I looked forward to the debut last night on Fox of Alcatraz, the new creation of wildly successful producer JJ Abrams, this despite the fact that I would have preferred that a fictional prison had been used. I fear too many liberties will be taken with the truth, not that it will matter to anyone but nuts like me. Of course, using the name of that famous jailhouse is probably astute marketing. The two-hours moved swiftly. I'm hooked for at least another episode. Its violence is now the norm for television. What ever happened to the groups that used to complain about it? I guess they surrendered.
Here's a partial list of Abrams' credit, culled from Wiki. I picked out what I consider the most significant, and will add a brief comment after each.
Movies
Armageddon (writer with Jonathan Hensleigh, Tony Gilroy, Shane Salerno and Robert Roy Pool) (1998) I hated it. It was formulaic and contrived, but friends said it was the ultimate popcorn flick.
Mission: Impossible III (director, and writer with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci) (2006) Not great, but fun.
Star Trek (2009) (director and producer) I was never a fan of the series, but I loved the movie. Friends who were hardcore fans said it was "not Star Trek."
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (producer, and writer with Christopher McQuarrie, Andre Nemec and Josh Applebaum) (2011) I look forward to the DVD release.
TV
Felicity (1998–2002) (co-creator, writer, executive producer, director, co-composer of theme music) Never watched it, but the luminous Keri Russell tempted me to tune in.
Alias (2001–2006) (creator, writer, executive producer, director, theme music composer) Never watched it, but may catch up to it on DVD, as my friend Adam recommends it.
Lost (2004–2010) (Executive producer, theme music composer, co-creator, writer, director) I loved it, but doubt it will be remembered fondly, as its convoluted track wound its way to an unsatisfying conclusion.
Fringe (2008–present) (co-creator, writer, executive producer, theme music composer) My current favorite, rare in that the story arc makes sense, unusual for sci-fi. Remember how ridiculous The X-Files became?
Person of Interest (2011–present) (executive producer) It has grown on me, despite its outrageous premise and super-hero-like main character.
Thank you, Mr. Abrams.
The saddest thing about the grounding of the luxury liner, aside from the deaths, is the reprehensible behavior of the Captain who abandoned ship well before many of the passengers. Hopefully this was just an isolated case of selfishness and not more evidence of how low standards have fallen. It hurts that the Captain is Italian. Vergogna, as my mom would say.
No luck today trying to sell books at the viaduct on this rainy day. "Tomorrow, tomorrow..." as Annie sang.
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