I was sitting. Relaxing. Minding my own business. There was a baked potato. There was some Come Dine With Me. It was good. I was content. Then, from nowhere, an attack. I was screamed at. I was beaten about the head by a christmas turkey. Joanna Lumley hissed at me. Flashing lights blinded me.
Had I been kidnapped by the government and tortured? Was this my extraordinary rendition?
No. I had sat through the final of The X Factor. I know, I know. But worry not. I just about survived, though I felt like a rape victim. Yes, rape victim. Offended? Tell it to Trisha.
The whole two hours was, of course, punctuated by equally painful christmas ads. In the space of two minutes, there were four, yes four, ads for co-op food. I think they may have even been exactly the same ad. And why? For what? In media training, we are taught not to underestimate our audience. But co-op clearly believed I was a retarded amnesiac who had neither the brain capacity, recollective skills, or attention span, to remember not to shop there.
But how could our attention spans not be fatally shortened? X Factor has an average shot length of less than a second. And, after having so many memorable shartists rammed down our throats over the course of each series, we are then actively encouraged to forget about them so we can embrace their new stable of woefully untalented units when the next series starts just months later. The Jackson-Pollock's-vomit colour palette of the show, combined with thousands of needlessly flashing lights, made me wish I was an epileptic so I could at least have a fit and be excused from proceedings.
Half an hour in, and my painfully-devoted-to-the-cause-on-account-of-drinking-the-special-kool-aid-provided-by-the-reverend housemate offers me a glass of red. The classy stuff, not the two for £5 plonk I normally sup on. This, he thinks, will take the edge off the whole experience. I suggest a bottle of bleach and a straw would suffice, but he declines to indulge me.
And so back to the thunderous platitudes from Cole and Co. 'You tore that from your soul', says Cheryl Cole of a performance by Olly Murs. What soul? He sang the way all of them sing, all the time! Dull, soulless, and occasionally amusing because they can't reach certain notes. If he tore that song from his soul then evidently he can't tear his way out of a single ply Kleenex. This ridiculous remark was only trumped by Simon Cowell remarking that a slow motion black and white montage of Olly's 'best bits' (contradiction in terms) made him 'feel quite emotional actually'. Mr. Cowell, you feel nothing but pure evil. And evil is a compulsion, not an emotion, you idiot. Olly himself then remarked that Joe deserved to win because he has always been 'breathless with his vocal'. The same way I'm pissy with my sperm.
Just to kick me when I was down, Paul McCartney, joined by the previous X-Factor rejects, took to the stage to sing 'Drive My Car'. How dare he cheapen The Beatles back catalogue by fusing it with this show. And why this particular song? Is it because it's currently being used on a shit perfume ad starring that other great shartist, Sienna Miller? I think so. George Michael sang a truly bizarre song about dreaming of christmas. Not in a Bing Crosby aren't-I-nice-and-cuddly-and-an-Academy-Award-winner-to-boot-though-I-secretly-beat-my-kids kind of way. This song was about white sugar from Jesus, a virgin mother, something about sitting in front of the t.v all day, and all sung in a depressing minor key with backing from a creepy choir. And, naturally, Leona Lewis sang an Oasis cover which was in too low a register for her to belt properly, causing her to shoe-horn in some unnecessary ooh-ing and aah-ing in order to get her to the octave change that allowed her to let rip. And for those of you waiting for her to sing with her eyes open, we were once again sorely disappointed. Come on. She would hate for us to see the pound signs in her eyes and spoil the girl-next-door illusion.
But on to my personal highlights. Cheryl began to cry while wearing red, glittery eyeshadow. I'd hoped it would run down her face and at least give me some joy because it could look like someone had scratched her eyes out. Alack, it did not run. Then someone won. That was all. At the very end, it had already begun. They stopped mentioning previous contestants. Even the one that, seconds before, still had a chance of winning it. The process of forgetting was happening again. This is one part of the indispensable X-Factor experience I shall surrender to with relish.
Next year, I might bounce current housemate into the street in order not to do this again. I think making me sit through a whole series of X-Factor is an entirely unfair punishment for us watching Mamma Mia. Especially when he was the one that requested it.
In other news, a dear friend played me some Mumford and Sons the other day. It was good but all I kept thinking was how sad it was that Daniel's wife had died and that Matt would now be Betty's boss at Mode.
Peace xx
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Musical Farewell To 2009
And so a quick word here to mark the final gig of the decade for my dear friends, Rob The Rich.
A year ago, I had no idea this band existed. But what a pleasure it has been to see these gentlemen (for they truly are Gentle Men) grow and develop in ways no-one would have thought possible. I recall not my first encounter with their music -- was it that sweaty upstairs room at New Hero, so many months ago, probably only memorable because of a vague recollection of whispering sweet (or sour) nothings into Lizzie's ear for a large portion of it? Well, whenever it was, it can't have made too much of an impression...
