ALCATRAZ – “CAL SWEENEY”

Season 1, Episode 4

Review by Andy Greene

JJ Adams and his production team Bad Robot’s newest creation is FOX’s Alcatraz, the third show after Fringe and Person of Interest that attempts to jazz up the TV procedural a little bit by infusing LOST-like mythology into the mix. As Sam Neil tells us in an ominous voiceover during the credits, Alcatraz didn’t shut down in 1963. The inmates and guards all disappeared, and now, almost fifty years later, they are coming back, without having aged or changed their predisposition to killing in the slightest.

Created by LOST alum Elizabeth Sarnoff, as well as Steven Lilien (Kyle XY) and Bryan Wynbrandt (Kyle XY), the show has potential with its intriguing high concept. But right now it’s simply a mediocre procedural set in San Francisco with only hints of the overarching storyline. In the mold of Anna Torv (Fringe), Sarah Jones plays the tough and sexy Detective Rebecca Madsen, who’s involved not just to catch bad guys but to find clues about her grandfather (SPOILER: he’s one of the un-aged and killed her partner in the pilot). She’s joined by great LOST alum and Weezer cover boy Hurley, ahem, Jorge Garcia, as Dr. Diego Soto. He’s a comic book nerd with two doctorates and an Alcatraz obsession, and they need some humor to distract from Sam Neill’s stern face. Neill is Emerson Hauser, the mysterious benefactor with an unknown motive to track these guys down (but we do know he was one of the cops who first discovered Alcatraz’s big secret).

Now on the fourth episode of the show, Alcatraz still has some work to do. This week’s installment, “Cal Sweeney,” is written by Robert Hull (Gossip Girl) and directed by Fringe veteran Brad Anderson. While it’s still clearly early, the show hasn’t found the correct balance in terms of procedural and serial storytelling to this point. In the episode we follow, guess who, Cal Sweeney (played by Eric Johnson of Smallville semi-fame), who has a soft spot for safety deposit boxes and tellers. Cal finds lonely middle aged tellers and preys on them, seducing them during bank hours and luckily finding himself in the safety deposit vault where he then drugs the lady, and robs the boxes, not the cash (or else the Feds get involved). As a former employee at Bank of America, it’s hard to describe how wrong and insulting the idea that any of this would actually work, even with the help of a besotted teller (tellers rarely have access to vaults, they can’t turn off security cameras or the alarms in the vaults, and if they could, everything is under dual control with another employee, etc.). Let’s say Cal’s present day accomplishments would’ve been better suited for the 1960s, as would the whole plot because maybe we wouldn’t have seen it before.

As in every episode, the criminal’s return in present day is paralleled with his time in Alcatraz in an attempt to learn more about our villain in mini Criminal Minds fashion. We find out that Cal runs an illegal business selling and distributing contraband through the prison’s laundry system, and is showing young Harlan (Steven Grayhm) the ropes. Soon, the Kyle MacLachlan look-alike Deputy Warden E.B. Tiller (Jason Butler Harner) is onto him after tossing his cell and demands 50% of Cal’s cut or else he’ll reveal Cal’s business to the Warden. With the help of Harlan, Cal hatches a plan to recover what E.B. stole from his cell and to change his mind. The plan is to get E.B. alone at his birthday party and talk him out of it. Really.

Meanwhile, Rebecca and Doc track Cal, who pays a visit to the owner of one of the safety deposit boxes because he gets off on knowing why these objects mean something to him/her. It all has something to do with the missing object in his cell. It doesn’t ruin anything to say that the object is an empty tin box, except maybe your hope of this being an exciting episode. Finally, on the third bank heist, things go wrong for Cal when an alarm is tripped and he’s forced to go into hostage mode, and Rebecca has to go in rather than let regular law enforcement do its job, because Cal is supposed to be dead, or at least 87.

