Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Ben McKenzie

BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE Featurette

#Gotham Season 2 First Images & Promo Clip

FOX has released the first images from the second season of Gotham . Gotham is an origin story of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (The Mentalist, Rome), Gotham follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering between good and evil, and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time. See all the images after the Jump... Please Leave A Comment-

TV Review: Gotham “Lovecraft”

TV Review: Gotham “Lovecraft” By: Brandon Wolfe With roughly half of its first season now laid out, ‘Gotham’ is still struggling to get its act together. The flaws that one hoped were temporary and being worked through are now starting to look like they might be the house style. The show is all thumbs, uncertain of what it wants to be and seemingly incapable of any artfulness. It should be much better than this, yet it doesn’t seem to be on any path to redemption. Arguably the biggest problem with ‘Gotham’ is its stubborn insistence on cramming young Bruce Wayne into the works as a major character. This decision has hamstrung the show by forcing a character into a context in which he simply doesn’t make sense. ‘Gotham’ was sold as a gritty cop procedural set in a pre-Batman Gotham City. This is a conceit with promise, at least in theory, but it’s also one where a schoolboy version of Bruce Wayne makes little sense playing a sizable role. The creators seem convinced that people wi...

TV Review: Gotham “Harvey Dent”

We break down the newest episode from the Fox series. TV Review: Gotham “Harvey Dent” By: Brandon Wolfe “ Harvey Dent” introduces to the ‘Gotham’ world Harvey Dent, since it would be weird to call the episode that had it not. Portrayed by Nicholas D’Agosto as a slightly manic, eager-beaver lawyer itching to take on Gotham’s corrupt upper class, Dent is constantly flipping that iconic coin of his. Of course he is. ‘Gotham’ would never resist the temptation to hammer us with iconography like its life depended on it. Edward Nygma offers riddles every time he pops on screen, Young Selina Kyle already has the nickname “Cat,” so why wouldn’t the show hit us with Dent’s coin repeatedly? Given how the show operates, it’s surprising they haven’t also given Dent eczema on the right side of his face. For an episode that bears Dent’s name, this is not really his showcase. He’s just a spoke on the wheel, though the initial impression of Dent offered here already hints that the guy might h...

TV Review: Gotham “The Mask”

TV Review: Gotham “The Mask” By: Brandon Wolfe After last week’s narrative pyrotechnics concerning Gotham City’s ensuing mob war and the Penguin’s key role in it, ‘Gotham’ shifts back into procedural mode, a mode that it still hasn’t quite cracked how to do well with. With the more interesting story threads largely moved to the backburner this week, Gordon and Bullock are back at work on a more standard case, and the episode suffers for it. “The Mask” concerns a financial firm that exercises the unusual hiring process of having its young hotshot prospects fight each other to the death for a seat at the table, all to satisfy the whims of its deranged CEO, Richard Sionis. When the body (with the gruesome addition of a severed finger in its mouth) of a failed prospect is recovered, Gordon and Bullock begin poking around and begin to notice that virtually all of Sionis’ charges around the office bear some form of battle scarring. This all leads to a confrontation between Gordon and ...

TV Review: Gotham “Penguin’s Umbrella”

TV Review: Gotham “Penguin’s Umbrella” By: Brandon Wolfe “ Penguin’s Umbrella ” is the best episode of ‘ Gotham ’ aired thus far. Which isn’t to say that it nullifies every problem the show has displayed since its inception, but it shakes off the procedural stupor that has enveloped the series since the pilot. That mob war we’ve heard about incessantly for weeks finally heats up and we start to see how Oswald Cobblepot fits into the mix. “Penguin’s Umbrella” is a pivotal episode in ‘Gotham’s’ burgeoning mythology and it gives us our first indication that the people behind the show might actually have some idea of what they’re doing after all. Cobblepot coming forward to reveal his notable lack of death has saved Gordon from his impending arrest for the man’s murder, but it immediately places him in a much more precarious situation, for now not only does Bullock want Gordon dead for his betrayal, but so do Fish Mooney and Carmine Falcone, who dispatch several henchmen to eliminat...

