You’ve probably never heard of Dance Academy, and if you have, you either completely agree with me, or think I’m crazy. Let’s assume you haven’t. [Read more…] about Why You Should Be Watching Dance Academy
ENTERTAINMENT
Emmy Nominations Are In: What Do They Say About the Big Picture in TV?
This morning, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences released its’ list of nominees for the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards. With the list of nominees, we can take away some conclusions about the state of television over the past year.
Netflix’s original programming model is for real: Amid the nominations, we see a handful of nominations for Netflix Originals Arrested Development and House of Cards. House of Cards seems to hold a slightly higher position on the totem pole, scoring nominations for both Kevin Spacey for best actor as well as a best drama nod for the show itself. Arrested Development received a best actor nomination for Jason Bateman to add to Netflix’s prestige. The network which started releasing original shows in February is off to a good start critically (as well as commercially, as proven by the rumors of a pushed season 5 for Arrested Development).
The major networks did not have a strong year: Many of the major categories this year seem to be dominated by the cable networks and premium channels such as Showtime and HBO. While this doesn’t surprise me (the only strong drama for the big four this season was Hannibal and barely half the season was over by the May 31st cut-off date). This trend is particularly strong on the drama side of the ledger, where the only broadcast show being considered for best drama is PBS’s Downton Abbey. On the comedy side, the trend is slightly less harsh, but mostly due to the heaping of praise the Academy has placed on 30 Rock’s final season. There is however, one show on the major networks that is standing up against this wave of cable dominance, because…
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences really likes Modern Family: If there was one scripted show on network TV that the Academy has fallen in love with, it’s Modern Family, which has become a master-class for domestic comedies and props up a successful night for ABC. The show has a large number of nominations spread across a variety of categories including best comedy, best supporting actor (with three nominations there), best supporting actress, best writing for a comedy, and best directing for a comedy.
After a few down years, HBO is back and carried on a mix of younger shows and miniseries: After struggling around the end of the last decade, HBO has taken back it’s role as the main home to high quality television. The academy heaped praise upon sophomore comedies Veep and Girls, as well as third-season drama Game of Thrones. Similarly, it’s Liberace feature Behind the Candelabra has received a large amount of attention from the Academy, scoring 15 nominations.
Finally, the Academy did not forget Louie, in spite of skipping a season and airing at the very beginning of this year’s broadcast window: It may have been airing at this time last year (the Emmy window goes from June to May, unlike many other awards), but last year’s transcendent and critically adored second season of Louie has received a large number of nominations in almost every category that the show could qualify for (added bonus for Louis C.K. Also getting a best guest actor nomination for his hosting gig on Saturday Night Live). It’s nice to see, because while it seems that many movies begging for Oscar nods try to crowd into the end of the Oscar window, that the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences didn’t forget a show that could have easily escaped public consciousness over the year.
This years 65th Annual Emmy Awards are on Sunday September 22nd at 8 p.m. on CBS. I’ll be here covering the show that night in the same breezy rapid-fire style that I used to cover the Oscars and Grammys.
The full list of Emmy nominations can be found here: http://www.emmys.com/nominations
Fruitvale Station: A Real True Story
They say that truth is stranger than fiction. Perhaps that’s true, but I don’t regularly feel that true stories make for better movies, especially when one considers all the great fictional movies out there. Don’t get me wrong, I feel that there have been plenty of great movies that come from real life events (The Social Network, All the President’s Men), but the last few years have seen an onslaught of bio-pics and “true story” flicks that seem so awash in self-sentimentality and Oscar-bait hogwash, that at the end of the day I would much rather watch a movie like Knocked Up, over something like say…Ray. Still, every so often a film comes along that centers on a really unique occurrence, and knows precisely what to say about it. Fruitvale Station is exactly that kind of film, and one that really succeeds due to it’s brevity and direct message.
The film recounts an event that occurred in the Bay Area in California on New Year’s Eve of 2008, and completely focuses on Bay Side resident Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan). Grant is a 22-year old African-American male who is going through a very difficult period in his life. He’s raising a young daughter (ahna O’Reiley) with his girlfriend (Melonie Diaz), all while he’s unemployed. Convicted in the past for drug dealing, Grant is trying to put his criminal past behind him, even while he still can’t seem to find legitimate work. To take his mind away from his troubles he decides to go out with some friends for New Years, and take the train with them into the city. Sadly, it all goes horribly wrong when he comes across an individual that he had beef with in prison, and unruly cops immediately come to the scene.
