A+F: TV and Radio

Mad Men

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:55:08 +0000

Did we never have a topic on this? I haven't found one, feel free to ahem me and point me to it.

My wife and I watched a few episodes, then let it slip away. But all the awards buzz for it got us interested before the new season starts, so this weekend is a Mad Men Marathon at Chez Manson. Set in 1960 with Camelot just around the corner, it brings back a time that many may think of as a golden age. But the nostalgia carries a lot of negativity. Ubiquitous smoking and drinking (before the smoke/cancer link was let out of the bag, or the alcohol and pregnancy problems were identified). Women are expected to be subservient and always treated as less than competent compared to men. Women's role is to look good, take care of the house, be good in bed. They are sexual objects and use that to get their own kind of reward. The morality reflected in all this is terrible by today's standards, but perhaps much more acceptable at the time (as long, that is, that you kept your affairs well hidden).

It takes place in the world advertising and Madison Avenue. As one minor character notes, the advertiser's job is to promote lies. This world is filled with lies. The lies they sell, of course, but also the lies they live. Especially Don Draper, who we see bits of his past from time to time -- but not as Don Draper. He has created a whole new life and discarded his earlier one.

Don't know why we gave up on it first time through. Well done piece of storytelling.

Louie

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:21:34 +0000

Is anyone else watching this show? At first I found it incredibly dark and uncomfortable, but the more I watch it, the funnier it gets.

It's sort of like a very dark spin on Seinfeld. The show alternates between stand-up segments and little vignettes from Louie's life showing how the latter influences the former.

Taking inspiration from C.K.'s own life, the show chronicles a recently divorced father/comedian trying to make sense of getting older and returning to the single life.

It's pretty hilarious...but still dark and uncomfortable.

The Walking Dead

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:11:51 +0000

An AMC adaptation of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comics was announced sometime last year, and now casting has started. Frank Darabont is executive producer, and is also adapting and directing the pilot episode.

Hoolywood Repoter announces Walking Dead to be produced by AMC

Ghost Writer co-star joins AMC's Walking Dead

The Walking Dead wikipedia link.

http://iconsoffright.com/news/walkingdead.gif

Sandman

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:21:56 +0000

Definitely in the very early stages.

Story here.

Conan

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:43:19 +0000

Conan has named his new show. Guess this is as good a time as any to give it its own thread.

The Wire

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:50:49 +0000

I'm two episodes shy of finishing the first season of HBO's the Wire. It's probably the best thing I've ever seen on TV, but it's also a show that requires some warnings; it's chock-full of vulgarity and violence (and a tiny bit of nudity, which seems like a requirement for HBO).

The Wire was created by David Simon, who was responsible for the book that started one of my favorite shows (Homicide: Life on the Streets). The Wire is similar: it also takes place in present-day Baltimore, focusing on the police and drug-runners. It's ultra-realistic, almost unsettlingly so. But that's one of its virtues--focusing on the people, their lives and their flaws also provide ample for grace and character development.

The thirteen episodes act almost as one giant 780-minute story, and I'm literally hooked. Anyone else like it (or hate it, for that matter)?

I haven't made it this far yet, but the fourth season has probably the highest rating for a TV on Metacritic (a whopping 98!)

Good Christian Bitches

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:17:47 +0000

For the record, Nikki Finke:

Quote

A Darren Star-produced dramedy has become a hot property with three networks vying for it. I hear ABC, NBC and CBS are all after Good Christian Bitches, which will be written by Steel Magnolias and The First Wives Club scribe Robert Harling. Based on the book of the same name by Kim Gatlin, the project, referred to by some as "Desperate Housewives in Dallas," centers on Amanda Vaughn, a recently divorced mother of two who, to get a fresh start, moves back to the affluent Dallas neighborhood where she grew where she finds herself in the whirling midst of salacious gossip, Botox, and fraud.

Sigh.

I don't even have the energy to post any of the obvious comebacks to this announcement...

Sherlock

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:41:21 +0000

This article on the renewal of the PBS/BBC contract for Masterpiece Theater has information on a new Sherlock Holmes series, set in present-day London, with Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson.

Why do I picture Danny DeVito's Penguin whenever I say "Benedict Cumberbatch"?

30 Rock

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:10:17 +0000

One of the only funny people on SNL says her final "Good Night... and have a pleasant tomorrow."

The Kids in the Hall

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:04:50 +0000

Starting this Friday, a four part miniseries mystery, that reunites the cast - The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town.

Anyone else here a fan? This was the sketch comedy show that I could rely on when Saturday Night Live went through its various dry spells (the current one lasting over a decade now, IMHO).

Remember to count your blessings. You could be living in England, where everyone only has one spoon.

Dexter

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:22:04 +0000

We finished watching season 1 last night. The season works like a good novel. Good enought that I've put a hold on the audio book of the book it's based on, Darkly Dreaming Dexter.

I has all the things that normally I'd say are bad about serial killer movies/shows -- especially the POV of the sociopath. But he is such a lovable sociopathic killer. As the season goes along, we begin to see what made him like he is. But he does try to cope, in large part because of the "code" his foster father instilled in him to funnel his hunger for killing into acceptable forms.