By the end, Cal’s locked up and the day is saved as in any procedural, and while there is a twist in his jail cell past, it’s nothing too surprising. Most importantly, at the very end we do get a couple nuggets that add to the overarching puzzle of the show, but unless the case of the week is interesting (like last week’s), I’d wager that fewer and fewer people will keep watching to find out what these mysterious keys mean, who is giving the orders to these Alcatraz escapees, what Hauser wants, and why Lucy Banarjee and Doctor Beauregard haven’t aged either.

I understand the difficulty of weighing the balance between deepening a show’s mythology and its procedural formula. It’s all about ratings and corralling a larger fan base rather than alienating them with a thick backstory, but by hewing mainstream a show risks boring and losing viewers that adore high concept serials. Fringe still struggles with this in its fourth season. Person of Interest is a hit because its procedural format is interesting and doesn’t leave the average viewer encumbered with backstory. However, many viewers like me find the mythology the most interesting thing about these shows. The difference is that even when Fringe was (and now is again) merely a case of the week, it is appointment television due to its delightful cast of characters, and to this point, there’s nothing that draws me in about Rebecca, our lead. Unlike Doc, who has been given enough quirks to start a hobby shop (or a comic book store) so we don’t spend the whole hour wondering why he’s even there, Rebecca is merely the tough girl cop cliché. The mystery of her grandfather is the only thing we know about her, and that’s not even about her specifically. The previews for next week look like the writers will be addressing that story sooner rather than later, but right now she’s not a complex character you have a stake in. Plus, Hauser (I find it really hard not to just say Sam Neill) is simply a one-note mean boss despite the mystery surrounding his intentions. I’m assuming they got Neill for a reason other than his over the top voiceover, because it’s a shame to waste him as they have to this point.

Right now, Alcatraz is essentially a mediocre procedural with dabs of supernatural and serialized moments sprinkled around every episode. While it may doom its ratings, to be a good and exciting show, it needs to find a better balance, because the Alcatraz prisoner of the week storyline will become rote pretty quick until they inevitably break out Capone. But with the pedigree of its creators, a solid cast and a good hook, there’s still plenty of time for optimism.

Synopsis (courtesy Fox):
“When San Francisco Police Department DET. REBECCA MADSEN (Sarah Jones) is assigned to a grisly homicide case, a fingerprint leads her to a seemingly impossible suspect: JACK SYLVANE (guest star Jeffrey Pierce), an Alcatraz inmate who died over 30 years ago. Given her family history – both her grandfather and surrogate uncle, RAY ARCHER (Robert Forster), were guards at the prison – Madsen’s interest is immediately piqued. When the enigmatic, knows-everything-but-tells-nothing government agent EMERSON HAUSER (Sam Neill) tries to impede her investigation, she becomes doggedly committed to it.”

(Images and videos courtesy Fox)

Other attached cast members include Simon (SHAWN OF THE DEAD) Pegg as Scotty, Zoe (AVATAR) Saldana reprising her role as Uhura, Chris Pine again as Captain Kirk, and Zachary Quinto as Spock for another round. Peter (ROBOCOP) Weller’s name is also attached to the cast list. May 17, 2013 is the expected release date for the sequel to Abram’s 2009 hit.

According to Variety, at the top of the list are actors Edgar Ramirez (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM) and Jordi Molla (COLOMBIANA).  Ramirez is said to be the frontrunner.  Whichever ends up in the role will join series newcomers Alice Eve and Peter Weller as well as Chris Pine and the rest of the Enterprise returnees.

Rumors came out last week that Benicio del Toro was slated to play Kahn, which director J.J. Abrams promptly denied.  However, that statement has led fans to speculate that Abrams was merely denying del Toro’s involvement, not the identity of the villain in question.  To many, actively pursuing a variety of actors of Latin descent for the role seems to confirm the belief that Abrams is on the lookout for someone who could fill the shoes of original Khan Ricardo Montalban.

Regardless of who ends up with the coveted role, STAR TREK 2 will beam into theaters May 17, 2013.

