dreamloom

Author: R.A. Porter

  • Leverage: “The Homecoming Job”

    Doc, he’s cool. I found him on the Internet.
    Yes, that never goes badly.

    The second episode, airing in its regular slot on Tuesday nights finds the team scattered around the world. That’s not really a shock as they aren’t a team yet. Sophie’s still “acting”, auditioning for a soap commercial with all the subtlety and nuance she can muster, Parker’s stealing art, and Eliot’s off hurting people. Only Nate and Hardison are back at home setting up the offices of Leverage Consulting & Associates, founded by the very handsome and leonine Harlan Leverage, III.

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  • Leverage: “The Nigerian Job”

    Nathan: My job is helping people. I find bad guys.
    Sophie: Well go find some bad guys. Bad guys have money. Black King. White Knight.

    As Nathan Ford sits in an empty lounge waiting for a flight, self-medicating from his stash of mini bottles, he’s approached by Victor Dubenich (Saul Rubinek) with a job. Victor knows quite a bit about Nathan.

    Victor runs development at Bering Aerospace and claims five years of development on a new short haul domestic airliner have been stolen by his rival at Pierson Aviation. He’s hired three thieves and needs “one honest man” to take charge of them. Nathan only agrees when Victor tells him Pierson is insured by his old company. This job isn’t just about money: it’s about revenge.

    What Nathan doesn’t see is that Victor’s a stone-cold bastard.

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  • Interview with Leverage creators

    This fall has not been a great season for TV. New shows have been painful letdowns, old shows have come up short, and the few standouts have either been canceled – Pushing Daisies – or ended their runs in heart stopping fashion like The Shield. So even when something’s been great, we won’t be seeing it any longer. ((Yes, I know there’s still Friday Night Lights. And, um…what else?))

    Into that vast wasteland comes a breath of fresh, stylish air on TNT. Leverage marks the return of the superstar thief to the airwaves to fight back the onslaught of reality programming and forensic procedurals. You can read my preview here. It’s a tight, snappy show with a stellar cast having a lot of fun with what they’re doing. Which makes it a great change of pace from a lot of the somber and downright glum people littering the dial.

    I was able to ask the creators a few questions about the show. I hope you enjoy their answers as much as I did.

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  • Pushing Daisies: “Comfort Food”

    Young Ned’s lesson tonight is one we could all stand to learn: “even a forkful of immediate gratification can lead to a world of grave consequences.” Young Ned learned while opening the oven at the Longborough School for Boys and letting the aroma of pie waft through the night. It was a lesson Chuck could have used before opening her father’s grave and letting a very different aroma waft on the night breeze.

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  • Leverage Preview

    People like that, corporations like that, they have all the money. They have all the power. And they use it to make people like you go away. Right now, you’re suffering under an enormous weight. We provide…Leverage.

    If you’re a certain age, you might have grown up as I did, watching shows like It Takes a Thief and The Saint. ((In syndication in my case; I’m not *that* old.)) You might even have rooted for David Niven in The Pink Panther. The thief with a heart of gold is the oldest and most revered anti-hero in the storyteller’s pantheon and used to be common on our televisions, but he’s been MIA for a long time. The networks have made a few attempts at reviving the genre with little success; however, the recent growth of original drama on basic cable makes this the perfect time and place to bring back the thief.

    So on December 7th, TNT expands its repertoire of original dramas by adding the stylish, charming, and amusing Leverage to its lineup.

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  • Horror Meets Comedy launches on Xbox LIVE


    Got an Xbox? Good. Got Xbox LIVE? Very good. Today is the launch of the Horror Meets Comedy shorts on LIVE, sponsored by the USAF ((Don’t ask…I don’t know why. Don’t tell…me if you know.)) I just finished the short, from May director Lucky McKee, and chuckled quite a bit. If you like subversive and slightly skewed humor, you’ll probably like this quite a bit.

    For context, if you like James Gunn’s PG Porn, you’ll think this is a hoot ‘n’ a half.

    Log in, download, and come on back and tell us what you thought.

  • Pushing Daisies: “Robbing Hood”

    Ned: I’m out of counter space, so I’m stress baking in my head.
    Chuck: Feels like you’re stress baking me.
    Ned: I’m channeling fear into anger.
    Emerson: Anger leads to hate.
    Chuck: Hate leads to stress baking the people you love.

    Watching tonight with one eye and a heavy heart was probably not the best way to appreciate another fine outing from Bryan Fuller et al. I barely caught the key party exchange ((For a worldly pervert, I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t heard of this ’70s staple until Sam and Annie took a walk on the undercover wild side on Life on Mars.)) and had to skip back to enjoy Ned’s innocence and Chuck’s teasing tone. I only barely noticed the Yoda bit. And I couldn’t tell you what color schemes the costumers and set dressers went with if you held a gigantic musket to my head.

    But I did still smile. It’s hard not to smile while watching this show. Which is pretty remarkable considering my mood today and how directly it is related to this canceled gem.

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  • Pushing Daisies: “Oh Oh Oh…It’s Magic”


    There have been quite a few very well suited guest stars on Pushing Daisies – Molly Shannon, Patrick Fabian, the brilliant Paul Reubens – but none fit quite so well as Fred Willard. Now, I’m a sucker for Willard, always have been. He’s got a real warmth to go with the absurd-oblivious air he affects, and it never fails to make me like his characters. That’s true again here, as he plays Herman Gunt – The Great Herrmann – as a softie who can’t help but take Maurice and Ralston under his wing when their father bails on them during a Sunday matinee.

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  • Batman: The Brave and the Bold


    I probably should have mentioned this *before* it premiered, but I’d totally spaced on it until mid-day on Friday. Then, I figured I should watch it before recommending it. Sorry about that.

    Because You Should Be Watching This!

    At least you should if you like fun, light-hearted action that doesn’t take itself seriously but takes its audience seriously. You should if you don’t believe The Goddamn Batman, or the brooding Batman, or the psychopathic Batman is the only real Batman. You should if you like a Bats with a loaded utility belt and a big yellow target on his chest. Most of all, you should watch if you like to be entertained.

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  • Pushing Daisies Might Finish in Comics

    Slice of SciFi is reporting that Bryan Fuller has presented his plans for the second half of the season to ABC execs and is waiting for the pickup. But if the network passes, he plans to complete the story arcs in comics.

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