Category — Mystery/Suspense

Since the viral marketing get up worked for Cloverfield, the J.J. Abrams gang have concocted a few radio spots to promote “Fringe”.

They even have a “Fringe” blog to keep track of all this viral nonsense before the September premiere. Boy, I really hope this show airs long enough to reveal this mysterious “pattern” they’re going on about.

Pacey muses on the “pattern”.

Source: Pop Candy

Was I the only one confused with last night’s episode of “Fear Itself” called In Sickness and In Health?

I usually don’t like serial type shows like “The Outer Limits” or “Masters of Horror”, but when I saw that Maggie Lawson and James Roday from “Psych” were featured, I gave in.

It was also quite curious to see them play a bride and groom, especially since I just learned they are dating in real life. The episode was quite eerie and broken up with abrupt scenes of humor. Maybe that’s director John Landis’ influence? His movies to have a aura of camp to them.

*SPOILERS*
The episode follows their wedding, which is tainted by a note given to the bride (Lawson) claiming that Carlos (Roday) is a serial killer. Throughout the ep, she gets increasingly more freaked out and paranoid, especially when Carlos starts acting weird and hurting her. So at the end of the ep, the audience believes the note is true. But the twist is, the note was meant for Carlos! Meaning…she’s a serial killer? WTF?

If she was the killer, why did she act so freaked out by the note until she realized the mistake? Was it cause she thought he might actually be one too? Did it hit too close to home? I dunno, but it didn’t really translate on screen. We got the twist and she just smiled. The End.

And what was with her brother being the one who passed on the note (but in DRAG)? That was just plain creepy, esp since his apartment was filled with body parts in jars. If the brother is a killer, along with his sister, why would he warn the groom? Why not just kill him if he gets too close? Maybe he just wanted his sister to himself.
*END SPOILERS*

The whole thing assumes the audience can figure all this out in less than 30 seconds. Not sure if this an easy task for the summer viewer. I don’t think I’m going to be watching next weeks episode. Maybe this horror is simply too cerebral for my tastes.

Watch the episode on NBC and decide for yourself.

Since hearing from Pajiba that they’re remaking “The Prisoner” with Jim Cavezial and Ian McKellan, I decided that I should get familiar with the original. The 1967 “The Prisoner” series starred Patrick McGoohan as an ex-spy who is kidnapped and taken to The Village, a lavish but dangerous prison where he’s held until he gives his captors what they want. At first glance, it sounds like “The Fugitive” crossed with Escape from Alcatraz or something.

I feel like television could benefit from a new version that has thought provoking writing. It’s a perfect vehicle to explore current social and political themes such as the power limits on certain government agencies. “24″ before it got ridiculous was an excellent show to question the methods of how governments protect our freedoms. With the idea of an indefinite prison, one can easily imagine the political commentary possibilities. Here’s hoping it’s not just another throwaway conspiracy theory serial like “Vanished”.

Joss Whedon’s much hyped tv show, “Dollhouse”, isn’t set to premiere until mid-season 2009. Nevertheless, the internets are still abuzz with news and interviews every week.

The latest interesting tid bit I read was about Eliza Dushku (”Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), who plays the lead in “Dollhouse”.

It turns out that she has a producer’s credit according to TV Squad. Several actors and actresses have been known to produce their own shows, so it’s not that crazy for Dushku to put this into her contract. Still, it seems that Joss Whedon may actually want to hold her to it and expect input into the show.

Here’s hoping the fervor for the show can stay afloat until next Jan/Feb.

JJ Abrams new show, “Fringe”, officially got picked up by Fox this week.

It stars Joshua Jackson (”Dawson’s Creek”), Anna Torv, and Lance Reddick (”The Wire” and “Lost”) as they investigate an unusual Boston plane crash. It’s supposed to “thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality”.

I dunno, that sounds supspiciously too good to be true since I’ll watch just about anything with a “Wire” cast member or involves science fiction. Still, I wholeheartedly agree with /Film who says it totally looks like an “X-Files” rip-off.

I wonder if Chris Carter agrees? I bet he doesn’t really care and he’d probably just tell Abrams to watch his back since Fox cancels everything (i.e. “Harsh Realm”).

Find more photos at /Film

My first episode of “Wire in the Blood” left me a bit confused since it started off in Luther, Texas. Definitely an unexpected locale, since it’s a UK crime drama. Most episodes follow psychologist Tony Hill and his work with the UK Bradfield CID.

