Fortitude

Fortitude is a British television series that premiered in 2015 on the Pivot channel. I never heard of Pivot before, but I did hear Tim Goodman recommend this series on his podcast, The Bastard Machine. I was just able to watch the entire series on Amazon Prime video - all 12 episodes ready to devour in a binge.

For about the first 5-6 episodes, I was ready to declare that Fortitude was one of the greatest murder mysteries ever made. Fortitude is the name of a fictional small town in Arctic Norway, home to miners, scientists, or outcasts who have run away to the one of the most remote places on Earth.  The cast has A-list talent: Stanley Tucci as a DCI (somehow an American works for a British police force), Michael Gambon (Henry Tyson, who we view accidentally kill someone in an opening scene), Christopher Eccleston (a researcher living in Norway). Even the cast I had never heard of before was stellar, especially Richard Dormer as Sheriff Dan Anderssen, who is a great cop but very flawed, tortured by personal demons and often making bad choices that put in the crosshair of Tucci's Detective Morton, who has come to Fortitude to investigate not one but two murders.

This show reminds me a bit of Twin Peaks.  In Fortitude, the initial two murders happen in episode one. Lots of red herrings are strewn about, we see partial truths and innuendos and are led down to rabbit holes to who the suspects may be. Like Twin Peaks an outside force comes to investigate, however in this show, Anderssen doesn't welcome Morton, because it will draw light on his own corrupted behavior. Complicating things for Anderssen is Tyson, who is dying of liver cancer, drunk off his ass and cold calling police hotlines. Fortitude makes all the supporting players come alive, including the Governor (more like a mayor of Fortitude); Elena, a fugitive from Spain who killed someone in the past; Frank Sutter, a war veteran involved in an affair with Elena while his son is terribly sick with a case of the mumps. What is bad for Sutter is that Anderssen has a powerful, unrequited love for Elena. And then there is Shirley, an overweight young woman who has a German boyfriend, Markus; Markus indulges Shirley a little too much, force feeding her to fatten her up.

Unlike Twin Peaks, Fortitude's plot moves along with each episode. You find out who murdered one of the victims around episode 5 or 6; at that point I wondered how the show was going to continue. But even though the murderer was revealed, there was more to the story. By the end of season 1, Fortitude, the town where people seemed safer than in any big city, becomes the murder/suicide capital of Norway!

Now here are some major SPOILERs so beware after the jump....

The IT Crowd: Last Byte and Game Board

The IT Crowd finale was broadcast in Great Britain last night, titled "The Last Byte", it was an epic farewell to one of the funniest TV shows about geek culture ever made.  Jen, Moss and Roy return and make an epic mess which threatens their jobs at Reynholm Industries.

There are so many funny scenes in this episode.  One of the most LMAO moments involved Moss' web series, Game Board!!

As amateurish as this video is, wait until you see the new and improved version later on.  There are references to a lot of current internet trends:  Anonymous, Twitter, YouTube, those animated news videos by Taiwan @nmatv -- plus references to a few famous zingers from past IT Crowd episodes.  There is even a Goth appearance, wink wink, nudge nudge.

So will there be a fancy boxed set DVD or Blu-Ray set coming out soon that everyone can buy for a good price?  With all the extras that US fans can't see on the websites in Britain?  I hope so.  Nuff Said!

BBC Being Human Season 4 Episode 1: Farewell Old Friends!

Warning!  Spoilers for the first episode here.

Wow.  After months of waiting for the fourth season of BBC's Being Human to start, the premiere finally happened last night.  How would the show survive Mitchell's departure?  Would we see the birth of George and Nina's baby?  And which actors would come into the show to replace Mitchell?

I had heard rumors of other people leaving, too.  But I stayed away from those spoilers and was greatly surprised from the very first few minutes of the season opener.

SPOILERS after the break…

Peter Falk: Goodbye, Columbo

Yesterday Gene Colan died and today we heard the news that Peter Falk passed away, at the age of 83.  I loved Columbo, watched the very first episodes on the Sunday Mystery Movie on NBC.  The format of the show was unique—a detective story where the killer is known from the beginning.  Where the detective himself isn’t handsome, doesn’t chase people, and never pulls out a pistol.  Oh and he seems like the worst detective in the world—wearing a crumpled overcoat with clumsy behavior.  What is a guy like this doing in Los Angeles, solving crimes involving some of the richest and most powerful people in California?  Because his mind is sharp as a razor.  And probably the detective work on this show was closer to reality than any other police shows.

