Aside from being one of the very best shows on television, Game of Thrones has helped launch the careers of many incredible actors and propelled others to stardom, introducing American audiences to a slew of them. One of my favorites is Rose Leslie, who played the stubborn badass archer kissed-by-fire, Ygritte, across three seasons of the HBO phenomenon. Rose is now in the midst of launching an American film career. That begins with Honeymoon, a horror movie from first-time director Leigh Janiak. She stars opposite Penny Dreadful star Harry Treadaway. The intimate psychological thriller chronicles a “soppy” gooey lovey-dovey relationship and its slow, painful disintegration, taking place on that singular marriage rite of passage: one’s honeymoon.

On the morning after the Emmy’s, I was lucky enough to find some time with Honeymoon star Rose Leslie and her bewitching Scottish accent, before she was whisked off to the set of the Vin Diesel blockbuster The Last Witch Hunter. In the following discussion, Rose reveals her opinions on the horror genre (can you believe that the woman who played Ygritte is a self-described “wimp”?), discusses the massive differences between shooting Game of Thrones and Honeymoon and proves that I know nothing about Scotland.

Andy: Not too hung over from the Emmy’s?

Leslie: Ohhhhh, see now that we’re getting into that territory…no, I’ve had lots of coffee, thank you. It wasn’t a particularly late night for me.

[commence communal giggling]

Andy: I wouldn’t tell anyone. I have to start by saying that Ygritte is my favorite character from Game of Thrones, and I’m going to miss you on the show.

Leslie: Aw, thank you so much, that’s a lovely thing to hear. Thank you.

Andy: I was wondering, what did you take away from Game of Thrones and how has that informed your career?

Leslie: I felt very touched, because on my last day, I was given Ygritte’s bow and arrow to keep. They had changed the handle, personalized it with a silver plaque that said “Kissed by fire,” along with an emblem of a rose, and it was really lovely, and very considerate and just charming. That kind of sums up the entire crew and my experience for three years, because I had a blast on Game of Thrones and truly, truly loved it. And having been a part of such a global phenomenon enabled me to knock on doors that I was never able to knock on before. It’s given me a chance to be represented out here in America, which is a wonderful, wonderful thing. So it’s been great.

Andy: What then, drew you to Honeymoon? On the surface, Honeymoon looks like another cabin in the woods horror movie, but really, it’s a psychological relationship thriller.

Leslie: Yes yes exactly. It’s an examination of a relationship. One that seemingly starts off with a strong relationship, well it is, it’s an incredibly strong relationship, where these two people are totally enamored by one another, and obviously, quite clearly, in that honeymoon phase. And then the cracks starts to appear and that was something that drew me to the project in the first place, because there is such a transformation within these two characters, who are so intimate from the top and have to be throughout the film. Never before had I worked on something where, I know it was on screen, but it felt like a theater piece, because it was so intimate. And you were leaning so much on the other person, and it was just really a fascinating experience.

Andy: You touched on the word I was going to use to describe the film: intimate. It’s almost even claustrophobic at times.

Leslie: Yeah, yeah.

Andy: A movie like this requires a lot of trust with the director [Leigh Janiak] and [costar] Harry Treadaway. Did you know them beforehand and how did that trust develop?

Leslie: I had never met Leigh prior to reading the script. We had a couple of Skype chats and then I read the script, and she’s a remarkably intelligent woman, and I trusted her in the sense of, even though, no not even though at all, I know it was her directorial debut, but she said such insightful things about one scene or another. There was a real depth there, and it wasn’t just going to be these two people within their own sickening bubble of love. It was actually gonna be more than that.

In regards to Harry Treadaway and myself…we knew each other very briefly prior to working together, because we happened to go to the same drama school [London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, or LAMDA]. So that’s how we knew one another before. So there was already, I hesitate to use the phrase, foundation of trust, already, but it was a lovely thing in knowing there was a link there.

Andy: I imagine making Honeymoon was almost the exact opposite experience from working on something as massive as Game of Thrones. There were only four actors in the entire movie, and primarily it was just you and Harry. How was that like, and was that one of the reasons why you jumped in?

Leslie: Yes, exactly. It was because I had never really ever come across a project where there was so much hanging on these two people to basically get it right. I think that there was a risk in casting, you know there’s always a risk in casting a movie, but particularly for this, because it had to work at the beginning of the film, to actually feel some real empathy for the characters throughout. To really want to fight for them by the end of the transition, and to be involved in their world. That was something that appealed to me greatly, because Game of Thrones is not such an intimate shoot, and obviously with it being the colossal machine that it is, there’s a huge crew, and amazing equipment, and the production value is so high, and it’s a real, real privilege, and yet Honeymoon was a very different entity, and that was incredibly insightful. And also, a lovely thing to be a part of just because I was able to experience two different seeming worlds, even though they’re both with a camera onscreen in one way or another. It was a great, kind of like, balancing of the scale.

