The Simplistic Reviews Podcast (Ep. 36) January 2015

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY

It's a brand new year and a brand new episode of The Simplistic Reviews Podcast.  This month the boys are not just joined by a Vern...they are joined by The Vern from The As You Watch Podcast and The Vern's Video Video Vortex.  They pop his Simplistic cherry with a good ol' game of Kill, F&%k, Marry.  And like all guests, the boys decide to go Inside The Podcaster with The Vern-man...yes...it's as gross as it sounds.  Also...Julie and Vern admit their feeling for each other.  All this and more on this January 2015 edition of The Simplistic Reviews Podcast

Show Notes
Bill Cosby
Deadpool Dead
No Bourne Crossover
Wolverine Dead
Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch No Longer Mutants
Fantastic Four Josh Trank Set Report
Batman v Superman Split

Music Notes
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme
G.I. Joe Theme
Thundercats Theme
Birds & Brass By Sort Of Soul
Action In Memphis By Johnny Pearson
My Flows Is Tight By Lord Digga
Inside The Actors Studio Theme Angelo Badalamenti




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Simplistic Sneak Peek Ep. 4

On this installment of Simplistic Sneak Peek, Matthew, Justin and DJ take a look at trailers for upcoming television shows including Jack Bauer's 24 return, Damon Lindeloff's HBO show Leftovers, and Michael Bay's...(sigh)...new TNT show The Last Ship.  And just for kicks, the boys keep it on a Michael Bay tip and look at the 2nd trailer for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.  I got a "tip" for Michael Bay...stay away from Thundercats, Gargoyles, and Centurions if you know what's good for you, nostalgia killer.  Anyway, you can check out the links to these trailers below if you haven't seen them, then click the video above to see Matthew, Justin, and DJ's thoughts about them.

 24: Live Another Day Trailer

The Leftovers Trailer

The Last Ship Trailer

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trailer #2

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Simply TV: Fargo on FX

TONE

Fargo - Tone

Some movies should just be left alone...for the most part. I'm not a huge fan of taking films and trying to shrink them down to the small screen. It's like trying to find sense in a Pauly Shore movie (thanks Clueless). See examples like, ironically, "Clueless" and "Blade: The TV Series" for prime examples of bad adaptations. You could imagine my reservations for "Fargo" the new series on FX.  I mean, how could you add on, or create a show, to a film that pretty much had a definitive ending that needed no more explanation. Well, in the case of "Fargo" I stand corrected, and I'm excited to see what direction this newest FX offering goes into.

Whereas the film version of "Fargo" took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota this version takes place in the small town of Bemidji, Minnesota. A mysterious drifter named Lorne Malvo has arrived in town and immediately begins to wreak havoc. Meanwhile, a milquetoast insurance broker named Lester Nygaard is having a hard time dealing with a demanding wife, family members that have no respect for him, and an old high school bully that loves to remind him that he slept with his wife before they were married. A chance encounter with Malvo in a hospital turns Lester's world upside down and sets off a chain of events that leave behind quite a few dead bodies....and that's only the first episode.

"Fargo" is developed by Noah Hawley, who had success as a writer on "Bones" but also put out clunkers like "The Unusuals" and "My Generation." While I can't say such for his two failed TV experiments, the name recognition of "Fargo" and the Coen Brothers on as Executive Producers certainly gives this series name recognition, and I haven't even gotten to the show's lead actors yet.

It's easy to forget that Billy Bob Thornton is a really good actor, and when given a role like Malvo in "Fargo" you can see a twinkle in his eye. I liken Thornton as Malvo to Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight;" he is truly an agent of chaos. He's a cold, calculating, yet charming drifter who befriends a down on his luck Martin Freeman, who plays Lester Nygaard. I guess my best summation of Malvo would be a combination of The Joker, Anton Chigurh and maybe throw in a little Rust Chole from "True Detective." The great cast also includes Colin Hanks and Bob Odenkirk in supporting roles.

The one thing that "Fargo" might lack at this time is a strong female lead. I see potential in Allison Tolman, who plays the lone female police officer in the series, Molly Solverson, but will she be able to match Frances McDormand's Marge Gunderson? There are quite a few similarities, including their commitment to police work and family, but Tolman has extra motivation in the series which I think will add that extra dimension to her character.  

Despite my early reservation for "Fargo" I see a very bright future for the series. Whether FX decides to continue after the initial 10-episodes, I would love to see either an "American Horror Story" type anthology direction for the series where we meet new hitmen like Malvo from around the Midwest, and hopefully some tie-in's with the film, and perhaps situating the show as somewhat of a prequel. Either way, "Fargo" has legs, and in the deft hands of FX, I believe it will be a series that gets better and better.

Fun Fact:The tallest building in Fargo, North Dakota is the Radisson Hotel, standing at over 206 feet and built in 1985.

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(Turn on the TV) The Bridge

AGAIN

The Bridge - Again

FX is known for putting out fantastic programming.  Just look at the catalog; "The Shield," "Justified," "American Horror Story," "Louie," and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Of course I'm missing a few, including "Archer" but you look at their lineup either currently or in the past, and you see the quality.  This brings me to FX's newest show "The Bridge" a look at crime on the border of Texas and Mexico.  After watching the pilot I was left thinking, "again?"

