Tiffany Vogt

Archive for February, 2010

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Kathryn Bigelow: From TV to Oscar-Nominated Director

In TV Watchtower on February 26, 2010 at 11:07 pm

Kathryn Bigelow is perhaps best known for her theatrical film work, but she has also dabbled from time to time on the small screen of television.  Continuing with her quest to work on projects that make a difference and have something to say, Kathryn directed several episodes of the ground-breaking television series “Homicide: Life on the Street” (multiple Peabody Award winner and Television Critics Association honoree).  So in honor of a film director who brought her unique talents and perspective to television before it became a trendy thing to do, I chose to share a bit about Kathryn’s latest passion project – the film and Best Picture Oscar nominee, “The Hurt Locker.”

 On February 24, 2010, the Truman National Security Project hosted a special presentation and screening with a select panel of guests to discuss the significance and impact of the film “The Hurt Locker.”  Attending the panel were: Kathryn Bigelow; Mark Boal, screenwriter of “The Hurt Locker”; Christine Pelosi, member of the Democratic National Committee; Paul Clark, retired Air Force officer and former White House representative; Drew Sloan, member of the Truman National Security Project and retired U.S. Army Captain who fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan; Jim O’Neil, Executive Director of the EOD memorial and former demolitions technician; and Frank McAdams, also a war veteran and current USC faculty member.

 With such an extensive panel of vastly different perspectives and experience, it was intriguing to find out, not only about the genesis of the film, but also how it sheds light on the lives of the individuals that the film so vividly and humanely portrays.

 When asked how the “Hurt Locker” story was initially conceived, Kathryn Bigelow credited the story as originating with Mark Boal, a writer who had been a journalist embedded with an EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) unit in Iraq during the winter of 2004.  As the audience looked in askance at him, Mark Boal humorously quipped, “Everyone has their own version of how they broke into Hollywood, I had to go to a f***ing war zone!”

 After the laughter died down, and on a more serious note, Mark explained that while he was embedded in Iraq with an EOD unit, that a typical 3-men bomb squad had an average of 10-15 IED (improvised explosive device) calls in a 24 hours period.  He said, “Just the sheer number of bombs.  . . these were incredibly gutsy guys, highly trained, into their jobs, wanting to do the very best they could – yet there are just so many bombs.  The war had boiled down to running around the city trying to find all the IEDs.  I hadn’t quite realized until I got there that this was the subject of the war: it was a war of bombs and this war did not have a frontline tactically.  So these bombs increasingly became with methodology of terror and bomb disarmament became the key tactical response. I was really struck just by how totally overwhelming it was.”  And because the Iraq war has become the “war of bombs,” demolition squads were thrust to the forefront of this particular war.

 When asked about the significance of wanting to illuminate the “human cost” of the war, Kathryn said, “I thought it was interesting. The fact that these men arguably have the most dangerous job in the world — and it is an extremely challenged situation.  From my perspective as a film maker and looking at this particular conflict in terms of the human cost — that was very, very moving to me.” Because it is the most dangerous job in the world, it is in one word: hellish.  Kathryn further shared that she just wanted to try to capture the chaos and tragedy of the conflict, as well as promote and engage in a meaningful debate regarding this unpopular war.

 Looking at how “The Hurt Locker” depicted this new battlefield technique and how it matched up with the reality of demolition work in Iraq, retired Air Force officer Paul Clark stated that because IEDs are so readily available that this has become the signature weapon of the war.  There are literally hundreds of unexploded artillery that has been simply left in Iraq. Because of its ready availability, the abandoned weaponry is harvested for terrorist campaigns; thus forcing the U.S. military to develop a counter-insurgency campaign that consists of bomb squads working to prevent deaths.  Mr. Clark also explained that, “We came to the conclusion that the military system as a whole had to have that resolution — that we should protect the civilian population.  That is the primary goal and that’s what we see now in Iraq — and the same idea is now in Afghanistan where IEDs are showing up.”  Thus, because so much undetonated artillery has been left behind, those unexploded bombs have become the key weapons of the war after the war and the U.S. military’s role is focused on counter-insurgency work in order to protect civilian lives.

