Marvel's BLADE: Too difficult to reboot?

With Marvel Studios having acquired the rights to many of its marquee characters back from other film studios, Patrick believes that out of all of them BLADE is going to be the hardest for them to reclaim and make their own.

Wesley Snipes as Blade

In the past few years Marvel have managed to get back the rights to Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Punisher and Blade. This is a major accomplishment but is it also a hindrance to the studio as well. All of these movies or franchises have either produced dud movies or they are too much in the more adult sphere for the Disney/Marvel partnership to make anything out of them. The more family friendly heroes like Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, and X-Men all lie with other studios. These characters as well have spawned relatively successful runs at the box office and there popularity has not seemed to have waned at all with a reboot of The Fantastic Four in the mix, as well as The Amazing Spider-Man and X-Men: Days of Future Past looking like they will do big business again in the summer of 2014, did Marvel really gain anything from getting these properties back? It’s hard to know really. On one hand some of the movies were so poorly received by fans that fixing them could lead to huge success of Marvel outside its Avenger cycle. When I look at the properties though there is one that sticks out like a sore thumb that could be very hard to reboot; that is Blade.

Blade is after a reasonably popular and successful trilogy. The character was fairly well explored in the three movies. Having watched all of them I think that the character was shown to an interesting lead character and that he could carry a movie fairly well. Perhaps by Blade: Trinity a great of the storyline was losing steam and new ideas will definitely be needed to rejuvenate the series if Marvel is to do anything with it. It may be a good time before any of this happens however and here are some of the reasons why.

Casting

Snipes Spot on Casting

Say what you will about Wesley Snipes, but he is Blade. When the first movie came out in 1998 he was a big enough star to headline the movie and he inhabits the role brilliantly. He has a charisma and draw to him on screen that helps the audience to enter this world of vampires and supernatural world of beasties. Snipes uses Blade in an interesting way. Blade is played as a very still, yet deadly character. He is a “Day Walker” (a vampire who can walk in the sunlight), who hunts the vampire kind with swords. Snipes somehow manages to show Blade as a conflicted character despite this stillness. He gives Blade depth by showing subtly how he struggles with his thirst for human blood. These are all things that would have to be dealt with if the franchise was to be resurrected. There is just no avoiding it. Despite the fact that by the third film, it seemed that Snipes had grown tired of the character, it’s still hard to imagine anyone else taking on the role.

Tyrese Gibson: Could he play Blade?

The problem is finding a young enough actor to take on the role that they can play the character in more than one movie. The actor has to be established in order to carry the movie and of course he has to African-American or of African descant. There are a number of wonderful actors of African descant that have the capabilities to play the character but none of them would be young enough to restart and carry a franchise. To me the whole action hero actor thing isn’t a concern. Actors make transformations of extraordinary kinds all the time so that wouldn’t be a worry. Unfortunately in Hollywood there are very few African-American actors in their late twenties or early thirties who are established enough for Marvel to risk trying to take on a Blade reboot and Marvel aren’t beyond taking risks, just look at Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man as part of Phase 2 and 3. Heck Iron Man was a huge risk at the time of its release and luck allowed it to be the kick start that Marvel needed. Despite the fact that great actors like Michael B. Jordan (The Wire, Chronicle), Noel Clarke (Star Trek Into Darkness, Dr. Who) and Tyrese Gibson (Fast and The Furious, Transformers) have the talent to carry a film like this none of them have had a major lead role in a franchise movie so seeing Marvel put faith in one to carry an action franchise like this may be a stretch.   

Storyline and Direction

Blade had lots of blood

Everyone knows that vampires are very fashionable in Hollywood at the moment. Any television or movie that has a supernatural/horror element to it has a link to vampires. The problem is that vampires have been claimed by the tween demographic. These vampires are almost always vegetarian and don’t do much. Blade is different. He’s an anti-hero. He kills vampires because they kill people. That is another risk that Marvel would have to take. To tell Blade properly it would have to be rated R like the first two instalments of the franchise. You’d have to bring the franchise and vampires back to their horror roots. You’d also have to find a director whose willing to do this. Marvel are known for their left of field choices when it comes to their movies: Jon Faverau (Iron Man 1 &2), Joss Whedon(Avengers 1&2), Joe Jonston (Captain America: The First Avenger), Kenneth Branagh (Thor), Alan Taylor(Thor: The Dark World), Edgar Wright(Ant-Man), Shane Black (Iron Man 3), James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) and the Russo Brothers (Captain America: The Winter Solider). Very few of these directors would be known for their action chops as directors but they have all worked well with the films they have helmed.