TV Review: Gotham “Spirit of the Goat”

TV Review: Gotham “Spirit of the Goat” By: Brandon Wolfe Donal Logue has proven himself over a span of many years to be a talented, perfectly enjoyable actor. Playing a sarcastic crank like Harvey Bullock, Logue should be the saving grace of ‘Gotham,’ livening up the dour proceedings with a snappy line. But in “Spirit of the Goat,” Bullock takes center stage for once and it becomes more evident that the show has no idea how to use what should be a huge asset. With the material working so fiercely against him, Logue can only do so much, especially when forced to speak lines as musty as “The press is gonna have a field day” and “The whole thing’s gonna come down on us like a ton of bricks.” The series imprisons Logue in a tomb of blandness, neutralizing what should be a regular source of vibrancy. The episode begins on a flashback to ten years ago, back when Bullock was a young cop with a bit more life behind his eyes. Pursuing a serial killer called The Goat, a lunatic who w...

TV Review: Gotham “Viper”

TV Review: Gotham “Viper” By: Brandon Wolfe ‘ Gotham ’ is still a show very much in the throes of trying to figure out just what it is that it wants to be. Up until this point, the series has seemed to exclusively take Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy as its inspiration, with its grounded reality and poker-faced seriousness. But “Viper” throws a wrench in that paradigm by introducing a drug, called Viper, that is surreptitiously distributed on the streets of Gotham and turns anyone who ingests it into a superhuman rage monster. All of a sudden, we are unexpectedly thrown into the deep end of superpowered villainy. It’s not necessarily unwelcome, as Nolan’s insistence on excising the more fantastical elements of the ‘Batman’ universe was often maddening, but it’s something that ‘Gotham’ could have eased us into to make the shift less jarring. The first instance of Viper-related crime happens at a convenience store just around the corner from where Gordon and Bullock ...

TV Review: #Gotham “Arkham” By: Brandon Wolfe

TV Review: Gotham “Arkham” By: Brandon Wolfe All shows need a grace period of varying length when starting in order to find themselves, which is why criticizing ‘ Gotham ’ is proving a bit challenging. How many of its multitude of flaws are growing pains that can be worked out and how many are intrinsically part of the package? The show, quite candidly, has not been very good thus far, but some of the best shows ever aired have had very rocky starts before achieving greatness. ‘ Gotham ’s’ issues don’t seem fleeting; they feel like significant design flaws that won’t be corrected anytime soon because they likely are not recognized as flaws by those in charge. Still, in spite of these hunches, the fourth episode of a pilot season is a bit early to throw something with so much potential onto the scrap heap. All we can do sit by and hope that our time in the trenches isn’t for naught. Arkham Asylum is the ‘Batman’ hallmark that gets the spotlight this week in the aptly titled “Ark...

TV Review: Gotham “The Balloonman”

TV Review: Gotham “The Balloonman” By: Brandon Wolfe ‘ Gotham ’ has pitched itself on the premise of showing us what Gotham City was like in the years before the Batman came into being, allowing a young Jim Gordon a shot at the spotlight. This is a sound idea, as far as Batman projects without Batman go, but the problem shaping up with ‘Gotham’ is that it’s not willing to commit to the idea. Rather than letting Gordon have a go at it, the show still wants us thinking about Batman in a story where that shouldn’t be the most pressing impulse. The very premise of “ The Balloonman ” is designed to press the Batman button as often as possible. The story centers around a vigilante who, weary of the crime and police corruption infecting Gotham, takes it upon himself to deliver an off-the-books measure of justice to shady public figures that would otherwise never be held accountable for their crimes. The method of his vengeance? Handcuffing weather balloons to the targets’ hands and se...

TV Review: Gotham “Selina Kyle”

TV Review: Gotham “Selina Kyle” By: Brandon Wolfe ‘ Gotham ’ is not shaping up to be a subtle show. As we spend more time with the crime fighting duo of Gordon and Bullock, what we’re witnessing is not merely a study of contrasts so much as two diametrically opposed archetypes thrust together to represent each extreme end of a spectrum. Basically, Goofus and Gallant as cops. Gordon isn’t merely a good cop, he’s the most noble, square-jawed beacon of decency conceivable. Bullock, on the other hand, is the most slovenly, unabashedly corrupt law enforcer you’d never want to meet. These aren’t characters, these are character types. It’s still early enough in the going for the show to deepen these men into something with a measure of nuance, but starting them off so entirely one-note is not starting off right. “ Selina Kyle ” sets our heroes (or our hero and that gross jerk who works with him) on the trail of a kidnapping ring. Homeless teenagers are being shanghaied off into the...

