Kevin Bacon Returns to TV With ‘The Following’

What if a serial killer escaped from prison and it is discovered that he had amassed quite a following of fellow serial killers and others while incarcerated and those people are now willing to help him evade the authorities trying to capture him once again? Well then we’d have the show premiering on January 21st, on Fox, called The Following.

Kevin Bacon stars as Ryan Hardy, a former FBI agent who was instrumental in the search and eventual capture a serial killer named Joe Carroll played by James Purefoy. Since the capture, Hardy has stepped out of the spotlight and is living his own life with the mental and physical scars left by the hunt for Carroll. Put in prison for murdering 14 co-eds who attended the Virginia college at which he taught literature, Carroll has spent his time in prison reaching out to and connecting with his fellow serial killers. They form a network that not only puts into motion his escape from prison, but also aide him in finishing what he started years earlier.

The story picks up with Carroll’s escape and the FBI reaching out to Hardy in hopes that his intimate knowledge of the killer will help them track him down again. Hardy is no longer the top dog which takes some getting used to by not only him but by the team now working the case, including a “young, razor-sharp” Mike Weston who idolizes Hardy, and the investigation lead, Specialist Debra Parker who along with everyone else (minus Weston) isn’t too keen on Hardy being around, seeing him as more of a hindrance than a help.

The ensuing investigation leads Hardy and the team back to Carroll’s ex-wife and young son. It appears as if not all was kosher in the “investigator/wife of serial killer” relationship in the past

Well don’t let me tell you all about it, check out the trailer-

REMOVED BY YOUTUBE

Looks rather promising. I’ll admit that I’d hoped this one was on cable, but Fox has had success in the past with good crime(ish) dramas before- 24, Prison Break, New York Undercover– so perhaps my concern will be for naught.

This is Kevin Bacon’s first serialized TV stint (not counting guest spots) since he appeared on Guiding Light way back in 1980. I, for one, hope this doesn’t turn into a movie actor vs. TV actor thing when people start talking about the show. Just because someone who has predominantly worked in film decides to tackle a television project does not mean they’ve given up on life and spend their downtime wearing sweatpants and eating cheese puffs.

James Purefoy (who had a Bacon score of 2 before this show) on the other hand, has gone the TV route more recently with the short-lived but still really good, The Philanthropist. He also played Marc Anthony in the incredible BBC/HBO series, Rome.

In addition to two great actors, The Following is created and written by a man who is no stranger to TV hits. Even though he has had some shows that sucked, Hidden Palms being a good example, Kevin Williamson has been the creative force behind two shows that are undeniably TV classics. Okay, so The Vampire Diaries might be just more popular than classic right now, but there is no one that can deny that Dawson’s Creek is a television benchmark for an entire generation. If you are a member of that generation and want to have a nostalgic, if not tear-jerking moment (I cried. Pathetic, I know.), check out James Van Der Beek’s letter to Dawson Leery.

As for Williamson’s latest outing, I’m hoping that The Following has the ratings that lead to a longer run because I’m interested in seeing how he and the writing staff tell this cat and mouse story.

If you can’t wait and just need more footage of Bacon and Purefoy playing that game, I am more than happy to oblige.

A bit more of an in-depth look at the upcoming show:

James Purefoy and Kevin Bacon talk to The Hollywood Reporter at Comic-Con:

The Following will premiere on Fox, on January 21st at 9 Eastern/8 Central.

[Ed. Note – Also, Natalie Zea left Justified for this, so it better not suck…]

Grizzly Review: John Carter

After all of the buzz surrounding the budget of John Carter, the aggressive marketing campaign leading up to it’s release and the many clips released by Disney, was it all worth it? In my opinion, yes. John Carter was a fully realized world filled with a group of characters brought to life by a very well rounded out cast of actors. I had thought the movie would appeal to a much wider audience, but after watching the movie it’s obvious that a lot of kids would be lost upon many of the story points. Or they would just not care and want to see more of the four armed Thark aliens and John Carter’s faithful pet Woola.

On the planet Mars, known to it’s inhabitants as Barsoom, the residents of the mobile city Zodanga threaten to overrun and conquer the world after gifted with the use of an ultimate weapon provided by the mysterious Therns. The only people left to oppose them on Barsoom are the noble people of Helium (Not the stuff you put in balloons.) led by Jeddak Tardos Mors (Ciarin Hinds), the father of the beautiful princess of Helium known as Dejah Thoris. That’s the first piece of the story, while the seconds lies in the form of former Confederate cavalry man John Carter. After practically stumbling upon a Thern in a cave, John Carter is transported via the Thern’s medallion to the world of Barsoom where he will play an integral part in it’s fate and that of the princess Dejah Thoris.

