The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio
The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio |
| Posted: 05 Oct 2011 04:44 AM PDT A guy going after his dream job of being a spy ends up being a spy ... of a different kind. LIKE its namesake, Chaos is a mish-mash of spy-drama and action-comedy. Think The Unit, splattered with some random bits and pieces of Ugly Betty and How I Met Your Mother, and you have Chaos spread out in the orderly environs of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) quarters. Enter Rick Martinez (Freddy Rodriguez), who has trained his whole life to be a CIA agent but meets the mother of all bad first days at work when he learns that his job has been eliminated due to budget cuts. This calls for a semi-angsty soliloquy from our cutesy, wide-eyed protagonist – predictably, about how he has given up his precious teenage years to pursue his dreams. Sure enough, like any cunning American TV boss worth his salt, deputy director H.J. Higgins (Kurtwood Smith), the mastermind and head of the Clandestine Administration and Oversight Services (CHAOS – who knows where the H came from?) decides there is use for the young man after all and offers him a deal. He is to walk out of the door as an unemployed civilian or do the country a "great service" by becoming a spy who spies on his co-workers at the secretive Office of Disruptive Services (ODS) department. Apparently, the department's job entails combating threats to national security amidst bureaucratic gridlock, rampant incompetence and political infighting. His rogue colleagues, some of the most loquacious, fast-talking CIA agents you'll ever meet, include the very good looking and wise-as-all-hell leader, Michael Dorset (Eric Close), Scottish-born Billy Collins (James Murray), with a rowdy accent to boot, and Casey Malick (Tim Blake Nelson), the 12-year-CIA veteran they call a "human weapon". Already it sounds like a cowboy story. Anyway, they figure out Martinez is a mole immediately, put him in an uncompromising position and then blackmails him to get back at Higgins while they go rescue a bunch of people in a desert – which in this case, is a hostage crisis in Sudan. No, it didn't make a whole lot of sense to us either, but as Martinez, now a "double-mole" declares in a later episode: "We're the CIA, we can do anything" – even if it involves ingesting live scorpions or smuggling an entire family out of communist North Korea. To add to good old American-style puffery, pseudo-witty banters along the lines of "Trust isn't earned, it's owned (and now we own you)" pervades the show throughout. Of course, this is where the bromance between Martinez and company blossoms and everybody loves a good underdog story with a happy ending … Speaking of which, watch out for the super-hot intelligence officer Fay Carson (Carmen Ejogo), who has a penchant to speak in sexual innuendos. Surprise, surprise – she hits on Martinez in the pilot but we quickly learn that she was once married to Dorset. Err. Awkward. The thing about Chaos is, the moment you start to grasp some semblance of congruence in its multi-layered storyline, it throws insome convoluting twists that completely debunk your judgement time and again. Which is fine except one does get tired from one's constant attempts to zig-zag along with the overambitious plot. Then again, this is a spy drama and I thought director Tom Spezialy made good of the cleverly ironic premise of restoring order with disorder – as far as grit-free dramedies would allow themselves anyway. Still, I thought Chaos lacks the believability it strives to deliver but compensates for it with its likable cast members. Rodriguez, who looks and sounds like a younger Michael J. Fox, is particularly endearing. If you're wondering where you've seen him before, he played Gio, the "sandwich guy" in Ugly Betty. Chaos probably isn't for everybody, but as far as action-packed dramadies (or spi-medies) go, the boys of Chaos certainly make some jolly good company. ■ Chaos airs on Wednesdays at 9pm on AXN Beyond HD (Astro Channel 720). |
| Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:18 PM PDT Gumball HE is 12 and utterly charming with an incurable optimism. He has an epic flair for misadventure and will try anything once. No matter what happens, Gumball always bounces back, even if the only thing he learns from his mistakes is how to make more of them. Darwin Gumball's best friend, sweet and gentle Darwin, 10, used to be the family pet until he sprouted legs and joined Gumball's class at school. He still sleeps in a fishbowl, even though he's a little too big for it. Anais Anais, four, is extremely intelligent (much like Lisa Simpson). Don't underestimate this little pink bunny, she pretty much looks after Gumball, Darwin and Dad while mum's at work. Mum – Nicole The breadwinner and the person who sorts things out. She's the picture of a perfect mother (much like Marge Simpson), giving attention to Anais, treating Darwin like her own child and encouraging Gumball. Anyone who dares threaten the ones she loves, watch out! Dad – Richard Dad is a giant pink rabbit and stay-at-home dad who looks after the kids, while spending most of his time playing video games and watching daytime TV. He's a well-intentioned, supportive and devoted father but also just a little under-prepared for life. Related Story: |
| Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:17 PM PDT They have problems like any ordinary family but this bunch is anything but normal. Welcome to The Amazing World Of Gumball. TO mark its new look starting this month, Cartoon Network has kicked off The Amazing World Of Gumball, a mixed-media series that notably combines 2D and 3D animation in a live-action setting. While it takes place in an amazingly imaginative world with nonsensical creatures, the show is fundamentally about a family (the Watersons), its joys, and the challenges and chaos it faces. At the heart of the tale is Gumball, a blue cat with a giant head who goes through the trials and tribulations of any 12-year-old. But unlike a normal kid his age, his capers include being chased by a rampaging T-Rex, having a robot steal his identity and dressing as a cheerleader to impress the girl he fancies. Dad is a 193cm (6'4") pink rabbit who stays at home while Mum works in the rainbow factory in the town of Elmore. Completing the extraordinary suburban family are Gumball's little sister, who's a genius bunny, and Darwin, a pet goldfish who becomes part of the family when he sprouts legs. The Amazing World Of Gumball is the brainchild of 28-year-old French-born Ben Bocquelet, who worked on all aspects of production, including writing, storyboarding, animation and directing. The show is the first British-produced full-length animated series, and has been aired on Cartoon Network in 166 countries. A second season has been greenlit. Here's a peek at Gumball's world through the eyes of show creator Bocquelet and executive producer Daniel Lennard, also Cartoon Network Europe's vice-president of original series and development. Where did you get the idea for The Amazing World Of Gumball? Bocquelet: I got the idea for the show while working as a development artist at the Cartoon Network Development Studio based in London. Previously while working in commercials, I'd created a load of characters. These characters, with their variety of styles and formats, inspired the visual mash-up that became the final look for the show. Why did you call it The Amazing World Of Gumball? Bocquelet: The show has always been called Gumball. The name, in fact, came before the character. I wanted to call it something which reminds you of childhood, of something a kid might have in their pocket. Is it true that the show is loosely based on your own childhood? Bocquelet: Some aspects, yes! My sister is very clever, and like the character in the show, she's not to be messed with. We have always been very close, and still are. She's now a computer programmer. My dad is a real character and, yes, at some points he was a stay-at-home dad. My mum is incredibly strong and she really held our family together. We went through a lot but we always had a good time. We're a close-knit family and we found our strength in laughter. Mixing 2D with 3D sounds ambitious. Why did you choose to do that? Bocquelet: I had always wanted it to be 2D, 3D and live action. In my mind that's what makes the show distinctive. The Gorillaz videos were a big influence on me in animation school. I just loved the way they mixed their awesome designs with photos or films. The technology now allows for this kind of approach on a series scale. It's really exciting to be part of this, and also that Cartoon Network committed to making the show in mixed media, despite the challenge of the process. Tell us about the initial development process. Bocquelet: I decided to base the show on the archetypal family sitcom, replacing normal human characters with nonsensical creatures. I wanted to treat the show like a sitcom and use the funny aspects of the characters and the freedom of animation to expand the humour and the stories into places that wouldn't be possible in live action. Do you think The Amazing World Of Gumball will raise the bar for quality animation produced out of Europe? Lennard: I think it raises the bar for a kids' cartoon in general, and what can actually be accomplished. It doesn't need to be dumbed down and overly simplistic. It doesn't need to look flat and move in a stiff manner. A few industry people advised me that there are plenty of good reasons that a mixed media series on this scale hasn't been attempted before – it's technically difficult, it's expensive, it's unlikely to integrate effectively – but I'm thrilled we went ahead and produced a truly groundbreaking show. Some of the characters are voiced by real kids, aren't they? Bocquelet: Yes, Gumball was voiced by Logan Grove, Darwin by Kwesi Boakye and Anais by Kyla Rae Kowalewski. They each completely got their characters, were spontaneous and funny, had phenomenal range as actors, and also had fantastic comic timing. I wish their mums would sell them to me. How big was the team who worked on the series? Bocquelet: Pretty big, at some points there were at least 100 people working on it. How long did it take to make the series? Bocquelet: About two years, like a baby elephant (laughs). Do you think this show will appeal to adults too? Bocquelet: I really hope so. We tried to multi-layer jokes and stories as much as possible. I like the idea of a cartoon that is for everybody and not just for children. Kids are also much more sophisticated than we often give them credit for. My wish is that people watch the show together as a family with the lights off, like we used to do with my parents when Looney Tunes was on. Lennard: At its core, Gumball incorporates the fundamentals of what's important in kids' lives – family, school and friends. They're universal in pretty much every culture. There is a lot to identify with in the show; it has lovable characters that you enjoy watching, with realistic relationships that just happen to be set in an amazingly imaginative world. What shows did you watch as a kid? Bocquelet: Film, animation, TV shows, I loved them all. The Simpsons was a big influence, and I'm also a big fan of South Park. Lennard: Live-action shows like The A-Team, Happy Days, The Wonder Years, The Incredible Hulk and Monkey, a dubbed Japanese show. I'm not just saying this because I work for Turner (Entertainment International), but I loved a lot of the Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros cartoons such as those on Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Captain Caveman. I was also a fan of Battle Of The Planets. ■ The Amazing World Of Gumball premiered on Cartoon Network (Astro Channel 616) on Oct 1. It airs every Saturday at 9am. Related Story: |
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