THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT Blu-ray Review

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'The Divergent Series: Insurgent' on Blogcritics.

This week, the second film in the Divergent Series, Insurgent, is released on 3-D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD.  Divergent is set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, where the remaining humans have been sorted into castes based on their abilities. One girl defies the framework and challenges those who wish to manipulate it for their own gain. Picking up just a few days after where the last Divergent movie ends, Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) must bring the fight to Jeanine (Kate Winslet) before she destroys their society, pinning death and chaos on the pair. Jeanine’s tool to do so happens to require Tris, and the trippy adventure to get there is action-packed and visually impressive.

The story behind Insurgent is interesting, if a little underdeveloped. The plot rockets through four different groups of people in two hours, while still trying to grant some character development to the leads. This means little insight into the various factions and their leadership structures, even as each new corner of the world begs to be explored. And it’s a fascinating world.

Most of the action is focused on Tris, the emotional entrance to the film’s heart, and I understand the desire to maintain the focus there, but it feels like there are wasted possibilities constantly plucked and then discarded.

As a result, those plot threads are neglected, minimizing the roles of terrific actors, new to the sequel, including Octavia Spencer (The Help), Naomi Watts (The Impossible), and Daniel Dae Kim (Lost). I find myself wishing for more story in each of their zones. The talented new cast members, join the already impressive cast from the first movie (which, alongside Winslet, includes Ashley Judd, Mekhi Phifer, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Miles Teller, Maggie Q, and more).

The overall story arcs feel a bit weak at times. For instance, Tris is able to resist the mind-controlling serum in the first movie because she is Divergent, but quickly succumbs to Candor’s truth juice? The powers of a Divergent aren’t quite clear. And why does Candor have its own guards? It also seems like Jeanine has a lot of power, but then has no idea what is going on in other parts of the city, though the soldiers that work for her always seem to show up when the movie requires another shot of adrenaline.

Insurgent is not a bad film. What it lacks in plot, it makes up for in some really neat shots. I wish I’d been sent the 3-D version of this film to review because I am sure it would be cool to see all of the visual effects with depth. As it stands, even the  Blu-ray version is pretty good looking. Some wide shots and crowd scenes are identifiable as computer-generated, but everything that happens to Tris, and there’s a lot of mind-confounding stuff for her to go through that isn’t set in reality, is very well done. As a blockbuster-type movie, Insurgent delivers on the expectation for big, flashy scenes.

The special features on this set are also much better than most recent releases I’ve seen. “The Ultimate Behind-the-Scenes Access” is the entire length of the movie, often showing the film in a small box while talking about different aspects. This is more than just fluff, giving real insight into a variety of pieces of the production. There’s also a separate audio commentary, and several featurettes about adapting the book, the cast in general, a break down on a scene, and a look at perhaps the most interesting character, Peter Hayes (Teller). Most of these are not on the straight DVD, so that means blu-ray is recommended, though I’d imagine 3D is the best way to go if you have a 3D television and player.

In short, while Insurgent has some flaws, the package has a lot of value to it. It may not be as good as some other recent entries in the genre, but there is a lot of clever, original material here, too, which will give the savvy viewer much to ponder long after the film is over. Combined with a great array of extras, I’m glad to add this to my collection.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent will is available August 4th.

RED BAND SOCIETY Trying to Heal Network Television

Article first published as RED BAND SOCIETY Review on Seat42F.

Red Band Society Cast : Octavia Spencer, Nolan Sotillo, Griffin Gluck, Zoe Levin, Charlie Rowe, Ciara Bravo, Brian Bradley, Dave Annable

It’s not often a broadcast network makes a show that feels totally different than just about everything else on television. FOX has done that with RED BAND SOCIETY. The dark dramedy about a group of sick teenagers who live in a hospital has shades of Degrassi, but the unique setting and challenges they face puts a different spin on the coming-of-age genre. Considering that films with similar themes have popped up recently (see: The Fault in Our Stars), it makes sense to explore these issues in a longer-run format.

A show such as RED BAND SOCIETY needs a good group of young actors, and six mostly-unknowns fit the Breakfast Club-esque bill well. Jordi (Nolan Sotillo, Prom) is the new kid on the block, forced to room with bad boy Leo (Charlie Rowe, Pirate Radio). Leo’s best friend is horny Dash (The X Factor contestant Astro). We’ve got the bitchy cheerleader, Kara (Zoe Levin, The Way Way Back), and the mousy girl with an eating disorder, Emma (Ciara Bravo, Big Time Rush). Charlie (Griffin Gluck, Private Practice) narrates the story from his coma bed, secretly visited by the father (Thomas Ian Nicholas, American Pie) who isn’t allowed to see him.

