Jesse Stone. "Stone Cold" Serial Killer(s) in Paradise.
My second time to watch the first Jesse Stone movie. Man, I'd (almost) forgotten how great this was. Tom Selleck nails the part from the get go, and Jane Adams & Reg Rogers are perfectly cast as the odd couple that's running around Paradise killing various people. Including poor Polly Shannon. Her death scenes has really haunted me since I saw the movie for the first time and - now that I appreciate the character a lot more - it's really sad to see her go out like this.
The movie is perfect in every conceivable way. The mood is my favourite thing about it. Melancholy rules in Paradise and it's hard to escape it's grasp. But with scenery as beautiful as this, and stories as affecting as this, would you really want to escape?
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Jesse Stone. "Stone Cold"
Sat, Jul 26, 08 - Dexter, Burn Notice, NewsRadio, Rising Damp, Jesse Stone
06:00 Dexter
08:00 Burn Notice
10:00 NewsRadio
11:30 Rising Damp
12:00 Jesse Stone
Dexter. Season 2, Episode 5. "The Dark Defender" Dexter briefly sees himself as comic-book hero in this one. Clever. Dexter has always reminded me of Wolverine. How cool to see him seeing himself in these terms. Also, the fact that he's saving his own mother in this vision makes it all the more interesting/sad. Truly the writers have turned Dexter into a complex and wonderful character (how much of who he is, is due to his father's well-meaning training?). And, it must be said, they have served all the characters in the show just as well. This episode has some wonderful stuff between Laguerta and Doakes. Interesting chiefly because of what we know about them from previous episodes. Laguerata fascinates me. I alternate between liking her and being shocked by her. Great stuff.
Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 3. "Trust Me" Business as usual, again. For the first time this season, Michael is seen helping an ordinary person: a dumb guy who got conned, while trying to help his mother (the always wonderful Cindy Pickett). Michael's mum has some nice scenes with Fiona this week, a nice way for the writers to keep the Michael/Fi romance alive without actually giving them any romantic scenes together.
NewsRadio. Season 2, Episode 16. "Houses of the Holy" David Cross guests as an oddball magician in pursuit of Beth. He's typically hilarious. As is the episode. Joe fills in for Catherine on-air, much to Bill's dismay. Bill had originally picked Joe for the job as a way to annoy Dave, who - of course - wanted to put Lisa on-air. Best scenes? Bill and Joe trying to put each other off with difficult questions. At one stage Bill rips up a sheet and then asks Joe to read the story.
Rising Damp. Season 2, Episode 1. "Permissive Society" Parts of the series that have only been hinted at before are brought out in the open with this episode. Rigsby makes a proper play for the affections of Miss Jones and Alan is revealed to be a virgin (I think). He certainly is found out as being totally clueless with regard to women. Up to now, we all knew that Rigsby liked Ruth but he never made any direct play for her (if you don't count waving that smoking stick about!) and while we certainly suspected that Alan was pretty clueless he never actually said it to anyone else on-screen before. With the start of the second season, I suppose Eric Chappell was just making the conceits of the series more concrete. Whatever the reasoning behind it, it's certainly one of the funniest episodes. All the best scenes are the ones between Rigsby and Alan and - on this viewing - I think their friendship is my favourite part of the show.
Jesse Stone. Episode 4. "Sea Change" The least enjoyable episode so far. The rain/mist, piano music and sadness are in-place but the show is lacking a strong murder mystery to keep it moving. Jesse is bored without a case to work on, so he digs up a cold case from the early '90s and investigates it at his leisure. Which is the problem. Since only Jesse cares, and he only cares because he is bored/unhappy, there is no great reason for us to care. We do care, however, about Jesse and from that angle the movie is very successful. Jesse's strange relationship with his ex-wife hits a rough patch when she starts dating and wants to stop their nightly phone calls. The case, such as it is, does have a nice twist at the end, but the violent conclusion seems out of place and tacked-on. Possibly in an effort to make things more exciting and give the movie some gunplay at the end?
Highlight? Dexter. Cool.
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Tue, Jun 24th, 2008 - Raising The Bar, Do Not Disturb, Leverage, Jesse Stone, NCIS
07:30 Raising The Bar
08:30 Do Not Disturb
09:00 Leverage
10:30 Jesse Stone
12:30 NCIS
Raising The Bar. Pilot. Above-average legal drama. The story was pretty good, and the acting from Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Jane Kaczmarek was very good.
Do Not Disturb. Pilot. Below-average multi-camera sitcom. Niecy Nash made me laugh a few times, but Jerry O'Connell was trying way too hard and I can't imagine it being a place I want to go back to on a weekly basis.
Leverage. Pilot. Average caper comedy-drama, with good performances from Aldis Hodge and Gina Bellman. Some of the twists could be seen a mile off, but the show still managed a sense of fun. So, who knows, I might watch more.
