Set To A Dead Channel?
By Kirsty Leckie Palmer
Monday 28th September 2009
Monday 28th September 2009
Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
TO SOMEONE with a deep-rooted and virulent mistrust of musicals (brought on by early adolescent exposure to Richard Gere’s turn in Chicago), the prospect of recommending one would typically elicit shuddering regressions to a foetal position. However, Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a writer’s strike inception grace à Joss Whedon, does much to convince a cynic. In forty minutes, in spite of extremely low production outlay, it’s gone some way to atone for the much proven Numa Numa Guy Hypothesis that anything free (and legal) on the internet isn’t worth having. The highly-anticipated DVD release hit the musical sales top spot on Amazon and as sci-fi fodder has been nominated alongside big-budget heavyweights Lost, Doctor Who et al. at this year’s Hugo awards. Aspiring super-villain Dr Horrible longs to join the Evil League of Evil, but first he must overcome arch-nemesis Captain Hammer, ‘destroy the status quo’ and win the girl of his dreams. Well written, witty songs are deftly woven into the plot, and could teach luvvie Lloyd Webber something of pithiness and pathos alike. Neil Patrick Harris is endearingly loseresque as supervillain everyman Horrible who’s in the throes of a moral dilemma he can’t quite define. His assured vocals lend unexpected clarity and resonance to the musical parts of the story. Nathan Filian is detestable and hilarious in equal parts as thigh-slapping poseur Captain Hammer, and Guild star and all round geek-pleaser Felicia Day has her work cut out to keep love interest Penny on the right side of insipid, and just about sustains. Being a product of the writer’s strike, Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog raises pretty worthy points about the dependability of the figureheads society presents us with, but ignore all this, watch it for its sincere writing, quirky humour and heart-melting, catchy music.
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Pushing Daisies
PUSHING DAISIES HONEYS the popular forensic drama trope by melding the morose with the quixotic. Tightly wound Ned (Lee Pace), a pie-maker, conceals an ability to bring the dead back to life, but in letting his childhood sweetheart Chuck (Anna Friel) live, he can never again touch her. The show’s format centres on the private investigations of Emerson Cod, a detective replete with standard issue shadowy past and a fondness for knitting who enlists Ned’s gift of rejuvenation to pecuniary advantage. Cue a kaleidoscopic procession of cameo-ready characters, comic-book motives and a candy-cane morgue. Doe-eyed and delicate both, Pace and Friel convince of the unspoken platonic sweetness which, reinforced by the Technicolor utopia of their surroundings, translates into an idealistic message against baser modern impulses. Kristin Chenoweth sparkles as the deliciously dubbed Olive Snook, and her unrequited devotion to Ned provides a gratifying counterpoint to the fairy-tale flawlessness of the romance. Burton-esque set pieces and a distinct aroma de Jeunet place Pushing Daisies in a strong creative lineage, though it may have retained more credibility without the echoes of Wisteria Lane which are clearly symptomatic in its musical score, and the sadly worn, and frankly patronising medium of third person omniscient narration. Now axed in the US despite keen critical accolades, Season Two proffers much of the same as its predecessor with pleasing results, despite a sadly rushed conclusion. Returning to the UK in January, Pushing Daisies should provide a most satisfying slice of the fantastical to offset the staple post-festive diet of dismal dramas and gratuitous reality fare.
http://www.itv.com/Drama/contemporary/PushingDaisies/default.html
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Skins
'Filming of the eight episodes that will make up season 4 of skins is well underway’.