We as viewers know the film’s tragic outcome before the title card comes up (just in case you don’t, however, I won’t be spoiling it), as in a sense Oscar Grant ended up becoming a Rodney King for the digital age that early New Year’s Morning. Numerous onlookers caught the horrific event on camera, and digital cellphone, which led to the public learning almost instantly about it. The footage became hot topics on media outlets, and protests immediately arose against the tactics of Californian police officers. Four years later, the story is perhaps even more sickening, when one considers that the guilty parties didn’t truly receive just punishment. It’s background was easily the reason that a venerable African-American actor (Forest Whitaker) came on board to produce it, especially as Oscar Grant’s mother and girlfriend were heavily involved with getting the project made as well.
Fruitvale Station, however, realizes that it is still a film, and therefore it needs more than the weight of it’s subject matter for it to really stand out. This film is the first feature-length film for director Ryan Coogler, and he’s already proven himself to have an extinguished sense of drama and humanity. While his camera work is often vivid, Fruitvale Station is more character-driven than it is interested in it’s exterior. Every scene of the movie is about Oscar Grant, whether he’s in it or not. We meet his family, as well as the other individuals that he meets throughout his day, all of which demonstrates the man’s list of faces. He’s a loving father, a mis-guided youth, and someone who really wants to make a difference, but also can’t entirely escape his thug background. At a mere 90 minutes, Fruitvale Station is direct about making every scene count, and the scenes that foreshadow the inevitable violence really make their mark. A scene where Oscar Grant takes care of a mortally wounded dog comes off as particularly necessary, especially as it’s the only scene in the movie with overt symbolism.
Seeing that the film is so invested in it’s protagonist, it obviously needed a talented actor to pull it off and Michael B. Jordan does just that. The actor has mostly been recognized for his supporting roles on some of televisions’s most acclaimed dramas (The Wire, Friday Night Lights), but hear we’re really able to see the actor show us his chops. Jordan does that in spades, as he immediately makes Oscar come off as a gentle man, despite his history as a felon. His consistent use of slang words (the term “breh” is frequently used by him, which appears to be the Bay Area equivalent of “bro”) could have come off as laughable with just the slightest effort, but his confident acting and the exemplary film making only allow viewers to realize that this movie is realistic to the maximum. I for one am hoping that Coogler and Jordan collaborate again, and very soon.
In recent years we have seen films try to break convention in recalling true-life stories. Richard Linklater’s Bernie used a faux-documentary style to it, and The Social Network became a critic’s darling mainly due to Aaron Sorkin’s complex and subversive screenplay. Fruitvale Station breaks the mold by a very realistic account of the tragedy at hand, but by also having some stylistic flourishes that only enhance the film’s message. Throughout the film we see Oscar using his cellphone, but rather than cut away from the action to show what he is texting, the image of the cellphone chat is super-imposed on the scene (a similar visual motif that was used on the Netflix tv series House of Cards). It’s a visual motif that shows how cell phones are not just a tool for a daily life, but the most available means to record it. As mentioned before hand, the reason this event gained so much attention was because so many people captured it digitally, as we then see during the film’s climax. The cellphone visualizations are the only stylistic flourish that the movie has, however, and for the most part it remains a highly palpable movie going experience. In fact, one categorization for Fruitvale Station is this: slice-of-life.
It’s easy to see why this film proved to be both a crowd pleaser and an award winner at Sundance this year. It’s a very human film about present day life in America, that just also happens to have a really devastating conclusion. While many will see the film as a lash against racially-derived police violence, it also is important to realize that that is only just one scene in the entire film. Fruitvale Station is about contemporary life in America, and how there is beauty to be found in it. Beauty that is all the more sacred when one realizes that it can all be snatched away from you in a second.
