Baseball: The Tenth Inning

The Tenth Inning (2010) dir. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Documentary

***1/2

By Alan Bacchus

It’s the baseball playoffs and what a pleasure it was to see former Blue Jay Roy Halladay, the nicest guy in Baseball, throw a no-hitter in his first playoff game. Timed well with this so very exciting time of the season is Ken Burns’ followup to his 1994 documentary series simply titled Baseball.

While that original series was comprehensive, nostalgic and even moving at times, it had the same esoteric tone as his gigantic and also rather longish and... shhh, boring, Civil War series. But for baseball fans like me who were alive and lived through the era of baseball from 1992-2009, this addendum is anything but ‘boring’. It’s the ideal recap of events, issues, heroes and villains of this very dramatic era in America’s National Pastime.

This four hour series is split into two parts, the Top of the Tenth, representing years 1992 – 1999, and the Bottom of the Tenth covering 2000-2009. As one would expect Burns/Novick cover steroids, the strike, the dramatic McGwire/Sosa home run battle of 1998, Bonds’ race for Hank Aaron, the proliferation of Latin and Japanese players in the league and steroids, steroids, steroids and all the drama of actual games and series in between.

But why even discuss Baseball with such analytical attention? Well, it’s not known as the National Past time for nothing. As explained by the journalists interviewed early on in the documentary, there is (or was) a purity to the sport which has remained remarkably constant over its 100 year history. Despite advancements in technology, the game has stayed the same over this period. The rules have barely changed, equipment barely changed, and as such the statistics which drive the study of this game have stayed the same. Therefore players and teams are actually comparable over time, which means whenever a player steps up to the plate he’s instantly etched into a historical context which is always being referenced.

The major issue which threatens this sanctity is covered in a number of chapters of this documentary - steroids. From the McGwire/Sosa race, to Bonds, to the strike and the congressional hearing on doping, steroids is the defining issue of this era.

Burns/Novick are very smart though to look at both sides to every issue. Particularly with steroids, and he opens up the discussion by going back into the past to describe the long history of ‘cheating’ in baseball. Whether it’s the pervasive gambling problems at the beginning of the century to Gaylord Perry’s legendary spitball, Burns succinctly points out that cheating is not new and that there's even some admiration associated with bending the rules.

The filmmakers also smart to limit the amount of TV stock footage to dramatize the stories. Burns still uses photos, zoomed and panned using his ‘Ken Burns’ effect’, to visualize his anecdotes, thus linking it with the aesthetic of his original series.

He also limits the number of interviewees to tells his stories, which has its pros and cons. On one hand, someone like Bob Costas becomes a character in the film just as much as Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds who aren’t interviewed. Which leads to my biggest complaint, the lack of player representation as interviewees. The only players or coaches we see on camera are Ichiro, Joe Torre and Pedro Martinez. Of course, no one other than journalists comments on the steroid issue. At the very least Jose Canseco would have spoken.

And so it’s a distinct journalistic point of view of the game, which is also consistent to Burns’ tone. That is to have it fit in with his themes of Americana, it’s place in American history as a whole and the culture of recreation, sport and entertainment in America.

The Tenth Inning is available on Blu-Ray from Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment.

Red Riding Trilogy

Red Riding Trilogy (2009) dir. Julian Jarrold, James Marsh, Anand Tucker
Starring: Andrew Garfield, David Morrissey, Paddy Considine, Warren Clarke, Rebecca Hall, Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Peter Mullan, Eddie Marsan

***1/2

By Alan Bacchus

David Peace’s novels The Red Riding Quartet published between 1999 and 2002 looks to be Britain’s equivalent to the Millennium trilogy. Police corruption, sicko psychopathic serial killer stuff, dead children, period UK politics all contribute to three robust investigative thrillers in which the whole adds up to be greater than the sum of its parts.