Justin Lin has the visual and action flair for a project like this

I think for a project like Blade you would have to have a strong sense of action and they would be willing to use the horror aspect to their advantage. Who would be able to do this is another question Marvel would have to answer. I think that someone like Justin Lin who is known for his stylised action and sense of fun could take the helm of this and give it the kick it needs. Having said that I doubt Lin would move away from the Fast and Furious franchise which is not only popular but doing really well at the box office too.

Blade in the comic book

I have to say that I am not an avid reader of the Blade comics so I’m not hugely familiar with any of his big or popular storylines. The one thing I do know that for a movie with a character like his an R rating is nearly a necessity. This is the case with other characters too like The Punisher, and Deadpool.  However studios aren’t risking it. Jeff Wadlow is trying to have an R-rated Deadpool, which has Ryan Reynolds attached, green lighted and Joe Carnahan’s passion project, a reboot of Daredevil, which he viewed as being R-rated weren’t given any chance by studios. It’s not like R-rated comic book movies aren’t successful. Kick Ass and Watchmen showed that it can be done. Heck the original Blade showed it can work. It seems that unlikely that a Disney owned company would push for this kind of thing though.

When looking at the properties that Marvel has at its disposal it’s hard to see them looking at projects that have movies out already. Marvel has established itself as fun and bright. Most of the properties returned to it have a darker edge to them. Marvel may feel that if they leave these properties and make good on others first that it will give them time to use them properly. I think that time will be needed on Blade more than any other franchise because they got it so right the first time round. After all I don’t think Marvel want to do to its superheroes what another studio did to one of its best loved characters! This is why I think Blade may be the hardest to reboot.  

Fandom Hero: Chuck Bartowski

Chuck: 2007-2012

When looking into the depths of Fandom there are a few people that stand among us as heroes. These are often fictional characters that we see being portrayed on film or television. Patrick has decided to look at one of his favourites Charles “Chuck” Bartowski from the show CHUCK.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD.

Being honest I haven’t seen the five and final season of Chuck so there may be gaps missing in this profile of Charles “Chuck” Bartowski. Still having seen the first four seasons I feel that I have a good enough knowledge to present him as my first FANDOM HERO.

Zachary Levi and Charles Bartwoski

Ace in the Pack: Zachary Levi

Chuck is played brilliantly by Zachary Levi (Tangled). Levi is the ultimate everyman and that is the way in which he portrays Chuck as well. He uses his bumbling, oafish charm to a tee and allows us to see this normal person who has been trapped into this world of espionage. Okay, so how did that happen you might ask? Here is the necessary background.

Chuck is just a normal guy, he’s a bit of a slacker, and he was kicked out of college for allegedly cheating on a test. We find him on his birthday pining after his ex, Jill and he can’t enjoy his birthday party. We find out things are worse as Chuck has a dead end job at a superstore called the Buy More, where he is a part of the computer servicing Nerd Herd. We also find out that Chuck lives with his doctor sister and her doctor boyfriend, whom Chuck calls Captain Awesome. Sound normal so far. It is. But at the end of the night after Chuck and his best friend Morgan (a hilarious Joshua Gomez) finish playing video games into the night Chuck opens an email that lands him with a top secret government super computer in his head called the Intersect. Now the fun begins.

The Team: Sarah, Chuck and Casey

Once this has happened Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski, Dexter) of the CIA and Agent Casey (Adam Baldwin of Firefly fame) from the NSA are assigned to take out Chuck and recover the Intersect. However after Chuck finds out that Sarah, who was trying to infiltrate him by asking him out on a date, isn’t in love with him and that Casey is trying to kill him, he runs. However he doesn’t get far and when he helps Walker and Casey to stop a terrorist attack using the Intersect flashes he has and his Nerd Herder skills, Walker and Casey see that there may be potential for Chuck in the field of duty, that is until the Intersect can be removed from his head.

That is the basic set up of the show and we follow Chuck, Sarah and Casey on various mission through out the series. Most of these involve adventures involve Chick getting into trouble, Sarah and Casey trying to save him, Chuck inadvertently saves the day, but only with their help, but Chuck gets the praise and a kick up the butt at the same time. And the formula works. This is due to Levi and his excellent everyman qualities. The writers have put Chuck in an awkward situation but Levi carries every ridiculous situation really well and manages to make it easy to despense the feeling of disbelief. Levi is the anchor of the show and he manages to give Chuck subtle layers. Chuck fancies Sarah but feels he is too much of a nerd to ask her out (despite the fact that their cover story for her protecting him his that they are boyfriend and girlfriend). This yearning never becomes too annoying; he manages to balance it just right. Chuck also looks out for his family and friends and he has a strong sense of loyalty, something that causes him to be put in danger most of the time. This was played out at the start and I felt that by the end of season three when his secret was revealed it would change the dynamic but writers managed to mask it again which I felt helped the show gain some of the humour it had lost.