Album Review: Airhead – For Years
Airhead: For Years
Similar Artists: James Blake, Mount Kimbie, Nicolas Jaar, Boards of Canada
Genre: Downtempo, (Dubstep?), Organic Electronica
Label: R&S
There’s no real recipe for creating great music — things that work well for some artists don’t work at all for others, and that extra oomph that makes music tick tends to just come from something within the artist’s blood. However, in 2013, if there is some kind of trick to get an artists’ career rolling, it’s through the use of restraint. Of course, it isn’t as easy as it sounds, because knowing when to hold back and when to release is where the true talent lies. Probably the best example (within recent memory) that proved the powers of well harnessed restraint would be Nicolas Jaar’s 5 hour interdisciplinary performance at MoMa PS1. Through the holy-fuck-this-is-long running time, he only reached a handful of climactic phases, but due to his skill at building tension, the music never failed to entice — surprisingly, my worn legs never managed to fail out on me either. Using this “restraint” has become especially important for virtuosic musicians such as Nicolas Jaar or James Blake, because when they aren’t showing off, we have time to focus on other facets of their music, like their brilliant use of sound design and production techniques — when they finally do let loose as the climax arrives, the likelihood that we will be blown away is magnified tenfold.
Rob Mcandrews, AKA Airhead, is the long time collaborator and touring guitarist of James Blake, and the two have worked together for years now, starting with the “Pembroke” single released in early 2010. Before now, Mcandrews had only released a handful of singles, most notably the Karen O sampling “Wait” and the more beat driven “Pyramid Lake”, both of which are featured here. Due to his steady relationship with Blake, and his undeniably similar musical style (excepting vocals), you would imagine that his debut full length would mine similar territory: albeit of a more guitar inclined variation. While that is true in some respects, For Years is far from being 10 repeats of “Lindisfarne” (one of the two artists’ most notable collaborations). The ten tracks here are actually rather diverse, as we hear lovely acoustic guitar, off kilter vocals, big beat breakdowns, robot symphonies, and an array of ambient wash. Mcandrews manages to sound similar to his peers without quite being a rehash of them, and it is why For Years is an almost instantly likable collection of tunes.
The first thing you’ll notice about the album is how well made the tracks are. Each one almost feels like a distinct single; which in fact turns out to be both a positive and negative when you look at the album as a whole. While the beats are often big and luxurious, and the effects crackle and fizz with the necessary depth, there isn’t much holding this album together as a unified piece (possibly the idiosyncrasies of the sampling?). Secondly, while several of the tracks do contain the aspect of controlled restraint that I lauded earlier in this review, the concept doesn’t reach across tracks to build any kind of album climax. While “Fault Line” and the previously released “Pyramid Lake” do attempt to heighten our sense of ecstacy by being bolder and more quickly paced than the rest of the bunch, overall they fail because they don’t sound like a continuation off of the previous tracks. This lack of a proper beginning, middle or end left me occasionally feeling lost while listening to the album, and I often had to reassert myself into the music rather than be whisked away by it. Some albums can work by simply being a track for track compilation of an artists’ work, but with this kind of organic sounding electronic music something feels missing from the complete package.
A lot of what makes music successful is the point it is released in time. This year we have seen releases from both James Blake and Mount Kimbie — the two acts most closely related to Airhead in terms of sound. Although this music isn’t dull, it doesn’t stand out like it would have if it was released a few years back, and Infuriatingly enough, some of these tracks, such as “Wait”, have supposedly been entirely finished since 2009, so it really is unfortunate that it took so damn long for this album to come out. One can imagine that hearing this music even a year ago (a year that was quite devoid of downtempo electronic music) would have left a more ingrained impression. Airhead doesn’t seem to care about his pacing issues though; he seems quite content being indefinitely compared to James Blake as long as he gets to release his own material every once in a while. On For Years he proves that he is an intelligent producer capable of tackling various moods and styles, it’s just too bad his contemporaries have proved that twice over already.
Track Listing:
1.) Wait*
2.) Milkola Bottle
3.) Callow*
4.) Masami
5.) Pyramid Lake*
6.) Azure Race
7.) Autumn*
8.) Fault Line*
9.) Lightmeters
10.) Knives
Album Highlight – *
Many Happy Returns: Whose Line Is It Anyway
Whose Line is it Anyway?: Tuesdays at 8p.m. Eastern on the CW
2013 has been an interesting year in terms of canceled shows getting dragged out of the mothballs. Arrested Development made it’s return on Netflix, Cougar Town found second life on TBS, NBC found room to resuscitate The Sing-Off after a year away, and even 24 is getting a handful of new episodes in as the paradigms of terror and security change around us. The most surprising return of the bunch, however, was CW picking up Whose Line is it Anyway?