Andy: Where was Honeymoon filmed and how long did it take?

Leslie: Because it’s an independent movie, it was so tight, there was such a strict deadline. We shot in North Carolina, and we literally had about four weeks’ worth of six day weeks, we only had one day off a week, and it was just so intense. As you say, it was like jumping into the deep end with the project, and only really coming up for air once we wrapped at the end of the four weeks. We completely submerged ourselves into this world and into the realms of Bea and Paul, and just wanted to focus on the crumbling and the dissolving of this relationship, slowly but surely, and using a microscope into that.

Andy: You’ve referenced, sort of the two halves of this movie: the honeymoon phase and the crumbling of Bea and Paul’s relationship when weird and creepy things happen. Did you have a preference as an actor? Did you like to play the light-hearted stuff or the descent into horror?

Leslie: I personally loved the middle ground, where we weren’t so soppy and in love, not that it was soppy, but we were all over each other. But there was a middle part that was very interesting to me to play the subtext and subtlety of the cracks beginning to appear, and the distrust and the walls beginning to crumble between them and kind of playing that. Where everything is okay on the surface but Bea is in real turmoil underneath. That was something I really enjoyed playing, far more so than the blood and gore at the end.

Andy: That was also my favorite part. Perhaps this is a better question for Leigh or Harry, but your character [Bea] is the one who gets body snatched or taken or something has happened to you. We’re all curious and skeptical, along with Paul, when you return. But I really liked, that, if anything, Paul was just as creepy in his response, that it kind of went both ways. Was that intentional?

Leslie: Yeah, do you feel that was because he didn’t run off and freak out, and take the car keys? Is it because he stayed; is that just as creepy?

Andy: That’s partially it, but it was more so due to the intensity with which Paul reacts to Bea’s changed presence, and the almost abrupt switch that goes off with his character, along with the riff on the jealous boyfriend/husband stereotype, when we’re introduced to Bea’s former summer fling Will, and taking that a different way. I thought maybe something was wrong with Paul as well, perhaps Bea’s disappearance was misdirection, and that Paul was the changed one.

Leslie: Yes, yes, when I was reading the script, I was wondering: was Paul the one going mad or was Bea the one going mad? Is it both of them, or…is there actually something out in the woods that attacks her? I thought that was very clever too. It’s a testament to Harry being able to complete all those separate emotions all at once, really, because you’re right: you get freaked out by him and his reasoning behind his actions, or the actions themselves, than just seeing him as the pathetically jealous husband.

Andy: Are you a fan of the horror genre in general, and the body-snatching subgenre that this is a play on?

Leslie: Yes, I am a fan. It’s very interesting to play the body snatching element. I feel, when it comes to the horror genre, I’m harking back to my sentiments before of me being far more of a wimp than I like to admit. I prefer, and am speaking to, the psychological thriller side, rather than the gore and blood of horror.

Andy: That’s the scarier stuff anyways.

Leslie: Exactly, it messes with your mind!

Andy: With Game of Thrones and Honeymoon, you’ve definitely been a part of some decidedly adult, dark and gruesome things on camera. Is that something you look for, or is that just how it’s worked out?

Leslie: With Game of Thrones I absolutely responded to the character, loved the character, and knew that the book series was incredible and was so happy to be able to play Ygritte. As an actor I look for roles that have a certain versatility, so that as an actor I don’t totally become stale, and I am displaying different ranges as it were. It definitely keeps me on my feet, and makes sure that I don’t slow down in any way. But for me, it’s really about the writing, first and foremost.

Andy: Honeymoon comes out in theaters and on demand on September 12th, so I’m assuming you have a few very busy weeks ahead to promote the film.

Leslie: You know what, it’s really today. I’m currently in Pittsburgh, so I’m flying back to Pittsburgh tomorrow, and so the premiere is this evening, so we have press all morning and afternoon and this is our day to promote it, prior to the 12^th.

Andy: Sounds like a crazy day. What’s next for you after Honeymoon? I know you’re shooting The Last Witch Hunter [starring Vin Diesel].