SKINS SERIES TWO climaxed with the image of Tony Stonem’s sister Effy smirking knowingly into the camera as the credits rolled, and in smooth transition, Series Three employs her as one of its key personae. Each episode centres on one angst-ridden, intense figure, how they fit into the dynamics of a new cast of teenagers starting out at Roundview College, and the inevitable issues they must tackle. These characters are engagingly flawed - outrageous Cook, smouldering Effy, socially-inept JJ, skater boy Freddie, erratic Pandora, disparate twins Katie and Emily, sexually confused Naomi and immigrant Thomas. With alumni such as Dev Patel and Joseph Dempsie, it might be tautology to assert that Skins prides itself on nothing less than freshly harvested brilliance in its acting, as well as claiming cameos from British comedy roll-call staples such as Ardal O’Hanlon, Harry Enfield, and Mackenzie Crook. Exquisite, nuanced framing, a clean stylistic hand, never overplayed, and adept application of music lends clarity to the complex emotional dialogues which emerge, demonstrating a sophisticated and considered agenda which allows the anarchy on screen to transcend the gratuitous to a plane of meaning. Series Three also upgrades the well-established bent in the direction of masterful soundtrack choices. From The Klaxons’ punchy ‘Magick’ and the filthy drive it brings to a sex scene, to Pandora’s merry skipping to the French trill of obscure sixties singing nun Soeur Sourier, the music is well-selected to counterpoint or complement the depravity and surprising moments of innocence to strong effect. However, what truly distinguishes Skins is the absence of that guilty stench of experienced smarm which is applied liberally to most topical drama, and it’s thankfully oblivious to that standard moralising which is somehow a compulsory component of the process. Instead of cautiously tip-toeing around reality, Skins generously lets its characters develop, defies closure between episodes and all whilst sticking the Vs up to authority figures, exposing a reassuring truth that adulthood is often no less painful, confusing or exhilarating than adolescence. Even in more absurd moments it strikes at the obscene realisations which originate at the frontline of adult experience, and effectively renders imports such as the OC or One Tree Hill staggeringly stale and invalid in a British arena. Skins punks up and punches out its storylines with justifiable anarchism, raises the stakes and emerges as one of the most convincing, empathic dramas ever created for its demographic. Catch Series Three online at Channel Four’s legit streaming site 4od, or get it on DVD, ad-free and out now.
http://www.e4.com/skins/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Psychoville
GROTESQUE HUMORISTS Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith (The League of Gentlemen) contravene all good taste and comedic precepts with their hilarious, nauseating and darkly eccentric creation Psychoville, which has recently been airing on BBC Two. Plugged by the beeb as a ‘dark character comedy mystery featuring the weird and the wonderful’ the story gradually unfolds over seven episodes, and it soon becomes apparent that the elusive figure blackmailing its characters is far from the sole proponent of mental instability. Dawn French seethes delightfully as Misery-styled nutcase midwife Joy Aston, and Pemberton and Shearsmith reach deranged surfeit as oedipal mother and son figures Maureen and David Sowerbutts, with caricatured gaucherie reminiscent of penman Gary Larson’s Far Side. Other distinct curios of the series include one-handed clown Mr Jelly – a hearse-driving children’s entertainer from Salford, telekinetic dwarf Robert and reclusive Ebay-fiend Mr Lomax, a man prepared to give his eyes for the completion of a beanie baby collection. The comedy is chiefly attained through the incongruity of these figures when they collide, inevitably, with the ordinariness of everyday circumstance. As events progress it soon becomes clear that the ostensibly normal characters that become embroiled in the strangeness of the psycho universe have similarly seedy histories and guilt-wracked motives which lead to much comic misunderstanding. Psychoville functions within an original comedic idiom which is exhibited not only by inventive characterisation and twisted humour but translates directly into the styling of the episodes, with creepy music, archaic scrawling and bleached transition shots combined to absurd effect with the everyday banality of crossword puzzles, antenatal classes and Christopher Biggins in a gold codpiece. In today’s sparse comedic climate, Psychoville stands at present well atop the list of this summer’s terrestrial offerings and should appeal to those with even the mildest of eccentric predispositions.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/psychoville/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Desperate Housewives
