I really need to work with him again!”

Finally, the question was brought up (it was also brought up by The NPR) regarding misogynistic overtones in Dollhouse, a show that is, for all intents and purposes, about human trafficking. Joss answered that he had talked with the organization Equality Now about the themes of the show, and he maintains that it is important to explore these themes of exploitation, first of all in order to tell a story realistically (if the Dollhouse technology existed, it would be used in exploitative ways), and secondly, because Echo’s arc requires that she start in a place of helplessness. The fact that Echo is the weakest of Whedon’s heroines (she lacks superpowers, and even memory) means that her journey to empowerment will be that much more impressive.

The event concluded with a signing, and free Dollhouse posters. Almost everyone brought a Whedon-related item to be signed, ranging from comic books to DVDs. In fact, there were a lot of Buffy Season 1 sets and Angel Season 5s, as well as Firefly. The most surprising thing was that almost everyone in the room had some sort of Joss comic book. I saw one person with Serenity comics, several with Buffy and X-Men. I think I may have been one of the few with Angel comics in tow (I got him to sign After the Fall #12 Runge cover featuring Wesley and my Angel AtF vol. 2 set, also featuring Wesley….did I mention that Wesley is my favorite Whedon character?). His response to the Runge cover: “Wow, this cover’s awesome!”

Side rant: I was glad to see a lot of love for Angel in the room (one of the questions was about a possible continuation to the series), since the organizers of the event (and a lot of people who interview Joss online) all seem to have forgotten that Joss once made a show called Angel. Seriously, why is Angel treated like the ugly middle child? There was no mention of Angel by the Apple guys (who promoted Buffy, Dr. Horrible, and Firefly in addition to Dollhouse), but I saw many fans with the Angel DVDs (all Season 5, as I said). Personally, I like Angel as much as I like Buffy, and I consider them both superior to Firefly, though I know that popular opinion holds Angel in last place. As I said, I was happy to see a lot of Angel fans in the audience last night, so perhaps Whedon fans haven’t forgotten the series, even if the press has.

To end on a positive note, the Dollhouse footage looked very exciting. I also have a feeling that the momentum will build and build as the season progresses, so I’m looking forward to seeing the arc unfold. Hopefully, the show will stick around, and we’ll have ourselves a weekly Whedon treat! Watch Dollhouse Fridays at 9 p.m. on Fox, starting this week.

-Artemis

Caprica DVD to be released on April 2009

According to Galactica Sitrep, Caprica, the prequel to Battlestar Galactica, will premiere its pilot on DVD and digital download on April 21, 2009. The series itself, which explores the creation of the Cylons, as well as the backstory of the Adama family, will have its premiere on the Sci-Fi network in 2010. Quote the press release:

FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS OF SCI FI CHANNEL’S ‘BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’ RONALD D. MOORE AND DAVID EICK AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Caprica, the highly anticipated prequel to “Battlestar Galactica,” will enjoy its world premiere exclusively on DVD on April 21, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. In a groundbreaking move sure to delight fans of the long-running television phenomenon, the feature-length prequel will be available on DVD as a limited-edition uncut and unrated version before the series’ broadcast premiere on the SCI FI Channel in 2010. Caprica is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick (”Battlestar Galactica”) and Remi Aubuchon (”24″). Exclusive bonus features that take viewers behind the scenes of the creation of Caprica make this DVD a landmark event for any fan of “Battlestar Galactica.” The film will also be available at selected online destinations for digital download transactions.

As “Battlestar Galactica” wraps its gripping final season on SCI FI on March 20, 2009, Caprica begins a brand new epic saga that continues the franchise’s commitment to thought-provoking storytelling and extraordinary characters. Set over 50 years before the events of “Battlestar Galactica,” Caprica is a world at the peak of its power, grappling with new science and technologies and the issues they create. The series will star Golden Globe nominee Eric Stoltz (Mask, Pulp Fiction), Esai Morales (”Jericho,” “NYPD Blue”), Paula Malcomson (”Deadwood” “ER”) and Golden Globe(R) nominee Polly Walker (”Cane,” “Rome”) in a story laced with passion, intrigue and family conflict.

“We are thrilled to take the groundbreaking step of offering the world-premiere of the Caprica feature-length extended pilot episode on DVD prior to the new series’ television debut,” said Hilary Hoffman, Senior Vice President, Brand and Digital Marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “This innovative distribution model will serve to satisfy ‘Battlestar Galactica’ fans’ appetites for a new content while building excitement for the franchise’s next great adventure.”

“Ever since fans first caught wind of the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ prequel Caprica, they have been eagerly following its development,” said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. “We wanted to give them a chance to see the pilot in its original form and experience the prequel to the BSG story while that series’ finale was still ringing in their ears. It also affords the creative team an unprecedented chance to get viewers feedback before production on the Caprica series begins this summer.”

“If ‘Battlestar Galactica’ offered us a way to shatter the conventions of space opera, Caprica will be a show which will challenge the conventions of science fiction storytelling as a whole,” said Ronald D. Moore, Executive Producer/Writer.

