(no subject)
Apr. 18th, 2011 12:30 pmYou guys, Game of Thrones is starting to happen.
Can it possibly manage the vast scope and violence of the books? Probably, at least for the first season.
Can it overcome the self-imposed deadly seriousness of trying-to-not-be-cheesy fantasy? It will definitely be pretty enough and should contain plenty of balls-out cray cray.
Will you like it? FOOL IT HAS SEAN BEAN AND GAYS
So I think you need to watch. Cheat sheet to keep track of the characters/map. Trailer and other video.
Can it possibly manage the vast scope and violence of the books? Probably, at least for the first season.
Can it overcome the self-imposed deadly seriousness of trying-to-not-be-cheesy fantasy? It will definitely be pretty enough and should contain plenty of balls-out cray cray.
Will you like it? FOOL IT HAS SEAN BEAN AND GAYS
So I think you need to watch. Cheat sheet to keep track of the characters/map. Trailer and other video.
(no subject)
Jul. 21st, 2010 09:43 amThis is a great and too-brief interview with Ben Glenn II on the history of canned laughter, particularly the LaffBox of a guy named Charles Rolland Douglass.
Today’s sitcoms are based mostly on witty repartee and no longer rely on outlandish situations or sight gags, such as you would see in an episode of Mister Ed or The Munsters or Bewitched—and today’s muted laughs reflect that. Generally, laughs are now much less aggressive and more subdued; you no longer hear unbridled belly laughs or guffaws. It’s “intelligent” laughter—more genteel, more sophisticated. But definitely not as much fun.
via![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png)
becker_tv_news_feed
Today’s sitcoms are based mostly on witty repartee and no longer rely on outlandish situations or sight gags, such as you would see in an episode of Mister Ed or The Munsters or Bewitched—and today’s muted laughs reflect that. Generally, laughs are now much less aggressive and more subdued; you no longer hear unbridled belly laughs or guffaws. It’s “intelligent” laughter—more genteel, more sophisticated. But definitely not as much fun.
via
becker_tv_news_feed(no subject)
Jun. 16th, 2010 10:27 am( Justified season 1, no spoilers )
If season 2 is anything like season 1 it is going to be completely reliable awesome, funny, subtle badassery week after week.
( The Good Wife, first half of season 1, no spoilers )
If season 2 is anything like season 1 it is going to be completely reliable awesome, funny, subtle badassery week after week.
( The Good Wife, first half of season 1, no spoilers )
(no subject)
May. 26th, 2010 08:35 pmIn an attempt to think and write more about the vast quantities of media I consume, I am going to attempt to think and write more &c- &c-.... So apologies in advance for increased levels of noise and constant levels of readability.
( Luther S01E01 )
( Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, The Mote In God's Eye )
( Luther S01E01 )
( Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, The Mote In God's Eye )
SPARTACUS IS AWESOME YOU GUYS
YOU GUYS
SPARTACUS IS AWESOME
YOU GUYS
SPARTACUS IS AWESOME
I stole the teee veee
Nov. 11th, 2009 01:47 pmThe S3 finale of Mad Men was finally the show I have hoped and expected it to be over the last three seasons, the creation of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce being a wonderful capper/setter-upper, and it will be interesting to see if the series can maintain the sense of drive, inspiration and excitement those scenes possessed. My guess is no, because I have rarely found these characters' home lives engaging, but we shall see. I did an actual fist-pump when Roger got up to call Joan, and oh I do hope Salvatore will get a look-in somehow.
Meanwhile the second episode of Friday Night Lights S4 has some scenes that rank among the shows' best, most especially Tami charmingly confronting Joe Fucking McCoy and calling him on his bullshit, and the (proper) intro to the Luke boy, which was quite heartbreaking. Even when it leans towards cheese, as at the end of this episode, there is something so deeply emotionally engaging in this easy, almost languid-seeming show about mostly decent people trying to do mostly decent things in quite heartbreaking but everyday circumstance, the stakes minuscule on a macro level but so desperately high to the individual. The intro of the Merriweather character was a bit meet-cute for my taste and I don't like the daughter of Riggins's new landlord (when are we going to get a female character who's not introduced as a corollary to a male character?) but with Riggins having found something fulfilling to connect with and Wallace (it may take a while to transfer names over...) being challenged in a leadership role in East Dillon it seems that all the pieces are in place for a really great season.