Whose Line is it Anyway? introduced short form improv to the broadcast airwaves 15 years ago when it debuted as a limited run summer on ABC. The show ended up becoming a surprise hit, launching the career of Wayne Brady, solidifying Carey’s role as both ABC’s headliner and future game show host (of CBS’s The Power of 10 and his current gig on The Price is Right), and introducing Colin Mochrie and Greg Proops to mainstream American audiences. This incarnation had a respectable seven year run followed by a lengthy second run on ABC Family.
The new version looks to hold pretty true to the format of the prior series: a series of short improvised games where the points don’t matter and winner gets the prestigious responsibility of reading the credits in the style of the host’s choosing. Additionally, we get the returns of regular panelists Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, and Wayne Brady to anchor every episode, a smart call as those three (plus Brad Sherwood) were the true anchors of the ABC series. The fourth seat is held by a rotating panelist that will change every show.
Speaking of changes, the major change is in the host’s chair. Drew Carey will not be back to host this incarnation (maybe he got a little too expensive? I doubt it’s contract related seeing how fellow CBS host Brady appears in every episode). He will be placed by Aisha Tyler, who is no stranger to comedy (playing Agent Lana Kane on Archer and having a stint as host on E!’s Talk Soup). This feels like a fairly minor change, as the host plays a more minor role on Whose Line than on many other shows and should create interesting new dynamics for our cast.
Tuesdays and especially the 8 p.m. slot on that night have been pretty quiet this summer. While it’s mildly surprising that the CW would put this relaunch up against the opening of the MLB All-Star Game (at Citi Field, home of my beloved New York Mets even!), it’s in a great spot to thrive and works as safe, fairly guaranteed entertainment on a network that struggles with comedy.
It’s Fandemonium Out There!
Adam Richman’s Fandemonium: Sundays at 10 p.m. Eastern on Travel Channel
Five years ago, we were introduced to Adam Richman, a mere mortal who went forth and attempted to take on our nation’s most treasured eating challenges in Man vs. Food. In that time, we have clearly seen that despite the fact that it ultimately ends in our gullets, food still wins an alarmingly high amount of the time. That show ended not because of slipping ratings but because of Richman’s retirement from competitive eating and the inevitable toll such a show has to take on one’s health. But fear not, as Richman is back to show the world more waistline-obliterating culinary delights on his newest series: Adam Richman’s Fandemonium.
Fandemonium follows Richman as he travels around the country spending time with some of America’s most prestigious tailgating fan bases. This entails not only football events, but also NASCAR races, the Kentucky Derby, and even arctic sled races. It is here that he gets to eat considerably healthier portions of the best tailgating has to offer while bringing his own takes on pre-game meals in return. Along the way, we learn more about these events and why they attract legions of dedicated fans every year.
Our premiere episode has Adam exploring the super fans of the Daytona 500. Richman begins by looking at the high end trailers on the man-made Lake Lloyd. Here, people pay $3,000 to park their high end RV’s (the two shown each have an estimated cost in the high-six to low-seven digits). From there, he moves to the considerably cheaper (and trashier) Tent City and you can tell the vibe is very different. In tent city, he encounters an all-food replica of the track with over $300 in groceries. He also checks out some of the finest barbecue in Tent City, including a roast pork shoulder that has been three days in the works. Finally, we sample some of the nightlife out in the tents, including drunk wheelbarrow racing and an infield discotheque.
So, does this show do justice to the notions of food, fun, and community? Well, it’s safe to say that the show is extremely similar to it’s predecessor. Adam’s wild eyed enthusiasm and gameness for anything are a perfect match for the show, as it really allows for Richman to show off a “man of the people” persona. That persona is essential for making Fandemonium work, as it truly feels like an insider’s guide to tailgating as opposed to the more academic travel shows you might see on public television. It’s also nice to see Richman’s personal culinary trappings, including a cool hybrid of pulled pork and waffles that he gives as a thank you (in the brief end of every show) to the people who let him in to their world for a little while.
The Final Verdict: Adam Richman’s Fandemonium is an interesting take on the foodie tour sort of show that Travel Channel has become known for in recent years. It’s also the best showcase for Richman yet, as his willingness to join in on the craziness (an episode in Florida has him flying around in a mud buggy without a seat belt at the insistence of the owner, and his dance at the end of the Daytona episode is hysterical) truly sells the tailgater street-cred of the show. While the show runs up against some stiff competition (notably The Newsroom), it’s completely worth checking out, regardless of your interest in the subject that week.
