The League

So we are in the middle of the football season right now, and many are checking their teams religiously. What teams am I referring to? Fantasy football teams. This game allows people to go head to head each week with individually drafted players to earn points based on their performance. It adds a little bit to the experience rather than just watching football. So how could a show possibly be made solely on this concept. I would've never been able to answer this myself, but it has been done in the form of The League.

This show is a sitcom that revolves around a few characters in a fantasy football league, and each season of the show follows them throughout the football season. The season opener usually deals with their wild drafting antics and the season closes with someone claiming victory and "the Shiva". The show also follows their personal lives as the get themselves into all kinds of awkward situations and bicker with each other nonstop. Honestly, the show doesn't even sound like it should work but it does.

Technically, the show is pretty basic, following basic rules like other shows, such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The main thing that makes this show pretty impressive is that he majority of it is improv. While they do have the general idea of the episodes and events laid out, the actors improvise the vast majority of their lines, and to great success too. Overall this show is way more funny than it has any right to be. A show based around fantasy football? Again, it doesn't sound like it could possibly be anything special, but oh how wrong that would be.

Everything that Pisses me off About American Horror Story

Yes, I'm fully aware that Halloween is over, but with American Horror Story: Freak Show only four episodes into it's new season, I thought it would be the perfect time to whine about everything that the show is doing wrong. I'm not typically a fan of horror shows/movies in general, but after watching the first episode of the show's first season (Murder House) I was hooked. It was some weird combination of intrigue, disgust, and - admittedly - fear, that kept me going. It was enjoyable, and I'll be damned if it wasn't a little scary to boot.

Then the second season came and lost me a little bit with it's convoluted story lines, but I was willing to ignore these and hang on for the ride. The third season almost lost me completely: while the title sequence was (and always has been) terrifying, the overall campiness and basic lack of anything scary drove me to almost ditch the show. But then they announced what the theme of the fourth season would be - Freak Show - and pulled me right back in.

RIP buddy

"Alright," I thought. "Clowns scare the shit out of me. This should be perfect." And it was! At least, some of it was. In the few episodes since the season began, there's been one storyline in particular - that of the deranged, murdering, ultimately misunderstood clown Twisty and his whiny, mother's-boy protege - that has been some of the best material that Horror Story has done since it's first season. The clown was, obviously, disgustingly scary, and was easily the most interesting part of the show.

I say was because - BIG OL' SPOILERS AHEAD - they already killed off Twisty. And with that, they may have killed off my viewership.

Let's go through everything that's wrong with the show right now. I've got time to kill, I guess. For starters, the dialogue is laughably bad. As in, I actually spend most of the episode laughing at some of the shit that these characters say. I honestly don't know if it's intentional at this point, but it's just so campy and awful. Also, Kathy Bate's accent is way overdone and outrageously weird.

Aesthetically, Ryan Murphey spends too much time - as always - attempting to make weirdly stylized and dynamic shots. This season is set in the 50s, and as Meghan Malone has so adeptly pointed out, if they had filmed the season as if it was something filmed from that era, it would be way less distracting and make the acting/dialogue slightly more believable. Instead, we're stuck with 30 different shots to cover a 1 minute scene. Not to mention that half of the strange shots are done just so Murphey can cover his own ass when it comes to saving on special effects (every time Sarah Paulson's two-headed character is framed with just one head in shot, you know they got a little lazy)

ooh yah, eh

Finally, this season has featured some of the weakest characters of any Horror Story season thus far. You'd think that the Freaks - each of the main characters is easily distinguishable by some physical deformity or another - would be relatable or unique or even significant in their own way. This is what made Twisty - and, if we're lucky, Dandy - so special: they were interesting. Three dimensional. Complex. The last episode briefly dipped into the past of a few other key characters, but apart from this, all of the plot lines that don't feature a killer psycho clown have just been boring. Find a way to make me actually care about some of the other freaks, Ryan Murphey, and I'll stick with the show for at least the rest of this season.

Eh. Who am I kidding. As long as there's at least one more psycho clown out there, I guess I'm committed.

Long takes and Louis C.K.

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. 

American Horror Story

Since yesterday was Halloween, I thought that I would be fun to watch American Horror Story, since it has that spooky vibe. As Ron Burgundy says "well that escalated quickly". That one episode turned into a marathon. This show is so interesting and suspenseful that you cannot merely watch one episode. This show features a bounty of talented and well known actors; Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Dylan McDermott, Sarah Paulson, etc. It also has so many different story lines that you never become bored or exhausted from watching the same thing. I was disappointed that they left some storylines open at the end, but they had so much ground to cover that it only makes sense. This is one of the first shows on television of it's kind. People don't normally decide to pop on the couch and watch an hour of suspense when they could watch a feel good comedy show. But this show also has a bit of dark humor to it, I highly recommend it.

