THE FLASH, Arrow, Constantine: one of these is quite not like the others.
Hint: it's Constantine.
After the success of CW Network's DC Comics entities The Flash and Arrow, and Fox's Gotham, there was a lot of hype surrounding Constantine's debut on NBC.
While it is solidly entertaining, there is absolutely no way Constantine can match those heights, and even only two episodes in it is clear to see why it was canned.
I have never read the comics so can only base my opinion on the TV show, but Constantine feels like a program that, had it arrived in the mid-1990s, would've had a long run.
It appears to be a show that is better suited a different time.
Comic book properties are all the rage (and have been for the last decade), but while Marvel's films and TV shows took the world, Arrow proved to be DC Comics' first real success.
The Flash was gladly accepted, potentially moreso than Arrow, while Gotham was met by warm, improving reviews.
Constantine, while solid, does not feel like a program that is easily accepted.
Matt Ryan has done a good job in his performance as Constantine, and Angelica Celaya's Zed Martin adds another dimension to the show, but there appears to be something missing.
Whether it's a character, another great performer, better writing - whatever it is, the series severely lacks due to its absence.
Still, even knowing the series was cancelled at the end of one season, Constantine is a program I'll definitely keep watching.
Ryan will reprise the role in Arrow (and The Flash, perhaps?), so thankfully Constantine will not disappear from our screens yet.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Bounce of the Ball ventures to the box
IT HAS been a solid seven months since the last time Bounce of the Ball featured fresh material, but that is about to change.
During the long hiatus from what is my avenue to write about topics I may not get the chance to at work (or where it's more of a fit), I spent a lot of time watching various programs on various-sized screens, and feel it is just about time to return.
Where before Bounce of the Ball was a home to film reviews, it will transform to have more of a televisual focus.The occasional sport stories will still appear, but entertainment is the focus.
Let me know what you like, what you want to see and how often and I'll try to accommodate.
During the long hiatus from what is my avenue to write about topics I may not get the chance to at work (or where it's more of a fit), I spent a lot of time watching various programs on various-sized screens, and feel it is just about time to return.
Where before Bounce of the Ball was a home to film reviews, it will transform to have more of a televisual focus.The occasional sport stories will still appear, but entertainment is the focus.
Let me know what you like, what you want to see and how often and I'll try to accommodate.
Sunday, March 08, 2015
Focus
THERE were only two things that disappointed me in Will Smith and Margot Robbie's latest effort, but apart from those few things - which I'll cover later - I thoroughly enjoyed Focus.
Smith stars as seasoned con-man Nicky Spurgeon, whom Robbie's Jess Barrett tried to seduce and con. Nicky knows what's on and smoothly works his way out of the situation.
He takes Barrett under his wing, teaches her the tricks of the trade, and the pair make millions as Nicky's crew goes to work through a series of slick scenes.
The pair develop an intimate relationship despite Nicky's father warning him to never get involved with anyone in the operation, but that is shattered when the crew disbands after a successful haul.
From there the film essentially restarts a few years in future, but even though that sounds like a bad thing it works well.
Both Nicky and Barrett, as well as the returning Farhad (Adrian Martinez), develop over the the three-year gap and their progression serve to give their stories a new edge.
But even a few days after watching the film I'm still struggling to work out both how to describe Focus, and into which genre it would fit.
Parts of the film seem to be borrowed from drama, another part is from thriller, there's plenty of comedy and the romantic focus on Nicky and Barrett obviously adds another aspect.
While they can work well if they're put together the right way, directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa can't seem the get the right balance.
The finished product remains a jumble of what it is trying to be versus what it actually is.
The film is still bloody good despite those issues, which is disappointing when you imagine what it could've been had they got it all right.
Smith stars as seasoned con-man Nicky Spurgeon, whom Robbie's Jess Barrett tried to seduce and con. Nicky knows what's on and smoothly works his way out of the situation.
He takes Barrett under his wing, teaches her the tricks of the trade, and the pair make millions as Nicky's crew goes to work through a series of slick scenes.
The pair develop an intimate relationship despite Nicky's father warning him to never get involved with anyone in the operation, but that is shattered when the crew disbands after a successful haul.
From there the film essentially restarts a few years in future, but even though that sounds like a bad thing it works well.