Jesse Stone. Episode 3. "Death in Paradise" This time out we don't get to know who the killer is for the whole movie. But, in all other respects, this is the same as the previous outings: a great central performance and a superb sense of mood and place. Any show which puts Tom Selleck and William Devane in the same room is alright by me. Storywise this is nothing you haven't seen before:a cop haunted by the death of a little girl goes to extremes to track her killer, but the performances, the setting and the character of the cop make it something really special. I also have to say that the shoot-out at the end was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Jesse Stone is badass cool.
NCIS. Season 4, Episode 21. "Brothers In Arms" The kind responses to my recent Supernatural reviews in the TV Guide Community have got me thinking about what I get from various other shows, too. For me, NCIS is all about the group dynamic and the bond between these people. And this is a great episode to provoke thought on that: it's the one where Jenny goes overboard in an effort to catch that French bad guy she's been after all season.
The story starts off with Jenny nearly getting herself killed. This is followed by a Jenny-Gibbs private conversation. Nothing unusual about that. They often talk in private. They are superior to everyone else and they have a shared history. Their scenes together are frequent.
The episode also gives Tony and Jenny some alone time. This always fascinates me. These meetings are rare and in-secret. We know she trusts him from the time that Gibbs was away and we know that she has given him secret assignments. Unlike the Jenny-Gibbs bond, this is a friendship that nobody really knows about. It was revealed in one episode, yes, but - apart from that - it is still very much clandestine. And much more interesting because of it.
The biggest surprise for me, however, was when Ducky went to see Jenny and began to speak his mind about the case. This never happens. Utterly fascinating. Then it is revealed that Gibbs put him up to it. Suddenly it makes a lot more sense, and it nicely underscores the bond that exists between these two men. A bond which was - briefly - fractured early in the season. Something else I watched with great interest.
The episode is full of other little relationship/bonding moments. Tony has a stressful meeting with his girlfriend's mother and when it is all over there is a quick line of dialogue telling us that McGee knew about it. Quite a change-of-pace in the normal dynamic of their friendship. I love to think of Tony maturing enough to talk about stuff like this with McGee.
When I was a teenager there was a very attractive, very funny older girl at my school. Because we were both involved in debates and plays and so on, our paths frequently crossed. I was always confident and funny so I had no problem flirting with her and making her laugh and keeping things on a superficial level. I never thought much about it until the day we were both on the bus together heading to some school event or other. And I realised I knew nothing about her! I knew she had a brother, and I had a vague idea of where she lived, but I didn't know any of the important stuff. So that was the day I learned to stop "impressing" her and starting talking to her. All told, it was a great day. And very much part of the maturing process teenage boys have to go through.
Good fiction holds a mirror up and allows us to see ourselves. Even fantasy like NCIS has to have depth, and meaning, or it will fail to connect with us.
NCIS has depth. And it always connects.
So, what else did I like?
Well, Gibbs seems to smile more in this episode than he ever has. He seems extra friendly (for once) even as Jenny becomes more and more deranged. Nice switch.
And, in terms of group dynamics, I love the scene where Abby sends for Tony to come alone when she has an embarrasing problem to deal with. And Tony brings everyone. And then they all huddle around and figure out a (typically childish) way to proceed. Funny. But also very revealing. We learn so so much about these people from this little bit of comedy.
I watch NCIS for the laughs and the palatable crime/adventure yarns. But I also watch to see the friendships evolve and develop. I love these people. If I ever write an NCIS script, I'll end it with a giant sleep-over where they all stay at Gibbs' house. (And he stays awake a little longer than necessary to stand guard over them all.)
Highlight? Jesse Stone
Tues, Jun 17th, 2008 - True Blood, NCIS, Jesse Stone
06:30 True Blood
07:30 NCIS
08:30 Jesse Stone
True Blood. Pilot. Anna Paquin running around in a white t-shirt and shorts is no bad thing, but there are too many bland characters in this pilot to worry too much about what happens to any of them. Everyone seems sex-obsessed, Anna Paquin can read minds and... vampires are just another minority group. Whatever.
NCIS. Season 4, Episode 20. "Cover Story" I like McGee and it's great to see him take centre-stage but the premise for this episode is too goofy for me. Someone is killing people based on what they read in a book that McGee wrote!! Seriously? Nope, don't buy it. The interplay between the regulars is great (as usual) but the story is rubbish.
Jesse Stone. Episode 2. "Night Passage" is even better than the first movie. The story is less OTT and there is much more character development. Jesse is fascinating. So messed up, yet so noble. When he does something cool, it is seriously cool but most of the time he's just in pain. They have captured a unique kind of lonliness with this character. The best detective series on television.
