Including ALL FOUR episodes of the EPIC "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover of the CW Arrowverse series is the most notable of countless highlights regarding the Warner Brothers Home Entertainment (WBHE) September 18, 2018 separate DVD and Blu-ray releases of "Supergirl" S3. A former castaway on a tropic island nest tells us that the next crossover will center around Batwoman and Gotham City ahead of Greg Berlanti and his soccer stud spouse Robbie Rogers giving her a series.
Watching ALL 26 episodes this past weekend to prepare for this review proves that "Supergirl" is marathon (rather than binge) worthy. These well produced tales looking vibrant and crystal clear and sounding just as good in Blu-ray (and comparing them with DVD versions of S1 episodes) proves that shelling out the extra $5 to get it in that format is well worth it.
The bigger picture is that buying an S3 set provides a chance to get caught up before the October 14, 2018 S4 premiere of this series starring 2017 Teen Choice TV Actress: Action winner Melissa Benoist ("Glee").
The following statement by a WB suit nicely conveys the "Supergirl" spirit. WBHE Senior Vice-President of Television Marketing Rosemary Markson notes that "the series incorporates diversity, fairness and empowerment, and our fearless female Super Hero is a perfect role model in today's time. Primetime examples of some of these elements in S3 are a kick-ass engaged lesbian couple. an openly gay superhero (and his "reformed" supervillain boyfriend), a black James "Jimmy" Olsen, a black man/brother from another planet director of the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO), and two high-powered female executives who clearly show the boys that this is not their first rodeo and that they had better not fuck with them, etc.
Bringing "Carrie" star and '70s TV mom/CONCURRENT 2010s star of stage, screen, and television Betty Buckley on as a tough but loving mother (whose best scene ends up on the cutting room floor) further reflects the strong spirit of empowerment in "Supergirl."
Doing the S3 release justice (pun intended) is beyond the scope of a single online review. The combination of independent lore, connections with the DCU in general and Superman specifically, and the action-packed events is of a grand scale. This article will touch on each point and highly recommends folks whom this overviews entice to learn more by buying the Blu-rays.
S1E1 establishes the girl power aspect of "Supergirl" right from the start. 20-something Kara Danvers (nee Kara Zor-El) explains that her parents spend the final moments before their home world of Krypton goes boom blasting tween Kara off in an earth-bound pod. Her mission is to protect and guide her baby cousin Clark Kent (nee Kal-El) on this planet far from Krypton. Things quickly going awry for Kara literally changes everything and helps set the stage for the primary S1 action.
The beginning of S3 finds Kara nursing a broken heart of her own making. Adopted sister/DEO colleague Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh of "Grey's Anatomy") is doing a little better in the romance department in that she is planning her wedding with fiancee Maggie. The boys also are doing well, Former Catco tech. guy/current Kara close friend/boy with a dark past Winn Schott (Jeremy Jordan of "Smash") is a full-fledged DEO agent/lab nerd. Former sidekick/current corporate ladder climber Olsen (Mehcad Brooks of "Desperate Housewives") is a full-fledged superhero in his own right and only starts sleeping with boss Lena Luthor after scoring a corner office.
The S3 season premiere awesomely hearkens back to the pilot. The current threat to National City where Team Kara resides requires that the girl with something extra wrangle a submarine ala her bringing a plummeting jet under control in her first outing as Supergirl. (A later episode reveals potential global annihilation stemming from that first heroic act.) This S3 salvo also prompts a literal awakening that is a blessing and a curse for our heroine.
The "Midvale" episode is a fanboy dream that provides a break from the season-long worldkillers story arc that is central to the aforementioned pending apocalypse at the hands of Pestilence, Purity, and Reign. The title of this offering refers to a heartbreak prompting the Danvers sisters to visit mom Eliza Danvers (Helen Slater of the '84 "Supergirl" film). A alcohol-influenced spar prompts Alex and Kara to go to bed angry, which sets the stage for a tale set in the high school days of those then rival siblings. One spoiler is that this flashback is directly relevant in a future episode,
The fanboy element enters the picture in the form of the CW Superman coming-of-age series "Smallville." The most direct homage is having "Smallville" Lois Lane actress Erica Durance (who also takes over the role of birth mother Alura Zo-El on "Supergirl") makes a cameo appearance. Further, the same building from exterior shots of Smallville High provides the facade for the high school of our girls. Additional goodness comes in the form of Cousin Clark friend Chloe of "The Wall of Weird" fame helping the sisters The true valentine is in the form of following the "no flights, no tights" policy of the earlier series.
