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Pilot Watch: Southland

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:30:25 -0700

In addition to Harper's Island and Parks and Recreation, tonight also brings a new police drama to TV. Southland starts tonight in ER's old time slot. I recently checked out the first episode (which is also streaming online), and here are my initial thoughts:

What's it about? Set in Los Angeles, the story is about the police officers that patrol the sprawling city and the criminals and victims that affect their lives.

Who's in it? Ben McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz, Regina King, Tom Everett Scott, Kevin Alejandro

The good: It makes sense that a show slipping into the time period occupied for so long by ER would have the same feel: It's a big ensemble drama with lots of characters to meet; it's got high production values; it's a sweeping story that keeps moving, covering multiple cases in the first 40 minutes. The acting is generally strong, especially from King in one scene near the end. It's definitely ambitious, attempting to cover a good deal of the problems plaguing Los Angeles in just a single episode.

The bad: Some of the dialogue is downright cringe-worthy, and it can feel like a paint-by-numbers version of a cop show as a result, with characters saying things like, "This is a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth." Just because the characters are well-established from the start doesn't mean I want to spend more time with them, and a few - especially the most sexist of the bunch, who were given a lot of harsh lines but few redeeming moments in the pilot - just rubbed me the wrong way. It's a little like The Wire Lite, which just made me want to pull out my DVDs of The Wire instead.

Will I watch? I might check in from time to time. I'm curious to see the structure of future episodes, because the first one is very focused on McKenzie's rookie cop character and his mentor, but I assume the show will branch out before long.

To check out some photos and a preview clip, just read more.

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Photo courtesy of NBC

88 Minutes: Actually 105 Minutes, And Feels Longer

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:30:25 -0700

I fear for the future of Al Pacino's career. If 88 Minutes is any indication - and I think it might be - he should stop. Now. Or stick to cameos because his near-constant presence in 88 Minutes is an exercise in frustration. And sure, much of the movie is frustrating. It's not all his fault, not by a long shot. I'm just so baffled by how an actor so revered could have one facial expression to offer. I fear he'll fall into the same category as Diane Keaton - every performance one-note, and that note makes us cringe. It makes me wonder if there's really much there at all. And that sucks.

The movie follows the successful Seattle forensic psychiatrist and professor Jack Gramm (Pacino, with an extra six inches of puffy hair adding to his height) whose testimony in the trial of serial killer Jon Forster (Neal McDonough) helped send Forster to death row. However, now that the killer's execution date has arrived, there have been murders occurring in the city that mirror Forster's, casting doubt on his guilt and causing his lawyers to call for a stay of execution. Meanwhile, Gramm receives a phone call telling him he has 88 minutes to live. This is where the story actually picks up a little, so read more.

What follows is a race against time as everyone in Gramm's life becomes suspected of trying to kill him, including his loyal assistant Shelley (Amy Brenneman), his assistant teacher Kim (Alicia Witt) and some of his best students, like Lauren (Leelee Sobieski) and Mike (Ben McKenzie). He runs around, evading bombs and gunmen and fires (and I feel sorry for Pacino that he has to run so much in this film because he seems like he'd prefer to settle in for a nap), trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.

In my memory of this movie, I can't distinguish one scene from another. There is no real suspense, no big surprise, no satisfying pull of tension and release. They talk about scary, nasty things, and they show a few yucky images (and, to their credit, the violence is not gratuitous) but there is nothing - absolutely nothing - underlying it all. The most dramatic scene features Al Pacino hurling a cell phone away from him, and the slow motion descent and shattering of the phone. And it's so ridiculous I would have laughed - if I weren't so worried for Al Pacino and his future.

To see the trailer and more clips from 88 Minutes check out movies.ivillage.com.

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"The OC" Returns - on Cable

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 14:50:00 -0700

Until last week, I was only vaguely aware of Soapnet, but if you're a fan of "The OC," it might be time to get the obscure cable channel on your lineup. Starting tonight,
Soapnet is adding the recently canceled teen drama to its regular programming, which includes evening rebroadcasts of traditional soaps like "All My Children" and "Day of Our Lives," as well as reruns of "Melrose Place" and Beverly Hills 90210."