His victims are killers who have escaped punishment. His day job is blood splatter analyst for the Miami PD. He has a girl friend, who he starts off with because she is safe and isn't ready for real intimacy, but of course things change over time. He has a nemesis all through the first season, another serial killer who plays personal games with Dexter. Quite engaging.

Rubicon

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:05:06 +0000

Film noir meets Conspiracy Theory meets Enemy of the State resulting in a political thriller show starring Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) from The Pacific.

Also includes Miranda Richardson, Lili Taylor (The Promotion), Peter Gerety (The Wire, Leatherheads, Public Enemies), Christopher Evan Welch, Jessica Collins (apparently from CSI), Dallas Roberts (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma), and Harris Yulin (who has been playing bad guys from Scarface to Clear and Present Danger to 24).

Looks like I already missed the pilot episode (which played on June 13 after the finale of Breaking Bad), but the Season starts airing regularly on August 1st.

The Crux

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:18:25 +0000

Kevin Spacey's 'Crux' Drama Lands At HBO
Kevin Spacey's and Dana Brunetti's Trigger Street Prods have inked a first-look deal with HBO, and as part of the pact they'll develop the drama project The Crux. There's no pilot order. The project centers on a charismatic cult leader played by the Oscar winner. . . .
Deadline.com, August 17

True Blood

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:49:50 +0000

New series coming to HBO this fall based on series of books by Charlaine Harris. Apparently there is a viral campaign going on about it. Brief mention in LA Times TV press tour article today (bottom of 1st web page, continues on 2nd).

Anybody have any real info on this? Any fans of the Sookie Stackhouse series?

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:26:16 +0000

It's official: there will be a sequel. An animated sequel to the original cartoon, that is.

Nickelodeon Greenlights The Legend of Korra

Quote

The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and follows the adventures of the Avatar after Aang – a passionate, rebellious, and fearless teenaged girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra. With three of the four elements under her belt (Earth, Water, and Fire), Korra seeks to master the final element, Air. Her quest leads her to the epicenter of the modern "Avatar" world, Republic City – a metropolis that is fueled by steampunk technology. It is a virtual melting pot where benders and non-benders from all nations live and thrive. However, Korra discovers that Republic City is plagued by crime as well as a growing anti-bending revolution that threatens to rip it apart. Under the tutelage of Aang's son, Tenzin, Korra begins her airbending training while dealing with the dangers at large.

The Pillars of the Earth

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:26:19 +0000

Scott Free, Tandem team on 'Pillars'
Ridley and Tony Scott�s Scott Free and Munich-based Tandem Communications are re-teaming to produce a TV adaptation of Ken Follett�s international bestseller �The Pillars of the Earth.�
Widely considered to be Follett�s masterpiece, the historical novel is set in the 12th century and revolves around the building of a cathedral, and the development of Gothic architecture, in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England.
The sweeping epic, which spans more than 50 years, is set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles that tear lives and families apart. . . .
Variety, April 2

Weeds

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:36:39 +0000

Ok, so after using both the A&F search engine and an extensive google search, it looks like there's no thread for this show. Is that because this isn't a show Christians should appreciate? No one here has found it worth discussing apparently. Having been heartily recommended to me by a friend, my roomate and I just finished going through Seasons 1-5.

The summary rundown? I found it annoying, especially at the beginning, but something about it kept me hooked ... so many of the situations are so appalling and uncomfortable that you just can't look away. So I also found it hilarious, and the satire on middle class suburbia in this show is rare - once again not the sort of thing you find on network television shows.

Basic premise that everyone should already know by now - recently widowed soccer mom takes to selling marijuana to provide for herself and her two young sons. The longer she's involved, the worse everything keeps getting. She obviously doesn't belong in the criminal underworld of illegal drugs and drug kingpins, but the hole she keeps trying to dig herself out of only keeps getting deeper.

I actually would have expected some comment in these forums on the little digs on the modern day church and Christianity on this show. Maybe most would find them offensive, but I found them amusing simply because most of them were true. For one example, the abortion clinic protestors are hilarious (because of know friends who do exactly that). For a second example, Mary Kate-Olsen's Tara character is a weed-smoking, abstinence practicing Christian girl who helps the Botwin family tap the untapped lucrative market of church youth groups (I was friends with a girl almost exactly like Tara in my church youth group years ago). For a third example, the practice of the gift of tongues appears on the show - of course, they're making fun of it - but I've seen Christians do precisely what they are doing here (it's the sort of thing that happens when you get your doctrine wrong). Maybe I wouldn't have been as creeped out if Kevin Nealon had been around to provide the music for the spiritual gifts night I made the mistake of attending at one church.