“Part sweeping soap, part meditation on the dangerous moral ramifications of artificial intelligence, this is a truly unique opportunity to continue telling stories which will be as daring and shocking as the best of ‘Galactica’ — and yet will be altogether different from ‘Galactica,’” said David Eick, Executive Producer.

Universal Cable Productions will begin production on the “Caprica” series in the summer of 2009 in Vancouver for a 2010 television premiere on the SCI FI Channel. The DVD of Caprica is priced at $26.98 S.R.P. Preorder close is March 3, 2009.

BONUS FEATURES:
Feature Commentary with Director Jeffrey Reiner and Executive Producer/Writer Ronald D. Moore and Executive Producer David Eick
Deleted Scenes
Video Blogs
What the Frak is Caprica?
The Director’s Process
The V Club
The Birth of a Cylon

SYNOPSIS:
Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families and their patriarchs – Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – as they compete and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

Street Date: April 21, 2009

Pre-Order Close: March 3, 2009

Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Price: $26.98

Selection Number: 61109037

Running Time: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

Layers: Dual Layer

Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1

Rating: Not rated.

Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

www.CapricaDVD.com

2009 Oscar Nominations

From The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE OF THE YEAR:
“Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION:
“Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY:
“Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN:
“Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
“Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
“The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
“Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT:
“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
“The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
“The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
“Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR:
“The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
“The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
“Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
“Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (Original score):
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Alexandre Desplat
“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (Original song):
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
“Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, Producer

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM:
“La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
“Lavatory – Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
“Oktapodi” (Talantis Films), A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
“Presto” (Walt Disney), A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
“This Way Up” A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM:
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
“Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
“New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
“The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING:
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
“Wanted” (Universal), Wylie Stateman

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
“Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
“Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
“In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
“Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

TV: Winter/Spring 2009

The 2008 writers’ strike had repercussions that resulted in a less than spectacular Fall 2008 television season, the casualties of which included critical favorites like Pushing Daisies. Cable and premium channels were somewhat less affected, aided by the more flexible nature of programming on cable networks, and the expectation of a reduced audience share, which is traditionally much lower than that of a prime time television show. Nevertheless, cable is hurting as well, with the departure of popular and celebrated series such as The Wire and The Shield. HBO has yet to recover from the double blow of losing The Sopranos and Sex and the City, giving way to rise of Showtime, buzzing with a reinvigorated Californication and Dexter, along with new audience favorites like The Tudors and Secret Diary of a Call Girl, while AMC has become a critical darling with Mad Men, a show which was first optioned and rejected by HBO, going on to win an Emmy for Best Drama for AMC. With all this TV chaos, what can people look forward to in 2009? Here are some shows that we’ll be watching:

Castle (March 9, ABC): Premiering on ABC, this show deals with a mystery writer, a la Jessica Fletcher, who becomes involved in the investigation of real crimes. Normally, this wouldn’t be enough to catch our attention, but this series warrants checking out, if only for casting Nathan Fillion in the lead role. Fillion has delivered strong and charismatic performances on Firefly, Serenity and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. He was also incredibly chilling in his guest starring stint as the misogynistic preacher on Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s final season. The question remains: will Castle give Fillion material as strong as the work he has done with Joss Whedon? If the material isn’t as strong, can Fillion sustain a series on his personality alone (as Hugh Laurie does on House)?

Scrubs (January 6, ABC): For the past 7 seasons, Scrubs has been one of the funniest, sweetest, and most poignant shows on television. Despite a decline in quality over the last couple of seasons, the show is still strong enough at its weakest to outclass most of the comedies on the prime-time and cable line-ups. Because of the goodwill that it has built up over the course of years, Scrubs merits a spot on our list of shows to watch in 2009, when it will enter its 8th season on a new network (ABC), and it will say goodbye to its original cast (if the show comes back for a 9th season, it will center on the new interns) of wacky doctors in the making at Sacred Heart Hospital.

Dollhouse (February 13, Fox): When given a great degree of control over a project, Joss Whedon can produce gold. Unfortunately for Whedon and his fans, Joss doesn’t often get that level of control or support from the suits, as evidenced by the mangled film adaptation of his Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a story which would win critical raves once Whedon took the reins in its subsequent television incarnation. Early word on Dollhouse is that there is trouble behind the scenes. Fox, the same network that sabotaged Whedon’s Firefly when it aired episodes out of order, demanded significant rewrites, and condemned the show to the Friday night TV graveyard, seems to have learned nothing from that fiasco, and has given Dollhouse the same treatment. They have scrapped the original pilot, demanded rewrites based on the supposition that fans won’t be able to follow Whedon’s mythology, and reassigned the show to the Friday night timeslot that has killed almost every series that has aired at that time (The X-Files and Law & Order: SVU are the only two significant hits to come out of the Friday night line-up). The rewrites have caused delays and production reportedly has shut down three times as scripts are being reworked. Through all of this, Whedon has defended Fox and he claims that the changes have enhanced the show to make it more accessible to viewers. Nevertheless, Whedon fans are wary of engaging with a show that has such an uncertain future, and perhaps the harbingers of the show’s demise will become a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. Either way, Whedon’s writing (and the phenomenal cast and group of writers that he has assembled) makes the show worth checking out.

