Its Almost Christmas time and you all know what that means... Game of Thrones Season 5
Not only is the production quality of the show outstanding but so is the cast. There are few actors in the series that I recognize from other films however after every episode I am blown away by all of them. And there is a lot of them. The show is extremely deep and follows countless characters, and storylines.
On top of that there are Dragons... Who doesn't like watching shows that have giant man eating winged lizards? The CGI is another aspect of the show that is phenomenal. However, the CGI of the dragons is so expensive that the show can only have them on for a limited amount of screen time. Animations can really rack up the bills fast, however I am glad that they dont over due the dragons so in the long run I'm happy with it.
If you haven't started watching Game Of Thrones I highly recommend that you start. It will take you by surprise.
Something that sometimes tends to happen with TV shows, especially when they are new, and a bit of a gamble, is that they hit what is called a Sophomore Slump. This is just a fun way of saying that their first season is great and has so much potential to turn into a viable and long lasting show, however when they head into their second season, they lose their fire.
We all know shows like this. The one that probably comes to everyone's mind is True Detective
We were all amazed and super amped when the first season came out. I mean come on, Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey! Who wouldn't be sold on the stellar cast alone? The first season was a pure masterpiece. But then like so many before it, the show took a serious turn for the worse in second season, and it hit a serious sophomore slump.
Anyway, and much more to the point, there was a show that came out of the gates sprinting, and it even aired mid season, and still was one of the best new show on TV. It's just a little show called Empire, maybe some of you have heard it.
So this show ended it's first season with a bang, literally. Everyone was just waiting to see what happens next with the notorious Lyon family. A few websites that I frequent were concerned for the sophomore season of Empire and if it would fall down the same hill that so many promising shows had done before it. However when the new season aired in late September of this year, this was not the case. Empire has been consistently in the top 10 shows, rating wise, on zap2it.com's weekly ratings list for all things TV. Here is it's ranking on the week of its season 2 premiere
So far, there has been not even of a whisper for a sophomore slump from Empire. Each week the show has churned out consistently top 10 ratings and top notch content. I for one cannot wait to see what the future of Empire holds
If you're one of the many people that feel like six months is far too long to wait for a new season of Game of Thrones, Netflix thinks they've got the perfect thing for you. Anyone that's been jonesing for a new old-timey, action-packed, inevitably sex-filled TV show, look no further: Marco Polo may be the answer to all of your prayers.
Apart from the fact that he had an awesome swimming pool game named after him, I know next to nothing about the famous 13th century explorer. I'd wager that I won't know a whole lot about him even if I end up watching all ten episodes of the new show's first season (from the trailer, the focus of the show doesn't exactly look to be aiming for total historical accuracy), but I think I'm ok with that, considering the subject matter.
Yeah, I see the similarity
If the first trailer is any indication of the overall tone and scope of the show, I think Netflix may be trying to give HBO a run for it's money. Already, we've got some beautiful landscapes shots of Mongolia and China, naked people performing martial arts, armies on horseback, and a strange amount of gigantic doors being opened. I don't know about the rest of you, but they've easily piqued my interest. The show is created and written by John Fusco, who actually has experience with both horses and martial arts, having written Hidalgo, Sprit: Stallion of the Cimarron, The Forbidden Kingdom, and the upcoming Netflix sequel to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Fusco has no prior experience with serialized television, but Netflix obviously has some faith in him, as they've already begun to work on another one of his scripts.
The cast is comprised mostly of unknown actors, including the very Italian Lorenzo Richelmy as the titular explorer. Benedict Wong (Prometheus, Kick Ass 2) plays the menacing Kublai Kahn, and actress Zhu Zhu (Cloud Atlas) plays the "love interest" Kokachin.
So if you've got nothing better to do on December 12th (apart from attending the premiere of Prerequisites in Textor 102 at 6pm, obviously) it may be worth your while to go on a good old fashioned Netflix binge. After all, nothing says 'happy holidays' like lots of sex, violence, and ancient Italian explorers.
