KingsChat 1×02 – “Prosperity”

After a small delay, KingsChat is finally up. Here’s the official synopsis from the Kings website.

When David is blamed for the failed peace talks with Gath, he takes extreme action to get the two sides back to the negotiating table. Sunday’s episode was up and down. David’s role in bringing the Gath military to the peace table.

Was it just me, or did Sunday’s episode seem a little clunkier than the premiere? A lot of the dialogue felt a little stiff, and David’s entire arc seemed muddled. I’m not sure what he did to piss off the Gath (Gathian? Gathites?) delegation. It looked like they were looking for an excuse to leave before he did anything – on a saide note, I enjoyed Mark Margolis as the King of Gath, although every time I saw him all I could think of was, “You wanted it… you got it… Toyotaaaaaaa…”. Anyway, I’m hoping the show doesn’t turn into a How-Will-David-Save-The-World thing every week. I don’t really think it will, but I do know how easy it is for series to settle into overused conventions. Heroes, we’re all looking at you.

As someone who cries every time he thinks of Deadwood’s premature cancellation, it was nice to see Ian McShane back with Brian Cox. Cox, who was really laying the Marlon Brando impersonation on pretty thick, played Guggenheim, who I’m assuming Silas deposed before taking control of Gilboa. Silas keeping him around and in prison for no other reason than to piss him off created a really interesting dynamic, and whatever Guggenheim saw in that photo probably guaranteed that we’ll see him in future episodes.

The introduction of Cox’s character also provided a way for King Silas to spit in the eye of his brother-in-law, after he pulled CrossGen’s gold out of the treasury. Now, he’s… well, we’re not sure what he’s doing. Sitting in his office twirling his mutache from the look of it. When Queen Rose took a break from organizing state dinners to come in and mentioned bringing back his son, who was exiled from the King’s court, well… suspense! All I’ll say is that I’ve missed Macauly Culkin, and I’m sure you have too.

One last thought. I know it’s only two episodes in, but Kings isn’t doing so well in the ratings. Because the show needs to turn that around, and quick, if it has any hope of being renewed for a second season, please, I beg you, tell your friends about this show. I keep having these dreams where, in the future, all we have to watch is American Idol, CSI: San Antonio, and reruns of Joey. Think of the children.

“I am a survivor living in New York City.”

This is the third time Richard Matheson’s novel has been adapted into a movie. The first two, The Last Man On Earth and The Omega Man, were campy and fun in their own way, but not much more. Will Smith’s latest, I Am Legend, if the first movie to do the story justice. The previews had me really excited for this one, so I was a little worried when I read reviews saying that the movie really reached up there, but ultimately fell short. However, after checking it out myself, I’m happy to say that Legend is probably one of the best films of the year, and a contender for my coveted Top Three of 2007, which all films aspire to be.

The plot is pretty straightforward. Robert Neville (Smith) is a scientist studying a supervirus that’s killed off 90% of the world’s population. Those who aren’t dead or immune have been turned into vampires that either lurch around like zombies or come at you like Zinedine Zidane on gameday. Living in an abandoned New York City in the year 2012, Neville spends his days hunting deer, practicing his drive and searching for a cure. I don’t want to give anything away, but things go wrong. HORRIBLY wrong.

This is an action movie with a lot of action movie staples in it, but what sets it apart from some of the other flops we’ve seen this year is Will Smith. 95% of the movie is Smith all by himself. The fact that he’s able to carry it, and carry it well, is really a testament to the man’s acting chops. There’s a lot of good suspense. The movie isn’t predictable so you’ll be on the edge of your seat a lot of the time. I’m a huge sci-fi fan, so I spend most of my time sad that there are so few people who can do the genre any justice. Legend is a welcome change of pace.

I only had two problems with the film. First, I didn’t like the the CGI vampires Smith is trying to save. The idea is cool, and it was executed about as well as it could be, but in the end they look like zombie versions of Imhotep from The Mummy. Second, the ending felt a little rushed to me. For everything that came before it, it just felt out of place. I won’t go into detail because the three people who read this blog might not have seen the movie yet.

All in all, a very enjoyable film. A great story, and Will Smith is fantastic. Four out of five stars. We’ll be back next week with Charlie Wilson’s War. Until then, I need to catch a cab. I’ll make sure the license plate says “fresh” and there’s a dice in the mirror.