Recent BBC TV Shows

British TV has been awash with American imports for as long as I can remember. I am currently enjoying The second season of Sons of Anarchy and am looking forward The Walking Dead and the second season of Justified. But what of our own home-grown programming? Since its reboot in 2005, the real success story has been Doctor Who, Downton Abbey also is proving very popular (I have only seen one episode) but what else has there been to watch recently?

Two new series recently debuted on The BBC: Outcasts and Silk. Outcasts is a Sci-Fi show with a fantastic premise and a great cast. Set on the fictional planet Carpathia (named after the ship that came to the rescue of survivors from Titanic) in the year 2040 after Earth has become uninhabitable. Sadly the great premise is wasted on a dull and tedious story. Undergoing numerous rewrites (it shows) before entering production the show lacks focus and direction with episodes having vastly differing tones. What could have been the BBC’s Battlestar Galactica or Babylon 5 (on a smaller scale/budget) turned out to be an incoherent mess. After a few episodes the show lost its primetime slot and was eventually cancelled. As such it may gain a cult following, it doesn’t deserve one!

Starting around the same time and coming to the end of its six episode run in Silk. A British legal drama set around a London barristers chambers. The story follows two rival barristers who have both recently taken on pupils and who are both in competition to “take silk” (the act of attain the rank of Queen’s Counsel). With interesting characters and believable stories the show makes compelling viewing. The real success of the show is the casting: Maxine Peake and Rupert Penry-Jones as the rivals for Silk, Tom Hughes and Natalie Dormer as their respective pupils and Neil Stuke as the wheeler-dealer head clerk. The realism is enhanced by the knowledge that the shows creator and writer Peter Moffat was himself a barrister. Hopefully a second (longer) series will follow.

Another recent show that I would like to see get a second season is Zen. Produced by Left Bank Pictures for the BBC in association with the German ZDF and American WGBH-TV networks the series consisted of just three, ninety minute episodes based on the Aurelio Zen detective novels by Michael Dibdin. Shot and set in Italy the show looked stunning and featured a great cast lead by Rufus Sewell in the title role. Each episode had a standalone main plot but also contained an ongoing story. Containing an interesting mix and a perfect balance between gritty and glossy it offers something a little different to the usual British TV drama. It doesn’t look like the BBC will pick up the show for a second season but it has been suggested that another network may do, I certainly hope they do.

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Cancelled TV Shows That Could Make Great Movies

Dollhouse

• Fox and Cancelled are two words that seem to appear together in a lot of sentences! Dollhouse was created by Joss Whedon and ran for just two seasons (I have only seen the first one so far). Centred around a secret underground establishment, the Dollhouses of the title. The Dollhouse contains people know as Actives who are programmed to take on temporary personalities and skills; wealthy clients hire these “dolls” to perform various tasks, their minds are then wiped. The episodes work as stand alone stories but have a thread running through them with an ongoing plot that develops most notably an “Active”, Echo (Eliza Dushku) is gradually becoming self aware despite her mind wiping. Given what Joss Whedon did with Firefly/Serenity a movie version would be unlikely but potentially awesome.
• Cast
• Eliza Dushku – Echo
• Will it be made? Doubtful

Jericho

• Telling the story of the inhabitants of Jericho, a small town in rural Kansas and how they survive after America has been decimated by nuclear attacks on 23 major cities. The show was cancelled after just two seasons with what remains of the united states forming alliances that could result in a second civil war. There is perfect source material for a movie as the series was followed by a six-part comic book series.
• Cast
• As many of the original cast as the plot will allow most notably:
• Skeet Ulrich - Jake Green
• Lennie James - Robert Hawkins
• Will it be made? there have been rumours

 

Drive

• A diverse group of people are invited/coerced into an illegal car race across America with the promise of $32million prize money. In the background there are darker more sinister things going on with the race organisers and sponsors. Despite a great cast, some good action and an interesting premise the show sadly bombed and fox cancelled it with only six episodes and an unaired pilot in existence. The cancellation of the show could be worked into a movie version, the story would be along the lines that the race was cancelled around the time the show was cancelled but a new race is now underway with key members of the original cast returning.
• Cast
• The original cast including:
• Nathan Fillion – Alex Tully
• Amy Acker – Kathryn Tully
• Emma Stone – Violet Trimble
• Kristin Lehman – Corinna Wiles
• Will it be made? Unfortunately not