Kara also is the at the true heart of the aforementioned epic crossover. The stated premise of this television event is that the wedding of Barry "The Flash" Allen and Iris West is bringing Kara and her "plus one," Team Queen from "The Arrow," and some of "The Legends of Tomorrow" to Central City for a joyous event turned Moldavian Massacre. Team Berlanti staging numerous battles in which many of the best DCU residents face off against super-powered alien Nazi doppelgangers gives the fanboys what they want, The interaction among this seeming cast of 1,000s is equally special. A request to the good folks at WBHE is to please offer the aforementioned "Batwoman" crossover as a seamless movie format in the next round of Arrowverse releases.
All of the above provides a sense of the futility of giving "Supergirl" its due. An effort to keep this post to manageable length requires skipping ahead to discussing the S3 season finale. This one successfully juggles a multi-front battle against the worldkillers and wrapping up the season-long story involving The Legion of Super Heroes who travel from the past and the future to help team Kara. It also sets up the premise for the planned "Legion" CW series, makes changes that set the stage for "Supergirl" S4, and provides a cliffhanger that may require outfitting Benoist with a goatee. This is not to mention an awesome nod to the Christopher Reeve '78 "Superman" film.
The special features extend WELL beyond copious deleted scenes that will make fanboys weep regarding their exclusions. We also get a gag reel and a features on the crossover and on the wonderfully conflicted worldkiller Reign.
The bonus highlight is a full hour of clips from 2017 Comic-Con panels for the Arrowverse series. The elan and love of cast and crew alike both validates that all love his or her role and shows how they can make plots such as the aforementioned Super Nazis and a rampaging super landshark seem plausible. PLEASE keep it up Gregbie and company; we need this "unreal" entertainment in these highly toxic times.
The Lionsgate September 18 2018 DVD release of the second season of the CBS 2016 reboot of the classic ABC '80s action-adventure series "MacGyver" allows catching up with the adventures of the titular resourceful do-gooder covert operative ahead of the September 28 2018 S3 season premiere. The Unreal TV review of the Lionsgate DVD release of S1 of this series provides s good sense of the lore.
The literal opening gambit finds late-20s blond stud/quick-thinking brainiac Angus MacGyver (Lucas Till of the "X-Men" film franchise) and older brother figure/muscle/bodyguard Jack Dalton (George Eads of "CSI") in bright sunny Cuba. A hot pursuit requires "Mac" to literally think on his feet even more quickly and frequently than usual in this fast-paced series. A fun bonus feature about this segment points out the the Cuban people are MacGyver in that limited and outdated resources require that ingenuity regarding enjoying modern conveniences that include functional vehicles.
Things quickly move to the primary mission of the episode, which is rescuing a Navy Seal being held captive in the Mid-East. This outing also introduces sexy interrogation expert Samantha Cage. He mad skills include both creative (and not always pleasant) ways of getting you to talk. She further can tell when you are lying ala Dr. Cal Lightman of the 2009-11 procedural "Lie to Me."
Fan favorite from the original and the reboot madman Murdoc shows up a couple of times and does not disappoint; the first one finds him getting the drop on "Mac" and providing a good twist at the end. His return is a fanboy dream in the form of having real-life rocker/original Murdoc portrayor Michael Des Barres appear in a key role. Another episode has Eads coming face-to-face with original Jack Dalton portrayor Bruce McGill. One can only hope that Mrs. Superman/"Supergirl" villain/Desperate Housewife/original Penny Parker on "MacGyver" Teri Hatcher shows up in S3.
The modern incarnation of the Colton family of bounty hunters come in the form of their quest for "commerce" competing with the desire of Team MacGyver for "art" in the form of preventing a tech. expert from unleashing an especially lethal computer virus. The hilariously incompetent dirtbag is a nice bonus.
The two holiday episodes provide great "MacGyver" fun. The gang spends the Halloween season tracking both a modern Ninja and her captives on a deserted island in the Bermuda Triangle. A "very special" Christmas episode revolves around trying to spring "Mac" from jail after his arrest for alleged fallout from one of his desperate measures. Although not a holiday outing, an episode involving Area 51 and possible alien tech. is another occasion on which the writers give the fans a valentine.
A season-long story arc has "Mac" searching for his father; related bases for intrigue are the clever clues that MacGyver senior leaves for his son and the figurative smoking gun that Phoenix Foundation director/Macyver handler Matty Webber (Meredith Eaton of "Boston Legal") knows the score but ain't talkin'. All this comes to a head in the cliffhnaging S2 season finale.
Best buddy/roomie/disguise expert/rookie operative/comic relief Wilt Bozer literally gets sent to school in S2. He spends several weeks in a training program that massively tests his endurance. The fun regarding this arc is a spy who loved me element.
These episodes fully embrace the "Miami Vice," "The Rockford Files, "Knight Rider," etc vibe of "unreal" escapist Friday night fare that dates back at least to the '70s. Watching attractive guys who only do the wrong thing for the right reason is tailor-made for the end of a grueling work week. "MacGyver" keeping that spirit alive AND providing new adventures of a hero who proves that one man's trash is another man's world-saving device is a true public service.