"The OC" kicks off tonight with the pilot, which airs at 6 p.m. Eastern/Pacific, and continues on subsequent Mondays. When I look at photos from the first episode, I can't believe how young everyone looks, so it will be fun to go back to the beginning. This evening also marks the Soapnet premiere of "One Tree Hill." Hilariously, the channel is marketing the show pairing as "pretty people, pretty messed up." Check the web site to see if the channel is available in your area.

Photo courtesy of Fox

"The OC" Recap: Episode 16, "The End's Not Near, It's Here"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:57:13 -0800

So the series finale of the "The OC" has come and gone, with an hour of television that was at once wonderful and terrible. For the first 20 minutes or so, I found myself wanting to tap the actors on the shoulders and remind them that this was, in fact, the final episode ever and could they please stop wasting time on silly trivialities, such as exposition and Taylor's blog?

Fortunately, about halfway through the episode, they seemed to get the message, delivering plenty of juicy details and referencing everything from The Graduate and "Six Feet Under" to "Deal or No Deal" and "The OC's" own demise. To find out what happened, read more

So Julie is knocked up and marrying Bullitt, which seems unusually responsible until we learn she's pregnant with Frank's son. As she plans their nuptials, Sandy and Kirsten, who are crashing at the Coopers, find out their house is beyond repair. So Ryan and Seth - who has spent the past six months in a La-Z-Boy watching "Briefcase or No Briefcase" with Summer - head up to Berkeley to see about buying the Cohens' old house.

Billionaire Bullitt gets wind of this and jets up to Berkeley with the Cohens to put an offer on the house. But the guys living there, Todd and Patrick, aren't interested in selling. Oh well, Kirsten asks: "Is the bathroom still in the same place?" and hurries off to pee. When her water breaks, she's forced to - as Bullitt so eloquently puts it - drop child in San Fran.

With a few fairly ridiculous plot twists, everyone ends up in Berkeley, and they decide to have the wedding there. One of the gay guys is a wedding planner, natch, and the couple later agrees to sell the house back to the Cohens. "It's your house. We just live in it." Oh yeah, that's a realistic snapshot of the Bay Area real-estate market.

Meanwhile, all this wedding nonsense has the other couples pondering their futures. Seth thinks he and Summer are stuck in a rut and that she needs to go off to save otters and fulfill her destiny. Ryan and Taylor decide they can just be friends, until they collapse in a lustful pre-marital heap on the bed.

Back in Newport, Frank runs to the church attempting to stop the wedding with an impassioned shout of "Juuuuulie!!!" - only to realize the wedding has been relocated. He calls Kaitlin's cell phone and begs for Julie back. Julie runs inside, Kaitlin follows, and Julie pauses to think: "Not now honey! Mom's try to decide who to marry."

Everyone bids farewell to Summer as she boards the bus for GEORGE then sets about getting on with their lives; Seth and Ryan go to college, Sandy teaches at Berkeley.

Then comes the moment we've all been waiting for: the what-happens-next montage! In a gimmick ripped straight from "Six Feet Under" (except not nearly as good), we fast-forward to see what happens in each character's life. In conclusion:

Julie graduates from college. Both Frank and Bullitt are in the audience, so I'm assuming she ends up with Frank, but it's not entirely clear. Thoughts?
Seth and Summer get married. Ryan and Taylor are best man and maid of honor and exchange knowing glances.
Ryan grows up to be a construction foreman with the exact same hairdo. In a very melodramatic moment, he leaves work one day and encounters a brooding punk kid in Vans. "Do you need help?" Ryan asks.
Hello, spinoff!

Photos courtesy of Fox

TV Tonight: "The OC" Series Finale

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 05:33:13 -0800

I've said it once and I'll say it again: "The OC" is officially over. Sure, the show hasn't been a ratings darling this season, but even I was shocked when Fox announced in early January that it was canceling the series for good.

Thankfully, after last week's rather lackluster post-earthquake episode, it looks like the writers have prepared the action-packed finale that this melodramatic show deserves. Time-wise, the final show picks up six months after the earthquake happens, which is kind of a cheap move but also lets us fast-forward to some juicy plot possibilities. Taylor has gone to France, the Cohens are living at the Coopers, and the previews are promising a baby and a wedding. To see a promo for tonight's episode and a clip, read more

Photos and clip courtesy of Fox

"The OC" Recap: Episode 15, "The Night Moves"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:39:17 -0800

Maybe it's because last week's episode of "The OC" ended in what looked to be the worst earthquake since the great San Francisco shake-up in 1906, but I was expecting something a little more earth-shattering on last night's show, "The Night Moves." (And for those of you wondering, yes, the title is a reference to the Bob Seger song of the same name. Oddly.)