Levi manages to keep Chuck both an interesting comedic and dramatic character, never coming down to hard on either side. This helps the show to keep the audience on track, we know the show is funny but we also get the sense that there are lives at stake too. Chuck is a passenger really for the first two seasons but that is changed in season three which helps move the show on and the character of Chuck as well. Levi takes the change of direction and uses it to his and the show’s advantage.

Other Characters.

The other characters, outside those at the Buy More are much more on the serious side. For Casey it’s all about the job protect the Intersect, although he ends up liking Chuck in the end. Sarah is much more concerned about Chuck and we see that see has feelings toward Chuck beyond that as well. The will-they-won’t-they aspect of that relationship is nicely played out and doesn’t seem dragged out for too long. It helps add tension and humour to the show. Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) and Devon (Ryan McPartlin) are Chuck’s sister and boyfriend. For the most part they are kind of a broken record, always bugging Chuck to sort out his life and move on from the Buy More. Sarah falls into this at times always on about how loyal and caring Chuck is. Its better that this isn’t reiterated every episode (which it is), because we know this about him already. This is the writers’ fault, who for the most part get it right with regard to characters and story lines. The character of Chuck will always be the saving grace and pulls you away from those annoying traits allowing for them to be passing, if albeit frequent, moments in the show.

Humour: The Buy More gang gives the laughs

The Buy More characters are given much more free reign and it adds to the comedy aspect of the show immensely. Morgan, Lester (Vik Sahay), Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and “Big” Mike (Mark Christoper Lawrence) all have great fun with the characters. The writers use hilarious side by sides where the mission Chuck is on is some how replicated in the Buy More on some weird and absurd level. It adds whimsy and a level of daftness to the show that is sorely needed at times. Lester and Jeff in particular are too weird and strange characters. Watch their Jeffster music videos and you’ll see why.

Storylines

The storylines in the show are well thought out for the most part. We have individual episodes but they each have a seasonal arc/ mystery. This element of the show makes it addictive with big reveals and shocks coming from all angles at some stages. This keeps the show fresh and moving at a break neck speed. It also helps us to appreciate the quieter, more heartfelt moments in the show as well.   

Brandon Routh on set with Zachary Levi

The show also managed to pull some big name guest stars: Timothy Dalton, Linda Hamilton, Scott Bakula, Matt Bomer, Tony Hale, Brandon Routh, Kristin Kreuk, Jordana Brewster, Rachel Bilson, Chevy Chase, Gary Cole, Olivia Munn, and Summer Glau all had guest apperances in the show. A list like that would make any fanboy or fangirl cry with joy. In a way it shows the popularity of the show that it could attract such high profile names. I won’t go into anymore details as it may spoil some of the surprises for people who want to view the show themselves.

I think Chuck is a show that will appeal to a lot of people but it’s not for everyone. I liked it and I think the character of Chuck has a great deal to do with it. If you like action and comedy with a sprinkle of espionage and intrigue then this may be the show for you. If you stick with it through its ups and downs I think it may be because of the hero of the piece and one of my Fandom Heroes: Chuck.

Batman: The Animated Series, The Best Batman?

Batman: The Animated Series

Over the summer Patrick embarked on a journey of the animated variety when he watched all 85 episodes of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. Not only was it a journey into the nostalgic but it made him conclude that this is the best portrayal of Batman we have ever seen.

Growing up in the 90’s when I would come from school I would always watch Batman: The Animated Series. My siblings and I loved it so much me bought a boxset of videos that we almost wore out from the amount of times we watched it. so when my brother and decided to watch all 25 episodes over the summer I was keen to see if my rose tinted glasses had coloured my perception with regard to the quality of the series. What I found was the opposite. After watching the series I can honestly say that I feel it is the best portrayal of the character I have seen on screen. Here I’m going to explain why.

Batman

Conroy does the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne

In animation voice casting is all important. Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne is quite simply incredible. The way in which he can move from Batman voice to Wayne voice is excellent. It’s also subtle. Unlike Christian Bale’s interpretation of this aspect in The Dark Knight Trilogy, Conroy only lowers the register of his voice slightly allowing to hear the change but also hear that it is still the same actor. There are numerous hilarious scenes in episodes that we see Batman talking as Bruce Wayne while in his cape and cowl and vice versa. This part of the character is essential and is executed brilliantly by everyone involved.

