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April, 2008

  1. Sick of bad TV? Tune into PBS this Sunday.

    April 24, 2008 by roseweaver

    In the “Must Watch This Weekend” category…

     

    I went to a screening last night of the new PBS documentary, Carrier. And all I can say is…wow. I am not known for my history skills, nor could I tell you whnt we are fighting for in Iraq. But I can tell you that this piece of filmmaking is one of the most intriguing to hit the airways (and the FREE airways at that) in a long time. Centered around the deployment of the Carrier USS Nimitz, a film crew follows the highs and lows of being a defender of freedom. At the screening, an Admiral that served on the Nimitz was there, along with the producer Jeff Dupre, who’s last feature was On Broadway…They shared stories and answered questions like, “was anything staged?”, or “was there a security breach at any time?” (which, by the way, the answers were no). When the audience was asked if there were any military there, and a third of the audience stood, I suddenly felt the urge to salute, or at least clap, for these…the men and women who have fought for the very freedom I enjoy.  And this isn’t a recruitment video…filmmakers were given the opportunity to interview many opinions on the war, on life aboard a ship, and the return to life back home…and let me tell you, it’s not always positive. It’s gut-wrenching, it’s intriguing…it’s one hell of a ride.

     

    If you are in Chicago this weekend, you have no excuse not to tune into WTTW11 at 8pm. You will not be sorry, in fact, I am sure the water cooler gossip will include a discussion of Carrier. If nothing else, watch it for the drama. Stay for the sense of patriotism you will undoubted get when you see a pass by of Pearl Harbor set to Five For Fighting’s World. You will cry. You will cringe. You will laugh. But most importantly, you will be moved.

     

    For more information, visit www.wttw.com/carrier (for those in Chicago) or www.pbs.org/carrier.

    Category TV Overdosing. | Tags: | 3 Comments

  2. That glow in the city's night sky

    April 22, 2008 by roseweaver

    I walk my dog every night around the block, and every night, like clockwork, he goes to the same spot, around the corner, across from a fire hydrant, and against an iron fence. I know, not the most ideal, but I guess it is where he finds familiarity.

    And every night, while I watch the city night around me, always aware of my surroundings (I am a single gal, after all), I always witness my own familiarity…the glow of the television sets that light up the city night sky. And I start to wonder…has TV become a familiar background in our every day lives, pacifying us and making us as a culture feel “comfortable” and “familiar”? Do we, as a culture, rely on TV to put us to sleep, wake us up, babysit our children, and pacify us into a coma-induced drone? Since this week is “Turn Off Your Electronics” Week, I beg to take the defense on this one…that TV, is becoming more complex as a medium, and although it is still slandered for many a crime, it has come light years from where it once was.

    I don’t want to get into a debate of how the content of television shows is basically crap. We have now all grown up in a society where television was very present in our lives (unless you are my ninety-year old grandma, in which case, if you are reading this blog, you are hip enough to understand the television conundrum). With shows first being designed to entertain, then to influence, then finally to educate, television watchers nowadays are smart…and if a series isn’t written well, or put into the correct timeslot, it will not survive. We, as a culture, have too many channels and too many options to stick around one show in hopes that it will be better…we just simply change the channel. But has all this power of option made us a smarter viewer, or just an indecisive one?

    I could debate this one until the cows come home, but I won’t because, since we are a TV based culture, I know the attention span of the average person reading this is probably about 2 minutes. So let’s shelve this debate for another day…

    But my main point of today’s blog was this: Every night I wonder what these people in the hi-rises around me are watching…are they getting their news from the #1 news source of Chicago? (That’s ABC7, according the recent polls)…or are they getting their news and political commentary from Jon Stewart and Colbert? We once looked to Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson for our political and pop culture news, and now we are finding other outlets to satisfy our escapism sweet tooth. I stopped watching late night TV. Since the advent of DVR, I like to say I am taking an active role in my television addiction. You see, I love television. I love it for its absurdity, its information, its commentary, and its familiarity. I watch America’s Next Top Model and Top Chef when I need to laugh and escape…I watch CSI or NCIS or Cold Case when I am in a narrative mood…I watch Masterpiece and NOVA and the History Channel when I want to feel informed…and every time Charlie Gibson’s says ‘I hope you’ve had a good day’, I always find myself thinking…yeah, I guess it was an ok day, Charlie, thanks for asking. In this world of uncertainty, where the only thing that is guaranteed is that the gas prices will continue to rise, I guess we all find our solace in the calming glow of the television…which informs us…that no matter where we are in life, or what we’re doing…through the glow of that 70-inch plasma, or the 5-inch TV in the kitchen….somehow, someway, television is connecting us all. (even if it is just by our overpriced cable bills…)

    Category Life Observations., TV Overdosing. | Tags: | No Comments

  3. August Rush…another example of "good in theory"

    April 7, 2008 by roseweaver

    I was severely disappointed in this movie…this was my perfect movie…a unrequited love, a hidden child, and music, all with Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyer, and Terrance Howard…all actors I enjoy.  This was supposed to lift my spirits, not make me look at the clock and wonder where the two hours I was never going to get back had gone.

     

    The general synopsis: a cellist and a rock star fall in love in one night, and then they wake up to reality, are torn apart by parental concerns and bandmate distances, only to find out that the girl is preggers with said bandmate’s son. Skip to eleven years later we meet the boy musical prodigy in an orphanage, claiming that if he just writes this symphony, his parents will reunite…blah blah blah, he ends up in NY, starts performing for a Fagan-esque character played unconvincingly by Robin Williams (he honestly seemed drunk throughout the movie…and I don’t think he was channeling  Stanislavski). He escapes Fagan-land, ends up playing an organ in a church, then ends up at Julliard, all within the span of about 30 minutes. Blah blah. He writes a symphony, his parents hear it (but don’t know that they are at the same place), la-dih-dah, you know the rest.

     

    It almost seems like the idea was just not thoroughly developed. The music was excellent. The acting, sub par, although Terrance Howard seemed to be the only one whose character was not one-dimensional…along with Jonathan Rhys Meyer, who’s sympathetic eyes were windows to his soul, and anyone who has seen him in The Tudors knows, this boy can act…plus he has an accent, but I digress…

     

    The script seemed rushed. The actors seemed bored. The boy played his character in one-dimension. Throw in that he is a boy and cute and can cry on-cue, and you got yourself August Rush.

     

    There were good musical performances throughout, which seemed to take place of most dialogue that was sorely needed.  By the time you reached the climax of the film, you wanted it to continue because you knew what was going to happen. I would have liked to have seen the movie go beyond the end scene. We know he’s conducting a symphony. We know his parents will find him and each other…but what happens after all this? Does he have to go into therapy to figure it all out? Does she become a cellist in the guy’s band? Or does the bandmate finally figure out that the only thing the girl was good for was a hit song? These are the conflicts I like to see, the messy part of life…not the happily ever after after some weak conflicts.

     

    The movie should’ve worked; it had all the keywords of a great film: brilliant actors, a good idea, and great music.  But August Rush became anything but harmonious…it became just another great idea that didn’t deliver.

    Category Film Student for Life. | Tags: | No Comments

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