The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio
The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio |
| Posted: This television prequel to 'Psycho' gives you plenty of reason to stay a while. Prequels are tricky; how do you keep the audiences interested in a story to which they already know the ending? And in the case of recently-premiered television show Bates Motel, a story that is an acknowledged classic by a master filmmaker (which has already spawned two sequels, a prequel, and a remake)? I'm talking, of course, about Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock's iconic 1960 movie that singlehandedly put the fear of showering in motel rooms in us, as well as giving the term "mama's boy" a whole creepy new twist. The film also introduced the world to Norman Bates, the murderous motel owner who is consistently ranked as one of the best movie villains of all time. And yet, if they are done right, prequels can also be a very smart marketing move, building on the audience's pre-existing interest to draw them into familiar yet new territory. So far, Bates Motel seems to be hitting all the right notes. Featuring Norman as a teenager, the show takes us back to before his psychosis became full-blown. Even more tantalising, it explores Norman's relationship with his mother Norma. Billed as a "contemporary prequel", the show is set in current time, allowing the writers to contextualise Norman within today's young people - a decision that serves the show well, as it turns out. The pilot kicks off with the 17-year-old Norman and Norma moving to White Pine Bay and buying a motel after the mysterious death of Norma's husband. The show loses no time in throwing us into the weird dynamics of the relationship between mother and son, from Norman's desperate desire to please his mother to her instant disapproval of a pretty schoolmate who befriends him. Despite Norma's vain attempts at a normal life for them both, a brutal turn of circumstances results in Norma murdering someone and having Norman help her cover it up; something which is sure to set a whole chain of events in motion. There are also plenty of nods to Psycho – some a tad obvious, and some very cleverly slipped in – that will not only keep the fans happy, but also serve to link the show to the larger themes in the original movie. What really sells the first episode, however, is fantastic performances from the two leads, Freddie Highmore as Norman and Vera Farmiga as Norma. Highmore, no doubt, has a massive job on his hands, to live up to Anthony Perkins' career-defining performance. Rising to the task admirably, the young actor somehow manages to imbue the teenaged Norman with a Perkins-like quality without resorting to imitation. Instead, we feel like we really are watching a younger version of the awkward and affable Norman Bates we first met in Psycho. If anything, we start liking Norman a little too much, which is rather disconcerting when you stop to think about it. Farmiga, meanwhile, is phenomenal as Norma, slipping effortlessly into the character's different modes, whether it is affectionate, determined, needy, passive-aggressive or just plain manipulative. The control she has over a role that could well have become a caricature is amazing, and in even just the first two episodes, she remains consistently fascinating. Joining the dysfunctional family in the show's second episode is Dylan (Max Thieriot), Norma's son from a previous relationship. While struggling with his own demons, Dylan also provides a counterpoint to Norman's relationship with Norma, and it will be interesting to see how this develops as the show progresses. Thieriot rounds out the main cast very nicely, and shares excellent chemistry with both Highmore and Farmiga, which has already made for some interesting exchanges between the characters. Bates Motel, however, also seems to be about more than just this little family. There are hints of something being not quite right in the small town of White Pine Bay, what with a girl being chained up somewhere, a thoroughly illegal marijuana field being cultivated in the forest, and a town-wide conspiracy that no one talks about. While I'm not convinced that creating more drama around a character that already has such an extraordinary backstory (or "frontstory"?) is necessary, it also seems refreshing that the show doesn't just hinge on Norman's future notoriety. The various plot threads introduced so far also give rise to many interesting theories on whether the town itself has something to do Norman's eventual breakdown. Bates Motel's first season ended recently in the US to positive reviews, and the show has been renewed for a second season. Of course, the show could still end up a bloody mess, but the twisted plot, compelling characters, and fantastic acting seem to be reason enough to check into Bates Motel for now. Bates Motel airs every Wednesday at 10.50pm on Universal HD (HyppTV Ch 612). |
