THE MAN FROM EARTH Comes Home

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'The Man From Earth: Special Edition' on Blogcritics.

Ten years ago, The Man From Earth was released to the world. Not in theatres; the low-budget, indie film went straight to DVD. But with an excellent cast and cred for the writer, the movie went on to critical acclaim. It scored nominations, awards, and topped the list of Best Films in its genre. It was also, unfortunately, heavily pirated. Now, with an impending sequel, the original gets a remastered Special Edition release.

The Story

The story is a great thought experiment. Professor John Oldman (David Lee Smith, CSI: Miami) is packing up to leave town unexpectedly. A group of his colleagues insist on having a going-away party. When he slips out, they follow him and demand an explanation for his attempted disappearance. John tells them he’s actually a 14,000-year-old caveman who moves along every ten years before people notice that he doesn’t age. Of course, no one believes him. But the more they try to poke holes in his story, while he can’t prove what he’s saying is true, they fail to disprove it, either.

The Man From Earth plays very much like a play. Almost all the action is on one set, taking place in a single day. The ensemble by and large all stay on camera for the duration, making it a dialogue-heavy conversation piece. There isn’t any action, per se, just an intense examination of the claim and the ramifications of such a thing, exploring both the practical and the historical. Given that the characters are college professors, the conversation is high-brow and intelligent, covering a wide variety of angles.

Sci-Fi Cred

This is about what one might expect from writer Jerome Bixby, who literally finished this story on his death bed. Jerome is best known for “It’s a Good Life,” a short story that was turned into a seminal episode of The Twilight Zone, and for writing multiple episodes of the original 1960s Star Trek series, most notably “Mirror, Mirror.” (Another Star Trek episode he wrote, “Requiem for Methuselah,” has parallels to this tale.)

The ensemble cast also has plenty of Star Trek cred in it. Among them are John Billingsley (a lead in Star Trek: Enterprise), Tony Todd (guest star in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, and Star Trek: Voyager), and Richard Riehle (guest star in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise). Rounding out the cast are Ellen Crawford (ER), Annika Peterson (Tanner Hall), Alexis Thorpe (Days of Our Lives), and William Katt (Carrie). While not a highly recognizable troupe, these are all working actors who do a good job.

Ten Years Later

The Man From Earth holds up very well as a story. The plot is engrossing, the actors are natural, and there are enough surprises to make it worth it to pay attention. While it doesn’t answer every question that could be posed, it covers a lot of ground, and Bixby did a great job trying to anticipate what viewers would ask. I’m glad it’s getting a re-release to bring more attention to it.

But despite the expense spent on upgrading the film to HD (which it was not filmed in), I’m not sure the job was good enough to justify it. Sure, the original quality is soft and a bit blurry, but the new version is harsh and grainy. Watching the side-by-side comparison in the Blu-ray special features, I personally appreciated the original better. I’m not saying The Man From Earth couldn’t be made to look higher-quality, but I don’t think this release does it.

Extras

There are a wealth of bonus features on the Blu-ray. We get trailers for both the original movie and the upcoming sequel. There are two audio commentaries to choose from. There’s a very entertaining, very short film called “Contagion.” A few featurettes are interesting.

I am loathe to complain about a behind-the-scenes feature, as most are too short for my taste, but the one here is actually too long. Perhaps it would be better split into chunks, as it runs roughly the same length as the film. But I’m not sure that would help much, as there are a lot of unnecessary conversation in it. It’s cool to hear most of the cast, Bixby’s son, a producer, and director Richard Schenkman talk about the unique filming process and the piracy issues. However, there’s repetition and tangents that make it drag on. So for once, I have to say this one could use some editing down.

Conclusion

This is a great film, and I’m very glad to get to see it. It feels indie and low-budget, but that might be a plus for this particular story. The extras, despite my minor complaint that the main one could use some editing down, are plenty and mostly enjoyable. I recommend Jerome Bixby’s The Man From Earth, available now.

INTELLIGENCE Not Dumb

Article first published as INTELLIGENCE Review on Seat42F.

INTELLIGENCE premieres tonight. Sort of like a more serious version of NBC’s Chuck, the series stars Josh Holloway (Lost) as Gabriel Vaughn, an elite soldier who is implanted with a technologically advanced computer chip. This gives Gabriel access to the systems of U.S. government intelligence, as well as allows him to envision 3D environments where he can figure out a case, like an interactive puzzle.

I really, really liked Chuck and don’t feel like it needs a remake, so recently having gone off the air. Luckily, INTELLIGENCE isn’t exactly the same story. Chuck is humorous and cheeky, while INTELLIGENCE takes a darker tack, with situations that feel much more dangerous, and main characters doing jobs that feel a bit more realistic. INTELLIGENCE has more special effects, which are fantastic, by the way. Yet, it lacks the charm that made Chuck so good.