Pegg first appeared in the series with 2006′s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III and is returning with franchise star Tom Cruise. Produced by III-director J.J. Abrams and is to be the live-action directorial debut of Brad Bird (THE INCREDIBLES). Watch a clip with Pegg below:

The Kremlin has been bombed, and the blame has fallen on the IMF. As a result, the president initiates Ghost Protocol, and accuses Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team of placing the bomb in an attempt to incite a global nuclear war. Now, in order to clear the IMF of terrorism charges, Ethan assembles a new team to uncover the truth by using every high-tech trick in the book. But this time they’re on their own, and should they be caught, the entire world could be plunged into a nightmare from which there is no waking up

Simon Pegg with Tom Cruise.

Simon Pegg with director Brad Bird.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL comes out in theatres and IMAX December 21st, 2011.

Veteran actor behind the mask of ROBOCOP Peter Weller has joined the cast of the next J.J. Abrams STAR TREK film, reports TheWrap. The actor has previously appeared in the franchise back in 2005, appearing in two episodes of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE.

Weller will be joining Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin and fellow newcomer Alice Eve. The sequel to the 2009 film is written, directed and produced by J.J. Abrams. The film will release in theatres May 17, 2013.

The first big casting coup has taken place for J.J. Abrams’ upcoming “STAR TREK 2.”  Alice Eve (SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE) has joined the cast as a new character, although little else is known about her role.  Such is typical for the highly secretive Abrams.

The casting announcement comes courtesy of Variety.  Abrams has previously said that he would like Benicio del Toro to play the film’s villain, leading many to speculate that Khaaaaaaan would be making a welcome return to the franchise.  However, del Toro”s involvement is still in the negotiation stage.

Principal cast members such as Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are expected to return as Captain Kirk and Spock, respectively.  The script was written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Damon Lindelof.

The as-yet-untitled sequel is scheduled to hit theaters May 17, 2013.

In a star-studded evening that also included fellow honoree James Earl Jones, Dick Smith was surrounded by Hollywood’s elite as he was inducted into cinema’s most exclusive club. Honoring Smith were EXORCIST star Linda Blair and Monster Kid J.J. Abrams. The award was presented by none other than fellow Oscar-winner and Smith disciple, Rick Baker. The moments were touching and genuine as the man who created so many memorable moments and inspired legions of today’s makeup artists took it all in with a smile. Here at FAMOUS MONSTERS our thoughts were, “It’s about time!” And I’m sure you all agree. Click through the gallery to see highlights from the evening and click here to watch the videos of the speeches.

All photos courtesy of A.M.P.A.S. and are ©2011

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Paramount has announced that SUPER 8 – the supernatural thriller from director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg – will be smashing it’s way to Blu-Ray and DVD on November 22nd.

Set in 1979, SUPER 8 follows a group of kids out making their own movie one night when they witness a horrible train crash that releases some thing. Both the group of kids and their small town’s lawman (Kyle Chandler) struggle to uncover the shocking truth as a series of strange phenomena occur in the area.

The various DVD/Blu-Rays will have more than two hours of bonus material, including eight behind-the scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, a deconstruction of the train crash sequence and commentary from the producers and cinematographer.

SUPER 8 stars Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Ron Eldard and has made more than $250 million worldwide.

After indicating that he was up in the air regarding the second STAR TREK movie, J.J. Abrams is now officially committed to directing the sequel to the stellar reboot! Insiders familiar with Abrams’ plans told Vulture that the script will be done by month’s end and shooting will begin this winter.

The sequel was scheduled for release in June 2012, but Paramount pushed it back, partially due to the fact that Alex Kurtzman, one of the writers, was preoccupied with his directorial duties on WELCOME TO PEOPLE. While we deal with this uncomfortably long wait, we can find solace in the fact that, in addition to Abrams, the main cast are all set to return, as is producer Damon Lindelof and, obviously, writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.

Abrams’ first STAR TREK film skyrocketed, hitting $257 million domestically and $385 million worldwide, surpassing expectations for the film. Now it’s time to see if the sci-fi guru – the man behind LOST, ALIAS, FRINGE, CLOVERFIELD, SUPER 8 – can do it again.

Engage!