The DVD extras extend well beyond the segment on Cuba. We get two seasons worth of demonstrates on how to MacGyver devices; this one comes with a "don't try this at home" warning. We also get a look at the speciel effects, a gag reel, and deleted scenes.
The indie thriller "Diane," which premiered at the Arena Cinelounge in Los Angeles on September 7 and hits cable and VOD on September 17 puts several new twists on psychological dramas. The overall theme is that new angst in the life of one with a traumatic past can be the straw that breaks the back of the camel.
Central character Steve, who is the subject of the study in the film, is an Afghanistan veteran with physical and psychological scars from that war, The daily existence of this literal and figurative walking wounded man quirky involves performing engine repairs in his garage and regularly visiting local merchants. Beyond that, he mostly keeps to himself in his inherited house.
Steve seeing the corpse of a woman on looking out his bedroom window one morning changes everything. The po po arriving leads to Steve learning that his trespasser is the titular local singer. Hard-nosed Detective Bernard quickly determining that Steve is a person-of-interest, and the local media giving the story prominent coverage begins the Kafka-lite journey for this former soldier.
The concurrent trials of Steve consist of becoming obsessed with his uninvited guest and having Bernard dog him. An aspect of the latter is denying the request of Steve for an attorney at the police station during an intense grilling. The asserted basis for the denial is that the session only is a questioning of a witness. The correct answer is that any interrogation in which someone feels that he or she does not have the option of walking away triggers the right to legal counsel.
Steve also must deal with unstable neighbors and "tourists" both trespassing and creating mayhem. This is not to mention the recent widower of Diane coming knocking with his own agenda. These intrusions lead to fairly obsessive home surveillance.
Meanwhile, Diane increasingly haunts Steve to the point of becoming a full-on tormentor. The awesomely unexpected payoff that writer/director Michael Mongillo provides is a highlight. Diane has a valid gripe with our boy; there merely is more to the story than the surface role of Steve regarding this chanteuse becoming compost.
The overall understated tone of "Diane" is a primary reason that the film succeeds; having our main character being among the 1,000s who return from modern combat heavily damaged adds another good layer. The "it could happen to you" aspect is a further bonus.
The ultimate conclusion regarding an analysis of "Diane" is that it is worth seeing in the theater if only to support indie film. For everyone else, this flick more than stands up against competing fare.
The joint Skyline Entertainment and Steel House Productions supernatural thriller "The Toybox" jointly proves that there is life left in old-school style horror films and that dilapidated Winnebagos never die, they just lure in new victims. Fans of this genre and/ or Mischa Barton of the Fox teensoap "The OC" and/or former Mrs. Charlie Sheen/current real housewife Denise Richards can check out the film in theaters starting September 14, 2018 and home-video retailers the following Tuesday.
This aptly campy story about an RV with an evil mind of its own opens with it luring in its first victim the night before the road trip around which the movie is centered. Suffice it to say both that one boy was absent on the day of the "stranger danger" assembly and that his story will be an enduring urban legend.
The fun begins the next morning when widowed dad Charles shows that he is in charge by having elder "good" son Steve and younger "bad" son Jay accompany him on a family vacation in the titular "vintage" vehicle. Richards plays Steve's spouse Jennifer, who is along for the ride,
"ToyBox" follows the rules by having the suspense slowly build. The weirdness begins with the windows acting oddly and things going pure old-school by having the radio dial move on its own. Young daughter Olivia learning the importance of keeping her hands in the vehicle at all times is the first escalation.
Charles stopping to play good Samaritan on discovering a disabled vehicle brings Mark and his sister Sam (Barton) into the mix. This leads to Charles fairly literally proving that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions when he offers Mar and Sam a ride to the next town.
The driving force behind the movie takes our travelers down the aforementioned path by jacking their ride and stranding them in the desert. This leads to the real fun.
Anyone who has ever seen a horror movie aptly can see much of what ensues from a mile away. One can understand a moderate amount of carelessness regarding sticking a hand in the engine of the central carnivore despite it not running at that time. Others putting themselves in the path of danger after that event is less believable (but makes for bloody good fun).
Director Tom Nagel and writer Jeff Denton do a little better regarding both the fleeting shadowy figures seen in the corner of an eye and the glimpses of relevant torment. They further nicely tie this together by revealing the equally relevant history of the literal deathtrap. The concepts of a haunted RV and that vehicle facilitating stranding the whack-a-moles are clever enough to warrant watching "Toybox." The valid interpretation that decades of family drama that both travelling together and being confined in such a small and shabby space fuels the supernatural rage is a terrific bonus. The only thing that would improve on this would be the Partridge Family bus being the evil entity and the stress of that group touring for 40 years igniting the inferno.