That's right, you heard me. CBS is the first broadcast network to create a stand-alone streaming option for viewers.
It's been a good week for television fans. On Wednesday, HBO announced that their streaming service will be available to people without their pay-TV subscription starting 2015. On Thursday, CBS announced CBS All Access, a new streaming device for $5.99 a month that includes current and previous programming. That's right, kids. You no longer have an excuse to not watch The Good Wife.
“CBS All Access is another key step in the company’s long-standing
strategy of monetizing our local and national content in the ways that
viewers want it,” CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves said in a
statement. “This new subscription service will deliver the most of CBS
to our biggest fans while being additive to the overall ecosystem.
Across the board, we continue to capitalize on technological advances
that help consumers engage with our world-class programming, and we look
forward to serving our viewers in this new and exciting way.”
This is huge, because CBS is the largest broadcast network. The Big Bang Theory, one of CBS's programs,
was the most watched television show of last season, and had more than 18 million
tune in for the Season 8 premiere last month. CBS All Access will also include special programming, like
the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. There will be ads for current programming, although commercials will run between 9-12 minutes, as opposed to the 12-16 minutes of advertisement on television. Another big plus is that previous programming, like Twin Peaks (which seriously all of you need to watch if you haven't already), will not have advertisements.
My only complaint is that CBS All Access will not include the NFL games. Hopefully they add those one day. Speaking of adding onto the service, CBS All Access will initially only be available in major cities, including New York City and Los Angeles, of course. The network, however, said it plans to expand.
With Gravity cleaning up at the Oscars last year, Guardians of the Galaxy dominating the box office this Summer, and a new Star Wars film right around the corner, sci-fi is suddenly... kind of cool. Leave it to Christopher Nolan, however, to make it even cooler.
Interstellar, Nolan's follow-up to 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, is set to be one of the biggest films of the year - in terms of subject matter and, presumably, revenue - bar none. With a joint script - co-authored by Christopher's brother Jonathan - that's been in development since 2007 and a cast that just won't quit, here's my personal top five reasons why Interstellar just might be the best movie of the year.
Just in case you've literally been living under a rock for the past year, sci-fi isn't the only thing that's cool again: so is Matthew McConaughey. With an almost perfect triad of movies under his belt from 2013 - Mud, The Wolf of Wall Street, and his Oscar-winning performance in Dallas Buyer's Club - not to mention 2014's near perfect HBO series True Detective, McConaughey has the chance to blow us all out of the water once again. From the extremely limited amount that we know about the film, McConaughey will be playing Cooper, an astronaut/father who is forced to leave Earth in search of a new home for his kids/the rest of humanity. As Detective Rust Cohle would say: alright alright alright. Wait. No. Wrong character.
2. This is some of the promotional art for the film:
It's beautiful and subtle and everything you would expect to see from a film about the endless possibilities of space. And it basically taps into that unrefined subconscious area of anybody who dreamed of being an astronaut when they were a kid (which was pretty much everyone, right?) I couldn't find who designed the posters, but it's better than about 95% of what studios think are smart ideas for posters these days, including this little gem.
3. The Script is Super Secretive (and Hans Zimmer is composing)
Alright so that's technically two reasons. Nolan, already notorious for keeping his scripts under wraps, has been more tight-lipped than ever before about the Interstellar script. So tight-lipped, in fact, that he wouldn't even give the script to his long time collaborator, Hans Zimmer. According to Variety, Nolan gave Zimmer a one page sheet of text - that gave no hints about the film whatsoever - and told him to base the score off of that. Zimmer said that "the page had more to do with my story than the plot of the film. He knows how to get under my skin." The score will also be a step in a new direction for the duo, who have reportedly decided to scrap their loud, stringy, booming bass noises for something a little more different.
