EVIL Stirrings

Article first published as TV Review: EVIL on Seat42F.

CBS has an EVIL new drama, which premiered last week. It’s about a team of investigators who try to determine if miracles and possessions are real. They are skeptics, not believers (for the most part), and the series is about them as people as much as it is about their cases, a departure from the network’s typical procedural formula (though there’s a bit of that in there, too). Will they prove a god and/or Satan exist? Or will their job be a series of debunks?

EVIL was created by Michelle King and Robert King, the minds behind The Good Wife and its spin-off, The Good Fight. Both of those shows, while legal in nature with specific trials and negotiations dealt with, were far from the basic procedural, and provided some wonderful characters over the years. Two episodes in, my impression of their new series is that it will be the same, a rare gem on a mostly has-been network.

The clear lead is Katja Herbers (Westworld, Divorce), who plays Kristen Bouchard. Fired from her job for not being willing to bend the truth on the witness stand while professionally testifying, Kristen is desperate. She’s at home with four daughters (Brooklyn Shuck, Rise; Skylar Gray, Married; Maddy Crocco; and Dalya Knapp) while her as-yet-unseen husband guides mountain climbing expeditions. Thankfully, her mom, Sheryl (Christine Lahti, Chicago Hope), lends a hand, but that’s not nearly enough.

A quick note about the kids: They seem pretty interchangeable and generic at the start, but I don’t believe they’re likely to stay that way. There are a lot of characters and a lot of story threads in EVIL, and for now, the girls are mostly a plot device to ratchet up the stress on Kristen, seen almost exclusively in a group. However, episode two started to distinguish one from the herd, and based on the creators’ past works, I find it probable that viewers will soon be able to distinguish them as individuals quite easily. It just may take a bit of time.

Back to Kristen, she is saved from unemployment by none other than the Catholic Church. Specifically, would-be-priest David Acosta (Mike Colter, Luke Cage), who asks for her help. The two, along with Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi, The Daily Show), make up the team that drives the A story of the initial offerings.

However, EVIL is more than one woman’s work and home life. We see her in therapy with Dr. Boggs (Kurt Fuller, Psych), which strangely ties into the first case. She is visited in her dreams by a demon named Georgie (Marti Matulis, Teen Wolf). And David is taunted by a man who might be supernatural, or at least have supernatural connections, named Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson, Lost).

That’s an ambitious workload for a broadcast network show, especially one on this particular channel. It’s a complex, well-developed world that presents a lot of questions without giving a lot of answers. I wouldn’t call EVIL particularly religious, but it’s not exactly not religious, either. It doesn’t have a point of view or agenda that it’s pushing, with various characters representing varied viewpoints, and none seeming to be more correct than any other. It’s a setting and premise to dwell in, showing us possibilities, rather than telling us what to think.

I like EVIL a lot. Already a fan of the Kings, I think this is every bit as intriguing as their previous shows, as well as being quite a bit weirder. The opening credits of EVIL are reminiscent of The Good Fight, while its lead has echoes of an in-over-her-head Alicia from the beginning of The Good Wife. It seems an evolution of their writing, and one that will probably be quite compelling.

EVIL airs Thursdays on CBS.

MOVIE 43 Blu-ray Review

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Movie 43' on Blogcritics.org.

Movie 43, a comedy film of small bits packed with big stars, is now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Fox Home Video. Couched in a framing story about three boys’ search online for the very illegal and fictional Movie 43, bizarre bits that are supposed to be funny string along with little to no connection between them for about an hour a half.

Depending on whether you watch the theatrical version of the film or the alternate cut, both of which are included on this release, depends on what framing story you get. Either Charlie Wessler (Dennis Quaid) pitches an ever-changing film to Griffin Schraeder (Greg Kinnear), constantly shifting the characters and premise, or three boys (including The Inbetweeners‘ Mark L. Young) are hacking the internet to find a fictional film called Movie 43 that could destroy the world. Both go meta in a weird way; the other bits of the movie appear to be the same in both editions.

Neither scenario makes much sense, so I do wish the film’s producers had just let the scenes stand on their own. A bunch of different sketches performed by some of the most familiar faces in Hollywood is an intriguing enough concept without forcing them to be strung together. The way this is released, it feels like forced cohesion that doesn’t quite come together.

Because each segment is made by different people, they do feel like they fall across the spectrum, from the absurdly hilarious, to the confusingly weird, to the just plain gross. This is a common issue with every comedy made up of individual segments (just ask Saturday Night Live), and humor is highly subjective, so while I did not enjoy the entire hour and a half, there are some things in Movie 43 that I really loved. Others likely will watch the same movie and value different parts.

The best of the bunch are: “iBabe,” in which a woman (Kate Bosworth) just can’t make a boss (Richard Gere) and his underlings (Aasif Mandvi and Jack McBrayer) understand why teenage boys are getting their body parts mangled in a lower-region fan of an mp3 player that looks like a naked woman; a “Machine Kids” commercial showing sad children hiding inside ATMs and soda vendors; “Super Hero Speed Dating,” in which Batman (Jason Sudeikis) ruins Robin’s (Justin Long) chances with women ranging from Wonder Woman (Leslie Bibb) to Supergirl (Kristen Bell); and “Victory’s Glory,” in which a Coach (Terrance Howard) in 1959 faces an uphill battle in convincing a black basketball team they can beat a white one.