Meanwhile the second episode of Friday Night Lights S4 has some scenes that rank among the shows' best, most especially Tami charmingly confronting Joe Fucking McCoy and calling him on his bullshit, and the (proper) intro to the Luke boy, which was quite heartbreaking. Even when it leans towards cheese, as at the end of this episode, there is something so deeply emotionally engaging in this easy, almost languid-seeming show about mostly decent people trying to do mostly decent things in quite heartbreaking but everyday circumstance, the stakes minuscule on a macro level but so desperately high to the individual. The intro of the Merriweather character was a bit meet-cute for my taste and I don't like the daughter of Riggins's new landlord (when are we going to get a female character who's not introduced as a corollary to a male character?) but with Riggins having found something fulfilling to connect with and Wallace (it may take a while to transfer names over...) being challenged in a leadership role in East Dillon it seems that all the pieces are in place for a really great season.
(no subject)
Nov. 8th, 2009 01:35 pmDid White Collar just get rid of the lesbian or am I getting my blog posts and characters mixed up?
The best thing about The Queen is of course all that delicious Received Pronunciation, the second best thing is Helen Mirren, and the third best thing is the awkward conversations, but I did also enjoy it as a snapshot of a country transitioning from a culture of restraint to a culture of spectacle, and all the value judgements and historical reconstruction that implies. Indeed it is so composed and precise that all that news footage really spills out the edges in quite a jarring way, perfectly capturing the destabilising influence that the mere image of Diana provokes. Nicely done but not as top tier as I was lead to believe.
It makes an interesting companion piece to two shows I have been catching up on recently, contrasting sharply with Rome, a show that embraces the excess its setting and channel permits to absolutely no useful purpose except excess itself, a noble enough purpose but one that hardly makes for compelling viewing. Especially since they have no handle on camp at all, which is jarring seeing as all the sets look like they came from Xena, a show with a beautiful understanding of how to marry camp and character.
And then there's Mad Men, a show I find myself liking but being incapable of loving because the restraint it practises is so emotionally disengaging. Nevertheless I continue to watch and find myself thinking about it quite a bit. A real stroke of inspiration/inevitability to meld this workplace and this time with this drama, these people obsessed with label, status, lie, in their personal and professional lives. So what we have is a show about the disconnect between the people we want to be and the people we think we are, the cost of artifice, the hollowness of the modern condition, but come on: not even Patrick Bateman was in advertising.
Of course it is the way in which these characters are affected that is meant to be revealing: the most sympathetic character, Salvatore, whose closetedness is the most straightforward and understandable secret in the show; Joan, whose perfect construction of womanhood moves rapidly into the subsuming and terrible sublime; Campbell's desperation and inability to ape that constantly backfires and spends him into deeper spirals of anger and desperation (and it is his inability to construct a facade and his desperate need to do so that makes him both the most human and one of the most repellent characters); and John Hamm is so perfectly expressionless and emotionally distant as Draper that he could literally be anyone in there (the way he finally walked a direct path between Draper and Whitman in in 3.11 was an astounding piece of acting). And it's lovely they're letting their characters be self-indulgent, abusive, despicable people.
But I can't get past the facade of the whole thing; even the meticulous, gorgeous production design feels like part of the game, part of the set-up; I keep waiting to find out its private hubris (there! in the corner! A kettle from 1971!). It must be a matter of personal taste because I can't help but compare to Deadwood, which has a similar production-design-level dedication to historical accuracy but which is about the messiness of humanity, about people with their guts spilling out on the floor at your feet, people so desperate to form community and make a human connection that even the most repressed of them reveals himself a man of destructively deep feeling with the barest of twitches. The characters of Mad Men are so affected and mannered that I find them ultimately hollow and only imaginable, which is in that frustratingly Ouroborisian way one of the central, meticulously constructed themes. The way this show has been received and talked about had me expecting more but LUCKILY I have avoided having to restructure my carefully illustrated list of Favourite Things, because then I would have to find a whole new way identify myself with the things I like.
It makes an interesting companion piece to two shows I have been catching up on recently, contrasting sharply with Rome, a show that embraces the excess its setting and channel permits to absolutely no useful purpose except excess itself, a noble enough purpose but one that hardly makes for compelling viewing. Especially since they have no handle on camp at all, which is jarring seeing as all the sets look like they came from Xena, a show with a beautiful understanding of how to marry camp and character.
And then there's Mad Men, a show I find myself liking but being incapable of loving because the restraint it practises is so emotionally disengaging. Nevertheless I continue to watch and find myself thinking about it quite a bit. A real stroke of inspiration/inevitability to meld this workplace and this time with this drama, these people obsessed with label, status, lie, in their personal and professional lives. So what we have is a show about the disconnect between the people we want to be and the people we think we are, the cost of artifice, the hollowness of the modern condition, but come on: not even Patrick Bateman was in advertising.