...but one year on, and I have impressions aplenty. We have impressions aplenty. You see, these gents have built up a rather loyal following. And last night, all the faces were there. There seemed a time, summertime, in fact, when the faces were together several times a week. Alack, winter set in, everyone went back to uni, or got jobs, and the flower children settled down. But the fact that we had gathered together once again gave this, the final gig of the decade, an added sense of occasion. The mixture of old classics and new, joyous ditties provided a nice counterpoint and highlighted the sheer magnificence of the new direction this band is going in.
There was something in the thick, sweaty, fecund atmosphere of The Hope last e'en that, I think, all the faces felt. There was a sense of an ending, but one entirely devoid of sorrow or loss. This was a culmination, a conclusion of a chapter that would inevitably lead into something greater and even more electrifying. For everyone.
Early memories; they are the abiding ones. I think we shall all remember for a long, long time.
Peace xx
A year ago, I had no idea this band existed. But what a pleasure it has been to see these gentlemen (for they truly are Gentle Men) grow and develop in ways no-one would have thought possible. I recall not my first encounter with their music -- was it that sweaty upstairs room at New Hero, so many months ago, probably only memorable because of a vague recollection of whispering sweet (or sour) nothings into Lizzie's ear for a large portion of it? Well, whenever it was, it can't have made too much of an impression...
...but one year on, and I have impressions aplenty. We have impressions aplenty. You see, these gents have built up a rather loyal following. And last night, all the faces were there. There seemed a time, summertime, in fact, when the faces were together several times a week. Alack, winter set in, everyone went back to uni, or got jobs, and the flower children settled down. But the fact that we had gathered together once again gave this, the final gig of the decade, an added sense of occasion. The mixture of old classics and new, joyous ditties provided a nice counterpoint and highlighted the sheer magnificence of the new direction this band is going in.
There was something in the thick, sweaty, fecund atmosphere of The Hope last e'en that, I think, all the faces felt. There was a sense of an ending, but one entirely devoid of sorrow or loss. This was a culmination, a conclusion of a chapter that would inevitably lead into something greater and even more electrifying. For everyone.
Early memories; they are the abiding ones. I think we shall all remember for a long, long time.
Peace xx
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Thick Of It Non-Finale
Welcome, welcome. Now, I assumed that episode six of The Thick Of It was to be the series finale and concluded that it was definitely going out on a high note. Imagine my shock, joy, nay, elation at finding another episode online this evening -- and, to learn there is still one more to go. This blog ain't finished yet...
So, episode six played out like a great stage play, with Malcolm Tucker storming onto the scene in the wake of what was perceived to be Nicola's announcement of a leadership bid -- this, of course, being a sly BBC in-joke aimed at Auntie's latent penchant for mis-quoting and 'sexed-up' editing. Malcolm declares a lockdown and so sets in motion the ebb and flow of one of The Thick Of It's better episodes.
I have heard some mixed reviews over this episode. For me, I feel it was a culmination of the mastery that preceded it. Malcolm's rages were spectacular, as usual, but his best scene in the episode was a rather quiet one. More on that in a moment.
I have mentioned several times that the character of Teri has been utilised and developed further than in previous series. I think that this episode in particular was demonstrative of the impact the character can have when given the chance to do so, and Joanna Scanlon rises to these occassions with aplomb. As the current government seems to be going down the pan and everybody acts as ghosts floating around a sunken ship, Teri is the only one who remains smug and rises above the pressure -- as she knows her job is completely safe. Sitcom writers -- or at least good sitcom writers, who aim to challenge themselves and the audience -- always aim to reveal new facets to their characters. After three series and two specials, Malcolm's superiority complex and attendant rages may have begun to wear thin. But, through teasing out, this new water-off-a-duck's-back aspect of Teri's character, we see she is not afraid of him and will challenge him in areas where no one else will. This then facilitates a wider range of actions for his character.
So, Teri takes him to task, and points out, correctly so, that every decision he has made that day has been wrong. ("You're wrong, Malcolm. Like a sultana in a salad."). She does so in her usual patronising manner, but still manages to break Malcolm down completely.
The rest of the office stands back in silence.
Malcolm leads Teri to a side office.
We, the audience, hide behind our hands, afraid to watch...
...but what unfolds is a confession that Malcolm can only, perhaps, reveal to Teri. He confides that he is aware of his position, aboard the sinking ship of the current government -- or, as he puts it, on a terminal cancer ward where all the patients are wandering round blaming each other for their disease. He does not shout or swear at Teri; instead, he rages against what he is starting to realise is the futility of his current state. Having escaped intact, Teri is then dismissive of Malcolm's fears when questioned by Ollie.
Never can it be said that this show is straightforward. Excellent.
More soon.
Peace xx
So, episode six played out like a great stage play, with Malcolm Tucker storming onto the scene in the wake of what was perceived to be Nicola's announcement of a leadership bid -- this, of course, being a sly BBC in-joke aimed at Auntie's latent penchant for mis-quoting and 'sexed-up' editing. Malcolm declares a lockdown and so sets in motion the ebb and flow of one of The Thick Of It's better episodes.
