Tag: tv

HBO’s ‘Barry’ Has Balls

Published by Maximilian Gray on August 31, 2018

It’s rare that I come across a piece of entertainment that I love. I am hyper-critical and as such I’ve decided to slow my posts. I’m not interested in putting more negativity out there. The Internet’s already over-flowing with it. So going forward, I’ll only be sharing things I really enjoy. Let’s get to it.

HBO’s series Barry, starring Bill Hader, is the best new show on TV. It’s about a emotionally distant hitman in search of inner purpose and meaning. When a contract takes him to Los Angeles, it inadvertently leads him to an acting class where he gets bit by the acting bug. A conflict ensues as Barry tries to balance his job as a hitman with his newfound passion. The show feels a bit like Breaking Bad – it’s about gangsters and assassins in suburban environments. While that show was about a man at the end of his rope – desperate enough to turn to crime – this one is the reverse. Barry doesn’t want to be a killer. He tries to justify his job by saying he only takes out the bad guys. When he stumbles across Gene Cousineau’s (Henry Winkler) acting class, he finds a girl who captures his interest and a new way to express the emotions that are bubbling within.

It’s Three Genres in One.

The show is a deft balance of comedy, action and drama. All three elements are in play, in balance, and working perfectly. The scripts are funny, emotionally engaging and at times shocking. Barry is written as realistically as can be for such a tale. This is not a Will Ferrell comedy. The stakes are real and so are the characters’ choices. Hader’s Barry is always true to character and his motivations lead to interesting plot turns. Most comedies don’t have the balls to upset the audience emotionally. Barry doesn’t care. It’s not here to please everyone – it’s true to itself. The protagonist is three-dimensional and he makes choices you wouldn’t. The situation is played for laughs, drama and action, but it never denigrates it’s main character.

It’s a Showcase for New Directing Talent

While the show is not an action show per se – the scattered moments are standout and would suffice in any quality action film. In particular, episodes 5 & 6 step up the mix of visuals and sound into true action-artistry. Keep your eyes on the Director, Hiro Murai, he’s gonna be huge. He even directed a music video that you might have heard of – Childish Gambino’s This is America. It should also be noted that series star Bill Hader co-created the show and wrote and directed three episodes. I think we’ve just barely glimpsed his true talent. He’s elevated himself above silly comedian and I can’t wait to see what comes next from him.

The Actor’s are Enjoying Themselves.

The performances are all wonderful as well, with Henry Winkler in particular standing out. This is his best role since he was the Fonz. Really. I loved every minute that he was onscreen. Bill Hader is strong. Sarah Goldberg as his love interest does an amazing job as a self-obsessed ingenue and love interest. And Anthony Carrigan as Chechnyan gangster, Noho Hank, provides much of the comedic relief with his fascinating line readings.

It Doesn’t Overstay It’s Welcome.

The show is paced right with eight, thirty minute episodes. I watched it all the way through twice. I wish other shows would take a page from this playbook and stop dumping thirteen hours per season. It diminishes the entertainment value. You can binge this sucker in four hours. HBO has already renewed it for season two. If you’re looking for something to replace that crime-in-suburbia vibe that Breaking Bad gave you – this is it. Watch it now or wait for it to sweep the Emmy’s. I don’t think diversity pandering can steal the prize this time. Barry is too fucking good at it’s job.

‘Lost in Space’ is a Worthy Reboot

Published by Maximilian Gray on April 30, 2018

Click the pic for a video review of Netflix’s 2018 remake of Irwin Allen’s Lost in Space.

IT, IT, IT – Part 2: The Mini-Series

IT, IT, IT – Part 2: The Mini-Series

Published by Maximilian Gray on January 21, 2018

Welcome to Part 2 of a three part analysis of the various versions of Stephen King’s IT. Click here for Part 1.