From BBCAmerica.com:
“This season [season 5], the first time Wire in the Blood has ever been shot in America, a case takes Tony all the way to Austin, Texas. Robson Green says of the special season premiere, “Wire in the Blood has a loyal and growing audience in the States and we were delighted to have the opportunity to film this special episode in Texas. I was personally thrilled to be working in America for the first time - it was an opportunity for me to develop the character of Tony Hill in unfamiliar territory as he gets caught up with a prisoner on death row.”

Despite the experimental locale, I was immediately drawn into the show. The episode blended comedy with mystery-suspense quite easily. They had Tony complaining about the Texas heat one second and the next a rattlesnake mysteriously attacks him in his car! I didn’t know much about the show, so I literally just went with the flow. And by the end, I was captivated by the stylish cinematography and deft acting by all the players.

The rest of the season takes place in Bradfield, England where Tony helps DI Alex Fielding solve murders involving voodoo witchcraft, child abduction, and serial killers.

“Wire in the Blood” airs Sundays at 8pm EST on BBC America.

This sunday is Mother’s Day, so I feel I should spotlight some of my mom’s favorite tv shows.

Mystery/Suspense:
“In the Heat of the Night”
“Murder, She Wrote”
“Remington Steele” - got her seasons one and two for her birthday…
“Matlock” - no one can hate on the Griffith

Cop Shows:
“Walker, Texas Ranger” - Mom loved it before Conan made it “cool”
“Nash Bridges”
“JAG”
“Silk Stalkings”

The Soaps (every mom has “her show”):
“Knots Landing” - with Alec Baldwin! and William Devane!!

“Young and the Restless” - doesn’t everyone love this show, though?
“Days of Our Lives” - My mom finally learned how to dvr new episodes
“Another World”
“Falcon Crest”

Comedy:
“Martin”

“Living Single”
“The Cosby Show”
“Monk”
“A Different World”
“Empty Nest”
“Golden Girls”

But really, she’ll watch whatevers on USA and just leave it there. This sunday, I hope she gets the remote all to herself.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Before seeing Iron Man, the theater commercials were hyping the heck out of “The Andromeda Strain” tv mini-series, which premieres on A&E this Memorial Day.

My first thought was - is this remake really necessary?

Guess producers Ridley and Tony Scott thought that it was. The uber-special effects remake stars Benjamin Bratt, Andre Braugher, Eric McCormack, and Ricky (does he still go by Ricky?) Schroder.

The apocalyptic themes from Michael Crichton’s novel are certainly loud and clear on that trailer. It sounds like it’s next to impossible to find a cure with the melodramatic dialogue and music. I guess I’m intrigued enough to dvr it just to see what the so-called cure turns out to be.

Sad but true, I’ve been keeping up with “Moonlight”, a vampire detective show starring Alex O’Loughlin.

It’s not very good, actually some of the dialogue is down right terrible, but it’s a guilty pleasure that I can’t seem to shake. I’m not like those crazy fans giving blood or anything. I can relax and laugh at this show instead of how serious I need to be for “Lost”.

I’d mostly forgotten about it due to the strike gap, but yesterday, I noticed two episodes waiting for me on my Tivo DVR. As it turns out there’s only two more eps left to go. CBS has been quite mum on saying if it’ll be renewed. But hey, didn’t it win a People’s Choice award? That’s gotta count for something. Plus, Mick St. John is pretty easy on the eyes (despite his Criss Angel wardrobe), so I’m sure it’s doing well with the female demographic.

“Moonlight“, a thinly veiled “Angel” rip-off, airs Fridays at 9pm on CBS.

Am I getting old or are these Lifetime movies getting better? I typically only watch these tv movies when I’m extremely bored and want a laugh.

But recently, I got wrapped up in the “Capture of the Green River Killer” mini series with Tom Cavanagh. It was pretty riveting (and graphic!) compared to the usual lover scorned tv fare on LMN.

And then yesterday, I watched “Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Secret Affair“. That’s like twice in a month that I’ve embraced Lifetime Movie Network programming! The flick from yesterday starred Janine Turner and some Irish bloke. They meet in Venice and fall in love (despite all odds and him being kidnapped by Yugoslavian terrorists?!).

It was based on a romance novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford (which the title won’t let you forget) , so it was pretty heavy with the cheese. At the end, they all think the Irish guy is dead but alas, he escaped his captors and magically ended up in Ireland unscathed.