Fittingly, almost all of this episode takes place over the course of one night in the hours following the earthquake. Given that next week is the series finale, "The OC" really didn't pull out all the stops like I expected. To find out how everyone fared in the disaster, read more

So with Kirsten pregnant, Taylor and Ryan professing their love for one another, and Kaitlin and Julie trying to be mother and daughter for real, I thought for sure some tragedy would befall the people of Newport at this critical juncture. But no, everyone is fine. And surprisingly calm, except for Ryan, who is secretly bleeding from a shard of glass in his back. (Shhh! Don't tell Taylor!)

The story mainly hinges on Seth, who switches place with Ryan for the evening and becomes the pillar of strength in the pair. At the hospital, Seth ends up giving Ryan some of his blood, and Ryan gets the best line: "All of a sudden, I have an urge to listen to Death Cab and read comic books."

Everyone else is busy coping with their own various aftermaths. Julie and Kaitlin get stuck in the ice-cream stand with a dorky food-service employee who fakes an asthma attack and tells them they are stranded because the pier washed away. But really, he's just lying because he has a crush on Kaitlin. Charming. Eventually, Frank Atwood finds them, and Kaitlin gives her mom permission to date him.

Summer and Taylor try to distract themselves from the guys' absence by looking for Pancakes. Taylor shoots an intruder with a flare gun, and it turns out to be her evil mom, Veronica, who whines that she will need plastic surgery, stat.

Meanwhile, the hospital is packed with people in need of real medical care, including Kirsten, who took a nasty fall. Yet somehow, Summer convinces a doctor to treat her bunny's broken paw first. Thankfully, Kirsten and the baby are both fine, and though it's only been a month or so, we find out the baby is a girl.

Everyone ends up back at the Cohens' house, which - unlike its residents - is in pretty bad shape. Given the lack of drama this week, I started to worry that the finale would simply follow the Cohens as they cleaned up the mess. Fortunately, the promos are promising "a baby, a wedding, memories, surprises, and tears." This better be good! Tune in next Thursday to see how it all ends.

Photos courtesy of Fox

"The OC" Recap: Episode 14, "The Shake Up"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 12:34:10 -0800

In this week's episode of "The OC", Ryan worries that his relationship with Taylor is suddenly moving into "mach 5," and thankfully, that's precisely what the writers seem to be doing with the show. We begin as Taylor is discussing plans for her first-ever birthday party with Summer, and she confesses that the ideal present would be Ryan asking her to go to Berkeley with him. Oh, and an "I love you" wouldn't hurt either. Next we're treated to some very heavy-handed foreshadowing, so if you don't mind some spoilers, read more

Seeing an earthquake story in the LA Times, the girls point out that, no matter how many times the experts predict "the big one," it never happens. Subtle, right? Almost as subtle as Taylor's "hints" to Ryan that he should say "I love you." Her best moment is probably when she and Ryan are watching a movie, and she observes how tragic it is that the two characters can't express their love for one another. Ryan says the chances of it working are pretty slim: "She’s a beautiful woman. He’s a hunchback working in a bell tower."

Kaitlin is annoyed at how much Frank is staying over, and Frank confronts her about it. The problem isn't that he went to prison, Kaitlin says, but that Frank is boring. Kaitlin then attempts to solve the problem by planting clown porn in Frank's duffel bag; Julie realizes what's going on and is, understandably, troubled that her 15-year-old managed to get her hands on clown porn.

Meanwhile, Kirsten sees a darker side of Newport, and it's called prenatal yoga, where the bitchy young moms invite her to join the "six-pack pack." She asks Sandy: How can she raise a baby in such a shallow place? To renew her hope, he invites her out to dinner with a "normal" couple, Spitz and his wife. Bad idea, seeing as how the wife is about 20 years younger and unbelievably obnoxious, shouting across the restaurant at a nanny to shut that thing up. Turns out it's her nanny, and the "thing" is her kid. Lovely.