The first 15-20 minutes of the movie introduce us to the character of John Carter and the life he now leads on Earth. He is obviously a bit of a haunted man, which is alluded to throughout the movie and at one point shown to us in a spectacular battle scene where John Carter takes on a horde of green martians that is interspersed with flashbacks to his past on Earth. As I said before, the movie was a bit bigger on story than I thought but still had a great mix of action in between all of that. The story was a bit more intricate than just a marriage between the Princess and the Zodangan leader Sab Than (Played by Dominic West) but involves the Therns as the main threat, and not only limited to Barsoom. I won’t spoil anything in the review, so just go see the movie!

The special effects and motion capture were of course beautifully done in the film. The Tharks and John Carter’s initial interactions with them were interesting and actually pretty damn funny. Willem Dafoe’s Tars Tharkas mistakenly thinking John Carter’s name is Virginia had me laughing more than once. The world of Barsoom was beautifully realized on screen even in the scenes in the desert wastelands. Helium and Zodanga were both unique in their own way and I can’t wait to see more of the planet’s many locales explored if they do indeed have a sequel to the movie. It’s definitely left open to one by the movie’s end, but done so in a way where if they don’t have one there is still some closure.

I found Taylor Kitsch to be reasonably likeable in the film. He showed that he could definitely be a decent leading man in a movie, and he’ll have a shot to do it once again in Battleship this summer. Almost overshadowing him in my opinion was Lynn Collins, who played the role of Dejah Thoris perfectly. I was thankful she wasn’t going to play the princess who is constantly kidnapped and held hostage. Though not invincible, Dejah can definitely hold her own with a sword. I really think that the warrior woman thing is overdone in film, but I didn’t have a problem with it in this movie. John Carter, though seemingly invincible in the movie also had his moments of weakness as he was immobilized at one point by the Thern Matai Shang, played by Mark Strong. The chemistry between Kitsch and Collins was working in the movie as well, which makes me hope we can see it develop more in a sequel. This goes without even mentioning how hot Lynn Collins looked in the film… give me a martian girl anytime. (Not a Thark though.) Also give me Lynn Collins in more movies besides another Wolverine movie.

Overall I give the movie 4 out of 5 Tharks. The movie kept me interested but did have a bit of a lull towards the middle part. Even though Dominic West and Mark Strong did a fine job of playing the villains of the story, I’d have preferred they were in it just a little more in scenes directly with John Carter. I truly hope the movie makes enough to justify a sequel, because now that they’ve got the story and many characters pretty much established the sequel could jump right into things instead of spending any time on Earth. (Pay attention Green Lantern sequel.) The movie is totally worth the price of a theater ticket, though you may as well stay away from the 3D like I did. No movie is truly worth a 15 dollar ticket.

“Ohhhh baby – Youu, you got what I neeeeed, but you say he’s just a friend. Wait, what are we doing?”

10 Minutes of Disney’s ‘John Carter’!

Disney is not messing around with it’s final big marketing push for their blockbuster hopeful John Carter, because now they’ve made what appears to be the first ten minutes of the sci-fi action flick available for all to see! Just don’t be expecting to see anything taking place on Mars or even a glimpse of any type of alien. But I have to say the creepy voice over at the end is worth it at the end. He made me very uncomfortable:

Not too shabby in my opinion. I think after seeing almost 20 minutes of the movie via various clips that have been released and all of the positive reviews thus far that John Carter is almost guaranteed to be a damn good movie not only for fans of the sci-fi genre, but even the casual movie goer as well. Disney is banking a lot on this high budget flick to spawn into a franchise and it definitely has a shot if it can draw out the moviegoers even with current box office champ The Lorax only going into it’s second weekend. The Lorax made $70 Million plus this weekend and is sure to still snag the family audiences away from John Carter and it’s PG 13 rating. Best of luck to him and all those four armed green fellas though!

John Carter – A New Trailer for an Old Hero

The trailer for John Carter looks awesome. Granted I’ve never read much about him or his adventures on Mars, except for a really old comic book called John Carter and the White Apes of Mars – which to be quite honest sucked an egg. The story itself has been around since 1911, when Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote of the Earth Man’s exploits on the red planet. Here is a little background on the story behind it…

John Carter is a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War, who dies afterward (it would appear), but is reincarnated on Mars. There he becomes a warrior and savior to the people, facing down all matter of alien and beastly foes. And by the way, he can kick twice as much ass due to the greater gravity of Earth making him stronger. (if that makes sense).