Leslie: Yes, that’s what I’m shooting in Pittsburgh, exactly. So that’s where we are shooting until December; it’s a lovely long shoot. I’ve already shot a couple days, and it’s been great fun, so that’s the next project. [She also stars in Sticky Notes, a drama starring Ray Liotta, arriving in theaters March 1^st, 2015]

Andy: Before we go, I have to ask a question about Scotland. It was probably my favorite place I visited when I went backpacking, and when I return [AND I WILL], where should I go…what treasures off the beaten path await?

Leslie: My home city is Aberdeen, so I highly recommend it. Did you go to Aberdeen?

Andy: I unfortunately did not. I went through the highlands but not up to Aberdeen.

Leslie: I recommend traveling further north and going to Aberdeen, because it is a beautiful city, with a lovely beach, and some great cultural aspects, there really is. There’s beautiful countryside outside of it as well, the tracks up through the hills are absolutely beautiful.

PI: Scotland is unfairly beautiful. Thanks for the tip and for taking the time to talk with us!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrSh2CHmEW4]

As aforementioned, Honeymoon comes out on demand, and in theaters, this Friday September 12^th. Be sure to check it out, and read our review.

Honeymoon, as you might expect, is about a couple of newlyweds. Through their wedding video, intercut with a car driving up to a cabin in the woods, we’re in love with them as much as they are with each other. The two, Bea (Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie) and Paul (Penny Dreadful’s Harry Treadaway), are so adorable it hurts. When Paul tells Bea he “just wants to be with you,” Bea faux-gags, just like the audience. Of course, when they pull up to Bea’s “famous family cottage,” we’re immediately on high alert (and ready to groan; what more can be done in this sub-genre?). Nothing good ever happens in dark, dank, old houses in the middle of nowhere. “It’s dark and scary outside,” Bea teases. “It’s dark and scary inside,” Paul retorts. There are several knowing winks of foreshadowing interspersed between their interactions, promising the carnage to come (who knew hollow ducks were so creepy?). Some feel more natural (it’s too cold to swim, let’s have shower sex instead!) than others (“Have you ever killed anything with your bare hands?”), but it all pays off.

I wanted the movie to end after the first night, when all is happy. Instead, baby tension, a former summer fling and worse, come calling.

Honeymoon isn’t going to blow your mind, or scare the crap out of you. It’s hard to do so with such a stock premise. But, Leigh Janiak is clever enough to bank on these young stars and their explosive chemistry instead. The affection was so real and electric between Bea and Paul in the opening moments that it’s really disturbing to see their relationship unravel over the next two acts. When Bea goes “sleepwalking” at night, and comes back changed, disoriented, off (she doesn’t remember how to make French toast, bless her heart), we know the descent into horror is coming. But perhaps what’s most eerie and unsettling is how disturbed, creepy and intense Paul gets in trying to uncover the truth. While Bea is clearly not the same Bea we met, neither is Paul, the events changing him just as irrevocably, except he doesn’t have some high-concept genre excuse (or does he?). This is why Honeymoon works; it’s simple, and is a disturbing snapshot of how a marriage can deteriorate, only in fast forward. Paul and Bea’s relationship is the nexus of the movie, not the monster inside Bea (though the “tentacle” scene, for lack of a better descriptor, is certainly the scene that’ll stay with you). It’s the monsters inside all of us, and thanks to Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway, we’re closer to understanding them.

HONEYMOON arrives in theaters, on demand and on iTunes on September 12th, 2014. 

It’s nice to see Showtime’s Penny Dreadful get some love at Comic-Con. I was under the impression that either nobody watched it, or the people that did were kind of nonplussed about it, or that they’d rather read Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen instead. Either way, it didn’t get a ton of buzz, but I suspect it’s one of the many shows that will balloon in popularity in time for season 2, thanks to binge watchers, since most of the series aired against Game of Thrones.

Aisha Tyler of Archer and Whose Line is it Anyway? is the moderator, and an obsessed fan of the show (a “Dreadful”), which is something you can always tell if someone is faking. Tyler is not.

The panel kicks off with a wondrous recap of the show. I’m continually impressed by the editing and cuts when making these clips. I haven’t seen one that hasn’t made the previous season look 100 times better than what it actually was. Of course, that’s kind of why Greatest Hits albums exist.

Anyhow, the panel doesn’t include Eva Green or Timothy Dalton, which would probably be the two people I’d most want to see. Eva Green is deserving of Emmy’s and Globe’s for her fearless, nutso performance as Vanessa Ives, and Timothy Dalton just seems like he’d be hilarious/snarky. Plus, when in doubt, you always go for someone who’s played James Bond.

But we do receive creator/showrunner John Logan (Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Aviator, Hugo and Skyfall), Reeve Carney (who plays Dorian Gray), Harry Treadaway (Dr. Frankenstein) and Josh Hartnett (Ethan Chandler).