Best friend of edgy indie filmmakers Breaking Glass Pictures continues demonstrating compassionate good instincts regarding sensitive coming-of-age Euro films. The August 7, 2018 DVD release of the 2014 Danish drama "Speed Walking" roughly coincides with the reviewed MUST-SEE Breaking release of the 2017 French dramedy "My Life With James Dean." "Dean" tells the overlapping stories of an independent filmmaker having a comically horrific experience screening his first feature and a gayby experiencing his first true love.
The international and timeless appeal of "Walking" stems from modern audiences from all over the world being able to relate to at least portions of the experiences of 14 year-old Martin in 1976 small-town Denmark. This credibility also reflects director Niels Arden Oplev stating in an interview on the DVD that the film is based on the real-life of the author of the memoir on which "Walking" is based. The strong acting by the main cast further helps sell the story.
An alternative context is that the coming-of-age, the large number of quirky characters, the role of death, and the moderate element of assorted forms of sexuality make "Walking" seem like a John Irving novel.
The following YouTube video of the SPOILER-LADEN Breaking trailer for "Walking" provides a storng sense of the above elements.
We aptly first meet Martin engaged in the titular sport with best friend (with benefits?) Kim. Raucous horseplay in the locker room subsequently ensues, and the boys then go on to have a typical school day. This all occurs in the period in which Martin is in the final stages of preparing for his confirmation.
Everything changes on a completely unprepared Martin arriving home; Family friend Lizzi tearfully tells the boy that his mother is dead. This leads to Martin facing his bereaved father and his 16 year-old brother Jens, who is almost completely out of his mind.
The rites of passage in the form of losing a parent and formally declaring himself to God while also having a range of sexual urges combine to prompt Marin in transitioning from a boy to a man. Anyone of either sex who fully shares a life with an adult male knows that the truth is that the inner boy always asserts himself.
The female object of the affection of Martin is classmate Kristine. Our grieving horn dog uses his recent loss to his advantage regarding his pursuit of this girl. Further, Kim is following a bros before hos attitude in giving Martin first crack at Kristine.
The numerous memorable moments in"Walking " further make it notable. We get Martin showing his lack of game (but not necessarily lack of success) in trying to get some on multiple fronts, losing it in an unexpected (but very symbolic) manner at the funeral of his mother, and having a cute and loving intimate encounter with a terrific humorous element. Another highlight involves Martin and his crew trying to catch his father in the act.
Oplev provides an especially good payoff in having the mayhem lead to the Confirmation;; young blonde Martin wearing an ascot and an open shirt makes one think that he has a mystery to solve.
More fun, tears, and recriminations come in the wake of the Confirmation. A jealousy-fueled heartbreaking betrayal equally affects Martin and viewers, we get a moment in which we see Jens living one fantasy of teen boys, and Martin finds that he has one last rite of passage to endure.
The central theme regarding this eventful 108 minutes is that every male of every age needs a mother. This role often falls to someone other than the person who gives birth to you. She is who listens to your problems, supports you regardless of whom you love, and cleans you up without judgment when drinking too much results in covering yourself in a soup of every possible bodily fluid except blood.
All you Moondoggies (or dudes who like duck diving during the day) and Gidgets (or regular-size wahines) should be totally stoked regarding the Film Movement September 11, 2018 release of the 2016 documentary "Between Land and Sea." Righteous dude Ross Whitaker, who is not a Barney or a Jake, shows us the year in the life of Irish surf town Lahinch.
Although the tubular vernacular above suggests otherwise, "Sea" entertains without depicting a California style surf scene; this film is much more "Waking Ned Devine" than '60s beach movies that include the totally awesome "Wet Side Story" about a romance between a biker chick and a surfer dude, A prime example of this is mood-apt instrumental music filling in for more rousing Beach Boys tunes regarding the copious footage of the surf.
The following YouTube video of the Movement trailer for "Sea" perfectly captures the charming and mellow vibe of this equal parts documentary, travelogue, and character study.
The concept that Ireland has a thriving surf culture alone is adequately surprising and compelling to warrant a film; the characters who are the subjects of the aforementioned studies not being airhead slackers contributes additional depth.
The stereotype of the California surfer is of a guy who fully embraces a dude lifestyle to the extent of only working hard enough to keep a minimal roof over his head and tacos in his stomach. He also usually does not have a steady Betty and even more rarely has rugrats.
The first man to whom Whitaker introduces us is a married mining engineer, who admits to practicing that profession just enough to provide his family a good life; he devotes much of the rest of his time to his passion for surfing. His English-transplant wife makes soap to contribute to the family fisc.
We also meet a farmer/surfer with a good sense of humor; his comment regarding the relative status between him and a English farm worker provides the only political commentary in the film.