TV Review:@Gotham “Pilot”

TV Review: Gotham “Pilot” By: Brandon Wolfe In perhaps his most well known stand-up bit, Patton Oswalt sums up his reaction to the ‘ Star Wars ’ prequel trilogy, and prequels altogether, by railing to the heavens/George Lucas that he doesn’t care where the stuff he loves comes from, he just loves the stuff he loves. That condemnation seems tailor-made for application to Fox’s new series ‘ Gotham ,’ a crime-drama that takes us back to the days when Gotham City wasn’t patrolled by a man in a batsuit, but by a stalwart young rookie cop named Jim Gordon ( Ben McKenzie ), standing true against the villainy and corruption the city teems with, including within his own precinct. Bruce Wayne is here, but he’s a preteen boy, probably a good decade away from putting on a cowl and cape. So you get to see Batman as a little kid. Just as your heart always wanted. Our first sight in ‘Gotham’ is of another youthful incarnation of a famous Gothamite, as a nascent Selina Kyle prowls the stre...

#Gotham Is Going To Netflix

Gotham is headed to Netflix . The streaming service has nabbed rights to Gotham . It is believed to be the first deal of its kind for a broadcast show that has yet to premiere. The upcoming Batman prequel is set to bow on Fox at 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22. Under the deal between Netflix and Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution, the streaming service will get exclusive subscription video on demand rights for Gotham in the U.S., territories in which Netflix operates, as well as some additional territories. Seasons of the series will become available after their initial broadcast dates starting in fall 2015. "Gotham is the most anticipated new series of the fall season and we are thrilled to offer it to our members around the world," said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos in a statement. "The Batman origin story is sure to have massive global appeal so it is fitting that, along with Warner Television, we have created a new model for distributing a...

Comic-Con "GOTHAM" Off Site Event Detail

Here is more information for the off site event for the upcoming show GOTHAM . Fox bringing the pilot episode screening of GOTHAM, they’re also going to install 130-foot zipline. “GOTHAM” – ZIP LINE Where: Between the SD Convention Center and the Hilton Bayfront Hotel When: Thursday, July 24 – Sunday, July 27 Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Daily EXPERIENCE FOX will create Gotham City for fans to channel their inner superhero by ziplining (130 feet long and 30 feet high) through the GOTHAM city landscape! Following the adrenalized experience, participants will receive a shareable photo of their heroic zip line experience and will be awarded with exclusive GOTHAM prizes. Follow f ox.com/comiccon2014 to find out when GOTHAM producers and cast, including stars Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue, will be making appearances at the experience. “GOTHAM” UBER POLICE CARS Where: Downtown San Diego When: Thursday, July 24 – Sunday, July 27 Hours: Thursday – 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM Frida...

New Clip From #GOTHAM "Villains"

Here is a new clip from the upcoming show Gotham . It's all about the villains. “Gotham” is an origin story of the great DC Comics super villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”), “Gotham” follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time. Growing up in Gotham City’s surrounding suburbs, James Gordon (Ben McKenzie, “Southland,” “The O.C.”) romanticized the city as a glamorous and exciting metropolis where his late father once served as a successful district attorney. Now, two weeks into his new job as a Gotham City detective and engaged to his beloved fiancée, Barbara Kean (Erin Richards, Open Grave, “Breaking In”), Gordon is living his dream – even as he hopes to restore the city back to the pure version he remembers it was as a kid. Please Leave A...

Official Extended Trailer #GOTHAM

“ Gotham ” is an origin story of the great DC Comics super villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”), “ Gotham ” follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time. Growing up in Gotham City’s surrounding suburbs, James Gordon ( Ben McKenzie , “Southland,” “The O.C.”) romanticized the city as a glamorous and exciting metropolis where his late father once served as a successful district attorney. Now, two weeks into his new job as a Gotham City detective and engaged to his beloved fiancée, Barbara Kean ( Erin Richards , Open Grave, “Breaking In”), Gordon is living his dream – even as he hopes to restore the city back to the pure version he remembers it was as a kid. Watch Official Extended Trailer GOTHAM after the Jump... Brave, honest and ready to pr...