Logan earns serious sympathy when it’s clear how big of a nerd and Comic-Con guy he is. PD is his first TV show, and he admits being “emotional sitting on this side [of the stage],” expressing respect for the fans and audience, and what we believe: that horror is exultation, transference and transformation. He’s a native San Diegan (which feels wrong to type). The show’s mantra is clear: there’s a “monster in all of us.” Or a hero, if you ask Aunt May.

Aisha kicks off the panel by bringing up the big twist of the finale: that Ethan Chandler is a werewolf. I thought it was fairly obvious the entire show (there’s a wolf in the show’s intro right before or after his name, we’ve seen him wake up confused, and there have been dead bodies showing up that aren’t linked to vampires, but clearly eviscerated by some monster; plus he’s American with a rich father, much like Lawrence Talbot in The Wolfman), but it was still awesome to finally see evidence. The twist made Hartnett feel more “ingrained in the world.” Hartnett also admits to shaking and being nervous for the panel, which is adorable.

Logan has thought about the show for ten years (which is funny, considering the headline of this post). It came from a period of his life when he was depressed, and revisited Victorian wordsmiths, and wept at Mary Shelley’s work. The show came from being different (Logan is an open homosexual). Originally, he thought he might just recreate Frankenstein, but then he wanted to craft original characters, as he continued to think about it. He also drew inspiration from the second generation of Universal horror, which made him want to bring them all together. Hartnett jokes that you have Abbott and Costello to thank for Penny Dreadful, which is funny, but also kind of true.

Is Ethan Chandler so nice during the day, because he’s evil at night? Logan thought that’s what came naturally, and also wanted to get the audience invested, before the reveal.

Was Ethan bitten or part of a long line of wolves? “To be decided,” is what Logan says, but it’s clear he has long known the answer, and admits to having elaborate back stories in mind for all of the characters.

The most important/right sentence of the evening: “All hail Eva Green.” Logan calls her the most fearless actress he’s ever worked with.

Aisha then brings up Ethan and Dorian sex, because, of course. Reeve Carney didn’t know that would happen when he got the part, but joked he’d “better get a hot guy,” and he did. Logan wants to explore everything sexually.

The first season of PD was the overture, whereas the second season they get to play with and develop the relationships.

RE: the death of Van Helsing: For Logan, while he’s apologetic about killing off Van Helsing (played by the great David Warner), it was a joyous act. It was liberating, because it showed the audience that they’re straying from these classic works. Logan and the show respect the mythology, but are carving their own path. This moment begged the audience, “come with us,” and see what else is in store.

When crafting Dorian Gray, John Logan wanted rock ‘n roll in the Victorian era, a David Bowie/Mick Jagger type. And that was Reeve Carney.

Harry Treadaway didn’t finish reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, getting up to the point where it was useful (leading us to the believe that we won’t see the Doc and Frankenstein traveling the world after each other in the show, or at least not for a long time). He also talked to Cambridge scholars about the medical practices of the era, which blew his mind.

Logan refers to Harry as a legendary prop actor, much like Peter Cushing, about as high a praise as you can get in the horror genre. There are no inserts in Harry’s scenes. He’s always using the medical tools.

What is the nature of Vanessa’s possession? Did she invite the darkness in or was she taken? As always, Logan intimates it’s “inbetween,” but this is something they’ll delve into in season 2.

What new characters can we expect, or does he want to add to the cast? He didn’t rattle off names of monsters like I expected, though one he did was Dr. Moreau, wanting to visit the Island of Lost Souls.

Logan has charted three seasons thus far, and has pinned witch Madame Kali as the antagonist in season 2. Madame Kali showed up for one episode in the memorable “Seance,” when we first learned something of Vanessa Ives’ true nature. Kali is played by the great Helen McRory (Skyfall, Hugo, Narcissa Malfoy in Harry Potter). Logan shares an awesome deleted scene from Episode 8 that was cut, where Kali threatens Ferdinand Lyle. She promises “one will live, one will die,” and is a creepy scene that leaves me truly excited to see her as the Big Bad in S2. Perhaps even better is that Simon Russell Beale’s Ferdinand Lyle will be joining the family in season 2 as a series regular. The effeminate Egyptologist was one of my favorite characters, even though he only showed up in 2 episodes.

Credit to Matthew Sweets for inventing the Victorian, and their Victoriana region.

The Creature (Rory Kinnear) will be choosing a name for himself in season 2, and it’ll be the name of a dead poet. Obvi.