4. The Film will Actually be Shown on Film
For it's limited release in North America (in approximately 240 theaters) Interstellar will be projected in 70mm and 35mm formats, alongside the 70mm imax projections in at least 40 locations. The film is an exception to Paramount Studios initiative to stop releasing movies on traditional film stock as opposed to digitally. Filmmakers like Nolan, J.J. Abrams, and Quentin Tarantino have all stepped forward in defense of classic film stock, even though it's becoming less and less common - and practical - for theaters.
5. This is the full cast list:
Right here. Enjoy. Not to mention the actual plot, which has something to do with black holes and Matty McCons saving the world/ looking great in a
space suit. I've heard rumors - TOTAL RUMOR RIGHT HERE, TAKE IT WITH THE BIGGEST GRAIN OF SALT YOU CAN FIND - that the trailers don't even show footage from the second half of the movie, which, by the way has an incredibly long and exciting running time of 169 minutes. Yes, your butt will be sore, but so will your brain. In a good way. Hopefully. Here's a trailer if you're so inclined.
In the contemporary age of Hollywood, where Michael Bay's average shot length is a measly 3 seconds and the general average is only a second or two longer, it's really refreshing to see a film or TV show that has an appreciation for the long take. Obviously, Alfonso Cuaron is the first director that comes to mind - at least in this day and age - for his incredibly long takes in both Children of Men and the more recent Gravity (7 mins and 17 minutes, respectively). Also headline-worthy was Cary Fukunaga's elaborately choreographed 6 minute True Detective shot, featuring Matthew McConaughey bursting through houses and just generally kicking ass in one of the coolest TV scenes of the year.
Long takes don't have to be all violence and space-floating, though. In fact, some of the more iconic long shots are during simple (albeit equally well-choreographed) sequences. Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 thriller Rope took place in real time and was edited to appear as one extremely long take, even though it was made up of only 10 separate shots. One of the bi
ggest reasons that filmmakers use long takes is to provide exactly this sense of real time, whether to create suspense or to add an extra element of realism to a film. Cutting from shot to shot can sometimes take away these elements and can create a less fluid experience.
One man who makes statements with long takes is Louis C.K. Going into the fourth season of his TV series 'Louie', FX has allowed him even more freedom in regards to his creative process, and he certainly took advantage of it. Forrest Wickman, a staff writer for Slate, went so far as to call Louie "the most cinematic show on TV." (read the whole article, which I'll elaborate on further, here)
C.K., for whatever reason, loves long takes. In fact, the third episode of the most recent season ended with a shot that lasted an incredible seven and a half minutes. This isn't HBO. This isn't even an hour long drama we're talking about. This a low budget comedy on FX. A seven and a half minute shot equates to almost a full act of the story, which means that almost the whole thing is bookended by commercials. That's a big chunk of TV. The shot in question is nothing particularly special. No fights, no guns, no exploding space stations, just Louie doing what he does best: going on an awkward date and the raw, brutally honest, and beautiful conversation that ensues. People love to throw around the phrase "it's like nothing else on television," but this is literally like nothing else you will find on television, let alone in any hollywood films.
Louis - the real Louis, not the character - uses these long takes to create an atmosphere of real, honest, everyday life. It can be awkward, sure, but it can also be close and familial (see the living room scene with Louie's two daughters and then-girlfriend Amia), odd and unexpected (a model drives up to Louie and tells him to get in her car), and beautiful and special (Louie's daughter plays the violin). C.K. has proven himself to not only be one of the funniest comedians alive today, but also one of the most adept directors and showrunners on television. Not to mention the most cinematic.
I have recently rekindled my love for HBO’s “Curb Your
Enthusiasm”. First airing in 2000, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” follows the life of
Larry David, the creator of “Seinfeld.” Much like Seinfeld, most of the humor
in this show is derived from Larry’s social faux pas and general disregard for
others. The style of the show is very similar to cinéma vérité in that it
utilizes the camera to expose the crude reality of certain character.
Additionally, although the plots are scripted, most of the dialogue is improvised.
What I particularly enjoy about this show is, that although
it is fictional, it is rooted in reality. In interviews, Larry David has stated
that most of the situations in the show are based off of his own experiences.