 When asked what it was like in the mind of somebody who has done this type of demolition work, Jim O’Neil shared from his own personal experience that “these guys all have something in common:  it’s a commitment to a mission and purpose.  It’s a passion for the job and it’s the compassion that is required for a guy or a woman to put on that bomb suit and willingly walk that line towards an uncertain future – and probably a future that is either going to result in death or a very serious injury.  To me, that takes a very special person.  It is a little bit different than being in the regular military, as the EOD guy knows what is waiting for him, even though he doesn’t know how it’s going to be built, he doesn’t know how many of them there are, and he doesn’t know the exact scenario – so it takes a person who is exceptional.  There is no greater love than what is inside a EOD tech because he or she is willing to take that walk and sacrifice theirself to save another person.”

Continue reading article at:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/03/01/kathryn-bigelow-from-tv-to-oscar-nominated-director/

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Spotlight on Tiffani Thiessen

In NiceGirlsTV, TV Watchtower on February 24, 2010 at 7:56 pm

Celebrating a long, successful television career spanning two decades, Tiffani Amber Thiessen first arrived on the television landscape after landing a major television role that would keep her steadily employed for 5 years playing the vivacious Kelly on the teen series Saved by the Bell. During that same period she also made guest appearances on family sitcoms: Charles in Charge, Married With Children, Valerie, Step by Step, and Blossom. As she advanced into her teenage years, she also made appearances in more dramatic made-for-television films such as A Killer Among Friends, The Stranger Beside Me, She Fought Alone, Sweet Dreams and Buried Secrets. But perhaps wishing to meld her innate talent for comedy with more light-weight dramatic television, she went directly from Saved by the Bell to starring in the hot teenage phenomenon, Beverly Hills, 90210. So for the better part of a decade, Tiffani was best known as either the lively Kelly from Saved by the Bell or as conniving Valerie on 90210.

Then, in 2000, when 90210 finally wrapped its final season, Tiffani continued to work steadily appearing in an eight episode arc on Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place appearing opposite Ryan Reynolds, Traylor Howard and a little known actor at the time, Nathan Fillion (who now stars in the ABC series Castle). She also appeared in three episodes of the comedy series Just Shoot Me which starred Laura San Giacomo and Enrico Colantoni. Then she took a quick detour to dabble in the Woody Allen theatrical film Hollywood Ending which starred Tea Leoni, Debra Messing and Treat Williams.

Continue reading article at:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/02/23/spotlight-on-tiffani-thiessen/

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Does science fiction allow for the possibility of a soul or is it taboo to have a soul in modern sci-fi TV shows and movies?

In Airlock Alpha, TV Watchtower on February 23, 2010 at 1:40 am

With all the avant-garde trends in sci-fi television and movies to allow for cloning and downloading, it poses a mind-bending question: what about a person’s soul? Perhaps no two television series have addressed so thoroughly this impossible question than the sci-fi dramas “Dollhouse” and “Caprica.” Both are dependent upon the idea that a person’s persona or personality can be saved onto a computer chip and downloaded into another being – whether it be human or robotic.

But as we watched the collision of personal identities between Echo (the imprintable doll) and Caroline (the person) in “Dollhouse,” how can we say which was more entitled to the physical body than the other. As interesting as it is to believe that Echo was more entitled because she was the evolved consciousness, what about Caroline’s soul? Does the soul evolve too? Or is that soul now cut-off from the body it was attached to because a new identity (person) has taken residence?

While many may argue that discussion of what happens to a person’s soul is entirely too theological or philosophical for mere science fiction shows, I disagree. After all, both “Battlestar Galactica” and its prequel series “Caprica” delve deeply into religious theology and what it means to be human. In “Caprica,” even the avatar version of Zoe understood the importance of the fact that she was a trifecta of existence: the persona of Zoe, her avatar version and her robotic body. Just like in the Judeo Christian religion which allows for a trichotomic existence, in science fiction, it also allows for the possibility of a 3-tiered existence melding three unique spiritual and physical forms: the emotional (the soul), the physical (the body) and the mental (the downloadable persona aka memories). The soul being perhaps the most essential part – it is what makes a person unique – it is what makes them who they are. But, as we have seen, a physical body can be cloned or replicated and memories can be stored and transferred like data on a computer hard-drive — at least in science fiction. That only leaves the soul as unique and un-copyable.