Counting against the show, it is on CBS, which means that, most likely, INTELLIGENCE will be a procedural. Cases-of-the-week are boring, delivering us the same installments over and over again. The “Pilot” isn’t a simple adventure, easily solved, and there are hints at longer arcs in the initial hour, so I hope it will be at least as serial as Person of Interest, which stretches itself a bit, though doesn’t leave the formula behind as much as, say, The Good Wife. Still, there is hope that this could be a special program, eventually, if it is developed correctly.

Holloway is understated as Gabriel. While he did the cocky, brash thing well on Lost, and that is what is called for here again, he tones it back a smidgen, setting the role apart from his previous. I do wish he had a bit more attitude, though, as that could make him pop a bit more.

In the “Pilot,” Gabriel is assigned a protector, Secret Service Agent Riley Neil (Meghan Ory, Once Upon A Time). Apparently, she’s like a female version of him, super smart and super tough, able to keep tabs on her reckless charge, while protecting him from the trouble that he gets himself into.

Riley and Gabriel are a familiar type of pairing. One male, one female, both straight and good looking. They are similar in their abilities and resolve, like other crime-solving duos on television, and have a chemistry that is entertaining and appealing. Viewers will likely tune in or not on the strength of these leads and their interactions together. Holloway and Ory don’t really do anything groundbreaking with the parts, but they serve their purpose well enough.

What’s different in INTELLIGENCE than in other similar shows is that there is no romance set up between Riley and Gabriel, at least not yet. Gabriel is married, and although his wife may be dead or a traitor, he hopes for the best, and that makes him unavailable at this time. That means there isn’t a flirty relationship set up yet, and if the series seeks to avoid being compared to every other show in the genre, let’s hope it stays that way. I like the way they relate to one another as it stands now.

I also like that the main cast of INTELLIGENCE isn’t just a group of people solving the cases assigned. Marg Helgenberger (CSI) does star as Lillian Strand, Riley and Gabriel’s boss, but the other two main characters, Shenendoah Cassidy (John Billingsley, Star Trek: Enterprise) and Nelson Cassidy (P.J. Byrne, The Legend of Korra), worked on a specific project, are not part of a predictable team. Shenendoah developed the chip, then was dismissed from the agency. Nelson is his son, jealous of the attention and affection Shenendoah has for Gabriel.

It’s this unique cast of players, not familiar stereotypes, that give me the best hope for INTELLIGENCE in the long run. The plot of the “Pilot” is fantastic, unto itself, with some great twists, but that’s just set up; it isn’t a true measure of how the series will do over the course of several years. With this ensemble, though, it may just be something to keep an eye on.

INTELLIGENCE premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

The Mentalist "Red Moon"

     I haven't watched CBS's The Mentalist since it premiered in the fall of 2008, so when I heard of a chance to get a screener for this week's episode for review, I jumped at the chance to check it out. After all, though I hadn't cared for the series on my initial viewing, the show is in its third season, so I figured it had likely gotten better.

     I'm sad to say, I was wrong. It is a typical crime show procedural. The gimmick of The Mentalist is that the central character, Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), pretends to be psychic to help the police solve crimes. I have to say, I didn't notice any psychic shenanigans in this episode at all. I checked Wikipedia, but it didn't appear that the premise has changed. USA already has a fake-psychic detective on Psych, and their version, albeit sillier, is better executed. I think it's Jane's quiet calm that throws me off. If a show is going to build around an eccentric central character, the person should actually seem eccentric. Otherwise, he's just boring. (See House or Castle for successful examples.)

     The ongoing plot involves Jane hunting for Red John, who murdered his family. This provided the sole interesting moments of the episode. The exchange between Simon and Teresa (Robin Tunney) about revenge, and the purpose it may or may not serve, was fascinating. Sadly, it was short, and didn't go very deep. I feel like this was an opportunity for the show to shine, and like Jane, it slunk into the shadows instead.

     The central story this week involves a serial killer taking out cops, who seems to have broken his or her pattern. Patrick, Teresa, and the others partner with the local law enforcement to take down the treat. Star Trek: Enterprise's former series regulars John Billingsley and Connor Trinneer guest star, as does Chris Ellis (Catch Me If You Can, Apollo 13, Armageddon). They each does a fair job pulling their weight, but are constantly sucked down by what happens around them.

     Though procedurals are not at all my bag, I can recognize a good one. I have tuned into an episode or two of Law & Order: SVU and been blown away. The Mentalist does not fall into this category. How it has lasted three seasons is beyond me.

     The Mentalist airs Thursday at 10pm on CBS.

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Article first published as TV Preview: The Mentalist - "Red Moon" on Blogcritics.

NOTE: This review has garnered personal attacks and rude comments on both of the news sites I write for.  I welcome all constructive criticism and debates about the series itself, but any personal attacks will be deleted.