Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
I don’t know anything about the new A&E show Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force other than I really like the poster promoting it. The poster is better than most created for today’s feature films. In fact, if the show is as good as the poster it’ll be worth viewing. I think I’ll tune in and see. [In other words the poster did it’s job.]
I’m not much of a Timothy Hutton fan, but I have to say that “Leverage” looks like it may be pretty good. I plan to check it out when it premieres next Sunday on TNT. Anyone else going to give it a shot?
The series finale to “The Shield” was a fitting ending to one of the best crime/cop shows ever on television. Although it would have been impossible to live up to everyone’s expectations, the series did manage to go out as it came in… with an episode to surpise, shock and keep you thinking long after the end credits rolled.
We’re just a little over 24 hours away from the final episode of “The Shield.” Although a few critics have seen how the show wraps up, nobody is giving away anything. I’m glad. I can’t wait to take it all in and see who lives and who dies.
Gillian Flynn, TV Critic for Entertainment Weekly, saw the finale and concluded her write-up for the November 28th issue by saying:
“When the end comes, it’s breathtaking — and what’s even more stunning
is, after you’ve catalogued all of Mackey’s unforgivable sins, you’ll still find yourself rooting for him…”
If the finale is even half as good as the premiere episode, we’re in for a great hour and a half of television… and if it turns out to be as Flynn says, “breathtaking,” even better.
We’ve seen the new poster advertising the return of “Lost.” Now we can see the new trailer.
ABC created the poster above to promote the fifth season of “Lost” which premieres in January. You can see a Milky Way-sized version of it here.
Next Tuesday, FX will air the final episode of “The Shield.” I’m proud to say that I’ve been a fan of the show since episode one of the first season. I’m equally proud to say that I’ve turned on several friends and family members it as well. If you’re a fan of the show, I’d love to hear how you think it will end. There’s been a lot of speculation among devotees of the show. Some of the more interesting predictions include:So let’s hear your predictions! Then we’ll come back next week and see who came closest to getting it right.
IMPAwards.com has posted up a bunch of new posters for “24,” “24: Redemption,” “The Spirit” and a bunch of other tv shows and movies. You can see a bigger version of the poster above and many others by clicking here.
Say the name Rod Serling and most folks will come back with “The Twilight Zone.” And rightly so. “The Twilight Zone” was a classic sci-fi series that still holds up fifty years later. Although not as well known, Rod Serling’s “The Night Gallery” was his follow-up series which premiered on NBC five years after the cancellation of “The Twilight Zone.”
The conceit of “The Night Gallery” was that Serling would come out and talk about a painting on display in the “Night Gallery” and the teleplay, either an original story [many by Serling himself] or an adaptation of HP Lovecraft, Richard Matheson or another sci-fi or horror writer would follow. The paintings always related to the story that followed. It was a cool idea and I loved the show when it originally aired. [Keep in mind this was the early 70’s and I would have been 11 or 12.]
I’ve been watching episodes on RTN lately and I hate to say it, but many don’t hold up near as well as older episodes of “The Twilight Zone.” Part of the problem could be that “The Night Gallery” episodes in syndication are often cut or expanded to meet the half hour time slot.
I recently discovered this site dedicated to “Rod Serling’s Night Gallery.” It’s chock full of information about the series with everything from episode guides, to misconceptions about the series to a gallery of paintings used in each episode. If you have any interest in Rod Serling or “The Night Gallery” you should check out the site. It’s even more fun than some of the episodes it covers!
As the final season of The Shield heads to a conclusion, I find my self wondering how it will all end. Whatever happens, the main characters aren’t walking away happy. Two of the characters in the photo above, from the first episode of season one, are already dead. Mackey’s family is falling apart, his job and pension hang by a thread and his best friend has become his worst enemy.
Another Strike Force Team member could die in tonight’s episode which Capone over at Ain’t It Cool News calls
the best and most gripping installment yet. And that’s saying a lot. Maybe too much in fact. And for once I refused to read Capone’s invisatext spoiler warning on how the episode ends.
I’ll bet it’s not to hard to guess what will be the cover story of next week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly. That’s right, ZONErs, the new “Star Trek” movie will get the EW main feature treatment. The issue hits newsstands this Friday and will contain exclusive set visit photos. 
Entertainment Weekly recently posted their selections for the Twenty Greatest Sci-Fi Shows of All Time. You know how I love lists, so I decided to play along. Using just shows from EW’s top 20, I came up with my top five:5. OUTER LIMITS (1963-1965) Truthfully, I don’t remember all that many episodes. Considering that I was just five years old when the show premiered and seven when it went off the air. What I do remember is that I loved staying up late [well, it was late to a five year old] to watch the show with my mom. And it had that classic opening… “We control the horizontal…” I’d love to re-visit some of the episodes again. RTN are you listening?
4. THE SIX-MILLION DOLLAR MAN (1974-1978) This was “must-see” tv for all kids my age. Who wouldn’t want to be Steve Austin? Who could forget that dramatic opening of the test flight gone wrong, the horrible crash, and then… “We can rebuild him. Make him stronger… faster” and cut to Lee Majors running in slow motion? I’m really surprised this show hasn’t been updated for the big screen. Of course they’d probably have to call it “The Six Billion Dollar Man.”
3. LOST (2004 – Present) I’ve been riding the Lost wave since the premiere and haven’t missed an episode. I’m glad the show has an end date in sight not because I’m not enjoying it, but because I want to feel that a definite story is being told. If too many mysteries keep being thrown at us and few are resolved, it would grow old. Now there’s little chance of that.
Don LaFontaine died yesterday at the age of 68. You might not know his name, but I’d bet you would recognize Mr. LaFontaine’s voice. He was consider the voice-over king, and rightly so. What else would you call the man behind over 5,000 movie trailers, the in-studio announcer for the Academy and SAG awards, and whose voice could be heard on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN, TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network?I’m going to miss hearing his iconic voice booming, “In a world where…” and I have to tell you movie previews are going to be a little less fun… “In a world where Don LaFontaine no longer resides.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
James Hibberd, a senior reporter for The Hollywood Reporter, posted a spoiler-free review of the first eight episodes of The Shield’s final season.Here are a few snippets that really stood out for me:
FX has announced that the season/series finale for The Shield will air on November 25th. The good news is that the network is planning events to make the send-off special. There will be a retrospective with a roundtable discussion with the cast and crew. The official The Shield website has already posted exclusive new clips, photos and more. You can see them 