Additionally, the show often features guest stars that often play fictionalized
versions of themselves. Also, because most of the dialogue is improvised, it
comes across as natural and realistic. Unlike some comedies, “Curb Your
Enthusiasm” doesn’t try to be outlandish or over the top. Instead it creates
situations that, although most people have not experienced, come across as
plausible and thus funny.
An additional feature I enjoy about “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
is its use of recurrent gags. Some of these gags include Larry’s mention of his
Groat’s Disease, which is entirely fictional, and his anxiety over tripping.
Similarly, this show often gives nods to earlier episodes as its season’s
progress. An example of this can be seen in the video above, in which Larry
chastises a handicapped man. By including these things, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
rewards its viewers for watching all of the episodes.
I recently started re-watching Dexter with my boyfriend and I am still amazed by how much I enjoy watching it a second time. I have watched up until the 6th season and have not watched further than that. This series is incredible; the music, location, editing and production in general is awesome. I would love to work on the set of this show because it is so well made and I would enjoy being around such creative individuals.
For those of you who aren't Dexter fans (yet) its premise revolves around our protagonist (which should be an antagonist) Dexter. Interesting thing about Dex is that he kills bad people and justifies it. He also is a blood spatter analysis and works for the Miami Metro police. Oh, irony. Anyway, I love that this show makes the viewer love Dexter, and they too justify his killings. Even though he is in fact a murderer himself.
The composition of each episode is great, the storytelling is well done and I personally enjoy his narrations throughout. It makes the viewer be able to be in Dexter's mind and this ultimately makes the viewer sympathize with him. The casting of this show is also very well done, as each characters purpose and belonging is very intentional. The musical score for the show is one of my favorites of all time. Its beautiful, eerie, and haunting. It really ties all the elements of the show together.
If these above paragraphs haven't yet convinced you to watch the show, then I don't know what will. Dexter combines all the right elements to make the show suspenseful, funny, and overall enjoyable.
Over the past several years, Netflix has revolutionized the
way people watch television. As with
most fledgling companies, it took Netflix several years to carve out a niche in
the video rental industry. In 2000, only three years after Netflix was founded,
video rental behemoth Blockbuster turned down the opportunity to purchase the
company for a mere $50 million. However, as the 21st century
progressed, Netflix emerged as a viable contender to companies like
Blockbuster. Unlike many of its competitors, Netflix embraced emerging
technology that made provided more convenient ways to view movies and
television shows. As brick and mortar stores diminished and streaming became
popular, Netflix flourished while most of their competition diminished.
Although they started solely as a video rental service,
Netflix quickly evolved into an unprecedented medium of media. A significant
part of this evolution began in 2011, when Netflix announced that it would be
acquiring original content for its streaming service. In 2013, House of Cards became the first original
series to stream on Netflix, receiving critical acclaim. In many ways,
Netflix’s new business model models that of HBO’s pay-tv model. Interestingly,
in October of this year, Netflix passed HBO in the number of paid U.S.
subscribers.
With thousands of older television shows and movies
alongside original series, Netflix has caused some individuals to leave their
cable providers. Along with the ability to binge watch series, Netflix is
changing viewer’s expectations for watching television. However, the television industry isn’t the
only industry that may feel the effects of Netflix’s business model. Just last
week, the company is considering releasing films on Netflix and in the theaters
on the same day. Although such a plan is likely years off, its repercussions would
be huge. With movie attendance already seeing a decline, Netflix is in a unique
position to change the future of the industry.
Last week the trailer for season two of HBO's Emmy winning show Girls was released. I for one, am super excited since this was one of my favorite shows last year. Girls is the brainchild of writer/director/actor Lena Dunham and is produced by Judd Apatow. Before Girls Dunham was also known for her Indie Spirit Award-winning 2010 mumblecore flick Tiny Furniture, which she released 2 years after graduating from Oberlin College (basically putting us all to shame). Girls, which first premiered last year, follows Dunham's Hannah and her three other college girlfriends living in New York City as they navigate their way through careers, relationships and finding their way in life. Among Dunham the show stars Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet, and Jemima Kirke.