Summer, meanwhile, is dragging Seth to an art opening sponsored by GEORGE. When Seth ridicules an experimental film, Summer challenges him to make his own, so he films an inflatable whale floating in a pool for six hours. Summer is not amused, but I thought it was pretty funny. In an attempt to redeem himself, he spends the rest of the episode filming documentary footage of Ryan, Summer, and the gang.

Trying to loosen Ryan up, Taylor invites him over for dinner and wine. She gets sloshed instead and admits that she just wants to hear that he loves her. When she seems to pass out on the bed, Ryan asks: "Taylor, are you just pretending to be unconscious so I’ll tell you that I love you?" A drunken Taylor replies: "Maybe..."

Eventually, he says he loves her back but then panics when he realizes Taylor is planning to go to Berkeley. Taylor decides she'll say "I love you" when she opens Ryan's romantic birthday gift, a bound book of French love poems. But when she opens the gift, she realizes Ryan has gift-wrapped a dictionary instead. I think the French call that "sabotage."

Speaking of sabotage, Julie finds Kaitlin with more clown porn and confronts her; Kaitlin says she doesn't mind Frank, she just doesn't want another "instant family." Why can't she and her mom just be family for a while?

Taylor asks Ryan: Would you have said you loved me if you knew I'd gotten into Berkeley? Ryan's relative silence comes across as a "no," and Taylor can't muster the enthusiasm to blow out her birthday candles.

Later, Ryan finds her and gives her his real gift, while also expressing his utter devotion and love. Then, guess what? There is an earthquake! A really, really long earthquake with lots of graphic footage of horrible things tumbling everywhere. Did someone die? Has Newport been destroyed? We'll have to wait until next week to find out.

Photos courtesy of Fox

"The OC" Recap: Episode 13, "The Case of the Franks"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:03:23 -0800

I rushed home from the Sugar Publishing happy hour to catch last night's episode of "The OC." By the time the show ended at 10 p.m., I was feeling a little nauseated - and it wasn't from the cocktails. So just how sappy and ridiculous and flashback-filled was "The Case the Franks"? Let me just say: Had I spent the week eating only conversation hearts and clothing myself in rose petals, I don't think I could have written a more sickeningly sweet Valentine's Day episode than this one.

Taylor and Ryan are trying to decide how not to mess up the big day, when Taylor finds a mysterious address in Ryan's stuff. Turns out, it's the address of Frank Atwood, who Taylor agrees to help reconnect with Ryan. Meanwhile, Summer is troubled when a psychic says her soul mate is named George, so she goes to talk to Kirsten. Then, the episode basically becomes one giant big-hair flashback, so read more

Kirsten is remembering her Jimmy Cooper days, telling Summer: “I loved Jimmy a lot when I was your age, but I changed.” The man for her was really Sandy Cohen. At the same time, Seth is sitting with Ryan and having flashbacks to elementary school, remember that he first fell for Summer when she read a poem in class. In one funny meta moment, Seth shakes out of his flashback and finds Ryan has gotten up to do something: "Dude," Seth says, "the flashback did not take THAT long." Summer later confesses that Taylor actually wrote the poem. As a result, Summer and Seth start to wonder if they are one another's Jimmy Coopers or Sandy Cohens.

Because Julie is less concerned with destiny than with dollars, she has conditionally accepted Bullit's engagement. But over dinner with Frank and Ryan, Taylor asks: "Frank, are you in love with Julie Cooper?" and sets out to get the two of them back together, later telling Julie that she has "a case of the Franks." Ryan thinks she deserves better, until Julie reassures Ryan that she's known a lot of bad men, and Frank Atwood is not one of them.

Then, the episode devolves into a pair of competing, ridiculous schemes, wherein Kaitlin (wearing a "Team Bullit" t-shirt) tries to get her mom to spend Valentine's Day with the billionaire, while Taylor and Ryan are batting for Frank. Along the way, we're treated to a car chase, a romantic dinner at a hot dog stand with Frank, and a scene between Bullit and Kaitlin on an airplane tarmac that pays homage to Casablanca. If I may, I'm just gonna skip ahead here: Julie ultimately comes back to Frank, and Bullit and Kaitlin decide to be friends.

I'll spare you the other hokey flashbacks to Kirsten's college life, since they don't really add up to much. But in case you're wondering about Summer's soul mate George, it turns out that GEORGE actually stands for the Global Environmental Organization Regarding Greenhouse Emissions. The non-profit has been reading Summer's blog about sea otters, and so it sends a representative to her house to offer her a job. (Oh sure, that happens.)