Glee star Cory Monteith passes away at 31
According to CNN, Cory Monteith, who played heart throb Finn Hudson in the Fox hit “Glee,” was found dead in a Vancouver, Canada, hotel room Saturday, police said. He was 31.
Vancouver police said the cause of death was not immediately apparent, but they ruled out foul play.
Medical examiners will conduct an autopsy Monday.
Monteith’s body was discovered by staff members at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel after he missed his checkout time, acting Chief Constable Doug LePard told reporters.
Monteith apparently had several people over to his room at one point Friday night, but LePard said Monteith, who had checked in July 6, was seen on hotel surveillance video returning to his room in the early morning hours by himself.
The Twitter-verse has already responded to his death, having two global trending topics of his name and #prayforlea, designed for his fiancee and fellow Glee star Lea Michele. One of the top tweets from Demi Lovato pretty much says it best-
Let’s all remind ourselves that in this time of need to focus on his family and friends and not spend days upon weeks upon months criticizing this man who can’t speak up for himself now. Regardless of how it happened, the world lost a phenomenal talent and was a key player in making one of the best television shows of the past decade. RIP Cory, you will truly be missed by millions of people.
Album Review: William Basinski – Nocturnes
William Basinski: Nocturnes
Similar Artists: William Fowler Collins, Leyland Kirby
Genre: ambient, tape-loop, minimalist
Label: 2062
The average William Basinski track runs for about 30 minutes or so, but in actuality, his pieces are ones that are meant to be played on a constant loop, even for days or weeks at a time for the most meditative of listeners. It is through these huge lapses of time that we are able to study the art of immersion, and even explore new meaning to the word “music”. Like a good wine, the tracks of William Basinski seem to only get better with age, and seeing how Basinski has (curiously) let many of his pieces lay dormant for 30+ years — perhaps to give him the necessary time to realize their full potential — this stuff sounds pretty good in 2013. The word “timeless” isn’t thrown out too frequently in music, because as time has shown, most music doesn’t age quite as well as wine, but still, with a few decades under his belt, I think it’s safe to say that William Basinski’s music will not be dying anytime soon.
Often, it is not until the final minutes of one of his tracks where the listener comes upon the realization of complete harmonious content; it is at this moment when we realize how unknowingly immersive the experience had been, and how pleasing it would be if the track was even longer, stretching the boundaries of time itself. It’s even hard to say why, or how this magic happens, because while the pieces themselves are quite intrinsically beautiful and layered, they aren’t overly so, and there have certainly been artists who have traveled similar terrain thematically both before and after Basinski. What I believe gives this music such audacity is how the sounds are ever so slightly familiar, yet as a whole, the piece represents something that is entirely unknowable and distant. It gives off the feeling that we can learn something valuable from the sounds — like they are saying something regarding our existence or subconscious mind. The subtlety of the pieces, and how slowly they resolve gives the experience a natural kind of beauty that feels necessary to the human experience.
Nocturnes is the artists’ first release in several years, and it arrives to complement the reissue of his mega opus The Disintegration Loops, released earlier this year. For this reason, it seems the two are destined to be compared and pitted against one another as rivals — even when The Disintegration Loops really is only representative of a singular period within the artists’ discography. Nevertheless, here we find Basinski mining noticeably darker territory with slanted piano chords, ambient pitfalls, tape loop decay, and a slew of other untraceable artifacts hidden in the mix. It’s certainly not without it’s warmth though — the 40 minute long “Nocturnes” opens with a wavering analogue hum that proves to be consistently affecting throughout the track. In fact, all the sounds — even the ones which remain relatively unchanged throughout the song’s duration — have an alluring presence that fade in and out of our conscious mind as time progresses.
Compared to the first track, “Trail of Tears” has much more noticeable change, and although it is still ominous and haunting, it comes off being (slightly) more accessible. While “Nocturnes” does have different sections, is is certainly hard to tell when an element is added or taken away. With the second track, instead of sections ending or fading away, they get enveloped in dust, and within that dust a new loop emerges and grows to immense proportions. During the final 8 minutes everything drops out and a loop that is seemingly unrelated to the previous ones emerges, closing the album on an ambiguous note. It’s the shorter of the two tracks, and since it was recorded in 2011 instead of the 80’s, there are noticeable differences in sound design, but despite the updated aesthetics it’s quite amazing how well the two pieces work together.