Batman is a man of action but he is also a world class detective. This aspect of the character is not really fully explored in the movies adaptations of the character. Here it is a main focal point. Often episodes surround the fact that Batman Is looking for answers and he uses his head more often than brute strength. This is pleasing as well that the audience sees not only what a class and clever character Batman is but we also see that being smart s important and using your head is more valuable than say, Superman’s CRASH! BANG! approach to superherodom. This is also helped that we see in episodes where Batman’s history and Bruce’s different aspects of training are played out in excellent flashbacks. We see how Bruce worked toward the entity that is Batman and that he didn’t just decide to become a hero over night he worked at it. This gives him a great history and something for the audience to piece together along the way too.

     

Bruce Wayne is an important aspect to Batman as well. After all he is the alter ego of Batman. The writers strike a great balance between the two sides of the character which can be tricky thing to achieve. The two characters are played much like Clark Kent and Superman in the Richard Donner Superman of the ‘70’s. It makes it plausible that people wouldn’t suspect Wayne of being Batman and vice versa.

We all know that the death of Bruce’s parents are his raison d’etre for becoming Batman but what keeps him going out fighting crime? This is the question that the writers ask over the course of the series. For me it was great to see that despite it being an animation they wanted to tackle issues in an adult way and things weren’t completely diluted for the younger audience. It’s answered in a multifaceted way really. We see this in the first episode with the Scarecrow and we see the answer in many of the episodes that flashback onto Bruce’s past. We also see it in the way he deals with certain bad guys too.

Batman and his relationship with his allies

Trusted: Alfred Pennyworth

To see Batman fully we have to see the way in which we relates to his allies. This is handled really well. None of the relationships are one dimensional. One of the key relationships is of course his relationship with trusty butler Alfred. We see many layers to this relationship. Firstly we see the working relationship between the two. This is played out in many scenes where Alfred and Batman work in the Batcave together to solve crimes. We also see the fatherly relationship between Alfred and Bruce. Alfred is always looking out for Bruce’s welfare. Lastly we see the respect that Batman has for Alfred, this most evident in The Unicorn and the Lion Episode.

Batman’s relationship with Robin is well written as well. I fell this is due to the way Robin is written in the show. He is more than a side kick. Yes, Batman can do more than Robin but for the most part they are equals. The two-parter Robin’s Reckoning we see the levels in this relationship too. The father-son aspect but the brotherly relationship that is there too. It was interesting to see how Bruce was reluctant to allow Dick join him on the path of vengeance. Again it added a subtle but nice note to the characters.

Batman and Jim Gordon’s relationship is perhaps the only one that isn’t fully developed as others. We see him work well with Gordon and we see that they have a mutual respect for each other, but most interactions end in Batman leaving before Jim ends his sentence leaving Jim wondering where he went. Still that joke never grows old.

The Rogue Gallery

Batman like his other superhero’s in the union, are nothing without their rouge gallery. Batman has an extensive rogue gallery and I’m not going to torture you with a reflection on Batman’s relationship with each one, but I will touch on some of them.

Some of the best adaptions of villains are in this series

The main ones that struck a chord with me are Two Face, Clayface and Mr. Freeze. All of these stories have an element of tragedy and this is never down played for the fact that this is animation. In fact I feel it’s enhanced by it. The use of music helps build the epic nature of Batman and the gad guys but I feel it’s at it’s strongest in these tragic episodes for some reason. What these episodes and characters do is show us that much like Batman was shaped by his own tragedy so were these and most of the villains, (some are just crazy too though, which is also fun). What helps in this regard is that we see that Batman knows this and in a way blames himself, adding to the reasons for why he dons the cape and cowl. It also allows for an interesting dynamic between Batman and his rogue gallery.

The Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill and is Batman’s quintessential bad guy. Hamill plays the Joker with the right balance of clownery and sinister verve that make him a great foil for Conroy’s Batman. I would go into more detail about Hamill’s Joker but I think this video will show just how right he and the writers get the character.

Writing and Production

The writing and the production of the show is on an epic scale. It strikes the perfect balance between adult and child’s show, between light and dark. There was a great deal of humour in the show that I had forgotten about and was a pleasant surprise to pick up on it again as an adult. I really appreciated the great animation and the epic scoring of the show as well. Shirley Walker’s layered musical themes added extra gravitas to the show and I was honestly humming most of the tunes for the best part of two weeks afterwards.

