Channel Surfing: ‘Revenge’ Reshuffles (and Tries New Haircuts)

This season, the critics Neil Genzlinger and Mike Hale are checking out favorite shows and seeing how they hold up. Previous entries in this series include posts on “New Girl,” “NCIS” and “Scandal.”

  The big surprise in Sunday night’s season opener of “Revenge” – Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) is still alive! – was no surprise at all, since as she slowly made her way onto that doomed plane in the finale last season, she pretty much had “red herring” stamped on her. But ABC did have a few unexpected things to send our way in the Season 2 premiere: new haircuts for Daniel and Nolan.

Aside from that, though, the premiere felt a little disappointing: more like a reshuffling of last season’s cards than a re-energizing. Since Season 1 ended, Daniel (Josh Bowman) has apparently gotten over Emily (Emily VanCamp) enough to hook up with Ashley (Ashley Madewke), the brothers Jack (Nick Wechsler) and Declan (Connor Paolo) have switched their responsible/irresponsible hats, and Victoria has struck some kind of bargain with the white-haired man.
There have been lots of hints about a monstrous conspiracy that would make the framing of Emily’s father seem minor, but the premiere didn’t tell us much more about it. The focus was on Emily’s mother, whom we learned late last season might still be alive. We now know that she was committed to some kind of institution and disappeared, possibly with Victoria’s help. More to come, no doubt.
But this was a set-things-in-motion episode more than a revelatory one. So let’s talk about the hair. Every fan of this show knows that Gabriel Mann should have won the best-supporting-actor Emmy; without his Nolan, “Revenge” wouldn’t be half as interesting.

Perhaps someone told him he wasn’t buff enough to win an Emmy: when we first saw him Sunday night, he was in a boxing ring, toning up. But does he have the same appeal with the new, more staid haircut? Daniel, too, has been to the barber and is now looking less likeable and more businesslike, in keeping with the transformation being asked of his character. But Nolan is the key to this series. Is he less fun with the new do?
Oh, and also feel free to comment on whether Victoria should have stayed dead. Maybe that would have forced the writers to take the show to a new level. Sunday’s premiere, at least, seemed to leave it more or less where it was.
Loved the clam-cam, though. And the flash-forward opening — the same gimmick used in Season 1 — was tasty. We were given an image of what appeared to be Jack’s wrecked boat with a body inside, circa three months in the future, before the episode backed up to the start of the summer and things got down to business.

'Once Upon A Time' Season Premiere Recap: Magic Returns And Brings New Danger In 'Broken'

Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 2, Episode 1 of ABC's "Once Upon a Time," entitled "Broken."