 

24

• Its not a new idea, a film adaptation of 24 was originally talked about in the hiatus between series six and seven. A script was written and rejected last year leaving the movie in limbo. To keep the real-time concept of the show but condense it into a two hour movie needs a device to make it work. In this case it is a simple device, set the movie in a confined space such as a single building, i.e. Jack Baur does Die Hard. It has been rumoured that Tony Scott is going to pitch his idea, a Tony Scott version of 24 is a movie I would like to see.
• Cast
• Kiefer Sutherland – Jack Bauer
• Will it be made? Probably, eventually

 

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

• To go full circle and base a movie on a TV show that was based on a movie would be a brave decision but one that could really work. Following on from Terminator 2: Judgment Day but taking a different time line and reality to Rise of the Machines and Salvation the premise of the show lets it live alongside the movie franchise. The plot possibilities are endless but I would like to see Shirley Manson’s Catherine Weaver, a T-1001 (similar to the T-1000 from Terminator 2) with an ambiguous agenda. The only issue I had with the original show was that given the name of the show I would like to see more Sarah Connor and less John Connor.
• The Cast
• Lena Headey - Sarah Connor
• Thomas Dekker - John Connor
• Summer Glau - Cameron Phillips
• Shirley Manson - Catherine Weaver
• Will it be made? Extremely unlikely

 Also see my list of TV shows that could make great movies from last year.

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21 Jump Street Movie?

Movies based on defunct TV show are all the rage again; The A-Team, The Green Hornet, The Last Airbender and Yogi Bear all spring to mind. Unfortunately, more often than not they aren’t very good! One movie that has long been suggested but hasn’t seen the light of day yet is 21 Jump Street.

For those who too young to remember 21 Jump Street was an American crime drama that aired on Fox in America and Sky in the UK in the late 80’s early 90s. The premise was simple, a small team of youthful-looking cops work undercover in schools and colleges to fight youth related crimes. Looking back it is very 80’s, the plots are thin and predictable and the “messages” and “issues” discussed were less than subtle, but not without a sense of fun. The most notable thing about the show was its star Johnny Depp, having already appeared in a few movies including A Nightmare on Elm Street and Platoon he was far from a newcomer but not yet A list.

Information about the movie on the internet is a little sketchy but it looks like it will be directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the duo responsible for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The driving force behind the project is Jonah Hill, who is credited (on IMDB) as executive producer and one of the writers. Channing Tatum is down to co star and also gets a executive producer credit. Juno Temple is rumoured to be involved and Johnny Depp may have a cameo role.

One of the reasons the show worked was the casting, at 24 Johnny Depp could get away with playing a 21 year old who looked young enough to go undercover in high schools; the same goes for the rest of the cast. That’s the problem with the proposed movie, Jonah Hill (27) may just about get away with it but Channing Tatum (30) is far too old. With a plethora of actors around the correct age; Michael Cera, Robert Pattinson and Zac Efron (all under 25) all spring to mind, why look to older actors?

Will the movie be any good? Only time will tell.

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Drive

I have an idea for a TV show. Take a diverse group of people and put them in a situation where they have to race across America in an illegal car race. Some are compelled to take part for personal reasons others are just in it for the money ($32million prize money). In the background there are darker more sinister things going on with the race organisers and sponsors. To top it all of you need a great kick ass leading man say someone like Nathan Fillion, lets not forget this is a race, so he needs a cool car, say a 1970 Challenger R/T like the one form Vanishing Point. Sounds like a good idea? It is a great idea and it has already been done, unfortunately it bombed and FOX cancelled the show.  I understand most of the action scenes were shot on green screen then blended with CGI and other filmed action, the result is pretty good and generally effective. The plot is pretty simple with the twists not particularly surprising but everything blends together to create a good fun show with a few likeable characters.