The mix of personalities is pretty good. A lot of boxes are checked, but the performers are all decent enough to sell the product, other than Astro, that is, who is nearly as unlikeable here as he was in the reality show in which he competed. But overall, while somewhat predictable, the relationships are compelling enough to keep the story going, as the kids individually pull the viewer’s heartstrings.

Of course, there are sappy scenes, even in hour one. A particular heart-to-heart between Jordi and Leo is obviously coming, and RED BAND SOCIETY delivers on that promise, asking for some pathos at the conclusion of a bit of fun. In this, it’s emotionally manipulative, but seemingly not in a malevolent way.

There is a staff watching over them, of course. Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer (The Help, Mom) plays the perfect “scary bitch” with a heart of gold, Nurse Jackson. She is offset by Rebecca Rittenhouse as bumbling, naïve Brittany. Surely the two of them will grow over time with one another’s help, much as the kids do. Rounding out the adult contingent is Dr. Jack McAndrew (Dave Annable, Brothers & Sisters), rocking the grey hair as he performers his duty with intelligence and compassion.

Maybe it’s a little simplistic to have such heroic healthcare providers, but RED BAND SOCIETY is a feel-good drama, and thus, needs characters to root for. The teens suffer enough from the viruses ravaging their bodies; they don’t require antagonistic grown-ups bringing them down, too. Instead, we get as cheery a picture as possible under the circumstances, which, while perhaps a tad realistic, makes the show quite watchable.

The wild card for me in this pilot is Ruben Garcia (Griffin Dunne, House of Lies, Dallas Buyers Club). Although not a main character, Ruben is the one adult shown as a patient. One of the kids mentions he’s a rich hypochondriac who will leave his fortune to the hospital, and we see him helping out the youngsters with their schemes. Clearly, the writers must put him here for a reason, so what is it? Will he help someone get through their emotional struggles, or provide an answer to a problem later on?

I’m sure RED BAND SOCIETY won’t be the best new series of the fall, but it is far from the worst, and at least it’s not just copying other series the way so many do. The message portrayed is one many viewers will connect to, or at least feel for, and since there’s no other optimistic drama like this running on the Big Four right now, it may find its niche. I certainly hope it does.

RED BAND SOCIETY airs Wednesdays beginning September 17th on FOX.

Back to TV’s Roots

Article first published as Back to TV's Roots on Blogcritics.

Lately, television networks have flocked to remakes and reboots as much as the cinema has. Sometimes, it works well; other times, it’s a disaster. What could or should be remade, and how do those projects that deserve to see the light of day proceed?

Crime procedurals are typically easy to redo. There are a million CSIs and NCISs on the air, so it’s clear the genre is still popular, as puzzling as that is to many critics, myself included, who quickly grow bored with formula.

Hawaii Five-0 is entertaining because it’s set in a beautiful locale and has humorous dialogue mixed with big action. Ironside is a flimsy concept whose only real departure from the norm is that the main character is in a wheelchair, not exactly a novel twist. One of these is popular and has run for years, the other is likely to get canceled in the very near future.

NBC wants to bring back Murder, She Wrote, this time starring Octavia Spencer in the role made famous by Angela Lansbury. One one hand, Spencer is a fantastic actress (though so is Blair Underwood on Ironside) and deserves her own TV series. On the other, Lansbury is iconic in the role, still stuck in our minds many years after her cancellation. As good as Spencer is, overcoming the shadow of the great lady that came before her seems a daunting task, and thus I am not optimistic about the show lasting.

Angsty dramas are a mixed bag. Melrose Place showed us how not to do it, and 90210 lasted a few years not because it tapped in to the nostalgia of the previous generation who watched the original, but because it found a new (somewhat limited) audience and didn’t rely too heavily on history. Yet, Dallas has been my favorite in this category, continuing a familiar story, mixing beloved characters with new blood in a way that gives the series new life. The only question is if it can survive without star Larry Hagman, which remains a lingering mystery.

Sci-fi also can work, but rather than continuing, like Dallas does for its drama, the series must reinvent itself. Star Trek: The Next Generation and the other spin-offs built upon the original Star Trek, but also added a lot of new elements, coming into their own. V was interesting, and had it had stronger writing, it could have lasted longer than two years. Battlestar Galactica was fantastic, re-imagining the old version completely, and surpassing its origins.