I have heard some mixed reviews over this episode. For me, I feel it was a culmination of the mastery that preceded it. Malcolm's rages were spectacular, as usual, but his best scene in the episode was a rather quiet one. More on that in a moment.
I have mentioned several times that the character of Teri has been utilised and developed further than in previous series. I think that this episode in particular was demonstrative of the impact the character can have when given the chance to do so, and Joanna Scanlon rises to these occassions with aplomb. As the current government seems to be going down the pan and everybody acts as ghosts floating around a sunken ship, Teri is the only one who remains smug and rises above the pressure -- as she knows her job is completely safe. Sitcom writers -- or at least good sitcom writers, who aim to challenge themselves and the audience -- always aim to reveal new facets to their characters. After three series and two specials, Malcolm's superiority complex and attendant rages may have begun to wear thin. But, through teasing out, this new water-off-a-duck's-back aspect of Teri's character, we see she is not afraid of him and will challenge him in areas where no one else will. This then facilitates a wider range of actions for his character.
So, Teri takes him to task, and points out, correctly so, that every decision he has made that day has been wrong. ("You're wrong, Malcolm. Like a sultana in a salad."). She does so in her usual patronising manner, but still manages to break Malcolm down completely.
The rest of the office stands back in silence.
Malcolm leads Teri to a side office.
We, the audience, hide behind our hands, afraid to watch...
...but what unfolds is a confession that Malcolm can only, perhaps, reveal to Teri. He confides that he is aware of his position, aboard the sinking ship of the current government -- or, as he puts it, on a terminal cancer ward where all the patients are wandering round blaming each other for their disease. He does not shout or swear at Teri; instead, he rages against what he is starting to realise is the futility of his current state. Having escaped intact, Teri is then dismissive of Malcolm's fears when questioned by Ollie.
Never can it be said that this show is straightforward. Excellent.
More soon.
Peace xx
Monday, 16 November 2009
Monday
Some quick updates on a couple of shows for you this fair Monday.
Firstly to The Thick Of It, where we welcome the return of the opposition party who, I think, we haven't seen since the release of the specials. Nicola Murray gets to do some breaking down over the fact that her family life is hanging by a thread, and this serves to demonstrate how government policy actually affects real people. This is something we haven't really explored in any real depth on the show before -- and what made it particularly powerful was seeing how a government minister can be bought down by their own over-zealous policy making. Brilliant.
True Blood. I didn't want to believe what happened at the end of Sparks Fly Out. Grandma was everyone's favourite character! The warmth and sympathy of the woman provided a good emotional touchstone for an audience who could perhaps become somewhat bewildered by the show's overarching, and largely theoretical, themes. What baffled me at first was Sookie's lack of emotion. However, the rest of the episode played out beautifully and the funeral was a great cathartic centre piece. Tara and Lafayette, once again, stole the show both as characters and as performers, taking the situation in hand and making sure Sookie was protected.
And, not for the fusty among us, Lemon Mej, Sookie and Bill finally got down to business. Good for them. So, is she now a vampire? Series continues...
On to Medium. Now, after Bite Me turned out to be a little bit too uninvolving compared to the rest of the season, I had high hopes for its successor, New Terrain. Unfortunately, this episode too was rather dull and I began to believe that perhaps season 6 may not quite deliver what it had initially promised.
Firstly to The Thick Of It, where we welcome the return of the opposition party who, I think, we haven't seen since the release of the specials. Nicola Murray gets to do some breaking down over the fact that her family life is hanging by a thread, and this serves to demonstrate how government policy actually affects real people. This is something we haven't really explored in any real depth on the show before -- and what made it particularly powerful was seeing how a government minister can be bought down by their own over-zealous policy making. Brilliant.
True Blood. I didn't want to believe what happened at the end of Sparks Fly Out. Grandma was everyone's favourite character! The warmth and sympathy of the woman provided a good emotional touchstone for an audience who could perhaps become somewhat bewildered by the show's overarching, and largely theoretical, themes. What baffled me at first was Sookie's lack of emotion. However, the rest of the episode played out beautifully and the funeral was a great cathartic centre piece. Tara and Lafayette, once again, stole the show both as characters and as performers, taking the situation in hand and making sure Sookie was protected.
And, not for the fusty among us, Lemon Mej, Sookie and Bill finally got down to business. Good for them. So, is she now a vampire? Series continues...
On to Medium. Now, after Bite Me turned out to be a little bit too uninvolving compared to the rest of the season, I had high hopes for its successor, New Terrain. Unfortunately, this episode too was rather dull and I began to believe that perhaps season 6 may not quite deliver what it had initially promised.
Luckily, Once In A Lifetime restored my faith once again. Directed by David Arquette, who has helmed several episodes before, this was a real family affair -- behind the scenes and in the narrative. The writers have played to the show's strengths and centered the episode's crime story around Allison and her family, while intertwining the subplots taking place within the home. It worked marvellously as we saw how Allison's work, her gift, and her family life occassionally collide for reasons beyond anyone's control. Patricia Arquette has said she likes it when Allison's visions don't quite work out as intended, therefore making her more human, more vulnerable. Having to juggle Joe, Scanlon and Ariel was a great central conflict for the episode.