They filmed Dorian Gray’s portrait and was going to reveal it in the finale, but decided to hold off, and tease it off in the coming season, because it didn’t have the impact they wanted it to.

We can expect a lot of Vanessa and Ethan together in Season 2. That doesn’t mean it gets romantic, but obviously there’s a possibility. It seems that possibilities are endless with Penny Dreadful going forward, and I think the show is only going to get better, as John Logan masters making TV. It’s clear he’s a brilliant writer and is as knowledgeable as anyone on the genre.

Right now you’d be in your arm chair, a mug of beer in tow, watching the newest installment of HBO’s GAME OF THRONES. Unfortunately, you won’t be doing that this Sunday night.

GAME OF THRONES’ fourth season was probably its best yet, which is an impressive statement, since the first three seasons were essentially a bad break (or a BREAKING BAD) away from being the best show on TV (though arguments can be made for FRINGE, COMMUNITY, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, JUSTIFIED, THE WALKING DEAD, PARKS AND RECREATION and LOUIE within that time).

But after last season’s incredible finale, “The Children,” which may have been its best yet (and it still elicits massive doses of controversy, because internet), we’re left without the sprawling clans of Westeros and beyond fighting for power and meaningless titles on our TV sets until next March. That’s a long damn time. What the hell are we supposed to do until then? I’m not going to suggest going outside or watching the World Cup or even reading George R. R. Martin’s A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE novels, because no shit. Of course, none of my other recommendations are going to be insightful or clever either.

More than ever, people want to be apart of the discussion, they don’t want to be the only one not watching a show. This year that show has been alternately TRUE DETECTIVE, GAME OF THRONES and ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. What’s the next obsession? Each of my following suggestions are ranked by their potential to be the next big thing.

Before I begin, I’ll offer the following advice: watch anything but CROSSBONES and DEFIANCE. I feel like this goes without saying. Watch BLACK SAILS instead if you crave pirates, because it’s STARZ’s replacement for SPARTACUS (though it’s not that good). Watch DOMINION instead of DEFIANCE if you want SyFy in your life, because that has Anthony Stewart Head in it.

10. Go see OBVIOUS CHILD

I haven’t seen the movie, but everyone I’ve talked to has said how amazing Jenny Slate is in it, and how powerful/funny/difficult a movie it is. You know Jenny Slate as Mona-Lisa in PARKS & RECREATION, also known as the worst (and simultaneously the best), and I’m tickled that this movie puts her on the dramatic map. There isn’t a movie out right now that I’m more intrigued to see. I’m guessing it’s worth the extra effort to find it.

Water Cooler Factor: 1/10. You’ll be the cool kid talking about a movie nobody’s seen, which is worth something. Unless you’re an LA hipster, I doubt OBVIOUS CHILD will make a dent in the theaters, unfortunately.

9. Catch up on ORPHAN BLACK

If you’re not watching BBC’s ORPHAN BLACK, you’re not doing it correctly. While the second season wasn’t as mindblowing or fresh as the first season, it was still the best show on TV that isn’t GAME OF THRONES (or HANNIBAL). Then last night’s season finale happened, and “Holy shit” was all I could utter after nearly every scene. It truly was a game changer; the finale changes EVERYTHING, and I’m not sure into what. Season 3 will be a complete mystery, but it promises to be no less compelling. It’s time to get onboard and learn why Tatiana Maslany really is everything.

Water Cooler Factor: 4/10. The season is over, so a lot of the impetus is gone for people to talk about it. By next year it’ll be on SHERLOCK levels, however.

8. Finally check out Showtime’s PENNY DREADFUL

I wouldn’t say I was overwhelmed by the pilot, but since then John Logan and Sam Mendes’ highly stylized, quite screwed up and grotesque take on classic gothic horror has grown into something bewitching.

I wouldn’t say it’s great, though it’s filled with great performances. Namely, the show has given an excuse for Eva Green to go absolutely bonkers, and that’s something the world has wanted/needed/craved since CASINO ROYALE. She’s deserving of at least a nomination at all of the award shows for her alluring, batshit crazy portrayal of Vanessa Ives, one of the few characters on the show that isn’t lifted directly from literature (or if it is, it’s over my head). We’ve seen way too many seances in film and TV, but Eva Green’s possessed Vanessa is the moment that secured my viewership until the show ends.

Plus, Timothy Dalton further cements his scene crunching ability in a late career renaissance I adore, and you can see Josh Hartnett’s ass and Billie Piper’s boobs. I’m an episode behind going into tonight’s episode (“Possession”), so this is one on the list that I’ll definitely be doing.