It would be a perfect show to receive the “Serenity” treatment and get a feature-length movie version. (Any reference to the characters or events after the end of the show is made up by me, other fans of the show will have there own idea where the plot has gone. I have written this from the point of view that the show was cancelled and not what would have happened had it not been cancelled) The best way to do it would be to make a stand alone movie that could be viewed without any prior knowledge of the TV show. Make up James Bond style pre-credit prologue that would also serve as a conclusion to the show. With the help of Alex Tully, detective Ehrle (Richard Brooks ) leads a team who arrest some of the race organisers stop the race and rescue Corinna Wiles, Kathryn Tully and some unspoiled other hostages.  Three years later it transpires that the people who are caught are “middle management” and the real organisers are free. Detective Ehrle Now working for the FBI is running a task force to try and catch them but it isn’t going well as they have friends in high places. An opportunity arises when some of the old competitors start receiving mobile phones in the post in perpetration for a new race.

And what of the original cast, how would they fit in?

Alex Tully (Nathan Fillion) has been convinced of crimes during and prior to the previous race and faces sentencing, he is offered the opportunity to have record wiped clean if he enters the race to help expose the people behind it. His 1970 Dodge Challenger (referred to as a 1972 in the show) is ready and waiting for him. Kathryn Tully (Amy Acker) insists on coming with him. Along the he comes across Corinna Wiles (Kristin Lehman) who has never stopped looking for the people behind the race and has attached herself to one of the competitors in much the same way as she did with Tully in the show.

Winston Salazar (Kevin Alejandro) and Sean Salazar (J.D. Pardo) have drifted apart since the end of the race. In a reversal of fortune Winston has gone straight whilst Sean is incrassated following a conviction for computer hacking. The race organisers have evidence of the shooting from the TV show (that it transpires they covered up). They are compelled to work together and join the race in exchange for the evidence not finding its way to the police. Having been working as a mechanic since the events of the show his1964 Chevrolet Impala lowrider is ready to race.

Following the death of her farther, John Trimble (Dylan Baker), Violet Trimble (Emma Stone) receives his phone and decided to join the race in his place and brings her friend (or boyfriend) along for the ride. Thanks to the proceeds of her fathers life assurance policy she isn’t short of money and buys a faster car than the 1999 Ford Taurus from the show.

Leigh Barnthouse (Rochelle Aytes) and Ivy Chitty (Taryn Manning) invited to join the race on the condition they compete together. Ivy has since learnt to drive. Along the way we also discover why the organisers wanted her “eliminated” early in the series.  Is Leigh determined to win because of Susan Chamblee’s dieing words or does she have her own agenda?

Rob Laird (Riley Smith) has been dishonourably discharged from the army and divorced Ellie Laird (Mircea Monroe) who he blames. He is offered a chance to get what he wants most, a way back into the army but there is a condition, he has to work with his ex wife but do the organisers who her secret? (for those that don’t know she was working with Allan James (Brian Bloom) an enforcer for the race organisers).

 Wendy Patrakas (Melanie Lynskey) and her now infant child are on the run after shooting her abusive husband, she is hoping to win the race in order to start a new life.

 

 

This is just a bit of fun, I can’t see FOX giving the show the send-off it deserves after all this time or even letting someone else do it but it’s a niece idea. But then who knows, who expected Serenity?

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Modesty Blaise

Modesty Blaise started life as a British comic strip in the London Evening Standard in 1963, written by Peter O’Donnell with art by Jim Holdaway. Featuring the character Modesty Blaise, a young woman with extraordinary talents and a shady criminal past, think of a female cross between James Bond and Simon Templar. As well as the comic strip her story has been adapted into a series of thirteen novels/short story collections and various comic books/graphic novels. With all this in mind it would be amazing if it hadn’t been made into a movie, what is truly amazing is that it has actually been filmed three times, they just aren’t that memorable.