In the age-old debate of nature versus nurture (whether a person is formed by who they are at birth versus shaped by their environment), we have seen illustrated in films like “Groundhog Day” how a person can be molded into almost another human being entirely simply by repeating the same experiences over and over again and learning from those repetitions; we have also seen how in “Dollhouse,” a person can be shaped by their experiences due to residual imprints of other identities surfacing and becoming part of the stem identity; then in the classic sci-fi film “Blade Runner” and the more contemporary film “Moon,” it was explored whether a clone can even be a person with its own self-identity.

It is fascinating to explore whether and how a person’s identity can be imprinted, shifted, altered and manipulated. Can a person’s “persona” actually change or be replaced? Then what happens to the soul? Is the soul then imprisoned by the shifting “persona” which it inhabits or does it become detached – set free, if you will – because an alien host has taken up residence?

Continue reading article at:

http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/7155

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Spotlight on Magda Apanowicz

In NiceGirlsTV, TV Watchtower on February 19, 2010 at 10:30 pm

From an early age, Magda Apanowicz knew she wanted to be an actress and, once that decision was made, she made a rapid ascent and took the television world by storm.  As a teenager, she first appeared in an episode of the post-apocalyptic series “Jeremiah” along side Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.  She then did a series of other brief appearances in the sci-fi series “John Doe,” which starred Dominic Purcell and Sprague Grayden and the films, “Sweet Lullaby,” “Riverburn,” and “The Butterfly Effect,” which starred Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart and Eric Stoltz (her future co-star in the television series “Caprica”).

She then appeared in a three episode arc in the television series “Cold Squad,” which starred Tahmoh Penikett and Julie Stewart.  With astonishing ease, Magda continued to secure work and worked next on the series “The L Word,” which starred Jennifer Beals and Mia Kirshner and “Bionic Woman,” which starred Michelle Ryan and Katee Sackoff, while simultaneously working on the films “Holiday Wishes,” along side Amber Benson and “Devil’s Diary,” with Brian Krause.

Then, in 2006, Magda landed her first regular television series playing the role of Alex Young in “Renegadepress.com.”  The show focused on the trials and tribulations of teenagers today and starred Ksenia Solo (who currently plays Natasha on the CW series “Life Unexpected”).

Moving on quickly, Magda immediately scored a plum role on the teenage sci-fi series “Kyle XY,” which starred Matt Dallas, Marguerite MacIntyre, and Bruce Thomas.  Playing the quirky, but lovable Andy, Magda’s performance as a teenager living with cancer was touching and insightful.  She showed with ease the duality of a young girl wanting to live her life carefree and to the fullest, yet burdened by a debilitating disease.  Perhaps it was her graceful and gracious portrayal with a hint of mischievous and playfulness that captured the eye of the casting directors for “Caprica.”

Continue reading article at:

 http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/02/19/spotlight-on-magda-apanowicz/

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When sci-fi television shows fall beneath the guillotine

In Airlock Alpha, TV Watchtower on February 18, 2010 at 2:20 am

Why some shows are allowed a dignified death and others are killed-off without warning

 While shows like “Dollhouse,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Stargate SG-1,” and “Stargate: Atlantis” and even “Lost” are given the opportunity to conclude their series with some semblance of a storyline wrap-up, more frequently networks just unceremoniously yank sci-fi shows off the air without the dignity of a proper send-off or good-bye – “Firefly” being perhaps one of the more glaring examples.