You'd be forgiven for thinking ABC started accidentally airing the wrong show after seeing the innocuous opening of "Once Upon a Time" Season 2, which featured "True Blood" and "Terriers" star Michael Raymond-James wandering through a decidedly mundane New York City. Or at least it seemed mundane, until a dove delivered Raymond-James' unnamed character a postcard direct from Storybrooke, inscribed with only one word: "Broken." From then on, we were transported back into the fantastical world that so enchanted us last season, switching between the now magic-infused town of Storybrooke and a desolate corner of Fairytale Land.
It was a risky move to open the season with a batch of characters we were unfamiliar with, but the confidence paid off, first by dangling the mystery of Raymond-James' role (as well as the question of who mailed the postcard), and then by throwing us headfirst into the mashup of "Sleeping Beauty" meets "Mulan."
I greatly approved of Julian Morris as Prince Phillip, who was just the right mix of earnest and dashing, and Jamie Chung played Mulan with a compelling blend of steel and strength. Sarah Bolger (whom you may remember as Mary, Catherine of Aragon and Henry's daughter in "The Tudors") had the somewhat thankless task of portraying a newly awakened Aurora, who mostly existed to follow Phillip and Mulan's lead and look doe-eyed and delicate -- but this show does strong female characters so well, I have no doubt that she'll evolve as Mulan and Aurora continue their journey together. I hope (and have a feeling) that we haven't seen the last of Phillip, but mostly I'm intrigued to see how Snow and Emma's story ties in with Aurora and Mulan's as they explore Fairytale Land's dangerous new landscape.
I'll admit, it took me a rewatch of the episode to grasp the timeframe of the narrative; upon first watching, I was confused as to how the wraith's talisman seemed to be in Storybrooke and Fairytale Land concurrently, since Emma and Snow ending up in Fairytale Land at the end of the episode led me to believe the two stories were unfolding simultaneously. Only later did I realize that Emma and Snow were supposed to have been dumped in Fairytale Land when the wraith burst out of the ground. The screener that was provided to press was missing a few special effects (and I wrote this review in advance of the show's premiere based on said screener), so I hope the finished visuals helped to clarify the sequence of events -- or were you as confused as I was?
Aside from Phillip being a truly terrible liar after he was marked, I was immediately drawn into the trio's tale, especially since the wraith was a surprisingly terrifying new foe, and looked like something that would result if "Lost's" smoke monster and a Dementor got together for a long weekend in a log cabin. "Once" is such a family-oriented show that it still surprises me when it goes dark or scary, but those are usually the instances when the series is at its strongest (one just has to look at last season's amazing "Hat Trick" as proof). The visual effects on the wraith were particularly impressive, and I hope ABC has thrown some more money the show's way, given its success last season.
But the real meat of the episode -- and its most compelling moments -- came from the Storybrooke half of the narrative. It amused me to see so many comments on various recaps last season predicting that the story would somehow be over once the curse was broken, as if the fairytale characters regaining their memories was the endgame instead of the first step in a larger story. Naturally, then, it was thrilling to see creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis taking that step so soon, when it seemed that many viewers were expecting them to drag the curse out indefinitely.
Shattering the status quo in Storybrooke certainly invigorated the plot, and I'm sure seeing Snow and Charming reuniting with Emma and Henry was what viewers were anticipating most from the season premiere. That moment didn't disappoint, and Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas sold it spectacularly -- I found myself tearing up when Snow and Charming swept Emma into their arms, and the raw pain and relief on their faces was utterly heartbreaking.
In a recent interview with Jennifer Morrison, the actress pointed out that there's a lot of comedy inherent in having parents who are technically the same age as you -- especially since Emma and Mary Margaret were behaving like friends or sisters last season. One of the most hilarious moments of the episode came from Snow's revelation that she had discussed one-night-stands with her daughter, and Charming's horror that she'd slept with someone else. "We were cursed, and that is neither here nor there," is probably one of my favorite line deliveries on the show to date, and Goodwin seemed to be in her element this week, effortlessly replacing Mary Margaret's meek demeanor with Snow's easy confidence and maternal instincts.
Likewise, Morrison realistically and poignantly sold Emma's hesitation upon being reunited with her parents; it was heartbreaking (and totally believable) when she pointed out that being separated from her parents and believing she was abandoned for all these years was a far worse fate than all of them being cursed together. Of course, we know from Jefferson's (Sebastian Stan) story, and from watching David and Mary Margaret being drawn together and pulled apart throughout last season that if Emma had stayed with Snow and Charming, the three of them would've just ended up separated with no knowledge of what they meant to each other anyway (and there would've been no-one to rescue them), but 28 years of loneliness and abandonment trumps logic every time. Even more intriguing -- the possibility of Emma having some grasp of magic; Regina's attempts to open a portal didn't work until Emma touched her arm, so does Emma have magical abilities of her own, or can she just help to magnify it in others?
It will be especially interesting to see where Regina goes from here. Though she's apparently still powerless (for now), it didn't take her long to turn on a dime and try to kill Charming after Emma and Snow vanished. In a recent interview, Lana Parrilla told HuffPost TV that Regina was going to be a very lonely woman this season -- which makes sense, since Henry demanded she stay away from him until she found a way to bring Emma and Snow back. Obviously, that's still a fairly self-serving agenda, since she desperately wants to reforge a relationship with her adopted son, but I wonder if working to help someone else will have a positive effect on our erstwhile Evil Queen?
It was also great to see Charming attempting to take charge, and hopefully we'll see him move back into a role of leadership after all of David's less-than-heroic decisions while he was cursed. It'll be nice to see Henry and Charming having some grandfather/grandson bonding time while Emma and Snow are off adventuring, but obviously not everyone wants to fall back into the Fairytale Land hierarchy, least of all Dr. Whale (David Anders). I wonder if we'll see the two of them come to blows, especially now that Charming knows about Snow and Whale's hook-up ...
And then there's Rumple and Belle. I'm still not entirely sold on their relationship, since -- as Rumple pointed out -- they've only known each other a short time. It's clear that Rumple's "beastly" nature isn't going anywhere any time soon, which I'm glad about -- true love might be able to conquer all, but it would be a little too easy if Rumple just flipped a switch and was instantly reformed, especially since he's clearly playing the long con and has other plans besides simply releasing the wraith to kill Regina. Time will tell if he can ever truly feel worthy of Belle's love, but it will be an interesting journey.
Overall, "Broken" was a gripping and competently plotted hour -- none of the scenes felt extraneous and although there was undoubtedly a lot of plot and set-up to get through in 42 minutes, the narrative certainly felt more liberated without the curse hanging over everyone's heads. I think Horowitz and Kitsis have pointed the show in a compelling direction with plenty of new mysteries to unravel, and I'm eager to see how magic affects our world.