The real reason I sat down to write this column today, though, is because of the news that the History Channel is redoing Roots. In my opinion, this is a horrible idea.

Roots was an extremely popular miniseries, which won a ton of awards. History, which has only recently entered the scripted fare market, has gotten good attention with its efforts so far. From the standpoint of its brand, I could see why they would pick this property as a contender to continue to build its slate.

However, have you watched the original Roots lately? It still holds up extremely well. And being as widely viewed as it was, and continues to be in high schools across America, it is still relevant in the public conscious. Most of the people tuning in to watch the new version will remember the old, and comparisons will be inevitable. Considering the very high quality standard the original set, this seems like playing with fire.

It’s a big risk, and one I would not recommend making, as much as I think it’s great when television takes risks. It’s like if someone decided to remake the Back to the Future films, or even the Harry Potter movies, in the next few years. It just isn’t a smart idea. The payoff, should it be accomplished successfully, could be pretty good, though it’s unlikely to reach the heights of the earlier broadcast, which aired at a time of much fewer channels and competition. It seems doomed to always be pegged as the lesser edition. And that’s the best case scenario. If it sucks, it could set History back considerably.

So I have a question for you, gentle readers. Actually two. What could History do to make Roots a win in your book, and what shows would you like to see remade?

My answer for the first is to cast LeVar Burton as the older version of Kunta Kinte, which would only be a smart move for Burton is the new project is awesome, but him signing on would automatically give it gravitas and attention. For the second, besides another Star Trek series, I’d like to see a grittier, more realistic, dramatic version of Gilligan’s Island. How about you? Weigh in in the comments below.

Not quite "Game Over" for 30 Rock, but getting close

It feels like the beginning of the end this week for NBC's 30 Rock. Jack (Alec Baldwin) engages in a final battle of the wits with Kaylie Hooper (Chloe Grace Moretz) for control of Kabletown. With the current CEO, Hank Hooper (Ken Howard), set to retire, Jack feels his chance to run the company slipping away to an evil teenage girl. Kaylie may be Jack's greatest foe yet, and the battle of wits between them becomes convoluted and full of deception.

This is a really great plot because Jack is at his best when threatened, and he has to end up a high note. Inheriting the position without having to work for it one more time would have been hugely unsatisfying. Instead, he is pushed to his breaking point, having to use all of his wit, and use the witless pawns Jenna (Jane Krakowski) and Devon (Will Arnett, somehow finding time off from Up All Night and Arrested Development) in order to come out on top.

It's interesting, because Hank is a truly good guy, one who appreciates kindness and old-school morality. Neither Jack nor Kaylie is a worthy successor, both plenty willing to splash in the muck, and more shrewd than generous. Part of me thinks that a last minute twist could keep the company from going to Jack, since that is not really what Hank Hooper would want, should he know all, even though Jack won by appearing to be the more heartfelt. But at the same time, Jack is a more important character than Hank, so this may be it.

I really liked that Devon is drawn into the game. With the end in sight (airing January 31st), 30 Rock parades through a few recurring characters in this episode, giving them one last hurrah before the curtain closes. Devon is a great recurring player, and Lenny (Steve Buscemi), Bev (Megan Mullally), and Doctor Spaceman (Chris Parnell) make appearances, too.

Jack isn't the only one heading for his endgame in "Game Over." Liz (Tina Fey) is frustrated with fertility treatments and waiting to adopt a baby, so she considers taking in an older child instead. It makes sense, since she's already spent seven years raising Tracy (Tracy Morgan), who is like an infant. Now, she can graduate to the later stage of motherhood, and be happy.

Tracy finally gets to see himself as others see him in "Game Over." On set at his new film, in which he has cast Octavia Spencer (The Help) as Harriet Tubman, he finds out just what an immature, crazy diva can do to a production, as Spencer turns out to be the female version of Tracy in a hilarious sequence of scenes. Bringing in someone with such recent acclaim as Octavia to play the outrageous role is the type of genius casting that 30 Rock is known for.

Yes, the antics of Octavia are extremely funny, and make for an entertaining episode, but more importantly, Tracy gets introspective. He has to try to understand what Liz puts up with, and how she can get things done. He isn't successful in corralling Octavia, but he gets a lesson in himself.

That's what "Game Over" is all about. On the surface, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments. But underneath that, the major players are all moving towards their finales, taking stock of their lives, and setting themselves on their next paths. Being able to do this without resorting to the sappy, staying as zany and goofy as ever, takes monumental talent. 30 Rock is killing it.

30 Rock continues Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC for just three more weeks.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first posted on TheTVKing