 With Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” airing its final episode last month, this is a perfect time to analyze how sci-fi shows are treated by the networks when their time has come. Fortunately, with “Dollhouse,” Joss was given advance notice that Fox was not going to be picking-up the back 9 episodes of the 2nd season and it allowed Joss the opportunity to wrap up the series – unlike when Fox abruptly cancelled “Firefly” a mere 8 years before, which ended with Fox airing “Firefly’s” 2 hour pilot as its swan song; a maneuver that still has fans scratching their heads in bewilderment. I mean who airs the 2 hour pilot after a show has been cancelled? It’s like rubbing it in the fans’ faces that a terrific show was forever gone.

 But even with the chance to tack on an ending to the series, “Dollhouse” felt like it was rushing to its conclusion and the 1 hour finale left a disjointed feeling for many who felt like it was trying to tie up the show with a bow on top. Unfortunately, the show’s mythology and various character back-stories were never explored properly in the haste to conclude the show. But like several other shows prematurely killed-off before their time (e.g., “Pushing Dairies” or “Eli Stone”), there is only so much a creator/writer can do to tie it all together, working within the time-constraints and miniscule budget allowed to conclude a series.

 “Lost” may be the exception as ABC clearly committed to an end date several seasons before its conclusion and appears to have spared no expense. It is arguable that “Battlestar Galactica” was also allowed the luxury of a decent amount of time to conclude its saga as Syfy also allowed them to select an end date to end the series. But for anyone who watched the 2 hour tie-in “The Plan,” you can plainly see that Syfy was keeping a tight reign on the budget in order to tie-up the extraneous storyline on what the Cylons were really up to – what was their master plan. So “Lost” is an example of a network fully standing behind its creative product and providing it with a properly funded good-bye. “Battlestar Galactica” (the series) too was given just enough time, but it is dubious whether they were granted sufficient funding to really go out in style. (Imagine what “The Plan” would have looked like with ABC’s money behind it.) But “Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica” are the exceptions and not the rule.

 As noted previously in my prior article: “The Grieving Season Continues: Mourning the Loss of Last Season’s Sci-Fi Shows Cut Down Before Their Time,” the past television season has been particularly blood-thirsty in killing off many sci-fi television shows – a record 16 sci-fi shows have been cancelled. Of those 16, only two had scheduled end-dates (“Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica”) and the remaining 14 were simply terminated without notice. Those shows cruelly decapitated were: “Dollhouse,” “Defying Gravity,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” “Stargate: Atlantis,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Reaper,” “Kings,” “Kyle XY,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Eli Stone,” “Eastwick,” “Life on Mars” (U.S. version), “Merlin” (while it still airs in the U.K., it was not picked-up for a 2nd season in U.S. by NBC, though it was just announced that Syfy has agreed to air its 2nd season), and “Primeval” (it was initially cancelled and then re-picked up by the BBC six months later after further financing was secured).

 As the 2009-2010 season is not yet over, it is conceivable that another 6 sci-fi shows will also suffer a similar fate in the next few months: “Heroes” which may not be picked up for its 5th season after a lack-luster year of ratings; “V” and/or “FlashForward” which may not have the ratings power to convince ABC to grant them 2nd seasons; “Demons” which also did not garner the critical acclaim and ratings that the BBC was hoping for and ended after just one season, “Saving Grace” which TNT has already announced will be ending after this next season; and possibly the British version of “Torchwood,” which the BBC has been reluctant to pick up for a 4th season and Russell T. Davies has announced that he plans to make an American version of the series (furthermore, with its lead John Barrowman currently moonlighting on “Desperate Housewives,” the show’s fate is certainly dubious and uncertain).

 Continue reading article at:

http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/7143

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Review of ‘The Vampire Diaries’ – Fool Me Once

In Rabid Doll, TV Watchtower on February 12, 2010 at 8:53 pm

Damon got a nasty Valentine’s Day surprise and a good witch’s spell had a deadly side-effect

This was the moment everyone was waiting for: the crypt was opened. While it was not as horrific as anticipated, it did yield a few surprises and some dastardly consequences. The biggest surprise was that Katherine (Nina Dobrev) was not inside. The bad result was that casting the spell to open it and keep it open drained the life-force right out of Grams (Jasmine Guy) – and it left the door open for one of the entombed vampires to escape. And surely if one can get out, they all ultimately will.