Anyone else here watch this? Are my search engine skills on google/etc so worthless that there actually is a thread for this show already? Anyhow, Season 6 starts next month.
http://smallscreenscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/weeds-season-6-poster.jpg
They just released their promo posters for it a few days ago. Sort of a Goodfellas meets Pineapple Express vibe. Without being specific enough to give away any spoilers, the best thing about this poster, for anyone who's seen the last 5 seconds of Season Five, is little Shane on the left (with his croquet mallet). The thing to look forward to for Season Six seems to be the increasing role that Shane & Silas are both going to play in helping/protecting/encouraging their mother. They've both grown up a little too fast. But we were seeing hints of their actually having matured deeper than their own mother has - I'm suspecting their two characters (even with their faults) are suddenly going to provide the moral backbone of the show. Anyhow, recommended for anyone who enjoys cultural commentary and/or black comedy. I don't know if this will be the last season or not, but the show has to end with some amount of moral depth to it, right? In the meantime, looks like we now have Peter Stormare, Linda Hamilton, Eric Lange, Richard Dreyfuss, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar all joining the cast. It starts in about a month.

Boardwalk Empire

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:11:52 +0000

Here's the link to the book.

Here's HBO's link to the show.

The story's set during the Prohibition era about the rise of Atlantic City.

Steve Buscemi looks the toughest I've ever seen him. Also has Michael Pitt (I hated him in Funny Games, or maybe I just hated the whole film), Michael Shannon (Pearl Harbor, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead), Stephen Graham (Sgt. Mike Ranney from Band of Brothers, Baby Face Nelson in Public Enemies), Kelly Macdonald (Choke, No Country For Old Men), and oh yeah, Michael Stuhlbarg (from A Serious Man).

Christian Hamaker's Article on The Simpsons

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 06:42:06 +0000

Congrats on a great article in this month's Relevant Christian. Good stuff. Well written and some interesting info, not just some fan talking about his favorite episodes and quotes.

Tintin and I

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:18:23 +0000

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Caprica

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:07:50 +0000

So the pilot for "Caprica" -- the upcoming series on the Sci-Fi Channel -- has been released on DVD.

It is set in the universe of Battlestar Galactica over 50 years prior to the events of BSG.

The show won't launch until 2010 -- don't have the exact date yet.

The BSG creative team is also behind this show, starting with showrunner and chief writer Ronald D. Moore.

Though it shares a lot with BSG, this program will be quite different in tone and style.

There will be little or no space or military action. It will be more of a family drama with science fiction elements (virtual reality, robots).

I'm still a little shocked by how little total discussion of BSG that took place on this board, given the brilliance of the program!

I'd love A&F to do better with "Caprica." I realize things will be slow on this thread for a while, since only the pilot is available, but here's to things heating up here in a few months.

Battlestar Galactica

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:12:37 +0000

So has anyone caught the "Battlestar Galactica" remake/revision that recently aired on the Sci-Fi Channel? I'm not a devoted fan of the original - having watched it as a kid, it's more nostalgic than anything else - but I found new version rather disappointing.

Was it just me or did it seem like every 15 minutes, a scene was engineered so one attractive person could throw themselves at another attractive person? The dialog was painfully clunky throughout it - especially Adama's lines (and it didn't help that Olmos often seemed either drunk, half-asleep, or doing his best David Carradine impression). And there were far too many contrivances in the plot (such as the whole deal surrounding the Cylon infiltrator). And let's not forget the obvious changes (making Starbuck and Boomer into women, etc.).

On the plus side, I found some of the acting surprisingly good - I was impressed with Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslin). And I'll admit that some of the scenes were surprisingly effective, such as the scene involving the pilot who sacrifices his seat so Baltar can escape Caprica, and the scene when the refugee fleet ships with FTL capabilities have to leave behind those ships that can't jump when the Cylons attack.

But overall, it's rather underwhelming.

Daniel Schorr dead at 93.

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:54:24 +0000

For me, Daniel Schorr was always a welcome and interesting voice on the radio. He made me think about the world in new and helpful ways. I'll miss his voice which, even as he raised criticisms and exposed unsettling details about politics and presidents, was always strangely comforting.

Here's the NPR story.

Dr. Who

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:14:55 +0000

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CSI, Law and Order, Without a Trace, etc, etc, etc, etc...

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:03:00 +0000

The other night, I sat feeling humiliated that I had been hooked by yet another episode of Law and Order: SVU.

It could have been CSI, Without a Trace, or any of the other cop procedurals.

If I didn't watch the first five minutes, I would have been fine and felt better about myself.

But those five minutes hooked me, and I couldn't muster the willpower to turn it off. Man, I could have been reading.

I've heard different ideas about why these shows are so prevalent and popular, but I'm still not sure I'm satisfied.

Is it that, in a chaotic day when we feel like things haven't gone our way, it just feels good to watch someone get justice?

Is it the same thing that draws people to watch Jerry Springer: the need to look at some kind of person who's more screwed up than us, so we can feel superior (even if we have to look at the lowest of lowlives in order to achieve that?)

Is it a fascination with the sordid and the grisly? Or the assurance that those who commit such crimes won't get away with them?

Or is it something more redeeming that draws viewers: strong performances from some of the best actors on television; smart scripts; stylish editing... ?

These shows take their good versus evil stories so seriously, and yet, when I walk away I feel like I've eaten a cheap hamburger... that there's nothing there of lasting significance. In the morning, I've forgotten all about it and a few nights later, I stumble into another one and can't break free.

Does anybody here have any thoughts about what's really appealing to people with these shows? What is it that we need that we think it will satisfy?