1990 saw the release of the first adaptation of King’s famous book as a TV mini-series. I saw it during its original airing, but had little memory of it. I’ve watched it again after seeing the 2017 film adaptation and it is with good reason that I remember none of it. It’s completely forgettable. Let’s compare.

IT Begins Different.

The mini-series does not begin the same as the movie. We are introduced to the characters as adults with sequences that flash back to childhood. The first character we meet is Mike played by Tim Reed. Mike hardly spoke in the film adaptation and yet here he seems to be the ringleader of the group. He’s also researching their home town to understand where IT began. In the movie, another character, Ben, is the one looking into town history.

After about 10 minutes, we reach the scene that begins the novel and the movie. Little Georgie follows his paper sailboat along the gutter until he meets Pennywise. It’s filmed much more naturally. Tim Curry actually puts on a performance. Skarsgård didn’t do half as much in the movie. It’s a battle between acting chops and make-up/fx. I love Tim Curry, but I’m giving this scene to the movie. It’s much scarier and it puts you on edge from the very first scene.

IT’s Focus is Different

This mini-series frames Pennywise as a childhood trauma revisited. The movie viewed him as a current problem. I think the thematics are stronger when seeing the kids through the lens of their adult selves. As best as I can tell, reflection on a horrific past seems to be the point of King’s story. I’m giving this point to the mini-series for providing a meaningful context for the horror.

IT’s Kids are Older.

The characters are better developed in this adaptation. I knew them all before the first hour was up. Unfortunately, the kid actors cast in the mini-series are older and prettier. The performers in the film looked more like misfits who embodied innocence. Their bullies seemed more maladjusted and dangerous too. The time period has changed from the Eighties to the Fifties here, but I don’t think that accounts for it. It’s more about the medium. This was network TV after all. The realistic treatment of the children was the films’s strongest point. I expect that will also be true of the book. I enjoyed the movie more for making me believe those kids were vulnerable.

IT’s a Lot Longer.

The mini-series runs for a little over 3hrs. I watched it in HD. It looks better now than when it aired in 1990. The cinematography and production values are quite good for a 20th century television program. Occasionally, it feels like a movie, but most of the camera moves are simple and the visual compositions are designed for the 1.33:1 frame. The show also spends far too much time in daylight and high key interiors for a horrific tone to develop.

The narrative continued to bounce back and forth between the characters’ present day and their past as children. After 2hrs, the plot switched to the adult storyline permanently. I found myself being reminded far too often of Freddy Krueger. There are shower scenes and boiler rooms where people are being terrorized by a gruff voiced boogieman who causes waking nightmares. They are isolated and singled out by this monster and discuss having seen him in visions. The first A Nightmare on Elm Street film preceded the release of King’s book by two years, though I assume he must’ve begun writing it far earlier. I’ll be interested to see if reading the novel recalls the same associations. I didn’t notice it nearly as much in the 2017 film. It’s a bad comparison as Freddy Krueger had a raison d’etre. I still don’t understand what Pennywise wants after two adaptations.

IT’s No Classic.

I’m giving the first round to the 2017 movie. It was terrifying and creepy with realistic performances. The film’s story omissions made me want to read the book for the full experience. The mini-series was lame by comparison. It was overstuffed with characters and it lacked any real sense of menace. Tim Curry gives a nice performance, but the show is just not frightening. It may have had better drawn characters, but it never put them in jeopardy in the way the movie did. I didn’t care about them. The only tension I felt during the three hours was in my bladder.

Please check back for Part 3 of this series for a review of Stephen King’s novel IT.

‘Black Lightning’ connects, but can it strike twice?

‘Black Lightning’ connects, but can it strike twice?

Published by Maximilian Gray on January 17, 2018

The CW’s new super-hero TV series Black Lightning is off to a good start. The first episode, “The Resurrection” was standout fare for the network. The show features the same affection for the source material as the other DC shows, but this one manages a unique tone and message that elevates it. The neon lighting bolts emblazoned across this hero’s chest may look like a gas station sign, but all that super-heroic cheese is balanced with mature themes.

