I think it is probably common knowledge that a lot of shows improve off of their early episodes. It can sometimes take quite a while for a show to find its groove, and early episodes can sometimes reflect that the writers didn't really have much of a plan at first. Also, introducing all the characters can be a difficult task. I thought I would take a moment or two to list some of the shows that I think did the best job of introducing their shows to the audience.
Freaks and Geeks: Within the first three minutes of this show, before the opening credits have even rolled, the writers have done many things. They have introduced all the major characters and some of the minor ones, and have done so in such a way that you really have a good feeling for them. They have demonstrated their brand of humor. Further, they have dispelled the possibility that this show might be just like all the other stupid teen dramas out there. The pilot episode goes on to accurately reflect many aspects of high school life, from the school bully to the teacher who thinks he's cool, but isn't. By the end of the episode you have seen something that hasn't been done on television since The Wonder Years. You've seen realistic characters, realistic settings, realistic periods, and realistic problems, and you have been entertained while doing it.
Angel: This is a show that I think definitely got worse as it went along. In the early episodes, though, it was brilliant. Rather than just being a copy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the show it spun off from, it was charting a new path. Eventually, of course, it did just become a copy of its parent show, but in these early episodes we were introduced to a hero who was incredibly lonely, living in a city filled with millions of equally lonely non-heroes. I've never lived in LA, but I can only imagine that a city filled with that many transplants must have its share of loneliness, and that is what initially drew me to this series. Enough so that even when I got bored with it I kept watching.
John from Cincinnati: This show is hated by almost everyone, both critics and regular people, but it is brilliant. Since it only ran for one season it is really all early episodes, but right from the get go I was enthralled by the surfer lifestyle and the philosophy that could be drawn from that. And I have never more quickly fallen for a character than I did for John. Don't bother watching the show, you'll probably hate it, but know that I love it.
Twin Peaks: The bizarre nature of this show is what most people remember, but it is the characters that kept me coming back. Especially Agent Dale Cooper of the FBI. After the mystery is solved a lot of people quit watching, and understandably so, as the series temporarily started to shift into silly melodrama, but these early episodes really pop, and its too bad that people didn't stick around to see what happened, because by the end of season 2 it was really starting to have a second life. It would have been nice to see what happened next.
This list only scrapes the surface of excellent television programs, but if I continue it any further I will be stretching the premise, since what I am talking about here is beginnings.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Movies I Like
I feel like a get a lot of guff from people for not liking things that I don't see any reason to like. I thought I would address some of the things that I do like here, because they are really quite plentiful. For the sake of removing nostalgia from the equation, I am only going to talk about movies that I have seen recently.
Note: Some of the comments I make might reveal spoilers, so if you are interested in watching any of the following films: Let the Right One In, The Andromeda Strain, then don't read about them. Or do, because I really don't give away very much.
Up: I am not a huge fan of Pixar movies. They are hit and miss with me. I don't go into the theater thinking that I have a sure fire hour and a half of entertainment on my hands. One of the major flaws with cartoons today is that they try to draw in adults with a lot of topical humor, while at the same time pandering to kids with a lot of silly humor. What you're left with, then, is a movie that is both juvenile and smarmy, and that will definitely not stand the test of time. A prime example of this is the movie Shrek. Up, on the other hand, is a delight. Abby and I saw this last weekend and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are all rounded, even the villain, and the humor is timeless. It definitely worked for me and I highly recommend it.
Let the Right One In: This is a vampire movie that does what all the recent vampire stories (ie Twilight, True Blood, et al) have not. It is genuinely creepy. Maybe that's just cause the vampire is a young girl, and everyone knows there is nothing creepier than creepy children. I think it's more than that, though. The movie ends up being just as much a story about the awkwardness and vulnerability of pre-adolescence as it is about vampires. And then, to top it all off, it's about the unease that older people feel when they think about the youth of today. It is a great little movie.
License to Wed: I know, most of you probably didn't even bother to see this one. In case you forgot, it's about Mandy Moore and Jon Krasinski having to take a marriage course from Robin Williams, who plays what I think was an Episcopalian priest. The basic plot of the movie is very stale, and the underlying themes are very boring, but ultimately, this movie is a vehicle for some jokes and humorous bits that work very, very well.
Tombs of the Blind Dead: The main thing in this film is the pacing. That, and the robed horses. Horror today is usually about going over the top. Saw and movies like it try to get us in the stomach just as much as they try to get us in the brain. While I didn't find Tombs of the Blind Dead scary, I could definitely see how if I had been much younger I would have. In this sense, it reminded me of the Changeling, another fine horror film. And the important thing about these kinds of horror films is that they try to scare us more by not showing, which ultimately goes to the heart of all fear; the unknown.
