Screen Test
By George Vernadakis and Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 11/19/2007
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(Cartoon Network, Wednesday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m.)
THE RUNDOWN: Kid superhero Ben Tennyson, already star of a hit animated series, makes his live-action debut in a Cartoon Network original movie. Armed with his Omnitrix alien watch, Ben saves the planet from the evil Eon.
PROS: Flick stays true to its toon origins, and director Alex Winter, co-star of the 1989 time-travel romp Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, keeps the tongue-in-cheek action moving briskly.
CONS: Special effects are on the cheesy side, with lots of purple fireballs tossed around and Power Rangers-style costumery.
THE SCORE: Built-in audience will cheer on flesh-and-blood versions of Ben, his cousin Gwen and Grandpa Max (Lee Majors, looking like a lot less than 6 million bucks). But crossover appeal is nil.
— George Vernadakis
Frank TV(TBS, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 11 p.m.)
THE RUNDOWN: Impressionist extraordinaire Frank Caliendo migrates from appearances on Mad TV, Fox NFL Sunday, Letterman and YouTube to his own late-night sketch cable show.
PROS: As executive producer/writer/creator and star, it’s a tour de force for Caliendo, who largely sends up mainstream characters with broad appeal.
CONS: While it worked in the “Seinfeld 2027 Reunion Show on TBS,” in which he portrayed three of the characters to dead-on effect, there’s a tad too much Frank.
THE SCORE: In the first episode, six of the eight bits hit for this watcher. The rapid pace provides viewer grazing opportunities, but the best were the longer ones, notably a naughty tour of the William Jefferson Clinton Library by the faux former president.
— Mike Reynolds