CUE AN ENTICING pan over upper middle class suburbia, the gentle pavlovian reinforcement of Danny Elfman’s familiar melodies and a protective (if long-deceased) narrator, petitioning us to leave all disbelief outside the white picket fence and devote an hour to wholesome escapism. Desperate Housewives is set to screen its sixth season in the US in September, so it’s time to get up to speed on why we should still be watching… It can prove discouraging that the female of the species is continually slotted into certain pigeonholes to find a TV audience. It first appeared Desperate Housewives would provide a reserved surrogate for the feral endeavours of Carrie, Samantha and co. with similarly compartmentalized characterization in the way of Latina sexpot Gabriella, starch-faced traditionalist Bree, ditzy single mother Susan, career juggling superwoman Lynette and femme fatale Edie. However the prevailing premise of the show is that there is more than meets the eye to the average paper-doll façade, and after seasons of enjoyable revelation its writers continue to facet their housewives as fleshed out, pleasantly skewed individuals. Season Five has heightened this effect with its valiant use of a five year hiatus. Furthermore its writing retains the winning fusion of sharp dialogue with precise moments of empathy - a foolproof recipe for black comedy, and all without tainting its trashy soap opera allure with too much solemnity. Among storylines leading up to the latest season, Edie makes an more or less enjoyable return to Wisteria Lane but is fated to electrocution by misadventure, Lynette faces another pregnancy as Tom heads off to college, Gaby has taken in her young, beautiful and conniving niece Anna in an out of character moment of compassion, and ‘Mayor of Stepford’ Bree Van De Kamp has unleashed her startling lust for sleazebag divorce lawyer Karl. Still, the highlight of Season Five has to be the revenge story of maniac David Dash, and its dramatic denouement. A mention must also go to the touching 100th episode special which breaks from the intrigue and has the housewives mourning in montage their handyman Eli (Beau Bridges). Though somewhat cyclic (new family moves to neighbourhood providing dubious reason for gossip/intrigue, housewives pry, family destroyed) the formula of Desperate Housewives has nonetheless proven a winning one with critics and audiences both and though it’s now an ageing series its inventive writing, smatterings of Lynch and rapid production should keep its sell by date at bay for a little longer, much as Botox does for its leads. With the final episode culminating in a baffling wedding scene between Mike and his mystery bride, writers have efficiently reinvigorated audience interest for the next season. In Season Six, lady-favourite Jesse Metcalfe will reprise his role as John Rowland and there are rumours that John Barrowman will be taking up residence in Wisteria Lane. The UK audience should expect enlightenment in early 2010.
By Kirsty Leckie-Palmer
TO SOMEONE with a deep-rooted and virulent mistrust of musicals (brought on by early adolescent exposure to Richard Gere’s turn in Chicago), the prospect of recommending one would typically elicit shuddering regressions to a foetal position. However, Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a writer’s strike inception grace à Joss Whedon, does much to convince a cynic. In forty minutes, in spite of extremely low production outlay, it’s gone some way to atone for the much proven Numa Numa Guy Hypothesis that anything free (and legal) on the internet isn’t worth having. The highly-anticipated DVD release hit the musical sales top spot on Amazon and as sci-fi fodder has been nominated alongside big-budget heavyweights Lost, Doctor Who et al. at this year’s Hugo awards. Aspiring super-villain Dr Horrible longs to join the Evil League of Evil, but first he must overcome arch-nemesis Captain Hammer, ‘destroy the status quo’ and win the girl of his dreams. Well written, witty songs are deftly woven into the plot, and could teach luvvie Lloyd Webber something of pithiness and pathos alike. Neil Patrick Harris is endearingly loseresque as supervillain everyman Horrible who’s in the throes of a moral dilemma he can’t quite define. His assured vocals lend unexpected clarity and resonance to the musical parts of the story. Nathan Filian is detestable and hilarious in equal parts as thigh-slapping poseur Captain Hammer, and Guild star and all round geek-pleaser Felicia Day has her work cut out to keep love interest Penny on the right side of insipid, and just about sustains. Being a product of the writer’s strike, Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog raises pretty worthy points about the dependability of the figureheads society presents us with, but ignore all this, watch it for its sincere writing, quirky humour and heart-melting, catchy music.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pushing Daisies
PUSHING DAISIES HONEYS the popular forensic drama trope by melding the morose with the quixotic. Tightly wound Ned (Lee Pace), a pie-maker, conceals an ability to bring the dead back to life, but in letting his childhood sweetheart Chuck (Anna Friel) live, he can never again touch her. The show’s format centres on the private investigations of Emerson Cod, a detective replete with standard issue shadowy past and a fondness for knitting who enlists Ned’s gift of rejuvenation to pecuniary advantage. Cue a kaleidoscopic procession of cameo-ready characters, comic-book motives and a candy-cane morgue. Doe-eyed and delicate both, Pace and Friel convince of the unspoken platonic sweetness which, reinforced by the Technicolor utopia of their surroundings, translates into an idealistic message against baser modern impulses. Kristin Chenoweth sparkles as the deliciously dubbed Olive Snook, and her unrequited devotion to Ned provides a gratifying counterpoint to the fairy-tale flawlessness of the romance. Burton-esque set pieces and a distinct aroma de Jeunet place Pushing Daisies in a strong creative lineage, though it may have retained more credibility without the echoes of Wisteria Lane which are clearly symptomatic in its musical score, and the sadly worn, and frankly patronising medium of third person omniscient narration. Now axed in the US despite keen critical accolades, Season Two proffers much of the same as its predecessor with pleasing results, despite a sadly rushed conclusion. Returning to the UK in January, Pushing Daisies should provide a most satisfying slice of the fantastical to offset the staple post-festive diet of dismal dramas and gratuitous reality fare.