What really stood out to me was the confrontation scene between Allison and the boy's Mother. Now, episodes of Medium tend to fall down at this point. We have an interesting build up often followed by a clunky and unsatisfactory denouement. But we got to see Allison act like a real detective here. She teased information out of the suspect while simultaneously wrapping up how the crime was commited for the audience. Patricia Arquette gives good sassy detective. More of this please! And what a final scene. Allison vaguely wondering about how the boy could have known all about his dead father followed by a rather tender scene where the Father's ghost visits his baby son. This season definitely has a lot more heart than previous years. Great fun.
However, where the feck is Devalos? He has barely been in this season and most of the detective work has been left to Scanlon. He wasn't even in this episode! Hmm...
Peace xx
What really stood out to me was the confrontation scene between Allison and the boy's Mother. Now, episodes of Medium tend to fall down at this point. We have an interesting build up often followed by a clunky and unsatisfactory denouement. But we got to see Allison act like a real detective here. She teased information out of the suspect while simultaneously wrapping up how the crime was commited for the audience. Patricia Arquette gives good sassy detective. More of this please! And what a final scene. Allison vaguely wondering about how the boy could have known all about his dead father followed by a rather tender scene where the Father's ghost visits his baby son. This season definitely has a lot more heart than previous years. Great fun.
However, where the feck is Devalos? He has barely been in this season and most of the detective work has been left to Scanlon. He wasn't even in this episode! Hmm...
Peace xx
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
On Thickness
So to The Thick Of It, where yet more head-banging frustration is the order of the day. As I commented after last week's episode, this show is at it's best when the characters are exposed to pressure-cooker level intensity from all directions. So, this week we have the intensity of the party conference, where emotions are naturally running high. And how high! Nicola's magnificent breakdown was the first time we had seen her really lose control, performed wonderfully by Rebecca Front. Now, Front's previous high-profile role was in the wickedly dark Nighty Night as downtrodden (to put it lightly) Kathy. After years of seeing her calmly accept everything that was dished out to her, it was a real treat to see her explode with rage.
Similarly, we have waited years to see Malcolm Tucker finally go over the edge and become violent -- and this he did, with poor old Glen on the receiving end. This series served to somewhat humanise Tucker. Instead of raging constantly, we get to see what his job actually entails as we see him mopping up the messes of the assorted idiots that make up the cabinet. The genius of the writers has been to further explore this aspect of the character without softening his wonderfully hard edges.
What is also nice this series is to see Teri being utilised a bit more. Jo Scanlon is a fantastic comic actor but her character has always been put-upon, put-down and pushed around. However, in these recent episodes, probably due to the introduction of a female minister, she has had a more important role to play. We get the sense that Nicola has no faith in the apparently more qualified Glen and Ollie, and, perhaps being the only other woman around in an office full incompetent men, she is more inclined to trust Teri. What was also pointed out last week was that Teri has no official political alignment as she is simply a civil servant -- therefore has no secret agenda to fill. Yet....?
On to Medium, where their special Halloween episode was suitably creepy. I'm glad I watched this episode during the day, as watching a dead tarantula haunt Bridgette's dreams was particularly unpleasant. Allison's dreams were fantastic -- utilising footage from Night of the Living Dead in order to explain what was going on with the crime story of the episode was great fun. However, the procedural storyline of this episode was not outstanding, and if it wasn't for the sub-plots and dream sequences, it would have been very run of the mill compared to the strong standard set by this season's previous episodes. Though, not bad at all, I do hope this season won't slip back into more familiar and less exciting territory. Come on, CBS!
Peace xx
Similarly, we have waited years to see Malcolm Tucker finally go over the edge and become violent -- and this he did, with poor old Glen on the receiving end. This series served to somewhat humanise Tucker. Instead of raging constantly, we get to see what his job actually entails as we see him mopping up the messes of the assorted idiots that make up the cabinet. The genius of the writers has been to further explore this aspect of the character without softening his wonderfully hard edges.
What is also nice this series is to see Teri being utilised a bit more. Jo Scanlon is a fantastic comic actor but her character has always been put-upon, put-down and pushed around. However, in these recent episodes, probably due to the introduction of a female minister, she has had a more important role to play. We get the sense that Nicola has no faith in the apparently more qualified Glen and Ollie, and, perhaps being the only other woman around in an office full incompetent men, she is more inclined to trust Teri. What was also pointed out last week was that Teri has no official political alignment as she is simply a civil servant -- therefore has no secret agenda to fill. Yet....?
On to Medium, where their special Halloween episode was suitably creepy. I'm glad I watched this episode during the day, as watching a dead tarantula haunt Bridgette's dreams was particularly unpleasant. Allison's dreams were fantastic -- utilising footage from Night of the Living Dead in order to explain what was going on with the crime story of the episode was great fun. However, the procedural storyline of this episode was not outstanding, and if it wasn't for the sub-plots and dream sequences, it would have been very run of the mill compared to the strong standard set by this season's previous episodes. Though, not bad at all, I do hope this season won't slip back into more familiar and less exciting territory. Come on, CBS!
