World Without End (TV Show- Showcase TV)

WORLD WITHOUT END

Ken Follett Novel comes to life

Get a full cast list here

The English town of Kingsbridge works to survive as the King leads the nation into the Hundred Years' War with France while Europe deals with the outbreak of the Black Death.

I thought I would write a review for the season finale but that wouldn't make sense without some background.  This is a period piece, so if you're not into that kind of stuff then you probably won't like it. But I went into this for the love story and wound up getting caught up in the war and betrayals and the sadness of it all. There are three love stories in this series, two heterosexual love stories and one homosexual love story which in the end broke my heart. 

It was so interesting the way it was written. The king was was waging a war with a super power but at the same time waging a war against a priory who the only thing they want to do is live their lives. 

The queen had the king murdered then went on to wage war against Kingsbridge by raising their taxes and just terrorizing these people. I was impressed with it all. She was so evil I couldn't stand it! (in a good way). The crazy monks and the dark and brooding knights--breath-taking.

The evil in this show came like a kick in the gut from ever direction and those you think are good end up being bad. There's is superstitions and another instant where religion blind people to what's truly important. 

Ken Follett and the crew did an amazing job on this show. I was very impressed with it. I've watched all the episodes and it brought out in me some emotions a TV show should always manage to. It was of high caliber.  The season finale was heart-wrenching but brilliant. 

The one downside is I would have liked more people to remain alive because it seemed they killed the whole cast in the end. I am not sure if that means WORLD WITHOUT END is not coming back for a second season or what the deal was but the cast was completely destroyed in the last two episodes--from the plague, one guy got stabbed in the neck, another one got killed by a kid with a bow and arrow, one got beheaded--and the hits kept right on coming. 

The uncertainty of what is coming next or rather, what's not coming next is a horrid way to end a series. But I really can't complain. Now I'm heading out tomorrow after work to see if I can find the Ken Follett book that goes with it.

Check out this TV show.

 

STAR TREK

 

 

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Tyler Perry, Bruce Greenwood, Chris Hemsworth

 

The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful, time-traveling Romulan creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.

 

 

The moment I heard the news they were making a new trek movie I wanted to hit my head into a desk. I mean why mess with perfection? But knowing hollywood, they are not going to stop until they've screwed up all the classics.  Okay, so let me start off by saying I was never a fan of this movie and as long as I had to pay to watch it I would refuse to watch it. I have person issues with the casting of this movie as well as some others but that is a completely different issue all together. So one night I was home and SHOWCASE was on its blockbuster movie trip and I saw it.

 

Don't get me wrong, I still believe this movie should not have been made first because they needed some writers who had at least SOME inkling of the Star Trek history and what Gene had in mind when he created this breath-taking masterpiece.  There were so many holes in this movie I sat there, staring at the screen thinking--erm....

 

But to be honest, the graphics work and the jokes within the movie were none-stop and just perfect. One of my issue is the looks of the Romulan. I mean sure back in the day they were crude but that was the point. I don't think Gene meant for them to look like mutated fish without eyebrows.  I understand creative licensing. I really, really do....but the complete change of the Romulan physique was more than that--it was someone's attempt at re-writing trek.  Thank heavens they didn't seem fit to add a few klingons because then I'd be really mad as the Klingons are my absolute favorite species in the franchise.

 

And why was Tyler Perry in this movie? I am still confused as to what purpose he held. I mean, sure the character was necessary for the movie to work  and filled a gap, but Tyler Perry? The man's a genius and a major talent but not in Trek.

 

They really did try adding classic lines from the original but they were just flat and uncalled for.

 

All in all, this movie wasn't really my cup of tea - But the actors did what they could with what they were given. I especially love Anton Yelchin as Chekov was priceless and Zachary Quinto as Spock was somewhat refreshing.  I was somewhat disappointed however with the relationship between Spock and Uhura. I don't know I didn't feel a chemistry there--it was just as bad as Steven Segal in a sex scene.

 

 

Overall, it was good if you have no concept of trek or the history behind the characters and its place in TV history. If you are like me and you're a buff in TV history...you may want to skip this one.

 

 

On a lighter note - Check out this installment of HISHE!

 



Beauty and the Beast

Starring: Kristin Kreuk, Brian White, Max Brown, Austin Basis, Nina Lisandrello and Jay Ryan

When I first saw the previews for the new BEAUTY AND THE BEAST on SHOWCASE TV in Canada, I thought "here we go again. Another stupid, teenie bopper tv show about some lame vampires who glow in the sunlight" then "here we go again. Another over muscular teenie bopper tv show about an over muscular wolf."  