The series, originally made for UK Television by Andrew Eaton's (and Michael Winterbottom’s) Revolution Films, saw a brief US theatrical run before arriving this week on DVD. Each film is shot by a different director, and set in three different time periods 1974 (dir. Julian ‘Becoming Jane’ Jarrold), 1980 (dir. James ‘Man on Wire’ Marsh) and 1983 (dir. Anand ‘Girl with the Pearl Earring’ Tucker). The common creative thread other than the producer is writer Tony Grisoni, a seasoned screenwriter known for his collaborations with Terry Gilliam. No surrealism here though, it’s a straight forward procedural set around the real life Yorkshire Ripper case, a noirish Chinatown feel under the modern serial killer genre.

The series opens in 1974, with a young journalist (Andrew Garfield) from ‘The South’ (that is, the affluent upper class London) coming back North to Yorkshire to do an investigative piece on a particularly grisly series of murders involving young kids found murdered with swan wings stitched to their backs. Ick. What starts out as a simple case unfolds revealing more sinister elements that connects to a wide network of corruption involving the Yorkshire Police and a local nefarious businessman.

Garfield, who will become much more famous after he dons his new Spider Man suit, does his Jake Gittes performance, engaging in an illicit steamy relationship with a damaged victim, Rebecca Hall who is the Faye Dunaway character. Garfield’s character, like Gittes, is a glutton for punishment, as the deeper he gets into the case the more beatings he takes. Throughout the picture, his hands, face and arms get smashed in, and his balls crushed twice. There’s also no less than three love scenes with Hall.

The three filmmakers seem have to been encouraged to have their own look and style applied to each picture. And in the case of 1974, director Jarrold's forced 70's look unfortunately becomes the biggest crutch on that film, employing a yellowish/brown filter look, difusing the contrast perhaps to enhance the feeling of other movies of that era but which unnecessarily distracts us from the film.

The second chapter is the best. James Marsh, who won an Oscar for the documentary Man on Wire, employs a more realistic visual approach. His doc skills show up in the opening which features intelligent use of stock footage to set the scene and tone for the six year jump from the first film. Paddy Considine turns in a better lead performance as well. He’s an internal affairs cop from the South sent up north to investigate a series of grisly rape/murders of local women. His sad eyes and honest facial features renders the even greater tragedy which befalls him with more resonance than the 1974 chapter.

The third episode features a lawyer (Mark Addy) once again going back into the case of the first film, and retracing the trail of corruption and deceit from the baddies who have been pulling the strings all these years. Tucker’s anamorphic cinematography, full of JJ Abrams lens flares, is the most cinematic of the bunch. It works to heighten the scope of the series and give the audience a bigger cinematic bang to the story.

All three Red Riding films combined manages to capture the best qualities of both the film and television mediums - the depth of character and situation which long form serialized television can bring forth, and the spectacle of the feature film medium. The trilogy leans more toward television though and thus, at the end of the entire venture we never feel truly moved by the machinations of Peace’s characters over this long period of time.

That said Grisoni does a fantastic job of laying ground work of plot, character and other details for the other films early on. When films 2 and 3 doubles back on itself to link up the actions of characters seen from different points of view, I found myself nodding in appreciation and wanting more.

Each separate film leaves us both with enough closure for it to become its own story and with the door open teasing us for what’s to come. The final resolution in Tucker's film however fails to elevate the series to another level of great storytelling and thus doesn’t quite fully satisfy our whetted appetite. Without spoiling anything, the A Plot of the murders is closed off but the political/economic angle B plot is left hanging. And not with an effectively open-ended tease, but a feeling that the writer just forgot about that angle of the story. It's a shame because the potential was in the filmmakers' grasp.

I can’t fully compare Red Riding to the Millenium Trilogy, having only seen parts one and two of the Swedish series. But I can tell already, the Larsson stories have a different kind of perversity. Both series feature ghastly crimes, but somehow the grisliness of Larsson’s saga are so sensationalized it produces an echo of cinematic fun not present (and missed) in Peace’s story. Regardless, it’s an ambitious effort on the part of these Brits which succeeds enough and thus deserves to be discovered on DVDs by television and true crime aficionados.