http://www.itv.com/Drama/contemporary/PushingDaisies/default.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skins
'Filming of the eight episodes that will make up season 4 of skins is well underway’.
SKINS SERIES TWO climaxed with the image of Tony Stonem’s sister Effy smirking knowingly into the camera as the credits rolled, and in smooth transition, Series Three employs her as one of its key personae. Each episode centres on one angst-ridden, intense figure, how they fit into the dynamics of a new cast of teenagers starting out at Roundview College, and the inevitable issues they must tackle. These characters are engagingly flawed - outrageous Cook, smouldering Effy, socially-inept JJ, skater boy Freddie, erratic Pandora, disparate twins Katie and Emily, sexually confused Naomi and immigrant Thomas. With alumni such as Dev Patel and Joseph Dempsie, it might be tautology to assert that Skins prides itself on nothing less than freshly harvested brilliance in its acting, as well as claiming cameos from British comedy roll-call staples such as Ardal O’Hanlon, Harry Enfield, and Mackenzie Crook. Exquisite, nuanced framing, a clean stylistic hand, never overplayed, and adept application of music lends clarity to the complex emotional dialogues which emerge, demonstrating a sophisticated and considered agenda which allows the anarchy on screen to transcend the gratuitous to a plane of meaning. Series Three also upgrades the well-established bent in the direction of masterful soundtrack choices. From The Klaxons’ punchy ‘Magick’ and the filthy drive it brings to a sex scene, to Pandora’s merry skipping to the French trill of obscure sixties singing nun Soeur Sourier, the music is well-selected to counterpoint or complement the depravity and surprising moments of innocence to strong effect. However, what truly distinguishes Skins is the absence of that guilty stench of experienced smarm which is applied liberally to most topical drama, and it’s thankfully oblivious to that standard moralising which is somehow a compulsory component of the process. Instead of cautiously tip-toeing around reality, Skins generously lets its characters develop, defies closure between episodes and all whilst sticking the Vs up to authority figures, exposing a reassuring truth that adulthood is often no less painful, confusing or exhilarating than adolescence. Even in more absurd moments it strikes at the obscene realisations which originate at the frontline of adult experience, and effectively renders imports such as the OC or One Tree Hill staggeringly stale and invalid in a British arena. Skins punks up and punches out its storylines with justifiable anarchism, raises the stakes and emerges as one of the most convincing, empathic dramas ever created for its demographic. Catch Series Three online at Channel Four’s legit streaming site 4od, or get it on DVD, ad-free and out now.