 Curse Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and his foresight to bring a pack of blood for Katherine so she would not feel the need to feed on any of the helpful humans nearby. It was both sweet of him and stupid. Sweet because he only thought of his beloved and how she would be hungry. Stupid because, when he did not find her in the crypt, he threw it against the wall in a fit of anger only to be found by a blood-starved vampire. Thus, it is Damon who unwittingly perhaps unleashed an angry hornet’s nest of ravished vampires who will not think twice about eating everyone they come into contact with; for scruples are sure to be low on their priority list after 100 years entombed without sustenance.

 So with Grams’ sacrificial death and the crypt now open, it feels like a big first season finale may be brewing.

 What Worked

 Damon’s encounter with Bonnie’s grandmother tickled the funny bone, particularly when he told her, “Step outside and say that” and she did! Her fierce declaration, “I am not Bonnie — you don’t want to mess with ME,” was awesome to behold as she unleashed some of her power on Damon who promptly fell backwards in agonizing pain.

 Bonnie (Katerina Graham) was the girl of the hour as everyone seemed to want her – Stefan (Paul Wesley), Damon, Anna (Malese Jow), Ben (Sean Faris) and even Elena (Nina Dobrev). But each had their own personal reasons for wanting to find her. Stefan wanted to find her so that he could find Elena. Damon, Anna and Ben all wanted her to open the crypt. And Elena and Grams just wanted Bonnie safely back. But all this “where’s Bonnie?” felt more like a treasure hunt. It left me wondering: are they all just tools to each other – a means to an end? Or do they actually see each other for who they are? Do they actually have self-identity and free will? Food for thought.

 Continue reading article at:

http://rabiddoll.com/node/1103

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Spotlight on Sofia Vergara

In NiceGirlsTV, TV Watchtower on February 10, 2010 at 10:49 pm

For anyone who has been watching the new ABC comedy sensation Modern Family, the name Sofía Vergara is already well known to you. Sofía plays the luminous Gloria Delgardo-Pritchett.

However, before crossing over to American television, in the 1990’s, Sofía was a reality television star in the Columbian travel series Fuera de Serie. Then, after a successful 4 year stint traveling all around the world to the most exotic locales, she appeared briefly hosting a reality series A que no te atreves. But as her fun-loving personality and stunning looks had begun to garner lots of attention, Sofía was quickly offered a number of film roles.

Beginning in 2002, she worked on the film Big Trouble co-starring Tim Allen, Rene Russo and Stanley Tucci, which was followed by her ground-breaking role in the film Chasing Papi. Chasing Papi was produced by Forest Whitaker with brief appearances by D.L. Hughley and Ian Gomez (a Felicity alum who now works on Cougar Town). With her career moving rapidly ahead, Sofía then filmed in quick succession the films: The 24th Day which co-starred James Marsden and Scott Speedman (another Felicity alum); Soul Plane co-starring Tom Arnold, Method Man and D.L. Hughley; Lords of Dogtown with Heath Ledger; and Four Brothers with Mark Wahlberg.

Continue reading article at:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/02/10/spotlight-on-sofia-vergara/

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Review of ‘Heroes’ – Brave New World

In Airlock Alpha, TV Watchtower on February 9, 2010 at 8:58 pm

In what was to be a showdown between a super-hero and a super-villain, many heroes were left standing on the sidelines

 With the fate of the series hanging in the balance, this episode was pivotal. It was time to pull out all the stops. It was time for a “shock and awe” campaign. It should have been a tension-filled roller-coaster ride to the final battle between Sylar and Samuel. So imagine my surprise, when the episode took its time to blissfully allow for a fake-out tearful good-bye scene between Noah Bennett (Jack Coleman) and Claire (Hayden Panettiere); for Parkman (Greg Grunberg) to debate with Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Sylar (Zachary Quinto) whether or not the five years of incarceration in Sylar’s mind had truly made him rehabilitated; and for Hiro (Masi Oka) to find Charlie (Jayma Mays) and reminisce about the good ole days and whether they could still have a future. This just did not feel like the right time and place to explore those stories. Instead, this was the time to rally the troops and take down Samuel (Robert Knepper). Samuel received his comeuppance, but it was not as expected. It was much tamer and less satisfying.