Last year, I started having fond memories of Columbo and got ahold of the first season on DVD.  Did the shows hold up, almost 40 years later?  Hell yes!  The first real Columbo episode (after 2 pilots) was Murder by the Book, from September 1971, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Jack Cassidy (father of David Cassidy from the Partridge Family).  Cassidy is a writer who decides to kill his writing partner (Martin Milner from Adam-12, also Locke’s father on LOST).  One thing about the Columbo series, not only was Falk superb as the detective, most often his co-stars were really great actors, too.  Cassidy was wonderful in the role and returned to play different killers in Season 3 and Season 5.  I also enjoyed the other episdoes from the 1971-72 season, which featured Eddie Albert, Roddy McDowell, and Patrick O’Neal as the prime suspects. 

Peter Falk was a great actor in movies as well as Columbo.  He made several films with his friend John Cassavetes, who was in the second season of Columbo.  Cassavetes played a conductor who murders his mistress.  One great thing about this episode, and many others, is the not-so subtle class warfare.  Columbo’s prime suspects are either very rich or very powerful people who contrast against his down-to-earth roots as an Italian-American.  They enjoy lording it over Columbo with their snobbishness until their ego eventually trips them up.



Here is the opening credits to the Sunday Mystery Movie on NBC from the 1970s.  Seems corny today but that guy walking in the dusk, shining a flashlight on Columbo, Quincy, McCloud, and McMillian and Wife seemed pretty cool back then.  Nuff Said.

Alex Ross TV Guide 2001 Smallville covers and a look back at ten years of the show

Hard to believe that Smallville has been on television since 2001!  Having been in production ten years, this must be the most successful show ever created about a comic book character.  I recently came across these cover scans of TV Guide from December 2001, when they commissioned Alex Ross to do 4 covers.  The first one here has Tom Welling as young Clark Kent.  I think Welling was born to be a Ross model!

Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang.  While the likeness is good, I think this painting misses part of her personality.   That desperate soap-opera watery longing for Clark in her eyes, which stretched out an impossibly doomed romance over 6 years. 

Michael Rosenbaum, as young Lex Luthor.  A thumb and fore-finger cradling a bald head always points to Machiavellian levels of intelligence.  I often try this trick on my enemies, but it just doesn’t seem to intimidate them at all.

Finally, Alex Ross’ superb rendition of Superman.  I always read TV Guide in the 70s, and having Ross’ painting next to that famous logo just seemed to legitimize the comics art form.

The interior article featured this photo of Kristin Kreuk, who looked incredibly young and fresh back then.  When this series first went on the air, didn’t we have internet trolls saying that Lana couldn’t possibly be portrayed by a girl of Asian-mixed heritage?  Years later those same trolls probably watched Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li five times because she starred in the movie.

Tom Welling also seemed impossibly young.  It will be interesting to see if he can star in anything else after being associated with Clark Kent for 10 years.  He has directed a lot of the episodes and can have a career as a producer/director.

I’ve watched Smallville sporadically, cherry picking what looked to be the best episodes.  My favorite episode was in 2004, Run, which featured The Flash.  They used Bart Allen as a super-speed troublemaker and there was a nice light-hearted tone to the story.  Any of the episodes featuring Justice League characters were worth watching.  Another favorite was Red from 2002, which was written by Jeph Loeb.  It was fun seeing Clark Kent’s personality change under the influence of Red Kryptonite, and it almost brought him together with Chloe, Allison Mack’s character.  I think the Smallville writers really missed a beat—if this universe is different than the comics, why not have Clark wind up with Chloe rather than Lana/Lois?  In the past couple of years, the Geoff Johns episodes have been special, especially the Justice Society one with Hawkman.  Nuff Said!

LOST poster by Eric Tan

Another nice illustration by Eric Tan, a poster for the TV show LOST.  Great design, captures Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Locke, and the plane crash of Oceanic 815.  For more LOST artwork, check out Mike Wieringo’s LOST character sketches.  Nuff Said!

Source: Eric Tan Art.