Modesty Blaise (1966) was a comedy thriller (light on the thriller part and not very funny) directed by Joseph Losey and staring Monica Vitti as Modesty. Terence Stamp played her sidekick Willie Garvin, and Dirk Bogarde as the arch villain Gabriel. Hamstrung by script rewrites and a lack of cohesive vision the movie looks more like an Austin Powers movie than a James Bond one (and not as funny as either). Imagine looking back at Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels if Casino Royale (1966) was the only James Bond film to be made! Unsurprisingly the film was financially unsuccessful and a suggested film series never happened.

Modesty Blaise (1982): the next incarnation of the story was a one-hour pilot for a TV show that never got picked up. Set in America the characters and the actors who played them were American not British with TV regular Ann Turkel playing Modesty Blaise and Lewis Van Bergen as Willie Garvin. Slightly more serious and less camp than the 60’s version, I saw it many years ago and remember enjoying it but looking back now at clips online it looks typically cheep and cheesy like other 80’s TV.

My Name Is Modesty: A Modesty Blaise Adventure (2004) Miramax owned the rights to Modesty Blaise but they were about to expire. In order to retain them they decided to throw together a direct to video movie. Shot in just two and half weeks on a modest budget the movie acts as a sort of prequel to other Modesty stories; set before she ran the criminal organisation “The Network” and before her time with British Intelligence and before she met Willie Garvin. Typical B movie action, the movie is worth a look when it comes on TV but I wouldn’t bother buying/renting the DVD. With British actress Alexandra Staden taking the title role the cast is virtually unknown, the DVD box does feature a famous name, above the movie title it reads “Quentin Tarantino presents”. From what I understand Tarantino did no more than lend his name to the movie, he has however suggested on many occasions that he would like to direct a Modest Blaise movie. For those who haven’t spotted it, the book Vincent Vega is seen reading a copy of Modesty Blaise (the novel based on the first movie).

Has Quentin Tarantino got Modesty Blaise out of his system by making Kill Bill (2003-04) or is it still there in the background? When you consider he has been talking about Inglourious Basterds (2009) since around the time of Pulp Fiction (1994) I would suggest Tarantino isn’t one to let things go. The big question, who do you cast in a movie like this? As Uma Thurman proved in The Avengers (1998) and Charlize Theron in Æon Flux (2005) looking good (and they did look really good) isn’t enough, the movies were terrible.

 

Interestingly both these actresses have been suggested as a potential Modesty along with Kate Beckinsale and Jennifer Connely. Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Lopez also expressed an interest around the time of the Miramax movie that never materialised after My Name is Modesty. If I can throw a few more names into the hat; Modesty should be in her late twenties or early thirties, tall, slender, drop dead gorgeous, very tenacious and slightly aloof; two actresses that fit the bill and have been brilliant in everything they have done recently: Anna Hathaway and Eva Green.

And if QT doesn’t make the movie someone else will sooner or later, who else can direct an intelligent action movie but retain a deeply cutting sense of humour? The one man who springs to mind: Joss Whedon! I would like to see the movie made as a period piece set in the mid sixties but accept the fact it will probably be undated to the modern day. The setting should include England (particularly swinging London of the mid to late 60’s) as well as more exotic locations around the world. Whatever happens Modesty Blaise is a character who deserves a big screen outing to rival Bond and Bourne.

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Top Gear saves Christmas Television.

Lets not beat around the bush, Christmas television has been crap at best this year. There have been a few football matches and some decent movies but the quality of new programming has been appalling. But today, two days after Christmas there has finally been something worth watching on TV. Following the final “James May’s Toy Stories” (an excellent series that has been hidden away on BBC2 at varying times for the last couple of months) was a special edition of Top Gear.

There has actually always been something special about the top gear specials, we have had the American Cheap Car Roadtrip, Botswana in crappy old cars, Vietnam on motorbikes and the amazing Polar Challenge. If not topping what has gone before the Bolivia special at least matches it and taking all the elements that have worked before. Coming in at an almost feature length 75 minutes, the episodes sees presenters James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond travelling 1,000 miles from Bolivia to Chile’s Pacific coast. Going through Rainforests in the Amazonian jungle to La Paz, The highest capital city in the world and according to Clarkson, the worst! They arrive via the Yungas Road, known as the ‘Death Road’ for obvious reasons when you see the program. From there they cross the Altiplano. More desolate than death valley and at an altitude of 17,200 feet before reaching the coast.

