I don't think anyone would refute the point that even the most established and dramatically formidable of TV shows is highly dependent on the skills of its directors. We've seen how talented helmers can elevate even lesser episodes of programs, from Rian Johnson's work on AMC's Breaking Bad to Patty Jenkins' absorbing atmosphere-building on the same channel's The Killing. And HBO's Game of Thrones, which has now received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Directing (for Tim Van Patten's series premiere and Neil Marshall's epic season 4 episode "The Watchers on the Wall"), with its sweeping scale and battle sequences, is more dependent on exceptional direction than most.
At this point, there's absolutely no questioning that Gotham is the most-anticipated television event of this fall. Charting the origins of Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), destined to become the troubled city's police commissioner, and the early days of some of Batman's most feared rogues while the Dark Knight himself was just a wee lad (David Mazouz) traumatized by his parents' deaths, it looks set to break out with comic-book aficionados and procedural fans alike. Now, a new teaser for the Fox series has been released, highlighting the show's moody atmosphere and stacked cast of characters.
At one point in the premiere, Jimmy compliments Gretchen on one of the many damning but clever speeches she throws his way, calling her words, "Funny, true and mean - my favorite kind." Personally, I'd say the same of You're the Worst as a whole.
FX's comedies often peddle in dark and dour territory - just look at Louie, a terrific series devoted entirely to one man wallowing in the miseries and idiosyncracies of life. It's hilarious, yes, but in a bleak way that, for its star, often crosses the line between self-deprecation and self-mutilation. The simplest way to describe FX's new comedy hopeful, Married, is that it wants to be what Louie is to self-absorbed, perpetually single a-holes, only for self-absorbed, miserably married a-holes. Its apparent message early on is that the idea of an ideal marriage is a straight-up myth - married life sucks, simply put. Even if your name is Nat Faxon, and you're married to Judy Greer. I'm not buying it.
Though Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy hasn't received nearly as positive reviews as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the first two installments were solid, if overlong, high fantasy adventures, thanks both to Jackson's sense of visual splendor and the talents of the ensemble cast. An Unexpected Journey was more dull than many expected, though I personally enjoyed it, and The Desolation of Smaug was a big step up from that, accelerating the pace and featuring some truly epic battles. So, will the trilogy-topper, this winter's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, keep that upward momentum going to become the best of the bunch? It's too early to say, of course, but the first official synopsis for the fantasy film certainly seems promising.
Tired of watching Elf, The Polar Express and It's A Wonderful Life back-to-back every Christmas Eve? Voltage Pictures may have just the thing for you, with news that the studio is moving forward with a ludicrous action flick titled The Guns of Christmas Past and has brought Kevin Tancharoen on board to direct.
Marvel ended up skating on thin ice with its upcoming Ant-Man adaptation recently when script changes led long-time director Edgar Wright to depart the project, leaving the studio scrambling to find a replacement. As the days turned into weeks, directors came and went, including Adam McKay and Rawson Marshall Thurber, both of whom turned down the gig. Other contenders included Ruben Fleischer and Michael Dowse, but Marvel ended up going with Peyton Reed, a comedy director known for Yes Man and The Break-Up.
Following an extensive search, Disney has announced the young actor it has cast as orphaned human boy Mowgli in its upcoming, Jon Favreau-directed adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book - 10-year-old newcomer Neel Sethi.
Four days ago, we brought you news of Fox's 2014-15 fall television line-up, which included such highly-anticipated shows as Gotham and Gracepoint. Now, ABC has thrown its hat into the ring by releasing its own fall schedule. Though I don't think any of us would argue that ABC has a single show with as much advance buzz as Gotham, there are still some promising programs in the mix this year, despite the network's overabundance of half-hour comedies.
I absolutely loved Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes. It was emotionally resonant, visually spectacular, suspenseful, dramatic and, best of all, willing to eschew many conventions of the summer blockbuster. A lot of its strengths are thanks to director Matt Reeves, who came in and tossed out the original script for the sequel, opting for a story more centered on Caesar and without many things that the studio had assumed were a given - like apes with perfect dictation. Every idea we've learned Reeves was responsible for so far was a great one, and I'm thankful that such a thoughtful and ambitious director was looped in for this project.
