The Wire

As anyone might figure out reading this blog, I like to go at my own pace and rarely comment on anything new or trendy. It's not conscious, I just tend to get to things when I get to them.

I ordered the Wire for Sylvia's birthday this year. I got her the box set with all five seasons. We put the first one in and then proceeded to wolf them down at record pace finishing six or more years of work in a short month. I think my birthday might be covered as well...

Wow. On every level. Wow.

For those who don't know it, 'The Wire' is about the relationship of the Baltimore Police force and it's effort to control the drug trade in the city. It's also about the 'criminals' and their struggles, good and bad. What is great about the series is that it's really about Baltimore and the 'game' that is played on every level. 'The game' is the corruption from the corner gangs to the city politics and every season opens a new level of corruption. Season 1 is cops and robbers - police and drug dealers. Season 2 goes to the docks and the politics of the unions and the desperation and corruption of workers. Season three delves into the politics of statistics and the police force. Season 4 takes you to the schools and shows the failure of the educational system. Season 5 brings in the media and it's need for 'a good story'. This is just the surface - there's a lot more to it.

On top of the great writing and the thematic depth, I was totally impressed with the look and style of the show. It was shot with the care and detail of feature films. Employing such directors as Agnieszka Holland, the show is carefully crafted and steers from the trappings of shaky cameras and quick editing. The soundtrack rarely included music other than what is playing in the actual scene. It's sparse and realistic and totally engaging.

I can't praise the show enough. It's been described as the closest thing to a novel as we've seen on television. I think that is a good description. It rates up there with Kieslowki's 'Decalog' as one of the great achievements of television. It's a stunning work and I absolutely recommend it.

Special Effects

We had a spectacular electrical storm last night.





Take that Industrial Light and Magic.

The Eel Story!

My good friend Rob Mills has posted his now famous Eel pie story on his blog. The story involves a disemboweled eel that seemingly comes back from the dead to exact revenge... It's a great read and a hilarious story.

Thanks Rob!

Michael Bay

Rob Mills has been egging me on to share my thoughts about Michael Bay. I got this email this morning:

"http://www.moviefill.com/Michael-Bay-By-The-Numbers-17226/ and I'm shocked - shocked! - you have yet to vomit your rage for this man upon your blog :)"

Lately I've come to the conclusion that if I was a 12 year old boy I would love Michael Bay and his 'blow the shit out of everything' style. It's visceral and kinetic. It is also void of good film grammar and basic visual geography. 'Shoot for the edit' is his mantra and you can't help but wonder if that is because he doesn't have a clear idea of what he wants. Shoot 12 cameras and a million feet of film and cut it to 20,000 feet. Then again, Coppola shot a ton of film for the Flight of the Valkyries sequence in 'Apocalypse Now'. Maybe the films are exactly what he intends them to be.

I did find this quote on his blog which put his filmmaking approach into a proper perspective:

What kind of story were you trying to tell in the first “Transformers” film?
Literally, I wanted to see if this movie could even work. Early on we did this Scorponok sequence, to make it more real and vicious and dangerous, and to make these things more lethal. All my friends, when I’m doing movies, my buddies are like, “Are you kidding me? You’re doing that movie? What is that?” Everyone was saying that and I felt like such a jerk. I’m like, “Oh, my God, this is so risky.” I kept thinking: I can make this real. I can make you believe that they are actually here. I remember showing people a few images, we finally rendered them, with the Scorponok’s images and people instantly go, “I get it now.”

What was the question again? Kind of story??

I do like his Verizon commercial.

Michael Jackson

I have to admit that I've never been much of a fan of Michael Jackson. It's no offense to his talent but more about my taste in music.

For my little tribute I'll give you 'Fan Letter to Michael Jackson' by the brilliant but now defunct Rheostatics.

RIP Rheos and Michael...



It feels good to be alive.

For all you George Lucas Fans

Here is an hour long interview with Lucas after he finished his poorly received first film THX-1138. Lucas complains heavily about the studios inability to sell films, a problem that many people still agree with today.

I was just thinking about 'The English Patient' the other day. It was a film that I didn't initially go and see as the ads painted the film as a schmaltzy love story. It wasn't until I saw a new set of trailers that presented the film as much more complex that I went and saw it. Miramax was excellent at promoting their films and creating a buzz around their new releases. On the radio today a film critic was lamenting GI Joe, Transformers 2 and the upcoming releases of Fame and Footloose. Not that Hollywood has been terribly original from the beginning. One must remember that 'The Godfather' was based on a bestselling novel as was 'The Maltese Falcon' and 'Gone with the Wind'. John Huston's 'The Maltese Falcon' was the second film based on the book - the first was in 1931. The business people like betting on the sure thing.

Thanks for the link Rob.

More Toobs

Rob's finished the new installment of 'In teh Toobs' and I can see why he fell behind schedule. Ambitious would be a fitting description.

Riley Hepburn and Cary Grant! Together at last.



Keep them coming Mr. Mills!