There’s no denying that this music isn’t very accessible, and although it might not be for everyone, it’s really amazing to see just how far his music has reached into wider settings. Sigur Ros used “dlp 1.1” to open their concert at Madison Square Garden a few months back, full orchestras have performed select pieces of his, and we are beginning to hear his music in films, such as last year’s “The Comedy”. His music has even become something that people can bond over. All music is essentially art, but with these pieces we are treated to giant canvases with new realizations hidden in the corners, just waiting to be found with every subsequent play through. Although many will try, this album cannot be given a score — not because it is unique, or haunting, or beautiful — but because we don’t really know what it is.
Track Listing:
1.) Nocturnes*
2.) Trail of Tears
Album Highlight – *
Pacific Rim: To Fight Monsters…
Guillermo del Toro has been so busy as a producer the last few years, with films like The Orphanage, Mama and Splice all carrying his name, it actually might surprise some to hear that Pacific Rim is his first directorial effort in five years. It’s actually been a fairly rough few years for the film maker, with plenty of his time and energy being put to two high-profile projects that never materialized. He was attached to direct The Hobbit, but pulled out due to frustration over the film’s repeated delays. After this, producer James Cameron said he would back him up for his dream project, an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, but unfortunately Universal backed out when Del Toro insisted the $150 million film would need an R-rating. Immediately after receiving this news, however, Del Toro switched his attention to another project. He had been planning to produce and co-write a film called Pacific Rim, but now that time allowed it, he decided that he would direct the picture as well. Now, two years later, Pacific Rim has finally arrived in theaters, and nerds the world over are soon to be rejoicing (I.E. Kanye West has already called it one of his favorite films of all time), even if this movie acts as more a playful diversion in his filmography, than as his next masterpiece.
The film’s plot involves…ah who gives a hoot. All you need to know is that the film is set in a future where giant monsters from another universe are attacking Earth, and mankind has made giant robots to battle them. The script itself doesn’t seem so interested in the plot, with most of the exposition being spelled out for us within the first 10 minutes, and the endgame for the characters isn’t much more complex than destroying the riff that connects the monsters to our world. What the film is interested in, however, is mimicking a teenagers conception of what would be the most totally awesome movie ever! In that case, the film is a true marvel amidst 2013’s other big-budget actioners.
While Del Toro has said that the film is very much inspired by Asian giant monster movies, I just couldn’t stop thinking about how much Pacific Rim felt like a live-action anime. I grew up watching mecha anime such as Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the film really sparked a sense of nostalgia in me. Just like those aforementioned series, Pacific Rim has an out-there premise, a cyper-punk-esque world, exaggerated characters, and (my favorite inclusion) technology that is so silly that it fits perfectly into the aesthetic. The robots in the movie are piloted by two humans that perform a system link so that their memories and conscious can be shared with each other, thus leading to many a flashback sequence. It’s utterly preposterous, yet at the same time you just can’t help but say, “well that’s a cool idea!”
Thing is, in lesser hands this movie could have easily been a Michael Bay knock-off, but Del Toro manages to make it entertaining. Anyone whose seen del Toro’s previous films (Hellboy I + II in particular), will tell you that the director has such a gift for creating monsters. The creatures in Pacific Rim continue this trend, with their weird designs, and fascinating movements that makes you realize that CGI is capable of yielding beautiful imagery. The action scenes are all well thought out, even if sometimes del Toro’s artistic sensibilities clash with what the intended audience really wants to see (I.E. more pummeling, less attempts to flourish scenes through rendering water), and the world is also very realized. Catering to the style of both western and eastern cultures, the film’s settings are enough to call it a potent homage.
Also, Del Toro wisely cast this movie, with some really appealing turns from a few of the actors. Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) certainly doesn’t do much more than play the traditional tough-protagonist with a heart of gold archetype, but his good looks and physique certainly fit the part. Idris Alba also continues to show he has a real screen presence, and I wouldn’t be surprised if people started calling him the British Samuel L. Jackson. The film’s two stand outs, however, are Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Charlie Day, and del Toro regular Ron Pearlman. Day is in great comic form as a geeky scientist, and Ron Pearlman once again shows he’s such a valuable character actor in today’s cinema, and it’s a real treat to see him play another mobster-type here. I honestly would have liked to seen more of them in the film, as it’s obvious that they wanted the two characters to have an engaging dynamic with one another.
