Revenge

You know it’s a soap when you find it very difficult, if not impossible, to explain what’s happening to someone else. This one is soaked in skulduggery, civilian espionage, scheming, backstabbing, social climbing, double-crossing and of course, the quest for *thunderclap* Revenge! It is populated by beautiful and also gifted actors, like the great Madeleine Stowe playing Victoria Grayson, the ultimate Hamptons Society Queen with the ethics of a cobra. Emily Thorne, once upon a time named Amanda Clark, returns to the Hamptons to seek vengeance for her father, a man wrongly accused and convicted of a heinous act of terror. The real villains are the Graysons, along with a host of other people who played a part in David Clark’s demise. It’s a genuine, if slightly guilty pleasure watching Emily wield her red sharpie pen, slowly crossing off each person on her list of wrongdoers after spectacularly orchestrating their downfalls.

This is a potboiler extraordinaire with fabulous plot twists, totally unexpected revelations, and a goodly dollop of romantic intrigue. It wholeheartedly embraces soapy clichés like amnesia, long lost siblings, love triangles, car crashes, excesses of the obscenely rich, and murder most foul, while still managing to feel believable (quite a feat!). Excellent fashion design, gorgeous dresses, jewelery, sets and locations, this show is visually stunning as well. Each episode is beautifully framed by Emily’s voice, musing a philosophic observation about some aspect of life, setting the theme for each week’s story and providing a window into Emily’s soul. I’m completely absorbed in the story and look forward to each new episode. [The show ran for four highly successful seasons and was brought to an extremely satisfactory conclusion. I’ll miss it but I loved the ending!] – BETHANY

For more on this twisty-turny adventure, visit: the Internet Movie Database

(Click to see a much larger version)  From left to right:  Ashley Davenport (Ashley Madekwe), Jack Porter (Nick Wechsler), Declan Porter (Connor Paolo), Nolan Ross (Gabriel Mann), Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp), Charlotte Grayson (Christa B. Allen), Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe), Daniel Grayson (Josh Bowman) and Conrad Grayson (Henry Czerny).

                                   Emily Thorne, dressed to kill (possibly literally), with her signature penetrating gaze.

Emily is way more than just a pretty face.

Digging the hat, Emily!

                                 Victoria Grayson reigning over a Hamptons event.

Jack Porter, Emily’s childhood friend and one of the few people not on her hit list.  (Nick Wechsler)

                                                                Another friend-not-foe is tech genius Nolan Ross, always flamboyant and entertaining, who knows Emily’s secret and heartily supports her quest.

This is the expression women wear when exchanging barbed pleasantries with a social enemy.

Daniel Grayson, privileged heir to a business empire and Emily’s chosen mark.

Conrad Grayson – isn’t he just the picture of a shady and self-satisfied one percenter?  He also looks like the lamp is growing out of his head.

Pretty and spoiled Charlotte Grayson – do these people ever do anything besides wear expensive clothes to parties?

Evidently not – another party at Grayson manor.

Emily planning her next move, looking through the contents of the double infinity box.

Jack Porter aboard the boat named for his lost childhood friend.

Fashion is a huge element on Revenge and here’s your opportunity to buy stuff seen on the show:  Worn on TV,  Shop Your TV,  and many others to be found by simply Googling ‘Revenge’ and ‘Clothes’.  Just beware of spoilers!

 

 

Photos courtesy of The Page Fright Company/Mike Kelly Productions, Temple Hill Entertainment, ABC Studios and ABC (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear

The first in a great series of movies from TNT, The Quest for the Spear introduces us to Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle), nerd extraordinaire and professional student who prefers the world of academia to anything else. But just when he is heartbreakingly banned from earning degree #23, a mysterious letter arrives inviting Flynn to interview with the Metropolitan Library. But this is no ordinary library, rather a huge archive of items long thought to be mere myths and legends. Housing Pandora’s Box, the Ark of the Covenant and trinkets like Excalibur, Flynn finally finds a niche where all his broad education and esoteric knowledge can be put to good use. The whole tone of the film is of a tongue-in-cheek rollicking adventure, replete with jokes made at Flynn’s expense, the dry humor of enigmatic Judson (Bob Newhart), the great Jane Curtin playing cranky pencil-pusher Charlene (“Save your receipts!”), Olympia Dukakis as Flynn’s mother who’s desperate to get her son married, and an assortment of requisite femme fatales and vile villains.