The reason I love this show so much is not only because its hilarious, but because it is so REAL. The characters and situations really resonate with my generation especially, as we are all about to face the "real world" after college. Though many critics have had problems with nepotism in the casting (Brian Williams, David Mamet, Bad Company's Simon Kirke), I don't think its a very legitimate argument against the show, since the presence of nepotism is something that everyone has to deal with in any industry. Plus, all of the girls are great actors anyway, so its not like they didn't deserve getting cast. Another controversial factor in the show is that it doesn't feature many characters of color despite taking place in New York City. Dunham said she has made an effort to change this for the upcoming second season. However, the show is loosely based on Lena Dunham's own life, so the characters we see is her own reality.
I think some people love to hate Girls because they don't like seeing a young woman make it as a writer and director in a male dominated industry. The reality is this show is extremely well-crafted and the dialogue is very smart. Dunham's been compared to Woody Alllen in her writing style, which I can definitely see. I'm going to make a bold statement and say that Girls IS one of the best shows out there right now. I would definitely recommend watching the first season, and I can't wait for January!
Every year since I've been home for Thanksgiving break, I see my highschool friends and my family, and I curl up in front of the television and watch the "Boardwalk Empire" episodes I missed while I was at school. "Boardwalk Empire" is a great crime show about the gangsters in Atlantic City, starting on the eve of prohibition. The show's creator is Terence Winter, who wrote many of the best episodes of "The Sopranos," the greatest crime show of all time.
The show follow Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi), treasurer of Atlantic City, who uses his power and money to sell alcohol illegally. The show focuses on him, his protege Jimmy (Michael Pitt), his brother, the sheriff Eli, and Margeret Schroeder (Kelly MacDonald), the woman Nucky is courting. These are the four major characters in season 1, but the cast expands quickly, covering people from all the different sides, including agent Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), the most fascinating character who is a brutal and religious man who wants to bring down Nucky. The show deals with moral corruption and how far someone will go for what they want.
The show starts of slowly and does hit a few bumps, but every episode has so many great scenes that include betrayal, trickery, shoot outs, murder, and even engaging monologues. The show is currently on its third season, and after watching it for so long, I realize that although the show is fun, it's sometimes hard to figure out which character I am supposed to be rooting for because no one is good samaritan.
The highlight of the show is the production value, which I think is probably the highest of any show I have ever seen. The sets are often grandiose in the attention to detail. Every shot is well done and beautiful and the sound design is phenomenal, finding ways to incorporate music, both diegetic and on diegetic, into the scenes. If you are interested in studying production, it is a great show to watch.
I recommend the show if you enjoy crime dramas or need a fix while "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" are on hiatus.
One of my favorite television shows to watch is Curb Your Enthusiasm. This show created by Larry David, stars himself as a version of himself. The whole show his based on his life and similarly to his previous show, Seinfeld, is about nothing. Larry is always in normal situations that everyone has been in, but he makes these situations funny. The way Larry reacts to these normal situations is what makes the show funny. He does what everyone is afraid to do, what is socially unacceptable. But that is his character. He is rude, disrespectful, and does not give a shit. One example of this is when he is in an elevator and it is a very funny scene.
Larry touches on what people are afraid to do or afraid to say. To me, it is a relief because at times I wish I could do or say what he says. Most of the show is improvisation which I think speaks on how talented the cast is. This is a show that you can watch any episode any time and still be entertained and laugh a lot.
