TV
Colony (USA)
The new sci-fi show on USA Colony by Carlton Cuse of Lost fame and writer Ryan Condal has an interesting concept. The country, if not the entire planet, has been invaded and all the governments overthrown and replaced by some black uniformed wearing human “collaborators” who seem to be working for a greater power. Los Angeles is walled off and travel between areas is strictly prohibited.
I think the first episode of Colony does a great job of setting up this post-invasion world very interestingly. Some things are the same; people still go to work and families still eat breakfast together. But a lot’s changed from the travel restrictions to the lack of cars, most everyone rides bikes, to a “resistance” against the invaders and these “collaborators” too.
I think where the series falters in a big way is that while all of the characters of the show know what’s been happening the last few years, who invaded and why there’s a giant wall around LA, the audience doesn’t. I suppose Cruise and Condal’s plan is to slowly dole out these facts as the show goes on. But as a viewer that’s really frustrating. It seems to me that the series creators should’ve either gone the way of Falling Skies where what happened in the past is presented at the beginning of the series to the audience or The Walking Dead where when the characters learn what happened to their world the audience does too.
By having the characters of Colony know things that the audience doesn’t puts us in a weird position. Are we watching the show because of the story, or because we want to learn about the mystery of what’s going on in the series? And if Colony doesn’t have a strong enough of a story, which seemed rather weak to me, is tuning in week after week for a few more tidbits about what’s actually going on a strong enough reason to keep watching the show?
Angie Tribeca (TBS)
TBS aired all ten episodes of the new Angie Tribeca TV series from late last Sunday night to all day on Monday during a “binge-a-thon” with regular airings of the series Monday nights. The comedy is a police procedural in the vein of an Naked Gun/Police Squad show. I wonder if this, airing everything at once, will become more popular now that more and more people get their entertainment in season-long “binge” chunks thanks to Hulu and Netflix?
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (The CW)
This series is Doctor Who meets Guardians of the Galaxy and isn’t bad after the first episode. As long as it doesn’t turn into the typical superhero vs super villain of the week — which gets really old really fast — I’ll stick with this one for a while. I think if I was 14 years old DC’s Legends of Tomorrow would be my new favorite show.
Captain Cold: “We go out for one lousy drink, and you guys somehow managed to pick a fight with Boba Fett?!”
Occupied (Okkupert) (Netflix)
This Norwegian series about that country being invaded by Russia after Norway stops producing fossil fuels in the near-future is quite interesting. The whole thing feels a bit like an updated 21st century version of the Tom Clancy novel Red Storm Rising (1986) except instead of tanks, artillery and jets battling it out on and over plains of Europe, Russia with the backing of the European Union, simply threatens Norway with annihilation and takes over the energy producing parts of the country unopposed.
My only complaint about the show is just how fast the Norwegians essentially give up much of their freedoms to the invaders. The Russians kidnap Norway’s Prime Minister, spend a few minutes threatening him and his country, let him go and the Prime Minister essentially capitulates to the Russians in order to try and save lives. And maybe this is how things would go down in Norway, I don’t know. But I do know if this same story were set here in the US there’s be a lot more shooting and bloodshed — see Red Dawn for an example of what I mean.
But that’s a minor quibble with, after watching the first episode, a series that looks to be quite interesting.
Comics
Xenozoic Tales
The 352 page Xenozoic features most, if not all, of artist/writer Mark Schultz’s Xenozoic Tales comic books in a collected format. Schultz has always been one of my favorite artists and Xenozoic Tales one of my favorite comics, even if there’s only 14 actual issues of that series.
I discovered Xenozoic Tales in a roundabout way. In the late ‘90s I picked up issue 14 and over the years would buy back issues of the comic too. However, at the time older Xenozoic Tales comics were quite pricy but I discovered that the series had been mostly reprinted under the Cadillacs and Dinosaurs title during the time the cartoon series of the same name airing on TV. And these Cadillacs and Dinosaurs issues could be bought much more cheaply than the original Xenozoic Tales ones.
In the collected Xenozoic Tales edition, you can see how Schulz’s style evolved from that of a pulpy EC comics inspired style to that of clean lines and gorgeous drawings that would become instant classics in later issues.
Movies
The trailer for the upcoming Suicide Squad was released last week and it’s a doozy. Before the trailer I debated whether or not I’d even see the movie, after I couldn’t wait to see it.
Toys
Mondo released a 1/6 scale Raphael figure from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this week for pre-order. The figure has 25+ points of articulation and comes with things like multiple heads and hands and weapons and retails for around $150.