| Posted: Their settings may be worlds apart, but shows like The Good Wife and Game Of Thrones are both showcases of strong female characters. CAN women have it all? On television, I mean. Are there strong female characters who have it together in all aspects of their lives? Or does a successful woman necessarily come with dysfunctional personal relationships or a worrying mental illness or both? Take Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) of Homeland as a prime example. She's an ace CIA operative whose instincts are almost always spot on. She's sharp and her thinking process is like no other. But, she is mentally unstable (certifiably so, not just in a matter of speaking). That sharp mind? It's flawed. And her personal life is a big fat mess – hey, she is hell-bent on catching Nicholas Brody whom she suspects of treason and yet she can't help falling in love with him? Sex is her undoing? Really? What about Nurse Jackie Peyton – a 40-something mother of two who is extremely good at her job as a nurse at the emergency room at New York City's All Saints' Hospital? Well, it's only an illusion. She has a drug problem and she's having an affair with the hospital's pharmacist which, when discovered, sends her life into a downward spiral. Really, now? Sex again? Is that really the downfall of women? Thankfully, not all women (on TV) are made equal. We have characters like Brenda Leigh Johnson (The Closer) who, despite her quirks, has her life nicely put together: she is the Deputy Chief of the LAPD's major crimes division and a happily married woman. She's feminine and a chocoholic, but can wield a gun and shake down a criminal like nobody else. And then there's Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) of The Mindy Project. She's an obstetrician/gynaecologist who's hoping her life will play out like a romantic comedy. OK, it seems de-womanising at first, but who doesn't want a happily ever after? Despite her many bad relationships, Mindy never completely breaks down. I like that about her. And the fact that she has a real woman's body and isn't hung up about fitting into a size 2 dress. That's refreshing. Speaking of dresses, some of her outfits are really cute! And then we have the women on The Good Wife – Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies), Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi), Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) and Jackie Florrick (Mary Beth Peil). Seriously, aren't the men on the show simply insipid (well, except for Eli Gold played by Alan Cummings)? In every instance, the women steal the show. In the relationship between Alicia and her cheating husband, Peter, for example, she's the dominant one who eventually calls all the shots. It's refreshing to see Peter doing the grovelling, really. In the Lockhart-Gardner law firm, Diane is far more in control than her partner Will, who is half the time mooning over former galpal Alicia. And then there is Kalinda, the enigma who defies definition. Is she a lesbian? Is she bisexual? Does it matter? She is vulnerable but also very steely and she doesn't need anyone's help to settle her problems. In my younger days I tended to look up to women for far more superficial reasons – they looked nice, they dressed nice, they were kind-hearted and helpful, they had nice apartments and perfect families. Cut me some slack ... I was young, after all. These days though, I'm all for female characters who are unapologetic for who they are and what they want. – SI * I'VE just finished watching Season Three of Game Of Thrones and am very much in the mood to dissect all the womenfolk portrayed in the TV adaptation of the novels in George R.R. Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire fantasy series. There are just so many to choose from, and all so differently portrayed, from helpless and docile to cunning, brave and ruthless. They are all beautiful in their own way, except maybe for Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), who in my opinion has nothing going for her other than her pretty face. One of my favourite characters is the tomboy Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), Sansa's younger sister, who from a tender age seemed to prefer trying out archery with her brothers rather than being cooped up in a parlour doing embroidery with the other ladies. While Arya's story has turned rather grim, and she's made her first kill already, I think her character (thus far on the TV show, note that I have not read the books) shows true gumption. She keeps going, and she's got an agenda. She never cowers in fear and speaks her mind freely. If I'd like to be anyone on the show, it would be gutsy Arya. I haven't quite decided if I like Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). I do like some of her qualities. I am fascinated by her ability to speak three languages (English, Dothraki and Valyrian), and her ability to assimilate with all peoples though she was brought up a noblewoman, in pretty much the same way Sansa was, I suppose. When Daenerys was betrayed by her own brother and married off to the brutish nomad Dothraki Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), she didn't fuss and whine (like dear Sansa), she pledged herself to him wholeheartedly and theirs became one of the best love stories of the tale. Even after her husband's death, she still calls herself Khaleesi, which is a Dothraki title referring to the wife of the khal. Things seem to happen too easily for Daenerys though. It is as if the mother of dragons has the gods on her side. Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) is another one of my favourites, and the fact that she earns not just Jaime Lannister's (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) trust but his friendship just makes her all the more attractive to me. She stands for everything good, and she never accepts defeat. She is strong and brave and true, always keeps her word, is loyal and fearless. I am fascinated by both Ygritte (Rose Leslie) and Shae (Sibel Kekilli), the romantic interests of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) respectively. I think if I were a man, I would easily fall in love with either, or both, for these women have the ability to love a man so completely it borders on excess, if that were possible. Both eventually are "betrayed" by their other halves – a sacrilege they cannot stomach – and these poignant moments are some of the best, when it comes to the romance depicted on the show. All four actors play out their parts to a T. As for Catelyn Tully (Michelle Fairley), I initially hated how she treated Jon Snow, the bastard son of her husband Ned. But when she explains herself in a moment of truth to her daughter-in-law Talisa Maegyr (Oona Chaplin, not one of my favourites, but I have to admit she is beautiful), my perception of Cate changed completely. I am not sure that if put in a similar situation I would not have brought up the son of my husband's lover the same way Cate did. These questions keep me up at night, I tell you! As for bad women, there's a whole pack from which to pick – Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and the priestess Melisandre of R'hllor (Carice van Houten) are currently vying for top spot as the most evil. The night is dark and full of terrors, after all, and you never know what you're in for with these two sirens. And then there's Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer). While you might think her only crimes are sartorial, Margaery's wiles are truly dangerous because this is one bad wolf in (very skimpy) sheep's clothing. All said, I think Game Of Thrones provides much fodder when it comes to its women, and it gives one a lot to think about what sort of woman one wants to be, whether you are a daughter, sister, mother, wife, politican, priestess or prostitute. – AMC |
| Posted: Actor Kim Nam-gil has returned to the small screen in KBS' Don't Look Back: The Legend Of Orpheus after an almost three-year hiatus. Don't Look Back is Kim's first television drama since completing mandatory military service last year in July. "I felt that a lot would have changed during those three years, but while working on Don't Look Back I came to feel that not much had changed at all," said Kim, 32. Of what he learned while away from the camera, Kim said, "You could say my work in The Great Queen Seondeok made me famous and I think there was a moment when I could have let all that go to my head. But during those years of military service, I focused on finding happiness in the little things and returning to that initial feeling of joy of just being able to act." Kim confessed to being concerned about how he would differentiate his new character from that of his previous role. In Don't Look Back, Kim plays an anti-hero out to avenge his father's murder, a role not unlike that of his work on SBS' Bad Boy, where he played a stuntman determined to exact revenge on the family that ruined his life. "You could draw similarities between the characters from Bad Boy and Don't Look Back," Kim said. "The biggest challenge I face is surpassing my role in Bad Boy," he said. "At the moment, I am tackling my role with the goal of being up to par with the quality of work I did in Bad Boy." "In truth, I really do want to play lighthearted roles. I personally think I would be good in a romantic comedy and it is a genre that I like. However, I am drawn to characters that possess emotional scars and have traumatic pasts," said Kim of his tendency to latch onto heroes with bad boy personas. In the drama, Kim's hero, Han Yi-soo, loses his father before narrowly avoiding death himself. Scarred by his past, Han (Kim Nam-gil) carefully plots his revenge, amassing wealth and power as the adopted son of a wealthy and influential businessman in Japan before returning to Korea after 12 years of absence. Co-star Son Ye-jin plays Han Yi-soo's first love, Cho Hae-woo. Believing Han to be long-deceased, Cho, determined to uncover the truth behind his case, eschews her duties as a hotel heiress to become a prosecutor. Like Kim, Son is returning to the small screen after nearly three years to star in the upcoming "mystery and melodrama". "This is our second time working together," Son, 31, revealed, explaining that the first time she met Kim was when they starred in an advertisement together. Co-star Lee Honey puts in her two cents on Kim, saying that unlike his characters Kim was very playful and "really brings life to the set." "Kim Nam-gil is a real joker off duty," said Don't Look Back director Park Chan-hong. "You know, life is long and if you want to have a good time you need someone like him around." |
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