I'm really enjoying this series. It requires you to buy in to some suspension of reality but the stories are good and there is good chemistry between Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson. The show is about a reclusive billionaire played by Emerson who invented an incredibly sophisticated surveillance system to aid in the war on terror. In addition to this objective the system watches everything and everyone witnessing all kinds of crimes that fall outside of the purview of the system's original intent. Emerson's inventor character,Finch, discovers that the system can predict imminent danger for individuals and produces the names of these individuals. Finch wants to help these people and partners with Caviezel's character, Reese, who has a shady background in what seems to be special ops or something similar. Together they work to help the people identified by the system. I just finished watching the episode called The Fixer which had Paige Turco as a guest star. I wouldn't be surprised to see her again on this show. The producers could do a lot worse than consider bringing her on as a regular. She really fit in with the tone and style of the show and worked really well with Jim Caviezel's character, Reese. This show is worth checking out.
Reviews
7 Reviews
Stargate Universe
(2009–2011)
The best of the Stargate franchise
6 April 2011
Browsing through the user reviews I've come across a lot of negative comments and the only reason I can come up with is the fact that it's completely unlike all of the other shows in the franchise. For my money this series is by far the most interesting with compelling story lines, interesting characters and a sense of gravitas that has never been evident in this franchise. The calibre of writing and acting is far superior to the previous shows. The fact that this is a serious drama as opposed to the comedic tones of the other shows seems to really bother people. I prefer it but the series is not without some lighter moments. The most annoying comments of those I've read are the ones who say this show is not sci-fi. Clearly the people who wrote these comments don't know what sci-fi is. This is a show about ideas and the unknown. What could be more sci-fi than that? It's a shame this series wasn't allowed to go beyond two seasons.
Dollhouse
(2009–2010)
A disappointing effort for Joss Whedon
15 March 2009
I love Joss Whedon and was really looking forward to this show but this is far from his best work. Although the concept is interesting the execution comes off as pretty conventional which I never would have expected. Joss Whedon is well known for creating great characters but I think that may be the biggest failing of Dollhouse so far. Eliza Dushku is alright but I'm not sure she's capable of carrying a show. Most of the supporting cast are pretty bland. The only one who really stood out for me is Reed Diamond although I liked seeing Amy Acker. The tech guy at the Dollhouse is really annoying and not well written at all. To echo at least one other comment that I read, I'm finding it hard to emotionally invest anything in these characters. And where's all that great Whedon dialogue? It's certainly missing from the first few episodes. I know there were some delays in getting this show to air and I have a feeling Fox has forced Joss to make changes. I can't think of any other reason to explain this because you would never recognize Dollhouse as something from the guy who created Firefly and Buffy.
Sanctuary
(2008–2011)
Pretty derivative but it might have some potential.
11 October 2008
I just watched the first episode and I didn't mind it. The Will Zimmerman character was sympathetic and believable as the outcast thrown into a crazy situation. I've never really cared much for Amanda Tapping's acting skills (in Stargate) but I thought she fared better here. Unfortunately her British accent is totally unconvincing. It may seem like a minor issue but it really got on my nerves. The Ashley character was a pretty weak cliché. The writers need to do a much better job there. As one of the other comments mentioned, she came off as a poor man's Buffy but the writing certainly wasn't on a par with Joss Whedon, although to be fair, not many shows do measure up to his level. I really liked the villain who I thought did a really good job and some of the creatures were interesting. Overall, some pretty good atmosphere and a sense of mystery. I'll probably give it a chance for a little while to see if it builds on the promise.
The Others
(2000)
A more cerebral supernatural-themed show. I loved it.
11 July 2004
It's a shame that this show didn't last longer because it deserved to. There's very few shows like this available on television. I found it genuinely creepy which is very rare. The subject matter is treated seriously and the writing is very good with interesting story lines. The viewing audience is treated with respect unlike most shows in this genre that are very formulaic and only appeal to the lowest common denominator. The cast is likable and the characters are all conflicted which helps build the drama. Perhaps most importantly, the thrills and chills are honestly earned through the stories, not through cheap stunts. The wonderfully creepy atmosphere supports the stories rather than the reverse. I would highly recommend this show to fans of the supernatural genre.
Farscape
(1999–2003)
Hands down, the best sci-fi series ever.
4 August 2003
No other sci-fi show (very few from any genre for that matter) can touch Farscape for originality in scripts and characters, inventiveness and depth in the story-lines. The list of goods things in this series goes on and on. The creativity is virtually unmatched. Tremendous use of humour, wonderful performances from the cast of actors, amazing make-up and use of puppets(the aliens on this show are the best I've ever seen anywhere) and superb story continuity as well with each episode building on previous ones and often reaching back to use material from previous episodes that is expanded on. It's a shame to see this gem come to an end. I don't know if we'll ever see a show like this again. At least we have four years of episodes to look back on. If you haven't seen it yet I envy you. I wish I could watch it all over again without knowing anything about it.
The Public Eye
(1992)
I really like this film a lot.
22 March 2003
I first saw The Public Eye about ten years ago knowing nothing about it in advance. This movie has really stayed with me over the years. It's very rich in atmosphere and I really bought into the characters. The whole cast was strong and the writing was very good. I read one review that complained that the romance wasn't believable. On the surface that might be understandable but the quality of the acting and the writing completely erased the issue for me. The 1940's setting was portrayed very effectively and the music added so much to the story. The scene with Kay Levitz going through Bernzini's photo album was very moving and captured the whole story in a nutshell for me. I strongly recommend this forgotten gem.
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