We additionally get a look at a surf camp that allows a quimby to try to learn to shoot curls. Related fun comes via watching our subjects prepare their kids to hit the waves. A shoot of the face of a young girl when her 'rent tells her how her life jacket will activate if she goes under the water is priceless.
The bigger picture is the aspect of a tourist town that at least partially relies on a weather-dependent activity to bolster the local economy. Another aspect of this is working like a surf dog during the high season (no pun intended) and living a slower pace of life the rest of the year.
Whitaker encompasses all of the above by beginning "Sea" at the start of the calendar year as our Kens and Barbies prepare for (and otherwise anticipate) the upcoming summer; he concludes things with a wonderful community-oriented Christmas celebration.
The aloha regarding all this is that "Sea" indicates that surfers generally are the same the world over. Riding waves seems to keep their temperaments at an even keel regardless of what life throws at them. Further, these guys seem equally open minded and accepting of all.
Purveyor of the best work from "independent producers worldwide" Icarus Films literally and figuratively brings things home with the September 11, 2018 DVD release of the 2016 French documentary "Cholesterol: The Great Bluff." The general spoiler is that the American and European doctors whom filmmaker Anne Georget gets to participate in "Bluff" reinforce every conclusion of skeptics regarding using cholesterol levels to predict the probability of heart disease.
The following YouTube video of a trailer for "Bluff" provides a good overview of the issue of cholesterol and of the common-sense debunking themes of the film.
"Bluff" quickly identifies '50s-era medical researcher Ancel Keys as Medical Professional Zero regarding the decades-long cholesterol scare that seems particularly prevalent in the United States. The genesis of this is the skyrocketing rate of middle-aged men having heart attacks in the post-war era. The film also cites sitting president Eisenhower having a heart attack as increasing the concern regarding this health problem.
All right-thinking individuals with moderate savvy regarding statistics in general and medical establishment positions regarding issues of broad public concern IMMEDIATELY know where Georget is headed. The missing link is how she will get there, The overall theme of the film is not far off from the old joke that tiger repellent works because there are not any tigers around.
A talking head who shares a Winston Churchill joke perfectly conveys the reliability of statistics such as those that allege to support a connection between high cholesterol and heart disease. The wisdom of Winnie is that the only statistics that he he trusts are those that he only personally doctors. Learning the extent to which Keys manipulates his data shows that he closely follows the philosophy of Churchill.
A related aspect of this is pure laziness and greed on the part of doctors and everyone else who profits from providing healthcare. A diversion into Blogland is that medical tests consistently showing levels that indicate a health problem prompted undergoing a procedure. The results being that that condition did not exist but that the doctor had no alternative diagnosis prompted that "professional" to suggest retesting in six months and your not-so-humble reviewer just stopping short of suggesting where that oaf can put his stethoscope.
A related aspect of the common sense approach of Georget discusses the role of cholesterol, the actual culprits regarding heart disease, and the concept that the house always wins. A bothersome segment focuses on a doctor essentially paying a "you'll never work in this town again" penalty for blowing the whistle on the cholesterol scam.
The lengthy analyses of cholesterol drugs takes things further. The aforementioned rationale beings already know that big pharma teams ups with doctors who run pill mills from their office to literally profit at our expense regarding unnecessary prescriptions for cholesterol drugs. Georget educates many of us regarding the extent to which such drugs do far more harm than good. A case study of a woman who is scared into seeing a doctor for no good reason puts an additional perspective on this.
One important element that Georget does not address is the duty of care that one reasonably should expect from a medical provider but sadly does not receive. A bimbo at a department store cologne counter who tells a wannabe playah that a $100 bottle of a designer fragrance will get him action is far different than a doctor who knows better essentially telling a patient to come with him if the patient wants to live.
Icarus provides more common sense medical advice regarding the DVD extra. It is the Georget 52-minute film "Branding Illnesses,." The "well duh" theme this time is the practice (pun intended) of big pharma creating diseases and then selling the drugs that cure them. This is an event more blatant case of putting commerce of art regarding the cholesterol scam.
A telephone chat with '70s child star/current working actor/successful director Moosie Drier confirmed that puberty is not fatal to every classic sitcom kid. Our talk as Drier drove from a voice-over session for the Fox series "The Gifted" to pick up 12 year-old son Clayton from school was a genuine pleasure. The downside for folks seeking dirt is that there is very little to begin with, and the kind and sweet nature of Drier required not pursuing ANYTHING potentially embarrassing about his personal life.
The proverbial "how it all began" was the (reviewed) recent Time Life DVD release of the sixth and final season of the truly pioneering edgy mid-60s to early '70s fast-paced sketch-comedy show "Rowan & Marti's Laugh In." This series that carefully straddled the line between vaudeville and burlesque personified the philosophy that sacred cows make the tastiest hamburgers.