Peace xx
Smallblog
Just a heads up to let you all know of an exciting new blog coming soon.
Smallblog will be a collection of general rants written by a dear friend and fellow writer. I review, he will rant. Mostly over the latest political developments....although there will also be heavy emphasis on preposterous television advertisements and annoying contestants on Come Dine With Me.
It's going to be epic. Watch this space for updates.
Peace xx
Smallblog will be a collection of general rants written by a dear friend and fellow writer. I review, he will rant. Mostly over the latest political developments....although there will also be heavy emphasis on preposterous television advertisements and annoying contestants on Come Dine With Me.
It's going to be epic. Watch this space for updates.
Peace xx
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Charlotte 'Chilli' Wright
Chills., as she is known, wore some lovely trousers the other evening. They were like Aladdin pants but they were black and covered in sequins. Rather like Joan Crawford at the end of Humoresque, had her dress been reused after her body washed up on that beach and turned into some very on-trend pants 65 years later by some natty seamstress. Anyhoo, Chills. also has a friend with a paunch who thinks I watch too much t.v. I would just like to point out I have a job (sometimes) and over two friends. Take that.
We are all consumers. We consume media of one form or another constantly. I hope to produce media soon enough. It makes sense for me to analyse and comment on it. Got it, dear?
So, to Chills, I say *click click* arms in the air to you. Yeeeeeeaaah.
We are all consumers. We consume media of one form or another constantly. I hope to produce media soon enough. It makes sense for me to analyse and comment on it. Got it, dear?
So, to Chills, I say *click click* arms in the air to you. Yeeeeeeaaah.
Night
Firstly, to Julian Casablancas' solo album. Most of us know him as The Strokes front man and were positively damp with anticipation over this new album. And what fun it is! Fusing the traiblazing Strokes' sound with a healthy dose of whimsical folk, upbeat electro and, dare I say it...disco? What a lark!Yes, you read correctly. There are times when JC's nods to 80's electro-pop does seem to verge on disco. What a plunge! You won't hear me complaining, of course -- but neither are many other people, because this album simply works. Granted, there are a couple of songs that sound like they would fit neatly into the Strokes songbook, but this album definitely avoids the trap of sounding like that of a stripped-down version of it's parent group. There are nods to the Blondie sound (again, no bad thing), and a number of tracks that bring out a twisty, lilting folk sensibility almost reminiscent of Want One-era Rufus Wainwright. All in all, this album is an excellent, exciting experience.
So to The Thick Of It. One of the best comedies the BBC has ever produced returned to our screens last week in a somewhat disconcerting Saturday night BBC One slot. Evidently the beeb is trying to make this show available to as mainstream an audience as possible. Which can only be a good thing. All I can say is how glad I am to have a third series. The first episode did not disappoint, but Saturday's second episode was by far much stronger and funnier. It commented on topical issues while also providing all of the show's players with the opportunity to tear their hair out in frustration -- frustration at the press, the public, their own department and their own government. This show is at it's most watchable when at it's most cringe-worthy, because it works best when the characters are in this state. Best line of the episode? Malcolm Tucker saying to Nicola Russell "You have a face like Dot Cotton licking piss off a nettle." Brilliant. I thoroughly look forward to the remaining four episodes.
Coming soon: the latest episodes of Medium and True Blood.
So to The Thick Of It. One of the best comedies the BBC has ever produced returned to our screens last week in a somewhat disconcerting Saturday night BBC One slot. Evidently the beeb is trying to make this show available to as mainstream an audience as possible. Which can only be a good thing. All I can say is how glad I am to have a third series. The first episode did not disappoint, but Saturday's second episode was by far much stronger and funnier. It commented on topical issues while also providing all of the show's players with the opportunity to tear their hair out in frustration -- frustration at the press, the public, their own department and their own government. This show is at it's most watchable when at it's most cringe-worthy, because it works best when the characters are in this state. Best line of the episode? Malcolm Tucker saying to Nicola Russell "You have a face like Dot Cotton licking piss off a nettle." Brilliant. I thoroughly look forward to the remaining four episodes.
Coming soon: the latest episodes of Medium and True Blood.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Bright Star -- A Spark To Pierce The Dark
In anticipation of Friday's release of Jane Campion's Bright Star, here is something to get us in the mood.
Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art--
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--
No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever--or else swoon to death.
Can't wait.
Peace xx
Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art--
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--
No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever--or else swoon to death.
Can't wait.