It’s on Mars where Carter meets his future wife ‘Dejah Thoris of Helium’. In the movie, Gambit Taylor Kitsch (FNL) stars as John Carter, whilst Lynn Collins stars as his love interest Dejah Thoris. Hopefully them both being in X-men Origins: Wolverine previously won’t make the movie terrible.

Check out the trailer below:

Aside from all of the cool special effects, Kitsch and Collins won’t be left to carry this movie themselves, because there are a few pretty capable actors in their supporting cast. They are joined by Willem Dafoe (Spiderman, Platoon, Boondock Saints), James Purefoy (Rome, Camelot, Iron Clad) and Mark Strong. (Green Lantern, Kick Ass, Sherlock Holmes).

I for one will be checking this movie out. Disney has done a pretty good job over the last few years to keep me entertained, so I’ll give it a chance. It can’t be as bad as the picture below suggests. Right?

Ironclad: An Awesome Trailer and a Very Big Sword

To my knowledge there hasn’t been much in the way of a good medieval movie lately. One where guys kick tons of ass with swords, arrows, axes and blood. I don’t count Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe because honestly, I couldn’t bring myself to like it. I wanted desperately to, but to this day I’d still rather watch Prince of Thieves instead. I was terribly partial to Centurion, but I’m not so sure many others were. Iron Clad however looks like it may restore some glory to the realm of blood and steel.

As you can see the movie stars such spectacular actors as James Purefoy, Brian Cox, and Paul Giamatti. Purefoy is just coming off a short stint on the Starz series Camelot, in which he played a glorious villain named King Lot. I would say that this is an odd role for Giamatti, but he can definitely hold his own in a period piece as is proof of his role of John Adams in the HBO mini series. And Brian Cox can’t really be bad in anything, let alone something set in the olden days. Rob Roy or Troy anyone? Behold the trailer:

Uhhhhh…. whoa. I’m liking the looks of that! Giamatti looks good as a bitchy King John, unleashing his wrath on Rochester Castle against Purefoy and the Knights Templar he leads against the tyrannical king. I’m sure it’s 100 percent historically accurate too. Just look at the size of James Purefoy’s blade to make the decision on whether or not to see this movie in July.

Heyoooo!

Camelot Review: Episode 6 – “Three Journeys”

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need something big to actually happen on Camelot. It seems like we’ve had too much set up and not enough pay off. I for one don’t really care about a story of Merlin, Leontes, Gawain and Kay on a mission to retrieve Kay’s father’s books from their old home. But that is what we were treated to and it sucked epically. I don’t mind the character development one bit and I really enjoyed the scene where Leontes and Merlin had a civil debate about their different ideologies. But the whole episode just felt like filler.

Camelot Review: Episode 2 – The Sword and The Crown

If you missed the Pilot, get caught up HERE

The second episode of the excellent Starz show Camelot starts on a somber note. After the tragedy that befell Arthur and Kay, they bury their dead and fortify themselves at Castle  Camelot. After the funeral Arthur takes a stroll, alone on the beach, and sees a girl emerging from the water. It appears to be the same girl he was getting it on with in a dream he had in the first episode. Apparently, the young king thought it would go the same way as his dream, but the wet and scantily clad girl doesn’t see it as such.

As some of us already know by seeing her in Arthur’s dream in the first episode, this beach beauty must indeed be Guinevere. Who else could it be? It’s funny in this retelling of the Arthur story how their first exchange goes. Arthur is really excited to see the girl from his dreams, and Guinevere tackles him and holds a knife to his throat for intruding on her swim.

Ahhh, young love…

Spoilers Ahead…

Camelot – The Next Spartacus? Pilot Review and More…

I’m glad that Starz decided to give us an advanced viewing of the pilot for one of their newest series, Camelot. It premiered on February 25th after Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, and I’m just reviewing it thanks to my DVR.

The story of King Arthur has been told many times, in a variety of ways, and this is the newest interpretation. I am hoping for something similar to Spartacus: Blood and Sand, but set in Medieval times. After seeing the pilot episode I think we may be in store for something similar. It seems to be a retelling of the Arthurian Legend much like in the 2004 film King Arthur starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley, where they attempted to tell a more historical version of the tale with no magic or myth. Camelot is similar to King Arthur in the aspect that, the magic thus far, though present, is not over the top. Merlin isn’t some long bearded, long robed wizard throwing fireballs left and right, and Morgan le Fay isn’t a full-blown sorceress.

*Spoilers throughout – except the ending*