When I look back Batman: The Animated Series is perhaps what began my love of all things Fandom and for that I thank it, the quality of the show is shown in the way it stands the test of time.

My top 10 episodes for those interested in viewing them are (in no particular order):

1. The Joker’s Favour.
2. Feat of Clay parts 1 and 2.
3. Two Face parts 1 and 2.
4. Almost Got ‘Im.
5. Beware of Gray Ghost.
6. Mad as a Hatter.
7. Nothing to Fear.
8. Night of the Ninja.
9. Trial.
10. The Lion and the Unicorn.

High Fidelity: Best representation of Fandom?

Patrick has been intently thinking about what it means to be part of the weird and wonderful world of Fandom and has come to one defining (in his opinion anyway) truth. That the movie adaption of HIGH FIDELITY is the best on screen representation of the Fanboy or Fangirl there has ever been.

High Fidelity (2000)

WARNING: SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!

 Okay, I hold my hands up and I’ll confess. High Fidelity is my favourite movie of all time and I could spend the whole of this article explaining why but that isn’t why I’m here. The movie adaption of the book of the same name by Nick Hornby (which I have read and is equally as brilliant, but I want to focus on the movie), is the best representation of what I means to be a Fanboy or Fangirl that has ever been put on screen.

Hornby as a writer has tackled the obsessive-ness of the male psyche extremely well in the book (did something similar in Fever Pitch), so to have that same trait realised on screen is a masterstroke from both star and writer John Cusack and from director Stephen Frears.

To the untrained eye it may seem like a movie about a guy trying to win back his ex, but it is a great window for people to see into the lives of a member of Fandom.

Character Traits

Most members of Fandom share common traits. These can be listed as the following

1. An obsessive love of something seemingly unimportant.

2. A stubbornness and unwillingness to acknowledge other people’s points of view on said obsessive love.

Rob (John Cusack) and the gang debating Musical topics

3. Immerse themselves in their love, e.g. taking a job that allows them to think of nothing else.

4.  Hatred of anything mainstream or that will affect their love and make it go mainstream.

5. Think of everything is affected because of said love.

Rob Gordon (John Cusack) ticks all these boxes:

1. Obsessed with music.

2. We see him fighting and unwilling to compromise his view on music even when his “friends” Barry and dick are arguing with him.

3. Rob works in and owns a store called Championship Vinyl. Rob, however unwillingly, has surrounded himself with his one and only interest, music.

4. Rob hates the musical mainstream. Evidence is seen when he exclaims: “Is that Peter fucking Frampton” as he hears Marie De Salle singing. He also complains to his ex Laura, about how she has changed “clothes, and hair and jobs”. Her response being “I couldn’t go to work with pink hair Rob”.

5. Rob poses the question at the beginning of the movie: “Am I miserable because I listen to Pop music? Or do I listen to pop music because I’m miserable?”. Rob feels like everything comes back to music and that is the way he lives his life.

Why Rob is the perfect incarnation of fandom?

There are a number of reasons for this:

1. First of all he has an easily accessible obsession: Music. Everyone loves music and therefore that love of music is easy to connect to. Unlike maybe fantasy writing or weird television, everyone loves music and has a taste in music. Not everyone reads or watches strange TV. Plus Music is on the cool end of the geek spectrum.

Barry (Jack Black) the militant side of Fandom realised.

2. He has a dead end job, making it easy for him to be invested in his love of music. Plus he works with “the musical moron twins” in Dick and Barry, who are equally strict in their fandom. Barry (played by Jack Black) is of the more militant variety; where as Dick (played by Todd Louiso) is much more moderate and a retiring wallflower of a musical geek. The scenes of them in the shop arguing and talking about music are both hilarious and intriguing.

3. Rob is endlessly ranking things. This is a trait that all fandom members have. “I think this is better that this” and so forth. Flame wars were started by people like Rob. His utter self confidence reeks of fandom. Example: He puts the Three EPs by The Beta Band on in the shop and when a customer says “this is good”, his response is “I know.” Utter confidence, pure reaction of a member of fandom.

Rob and Barry together in the store

4. Rob becomes infatuated with Marie De Salle, a night club singer. It doesn’t matter that she has no real fame or notoriety for singing other than in clubs but that doesn’t matter to Rob, he just loves that she is in on the creative side of what he loves. All members of fandom live on these fantasies, hell it’s these fantasies that fuel fandom.

Rob speaks an universal Fandom Truth.

5. Rob thinks like people from fandom: “A long time ago Barry, Dick and I came to one universal truth: it’s what you like, not what you are like. Books, films, music, these things matter. Call me shallow, it’s the fucking truth.” That is what being a fanboy or fangirl is in a nutshell, loving all these things and being unapologetic about that love.