 I thought it was interesting that Fox (producers of the show) had to handle a lawsuit about the infringement on someone's tattoos. A male model by the name of Rick Genest has his body fully tattooed to look like a skeleton. In a scene of American Horror Story one of the characters has his face tattooed to resemble a skeleton as well. The problem with this was that the character then shot up a high school. They were able to settle outside of court, but still this brings into question if Rick Genest even has the right to copyright a tattoo or whether if the show was committing defamation, which could have ruined Genest's career.

Wilfred

This weeks post is going to be about the TV show "Wilfred starring Elijah Wood and Jason Gann. "Wilfred" follows the manic depressive Ryan Newman (Elijah Wood). In the midst of a suicide attempt, he's asked to watch over his neighbor Jenna's (Fiona Gubelman) dog Wilfred (Jason Gann). However, for some odd reason Ryan sees Wilfred as a human in a dog costume, whereas everyone else sees him as just a dog. Ryan begins to watch over Wilfred as Jenna lives her busy life, and they begin to form a friendship. Wilfred tries to help Ryan out of his depressive state, in his own twisted way (and with his own agenda).

I had first seen an ad for "Wilfred" when I was watching FX at some point over the summer, but never got a chance to watch it. I recently discovered that the first season was on Netflix, so I decided to give it a shot. Since then, I haven't been able to stop watching and have already completed the first season.

"Wilfred" is a show unlike any that I've seen on TV before. I wasn't sure exactly what it was about when I first saw the ad's for it, but I've got to say that I think the plot is ingenious and extremely creative. The character's personalities are defined so well, and the dynamic of Ryan's unsure nature and lack of confidence in himself, coupled with Wilfred's dog personality translated into a human life, is a great tag team for a TV show. It's an extremely original program. I would recommend it to anyone into the 'dark comedy' genre of programs.

Archer

I've recently gotten into the TV Show Archer. My initial reaction to the show was, "Wow this animation is poorly done!" Two minutes in, I was about to shut it off, thinking it looked like a waste of time, but I soon found that what the show lacked in graphics, it made up for in writing. The witty, quick-paced dialogue is so entertaining that I started to overlook the ancient animation. I find this style of television production interesting. The writers clearly drive the show and it is the dialogue and subtle jokes that make the show so great. As someone who is interested in writing, I really like that the script of the show has gotten the most attention. It goes to show that the story drives every episode, and even with lackluster graphics, the show can be successful. Although I love the show, it is clear that it is made for a niche audience. I assume it resonates best with men 18-25. The show's raunchy humor and the impossible proportions of the female cartoon characters leads me to believe men of these ages would definitely enjoy watching at least an episode or two. Although I don't fit into this demographic, I still find the humor wildly entertaining. If you like shows like Family Guy or South Park, I would definitely check this show out!

American Horror Story

I made the mistake of watching FX's new American Horror Story by myself at one in the morning. While it probably wouldn't have been as scary watching it when it aired, the unique style of editing and strange story line will leave the viewer with an uncomfortable feeling either way. Even beginning with the warning that you're going to die. Ryan Murphey leaves Glee way behind and introduces the Harmon family who move to California looking for a fresh start and find themselves in a house haunted by the ghosts of it's past. While some are turned off by it's copious amounts of blood and sex, many of the scenes are of a freaky, psychological nature as it boasts unettling imagery. Christopher Baffa's cinematography evokes a classic horror movie feel, combining tension created by handheld shaking with flawless crane shots. While many horror shows and movies rely on the mystery of a darkened room, American Horror Story brings the thrills right out in the open with very filling lighting, bringing the viewer right into the action. The liberal use of close-ups feels like a violation of personal space as we are literally pushed into the character's most intimate moments and best kept secrets.

The Pilot left us with overflowing story lines and the incredible possibility of character development. There is a thawing divide between the husband and wife as they repair their marriage and a very unsettling romance budding between their daughter and her mysterious, unstable friend.

However, what makes the show so different and anticipated is the exact thing that may be it's downfall. The show was so packed with grizzly and horrific elements that the family undergoes so much trauma in the first episode alone. If it were anyone else, they would have been on the next plane home after supernatural experiences and incredibly straightforward warnings from a tragic past resident. While many are eagerly awaiting the second tension filled episode, it makes me wonder how long the show can last riding along this quickly.

Below is a behind the scenes segment about the haunted house on the show.