The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, June 17, 2011 2 coverstory Really dramatic Gritty ‘Combat Hospital’ brings war home By Kyla Brewer TV Media T he world can be a dan- gerous place, and no one knows that better than brave military men and wom- en stationed throughout the world. Whether they’re carry- ing out a daring mission or keeping the peace, anything can happen. And when things go wrong, these soldiers often need immediate medical at- tention to survive. A new drama gives viewers an inside look at the high- stakes world of medicine on the front lines. The Canadian- produced “Combat Hospital” premieres Tuesday, June 21, on ABC. Set in southern Af- ghanistan in 2006, the drama follows an international team of health-care professionals at a military hospital. Doctors and nurses from the U.S., Can- ada, the U.K. and other allied nations make life-and-death decisions as they try to man- age the wounded in a war zone. The concept for “Combat Hospital,” briefly known as “The Hot Zone” in pre-pro- duction, was drawn from the real NATO Role 3 Hospital at Kandahar Airfield. In fact, the massive set is a recreation of a portion of the facility, in- cluding a helicopter landing zone, boardwalk area and Michelle Borth in “Combat Hospital” barracks. One of the largest such sets in Canadian televi- sion history, it measures 180,000 square feet, and fea- tures both indoor and out- door components. Many will likely try to com- pare the series to the iconic medical drama “M*A*S*H,” but aside from the setting, ABC’s new offering is very dif- ferent from the dark comedy that ruled the airwaves through the 1970s and early ‘80s. While B.J. and Hawkeye used humor to diffuse the tension of wartime, “Combat Hospital” doesn’t temper its drama. The series promises to be “candid, entertaining and sometimes brutal,” according to a media release. As the doctors and nurses are faced with the horrors of war, treat- ing coalition troops, Afghan civilians and children, the po- tential for hard-hitting drama is definitely there. However, it will take a truly talented cast to pull it off, and producers have lined up an international roster of actors. Elias Koteas leads the charge as Col. Xavier Marks in “Combat Hospital.” A vet- eran of film, stage and televi- sion, the actor is best known for his supporting roles, how- ever this new ABC series gives him the opportunity to shine as a lead. Mainstream audiences may recognize the Montreal native from his big screen roles in such movies as “Crash” (1996), “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008) and “Shutter Island” (2010). The actor’s television work includes memorable performances in “Traffic: The Miniseries” on USA Network and as Dr. House’s nemesis in Fox’s “House.” Luke Mably joins the cast from across the pond. Hailing from London, England, the actor is most widely recog- nized for his part as Prince Ed- vard in “The Prince and Me” (2004), as well as his turn as White in “Exam” (2009). His television credits include “Blue Murder” and the mini- series “Uprising,” and Mably made his feature film debut in Danny Boyle’s thriller “28 Days Later” (2002). Viewers may recognize Mi- chelle Borth from her recent A/Auto Boutique B/The Green Giraffe 2 x 2 multi-episode arc as Cathe- rine Rollins on CBS’s “Hawaii Five-0.” In “Combat Hospi- tal,” she portrays Maj. Rebec- ca Gordon. She previously starred in the acclaimed HBO drama “Tell Me You Love Me” and ABC’s “The Forgotten,” opposite Christian Slater. Award-winning Canadian actress Deborah Kara Unger plays Maj. Grace Pederson. She studied at Australia’s prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art and has ap- peared onscreen with some of Hollywood’s biggest names. She teamed with Mi- chael Douglas and Sean Penn in “The Game” (1997), played opposite Denzel Washington in “The Hurri- cane” (1999), and appeared with Sophia Loren and Ge- rard Depardieu in “Between Strangers” (2002). Terry Chen, who portrays Capt. Bobby Trang, burst onto the scene thanks to his role as Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong Torres in 2000’s “Almost Fa- mous.” He also appeared in “Snakes on a Plane” (2006) and “The A-Team” (2010) on the big screen, and in “Sanc- tuary” and “V” on television. British actor Arnold Pin- nock stars as Cmdr. Will Royal. Though a native of Birming- ham, England, Pinnock actu- ally began his career doing sketch comedy at Toronto’s Second City Mainstage. He has since made the move to television in such series as “The Listener,” “Billable Hours” and “Lost Girl.” Chirstopher’s Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: I remember a horror flick from the 1950s about a black panther that killed the people in a Mexican town. I’m now 70 and still remember it. Can you come up with the title and year? A: It sounds like the 1957 Mexican-made thriller “La Pantera Negra” was a mem- orable film indeed. Based on a story by prolif- ic Mexican writer Guz Agui- la, the film starred another busy Mexican star, Antonio Aguilar, a singer and actor whose incredible resume in- cludes 150 albums and more than 150 film appear- ances. The title isn’t that much of a puzzle -- “La Pantera Ne- gra” translates directly to “The Black Panther” -- and neither was the story -- your description pretty well sums it up. This might come as a bit of a surprise to those who know writer Aguila’s other works. He started out as a journalist and became fa- mous in Mexico in the mid- ’20s as a pioneer of a genre of satirical stage musicals known locally as “revistas” -- a sort of Mexican vaude- ville. Indeed, his work was at once so popular and contro- versial that he was effective- ly exiled from the country in 1924 and went to work in Los Angeles just as the mov- ie biz there was in its infancy. He went on to do quite a bit of film, but almost all in his native Mexico once he returned a few years later. Indeed, “La Pantera Ne- gra” was actually part of a series, with star Aguilar play- ing Mauricio Rosales, nick- named “El Rayo” (“light- ning”) the archetypical he- A/Crazy Tom's B/Allstar Auto Wash 2 x 3