Of course it is the way in which these characters are affected that is meant to be revealing: the most sympathetic character, Salvatore, whose closetedness is the most straightforward and understandable secret in the show; Joan, whose perfect construction of womanhood moves rapidly into the subsuming and terrible sublime; Campbell's desperation and inability to ape that constantly backfires and spends him into deeper spirals of anger and desperation (and it is his inability to construct a facade and his desperate need to do so that makes him both the most human and one of the most repellent characters); and John Hamm is so perfectly expressionless and emotionally distant as Draper that he could literally be anyone in there (the way he finally walked a direct path between Draper and Whitman in in 3.11 was an astounding piece of acting). And it's lovely they're letting their characters be self-indulgent, abusive, despicable people.
But I can't get past the facade of the whole thing; even the meticulous, gorgeous production design feels like part of the game, part of the set-up; I keep waiting to find out its private hubris (there! in the corner! A kettle from 1971!). It must be a matter of personal taste because I can't help but compare to Deadwood, which has a similar production-design-level dedication to historical accuracy but which is about the messiness of humanity, about people with their guts spilling out on the floor at your feet, people so desperate to form community and make a human connection that even the most repressed of them reveals himself a man of destructively deep feeling with the barest of twitches. The characters of Mad Men are so affected and mannered that I find them ultimately hollow and only imaginable, which is in that frustratingly Ouroborisian way one of the central, meticulously constructed themes. The way this show has been received and talked about had me expecting more but LUCKILY I have avoided having to restructure my carefully illustrated list of Favourite Things, because then I would have to find a whole new way identify myself with the things I like.
where wallace at straaaaaaaang?
Oct. 30th, 2009 09:02 pmDEAR D'ANGELO
IF YOU ARE STILL LOOKING FOR WALLACE, I BELIEVE YOU WILL FIND HIM IN EAST DILLON, TEXAS, GETTING YELLED AT BY A WELL-MEANING WHITE GUY WHO WILL SHAPE HIM INTO SOME KIND A MAN.
ANON
IF YOU ARE STILL LOOKING FOR WALLACE, I BELIEVE YOU WILL FIND HIM IN EAST DILLON, TEXAS, GETTING YELLED AT BY A WELL-MEANING WHITE GUY WHO WILL SHAPE HIM INTO SOME KIND A MAN.
ANON
(no subject)
Oct. 28th, 2009 12:55 amjesus christ, Matt Bomer is the real life Xander Crews, it is KILLING ME that there is no reality to this dream.
(no subject)
Sep. 23rd, 2009 01:35 pmSo Project Runway Australia has been pretty awesome this season, the first I have watched it, with the entertaining/repellent drama mongers culled out about half-way through to allow the focus to settle on people with some real promise and a sweet nature. In fact, probably the best thing about the last few episodes is seeing just how strong the friendship is between the final three. The pleasure they took in each other's successes was really delightful to watch, almost as affecting as the inevitable snapshots of familial love and pride that accompany the runway show and announcement of the winner.
( more thoughts on the finale )
Henry is no Tim Gunn but is a vital presence in the show, an enthusiastic and friendly mentor who seems to form a real relationship with the designers and come to care about them. The worst parts of the show are at the start and end, where it gets tied up in its generic drama, in interminable pauses, dubious editing and portentous music, and where it is sabotaged by the unending fidgeting of Hinze. You would think that as a model she would know how to hold herself but hosting is a thankless role in itself and she doesn't have the poise or charisma of Heidi -- let alone the accent -- to make it work and it can get pretty excruciating. It's an even wider gulf than that between the immeasurably fabulous Cat Deely and Natalie Bassingthwaite on So You Think You Can Dance.
There are other comparisons to be made -- the more challenging and creative challenges compared to season 6 of PR US, the swearing, the greater acknowledgment of economics by the judges -- but ultimately what strikes me most is the discombobulation of local accents and local (well, Melbourne) streetscapes transplanted seemingly unproblematically into the PR skeleton with exactly the same production values, sets, music, colours, editing etc. As it stands though it is probably the most decent local reality knockoff I've seen, which I think speaks to the strengths of the original. Unlike SYTYCD which as great as it is can just be interminable in the length of episodes, the craziness/boorishness of certain judges and the utter heights of blandness routines can achieve, PR is generally snappy and interesting. If only it would forego the abovementioned irritating generic conventions it would be a good fifty minutes of lean mean entertainment.