'The Red Riding Trilogy' is available on DVD from Alliance Films in Canada

Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals (2010) dir. Ezra Edelman
Documentary

***1/2

By Alan Bacchus

The NBA Finals have begun and with rivals teams Lakers and Celtics vying for the trophy HBO couldn’t have timed the release of their fantastic new sports documentary Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals any better.

In fact, it’s one of two new feature length sports documentaries airing now (including Broad Street Bullies, documenting the Philadelphia Flyers’ great teams of the 1970’s – again GREAT timing). Perhaps its the success of ESPN’s documentary series 30 for 30 series, which featured fine documentaries on Wayne Gretzky and Reggie Miller to name a few, which helped greenlit these film. Either way, it's a welcomed trend.

The inherent conflict involved in sport, the visual spectacle of the action and the emotional drama makes for good cinema plain and simple. And when you show sports with the highest production value and attention to detail through which a feature documentary can give its more than worthy of the cinematic experience.

Magic and Bird is a wonderful film, which captures the intense rivalry between two of Basketball’s best players and pop culture icons. The rivalry couldn’t have been scripted any better. Filmmaker Ezra Edelman goes back and charts the rise of each player from humble working class beginnings to the top of the game in the pros. While the playing styles of each player complimented each other well, it’s personality differences which heightened their rivalry. Interviews with fellow players and coaches reveal Larry Bird as an introverted and severely intense workhorse who rarely showed emotion and never ever showed camaraderie with other teams. Magic, on the hand, was the opposite, a Hollywood celeb, a free spirit, and someone who just wanted to get along with everybody, including Larry Bird.

As history has told us already, the competition between the two started in college when the pair faced off against each other at the NCAA championships, with Magic’s Michigan State coming out on top. Later in the pros, Bird would top Magic for rookie of the year honours and three championship rings and three MVP trophies before Magic equaled his three trophies later in the decade to go with five Championships. And on the court we watch Bird face Magic three times in the finals in the 1980’s.

With all available TV coverage, and the most insider sports personnel to comment, we are brought back into this age with the convenience of a time machine. Edelman broadens the effect of their rivalry beyond the court, showing us how they single handedly revived the sagging NBA TV ratings and even resparked some latent racial tension between black and whites. Having grown up in the 80’s, I can say that none of Edelman’s insights are embellished. He captures the flavour and feeling of that era with 100% accuracy.

Edelman’s even finds common ground in the final act of each of the players, a 'downfall' for both players who both succumbed to the intensity of sport and celebrity. Of course, for Magic his womanizing Hollywood lifestyle led to his contracting HIV and quitting prematurely; and for Bird, his physical, no holds barred play led to a severe back injury and like Magic premature retirement.

The mirror between Bird and Magic and the intensity of sports coalesces into a near perfect portrait of athletes, celebrities and regular people who lead extraordinary lives in the spotlight.

The South Pacific

The South Pacific (2009) prod. BBC Nature Unit
TV Documentary Series

***1/2

By Alan Bacchus

This title is not to be confused with Oscar and Hammerstein’s musical, or Steven Spielberg’s The Pacific, or even the French theatrical doc Oceans. This BBC series further expands on the monumentally successful series Planet Earth, for another six episodes of stunning high definition nature goodness, this time specifically in the Pacific Ocean.

Why the Pacific Ocean? As the opening narration describes it’s subtropical, relative inhabitability and its sheer girth which covers 1/3 of the earth means there’s a wealth of life in this region of the world which most of us never get to see. In certain parts of the Ocean there are islands so remote their nearest neighbours are thousands of miles away.

But the Pacific Ocean is hardly anything new, and footage of funny jellyfish, great white sharks, snakes, anteater, or tropical birds are nothing we haven’t seen before. But under the super glossy high definition imagery, suddenly animals, nature and people we take for granted becomes as mindbogglingly beautiful as anything in Avatar.