I think I like these four because they take something familiar, and turn it on its head in a clever manner. Wonderful performers lose themselves in these roles for a few minutes, doing something most people don’t expect from them, and doing it well. Throughout the segment, the tension and story ramps up, and there are odd twists.

The parts of the film I didn’t like involve sexual pooping, spilled period blood, and incestual make-outs. I can see how this might appeal to others, but it just crosses the line of my taste and goes too far. The point is, though, there is really something for everyone (except those who only like intelligent, witty stuff), with a broad swath of topics and genres.

The cast is amazing, and includes, besides those listed above, Common, Seth MacFarlane, Elizabeth Banks, Halle Berry, Stephen Merchant, John Hodgman, Anna Faris, Gerard Butler, Snooki, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Emma Stone, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sean William Scott, Uma Thurman, Chris Pratt, J.B. Smoove, and others. It really is a remarkably talented group of people, and while I didn’t appreciate all of the styles of humor represented, I don’t think any cast member felt wooden or out of place in the larger picture.

The extras leave a lot to be desired, unfortunately, Besides a trailer and some previews of other titles, the only bonus included is a cut scene featuring Tony Shaloub and Julianne Moore. This deleted segment is no better or worse than anything in the finished film, so I’m not sure why it isn’t integrated in with the rest.

But what I’d really like to see is the story of how Movie 43 came about, why all of these actors chose to participate, and who championed the idea in the first place. Surely, there is a rich story behind this, given the scope of the project, and I’m very curious about the back story, which is not revealed on this disc.

As far as Blu-ray quality, the picture and effects are great, but there isn’t a lot to push boundaries. It’s a very typical film, visually, with character-driven scenes, so aside from liking a crisp, clear image, there isn’t much argument to made on DVD vs. Blu-ray. The format is consistent, and I didn’t notice any static or graininess from either picture or sound. However, neither is there anything super impressive that makes use of an advanced playback system. Nor would I really expect there to be in this type of movie.

Movie 43 is available now as a two-disc Blu-ray, DVD, digital download combo pack.

Ruby Sparks light a fire

Recently released from FOX, Ruby Sparks is the story of a boy and a girl. But it's oh so much more than that. The boy, Calvin (Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine), is a young, best selling author who is struggling to find inspiration to repeat his success. At the advice of his therapist, Dr. Rosenthal (Elliot Gould, MASH), he writes about a girl that can accept him as he is. And then the girl, Ruby (Zoe Kazan, Dano's real life girlfriend and the writer of this film), appears in his apartment.

Now, Calvin is not going crazy. At least, he doesn't appear to be. His brother, Harry (Chris Messina, The Mindy Project, Damages), can see her, too, as can everyone else. Once viewers are able to suspend that disbelief, one can really get invested in the tale of this couple, who are made for each other, on one side, quite literally.

But no one is perfect. As much as Ruby is the girl that Calvin imagines he wants to be with, she is also a fully developed person, not just a two dimensional figure on paper. Which means, she has a mind of her own, and can do things that bug Calvin, or make him feel down on himself. Calvin has the power to change Ruby at any time just by whipping his type writer back out. It isn't too long before he gives in to temptation and does just that.

One can tell that Ruby Sparks is written by a woman. Rather than rewriting Ruby for sexual purposes, an option brought up by Harry, but quickly dismissed by the more sensitive Calvin, he just tweaks her personality so that she is devoted to him, and he gets rids of things about her he finds annoying. However, when Calvin begins to remove layers, even with the best of intentions, because, after all, she is his creation, and so it could be argued that he has a right to make adjustments, he also erases the essence that makes Ruby Ruby. She no longer has free will, nor is she the person he wanted to be with. This is a case of over-thinking things.

Ruby Sparks really makes the audience think, too. Surely, many people have dreamed up a scenario such as this, but how many have taken time to really explore what being in this situation would mean? How many consider all the implications and nuanced rules that would go hand in hand with the occurrence? Kazan proves her talents as a writer quite handily, really fleshing out everything in a very believable way.

And does anyone truly want what they consider to be the perfect girl? Not only would this be boring, but how would Calvin ever be challenged to grow? If all he wants is an idea of a woman, the internet and blowup dolls exist. No, he wants a companion, and that means he must take the good with that bad. Those are the facts of life.

All television them song references aside, Ruby Sparks is a fascinating, smart movie that is very enjoyable, but also so much more than mindless entertainment. Buoyed by an excellent supporting cast, each with wonderful featured moments, that includes Toni Trucks (Made in Jersey), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood), Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder), Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show), Annette Benning (The Kids Are All Right), and an amazing turn by Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), this is a movie that begs repeat viewings.

In fact, if one stops the film about two minutes before the end, I would consider it a near-perfect movie. There's a tag I'm not a fan of; I'd prefer if the next to last scene served as the ending. Others may disagree.

The special features, on the other hand, at least the ones included on the review copy I got, leave much to be desired. There are three featurettes of only a few minutes each in length that are pretty repetitive, just praising those involved. It is pointed out that not only are Dano and Kazan a couple, but so are the directors, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (both Little Miss Sunshine). But that's about the only thing interesting gleaned from the scant extras. Hopefully, there will be another release in the future that packages a bit more, because, the impression I get is, the story behind the story is probably pretty neat, as well.

Ruby Sparks is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Article first published as DVD Review: Ruby Sparks on Blogcritics.