Peace xx
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Thursday
Dawn was dead to begin with. Escape From The Dragon House (beautifully titled), was last night's fourth installment of True Blood. Just when we thought we have the stylistic idiosyncracies of the show worked out, we are surprised yet again. Here's why:
For the first few episodes of the show, I felt that the vampires 'coming out of the coffin' was a parallel to the struggles of homosexuals in modern society (bare with me, guys). Slogans such as 'God Hates Fangs', talk of vampire rights, visits to illicit vampire bars all clearly supported this theory. However, last night it also emerged that race was on the True Blood agenda. Tara had two great scenes in this episode: the speech to the policemen about their surprise at a black woman knowing about the law, and her other conversation with Sam about the 'separate but equal' debate. Both provided an interesting parallel to the show's vampire rights angle. On the gay culture front, Sookie and Bill's visit to Fangtasia, the vampire bar, seemed eerily familiar to anyone who has ever spent any amount of time immersed in gay culture. (NOT gay community - I hate the use of this word to describe gays, blacks, jews, Abba fans etc. It seems to suggest that everyone in the world is white, straight and middle class, and that anyone who is perceived as 'other' lives on one single street somewhere they don't need to interact with real people. It must be comforting to some, but not entirely representative, unfortunately.)
Also, the sexual content of the show, and, in particular, Jason Stackhouse, moved up a gear. Now, Jason has spent most of the previous 3 episodes half naked, fully naked, about to have sex, having sex or having just had sex. So, last night, we have Jason engaging in a ridiculous amount of furious masturbation, and resultant penile welts, after drinking an entire vial of vampire blood. This, of course, was provided by Lafayette, who is rapidly becoming on of the show's biggest scene stealing characters. However, such is the genius of this show that this seemingly inconsequential, comic plot thread, actually provided us with an insight into the motivation behind Tara's attachment to Jason - a quick flashback scene revealing to us that, as children, Jason used to protect Tara from her abusive, alcoholic Mother.
And, what en ending - Sam breaking into the room where Dawn was murdered was creepy enough - but to sniff the sheets and roll about in them ecstatically? Great, twisted cliffhanger. 8 more episodes of this season. Fantastic.
I like the fact that both seasons of True Blood are only 12 episodes long. There are very few shows that sustain their quality and originality across a 24 episode season. Even Desperate Housewives gives a 'churning it out' feeling by mid-season. Hence why we get needless and frankly bizarre storylines to fill the time - such as the paedophile in season 3, and practically the whole last 13 episodes of season 5. Which is why the show's greatest season was undoubtedly it's 4th. Cut short by the writer's strike down to a leaner 17 episodes, we still managed to fit in Lynette's cancer, a tornado, the excellent Dana Delany season-long mystery, and even enough screen time to win Kathryn Joosten a second emmy. Quality over quantity.
Similarly, NBC's unwillingless to pay CBS for more than 16 episodes per season of Medium could be viewed as a blessing in disguise - though I will stress that a police procedural has fewer of the season-long mystery and character arcs of a show in more of a soap opera tradition like Housewives. Therefore, the pendulum at times may swing too far in the opposite direction and become repetitive, as I have said before about Medium. But to episode 5, Baby Fever. I think this season may shape up to be one of their strongest - though I may have changed my mind by episode 22. Firstly to Allison and the main plot thread of the episode. The baby kidnap was handled in an unusual and interesting way. I thought we were going to spend a whole episode looking for a baby. But Brice appeared safe and sound pretty swiftly and we were suddenly pulled into a rabbit hole whereby the actual mystery was not what we had originally thought. And it was great to catch up with Lee and Lynn and their trials and tribulations with their brand new baby.
The opening dream sequence deviated from the usual murder plots, which was fun to see, and I loved the way that some of the more interesting crime solving devices from earlier seasons were recycled. One of my favourite dreams, and favourite overall episodes, is the season 2 The Song Remains The Same, wherein Allison wakes up with a song in her head that directs her to a clue which leads to finding a missing girl. In Baby Fever, Allison followed the sounds of baby cries emanating from a photograph to locate the missing child. This was a classic device that, thankfully, hasn't become overused in the show.
However, as is so often the case with Medium, the process was more interesting than the result. Allison's dreams, her almost obsessive attachment to the baby and the way it affected everyone around her was far more engaging than the clunky exposition scene near the end of the episode.
As I mentioned in my last post, the increasing use of the Dubois children in the show is always a delight, and in this episode we got to see some great acting from Maria Lark, and more scenes than usual from Madison and Miranda Carabello. Their's was a strong subplot with a mature, nuanced performance from Maria Lark. Lark has always been a great comic presence on the show and I looked forward to seeing her emerging talent. In Baby Fever, she proved she could nail drama as well. She was absolutely heartbreaking in the scene where she confessed to Joe about what she felt were her inadequacies. This kid could act most adults in television right off the screen. She was genuinely moving.
I look forward to the rest of the season.
More tomorrow.