A different flavor of super-hero wish fulfillment.

Black Lightning is an evolution of the super-hero on TV. The tropes of the genre are now familiar to the general public. It’s nice to see that utilized to push the storytelling into new territory. We meet Jefferson Pierce many years after he’s hung up his costume. He’s a school principal and father. He worries about his kids. He’s got grey hair. This isn’t an origin story, it’s more of a coming out of retirement story. That alone was refreshing. It made it easier to cheer when the heroics started.

Talking heads and social commentary.

The CW/DC shows are hybrid adaptations. They’re part loving tribute to the comics, part network house-style. Their scripts feature too many scenes of ladies-talking-in-rooms for my taste. That is not a part of DC comic books, unless the ladies in question are wearing masks and discussing battle plans. Black Lightning avoids this in favor of a better hang-up.

The show is laden with the dread and anger of the contemporary African-American experience. The first episode features altercations with police, local drug dealers and youngsters being seduced to crime. The melodrama is actually relevant to the hero’s experience instead of being a distraction. Comparisons to Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix are unavoidable, but judging by first episodes, this show has more potential to deliver both on the heroics and the drama. While some of the dialogue was mundane, the performances were believable and the action and FX solid. I am eager to see where the story goes.

Gray Matter Factoids

Black Lightning was created in 1977 by Tony Isabella for DC Comics. He was DC’s first African-American super-hero and the first to star in his own title. He has been a reserve member of the Justice League and one of Batman’s Outsiders.

Sinbad was the first to play the character in live action on SNL. Jimmy Olsen turned him away from Superman’s funeral because he’d never heard of him.

While you were drinking: Marvel’s Iron Fist, Episodes 1-4

While you were drinking: Marvel’s Iron Fist, Episodes 1-4

Published by Maximilian Gray on March 18, 2017

While you were enjoying St. Patrick’s Day, I was binging MARVEL’S IRON FIST on Netflix. I have four episodes down, so that’s my perspective. It’s based on a 1970’s Marvel comics character who is a mix of Tarzan and Bruce Lee with a dash of Lost Horizon. He can be fun in the comics or he can be a boring martial arts guy. So far the show achieves neither of those. It’s a glacially paced origin story with mild action. It’s either building to something awesome or I’m watching paint dry. Sometimes it’s pretty paint though.

It’s the first Marvel show to debut in DOLBY VISION HDR and it looks phenomenal. There’s a night time street fair in the 1st episode that shows off the expanded color gamut and high contrast. It’s the best looking scene in any Marvel show yet. However, I can’t binge HDR without burning out my eyeballs. The screen pumps out too much light to sit and watch for more than a couple hours. Netflix should take note of this as they offer more HDR programming.

The characters are well written and the cast is solid. I like Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist and everyone is believable, but there’s certainly no Vincent D’Onofrio or Mahershala Ali in this group. Also, the tension is so subtle and the story so drawn out that I expect a lot of viewers will tune out. This is a show based on a comic book, but much like Luke Cage, it feels like it wants to forget it’s roots due to budget constraints.

The action is sparse and the choreography is uneven in quality. It’s not on par with the work in Daredevil and that’s shocking for a martial arts based show. It’s partly the choice to keep the fights in accord with the show’s meditative theme. Iron Fist fights with a Tai chi meets Akido vibe most of the time. When he lets loose with a strong style I can glimpse more potential, but the lack of believability is a sin. The fights are cut slowly and the actors look choreographed. That is not acceptable for a show about a kung-fu super-hero. This show needs to evolve into something more imaginative than a character study with fight interludes. It needs more fantasy elements and it needs to open a can of whoop-ass.

***I have completed the show and an expanded review is not necessary. It has no fantasy elements and poor martial arts scenes. The writing is good enough to elevate it above Luke Cage, but Iron Fist will require better action scenes if they want the character to work on screen.