Battlestar Galactica (January 16, SciFi): The SciFi Channel’s reworked Battlestar Galactica is the epitome of the best that television has to offer. It is thought-provoking, dark and complicated in a way that few shows ever are. Like The Twilight Zone before it, it asks the questions that most “realistic” shows don’t dare to ask, questions of politics, humanity, war, and identity. Unlike most series, Galactica doesn’t divide its cast of players into good guys and bad guys, but instead creates a universe in which all characters are immensely flawed and yet worthy, a trait that makes its universe very much like our own. This month, Galactica comes back after a 6 month hiatus with its last 10 episodes ever (a television movie, The Plan, and a prequel/spinoff called Caprica are on the horizon). With a series that has delivered so consistently, so strongly, and with such excellence, the home stretch of Battlestar Galactica is must-see TV.

-Artemis

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)

Based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel, director Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of Låt den rätte komma in is a dark tale of a boy’s fascination with and attraction to his neighbor, a young female vampire named Eli. Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), the son of divorced parents, feels alienated from the world around him. He is bullied in school, where his classmates take delight in torturing him both mentally and physically. He doesn’t feel closeness to any of the adults in his life, who seem too preoccupied with their own problems to see that Oskar is in need of psychological and emotional support. The boy spends his evenings consumed in rage and picturing scenarios of retribution against his tormentors. One such evening, he meets his neighbor Eli (Lina Leandersson), the quiet girl from the next apartment, who never goes to school or plays with the other kids. In fact, she’s rarely seen by anyone in the neighborhood. Oskar responds to her confidence and fearlessness, qualities that he lacks, but most of all, he responds to her attention, since no one else (other than the school bullies) takes notice of him. Eli, for her part, recognizes in Oskar a kindred spirit, isolated and lonely. She lives with a man whom she calls her father, a man who goes out at night in search of victims to desanguinate for Eli’s nourishment. Eli keeps her true nature a secret from Oskar, afraid of losing her only friend, but the mysterious attacks and deaths around the town have begun to stir unrest in the locals.

Shot with a quiet easygoing patience, Let the Right One In is the type of film that prefers to build momentum slowly rather than assault the senses. The beautiful, snow-covered landscapes make for an icy setting for the film’s narrative, adding to the feeling of alienation surrounding the Oskar character. The ice also highlights the sense of preserved death that surrounds Eli; the cold is in her and around her, hiding her victims, yet preserving them. She is cold and dead, and she is drawn to the vibrancy of Oskar. It is a welcome change from other vampire fiction that this film is graphic in portraying what it means for Eli to be a vampire. Unlike Anne Rice’s antiheroes (and their numerous literary/cinematic descendants), who feed on the evildoer, Eli feeds indiscriminately, from whomever crosses her path when she’s hungry. Furthermore, when she feeds, it isn’t dainty or romanticised, but ugly, graphic and feral. Special effects are used sparingly and with great subtlety, not in the flashy way that is so prevalent in the post-Matrix/post-Spiderman Hollywood. The special effects in Let the Right One In do not call attention to themselves, but add to the narrative’s realism by blending in seamlessly with everything else. They make the film more horrific by seeming that much more real.

Just as the film is unafraid of exploring the messier, animalistic side of Eli’s nature, it is also unsparing in its depiction of the trials in Oskar’s life. The boys who bully him don’t settle for mundane disturbances, like teasing and taunting. These kids are truly malevolent and they have a great streak of cruelty within them, one which bursts forth in violent attacks upon the defenseless Oskar. The attacks make Oskar a disturbed character in his own right, long before Eli moves into town. One gets the impression that Oskar is a serial killer in the making, collecting clippings of violent crimes, and playing out numerous revenge fantasies with his knife.

Surprisingly, given the unbalanced nature of his protagonists, Alfredson is able to weave a tale of both horror and friendship, where allegiances are tested in terrifying ways. Oskar’s development as a character is both warped and disturbing, given his age and the things he experiences, yet he is engaging and sympathetic throughout. It is a brave film, indeed, which presents a children as disfunctional as Oskar and Eli, then sides with them, even against characters that are completely without guilt or blame. The film also observes that children can be more terrifying, cruel and sadistic than any vampire or monster that the human imagination can conjure. It is a strange tale of self-actualization and devotion, as Oskar discovers hidden strengths within himself through his association with Eli.

The film boasts great performances throughout, especially from its two underage leads; these aren’t child actors, but gifted actors who happen to be children, and neither of them go in for the facile, cutesy antics of their counterparts in other films. In a year of great popularity for the vampire subgenre, Let the Right One In, with its limited release, doubtlessly will be sunk by the Twilight juggernaut at the cinema, where both are vying for audiences. For viewers seeking a darker, far bloodier, and more adult take on vampirism, Let the Right One In is not only a great alternative, but one of the best films released this year.

Let the Right One In is currently playing at the Angelika in NYC, and in other selected cities throughout the country. A DVD is expected in March of 2009.

-Artemis