Peace x
For the first few episodes of the show, I felt that the vampires 'coming out of the coffin' was a parallel to the struggles of homosexuals in modern society (bare with me, guys). Slogans such as 'God Hates Fangs', talk of vampire rights, visits to illicit vampire bars all clearly supported this theory. However, last night it also emerged that race was on the True Blood agenda. Tara had two great scenes in this episode: the speech to the policemen about their surprise at a black woman knowing about the law, and her other conversation with Sam about the 'separate but equal' debate. Both provided an interesting parallel to the show's vampire rights angle. On the gay culture front, Sookie and Bill's visit to Fangtasia, the vampire bar, seemed eerily familiar to anyone who has ever spent any amount of time immersed in gay culture. (NOT gay community - I hate the use of this word to describe gays, blacks, jews, Abba fans etc. It seems to suggest that everyone in the world is white, straight and middle class, and that anyone who is perceived as 'other' lives on one single street somewhere they don't need to interact with real people. It must be comforting to some, but not entirely representative, unfortunately.)
Also, the sexual content of the show, and, in particular, Jason Stackhouse, moved up a gear. Now, Jason has spent most of the previous 3 episodes half naked, fully naked, about to have sex, having sex or having just had sex. So, last night, we have Jason engaging in a ridiculous amount of furious masturbation, and resultant penile welts, after drinking an entire vial of vampire blood. This, of course, was provided by Lafayette, who is rapidly becoming on of the show's biggest scene stealing characters. However, such is the genius of this show that this seemingly inconsequential, comic plot thread, actually provided us with an insight into the motivation behind Tara's attachment to Jason - a quick flashback scene revealing to us that, as children, Jason used to protect Tara from her abusive, alcoholic Mother.
And, what en ending - Sam breaking into the room where Dawn was murdered was creepy enough - but to sniff the sheets and roll about in them ecstatically? Great, twisted cliffhanger. 8 more episodes of this season. Fantastic.
I like the fact that both seasons of True Blood are only 12 episodes long. There are very few shows that sustain their quality and originality across a 24 episode season. Even Desperate Housewives gives a 'churning it out' feeling by mid-season. Hence why we get needless and frankly bizarre storylines to fill the time - such as the paedophile in season 3, and practically the whole last 13 episodes of season 5. Which is why the show's greatest season was undoubtedly it's 4th. Cut short by the writer's strike down to a leaner 17 episodes, we still managed to fit in Lynette's cancer, a tornado, the excellent Dana Delany season-long mystery, and even enough screen time to win Kathryn Joosten a second emmy. Quality over quantity.
Similarly, NBC's unwillingless to pay CBS for more than 16 episodes per season of Medium could be viewed as a blessing in disguise - though I will stress that a police procedural has fewer of the season-long mystery and character arcs of a show in more of a soap opera tradition like Housewives. Therefore, the pendulum at times may swing too far in the opposite direction and become repetitive, as I have said before about Medium. But to episode 5, Baby Fever. I think this season may shape up to be one of their strongest - though I may have changed my mind by episode 22. Firstly to Allison and the main plot thread of the episode. The baby kidnap was handled in an unusual and interesting way. I thought we were going to spend a whole episode looking for a baby. But Brice appeared safe and sound pretty swiftly and we were suddenly pulled into a rabbit hole whereby the actual mystery was not what we had originally thought. And it was great to catch up with Lee and Lynn and their trials and tribulations with their brand new baby.
The opening dream sequence deviated from the usual murder plots, which was fun to see, and I loved the way that some of the more interesting crime solving devices from earlier seasons were recycled. One of my favourite dreams, and favourite overall episodes, is the season 2 The Song Remains The Same, wherein Allison wakes up with a song in her head that directs her to a clue which leads to finding a missing girl. In Baby Fever, Allison followed the sounds of baby cries emanating from a photograph to locate the missing child. This was a classic device that, thankfully, hasn't become overused in the show.
However, as is so often the case with Medium, the process was more interesting than the result. Allison's dreams, her almost obsessive attachment to the baby and the way it affected everyone around her was far more engaging than the clunky exposition scene near the end of the episode.
As I mentioned in my last post, the increasing use of the Dubois children in the show is always a delight, and in this episode we got to see some great acting from Maria Lark, and more scenes than usual from Madison and Miranda Carabello. Their's was a strong subplot with a mature, nuanced performance from Maria Lark. Lark has always been a great comic presence on the show and I looked forward to seeing her emerging talent. In Baby Fever, she proved she could nail drama as well. She was absolutely heartbreaking in the scene where she confessed to Joe about what she felt were her inadequacies. This kid could act most adults in television right off the screen. She was genuinely moving.
I look forward to the rest of the season.
More tomorrow.
Peace x
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Wednesday
First, to reviews.
Now, I had some really high hopes for Fantastic Mr. Fox. Visually, it looked glorious. And any film that invites me to nod off to the smooth tones of George Clooney and the lilting whisper of Meryl Streep is absolutely welcome to. There's no need to completely rehash Wes Anderson's back catalogue here; suffice to say The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic were both interesting, quirky, and at once dramatic and humorous.
Unfortunately, even from the outset, I found the film quite alienating. Fox-ified, hippy Meryl announcing her pregnancy to a strangely unanimated George. Odd. A bizarre lack of any real through line of action for the plot. Which was really strange seeing as there really is a lot going on. A number of bizarre writing choices: why on Earth did Mr. Fox make a toast again and again? What the bejesus was with Mr. Fox addressing a wolf near the end? The animation of the wolf seemed as if it was from a completely different film. Why did Mrs. Fox and the kid keep waving their arms and talking about strangeness? I half expected there to be a gay subplot with the kid. Instead, it came to nothing.