Conclusion

There are lots of things that show Rob off in a bad light in the movie and the book but that is what makes him human and more realistic. He is the ultimate representation of what it means to be a pop culture geek. Watch or read High Fidelity, if something doesn't resonate with you then you obviously aren't a fandom member.

Sleepy Hollow

Every autumn a tidal wave of the good, the bad and the ugly of new shows hits us. So, how to tell your “Blondie” from your “Tuco”? Well, Brenda has a bit of a ponder and thinks she’s found a gud’un – Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow”.

Fox's Sleepy Hollow

The past week and the weeks to come will see the return of some very popular series – Breaking Bad, New Girl, Downton Abbey, Homeland, Once Upon A Time, Love/Hate, How I Met Your Mother. As you can see quite the mixed bag, both in terms of content and quality (Downton and Homeland get a shout out here for their comical increase in absurdity). These shows are returning for at least their third series and their positions in the viewing schedule are well established. So, what about the new offerings?

Well, as happens every autumn, pilot season and the corresponding pickups are dangled in front of us by the network studios promising us the next BIG thing. It becomes a sea of arms in the air, waving and voices screaming “LOOK AT US – We’re the new Breaking Bad”, “HONESTLY, YOU WON’T REGRET IT. This is better than The Wire” and if all else fails “WE’VE GOT COOKIES”. In the middle of all this white noise how can you decide what you’re going to spend your (sadly) limited viewing time on?

I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. Personally, given that my quota of hard hitting dramas and sitcoms has been filled for the time being, I’ve been looking for something entertaining, something that doesn’t take itself too seriously and knows exactly what its audience wants.

Enter Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow” starring Tom Mison (Parade’s End, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) and Nicole Beharie (Shame). Taking the original Washington Irving story as its inspiration, we get the same general outline but with a modern twist.

I have to admit the idea intrigued me from the off. The Tim Burton/Johnny Depp 1999 collaboration of the same name has long been a favourite of mine and I consider it as one of their top 3 efforts, behind Edward Scissorhands but above Sweeney Todd. Therefore, to paraphrase Calvin Candie, - it had my curiosity but now it has my attention.

So what grabbed me.. Well, it’s as if the writers and producers (from Fringe and Star Trek) have put their heads together and created a formula based on what’s currently on trend. It goes something along the lines of:

•         Add 2 parts the male/female dynamic of Elementary/Dr Who;
•        1 part the obnoxious self-assuredness of Cumberbatch’s Sherlock (Crane’s long coat an aesthetic cue);
•       4 parts the tongue in cheek demonic presence from Supernatural;
•        A quarter cup of Whedon-esque sass and humour a la Buffy/Firefly/Angel;
•       A teaspoon of the “focused, independent woman” meets “man lost in time” element currently favoured by Emma/Hook in Once Upon A Time.
  

And hey presto! Voila! Bon Appetite.

To some this may appear to be a cynical attempt to hi-jack other shows winning traits but I personally believe Sleep Hollow manages to pull it off.

From the very beginning the show knows exactly what it wants to be and aims hard and fast for it – basically, leave your brain at the door and buckle in for the ride.

                                                               The Set-Up

Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane

The prologue introduces us to Ichabod Crane, a history professor from Oxford. Crane has turned rogue under the weight of his conscience and is now helping to wage war against his own countrymen, the Red Coats in the Revolutionary War. Within the first few minutes we witness his encounter with a soldier branded with a bow on his right hand. This man has been foreshadowed to Crane by none other than George Washington. Their struggle leads to the soldier’s decapitation and Crane’s apparent death. Fade to black and now Crane is waking up in a cave and stumbling into the path of oncoming traffic, all within the first 10 minutes of the show.

Nicole Beharie as Abbie Mills

Lieutenant Abbie Mills, our female protagonist, is introduced mid conversation with her mentor Sheriff Corbin. Of course, Abbie is Sleepy Hollow’s best and brightest and on the way to fulfilling her potential as a criminal profiler in an FBI feeder programme. A few beheadings later, an encounter with the headless horseman and minus one mentor, Abbie realises there’s something rotten in the state of Denmark.

 

Cute-Meet Time

Crane, having been arrested as a suspect in the beheadings, realises that Abbie is the key to understanding what exactly is going on and the only one who is even close to believing his story. Abbie is initially resistant; a previous supernatural encounter experienced by her and her sister did not have pleasant outcomes for either. However, some more shenanigans and Crane’s protestation that “just because it’s crazy does not make it any less real” and Abbie begins to accept the inevitable.