Retro Gals: Lynda Carter

With the recent Wonder Woman TV news, a lot of fans can’t help but think about Lynda Carter.  Last week, the DC / Warners publicity machine released the first photo of Adrianne Palicki as Wonder Woman.  The reaction from the interwebs, I have to say, was not positive, but Lynda Carter told EOnline that it looked just fine.  A classy thing to say—but for all of us who grew up with the old TV show, Lynda Carter will always be a tough act to follow.  Born of mixed Irish and Spanish heritage in 1951, Carter had the most amazing resemblance to Diana Prince even before the TV show was filmed.  The picture above was taken around the time she starred in Bobbi Jo and the Outlaw, a 1976 film co-starring Marjoe Gortner.  Was it a poster?  I can’t recall, but it’s an image that represents Carter in her youth before the WW avalanche occurred.  While I’ve never seen anything with Adrienne Palicki, it is interesting to note that her IMDB resume contains a lot more work than Carter had before WW.  Lynda was a virtual unknown in 1975, having made a few guest appearances on a couple of TV shows such as Matt Helm.

Wonder Woman was a big ratings hit on ABC TV when it debuted in November 1975.  All the kids talked about it at school the next day, and adults were talking as well.  A comic book collecting judge from Corpus Christi Texas was wildly enthusiastic.  I was amazed that the movie took place during World War 2!  That took guts on the part of the producers and it was appropriate, given the character’s first appearance in 1941.  But the biggest reason for the popularity of the show was Lynda Carter, and it wasn’t just because of her physical resemblance.  She owned the character of Diana Prince, in and out of costume.  I recently read about the casting of the new Superman.  Zach Snyder said that dozens of actors tried out for the role, but most of them failed to get the part after a costume test.  You have to be able walk out in front of people and not feel silly.  Carter gave off an aura of confidence, power, and noble grace when she wore Wonder Woman’s outfit.  And while she was sexy, Carter never came off as slutty—in fact, I can’t recall other women denigrating her during that time period.  I feel the exact same way about Christopher Reeve and Superman.  A perfect pairing of actor and super-icon.  I can’t say the same thing about the writing of the show, for the most of the episodes were downright silly.  It was also frustrating to see the low budget production.  In the comics, Wonder Woman could throw around planes and fought the Cheetah or other super-powered villains; she even battled Superman!  Despite the fact that the show never came close to the comic book version, Wonder Woman was good family entertainment.  I’ve heard that some of today’s kids watch the DVD sets (or repeats on cable) and have fun with it, largely in part because Lynda Carter is charismatic and fits the character so perfectly.  Over thirty years later, her name remains synonymous with Wonder Woman.  The other day I noticed that my Google Adsense results contained a link to Carter’s website on a WW article.

Lynda Carter became a big celebrity out of the Wonder Woman’s shadow when the show was over.  She was featured on many different magazine covers throughout the 1970s and 1980s and became the model for Maybelline cosmetics ads.  Carter had a singing career and appeared in a lot of made for TV movies and mini-series, most notably a biopic of Rita Hayworth in 1983.  In 1984, I was certain that Carter had found her next big hit TV series, a vehicle called Partners In Crime.  Co-starring Loni Anderson from WKRP In Cincinnati, the show was about two female private detectives in San Francisco.  What could be better than watching two beautiful women solving crime each week, one blonde, the other brunette?  It was like grown-up Betty and Veronica solving crime.  But the show was a failure, getting cancelled after 13 episodes.  I kept waiting for her to star in another TV series, or even take a supporting role in a show like Dallas or Dynasty.

I suspect that never happened because Lynda Carter settled down with her second husband, Robert Altman (an attorney, not the film director).  The picture above was from a magazine in the 1990s, around the time her kids were small.  She still looked like a Wonder Woman!  Some of her more recent film appearances include Super Troopers, The Dukes of Hazzard movie (very funny scenes with Willie Nelson), and Sky High—a movie that most comic book fans will enjoy.  It’s about a high school for superheroes, starring Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Lynda Carter as Principal Powers.  Powers has a line with a nod to Carter’s past: "I can't do anything more to help you. I'm not Wonder Woman, y'know."  Nuff Said!

