Monday, June 18, 2007 Rant Archive
Can you show the entire making of “MEDELLIN” in one episode? Yes. Do things come off like clockwork? No. Is it interesting? Uhh…
To their credit, the writers of ENTOURAGE have never seriously lingered on the artistic side of cinema. No, to them the drama is in the deal-making rather than the movie-making. The first episode of season four covers the entire shooting of “MEDELLIN” with the tired device of an independent crew filming a “making of…” feature. It was an obvious, lazy and nonsensical way to cover this ground and an unfortunate direction for the show to take.
Surprise, surprise, things don’t go well on the set in Colombia and all of the blame goes to tortured genius auteur Billy Walsh (Rhys Coiro). I don’t know how an actor is supposed to work with lines like “I don’t make movies. I make FILMS!” and not come off as an over-the-top, scenery-chewing goofball, but maybe Coiro could try exploring vulnerability. At least that would be an unexpected turn. The Billy Walsh character has become loathsome and the portrayal is singular in tone. Unfortunately, he will be around for a few more episodes, I suspect, as the "MEDELLIN" filming is wrapped but now the editing is beginning.
Let’s not mince words: I thought the 2005 FANTASTIC FOUR movie sucked. Although my initial opinion has softened over time, I have never suffered the urge to repeat the viewing experience, even though it has some good acting by Michael Chiklis and Jessica Alba in her underwear. Thus, it was with a mixture of trepidation and cautious enthusiasm that I trekked to the multiplex to check out FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER. Surprise; it didn’t suck.
Having dispensed with the backstory in the first film, the latest adventures of Marvel’s first family of superheroes opens with the impending nuptials of Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm (Jessica Alba). However, marriage among the metahuman set ain’t easy; not with paparazzi under every rock and shrub, Sue’s little brother, Johnny (Chris Evans), hogging all the attention he can, and a number of weather anomalies happening worldwide. Then the military — personified in officious glory by Gen. Hager (Andre Braugher) — comes knocking, and before you can say “Excelsior,” Richards, both Storms and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) are chasing a shiny dude on a flying surfboard (Doug Jones; voiced by Laurence Fishburne). Planets die, Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon) shows up with his best armor on, and things progress from there.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Two dudes want to change the world with their music, but instead they just kinda hang around and don’t do much of anything. Oh, and they break out into song out of the middle of nowhere, usually with comedic results. Tenacious D, anyone?
Yes, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, the new HBO comedy starring Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement as best friends and bandmates from New Zealand, takes the blueprint from one of the more successful comedies in HBO history. But, is that such a bad thing?
Well, let’s clarify. Much like The D, you probably have to put quotes around the “band” these guys are in. It’s more like just the two of them singing techno-tinged folk ballads to nobody in particular. Since moving to New York, they have managed to find a manager — whose main contribution to the band so far is a cell phone he purchased for them to shoot their music video, and who almost got them a gig at the aquarium, before realizing the flyer he saw had a typo and the venue was actually requesting sand, not looking for a band.
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Flight of the Conchords bandmates also have a die-hard fan. Unfortunately, she’s not all that cute, is a bit of a psycho stalker and happens to be married. So, there goes that one.
MEADOWLANDS is a new Showtime series based in England. It is also the name of a sports complex in northern New Jersey where they say Jimmy Hoffa is buried. Watch the series and you might conclude that Hoffa got the better of the deal.
Like beauty, weird is in the eyes of the beholder. One man’s David Lynch is another man’s Steven Spielberg. I admit that I, for one, fall into the Spielberg camp. It’s not that I need linear filmmaking to enjoy a show — nevertheless, I instinctively bristle when directors labor to obscure their work rather than make it accessible. And, it’s not just directors who make me fume; I also get upset with members of the critical community who frequently abet the Lynches of the world, perhaps fearing scorn if they yell that the emperor has no clothes.
As an aside, consider the largely favorable critical reaction to the late Stanley Kubrick’s EYES WIDE SHUT. How could anyone say something negative about a film by the man who gave us classics such as DR. STRANGELOVE, SPARTACUS and PATHS OF GLORY? Well, few did. Yet, when I saw the film, I was convinced that Kubrick, who passed away shortly after completing it, died of embarrassment.
While I don’t believe any of the creatives behind the new Showtime series MEADOWLANDS (Sundays at 10 p.m.) need worry about going to that great film studio in the sky anytime soon, watching it is an exercise in confusion.
JOHN FROM CINCINNATI isn’t a Western, but it better get off its high horse pretty soon. Raising questions can be a good thing — but at some point, it has to provide answers. Existential angst is not likely to work as a SOPRANOS replacement
There was a time when even I had potential. But suddenly (or so it seemed), I was no longer a wunderkind, and that Great American Novel had to wait. It’s the same with JOHN FROM CINCINNATI — except TV series get old a lot quicker. And, JOHN is aging rapidly. Very rapidly.
I enjoyed the first episode, if for no other reason than it was different; not typical TV pabulum. The series’ writers seemed to credit viewers with a modicum of intelligence and curiosity; a willingness to venture off into uncharted territory.
They provided just enough information to pique at least my curiosity — they got me eager to come back for more. I wanted to find out why people were levitating and how a dead bird was brought back to life. I was interested in learning who the heck the very strange title character really is. But, after hour two we don’t know much more than we did after hour one. It’s hard to generate interest in a series based on unanswered questions and confusion.
“You’re like no other girl,” Corky exclaims as he and Nancy recover from a near-miss with an SUV in Griffith Park. Oh boy, is Corky right. Writers Andrew Fleming and Tiffany Paulsen bring us an updated NANCY DREW for a whole new group of girls to enjoy. Well … sort of updated.
Nancy (the adorable Emma Roberts) may be living in 2007, but she sure looks like she stepped right out of the 1950s. Everything — from her cute dresses to her signature blue roadster — screams Middle America. But, I’m not complaining; I loved every bit of her wholesome persona.
Nancy and her father (Tate Donovan) leave their small town of River Heights for a temporary stay in Los Angeles. Nancy is not only taken from her hometown, she’s taken from her celebrity status too. The people of River Heights revel in her sleuthing abilities. When Nancy is thrown into the craziness of Los Angeles, her wholesomeness is far from the norm, and she’s teased accordingly.
Just like in every other tween/teen girl movie out there, Nancy finds a way to be herself and make friends.