Both Nicky and Barrett, as well as the returning Farhad (Adrian Martinez), develop over the the three-year gap and their progression serve to give their stories a new edge.
But even a few days after watching the film I'm still struggling to work out both how to describe Focus, and into which genre it would fit.
Parts of the film seem to be borrowed from drama, another part is from thriller, there's plenty of comedy and the romantic focus on Nicky and Barrett obviously adds another aspect.
While they can work well if they're put together the right way, directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa can't seem the get the right balance.
The finished product remains a jumble of what it is trying to be versus what it actually is.
The film is still bloody good despite those issues, which is disappointing when you imagine what it could've been had they got it all right.
Sunday, March 01, 2015
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Spectacularly constructed film with a performance to leave the hairs standing on the back necks everywhere, We Need To Talk About Kevin is an underrated yet unsettling film.
Told as a combination of flashbacks and present day, WNTTAK highlights shows Kevin Khatchadourian's (Ezra Miller/Jasper Newell) develop from a creepy child to a sociapathic teenager through the eyes of helpless mother Eva (Tilda Swinton).
Lynne Ramsay adapts Lionel Shriver's international best-selling novel brilliantly, even if the jump between present and past is sometimes annoying.
The fascination lies in the mental disintegration of Eva, as Kevin becomes increasingly manipulative.
He is clearly in control in any of their interactions, and both Miller and Newell portray the perfect amount of "creep" to show it. The utter disdain in their (older and younger Kevin respectively) eyes and tiny "I'm in the power position" smile they wear is terrifying.
I had a similar reaction to WNTTAK as I did Snowtown, in that it was difficult to watch because it was so well-crafted. While I still believe Snowtown did a better job at making the audience wish they were anywhere but in front of the screen, WNTTAK presented Kevin's descendence into madness in a manner that was similarly uncomfortable but just as compelling.
A tough but rewarding watch.
Told as a combination of flashbacks and present day, WNTTAK highlights shows Kevin Khatchadourian's (Ezra Miller/Jasper Newell) develop from a creepy child to a sociapathic teenager through the eyes of helpless mother Eva (Tilda Swinton).
The fascination lies in the mental disintegration of Eva, as Kevin becomes increasingly manipulative.
He is clearly in control in any of their interactions, and both Miller and Newell portray the perfect amount of "creep" to show it. The utter disdain in their (older and younger Kevin respectively) eyes and tiny "I'm in the power position" smile they wear is terrifying.
I had a similar reaction to WNTTAK as I did Snowtown, in that it was difficult to watch because it was so well-crafted. While I still believe Snowtown did a better job at making the audience wish they were anywhere but in front of the screen, WNTTAK presented Kevin's descendence into madness in a manner that was similarly uncomfortable but just as compelling.
A tough but rewarding watch.
Why is #Gogglebox so appealing?
THE ONLY reality programs I've enjoyed are the second season of Big Brother, the first season of The Contender and some snippets of So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars.
I'm quite open about my disdain of reality television.
I dislike the format, I don't particularly like the talents thrust onto my screen, and I hate the complete saturation of coverage where I can't watch other programs I like without at least four or five ads or references to the reality shows.
That said, I am at a loss to understand why Gogglebox is SO DAMN GOOD.
I'm a little late to the party, having just finished binging on the first three episodes almost four weeks after the Australian version of the hit UK show premiered.
When Gogglebox was first advertised I looked at it with disdain. The concept sounded silly: instead of watching "real" people compete in cooking competitions or being stranded on an island, let's watch people watch programs from the week prior.
It is, essentially, Twitter for television, and maybe that goes some way to explaining why I want more Gogglebox.
For those that follow me on Twitter, you already know I'm slightly addicted to the social network.
I tweet about just about anything: politics, random thoughts, conversations, my thoughts on film and television, and commentating or tweeting live sport.
Therein lies my strange fascination with a program that shows "real" people passing comment on programs from the previous week.
A lot of the scenes, particularly those that covered Four Corners' live baiting investigation and Top Gun, are reminiscent of what happens when I watched the same programs. The shock at seeing defenceless piglets tied to lures for greyhounds, the debate as to whether to allow 15 and 16-year-olds to watch the program in the first place (the Daltons decide to let them watch, but both leave), and the general reaction to Top Gun (particularly THAT volleyball scene) are all real.