BBC Being Human Season 3: Hell of an Ending

Last week, Season 3 of the BBC (original) version of Being Human just ended.  (I haven’t watched the US version yet—it’s hard for me to switch once I’ve seen the original.)  BH had a remarkable improvement this year in terms of writing, acting, and overall tension in the story arc.  I almost gave up on the show last year, but @audreycleo kept raving about how great it was.  The first season was wildly uneven and the writers seemed hesitant to explore the genre mythology behind vampires, werewolves, and ghosts.  But the characters, Mitchell (Aidan Turner), George (Russell Tovey), and Annie (Lenora Crichlow) were extremely attractive—and funny!  I’ve heard it said that some people find them whiny and irritating, but I think it breaks from the normal way these supernatural creatures are portrayed.  In the second season, the stories involved more of the mythology, while involving the main trio in a plot that would destroy their lives in Bristol.   Mitchell made a terrible mistake of reverting to vampire mode and enacting a horrific scene of revenge.  That error became a terrific threat which hung over his head for all of Season 3.

The main villain from Season 1, Herrick (Jason Watkins) returned this year.  I love how this actor portrays villainy, with a slight sneer that speaks a distain for all humanity.  The finale involved Herrick getting back at Mitchell, George, and Nina for his earlier demise. 

SPOILERS after the break…

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss reinvent Sherlock for the modern era

I had the pleasure of watching the first episode of Sherlock, the new BBC series from Steven Moffat (Coupling, Jekyll, Doctor Who) and Mark Gatiss.  What's so special about this series, compared to all the other Sherlock Holmes movies and TV shows?  It's set in the modern era, complete with CSI units, computers, and cell phones.

This preview clip gives you a flavor of the show.  The first 90 minute episode, A Study in Pink, is a clever updating of the first Sherlock Holmes story (A Study in Scarlet).  There's a rash of suicides happening all over London, but Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) can't put the pieces together.  During a press conference, Holmes embarrasses him with a series of text messages, which is cleverly shown as text floating in the air.  The production values for the series are top notch, with smart visual effects showing not only technology but Holmes' powers of mental deduction.

A Study in Pink is more than an updating of the Scarlet tale.  It's the story of how Dr. John Watson (a medical doctor who served in Afghanistan) meets Sherlock Holmes for the first time and becomes his friend.  Martin Freeman's performance as Watson is endearing.  Benedict Cumberbatch, who I've never seen before, plays Sherlock Holmes with maniacal energy, yet he keeps a bit of charm and humor in there as well.  The gold standard in Holmes actors for me was Jeremy Brett, and while that performance is sacred in my mind, I think Cumberbatch's work is on that level.

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (who plays another character in the series, which I won't spoil) talk about the genesis of Sherlock in this clip.  The first episode had a lot of humor in addition to action and suspense.  In one scene, the police tear apart Holmes' flat looking for drugs; Watson protests "You won't find any drugs here in this house!"  Sherlock shushes him, for as all fans know, he has certain addictions.

There are 2 more episodes coming in this first series, which should air later in the United States on PBS' Masterpiece Mystery.  Hopefully we will have more episodes next year.  Nuff Said!

Originally posted on July 29, 2010.

Update:  I still think the first episode of Sherlock, A Study In Pink, is a winner and well worth your time.  

The second episode, The Blind Banker, was the worst one for me.  The whole Chinese smuggling ring idea seemed too dated to me.  If you want some kind of Asian angle, why not have Sherlock go up against Chinese computer hackers?  

The third episode, The Great Game, introduces Moriarty to the modern Sherlock.  I saw who Moriarty was right away, so the revelation was anti-climatic.  However, the actor chosen to play him has great acting chops (you may recognize Andrew Scott from the last episode of Foyle's War) and plays Moriarty with a wild interpretation.  One person remarked that this Moriarty has a lot in common with Heath Ledger's Joker.  It's a daring choice--I think this show has to make those types of decisions to break from the past.  The very last scene will either have you say "this sucks" or "this is brilliant"!

Link: Sherlocking, A fan site dedicated to the BBC series Sherlock.

LOST character sketches by Mike Wieringo: Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Locke, Echo

Tom Brevoort (@tombrevort) on Twitter noted a sad anniversary today:  Mike Wieringo passed away 3 years ago at the young age of 44.  I saved many of his daily sketches over the years.

This set of sketches features the characters of LOST.  I was particularly thrilled to see Wieringo's interpretations from a TV show that obsessed me for 6 years.

Kate.

Locke.

Sawyer.

Jack.

Echo.

Link: Mike Wieringo Website.