Water Cooler Factor: 5/10. I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot more people would’ve been watching PENNY DREADFUL if not for GAME OF THRONES. Now that the latter is done, there’s still some time for PENNY DREADFUL to get into the national discussion. Unfortunately, after tonight’s episode, there’s only one week till the finale. Considering Showtime has already optioned a second season, it’s another good one to get ahead of the game for next year.

7. Get onboard BBC’s next buzzy show, INTRUDERS

All I know about BBC’s INTRUDERS, except that it’s premiering this summer and stars The Master himself, John Simm, is what I gleaned from this promo:

And that’s all I need/care to know to watch it.

Water Cooler Factor: 6/10. Looks great, but in a LUTHER/IN THE FLESH kind of way, where only the in BBC crowd watches and loves it.

5. Figure out what the hell RECTIFY is about

I’ll be honest, I don’t know. But this Sundance Channel show is apparently brilliant.

EW raves about it. It’s “mesmerizing.” “Stop Everything and Go Watch Rectify.”

It certainly doesn’t sound for everyone, considering it’s referred to as subtle and quiet drama, its whodunnit beside the point. Vulture calls it “christian art.” I don’t know what that means, but I’m tantalized, especially when it’s hailed as the successor to MAD MEN.

Water Cooler Factor: 7/10. Critics and outlets are going mad for RECTIFY. Will the people follow? I kind of doubt it, based on the themes at work in RECTIFY, but I’ve bumped several shows on my list in order to start season 1 and catch up on season 2 before it ends.

4. Check out STARZ’s OUTLANDER

OUTLANDER wants to be the next GAME OF THRONES, minus the dragons (as far as I know). It’s from a best selling book series, and is a time traveling romance to Scotland, being brought to the screen by Ronald D. Moore, who rules (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA). I think this one could be huge, judging by the eighth book’s firm place on top of the NYT Best Seller’s List, and its legion of fans.

OUTLANDER premieres August 9th.

Water Cooler Factor: 8/10. It might be too dreamy and historical to catch on like wildfire, but then again, we live in an age when DOWNTON ABBEY is one of the most talked about shows.

3. FX’s THE STRAIN is the next THE WALKING DEAD/AMERICAN HORROR STORY

Based on a popular book series, check. Awesome pedigree (Guillermo del Toro), check. A new, dark take on vampires, check.

From what little we’ve seen of THE STRAIN, it looks fucked up and cool. We might all be tired of vampires, but I’m pretty sure del Toro has something different up his sleeves with this.

It’s a coming July 13th.

Water Cooler Factor: 8.5/10. When horror shows find an audience, they explode, and with AHS and TWD off the air, The Strain should fill that void. It also helps that I expect it to be fairly excellent. Bonus half point because…IT HAS SEAN ASTIN IN IT!

2. Watch HBO’s Newest Show: THE LEFTOVERS

There’s little doubt in my mind that HBO will keep the hits coming, and dominate the national pop culture discussion again, after dominating this calendar year with TRUE DETECTIVE and GOT. I don’t think it’ll be the last season of TRUE BLOOD we’ll be talking about, however. That, like DEXTER before it, is ending too late, and is really just something we’re all watching out of due diligence more than anything else.

Next Sunday, June 29th we get to see THE LEFTOVERS, the show I believe will be the next buzzy show that will get spoiled for us minutes after its episodes air. What if 2% of the world’s population mysteriously disappeared? It certainly has LOST-like potential, which sounds like a dirty word these days, but I still cling to that as a compliment. It also could very well be like UNDER THE DOME, an inconsistent show I hate-watch. Either way, I’m quite curious to check it out.

Water Cooler Factor: 9/10. Pretty positive this is the one to take the mantle.

1. Watch these summer movies: DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and SNOWPIERCER.

Movies have a very low shelf life in terms of taking over the discussion, since every week there’s a new blockbuster to watch. So far 2014’s had a pretty good track record, though we’re about to hit a bit of a lull until DOTPOTA comes out, which is an acronym I’ll avoid using in the future.

DAWN and GUARDIANS are my two most anticipated films left this summer, and probably this year, though I’m not bothering to check that. They’re also the only two I’d predict that could even touch CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER in terms of quality.

SNOWPIERCER should be incredible as long as the Weinstein’s don’t ruin it. It’s based on an acclaimed French graphic novel, it stars Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Octavia Spencer, Alison Pill and comes from visionary director Joon-ho Bong. Peep it:

It’s a smaller film, but it shouldn’t be, based on that trailer and who’s involved. We will get to see a director’s cut, but the film will no longer get a wide release. The world sucks sometimes.