Drier moving up from regular appearances to being a featured member of the "Laugh-In" ensemble the final season prompted my dubbing him the "Cousin Oliver" of the series. The kismet began with a tweet to that effect along with an interview request coinciding with a rare occasion on which Drier checked his Twitter account. The next part of the story was that Drier had been friends with the real Cousin Oliver Robbie Rist and still playfully teased him about that role. The ONLY regret regarding the interview was forgetting an intent to comment that Rist was a jinx.
Drier agreed to an interview despite not granting many journalists that privilege. An initial nice surprise was learning that a surprisingly large overlap existed between his friends since childhood/celebrities of all ages and my childhood idols who have been just as terrific as Drier regarding speaking with me.
Spirit of Tab Hunter Lives On
The most striking impression of Drier is that a warranted comparison with '50s matinee idol Tab Hunter extends beyond the enduring all-American boy good looks of both men. These actors who grew up without a father have positive outlooks and loving natures that put 99-percent of us to shame. The simple fact is that Drier not getting one red cent from sales of "Laugh-In" DVDs and not promoting any project makes speaking with me a purely selfless act.
An interview in which Hunter thanked this operator of a "boutique" website for taking the time to talk with him cemented the sense that I would personally mourn his passing when it occurred. His death this July showed that that prediction came true. That loss still is felt. The better news is that 50-something Drier likely will be with us a few more decades.
A Child Star By Any Other Name
A desire to avoid asking Drier questions that he has answered a million times before prompted an online search for his real name; the failure to find anything reinforced that he is selective regarding interviews.
Drier shared that Moosie was not his God-given name but said that he has never been called anything else. He added that he had his legal name changed to Moosie and that it was on his driver's license.
The origin story of the name is that former New York Yankee Bill "Moose" Skowron was a friend of the father of Drier.
Bewitched, Newhart, and Jeannie
Drier, who mostly does voice-over work and directs plays and television (including an episode of the sitcom "Reba"), stated that he stopped acting roughly 20 years ago. He then noted that his girlfriend of five years Erin was a child actor.
Clues that included Drier sharing that the early acting career of his highly significant other was more high profile then his led to correctly guessing that her last name was Murphy. The subsequent gushing about Murphy by Drier included calling her "one of the coolest" and "one of the sweetest" people alive awesomely reflected the spirit of the '60sfantasycom "Bewitched" in which Murphy played young witch Tabitha. The kismet this time was watching a "Bewitched" episode on DVD right before speaking with Drier and without any knowledge of his relationship with Murphy.
Drier stating that "Erin and I kind of laugh about it" in reference to growing up as child stars males one happy that these kids have someone who can relate to their relatively unique growing pains. He also shared that he "wasn't seeing many child actors in my adult life until he started dating other child actors."
The discussion about Murphy led to my expressing sympathy related to a moderately high social-media profile making her and Drier easy targets for assertive fans of hers. He laughed and said that he was surprised how many times that someone asked her to twitch her nose. He pointed out that an amusing aspect of that was the twitch was the magic trigger of series lead Samantha, and that Tabitha would rub her fingers together to perform her spells.
Drier expressed the practice of fans associating child stars with their roles by stating that "people really identify the actor with the character if they played it long enough." He added that "for better or worse that actor will always be identified with that one role."
A personal association regarding Drier is his role as the young son of divorced wacky neighbor/best friend Howard Borden (Bill Daily) on "The Bob Newhart Show." The below photo shows Drier playing his part in that classic sitcom.
The first bit of kismet this time is that good Midwestern boy Daily is another star who has granted your not-so-humble reviewer an interview. His kindness extended to giving me a signed genie bottle from his '60sfantasycom "I Dream of Jeannie." This experience was consistent with Drier identifying Daily as one of his favorite people.
The inability of fanatics (rather than fans) to distinguish between the actor and the role led to discussing Daily "Jeannie" co-star and fellow awesome Unreal TV interview subject Barbara Eden. Drier started this conversation by stating that he knew the son of Eden and still occasionally visited her,
Drier then stumped the chump in sharing that he played the son of Eden in a May 1973 TV Movie that was the failed pilot for the sitcom "The Barbara Eden Show." This show played homage to "The Dick Van Dyke Show" by having Eden divide her time between dealing with egos and other problems as the head writer of a soap opera and family-oriented problems on the home front.
Laugh-In
Drier stated that he did not recall his role on "Laugh-In" expanding in the final season; he did remember the producers bringing in child actress Mona Tera to perform with him. A related memory was appearing with Tera on the cover of the L..A. Times television listing supplement. The following photos are "Laugh-In" ones of Drier and Tera.