The series splits of into six episodes, each concentrating on a specific aspect of the Ocean. Episode 1, ‘Ocean of Islands’ explores the effects of the relative remoteness of many of the tiny island which dot the 19,800 kilometre-wide blanket of crystal blue water. It’s the same collection of oddball creatures which fascinated Charles Darwin, flesh-eating caterpillars; large crabs which can open coconuts, in addition to the isolated native communities with continue to thrive without much contact with the globally connected world. Perhaps the most delirious are the inhabitants of Pentecostal island who engage in ritualistic bungee jumping using on twist vines instead of flexible cord.

Other episodes include: ‘Castaways’ which looks at how plants, animals and humans colonized even the most remote islands; ‘Endless Blue’ which uses the true story of the journey of a 19th century shipwrecked whaling ship to show us brutality of living on the ocean; ‘Ocean of Volcanoes’ shows us how the violent eruptions of molten rock brings life into the Ocean; ‘Strange Islands’ shows us the usual animal life which evolved from the remoteness of the islands; and ‘Fragile Paradise’ which inevitably has to preach to us the dangers of environmental destruction.

The BBC cameramen, producers, directors use the same visual philosophy of Planet Earth to astonish us once again with the treasures of life and nature which is in abundance in this special place. Ten years ago I would have never have believed that a nature documentary like March of the Penguins, or Winged Migration or Oceans would ever be cinema-worthy films. South Pacific never got to the theatres, but considering the success of the Planet Earth-adapted feature film Earth, the South Pacific could easily have been Oceans.

'The South Pacific' is available on Blu-Ray from Warner Bros Home Video

Best of TV 2009

By Matt Reid

Hey everyone, it’s time for 2009’s Top 10 list…and only two weeks late (better than last year’s end-of-January list). To recap, I started this a couple years ago and people seem to enjoy getting it every year (based on the comments I get, such as ‘you are an idiot – you have terrible taste’), so I guess I’ll keep offering up my unsolicited opinions …

A big question I often get is ‘how do you find time for so much TV?’ I guess a more accurate name for this list would be Matt’s TV 2009 (dropping the Top 10) since the only shows I watch are the ones listed below (if a show is not keeping me interested, I stop watching). Plus a New Year’s resolution that Beth & I have to read more and watch less TV may make next year’s a Top 3 list…

Also, the usual disclaimer: these shows are ones that I (personally) watched in 2009 (and since I don’t have pay TV, some shows (e.g. Dexter) won’t be watched until this year on DVD)

First, the sub-categories:

As an avid-Anti Reality Show person, the three ones I actually do watch: The Amazing Race (still enjoyable), Survivor (Russell made it exciting again), Top Chef (mmmmm)

Shows that I used to enjoy but find truly unbearable now: Scrubs, Weeds, Heroes, SNL, Flash Forward (bonus points: this last one only took half a season!)

Honourable mention: Castle (fun guilty pleasure) Big Bang Theory (consistently funny), Office (still good but not what it once was), Rick Mercer Report & Dragon’s Den (these two are proof that my tax dollars can still churn out something worth watching)
Shows that are waiting for me on DVD so they can make next years’ list: Dexter (yes, I’m a little behind), The Wire (I know, I know, it’s the best show ever), Rome

And the Top 10 for this year:

10. How I Met Your Mother

I often hear ‘but it has a laugh track’…..when you generate this many laughs, even I can overlook that. This is more than just a means to an end (who even cares who the mother is); it’s an entertaining look at a group of friends growing up in New York City. A solid cast led Neil Patrick Harris plus writing that rewards loyal viewing puts this on the list for the second year in a row

9. Better Off Ted

I’ll be pretty surprised if anyone reading this watches this show – the ratings are horrific (so it is probably two weeks away from cancellation). From the gifted comedy mind behind Andy Richter Controls the Universe (the cult show that I enjoyed watching again on DVD this summer), it’s a great send-up of corporate culture at a large U.S. conglomerate. Solid performances led my Portia DeRossi (who proved she could do killer comedy in Arrested Development) and sharp writing make this one a winner.