Water Cooler Factor: 10/10. Maybe not for SNOWPIERCER, but DAWN and GUARDIANS are the two biggest movies yet to come out so far, mark my words. Fuck Transformers.

OTHERS: Halt and Catch Fire, AMC. The Knick, STARZ. The Last Ship & Legends, TNT. The Quest, CBS.

Showtime, as has become its penchant, has released the pilot of PENNY DREADFUL for all to see, a couple weeks in advance of its premiere date (the show airs Sundays at 9 PM, beginning on May 11^th). The following analysis contains A BOATLOAD OF SPOILERS FOR THE PILOT, so consider yourself warned, as we delve into the demimonde, the place in the shadows, a world inbetween what we see and what we fear, or the setting in which much of PENNY DREADFUL takes place.

PENNY DREADFUL is dripping with pedigree. The series is created by John Logan, the screenwriter of THE AVIATOR, GLADIATOR, THE LAST SAMURAI, HUGO and SKYFALL, with Sam Mendes (SKYFALL, AMERICAN BEAUTY) on board to produce. The pilot and several subsequent episodes are directed by J.A. Bayona (THE IMPOSSIBLE, THE ORPHANAGE and will be tackling WORLD WAR Z 2). And the material that Logan and company are plumbing is even more star-studded, as PENNY DREADFUL seeks to be a dark mishmash of all the great gothic horror literature. Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.” Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”  All these and more have been referenced by Logan and others when news of the project materialized, all likely to be adapted for the bloody, gruesome small screen in some manner.

It’s been so mysterious thus far…but now that the pilot is available, we can begin to see what Logan and company have in store for us.

The horror and genre fan in me loves it…but it all kind of seems familiar, stale, been there-done that. NBC already has/had a DRACULA show. There’s VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE ORIGINALS, THE STRAIN. The American BEING HUMAN just ended, but the British one is still going. Of course, there’s more going on than just vampires in PENNY DREADFUL, and none of those shows might not be done as well or as purdy and stylized as Showtime’s dreary tone. After watching the first episode, this is ONCE UPON A TIME with gothic literature, gifted with an AMERICAN HORROR STORY like vibe where sex and blood is par for the course. This is Alan Moore’s “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.”

I was ready to slam this pilot, or at the very least, extoll skepticism that the show will hold my interest, but I realize it already has, thanks to all my speculation about the characters and what’s to come.

Part of the mystery (or the only thing that had me captivated) in the opening episode is figuring out who is who in the convoluted tapestry that John Logan is weaving. The character’s names, before the pilot aired, appeared innocuous, all-new, and not especially linked to the books Logan kept name-dropping in interviews (save Dorian Gray). Was it a ploy to keep guys like me off the trail? Or are the monsters and the heroes going to be bit players, or side characters to the action; is this going to be AGENTS OF H.O.R.R.O.R., creating brand new characters in a well-known world? It appears that it’ll be a little bit of everything, as it’s clear that there are more to these characters than meets the eye, and several are no longer a secret.

Josh Hartnett plays Ethan Chandler (any time I see the name Chandler, I assume it’s a reference to Raymond Chandler), a con man, an actor, who poses as a swashbuckling, roguish cowboy who survived Custer’s Last Stand, using his tall tale to swindle the charmed Brits. The fact that he uses the term tall tale seems to hint that his true identity may be found in one of them. He certainly doesn’t seem like Paul Bunyan, though Hartnett could totally pull off Babe the Blue Ox. Is he Davy Crockett? Johnny Appleseed? Pecos Bill? Or is he a famous cowboy, a Buffalo Bill? Wild Bill Hickok? Billy the Kid? Another cowboy named Bill? Vanessa Ives claims that there’s more to him than he puts out there.

Ethan is our entry to the story, as he’s approached by Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) to help her and her employer (Malcolm) with some “night work” (the name of the pilot), which naturally involves killing monsters.

Who exactly is Vanessa Ives? She’s seen worshipping to a cross several times, having an unhealthy relationship with spiders, whether she summons them, or they just hate her prayers. She’s a fortune teller, a spiritualist, the kind of lady who will totally tell you to pick a Tarot card from her deck. I got nothing on her right now, though I’m sure it’s staring me right in the face. Anyone have any theories? I want her to be the crazy gypsy woman from WOLF MAN, but that isn’t right.

