Television and Film http://swingthesickle.com/forum/ http://www.eblah.com en John August's The Nines http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1209190445/ http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1209190445/#num1 The Nines written and directed by John August:

Quoted Text
Ryan Reynolds: Are you saying I'm god?
Melissa McCarthy: Technically, no. If God is a 10, a theoretical ultimate, you're more of a 9.
RR: What are you?
MM: Humans are 7s. Monkeys are 6s.
RR: What are the 8s?
MM: Koalas. They're telepathic. Plus they control the weather.


I just used the actor's names, because each actor plays more than one character. What "The Nines" are is very much like the Endless in Neil Gaiman's Sandman.]]> Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:14:05 Matthew Moses is Dead http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1207459078/ http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1207459078/#num1 Charlton Heston dead at 84.]]> Sat, 5 Apr 2008 22:17:58 Matthew John Adams: Not a Footnote Any Longer http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1205955211/ http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1205955211/#num1 HBO's most recent miniseries may be a bewildering pick for HBO--even more bewildering is that HBO does it right! To many Americans, John Adams seems little more than a footnote between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Then in 2002, David McCullough published his Pulitzer prize-winning John Adams. This biography revealed the intricacies of this lesser-known Founding Father and how he became a powerful force in the fight for America's independence. I highly recommend the book to everyone. I read this book two years ago and couldn't put it down. Evidently the same is true for the executives at HBO who decided to adapt McCullough's gripping biography into a seven-part miniseries (and the same creative team behind this miniseries is supposed to be hard at work adapting McCullough's follow-up to John Adam's titled 1776 into an HBO miniseries as well).

While the story of John Adams is a grand story everyone should see, I am glad this story is being told on the small screen rather than the big screen. The epic tale simply could not be squeezed into two hours. Not since Lord of the Rings have I felt a story was so deserving of almost nine hours running time. Even still many details from McCullough's biography are necessarily left out.

This past Sunday the first two parts aired. The next five parts will air each Sunday for the next five weeks. Paul Giamatti was a brilliant choice for John Adams. This great Founder is portrayed with a sense of humor as well as an unquenchable passion that brings the character to life. In the second part, we begin to meet other famous figures from the period: Benjamin Franklin (another brilliant casting choice), George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and many others.

I would insert some favorite quotes from the miniseries thus far, but I'm afraid if I got started, I wouldn't stop until I had listed ten pages of just quotes (so I'll leave you with "God damn the king!" said by John Adams' more radical cousin, Samuel Adams). As if to remind us that it is HBO, the first part does include full-frontal male nudity. A British customs officer attempting to tax tea is stripped before being tarred and feathered by an unruly Boston crowd.

The miniseries is already being hailed as one of the most historically accurate film portrayals of this time period. The miniseries is based on McCullough's meticulously researched biography, and the filmmakers avoid many of the embellishments usually added to historical stories. This does not mean the miniseries is slow or boring. The courtroom and Continental Congress scenes are filled with so many quotes passionately and expertly delivered accompanied by such a rich score, I don't see how any American's eyes could be dry by the end of the second part. I dare see the must-see film of 2008 is one that won't even go to theatres! Check out HBO's website for some great behind-the-scenes videos.]]> Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:33:31 Matthew Eleventh Hour: Patrick Stewart, Scientist http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1204183411/ http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1204183411/#num1 Eleventh Hour when I heard CBS is developing an American version of the series (that is unfortunately not starring Patrick Stewart as the British series did.) Patrick Stewart plays acerbic, hard-nosed scientist Ian Hood who is Special Advisor to the Joint Sciences Committee. He's like Dr. House meets Jack Bauer. He solves science-related crimes for the government with seemingly no regard for civil rights. He marches right past protests to see a warrant, and he learned the "art of persuasion" from the Jack Bauer School of Diplomacy. He is accompanied by a body guard played by Ashley Jensen (Ricky Gervais' comical pairing in Extras, another highly recommended British series.) It aired four 90-minute episodes in 2006.