http://www.e4.com/skins/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Psychoville
GROTESQUE HUMORISTS Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith (The League of Gentlemen) contravene all good taste and comedic precepts with their hilarious, nauseating and darkly eccentric creation Psychoville, which has recently been airing on BBC Two. Plugged by the beeb as a ‘dark character comedy mystery featuring the weird and the wonderful’ the story gradually unfolds over seven episodes, and it soon becomes apparent that the elusive figure blackmailing its characters is far from the sole proponent of mental instability. Dawn French seethes delightfully as Misery-styled nutcase midwife Joy Aston, and Pemberton and Shearsmith reach deranged surfeit as oedipal mother and son figures Maureen and David Sowerbutts, with caricatured gaucherie reminiscent of penman Gary Larson’s Far Side. Other distinct curios of the series include one-handed clown Mr Jelly – a hearse-driving children’s entertainer from Salford, telekinetic dwarf Robert and reclusive Ebay-fiend Mr Lomax, a man prepared to give his eyes for the completion of a beanie baby collection. The comedy is chiefly attained through the incongruity of these figures when they collide, inevitably, with the ordinariness of everyday circumstance. As events progress it soon becomes clear that the ostensibly normal characters that become embroiled in the strangeness of the psycho universe have similarly seedy histories and guilt-wracked motives which lead to much comic misunderstanding. Psychoville functions within an original comedic idiom which is exhibited not only by inventive characterisation and twisted humour but translates directly into the styling of the episodes, with creepy music, archaic scrawling and bleached transition shots combined to absurd effect with the everyday banality of crossword puzzles, antenatal classes and Christopher Biggins in a gold codpiece. In today’s sparse comedic climate, Psychoville stands at present well atop the list of this summer’s terrestrial offerings and should appeal to those with even the mildest of eccentric predispositions.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/psychoville/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Desperate Housewives
CUE AN ENTICING pan over upper middle class suburbia, the gentle pavlovian reinforcement of Danny Elfman’s familiar melodies and a protective (if long-deceased) narrator, petitioning us to leave all disbelief outside the white picket fence and devote an hour to wholesome escapism. Desperate Housewives is set to screen its sixth season in the US in September, so it’s time to get up to speed on why we should still be watching… It can prove discouraging that the female of the species is continually slotted into certain pigeonholes to find a TV audience. It first appeared Desperate Housewives would provide a reserved surrogate for the feral endeavours of Carrie, Samantha and co. with similarly compartmentalized characterization in the way of Latina sexpot Gabriella, starch-faced traditionalist Bree, ditzy single mother Susan, career juggling superwoman Lynette and femme fatale Edie. However the prevailing premise of the show is that there is more than meets the eye to the average paper-doll façade, and after seasons of enjoyable revelation its writers continue to facet their housewives as fleshed out, pleasantly skewed individuals. Season Five has heightened this effect with its valiant use of a five year hiatus. Furthermore its writing retains the winning fusion of sharp dialogue with precise moments of empathy - a foolproof recipe for black comedy, and all without tainting its trashy soap opera allure with too much solemnity. Among storylines leading up to the latest season, Edie makes an more or less enjoyable return to Wisteria Lane but is fated to electrocution by misadventure, Lynette faces another pregnancy as Tom heads off to college, Gaby has taken in her young, beautiful and conniving niece Anna in an out of character moment of compassion, and ‘Mayor of Stepford’ Bree Van De Kamp has unleashed her startling lust for sleazebag divorce lawyer Karl. Still, the highlight of Season Five has to be the revenge story of maniac David Dash, and its dramatic denouement. A mention must also go to the touching 100th episode special which breaks from the intrigue and has the housewives mourning in montage their handyman Eli (Beau Bridges). Though somewhat cyclic (new family moves to neighbourhood providing dubious reason for gossip/intrigue, housewives pry, family destroyed) the formula of Desperate Housewives has nonetheless proven a winning one with critics and audiences both and though it’s now an ageing series its inventive writing, smatterings of Lynch and rapid production should keep its sell by date at bay for a little longer, much as Botox does for its leads. With the final episode culminating in a baffling wedding scene between Mike and his mystery bride, writers have efficiently reinvigorated audience interest for the next season. In Season Six, lady-favourite Jesse Metcalfe will reprise his role as John Rowland and there are rumours that John Barrowman will be taking up residence in Wisteria Lane. The UK audience should expect enlightenment in early 2010.
By Kirsty Leckie-Palmer