Timothy Dalton is great as Sir Malcolm, a wealthy explorer searching for his daughter, who’s been kidnapped by blood-cursed beasts. Can we call a spade a spade here and just admit they’re vampires? It’s unfortunate that vampires are the biggest focus in the first episode, since we’re about running out of new ground in that particular mythos. It’s clear, even before we learn that Malcolm’s full name is Malcolm Murray, that his daughter is Mina, or Mina Murray/Harker, Dracula’s biggest infatuation. More interesting is that they present Sir Malcolm as an explorer of Africa who’s lived untold adventures and happened upon a myriad of secrets. He certainly has shades of H. Rider Haggard’s Allan Quatermain, the star of “King Solomon’s Mines,” a book that is credited with creating the “Lost World” genre. Quatermain is the godfather of Indiana Jones and whatever Noah Wyle played on TNT.

Considering Malcolm has a servant named Sembene, who’s clearly from “the dark continent,” (their words, not mine), it’s likely Sembene was found/rescued during his travels in Africa. I’m not overly familiar with Haggard’s novels, but I’m sure they’re filled with potential characters he may be (Umslopogaas? Ignosi?). Ousmane Sembene is a notable African filmmaker from the independence era, which certainly doesn’t seem like an accident, and indicates that Malcolm/Quatermain perhaps freed Sembene from slavery.

After Malcolm, Vanessa and Ethan traipse around, stumbling upon a vampire nest, they bring a body to a doctor, a man singularly consumed with life and death. It doesn’t take a genius to realize we’re seeing a young Dr. Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), even before his identity is revealed (you’ll be screaming at the screen long before he says his name). He isn’t interested in any other avenue of science, blinded by arrogance and purpose. Malcolm wants to hire the Doctor for their quest to find Mina, but even though Victor’s clearly in need of the money, he doesn’t want to dilly dally with anything else but his experiments.

Which happen to bear fruit by the end of the episode, as we see Logan and company’s version of the “It’s Alive!” scene, which is thankfully a lot different (and effective). In Mary Shelley’s classic novel, once Victor achieves his goal, he’s terrified of the demon he created, and runs away from the Monster. Then he realizes he must kill him, and consumed by madness, travels around the globe to try and catch him. The Monster, despite his ugly features, is an eloquent figure, abandoned by his father, and seeking a place in an unjust and mysterious universe, only wreaking terror and death because Victor kind of deserves it for being a self-absorbed ninny. In PENNY DREADFUL, the two wonder at each other…the Creature (Rory Kinnear) not particularly big or imposing, both of them touching the other’s face. There’s certainly sexual vibes going on (was he a lover of Victor’s before he died?).

In the waning moments of the pilot, Malcolm is greeted by the presence of his dear daughter, Mina (Olivia Llewellyn), who it appears, is no longer human. She’s been turned, which, while tragic news to Malcolm, is good news for us as an audience, because we don’t have to go through that storyline again. More interestingly, Malcolm and Vanessa have committed some transgression that led to Mina’s condition, a guilt that they’ll always have.

While the vampire stuff is mostly pat…Dr. Frankenstein unearths an interesting wrinkle, when he splits open a dead vamp’s exoskeleton, revealing hieroglyphics tattooed to the man’s skin. Malcolm and Vanessa go see a Mr. Lyle, an eccentric Egyptian scholar at the British Museum, who reveals that the tattoos indicate the man has a “blood curse,” and that the images come from the Book of the Dead. Of course it does. To the best of my knowledge there is no Mr. Lyle in any of the Universal Mummy films, but I do like that everything seems to come from Africa, and are related to one of Malcolm’s expeditions.

Oh, and because it wouldn’t be London in the 19^th century without him, it appears that Jack the Ripper is back, having butchered a woman into all kinds of pieces. Is Jack the Ripper a vampire, or something else (Dr. JACK-yll and Mr. Hyde)? Or is Jack just back from a holiday? Or is it Dracula/some vampire, doing the murders, and it just looks like Jack the Ripper? Considering how much blood was left at the scene of the crime, it certainly doesn’t feel like vampires.

So after one episode: we got vampires, Mina Murray with the promise of Dracula to come, some version of Jack the Ripper, Dr. Frankenstein and his “Creature” (not his Monster), and an Allan Quatermain stand-in. We haven’t even been introduced to Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), though he’s coming.

PENNY DREADFUL’s pilot wasn’t terrific, but it obviously had a ton of elements and seeds, and depending on how they’re teased out, and blossom over its first season, it may very well prove that vampires, monsters and the like aren’t so dead after all. Plus, we haven’t even met Billie Piper’s Brona Croft (an irish immigrant trying to escape her dark past), with even more puzzles to come.

STREAM THE PILOT NOW:

http://youtu.be/_GMZBirzYAY