Casino Royale: Here is a re-imagining that shows how re-imaginings should be done. Rather than subtracting from the mythos of James Bond, Casino Royale adds to it. Instead of none stop action, the fare that we had come to expect from the franchise, this Bond movie spends huge amounts of time on a card game. The only major drawback is that they kept Dame Judi Dench. Man, I hate her.
Jurassic Park III: A rare item. A trequel that is as exciting as its predecessors. Possibly more so. The first Jurassic Park movie tried to awe us with its spectacle before terrorizing us with its velociraptors. The second one just seemed forced, especially after they brought T-Rex back from the island. This one jumps right into the action and sends us on a non-stop thrill ride of death defiance, adding several new dinosaurs to the mix while retaining the old. And we get to see Sam Neill performing a fake American accent again.
Duel: This is probably Stephen Spielberg's best movie. And it was made for TV. There is very little dialogue in this film, only one real character, and we never get to see the face of the madman who is driving the action, both figuratively and literally, but I have never watched a movie with so much tension. Proof that less is more, something more Hollywood executives and directors could learn from.
The Andromeda Strain: What I love about this movie is that they create all this dramatic tension, with a race to find the cure to an incredibly deadly virus, only to learn at the end that the viruses mutations have rendered it harmless. A classic tale that reflects the way our society handles crises all too well.
Note: Some of the comments I make might reveal spoilers, so if you are interested in watching any of the following films: Let the Right One In, The Andromeda Strain, then don't read about them. Or do, because I really don't give away very much.
Up: I am not a huge fan of Pixar movies. They are hit and miss with me. I don't go into the theater thinking that I have a sure fire hour and a half of entertainment on my hands. One of the major flaws with cartoons today is that they try to draw in adults with a lot of topical humor, while at the same time pandering to kids with a lot of silly humor. What you're left with, then, is a movie that is both juvenile and smarmy, and that will definitely not stand the test of time. A prime example of this is the movie Shrek. Up, on the other hand, is a delight. Abby and I saw this last weekend and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are all rounded, even the villain, and the humor is timeless. It definitely worked for me and I highly recommend it.
Let the Right One In: This is a vampire movie that does what all the recent vampire stories (ie Twilight, True Blood, et al) have not. It is genuinely creepy. Maybe that's just cause the vampire is a young girl, and everyone knows there is nothing creepier than creepy children. I think it's more than that, though. The movie ends up being just as much a story about the awkwardness and vulnerability of pre-adolescence as it is about vampires. And then, to top it all off, it's about the unease that older people feel when they think about the youth of today. It is a great little movie.
License to Wed: I know, most of you probably didn't even bother to see this one. In case you forgot, it's about Mandy Moore and Jon Krasinski having to take a marriage course from Robin Williams, who plays what I think was an Episcopalian priest. The basic plot of the movie is very stale, and the underlying themes are very boring, but ultimately, this movie is a vehicle for some jokes and humorous bits that work very, very well.
Tombs of the Blind Dead: The main thing in this film is the pacing. That, and the robed horses. Horror today is usually about going over the top. Saw and movies like it try to get us in the stomach just as much as they try to get us in the brain. While I didn't find Tombs of the Blind Dead scary, I could definitely see how if I had been much younger I would have. In this sense, it reminded me of the Changeling, another fine horror film. And the important thing about these kinds of horror films is that they try to scare us more by not showing, which ultimately goes to the heart of all fear; the unknown.
Casino Royale: Here is a re-imagining that shows how re-imaginings should be done. Rather than subtracting from the mythos of James Bond, Casino Royale adds to it. Instead of none stop action, the fare that we had come to expect from the franchise, this Bond movie spends huge amounts of time on a card game. The only major drawback is that they kept Dame Judi Dench. Man, I hate her.
Jurassic Park III: A rare item. A trequel that is as exciting as its predecessors. Possibly more so. The first Jurassic Park movie tried to awe us with its spectacle before terrorizing us with its velociraptors. The second one just seemed forced, especially after they brought T-Rex back from the island. This one jumps right into the action and sends us on a non-stop thrill ride of death defiance, adding several new dinosaurs to the mix while retaining the old. And we get to see Sam Neill performing a fake American accent again.
Duel: This is probably Stephen Spielberg's best movie. And it was made for TV. There is very little dialogue in this film, only one real character, and we never get to see the face of the madman who is driving the action, both figuratively and literally, but I have never watched a movie with so much tension. Proof that less is more, something more Hollywood executives and directors could learn from.
The Andromeda Strain: What I love about this movie is that they create all this dramatic tension, with a race to find the cure to an incredibly deadly virus, only to learn at the end that the viruses mutations have rendered it harmless. A classic tale that reflects the way our society handles crises all too well.
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