 Was it truly Peter’s destiny to tackle Samuel while Hiro took all those with abilities to a safe distance away? Was Sylar even needed to help Emma (Deanne Bray) when all she had to do was flick her fingers and it sent Doyle (David H. Lawrence) flying? With Samuel seconds away from mass destruction and the death of thousands, would not his loyal family at the carnival rallied on their own and stopped him? After all, they each had some pretty amazing abilities as well. Surely, Eli the Replicator (Todd Stashwick) and Edgar the knife-wielding speedster (Ray Park) would have intervened, or even the two-faced puppet-master Doyle would surely not have allowed Samuel to continue to destroy and kill at whim. Thus, were Sylar, Peter, Noah, Claire and Hiro even needed at all?

 There was a lot of creative interweaving of storylines used to try to justify why they all were needed. But, in the end, it was really about one thing: once everyone saw who Samuel truly was, they would have left him alone anyway. His grand plan was nothing more than a demonstration of his demented desire to demonstrate his superior god-like ability to destroy the world and those who lived within in it. It was evil and insane. But his Achilles heel was that he needed others with abilities for his power to work. It simply made no sense that he would endeavor to kill everyone when he needed them so desperately.

 Continue reading article at:

http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/7125

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Review of “The Vampire Diaries – Children of the Damned”

In Rabid Doll, TV Watchtower on February 5, 2010 at 11:28 pm

While searching for the witch’s cookbook, the cooking gets a bit spicy

A few big questions were raised in this week’s episode, such as: Can there be such a thing as a good vampire? And are all vampires cursed with eternal loneliness?

 Looking back through time again to when Katherine (Nina Dobrev) ruled the Salvatore brothers’ hearts and walked with apparent impunity throughout the world, we saw that not much has changed in Mystic Falls.  The town is still riddled with vampires living amongst them, the Salvatore brothers are trying to get exactly what they want regardless of the consequences, and everyone is desperate not to be alone.

 While Stefan (Paul Wesley) debated with his father, Giuseppe Salvatore (James Remar), and with himself whether or not a vampire can be good or if all vampires are merely soulless demons, we witnessed the lengths that Damon (Ian Somerhalder) was willing to go to so that he would not be alone.  Damon was willing to give up his own humanity and soul to be with Katherine for eternity.  It is still debatable whether or not Stefan was so willing initially, or whether he was indeed deceived by Katherine and turned against his will.  But, as Damon found out, being a vampire is not a guarantee against eternal loneliness – for he has been separated from the love of his life who has been encased in a magically-sealed crypt.

 Loneliness and trust were the prevalent themes – and there were no easy answers to be found.  For in the end, Damon discovered once again that he cannot trust anyone and he is just as alone as he was before.  Stefan and Elena (Nina Dobrev) are in a slightly better position having each other, but who is to say that there is still not some hidden agenda that Stefan has that has not yet been revealed.

 Also, what is really tickling the brain is the question:  why has it taken over 100 years for Damon and Anna (Malese Jow) to return to Mystic Falls to attempt opening the crypt?  Surely, they could have come back sooner and manipulated everyone into handing over the crystal, the journals and ultimately found the grimoire.  Why the 100 year wait?  Did some kind of stars have to align first?  Surely, there was not something to be afraid of that kept them away.  If there was something that was guarding Mystic Falls, what was it and why is it now gone?

Continue reading article at:

http://rabiddoll.com/node/1093

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Spotlight on Alicia Witt

In NiceGirlsTV, TV Watchtower on February 4, 2010 at 6:55 pm

At the tender age of 8, Alicia Witt became a world-renown film actress after David Lynch cast her to co-star in the sci-fi film Dune along side Kyle McLaughlin. She played the iconic role of Alia, the younger sister of Paul Atreides. With such an auspicious start to her career, it helped launch her into an exclusive arena of acting professionals. Fortunately, she took a break to focus on school and did not return to regular acting work until she was 14, when David Lynch gave her a small role in the cult TV series Twin Peaks (also starring Kyle McLaughlin). In Twin Peaks she played Gersten Hayward, the piano-playing child extraordinaire. This brief appearance was a great way to showcase Alicia’s own piano prowess and afterward she played professionally at the famed Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel for a period.