Six Million Dollar Man by Neal Adams and Mike Hinge

The Six Million Dollar Man owned sci-fi TV in the 1970s, when Steve Austin was the biggest and most expensive hero on the tube.

Neal Adams did this painting for a magazine sized Six Million Dollar Man comic published by Charlton.  It appeared on newsstands right next to Creepy, Vampirella, Dracula Lives, and Mad.  Adams gave a pretty awesome display of Austin's bionic strength, ripping that engine out of the hood like it was made of tin foil.  If only the TV show had been able to display that!

Mike Hinge did this double page splash poster (for Jim Steranko's MediaScene magazine #10 in 1974) that makes Steve Austin look more like Nick Fury 2.0.  The cool element here is that raw metal cyborg hand holding out the watch on the left. 

If only they had painted the Bionic Woman, too.  Nuff Said!

The IT Crowd Season 4: Dungeons & Dragons, Star Trek, and Vista Bombs

The IT Crowd is my favorite television comedy at the moment.  It just finished Season 4 in Britain and the episodes are starting their United States run on the IFC channel.  As you can imagine, the IT Crowd is about a couple of information technology geeks (Roy and Moss), who work in a highly dysfunctional company called Reynholm Industries.  Their manager, Jen, is utterly clueless about technology and doesn't even know what IT stands for.

The first episode has a classic scene centered around Dungeons and Dragons, with Moss the Dungeon Keeper playing a female role.  If you've ever played D&D you will cry tears watching that scene. 

Here are some clips from later episodes to whet your appetite...

Douglas Reynholm is the second head of the company, and in the last episode of season 4, he is in a divorce trial.  His soon ex-wife to be unearths this very elaborate Star Trek style sex-tape.  This is safe for work, so don't worry.

I generally thought that most of IT Crowd Season 4 was hilarious, but there was something lacking about the last episode.  Roy and Moss were hardly featured in that episode to concentrate on Douglas Reynholm, who is a riot, but perhaps better in a supporting role.  The Star Trek parody above was funny as well as another moment that featured the return of Richmond the Goth.

An earlier episode featured Roy and Moss playing hooky and encountering a bomb disarming robot which has technical issues, due to Microsoft's infamous OS.  You can check out other IT Crowd clips on Channel 4 and YouTube, I think you will get several belly laughs.  Nuff Said!

Link: The IT Crowd on IFC

Link: The IT Crowd on Channel 4

Lost Locations Hummer Tour in Hawaii

I recently returned from a vacation in Hawaii (Oahu), where the big highlight of my trip was a Lost Hummer tour of the Kualoa Ranch on the northeast side of the island.  Kos Tours has exclusive access to the ranch, which has been privately owned since 1850.  The ranch has pristine green beauty and breathtaking views almost everywhere you look.  No wonder Lost uses many locations on this property!  We took the 2 hour Hummer tour, which was very well organized.  The guide was very well versed in Lost lore, and came prepared with Lost screen caps or movie clips to show us what happened at each location.  Above you can see my wife and I sitting on two logs, used in the season two episode where Ana Lucia confronts Goodwin.  We are trying to look angry, but just can't stop laughing.

The above picture was taken at the dock, used by the Dharma Initiative (as well as the Others) for the submarine.  Our guide had some neat photos of the submarine props that were placed in the water to make it seem real.

One of the best locations was the one used for Hurley's Golf Tournament in season one.  We even got to take a picture with Hurley, as you can see here.  Of course, it isn't Jorge Garcia, it's a Todd McFarlane action figure!

Unfortunately, Lost wasn't filming the final season when we were there.  The guide told us of past sightings, like watching Jughead being assembled, and seeing young Ben walking around in a wounded condition.  I asked him about the Lost cast members.  As I suspected, actors like Terry O'Quinn or Michael Emerson are friendly, but Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly are very cold and distant.  I could tell this from various interviews the cast has given.  The guide said that Evangeline Lilly doesn't really care for the show and tried to leave Lost a few years ago.

I highly recommend the tour.  The 2-hour package was around $80 per person, and my wife, who is not a Lost fan at all, still had fun taking pictures at the gorgeous locales.  We did not get to see the famous Lost beach camp--that location is only available in the ten hour tour.  Check out the Kos Hummer Tours Hawaii website for more information.  Many thanks to Ryan from Lost the Transmission for recommending this company.  Nuff said.