Highlight? Jesse Stone
Tues, Jun 3rd, 2008 - CSI, Greek, Flight Of The Conchords, NCIS, Jesse Stone
07:00 CSI
08:00 Greek
09:00 Flight Of The Conchords
10:00 NCIS
11:30 Jesse Stone
CSI. Season 6, Episode 3. "Bite Me" Usually when all the characters work on the same case, it's some high profile incident, and they have the press nipping at their heels. No so here. This is just an ordinary murder case (a man finds his wife lying dead on the stairs) so it is ususual to see all the characters pooling their resources. Not that I mind. It's great to see Gil and Catherine sharing scenes. I also love seeing Catherine and Sara together. Particulary when Catherine makes a comment about dating someone you work with, and it never working.
The episode has some great guest stars and a hilarious scene between Hudson Leick and George Eads.
Greek. Episode 14. "War & Peace" There are two sequences in this episode that illustrate why it is such a cool show. The mid-section of the story is devoted to a 'pitch battle' between the Kappa Tau and Omega Chi houses. They are using water guns with strange concoctions inside and the whole sequence is filmed from low angles using darkness and light in inventive ways to make it appear like a gritty war film. Although, of course, the whole thing is very, very funny. It's just a blast watching this kind of stuff. Meanwhile, Casey is forced to make amends with Frannie. And forgive her for all the hurtful things she did earlier in the season. Their confrontation is rivetting to watch. The show has really made me care about these characters and take their pains seriously. It's one of the best soaps I have ever seen, and it's certainly the funniest.
Flight Of The Conchords. Episode 11. "The Actor" is such a funny episode I had aches and pains (from laughing) when it was all over. Murray is depressed because he is such a bad manager and cannot get the boys a recording contract. The boys, meanwhile, meet an actor and ask him to phone Murray, pretend to be a record company executive and tell him to keep on trying, cos he's sure to land a contract eventually. They figure this will cheer their friend up. Lovely sentiments. Unfortunately, the actor gets carried away and convinces Murray that the band have just been signed to a 2 million dollar contract with Sony. Helpless to stop it, the boys meekly carry on with the lie as Murray digs them deeper and deeper to debt, in a effort to fit into the rock and roll lifestyle.
It's one of the funniest things I have ever seen.
NCIS. Season 4, Episode 18. "Iceman" There is one thing that NCIS does really well and that is: surprise you. It was one of the first things I noticed when I first started watching the show a few episodes into the first season. The identity of the killer was often a genuine surprise and the show has since found many others ways to play with our expectations as it tells it's stories.
This episode is a fine example. First off, Gibbs old friend Mike Franks returns to the show when the son he never knew he had is found close to death. Being NCIS you never know how this will all turn out. Will Franks turn out to be the killer? Or, more likely, will he go after the killers himself and force Gibbs to take him down (in a emotional climax). As you watch it, all of this is running through your head and you are dreading what might happen. Yet, as always, the show manages to pull a complete twist and give you are wonderful upbeat ending when one did not seem possible. I love this show, and I really loved the ending to this story. Left me with a nice warm feeling inside. Great stuff.
No warm fuzzy feelings over in the b-story. Tony's relationship is suddenly on the rocks, cos the big lug can't find it within himself to say the three words she most wants to hear. Idiot. Anyway, this is where those little black and white snapshots at the start of each segment come into play. I usually pay no need to them. One of my friends gave up on the show altogether because he hated them so much. He felt that they ruined the upcoming surprises for him.
They never bother me. Except here. Because, for a full ten minutes, I was sure that the the b/w snapshot had ruined the ending of the Tony subplot. I was sure that it was all there in black and white: a nice kiss between Tony and his lady back where all the trouble started. How wrong I was!! When the episode actually drew to a close, we were looking at something complete different and I was in shock. Wow. What a superb show.
NCIS is another one of those shows that seems to miss out on critical praise. It's the Simon And Simon syndrome, I suppose. The 80s private eyes ran for years - and was a huge hit - in the shadow of the very similar Magnum, PI. Sometimes it was better than the Hawaiian show and if asked to choose between them I would always say I preferred the Simon brothers. Now we have NCIS, forever in the shadow of CSI. In fact, they are not alike at all. But they are CBS procedurals and they have the same general cast structure. All the buzz is around CSI and NCIS - frequently a much better show - gets none of it. What gives?
Jesse Stone. Episode 1. "Stone Cold" Why can't there be more cop shows like this? Great location filming, lots of wind and rain, a damaged hero and a bleak visual style. A small town is hit by a sequence of random murders and we get to watch the cop and the killer as the story unfolds. It's bleak and sad and engrossing. And very, very good. The gang-rape sub-plot was less interesting, but wonderfully acted. The entire cast is great, and it was great to see Kohl Sudduth (of Grosse Pointe) being such a great foil for Tom Selleck.
Highlight? Flight Of The Conchords