During the next 5 years, Alicia appeared in numerous films, fine-tuning her acting skills in such projects as Bodies, Rest & Motion with Phoebe Cates and Bridget Fonda, Fun with Leslie Hope, Four Rooms playing Madonna’s daughter, Mr. Holland’s Opus with Richard Dreyfuss, and Citizen Ruth with Laura Dern and Swoosie Kurtz. Never one to shy away from controversial roles or an opportunity to stretch the boundaries of character portrayals, Alicia played an array of challenging roles. Then, in a complete change of pace, Alicia took on a major role in the television series Cybill playing Cybill Shepherd’s daughter, Zoey. It was a light-weight, fun comedy series that ran for four seasons, reintroducing Alicia to mainstream American audiences.

Continue reading article at:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/02/03/spotlight-on-alicia-witt/

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Remembering and Celebrating the Film “Moon”

In Airlock Alpha, TV Watchtower on February 3, 2010 at 1:54 am

Why the indie film “Moon” is perhaps the best sci-fi film of 2009 that no one has heard of and puts several bigger sci-fi films to shame

 In a year with so many other bigger and splashier sci-fi films overshadowing it, the film “Moon” deserves to be remembered and celebrated for its clever ingenuity. Preying upon every sci-fi buffs fear that this was going to be a remake of the sci-fi classic “2001: A Space Odyssey,” it surprised us all with several delightful twists and turned out to be one of the most sophisticated sci-fi films ever seen.

 So what happened with “Moon”? Why did it launch in a year chalked full of superb sci-fi films and yet barely registered on the radar, while films like “Avatar,” “District 9” and even “Terminator Salvation” all went on to make obscene amounts of money at the box office?

 Using the 9-prong argument utilized in my recent article analyzing why I thought “District 9” deserved to win the Oscar for Best Picture more than “Avatar,” the following is an analysis of what differentiated “Moon” from its peers.

 Profits

 Whereas “Avatar” earned in excess of $1.9 billion and “District 9” earned over $204 million, “Moon” grossed only $7 million world-wide. It is hard to fathom exactly why “Moon” did not tickle the fancy bone of the movie-goers. But it can be attributed to several possibilities, such as: too much competition, lack of marketing, no identifiable big names attached to it, no source of visible conflict to drive the story, or even just a lack of interest as there was no “hook” to draw the audience in. Unlike “District 9” or “Avatar” which had visible aliens in all their marketing materials, “Moon” had nothing for the audience to latch onto. It felt a bit too ambiguous to see a poster of a man in a space-suit standing on a white round spiral. Perhaps there was confusion as to whether the film was a fictionalized account of a true story. Nothing alienates (pun intended) an audience faster than the notion that a film may be a documentary — or just as off-putting can be a film based on a true story. Additionally, the tagline was not illuminating or helpful, “950,000 Miles from Home, the Hardest Thing to Face is Yourself.” While absolutely accurate, this bleak description gave the impression of a story about a solitary existence in a remote locale. No one could quite figure out what this film was about and thus stayed away.

 Realism

 In an area in which it excelled, “Moon” felt very real. It looked and appeared like it was entirely possible that there was a man actually living on the moon. This concept is not entirely impossible for we certainly have put astronauts on the moon and we have been looking for years to find a way to exploit any resources the moon may offer. It was helpful that writers Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker came up with something that the people of Earth needed so much that we had a reason to put a man on the moon for an extended period of time. Using much of the technology currently available today with only modest enhancements, the film felt like a realistic version of what a space station on the moon would look like, as well as populating it with advanced computer assistance that would be needed if we were to exploit the moon’s resources. Thus, the film was immediately relatable and believable. So, in realism, “Moon” simply excelled. It took our visions of the future and made it feel real enough — like it was happening today.