( more thoughts on the finale )
Henry is no Tim Gunn but is a vital presence in the show, an enthusiastic and friendly mentor who seems to form a real relationship with the designers and come to care about them. The worst parts of the show are at the start and end, where it gets tied up in its generic drama, in interminable pauses, dubious editing and portentous music, and where it is sabotaged by the unending fidgeting of Hinze. You would think that as a model she would know how to hold herself but hosting is a thankless role in itself and she doesn't have the poise or charisma of Heidi -- let alone the accent -- to make it work and it can get pretty excruciating. It's an even wider gulf than that between the immeasurably fabulous Cat Deely and Natalie Bassingthwaite on So You Think You Can Dance.
There are other comparisons to be made -- the more challenging and creative challenges compared to season 6 of PR US, the swearing, the greater acknowledgment of economics by the judges -- but ultimately what strikes me most is the discombobulation of local accents and local (well, Melbourne) streetscapes transplanted seemingly unproblematically into the PR skeleton with exactly the same production values, sets, music, colours, editing etc. As it stands though it is probably the most decent local reality knockoff I've seen, which I think speaks to the strengths of the original. Unlike SYTYCD which as great as it is can just be interminable in the length of episodes, the craziness/boorishness of certain judges and the utter heights of blandness routines can achieve, PR is generally snappy and interesting. If only it would forego the abovementioned irritating generic conventions it would be a good fifty minutes of lean mean entertainment.
(no subject)
Sep. 22nd, 2009 12:07 pmNo Kim Manners In Memoriam. No Generation Kill. Jon Cryer wins.
Fuck you, Emmys.
Fuck you, Emmys.
(no subject)
Sep. 19th, 2009 12:06 pmCommunity was pretty entertaining but it's gonna have to pull something pretty special out to make me not haaaaaate the relationship between Joel McHale and hot white girl. That interplay was banal as fuck. And if everyone is as straight as they appear to be it's going to be pretty frustrating.
(no subject)
Jul. 14th, 2009 03:22 amyou know I'm not really sure how I feel about Callum Keith Rennie being so astoundingly hot in Harper's Island. Okay, wait, yes, I know: I am totally okay with Callum Keith Rennie being astoundingly hot in Harper's Island.
Awesomeland
May. 25th, 2009 09:46 pmAs someone who does not actively"seek out cop shows or enjoy the seminal procedurals, I have been very pleasantly surprised by Southland. The only reason it registered on my radar is because I heard its ensemble contains Ben "At One Point The Next Russell Crowe" McKenzie and a gay cop character. It is a cop show set in LA, with documentary-style camera work to emphasise its ~*~authenticity~*~ and the big bads are all cookie-cutter Latino gang members, so it sounds like something unpleasant you've seen a thousand times, but for a couple of reasons it redeems its premise and is really entertaining and absorbing tv.
( For one thing... )
The narrative structure is interesting and episodes flit between the beat cops and detectives, the main focus varying ep to ep. There's little to no Shield melodrama, no Wire-esque criminal POV or political machinations, no L&O slickness, just casework and random calls with one overarching investigation involving Janila, who's a great character, a sweet and shy with a lovely smile. There's only seven episodes in the first season and I found it quite addictive and recommend it to y'all. I can't wait for season 2!
( For one thing... )
The narrative structure is interesting and episodes flit between the beat cops and detectives, the main focus varying ep to ep. There's little to no Shield melodrama, no Wire-esque criminal POV or political machinations, no L&O slickness, just casework and random calls with one overarching investigation involving Janila, who's a great character, a sweet and shy with a lovely smile. There's only seven episodes in the first season and I found it quite addictive and recommend it to y'all. I can't wait for season 2!
(no subject)
May. 6th, 2009 12:46 amI have swine flu something that is making me miserable so tonight I watched the first episode of No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and let me tell you if you are not keen on shows that bring the sweet and funny and elegant and farcical and sad with brilliant colours and Jill Motherfucking Scott and sweet mechanics and Stringer Pacino and awesome dresses and music, stay away from this one, because it will make you happy.
(no subject)
Mar. 17th, 2009 12:37 amI really enjoyed the first episode of Kings: the writing mostly stayed on the right side of bombastic portentousness; the acting ranged from good to pretty awesome; Heathus's doppelganger managed to be more than a poor man's Heathus; there was twice the RDI of close-talking; the production design is interesting and I'm loving the cabinet room; it has Al fucking Swearengen and Kareem fucking Said of the teeth-gritted delivery and Dylan fucking Baker of the pinpoint pupils; there's a few interesting plotlines and it feels nicely epic; it's a freaking Bible AU! The one thing that brought me out of it the most was that the daughter looks about fifteen, but oh well.