"The Bridge" is based on the Swedish TV series "Bron" which deals with crime on the Denmark-Sweden border.  Who'd of thought; crime in Denmark and and Sweden, I thought that only happened in Steig Larsson novels.  In this American version, two cops, Diane Kruger, who is ironically German, and Demian Bichir, who is in fact Mexican, so that helps, both find a body on the US-Mexico border.  It's discovered that the body was cut in half and comprised of two different bodies.  Intrigued?

Moving from the plot aspects to the character aspects for a second, I just want to comment on the character Sonya Cross, or North, depending where you read her character's name from.  Now this is the third show in the past year where the creators decided to go the now-cliched detective route, namely giving the main detective symptoms of Aspergers.  We've had "Sherlock" on the BBC, "Hannibal" on NBC, and now "The Bridge" on FX.  There used to be an age where cops or detectives had the cliche of having a gruff exterior with a soft interior, usually involving "a past event" that shaped their character, but now we are stuck with detectives and cops who have some sort of autism.  It was cute the first time, but personally I think it's time find a new cliche.

Being that the pilot was an "extended pilot" (clocking in at just over 90 minutes as opposed to your standard 60 minute program) we get some extra time with our main characters and our "killer."  Yet, I didn't really feel any type of investment with either North or her Mexican counterpart, Marco Ruiz.  The stakes seem higher for Ruiz who is balancing both personal and professional business in one of the most corrupt cities in Mexico, whereas the only thing we know about North is that she is a little off.

Stylistically, if you took the film "Savages" and gave it the Michael Mann treatment, that's exactly how "The Bridge" looks, which means it looks great.  I would even say that it even has a little "No Country For Old Man" vibe with the look and feel of the desert landscapes.  They always say imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Overall, "The Bridge" has potential, but in a TV landscape with every cop and procedural show trying to one-up the other when it comes to violence, gory, and autistic detectives, where does this show fit?  Being it's on FX, the pedigree is there, but it's where they decide to go with the characters that really matters.  If I want to see gory murders and detectives with problems I'll stick with "Hannibal."

Fun Fact:  According to The International Boundary and Water Commission, the US-Mexico border is approximately 1.954 miles long.

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Simplistic TV Holiday Hangover: The Following, Series Premier

The Following - Literate

FOX takes chances, and that's what I like about them, and that includes their sister channel, FX, which has been putting out quality TV for over a decade.  Another thing I like is Kevin Bacon, not just because he is awesome, but he also takes chances, yet, doesn't get enough work.  Back when I was in middle school I really loved Edgar Allan Poe.  He wrote about murder and betrayal, and just his life intrigued me; dead at 40, penniless, and this work is still some of the most respected in all of literature.  Take everything I like, shake it up, dump it out, and you have "The Following" a literate modern Gothic thriller with potential.

Two things about "The Following," 1) The show relies heavily on the works of Poe, from "The Black Cat" to "The Tell-Tale Heart."  If you aren't a Poe fan, or are lacking in Poe-knowledge, you might feel a little lost throughout the first episode.  2) The show isn't as gory as you might think.  There has been a lot of talk about an excessive amount of violence in a post-Newtown world, but to be honest, most of the excessive violence happens after the fact and only the aftermath is shown.  That's not to say, however, the show isn't violent, but any show where a women shoves an ice pick into her face you might have to say Parental Discretion Advised.

"The Following" follows Ryan Hardy, an ex-FBI agent with a history with Joe Carroll, a professor-turned-serial killer who murdered 14 college students before his capture by Hardy.  In typical fashion to the genre, Hardy is left with a scar caused by Carroll that continues to haunt him, which turns out to be a clever nod to "The Tell-Tale Heart."  Hardy has become an alcoholic since the incarceration of Carroll and once his former quarry escapes in the opening sequence of the episode, Hardy finds himself drawn back into the dark work of Carroll and his obsession with Edgar Allan Poe.  James Purefoy, who you might remember as Marc Antony in HBO's "Rome," stars as Carroll, who does his best Hannibal Lecter impersonation with relatively decent results.  He even keeps his British accent, which I appreciate.  We don't get to see enough British serial killers on TV for crying out loud.

The show moves in a reasonably predictable manner until the end where the show's first cliffhanger kicks in. What does Carroll have in store for Hardy?  Will Hardy's demon's finally catch up to him, if they haven't already?  What is Carroll's master plan?  What happens in the Sorority House?  Being that "The Following" already has an order of 13 more episodes gives me faith that we'll get to see the characters evolve and the story progress with the dynamic between Hardy and Carroll given the spotlight.

Aside from the cast, the fact that Kevin Williamson has his fingerprints all over this show gives me hope that FOX will give it a solid chance.  Williamson has proven to write good genre pieces such as the first three "Scream" films and "The Faculty," and he's got a good track record of making money for networks. (see "The Vampire Dairies" and "Dawson's Creek")  "The Following" is a combination of "The Hannibal Lecter" films (Manhunter, Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal), "Criminal Minds" and the works of Matthew Pearl, namely "The Poe Shadow."  It has all the right pieces in place, but will audiences be literate enough to give it a fair shot?  Hey, FOX is counting on it, this will hopefully be the show that replaces "Fringe" as it's number one drama.

Fun Fact:  Edgar Allan Poe was a native of Baltimore, MD, which is also home to the Baltimore Ravens, who are named after a work published  by Poe in 1845.  "Nevermore!"   

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