    

Katrina Crane

The remainder of the episode essentially sets the scene for how the rest of the season will play out. Crane’s wife acts as the means for navigating the story arc from beyond the grave. Revelations that she, Katrina, was burnt at the stake for being a witch is taken surprising well by Crane and she continues to communicate with him through dreams from a type of purgatory where she is now trapped. It is she that explains the blood link created between the headless horseman, representing Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and Crane on the battlefield. Before you know it we’ve got promises of the last great fight for humanity, warring witch covens, a prophecy in the Book of Revelations and the kitchen sink. In summation – what’s not to love?

A Man Lost in Time

For me it’s Sleepy Hollow’s confidence that appeals the most. Large elements in the story are gloriously tongue in cheek. It’s as if the writers know that in some ways we’ve been there, done that many times before, but hey a story well told is a story well told. 

For example, parts of Crane’s introduction to the modern world are lightly but entertainingly touched on. His initial reaction to Mills –

Ichabod: You've been emancipated, I take it.
Abbie: Excuse me?
Ichabod: From enslavement.

Abbie’s response – slavery has been abolished for the last 150 years, it’s a whole new day in America.

Basically, short hand for get used to it, pretty much everything you knew has changed. The standard disgruntled chief of police even throws in a nod to Captain America.

Encounters with cars, torches and women wearing trousers are all boxes ticked and while that shtick might get a little old, as long as they keep it entertaining there’s no reason why it can’t run for a while longer. Episode 2 promises disgust that the tax on “baked goods” i.e. donuts, is so high – with Crane wondering why the population hasn’t taken to the streets in protest.

Crane and Abbie

 

Character Appeal

Mison's Crane, obviously a highly educated man, confidante of George Washington and used to being the man who knows, is now the man who is stumbling towards an answer, trying to figure out what’s happening. Nevertheless, he embraces the Spock mantra – “If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” and attacks each scenario with gusto. This character is in direct contrast with Johnny Depp's interpretation, which was one of a man over his head, timid and prone to fainting spells.

For Abbie, her appeal lies in her independence. She’s firm without being a bitch. As Tom Mison put it, she’s not a wife or a daughter or a girlfriend. She’s an independent character not defined by others and so the audience is largely guided by Nicole Beharie’s grounded interpretation of her.

Even though for the moment the interaction between the two characters is as follows: Crane – wordy and far-fetched statement, followed by Abbie – exasperation and grudging belief. Still the dynamic is entertaining. Crane’s disadvantage in the modern world and Abbie’s disbelief of the supernatural has resulted in a playing field that seems surprisingly level.

The Big Bad

Headless Horseman

A taste of things to come

So where will this series lead us? Well the first season has 13 episodes so while the Headless Horseman is promised as the overall Big Bad, it’s hinted that others will come first. We’re even shown glimpses of demons with a strong resemblance to those in Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth”. Also, the Sheriff’s investigations into unexplained murders and occurrences in the area are discovered by Abbie and heavily hint that not everyone is as they seem, some enemies may lie within the current circle of trust.

      

The viewing figures for the pilot have been hugely successful for Fox with 10.10 million tuning in, making it the network's highest rated autumn drama since 2006. There's even a cheeky aside in the first episode hinting at a seven years war against the forces of evil before the final stand-off  so as of now things are looking good for Sleepy Hollow. I for one am looking forward to the adventure.

                

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Highly Anticipated

With Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D about to hit the small screens by the end of the week, Patrick gives us an insight into what he wants to see from the one of the newest and most anticipated Fandom shows this year.

WARNING: MILD BUFFY AND FIREFLY SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!

The golden era of television is apparently upon us and that sentiment can certainly ring true for members of the geek fandom with huge variety and choice for all geeks. One show that will certainly be on most of those fanboy and fangirl’s chart is Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This blog entry is going to outline what I would like to see from the show before it airs.

Strong Characters

Ensemble: Which characters will be fans' favourites?

As we know from Joss Whedon he does ensemble extremely well. Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Avengers Assemble are all indications of this. He handles group dynamics pretty well. Every group member has their own characteristics and they come to the fore now and again. I feel it’s important for the balance to be right in a show like this.

The fact that this is an agency of secret agents means, for me anyway, that they should all be strong characters. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be wrong in situations or back down from things at times, but I feel for this series to work we have to see each character showing a strong-willed-ness (is that a word? Probably not. Apologies) in the series.