Pacific Rim certainly is a testament to the fact that Guillermo del Toro is a great film maker and visual stylist, but it’s also not a great movie. In interviews Guillermo del Toro had said that he wanted to make an “airy and lighthearted film” that would be in direct contrast to other summer movies that were more overtly dark. Well, it’s certainly light-hearted, but it’s a stretch to call a movie with this many explosions as airy. Also, the film kind of sucks in terms of emotional scenes, and Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi never really have much chemistry established. It might be a result of the film’s intentionally campy nature, but it’s easy to see the characters in this film as little more than plot devices.
That said, Pacific Rim is a solid summer movie, and hopefully it’s exactly what del Toro needs to get back on track to directing films like Pan’s Labyrinth again. Over the years, the director has spoken about numerous projects he’s been interested in helming, from new adaptations of Frankenstein and Slaughter House Five, to original stories (Crimson Peak), to sequels to his own work (Ron Pearlman has been insisting that they make another Hellboy movie). Whatever del Toro does next, however, here’s knowing that it will be another fascinating spectacle from a man who works arthouse cinema and effects-laden commercial films like they’re two sides of the same brain lobe.
The Bridge May Not Be The Wire, But It’s Still Worth Crossing
The Bridge: Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on FX
There was a time when HBO’s drama suite always had room for the sort of show that tackled contemporary issues in a thought-provoking and realistic manner, such as Oz, and The Wire. However, while HBO has managed to build it’s ratings back on more fantastical shows such as Game of Thrones and True Blood, FX has quickly taken the mantle over for these gritty, contemporary shows, with Rescue Me, Justified, and tonight’s show: The Bridge.
The Bridge tracks the story of two cops, the American Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) and the Mexican Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir) as they try to track a serial killer operating in both countries. Along the way, they must deal with the numerous problems that plague the border, including drug cartels, prostitution, political corruption and other minefields.
The strength of this show lies in its’ characters, and particularly it’s leads. Sonya Cross’s by-the-book cop is made extremely aloof (to the point where it’s debatable whether the character has Asperger’s) in nature in order to bring the trope to it’s logical extreme (as very little seems to emotionally sway her from cold detached logic). Meanwhile, Marco Ruiz is built to be a perfect counterpoint, a warm, pragmatic cop whose experience in Juarez tells him that sometimes the book needs to be thrown out in extreme circumstances. It’s in those moments where these characters are required to establish their respective quirks (Sonya’s awkward questioning of both the judge’s husband and the reporter stuck in a bomb laden car and Ruiz’s going to the “Captain” to get clearance to look into the case) that the writing shines most.
Of course, both characters are just subtle enough that they require strong acting to carry their nuances onto the screen. Diane Kruger does a superb job stripping Sonya of her empathy, while making sure to leave enough room to be emotionally broken when she finds out her lieutenant is eyeing retirement. Demian Bichir, however, steals the show with his incredibly charismatic approach to Ruiz, who gets to have lighter, wittier exchanges in many of his scenes. The supporting cast also holds their weight well, with performances that are generally strong all around.
I also appreciate the show’s fearlessness in pushing the theme of double standards and divides in numerous ways: our initial act, the reporter’s reaction to the crime wave in Juarez, the message from the “bomb” in his car. The most interesting use of this divide, however, is in the shows fearless use of Spanish (and subtitles) for most of the scenes in Juarez, implying an even further contrast from what’s happening on the US side of the border.
If there was any issue I had with The Bridge, it’s that the extended pilot is a little bloated at points. This feels particularly true in laying the roots for our B-stories, particularly the one spurring from the man with the heart-attack, as the ensuing scenes didn’t say particularly much, and felt lost in between the scenes that exist to reinforce the Cross-Ruiz dynamic.
The Final Verdict: The Bridge is the sort of show that has the potential for greatness, but after the extended pilot, I’m not entirely certain how far the show will pull back from its’ central storyline. However, even if the show does not reach The Wire-like heights, there is enough good just from the shows central pairing to make it worth watching. Hopefully as the episodes are cut down to 44 minutes in length, some of the fat will be cut out and the end result will be the pantheon level show FX is hoping for it to be. At the minimum it’s worth checking out, but on a quiet night for summer programming, it’s probably appointment viewing.