Drier did have many fun behind-the-scenes stories. The sweetest was the habit of Lily Tomlin using down times to invite him to join her in the over-sized chair used in the skits in which Tomlin played precious five year-old Edith Ann. Tomlin sometimes speaking to Drier in her Edith Ann persona and sometimes in her own voice made this story even better.
The most scandalous tale was that Drier constantly smelled marijuana smoke around the dressing-room door of star Alan Sues. Murphy being special to Drier and the campy and flamboyant style of Sues required mentioning "Bewitched" star Paul Lynde. Drier spoke for every child of the '60s and the '70s in saying that "Paul Lynde was my hero as a kid; how frickin' funny was that human being." Learning that Murphy shared those sentiments was an interview highlight.
Richard Nixon was the first name that Drier cited as someone who was exciting to meet on "Laugh-In." He rattled off several more of the seemingly infinite roster of A-Listers who made appearances. That series landing Drier an appearance on a Sammy Davis, Jr. television special was the provided example of "Laugh-In" stars recruiting Drier to appear on other programs.
Drier lacked any memories regarding the seemingly abrupt cancellation of "Laugh-In." He did comment that "it [sudden cancellation] is common in the industry. There is so much red tape."
Drier had more insight regarding "Bewitched" packing it in after eight years. He shared that the series was set for a ninth season but that a reason that he provided off the record prompted abandoning that plan. One clue is that any speculation regarding the story behind ending things most likely will be inaccurate.
Oh God Cousin Oliver
Our discussion about Cousin Oliver portrayor Robbie Rist began with Drier expressing his childhood love for "The Brady Bunch," which added Oliver in response to the Brady kids getting older. Drier added that he was not up for that role and that "Robbie and i have been friends forever and still are."
The bromance between Drier and Rist really came through in discussing Drier guest-starring on the "Bully For You" episode on the mid-70s Saturday morning sitcom "Big John Little John" in which Rist played the 12 year-old version of an adult who alternated between being a kid and a grown-ass man. Memories of playing the bully tormenting Little John until that target became Big John clearly delighted Drier.
An awesome modern note regarding all this was the story of Drier hosting a Hollywood Hills mini-reunion for child stars of the '70s five years ago. A highlight for Drier was meeting Murphy at that event; a highlight for "Brady" fans was the group surprising Rist with a "Jump the Shark" award for playing Cousin Oliver. (I believe that Drier stated that some Brady kids were present.) The neglected opportunity this time was whether the presence of Rist jinxed the gathering in any manner.
I also learned that Drier and Rist were up for some of the same roles but did not compete for the Rist role as the adopted son of Ted Baxter on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."
The Big Join Little John theme also applied regarding Rist and Drier competing to play the son of the character whom actor/country singer John Denver portrayed in the 1977 Carl Reiner comedy film "Oh, God!." Drier rightfully thought that the straight blonde hair and glasses that made Rist look like "a little John Denver" made that kid a sure bet to play his kid.
Drier getting cast was only the beginning of the story. His mother calling the mother of Rist to share the news prompted that woman to cry over her son not getting the role. The rest of the story was that mother then speaking to Drier and telling her that she was glad that he was the one who got the role if Rist could not have it.
The following photo of Rist as Cousin Oliver shows that the comparison to Denver is highly warranted.
Kids Incorporated
Discussion of Drier playing soda-fountain worker Riley on the pre-"Saved by the Bell" "Bell" style '80s live-action Saturday morning kidcom "Kids Incorporated" prompted the most surprising reveal in our hour-long conversation. He volunteered that he did that series to pay off a tax debt about which he learned when he was emancipated at the age of 16. The rest of the story was that Drier learned at the time that his mother had not filed or paid taxes regarding his earnings.
The exceptional nature of Drier particularly came through in this portion of the conversation. The aspect of "Kids" that had a singing group comprised of kids that seemed to range in age from 10-to-15 treat 18-to-20 year-old Riley like a doofus and their house boy prompted jokingly asking Drier if he ever felt like slapping (early 21st century singer) Fergie of The Blacked Eye Peas. He took this is stride and stated both that Fergie is Stacy Ferguson to him and that he has the honor of being one of the few people allowed to call her by her birth name.
The praise continued with Drier describing Ferguson as "an angel" who was "not like a Hollywood child brat in any way." He added that she is "super talented."
An especially fun moment came in telling Drier about watching part of a "Kids" episode to prepare for our conversation. The plot revolved around Riley pretending to own the club where he worked in order to impress a visiting high-school rival. That guy showed up in an expensive car and wearing haute couture. My telling Drier that I did not watch the entire episode because I predicted that Riley got caught in his lie and 'fessed up and that his buddy then admitted to being as big of fake prompted Drier to laugh and reply "You're probably right."