When thieves steal part of the Spear of Destiny, it’s up to new Librarian Flynn to, you guessed it, save the world. While there’s plenty of alleged peril, there’s always jaunty music playing to let you know it’s all in good fun, à la Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Full of one-liners, sly winks, references to a host of interesting historical and/or mythological tidbits, not to mention a large dollop of magic, this is a light-hearted and ridiculously fun ride that is in no way meant to be taken seriously. In contrast to hyper-emotional Hollywood dramas or mindless shoot-em-up films, it’s nice to take a break and enjoy something that celebrates intelligence, knowledge and ingenuity, where brains triumph over brawn and the once dusty librarian is re-cast as an action hero. – BETHANY

For everything you might possibly need to know about this movie, consult the Internet Movie Database

Oh Flynn, why can’t you meet a nice girl, settle down and have my grandchildren? Mrs. Carsen (Olympia Dukakis) and Flynn (Noah Wyle).

Charlene (Jane Curtin) and Judson (Bob Newhart).  ‘Twenty bucks says he doesn’t make it back alive.’

Is that what I think it is?  Yes, don’t touch.

Maybe it would be best not to open Pandora’s Box, Flynn.

       Told you.

“Oh yeah, call the police. Tell them about the Spear of Destiny, the golden goose, the lost Ark. Enjoy your stay in the psych ward. I understand Thorazine comes in vanilla now.”

Yeah, this is going to go well …

Flynn and Nicole (Sonya Walger).                                                                              “You only live once”                                                                                                                “Unless you believe in Buddhism or Sikhism…”                                                             “I hate you so much.”

Flynn consults the Language of the Birds.  Really.

A cool 3D map showing the way to Shangri-La. (What else would it be?)

                                                                 Oh dear, apprehended by a villain (Kelly Hu).  You can tell because she’s dressed all in black.

 

Photos courtesy of Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT

The Originals

Darker and grittier than its parent show The Vampire Diaries, this spin-off is geared more towards an adult audience. The stakes (very bad pun, I know) are higher, the issues are deeper and the plot is a whole lot more complicated. While it would be beneficial to have watched TVD, it is not strictly necessary in order to enjoy this show. Although I would recommend looking up the Wikipedia page to familiarize yourself with the basics if you’re absolutely determined not to watch The Vampires Diaries.

Set in steamy New Orleans, the show follows the misadventures of the original vampires, a massively dysfunctional family. Elijah, the oldest brother, is a true gentleman, always erudite and smooth while trying to see the best in others. Rebekah, the lone sister, is pretty, spoiled and somewhat self-centered, but actually not a bad sort at all. Klaus, on the other hand, is the devil himself. Diabolically clever, he has no ethics other than loyalty to the family and is quite ruthless in his dealings with others. New Orleans has always been steeped in the supernatural, so it’s no surprise to the audience to have witches, werewolves, vampires, etc. all stewing in one boiling melting pot of distrust. The writing for this show is magnificent, with finely drawn characters and absolutely marvelous dialogue. Everything is totally character-driven, a stellar trait inherited from TVD, and the plot evolves organically. Of course, it wouldn’t be a CW show if there weren’t plenty of beautiful people and a goodly dollop of romance and intrigue. Endlessly cool, chic and entertaining, the show has a huge pool of acting talent (it reunites Aussie actresses Phoebe Tonkin and Claire Holt of H2O: Just Add Water in which they were mermaids) and massive congrats to a truly amazing wardrobe department. Season 2 is just as compelling, possibly even better than the first and the show has been renewed for a third season. – BETHANY

 

The Wikipedia page with practical nuggets of crucial information, in case you choose not to watch The Vampire Diaries, and thus have huge gaps in your knowledge of the lore in this particular series:  The Vampire Diaries Wikipedia

For information on all the actors, actresses and anything else you could conceivably want to know about The Originals, visit the Internet Movie Database

From left to right: Elijah, Hayley, Marcel, Klaus and Rebekah

Elijah (Daniel Gillies) is often the voice of reason.