The job will require her to travel and and be away from Seth though, but Summer thinks she can endure. She even gives him a photo collage of great couples through time and says that maybe one day, they can put their own photo in the middle. And with that, I made a retching noise turned off the TV.

Photos courtesy of Fox

"The OC" Recap: Episode 12, "The Groundhog Day"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 12:04:36 -0800

You know a show is desperate for ideas when it's building plot lines around Groundhog Day, and that's precisely what happened on last night's episode of "The OC." Che is still in Newport and struggling with the revelation that his soul mate is a sea otter and, therefore, probably Seth. His other major concern: liberating the groundhog that is Newport's version of Punxsutawney Phil. He enlists Seth's help in freeing the critter, and thank goodness, because otherwise, we'd miss out on a number of old-fashioned Seth one-liners, which keep the episode from being a total waste.

Meanwhile, Kirsten is fretting about her health as her 40th birthday nears, and Kaitlin has been emailing Bullitt for about a month, pretending she is Julie. (Her latest message ends, "I miss your butt. Love, Julie." Classy.) To find out what happens, read more

Ryan tells Sandy he's coping well with Taylor's absence, but he's still staring longingly at the scrapbook she made him. Taylor is going to therapy to address her tendency to obsess over people: "I married a man I knew for two weeks just because he told me he loved me." As part of her treatment, the doctor goes with Taylor to drop off a box full of mementos at Ryan's.

Meanwhile, Kaitlin suspects Julie is seeing someone else when a mystery man delivers flowers to the house. Next thing we know, Kaitlin is accompanying Bullitt to buy Julie a ginormous diamond ring. When Kaitlin asks if it's the most expensive ring in the store, her potential stepdad replies: “Well, Bullitt bought it. Of course it is.”

Dressed in ski masks, Che and Seth prepare to liberate the groundhog, but when they get stuck on a roof during their escape, the two are thrown in jail. Now, it's up to Summer to do the deed, so she poses as a reporter for a newspaper called - get this - Groundhog’s Day Weekly. In custody, Che finally tells Seth about his vision, wherein he realized that his animal self is a bullfrog and in love with an otter.

But wait! Maybe it wasn't an otter after all! In walks a young female revolutionary, dressed in a plush groundhog costume. She's also been arrested while trying to free Newport's mascot. Che realizes that the animal in his vision was actually a groundhog, not an otter, and hence, he has found his soulmate. When Sandy comes to bail Seth out of prison, Che insists on staying behind until both he and his lady friend are freed. "Works for me," Seth says as he hurries off.

Julie comes home to Bullitt on one knee offering a proposal of marriage. (What is it with the TV marriage proposals this week?) When Julie realizes what's happening, she scolds Kaitlin for emailing Bullitt. In a moment of Cooper-style tenderness, Kaitlin apologizes and says she just wishes things would work out with Bullitt, because not only is he a billionaire, but he would also make an amazing stepdad.

Later, the three meet over dinner, and Julie says her answer is "no," because she doesn't know Bullitt well enough yet. But, if she can grow to love him, she would be proud to be his wife someday. Hugging ensues.

Finally, we get to Kirsten's 40th birthday dinner at the Yacht Club, where Sandy arrives driving a mail truck, a reminder of their early days at Berkeley and - I must admit - pretty cute. With Seth and Ryan standing by, Sandy hands over her gift: around-the-world first-class air tickets. "I think I can top it," Kirsten says, then pulls Sandy aside to tell him she's pregnant. A rather desperate dramatic twist, I must say. Thankfully, with only four episodes left, we won't have to see the resolution.

In the final scene, we see Julie on the phone with her mystery man, saying she can't see him anymore because she's going to start dating Bullitt. And the mystery man is ... Kevin Sorbo of TV's "Hercules"! (You might remember him as Ryan's dad.) Funny, he's holding a diamond ring too, though it's considerably smaller than the one from Bullitt. Is Julie a heartbreaker or what?

What Did You Think of This Week's "The O.C."?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:02:14 -0800

On Thursday night's episode of "The OC," Che and Seth do some animal liberation, while Taylor goes to therapy to tend to her emotional issues and Kirsten struggles with turning 40. I'll post a full recap tomorrow, but for now, tell me below: What did you think of tonight's episode?