Showrunner Stephen Gallagher made clear the show was "science-based" and not science fiction. With the success of educational entertainment such as House and Numbers, it is no surprise that Hollywood would be interested in adapting this series. I'm not one of those critics who moans that any Hollywood adaptation of a British series will ruin the series. I love The Office and am looking forward to the American version of Life on Mars. I do think something will be lost in translation of this series.

I've only seen the first episode, "Resurrection," of Eleventh Hour so far. It was the most disturbing 90 minutes I have ever watched. I'm not sure that the censors would allow that aspect of the series to be carried over to an American version. The episode opens with cops discovering twenty-seven human fetuses buried in a field, the carnage left by an unethical doctor's illegal attempt at human cloning. Yes, the bloody fetuses are shown on screen.

While Ian Hood was attempting to stop this illegal attempt at human cloning he described as monstrous before it could claim any further lives (and by lives he made clear he was referring to the young girls' lives the doctor was implanting with the cloned eggs), the episode was in no way pro-life. Ian Hood even corrects the police officer:

Quoted Text
Cop: I have twenty-seven deformed babies. My only witness won't stop babbling about the blood of Christ, and now some man from the government is mishandling my evidence.
Prof. Hood: Fetuses.
Cop: What:
Prof. Hood: They only become babies after they're born.

When explaining to his body guard why it's important they stop these illegal attempts at human cloning, he explains that human cloning is essentially what legitimate scientists studying embryonic stem cells are doing, but they kill the embryo before it can mature past fourteen days old as mandated by law. With embryonic stem cell research already on ethically shaky ground, he fears a human clone could cross the ethical line and turn popular opinion toward illegalizing embryonic stem cell research, which he says would not be bad but catastrophic.

While I have no problem with a TV series having a message (actually I think a good TV series must have a message), and I don't mind if that message differs from my own beliefs (I believe an embryo--even fourteen days or younger--is a human being and killing it is murder), I do mind when a series preaches to me. The trick is subtly working the message in without preaching to the audience. Additionally, preaching results in momentum-killing exposition. I applaud the series for tackling a serious issue like this, but Patrick Stewart's exposition on embryonic stem cell research becomes preachy. The series also uses a large chunk of exposition to explain the cloning process rather than explaining the science behind the episode in a more creative way (although watching Patrick Stewart explain the process with a seeded grape and tweezers was pretty funny.)

Favorite quote from the episode:

Quoted Text
Body Guard: Well, that was a waste of time.
Prof. Hood: In science a negative result is as important as a positive result. (beat) It was a bloody waste of time.

The American version will star Rufus Sewell as Jacob Hood (I guess Ian was too British). I'm sure Sewell is a great actor, but he's no Patrick Stewart.]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:23:31 Matthew Farscape: Firefly with with Animatronics http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1202283191/ http://swingthesickle.com/forum/m-1202283191/#num1 Farscape. I can't help but notice many similarities to Firefly.

Group of outlaws/fugitives being chased by a monolithic government trying to enforce its will upon the entire universe (Farscape = Peacekeepers / Firefly = Alliance). The protagonists flee outside the government's normal reach (Farscape = Uncharted Territories / Firefly = Outlying Settlements). Both series include a religious leader (Farscape = Zhaan / Firefly = Shepherd Book), a trigger-happy warrior (Farscape = D'Argo / Firefly = Jayne), and the crew is joined by a guest-turned-crew who brings the main reason said government is in pursuit (Farscape = John Crichton / Firefly = Simon Tam). When a character gets upset, you'll hear them spout off a futuristic curse (Farscape = frell / Firefly = gorram).

One thing Farscape has that Firefly does not is alien animatronics provided by The Jim Henson Company that could give the del Toro's monster's in Pan's Labyrinth a run for their money. The series was produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment and co-created by Brian Henson, Jim Henson's son.]]> Tue, 5 Feb 2008 23:33:11 Matthew