                                 Shhhhhhh.  Don’t tell Elijah I’m an irredeemable psychopath.  – Klaus (Joseph Morgan)

 

Davina Clare, known locally as The Harvest Girl in the Attic (Danielle Campbell).

Marcel Gerard (Charles Michael Davis) dances with Camille O’Connell (Leah Pipes), whose costume choice couldn’t be more rife with symbolism.

Hayley Marshall, played by Phoebe Tonkin whom Klaus calls “Little Wolf”, much to her annoyance.

                               Viking parents of the Mikaelson brood, Mikael (Sebastian Roché) and Esther (Alice Evans)

The Mikaelsons in a variety of flashbacks:For shame Rebekah, you know bloodstains are nigh unto impossible to get out of wigs!

             Renaissance Rebekah

 

Photos courtesy of My So-Called Company, Alloy Entertainment, CBS Television Studios, Warner Bros. Television and The CW (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

Lucy

I think this movie was incorrectly marketed and has been mistakenly perceived by the public as a kind of super hero movie. Yes, Scarlett Johansson‘s Lucy does get superpowers, but this is definitely not a comic book type of adventure. This is a cerebral and scientific thought experiment that asks the question what might a human being be if they could access 100% of their brain’s potential? The director is Luc Besson, perhaps best known for The Fifth Element, and Lucy has a similar warped feel to it.  Besson tries to tip you off to this not being your typical action flick from the very beginning, by sprinkling little visual cues such as the mouse approaching the trap when Lucy is about to get Shanghaied and the action with her is intercut by scenes of Morgan Freeman‘s professor giving a lecture on the mysteries of the brain to the scientific community. Personally, I found the idea that a scuzzy drug dealer could inadvertently hold the key to unlocking the infinite mysteries of human existence abhorrent, but as a plot device, it was certainly effective.

Definitely deserving of an R rating, this has a great deal of blood, gore, brutality and other assorted bits of nastiness. Lucy is one person’s vision of what an artificially advanced human might be like and the entire movie is surreal and a bit bizarre. The special effects are quite stellar, literally in one sequence, and the whole thing is visually stunning. Lucy herself is much more interested in passing on her knowledge than wreaking vengeance and Morgan Freeman was perfect as the bemused scientist staring the future in the face. I felt as though the movie was cut short too soon and there was more exploring the director could have done. I was left feeling unsatisfied with a million questions swirling around in my head, but as the whole movie is meant to be deeply thought-provoking, this may have been done on purpose. Very good for what it is, this is utterly unique and fascinating. But if you’re expecting Marvel’s Black Widow meets Kill Bill, you’ll be severely disappointed. – BETHANY

For more information on Lucy, visit the Internet Movie Database

               Oh no, she’s being forcibly turned into a drug mule!

Super drug CPH4, or at least some cool blue crystalline stuff from the local craft store.

I’ll bet she didn’t sign a surgical consent form.

Uh-oh, her eyes are turning the same color as the drugs …

Imagine what she could do performing for Cirque du Soleil!

Then again, this might not be everyone’s favorite act …

Lucy hitches a ride with French cop Pierre Del Rio (Amr Waked).

Here’s where it starts to get weird (OK, it got weird in the first few scenes).

Lucy and Professor Norman (the great Morgan Freeman)

    Lucy meets ‘Lucy’.  This scene was groan inducing for me.  I can’t believe they went there.