And that was the trouble. The whole film really came to nothing. It wasn't particularly gripping or funny. It wasn't a cuddly kid's film or a tongue in cheek child-adult hybrid. Which is a shame, as I really wanted to like this film.
Oh, and this was the first film I've ever seen where it feels like Meryl Streep phones in her performance. I mean, I know they recorded her dialogue from France, where she was filming Julie and Julia, so she literally did phone it in, but still - the greatest actor of her generation sounded bored with this role. Not a good sign.
So, on to Medium. Episode 4 of the 6th season, and another strong episode - though probably my least favourite of the season so far. I liked the fact that, once again, the procedural drama was linked into the development of her recovery from her stroke last season. Same with Pain Killer, where Allison began to dream about her friend in the hospital who she suspected was murdered by the same Doc that saved her life.
My favourite episode of the four so far was Who's That Girl? Medium has always addressed the children's burgeoning psychic powers, and one of the highlights of last season was an increasing number of interesting sub-plots for Ariel. They beefed up the drama of the show and kept it from feeling as repetitive as it started to feel by season three. Hence, this episode felt like something of a coming out party for Sophia Vassilieva. She had a wide range of emotions to communicate with not one, but two characters to play with. I think the result was spectacular. Hurrah. Episode five tonight...
True Blood tonight also. This show is so much fun. I'm not a big vampire/zombie/horror/sci-fi person. But this has some cracking characters and brilliant dialogue. Oh, and the sex. There's some hotties on this show. Brilliant.
I thought it was too bloody good to be true when the Daily Fail showed such solidarity in its outrage of Nick Griffin's dick-headery on Question Time. Alas, this was not to last. Apparently they are now spear-heading the hate campaign against the BBC for alleged tampering with the show. It's strangely comforting that some things never change. At least not with the mail anyway. We must keep fighting the fight. We must.
Continue to have doubts my friends. Such doubts.
Peace x
Now, I had some really high hopes for Fantastic Mr. Fox. Visually, it looked glorious. And any film that invites me to nod off to the smooth tones of George Clooney and the lilting whisper of Meryl Streep is absolutely welcome to. There's no need to completely rehash Wes Anderson's back catalogue here; suffice to say The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic were both interesting, quirky, and at once dramatic and humorous.
Unfortunately, even from the outset, I found the film quite alienating. Fox-ified, hippy Meryl announcing her pregnancy to a strangely unanimated George. Odd. A bizarre lack of any real through line of action for the plot. Which was really strange seeing as there really is a lot going on. A number of bizarre writing choices: why on Earth did Mr. Fox make a toast again and again? What the bejesus was with Mr. Fox addressing a wolf near the end? The animation of the wolf seemed as if it was from a completely different film. Why did Mrs. Fox and the kid keep waving their arms and talking about strangeness? I half expected there to be a gay subplot with the kid. Instead, it came to nothing.
And that was the trouble. The whole film really came to nothing. It wasn't particularly gripping or funny. It wasn't a cuddly kid's film or a tongue in cheek child-adult hybrid. Which is a shame, as I really wanted to like this film.
Oh, and this was the first film I've ever seen where it feels like Meryl Streep phones in her performance. I mean, I know they recorded her dialogue from France, where she was filming Julie and Julia, so she literally did phone it in, but still - the greatest actor of her generation sounded bored with this role. Not a good sign.
So, on to Medium. Episode 4 of the 6th season, and another strong episode - though probably my least favourite of the season so far. I liked the fact that, once again, the procedural drama was linked into the development of her recovery from her stroke last season. Same with Pain Killer, where Allison began to dream about her friend in the hospital who she suspected was murdered by the same Doc that saved her life.
My favourite episode of the four so far was Who's That Girl? Medium has always addressed the children's burgeoning psychic powers, and one of the highlights of last season was an increasing number of interesting sub-plots for Ariel. They beefed up the drama of the show and kept it from feeling as repetitive as it started to feel by season three. Hence, this episode felt like something of a coming out party for Sophia Vassilieva. She had a wide range of emotions to communicate with not one, but two characters to play with. I think the result was spectacular. Hurrah. Episode five tonight...
True Blood tonight also. This show is so much fun. I'm not a big vampire/zombie/horror/sci-fi person. But this has some cracking characters and brilliant dialogue. Oh, and the sex. There's some hotties on this show. Brilliant.
I thought it was too bloody good to be true when the Daily Fail showed such solidarity in its outrage of Nick Griffin's dick-headery on Question Time. Alas, this was not to last. Apparently they are now spear-heading the hate campaign against the BBC for alleged tampering with the show. It's strangely comforting that some things never change. At least not with the mail anyway. We must keep fighting the fight. We must.
Continue to have doubts my friends. Such doubts.
Peace x
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