I don’t know how much Agent Coulson is going to be used but I feel that they have to have a foil for him. Coulson calling the shots all the time will become boring after a while if the others don’t step at times and show their value in situations. I have a good feeling that this won’t happen as over the course of the series I can see the other characters taking centre stage at one time or another, after it’s called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and not the Agent Coulson Show. Plus Whedon and his team have handled this well with Giles as the authority figure in Buffy.

Coulson: The main man?

My worry is that there will be a wallflower character as seems to be a trait in Whedon’s rag tag teams. In Buffy (which I have started watching from the start recently and haven’t finished yet so don’t judge anything to harshly about what I say about it yet) Willow has for the four seasons I’ve watched been a painstaking (pun intended) shy and retiring type, coming out of her shell only once and a while so far to perform spells. Heck even Xander throws himself into the action, which inevitably gets him hurt sure, but that sense of leap before you look shows you how brilliant Buffy is at “slayage” and provide the audience with action and humour. 

In Firefly for the most part Simon is the wallflower, stumbling over his words when he talks to Kaylee and doesn’t know what to do expect hide at time of crisis. Okay, I know he can’t be centre stage as he and River are technically fugitives, but he could still make some leap into action at points during that lone season of Firefly.

In essence this is what I mean by strong characters; that each character has their strengths and weakness and that they aren’t apologetic about any of them.

Humour

Xander Harris: Master of "quippage"

Whedon and the team of writers he has worked with over the years have produced great humour in their shows. Having seen Firefly and over half of Buffy now, it shows that humour is essential to a show that has characters fighting for their lives every week. The audience wants to have fun when they tune in and hopefully that is what we will get.

I think the Avegers: Assemble showed that the humour of Whedon translates seamlessly into the comic book domain and this will help the popularity of the show I have no doubt. Having regular witty and comedic intervals with character like Xander (Buffy) and Wash (Firefly) will help but I think this show may have a good spread.

Story arc

Firefly had River’s mystery (explained in Serenity); Buffy had the rise of the Master, the Mayor’s Ascension etc, as story arcs and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D will need the same. This may lead to a big bad of some kind, what kind I’m not sure. Most likely one that will be capable of being taken down by the S.H.I.E.L.D agents themselves or else Superheroes will be needed and unless they introduce ones in the show, which is possible but I doubt they will introduce any big name heroes on TV, which will mean conspiracy of some kind. I think this will work well and I hope that will be the road they take the show down. Introducing a mystery like River’s could help to keep the intrigue and help keep interest going from week to week.

Play down the Superhero element

I know the Superhero element of the show is a huge thing, but I feel that this has to be its own animal in way. Yes, the superhero element can be in the majority of the episodes but I think seeing the agents deal with super powered villains/events would be much more interesting than them finding and recruiting superheroes. Again, the title suggests that this may be the case but we will have to wait and see if it will remain the case. A reason I feel that the superhero element needs to be played down is that special effects on TV don’t always look the best. One of Buffy’s strongest suits was the use of practical effects and I hope that this is a trait that is continued in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, however I don’t know if this will happen but this is only a small thing too. Overall I have a preference for practical effects but special effects would not be a deal breaker either.  

Phase 2 of MCU

Link it the MCU

I think linking the show to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) will happen but I hope it is in a subtle way rather than an obvious way. Throw away links like “We have a situation arising in London” (linking it to Thor: The Dark World) or “We dealt with something similar in Malibu” (Iron Man link) would help to ground the show in the Marvel universe. My one pet peeve at the moment is that everything is linked back to New York, and therefore Avengers: Assemble. Not that the movie wasn’t good or that the after effects with it shouldn’t resound in the franchises afterwards but there was a rich Marvel history of four to five movies before that which built up to that and I think neglecting it would be remiss of the shows writers.

Agent 13: Could VanCamp make an appearance?

It would also be nice to see the show’s big storyline impact on the cinematic universe too, again even if it is in just a throw away manner. As for cameos from big name players, I think Mark Ruffalo is the most likely of the MCU to make an appearance or maybe Don Cheadle’s Rhodey or Kat Dennings’ Darcy could make an appearance too. Future MCU stars like Anthony Mackie and Emily VanCamp (who we know is playing Agent 13 in Captain America: Winter Solider) are possiblitues as well. However I don’t think the success or the less likely failure of the show will be down to the number of cameos or lack of cameos in the show from their bigger cinematic brothers.

Don't Touch Lola!

I have high hopes for this show and I hope that they will hit me with a few surprises too. At the end of the day that is what makes good television.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. starts on RTÉ on Sunday at 9.00pm and on Channel 4 on Friday at 8.00pm