 

Photos courtesy of EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production, Canal+, Ciné+, TF1 and Universal Pictures

Marvel’s Agent Carter

Post World War II was a rough time for women in professions. After Rosie the Riveter called them to work in the factories, they were now expected to go meekly back to more appropriate occupations, such as telephone operators and secretaries. Agent Peggy Carter doesn’t have a meek bone in her body. While every inch a lady, she can dish out cutting remarks and set-downs with the best of them, mostly directed at badly behaving chauvinist colleagues, not to mention being able to disable a whole platoon all by herself. This is the story of what happens to Peggy after the events in Captain America: The First Avenger. Amid a sea of black suits and fedoras, Agent Carter stands out in an impeccable blue suit and a smart red hat. She works for the S.S.R., a forerunner of the C.I.A., but when Howard Stark gets himself into a spot of trouble, he begs her to clear his name, that is if she can leave such pressing matters as taking lunch orders and answering phones. Assisting her in her clandestine investigation is Stark’s butler, Edwin Jarvis. Played by James D’Arcy (a Benedict Cumberbatch lookalike), he’s very proper and seemingly naïve, but also alarmingly jaded. He bumbles through the charged world of espionage and while a bit of a pansy, is a very good sort. It’s Agent Carter who’s doing all the heroics, while Jarvis is more concerned about the laundry and what he’s baking for tea. The role reversals are quite amusing to a modern audience. I’m especially pleased to see Enver Gjokaj (Victor from Dollhouse) playing a fellow agent of Peggy’s and the only one who treats her with a modicum of respect. This isn’t the greatest TV show ever but it is a lot of fun. There are quite a lot of shocking twists I did not see coming and I enjoyed seeing Bridget Regan once again play a very unexpected character. I hope this show gets a chance to grow beyond its first season, as Agent Carter is fascinating and the harbingers of the Cold War are beyond intriguing. – BETHANY

Howart Stark (Dominic Cooper), Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy)

Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) and Jack Thompson (Chad Michael Murray)

Agent Carter or Veronica Lake?  Peggy goes undercover as a femme fatale

 

Photos courtesy of ABC Studios, Marvel Television and F&B Fazekas & Butters (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

Dig

Following in the footsteps of Zero Hour, this is one complicated and intriguing show. There are a zillion moving parts, but I’ll try to break it down for you. Jason Isaacs, best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies and the big bad cavalryman Tavington in The Patriot, plays FBI agent Peter Connelly. While investigating the catalyst event of a murdered archaeologist, he discovers there’s something bizarre going on at an underground dig beneath Jerusalem and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A weird Christian cult in New Mexico is raising a mysterious boy evidently being groomed for an upcoming Bar Mitzvah. This cult is also collaborating with a group of rabbis involved in the rearing of an unusual calf somewhere in Norway, and they in turn are being hunted by the Essenes. Who are the Essenes, you ask? If you don’t already know, the show’s producers encourage you to look things up, to do some “digging” of your own, but I’ll give you this one for free. The Essenes were an ancient sect of Christianity thought to be extinct for thousands of years but now, at least in the show, have resurfaced as a sort of paramilitary League of Assassins. There are so many connections and storylines crisscrossing one another that it’s almost inevitable we’ll wind up with one gigantic knot. The title is fitting on many levels, as there are a multitude of layers to the story. This is a conspiracy of, er, Biblical proportions (yeah, I know that was bad) and I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what the ding is going on. This has the potential to be a mind-blowing show and I’m fascinated to see where the writers are going with it. [Addendum: USA cancelled this after one season, but the story does have a conclusion and won’t leave you hanging.] – BETHANY

For more detailed information, visit: the Internet Movie Database

                     Agent Peter Connelly and Emma Wilson (Alison Sudol) – “It’s all about the water”.

Connelly (Jason Isaacs) and Lynn Monahan (Anne Heche)

Connelly and Israeli Detective Golan (Ori Pfeffer).

Madam Ambassador Ruth Ridell (Regina Taylor).

Joshua (Zen McGrath) and Debbie (Lauren Ambrose) in New Mexico

Avram (Guy Selnik) and “Red”, a.k.a. the Unblemished Heifer

 

Photos courtesy of G. Raff Productions, The Jackal Group, Keshet International, Universal Cable Productions and USA network