 Scope of Story

As far as scope goes, “Moon” cannot quite compete with either “District 9” or “Avatar” because “Avatar” created a whole new world to utilize as the backdrop for its sweeping story and “District 9” used the city of Johannesburg as its canvas for its film. But “Moon,” well, its story was isolated to space station on the moon and its few outlying buildings. It felt nearly myopic in how narrow a scope “Moon” chose to embody. But perhaps its strength lies in staying so tightly-focused and not choosing to distract the viewer with a wide array of locales.

 Name Recognition

Without the big names of James Cameron and Peter Jackson splashed across billboards and posters, “Moon” was content to advertise itself on its own merits. Unfortunately, it was then just as easy to ignore. Sam Rockwell is not an immediately recognizable actor. But then, neither was Sharlto Copley in “District 9.” However, in “District 9’s” case, there is no denying that adding the words “Peter Jackson Presents” on its marketing posters was a huge enticement for sci-fi fans everywhere. Even though no one knew exactly what “District 9” was about, everyone assumed that if Peter Jackson was producing, it must be a film to go see. “Moon,” on the other hand languished in its anonymity.

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Review of “Heroes – The Wall”

In Airlock Alpha, TV Watchtower on February 2, 2010 at 10:09 pm

A watchmaker, a paramedic, a cheerleader, a cop, an office worker and a man who holds a grudge – these are the heroes we are relying on to save the world from an egomaniacal terra-shifter?

In what should have been a revealing and tension-filled penultimate episode to an epic 4th season finale, instead the episode meandered down tangential storylines. However, there is simply no time left for long, drawn-out back story revelations like they attempted to do in order to shed light on Noah’s (Jack Coleman) past and his recruitment by the Company. It felt out of place and rushed to take the time to tell this particular story now. Rather, this was the time for the heroes to gather and formulate a strategic plan on how to confront and take-down Samuel (Robert Knepper). At this late juncture, there is no cohesiveness on what our heroes are up to because they are too scattered and too invested in their personal stakes to be relied upon. But perhaps they can pull it together in next week’s finale episode — though it is dubious that this season’s finale will be the ending we were all hoping for. After all, how will our heroes survive to fight Samuel together in the Season 4 finale when they are strewn to the four winds and all in mortal peril?

 What Worked

 While it was also a detour that the series did not have time for so that it could be explored properly, it was interesting to watch how Sylar (Zachary Quinto) and Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) reacted when confined together within Sylar’s mind for a long period of time. For Sylar imprisoned in his mind for three years without any human contact reverted to being a genteel watchmaker, perhaps wanting to atone for his sins. But after the sudden appearance of Peter in the midst of his solitary confinement, Sylar did not rush to welcome him. Instead, Sylar taunted Peter as if Peter were but a figment of his imagination. Truly, is this how Sylar would have greeted Peter when Peter appeared suddenly amidst his eternal loneliness? While Sylar may have appeared benign, Sylar was still a monster imprisoned in the solitary confinement of his own mind. So when Peter approached him about returning to the real world in order to save Emma, Sylar merely said with sad self-awareness, “You’ve got the wrong guy. I’m not the savior kind.” When Peter accused him of not wanting to get out, Sylar further protested, “Maybe I deserve all this aloneness – this nothing – maybe I earned it.”  It was only once Sylar desired to be truly free that the wall appeared. The wall represented the obstacle they must overcome to attain their freedom. After all, they were in a voluntary prison. For it was not until they both wanted their solitary confinement to end that they were finally able to break through the wall. What was even more intriguing was when they got out, Sylar thoughtfully noted, “I felt like we were in there for years. Does it make it any less real?” Maybe Sylar needed to be isolated for a period of years in order to sort out within himself the conflicting feelings of murderous lust for abilities and his desire to not live alone for the rest of eternity. And maybe Peter needed time to heal and to forgive Sylar so that they could work together to fight Samuel. After all, they will likely need each other and will need to trust each other in the final showdown.

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