'Rebel' Movie Review: It is tasteless and worse than expectation

A decayed story and a tasteless narration, are only two of the several mind-numbing flaws of Rebel. Arrogant, self-important creators make films like 'Businessman' and 'DCM'. Confused creators make films like 'Nippu'. Lawrence is neither arrogant nor confused, but he suffers from that very common hangover disease. An 'LIB' modelled on the template of Happy Days is understandable, but infusing pointless choreography into the narrative, together with villains in trendy attires, totally inconsequential gangster look of the hero (Don) not only seem inappropriate but also peeve us to the extreme.
To add to the woes of Prabhas' fans, he is seen putting on unnecessary tearjerkers throughout the movie, whether he is sharing his plight or dancing with the orphans or introducing his lover to his dad. He gets exaggeratedly emotional every now and then when he is expected to deliver punch lines and knock out the villains.
Till about 10 minutes before the interval, Prabhas is no more than a character artiste, while our beloved comedy hero Brahmi and Kovai Sarala have all the duets. To make the matters worse, Lawrence outrageously makes the superstar act like Aparichitudu's Ramu in the flashback! Take out the four fights and the songs, even Sunil could have pulled off the script. Why does Bhupathi Raju (Krishnam Raju) want his son to grow like a timid guy with a passion for music? His desire is not integral to the story. But it is integral to Lawrence's creativity. He wants to choreograph a stupid scene with Prabhas and Ali using this element as a ruse.

Is there any justification for a solo song for Tamannah when the 'Rebel' himself doesn't have one? There are more dialogues for Brahmi, Tamannah and Krishnam Raju combined than for Prabhas! What a bad way of making a mass entertainer with one of the most valued heroes of Tollywood!
To begin with, Rishi has to find the whereabouts of Stephen-Robert, not sure whether he is one, like Raghava Lawrencce, or two. He stays in a flat in Hyderabad, where he lives with the blabbermouth Brahmi (Narasa Raju, also called Nasa Raju). Learning that dreaded don Nana's daughter (Tamannah as Nandini) is a dance teacher in Bangkok, he flies there along with Brahmi and starts wooing her miserably. His secret motive is to extract the identity of Stephen-Robert, whose whereabouts are known by Nana.
Once Nandini asks probing questions, Supreeth (as Prabhas' lieutenant, is over-the-top like many others) starts narrating the flashback. There comes Krishnam Raju, who punishes the SI (Bharath) for wanting to sleep with a woman. In 'far-away' Bangalore, Prabhas is in love with Deeksha Seth (as Deepali, she sleepwalks her minor role), an orphan with three spiritual mothers.
So, when and how did the trouble begin? When his dad was in danger, Prabhas had to fight with many Kanchanas and even beat MLA Simhadri (Pradeep Rawat, who kills himself for no logical reason) for wanting to murder his father. This enraged Simhadri, who then joined hands with two other villains in order to eliminate Rebel Sr.
The rest of the film is about how the now-deeply disturbed Rebel Jr. uses his below average brain to get some info about Stephen-Robert in order to avenge the death of his parents and Deepali.
Faltering in execution, Lawrence pens some landish scenes with reckless abandon. Tamannah's behaviour after listening to the flashback, where she breaks into 'Ori Nayano' number, is one such scene. Prabhas' heroism is not cleverly elevated, and it was totally unnecessary that he was made to have a rivalry with David in the first half because David's character was not needed. Lawrence makes his hero either an observer or a bystander or a witless character in many other scenes.
The behaviour of the villains in the climax fight is illogical, to say the least. Would a bloodthirsty man be stupid enough to go by the rules set by the hero when death stares him in the face in spite of having a gun in his hand? Did Lawrence think it was a dance competition (like the one seen in Style)?
Swamy disappoints with his unintelligent dialogues. Most lines are hackneyed and some even funny. Chinna's BG score is ok. The editing could have been definitely better, while the cinematography was alright. Ram-Lakshman's fights are not inventive.
Speaking of performances, Prabhas does justice to his character even in the ill-etched scenes. Overall, he portrays the emotions quite well. His modulation is apt.
Krishnam Raju should have been minimal. His get up is appalling, the costumes are unfortunately Western. He looks bit tired. Tamannah adds the required glamour quotient, but hers is not a meaty role. Deeksha may be ignored. Mukesh Rishi, Supreet and Pradeep Rawat fail to add anything. Brahmi, Ali and MS are boring.
If there are any like able elements, it is those dance moves by Prabhas and Tamannah. The minimum expected when a top class dance director is the helmsman.