The catch, and there is always a catch with Top Gear, they do all this in 4×4’s purchased blind, online and on a tight budget. Richard Hammond went for the most reliable car in the world, the Toyota Land Cruiser that unfortunately turned out to be rather less reliable than he had hoped. The ever sensible Jeremy Clarkson purchased an on paper less reliable series one Range Rover with a 3.9 V8 that turned out to be somewhat older and smaller than expected! It also turned out to be somewhat more reliable than expected. Always coming from leftfield James May chose a Suzuki SJ with a diminutive 1.3 litre 66 bhp engine.

The ever reliable Clarkson, Hammond and May are on great form and even allowing for the obviously scripted parts the program is genuinely funny. As the trio get out of their depth the program offers some genuine laugh out loud moments as always.

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Generation Kill

Where do you start to review a program like Generation Kill? I wasn’t sure where to start so thought I would see what other people thought about it. I looked at the user comments on IMDB, one stood out, someone calling himself johnha-1 said:

“As a former Marine who was deployed to the same place at the same time, I think this show did an excellent job of capturing the ‘essence’ of what the invasion of Iraq was like to the men who were there. This show comes closer to accurately portraying wartime Marines than any other show I’ve ever seen. I think this is as close as Hollywood can get short of being there and filming it live. Sometimes the special effects are a little over the top, but the dress, demeanor and dialog of the characters are very accurate.”

I don’t see what else to say about the show other than giving a little background information: Rolling Stone magazine journalist Evan Wright accompanied The United States Marine Corps’ 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the first phase of the Iraq War in 2003. The TV mini series is based on his book of the same name. The show was written by Wright along with David Simon and Ed Burns best know for The Wire. Simon and Burns also executive produced the show. To add to the authenticity the cast includes former Sgt. Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Reyes playing himself.  The show is perfectly cast and the performances excellent with a standout from James Ransone. The one thing you don’t expect from a war based show is humour but Generation Kill is full of it. Having seen in the “Conversation with the 1st Recon Marines” from the DVD it appears the comedy (especially in inappropriate situations) is completely authentic.

Authentic, original, funny, cutting and telling but most importantly believable to put it simply this is a TV show that is better than most war movies.

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Top Gear

 

This Sunday at 9pm on BBC2 has the return of Top Gear. And (if I needed an excuse) looks like a particularly cinematic episode. Acording to the Radio Times sees the presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond head for Romania to find what has been described as the best driving road in the world. And what you ask is so cinematic about this? Of the three supercars they take on this odyssey one of them is an Aston Martin DBS, that’s James Bonds current drive! They also have Australian actor Eric Bana as the Star in the Resonably Priced Car just two days after the UK release of his new film, Love the Beast. A documentary about his car, a Ford Falcon XB. The film actually features Jeremy Clarkson.

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24, Day 8: Jack’s back for one last time?

Back in 2001, 24 was a revolutionary idea.  24 one hour (less credits and commercials) episodes shot in real time covering a 24 hour period.  Based around LA’s fiction CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) on the day of the California presidential primary, the first season was brilliant offering an exciting and well written espionage thriller.  The main appeal of the show is the main protagonist Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) who offers a James Bond/Jason Bourne type character combined with an everyman appeal.  His methods including torture are often controversial but do make compelling viewing.  The best character in the show is Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub) introduced in series three as a senior analyst.  Chloe is one of the few people who Jack and therefore the viewer can trust.  The main appeal of the character is her lack of social graces and interpersonal skills. 

Over time the show has lost its way.  The storylines are getting increasingly far fetched and the conspiracies more ridicules.  The real-time is no longer a novelty and the things that never seemed to matter are becoming a problem.  For example all the superhuman characters on the show have no problem with lasting 24 hours with no sleep, no food, little water (unless the plot calls for them to be drugged or poisoned) and never visiting the toilet.  But despite all of this the program still makes compelling viewing.  The eight and possibly final season is in production at the moment and is due to air early next year.  So what does it have in stall for us?