Say Good Night Moosie
"Bob Newhart" being the only known exception to Drier being directly or indirectly closely associated with a series in which it is easy to imagine the characters continuing to go about their daily (no pun intended) business after the sets go dark for the last time seems very apt for this righteous dude. He simply continues the habit that has persisted for 40 years of showing up when called to act or direct and does not stress when the calls stop coming regarding a particular project.
On a larger level, it is nice to think that 100s of people have probably benefited from small kindnesses (such as his likely putting a quarter in soon-to-expire parking meters) by Drier without having a clue that he is the kid from the HILARIOUS ice-cream shop scene from "Bob Newhart."
The ABC Studios separate August 28, 2018 DVD and Blu-ray releases of the 2017-18 seventh and final season of the ABC prime time serial fantasydram "Once Upon a Time" provides a good chance to escape into multiple fantasy worlds before fully facing the cruel cruel end of summer.
The first good news for folks (such as your not-so- humble reviewer) who have not watched "Time" for a few years is that the new directions for the final season of this series about Disneyfied fairy tale folks living in our reality and a few others make it easy to follow even if you have never watched the show. Other good news is that a Pacific Northwest retailer that shall remain shameless is selling an S1-S6 Blu-ray set for a tempting price.
Speaking of Blu-ray, spending a few extra dollars to get sets in that enhanced format is well worth it, The elaborate fantasy worlds and copious effects are only part of the story. Like any Disney-oriented project, the behind-the-scene folks are Disneyiacs (if not collectors) with moderate to high obsession levels regarding accurately depicting these versions of favorite childhood characters. Further, seeing the cast make us believe that Snow White lives down the street and that Jiminy Cricket is a psychologist is great fun that deserves the full Monty.
The other big picture is that perceived similarities between "Time" and the equally lore-laden, reality and time-shifting 2004-10 ABC drama "Lost" is not your imagination. Both series are from the same production company, and the credits of "Time" showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis include writing for "Lost." Further many "Lost" stars go on to do "Time." The only disappointing absence is not having Josh Holloway being a "Time" character with a habit of assigning nicknames ala calling a clad-in-green Peter Pan Kermit.
This shared epic aspect of "Lost" and "Time" results in more creativity and payoff regarding the well-crafted lore of each series in in one episode than in a handful of most 60-minute dramas. "Time" does especially well making delightfully surprising connections.
The basic lore of "Time" is that the evil queen of "Snow White" fame imposes a curse that transports virtually every character from well-known Disneyfied fairy tales from the old country to the small town of Storybrooke, Maine. Part of the curse is that these princesses, princes, dwarves, etc. lack any knowledge of their true selves and live the same as the rest of us.
Ten year-old everykid/non-fairy-tale character Henry Mills is virtually the only one who knows the truth; the efforts of this boy who cries Big Bad Wolf to get the adults to take him seriously is a common theme of literature that is very relatable to current and past children.
Ala "Lost," the "Time" story greatly expands beyond the series of "operations" that Henry undertakes to put things right in manners that include getting the real-life versions of fairy-tale characters to wake up and smell the porridge. It ultimately seems that any fur or face that one can see at a Disney Park (or on the stage in "Wicked") shows up.
S7 starts with exposition that sets the stage for the aforementioned retooling. Recent Storybrooke High graduate Henry is setting out to literally and figuratively find his own story after writing the one of those of his fabled family, friends, and "others." His stating that every fairy tale has numerous variations sets the stage for things to come. Our boy then rides into the sunset via a portal to another realm.
A series of events that clearly establish both that we are not in Storybrooke anymore and that the events in the lives of the fairy-tale characters are not your daddy's bedtime stories. This is not to mention that some old friends who join Henry in his new reality have evil twins with various origins.
A particularly Upside Down aspect of S7 is that we get a late-20s author/Seattle resident Henry, who is a one-book wonder and a young widower, being under a curse that prevents remembering any aspect of his past. The annoyingly persistent child this time is Lucy, who claims that she is the daughter of Cinderella and that Henry is her baby daddy.
The numerous notable aspects of adult Henry are his separately bringing a pen to a knife fight and showing that he really does not know Jack.
Wonderfully dark themes that run through the S7 realms include sacrificing a "virgin" to save a loved one, the use of a curse to get revenge, an evil stepmother, revenge-driven blood lust, etc,
Horowitz and company go full-on "Lost" for roughly the final 3/4th of this 22-episode season, We get a big surprise regarding the central curse, learn that being woke is not desirable for evryone, and see prime examples of someone being his or her worst enemy. All this leads to a build up to a climax and an epilogue that is worthy of such an epic series.
The highlight of the numerous special features is "And They Lived Happily Ever After." This 22-minute Valentine has cast and crew reliving memories accompanied by clips from every season and express their appreciation to the fans. We also get bloopers, deleted scenes, and a look at cast member directing an episode.