This past Fall Break was good for two things: Sleeping and watching TV. So I would like this opportunity to recommend one of the most interesting, and complex shows I caught up with during the break. Of course I'm talking about Game of Thrones. This show is HBO's adaptation based on a series of books, called A Song of Ice an Fire (which I personally haven't read) by George R. R. Martin. One of my friends' described this series as "The Lord of the Rings meets the Godfather". I can only describe as exceptional. It is a show set on a hypothetical middle earth where its characters plot, plan, and backstab each other to get the power of the seven kingdoms. In this series everything is fair and possible. As they try to win the Iron Throne the show reveals each of the characters' story, and how these characters relate to each other. I feel that's what adds realism to this show. The uniqueness of each of the characters. Everyone has suffered a different path that drives each of the character's motifs during the show. The series makes a great job combininge these stories naturally, regardless of their complexity.
Production wise Game of Thrones is an ambitious project. The detail they put into every scene is just incredible. From the acting, sets, costumes, music, props, and even the language, they have succeeded creating this fantastic world, not so different from ours, but still unknownt and mythical. I would recommend this series a hundred percent and if you guys want to know more about the production of this series I would also recommend watching this video.
While I am not religious myself, I've taken a sort of curious interest in Mormonism. Needless to say, when I heard back in 2006 that HBO was putting out a show about Mormons, I was pretty excited. I was even more excited when I heard Chloë Sevigny was slated to play one of the wives of a polygamist. I watched Big Love through its short five season span, where it ended in one of the top conclusions I have seen on television.
Big Love is about a man, Bill Henrickson, and his relationship with his three wives, Barb, Nicki, and Margene. They are a polygamist foursome that live in Salt Lake City, Utah, with there many children. Even from just this short description, the show screams controversy. Add in a law-breaking fundamentalist compound, false prophets, Native American casinos, and a fair share of murder and deception, and you get the superbly crafted world of Big Love.
Mark V. Olsen and partner Will Scheffer are the creators and writers of the show. It is produced by a number of talented individuals, including Alexa Junge (who worked on Friends) and Tom Hanks. The score for the series changed hands from season to season, but included some heavy hitters like Mark Mothersbaugh and David Byrne (Talking Heads).
While the show at purely entertainment face value is enthralling, it also touches on many deep-seated issues dealing with family, faith, and sense of self. Themes of feminism, reputation, and political change are also at the heart of Big Love. What has been interesting throughout the show's run has been the actual Mormons' responses to the portrayal of Mormons in the show. The actual church claims that they are generally against the show because it "glamorizes a practice it renounced in 1890." From the same article, it seems that a lot of Mormons, especially fellow polygamists, feel that the show sheds light on a side of polygamy that is completely different than what the current mainstream America stereotypes it as:
"This is a glimpse of a family that is mainstream," Mary Batchelor, a 37-year-old mother of seven and director of "Principle Voices," a leading polygamy advocacy group, said of the Henricksons. "There are hundreds of these families. It shows an aspect of polygamy nobody ever sees."
Big Love was a refreshing addition to my television intake (which, at the time I was watching it, consisted of Cartoon Network, Malcolm in the Middle, and Six Feet Under). I've recently re-watched the series after it ended in March of this year and found myself just as taken with the show's twists and turns, even though I knew each one.
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An interesting behind-the-scenes look on the title sequence of Big Love:
First an update on our project. We have locked down our lead actors for our two main guys in the story. We have our location, (my house) and we are meeting Monday to finalize our shot list, storyboard, and script. The main obstacle we have now is prop gathering. We have a lot of stuff we need for the older brother's room and we still need a modern camouflage uniform. We are all set on Nerf guns, we have contacted several humans vs zombies players and as we have all seen around campus, they each have 100s of dollars worth of guns.
I recently just started watching the wire.
I had never seen it before and I am now 3 episodes in. My housemate Rob confidently declares that it is the "realest" show he's ever seen. The show follows the crime in Baltimore from both sides, a gang who deals heroin in the projects, and a poor investigative unit. I would compare the tone of the show to the movie The Departed. Lot's of conflict and some heavy material. The only other crime dramas I have seen are shows like CSI which you can jump into at any point because the episodes can stand by themselves. The Wire follows a more episodic structure and deals with the same conflict throughout.