As it is probably going to be the final season it may offer some kind of narrative closure (but I doubt it!).  The show has relocated to New York (as a setting not a location) and follows the re-activation of CTU.  Jack will have to deal with assassination attempts and a complicated conspiracy (but you could say that about any of the previous seasons!).

• The returning characters are:
• Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland)
• Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub)
• Renee Walker (Annie Wersching)
• President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones)
• Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert)

• The notable newcomers, one of whom may give a clue to the plot are:
•  Dana Walsh (Katee Sackhoff – best know as “Starbuck” from Battlestar Galactica)
• Cole Ortiz (Freddie Prinze, Jr.)
• President Omar Hassan (Anil Kapoor) – president of the fictional Islamic Republic of Kamistan who is involved in a peace conference with President Taylor.

I hope it is the final season.  If it goes on any longer it does risk becoming a parody of itself.  It should bow out with dignity whist it is still can and if it can produce a great final season leaving people wanting a little more all the better for the legacy of the show.  If not for the writers strike we could have had the eighth and final season this year.  Even if it does spill over into the next decade it will always be seen as a show of the 00’s; a time when the world felt a little less safe and a little less optimistic than it did in the 90’s a decade that needed Jack Bauer with his questionable tactics and extreme ways.

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True Blood

Having previously been screened on the FX channel, last night saw the UK free to air premier of True Blood on C4.  Based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, it was created and produced by Alan Ball.  Following a great cretit sequence of old looking and sometimes disturbing visions of the south the show opens with a TV interview.  This explains that vampires live amongst us and people are now aware of them for the first time.  This is an effective if somewhat lazy way of jumping directly into the narrative without a complicated build-up.  It explains how vampires “came out of the casket” two years before when the Japanese developed a new totally synthetic blood called TruBlood.  The appealing thing about the show is that it presents vampires in a more adult (I mean grown up not a euphemism for porn!) way than other television and movie vampires of recent years.  Their appearance and retractable fangs have a more realistic look than many vampires who go through over dramatic transformations.  There is very little action and the show is very dialogue heavy.  As the series develops this is something that could make or break the show depending on how it is handled.  As a strongly character driven program it should be okay.

 

Set in Bon Temps, a fictional small town in Louisiana the principle character is Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) a waitress with a gift/curse of being able to hear other people’s thoughts.  It is difficult to say at this stage how bigger part many characters will have in the show so I will just mention the main ones.  

• Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) is a vampire who comes it the bar where Sookie works.  She appears to fall in love with him almost immediately.  Something her friends put down to vampires ability to hypnotise people.  At this stage we don’t know if that is true.  Some facts about vampire’s powers, abilities and weaknesses are revealed in the first episode but there is lots more we are not told. 
• Sookie’s best friend Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley) takes a job at the same Bar as Sookie.  With a huge chip on her shoulder she provides great comic relief.  She is very loyal and protective of Sookie who seems to be her only real friend as her explosive and untrusting nature drives people away. 
• Tara has a huge crush on Sookie’s older brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) who despite being a chronic womanizer doesn’t seem to notice she exists. 
• Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) owns the bar where Sookie and Tara work.  He is also protective of Sookie who he has a crush on.  This I suspect will push him and Tara together as Sookie’s relationship with Bill develops. 
• Finally we have Sookie’s grandmother Adele (Lois Smith),  Sookie and Jason appear to live with her.  No explanation for this has been given yet.  Her reaction to Sookie meeting a vampire suggests  she may have had contact with them before probably many years before they “came out”.

 

It isn’t clear if each episode will be stand alone or have a continuing narrative.  The ending (that I won’t give away) and the fact the first episode ends with a murder from earlier in the episode remaining unsolved suggests that it will have an ongoing narrative.  If they do, this murder could well be a key plotline along with Sookie and Bills fledgling relationship.  From what I have seen so far the main themes that are explored are acceptance and tolerance for people who are different.  This could relate to race, religion, sex and sexuality.  As the vampires are new to the people in the show and the viewer does not yet know the characters very well the themes could develop or change over time.  I’m already looking forward to next week.

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