At first I thought I would never watch it. I mean I don't do vamps that glow in the sunlight or love sick wolves so why watch? But my curiosity got the better of me and I watched the first episode.

I was elated to see the BEAST (played by Jay Ryan) is NOT a vampire or a wolf. But was disappointed to see he's the equally cliche soldier who the military tested some DNA things on while he served in Iraq and now he has super powers. I mean come on--universal soldier anyone? But that's bad and not too bad. The first episode I watched I wasn't completely sold on the series so I decided to give it another try before I made up my mind.

 But the second episode didn't help any.

First let me start out with what I think works in this show.

Jay Park works. He is sexy--Which I know they were going for. He works for deep, dark and brooding. His anguish can be felt and the uncertainties he's feeling is real.

Nina Lisandrello works--kinda of. She works as the partner but you rarely ever see her. When she's on the screen I try my best to sit and watch her the way she carries herself that kind of thing. I wish she had more screen time.

Now what doesn't work. Okay where do I start?

Kristin Kreuk doesn't work. I think she's the biggest disappointment for me in this series. Sure she was good in Smallville but as a cop? I don't believe it. I cannot buy her waving a gun around and fighting bad guys. She's like, a chihuahua in a pound of pitbulls barking at them to show just how bad she can be but none of the pitbulls care because she's a chihuahua!  Her scowl is so epic-ly wrong I keep trying to fight to keep watching whenever she pulls her gun and gives an order. She's whiny and pushy and just--she isn't a good cop. Her character goes barging into places, screaming "POLICE!" as she enters. She keeps demanding that Beast help her find her mother's killer and over and over. She keeps saying "I need you to help me find out about my mother" over and over! I think I'm just going to re-watch the second episode and count how many times she says that. It's like getting whacked over the head with it. I mean, I know these characters are supposed to be in your face and all that. They're supposed to be strong and go for what they want but she is almost too much of that.  She can't take no for an answer--and by no for an answer I mean no for now then try again later or bide her time.

The casting director(s) expect(s) us to believe Brian White as a police captain of a precinct. I mean, really? Who was in charge of the Casting this show? Perhaps they were trying to do the token visible minority or something else but Brian White does not work as the head of a precinct. He looks too young and what is with the porn star mustache?

Then the writers of this show expects us to believe that her partner is going to just let it go that she's been acting weird lately. That I could get--but then they expect us to believe that a partner would let her partner keeps on chasing the bad guy alone while she mope around on a roof with the beast while her partner chases a suspected killer who tossed his victim off a roof! I mean come on! We'v been led to believe partners have each other's backs and when they are chasing a bad guy, one partner doesn't go off to grill her potential love interest over who killed her mother!

There's a time and place for everything.

I'm not going to mention any other characters because quite frankly what's the point? You rarely ever see them. All you see is Kristin Kreuk's character haul-assing around the place playing cop and the others just shows up when she needs something. Half the time she's walking around with this soap-opera-esque expression on her face like someone told her they were her dead sister's child uncle's brother's cousin twice removed who had amnesia for ten years and is just coming back from the dead.

Ugh!

The relationship between beauty and her beast his progressing too fast. It's almost as though they know the story will be over soon so they are pushing it hard and fast. They are too close for just the second episode and he looks at her like a lost puppy.

In the first episode it didn't say anything about a sister but all of a sudden in the second episode WHAM there's a sister who's the exact image of every spoiled brat you've ever seen. And then every time she's in a bad spot, here comes the beast to protect her! I mean talk about a push back to fighting for women's rights. She's perfectly capable of being a cop just not capable of protecting herself or getting out of tight spots by herself. And she's always alone--its like her partner is just there like Danno from Hawaii 5-0. You know, when the other guy captures the bad guy he hands him over and said "Book him Danno" and all is right with the world.

How positively upsetting.

Then her cases - they gets wrapped up so neatly and so conveniently I want to laugh at the way they get their evidence and how they work it.

There are some serious issues with whoever is writing the scripts for this show. I don't know if its because they're all men or if its because they just don't care or don't know what they're doing but I expected so much more from the CW. I mean they are the same guys who was running One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl! How can they go so horribly wrong with this one?

I'll keep watching whenever Nina is on the screen or when the Beast is doing something beastly but anything else I'm changing the channel. Don't know how long this one will last.