Float On

ABC's The River: The waters have been tested, and we're appropriately horrified

ABC's new experimental TV concept — the upcoming found-footage series The River — is as horrifying as one might expect from Paranormal Activity's Oren Peli.

The found-footage innovator created and helms the eight-episode series, which is produced by Steven Spielberg and premieres Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. central time. (We got a sneak peek Jan. 19 at Austin's Alamo Theater.)

The series marks the "found-footage" format's jump into TV, and follows a documentary expedition set out to rescue TV personality Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), a fictionalized Steve Irwin adventurer type after who has gone missing in the Amazon. The two-hour pilot, though enjoyable, raises some concerns as to whether or not this brand of horror can succeed in the drawn-out realm of television. However, Peli and crew execute the transition well enough, hooking me for at least the next few episodes.

The documentary search-and-rescue is a clever plot device that allows the characters to be accompanied by professional cameramen — a novel way of avoiding the dreaded shaky-cam that pollutes so much found-footage horror.

The pilot opens with footage from Emmet’s show-within-the-show, a nature/travel/kids series that has been on a successful 22-year run. Through the footage, we are introduced to younger versions of three central characters: Emmet the explorer; his neglected son Lincoln (Joe Anderson); and loving, fellow adventurer wife, Tess (Leslie Hope). The action quickly switches to a present-day Lincoln eulogizing his famous father on national TV, after which he is surprised by his mother and a live camera crew whilst drinking away his sorrows at the local bar.

His mother, who still believes Emmet is alive in the Amazon, has gathered funding from a big-name TV network in order to search for the lost explorer — under one condition: both she and Lincoln must participate in the search and rescue. Now that’s some good reality TV.

The documentary search-and-rescue is a clever plot device that allows the characters to be accompanied by professional cameramen — a novel way of avoiding the dreaded shaky-cam that pollutes so much found-footage horror. Luckily, the series is lead by Peli, the director who breathed new life into the genre with his 2007 hit, Paranormal Activity. Hopefully, with him in — not to mention Spielberg as producer — the series will avoid getting hung up on too many found-footage clichés.

Still, the mid-season pick-up utilizes all of the familiar found-footage tricks: security cameras set up to capture what the camera crew can’t; spooky creaks off frame; and, of course, too-fast-to-track shots of the monster, whatever it may be. And though none of that was tiring in the pilot, stretching out what many see as gimmicks for multiple seasons might prove difficult.

After the show, the audience was treated to a Q&A with Peli. The Israeli filmmaker gave insight into where the film was shot (surprisingly, not on a river), a future road map of the show and said that the show will employ a kind of “monster of the week” format, wherein the crew will face a different kind of scare each episode. All in all, he seemed confident that he and his team have crafted a new and exciting interpretation of the found-footage sub-genre, a daring jump into the unforgiving world of television.

The pilot certainly succeeded as an introduction to what can be expected from the rest of the season, and it did well to set up each character and their role in the plot, all while using found-footage conventions to great effect. So, whether or not the show can remain fresh after half a season is still up in the air. I call the pilot a success and encourage both fans of horror and good TV to tune in to ABC Feb. 7 to give the show a shot.

Movie Review

Supergirl fails to take flight in a movie weighed down by grief

Milly Alcock in Supergirl

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

Last year's Superman reboot brought a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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