I think that is one of the most important aspects: this reality program feels more real than any before.
In programs like Survivor, Big Brother, and Masterchef, the contestants are in an artificial situation that doesn't reflect reality. Masterchef particularly tries to capitalise on the "everyday people", yet trot out recipes and meals with ingredients most families wouldn't have used.
Gogglebox gives us a real situation of which we can all relate. The scenes depicted in the 10 lounge rooms are reminiscent of the viewing experience of most people watching television. Where the 10 groups verbalise their opinions with their offsiders (as they have to for the program to work), a lot of people express themselves via Twitter or other social networks.
The casting seems to dissect society and represent the general quite well, with people from different social economic class. That said, there is one thing that stands out: they're awfully white. The only non-white group are the Sri Lankan Delpechitas. I'm not going to make an issue about it as others can do a far better job of it, but it does stand out for mine. Hopefully that will change when it is (hopefully?) renewed for further seasons.
That aside, there's been a strong variety of programs they've chosen to air, and the casting has been perfect. The groups look to be from extremely different backgrounds, and most have hammered home countless one-liners that have had me in stitches. I haven't genuinely laughed as loudly or openly during a television show as I have watching Gogglebox, and I hope that doesn't change.
Gogglebox airs on Lifestyle Channel at 9.30pm Wednesdays (8.30pm in Qld) and Channel 10 at 9pm Thursdays.
I'm quite open about my disdain of reality television.
I dislike the format, I don't particularly like the talents thrust onto my screen, and I hate the complete saturation of coverage where I can't watch other programs I like without at least four or five ads or references to the reality shows.
That said, I am at a loss to understand why Gogglebox is SO DAMN GOOD.
I'm a little late to the party, having just finished binging on the first three episodes almost four weeks after the Australian version of the hit UK show premiered.
When Gogglebox was first advertised I looked at it with disdain. The concept sounded silly: instead of watching "real" people compete in cooking competitions or being stranded on an island, let's watch people watch programs from the week prior.
It is, essentially, Twitter for television, and maybe that goes some way to explaining why I want more Gogglebox.
For those that follow me on Twitter, you already know I'm slightly addicted to the social network.
I tweet about just about anything: politics, random thoughts, conversations, my thoughts on film and television, and commentating or tweeting live sport.
Therein lies my strange fascination with a program that shows "real" people passing comment on programs from the previous week.
A lot of the scenes, particularly those that covered Four Corners' live baiting investigation and Top Gun, are reminiscent of what happens when I watched the same programs. The shock at seeing defenceless piglets tied to lures for greyhounds, the debate as to whether to allow 15 and 16-year-olds to watch the program in the first place (the Daltons decide to let them watch, but both leave), and the general reaction to Top Gun (particularly THAT volleyball scene) are all real.
I think that is one of the most important aspects: this reality program feels more real than any before.
In programs like Survivor, Big Brother, and Masterchef, the contestants are in an artificial situation that doesn't reflect reality. Masterchef particularly tries to capitalise on the "everyday people", yet trot out recipes and meals with ingredients most families wouldn't have used.
Gogglebox gives us a real situation of which we can all relate. The scenes depicted in the 10 lounge rooms are reminiscent of the viewing experience of most people watching television. Where the 10 groups verbalise their opinions with their offsiders (as they have to for the program to work), a lot of people express themselves via Twitter or other social networks.
The casting seems to dissect society and represent the general quite well, with people from different social economic class. That said, there is one thing that stands out: they're awfully white. The only non-white group are the Sri Lankan Delpechitas. I'm not going to make an issue about it as others can do a far better job of it, but it does stand out for mine. Hopefully that will change when it is (hopefully?) renewed for further seasons.
That aside, there's been a strong variety of programs they've chosen to air, and the casting has been perfect. The groups look to be from extremely different backgrounds, and most have hammered home countless one-liners that have had me in stitches. I haven't genuinely laughed as loudly or openly during a television show as I have watching Gogglebox, and I hope that doesn't change.
Gogglebox airs on Lifestyle Channel at 9.30pm Wednesdays (8.30pm in Qld) and Channel 10 at 9pm Thursdays.
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