8. Glee

A show unlike any other: completely over-the-top but never playing it safe. One of the most buzzed about shows of the fall, it’s got music (showcasing the power of great pop songs), comedy (Jane Lynch is top-notch), and drama (the reality of wanting to belong in high school). The show misses sometimes (pregnancy storylines, another ‘Glee club is doomed’ story) but it’s so nice to see a show try something different that it can be forgiven for those sins. I’m looking forward to the shows return….unfortunately, not until April

7. Friday Night Lights

Thanks to the investment by DirecTV, this low rated but critically loved show received a third season (and the fourth is on its way to NBC this spring/summer). One of the best depictions of small-town USA life, it is anchored by the top notch performances of Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. There’s been some turnover in the show’s young cast, but that only further adds to the realism of the show (people do go away to college, you know). A show with heart, humour and drama.

6. Fringe

A show from last year’s ‘Futures Pick’ list, it has become the next great sci-fi show. Whether the episode is part of the overall show arc/mythology or simply a creepy, self-contained episode, I find myself consistently enjoying it every week (and making in one of my first PVR playbacks from Thursday night). John Noble is brilliant as the eccentric Walter but the entire cast gives solid performances. Complex but not too myth-heavy, a show that has really hit its stride in its second season.

5. 30 Rock

Still one of the top laugh providers on my weekly TV schedule, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey really deliver. With a tone that veers from biting satire to absurd over-the-top humour, this show has introduced phrases such as ‘Shark Farts’ and ’I Want to go to There’ to my vocabulary (which no doubt makes me seem weird to people who don’t watch the show). As someone who works for NBC-Universal, I’m interested to see if the show incorporates the sale by GE into the plot this year….

4. Modern Family

What a gem: the last comedy I remember arriving of the scene this fully formed was a little show called Arrested Development. Modern Family combines a snarky/sarcastic sense of humour with a good dose of heart (but not too sweet) for the fall’s best new show. The cast is solid overall, but early standouts include Ty Burrell as clueless dad Phil and Eric Stonestreet as son-in-law Cameron.

3. Breaking Bad

Bryan Cranston (who won his second Emmy in a row for this show) anchors this complex, darkly humorous and tragic look into the life of a man dying of cancer and the lengths he goes to to provide for his family. Finally getting a full season (Season 1 was cut short due to the writers strike) we became immersed in this world and, at season’s end, were left wondering where the web of deceit will take us next year.

2. Lost

Down from #1 last year but fully expected to regain that title for next year as we head into the final season. Definitely a more sci-fi heavy season last year but still unbelievably executed with amazing acting, writing and directing. The cliff hanger ending has only left us fans salivating in anticipation of the Final Season Premiere in just 3 weeks! Will the final episode satisfy everyone? Most likely not, but I’m just glad we’ve all been taken along on this exhilarating ride.

1. Mad Men

The jockeying between this and Lost for the #1 show seems to alternate in the last few years, but this year Mad Men was the show I found myself most looking forward to once the current week’s episode had ended. As Don Draper is finally forced to confront some issues he had so easily avoided before, the acting by Jon Hamm was second to none. January Jones and the rest of the cast also chipped in top notch performances and Matthew Weiner and his writing team delivered great drama against a historical backdrop. The season finale reset all the pieces and I already can’t wait for Season 4….

Lost - Season 5

Lost Season 5 (2009) dir. Various
Starring: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Naveen Andrews, Terry O'Quinn. Michael Emerson

***

By Alan Bacchus

Season 5 of LOST, now available on DVD, received arguably the most critical acclaim since its first season. It’s perhaps its most ambitious, a complex narrative which changed substantially the focused paradigm of the first four seasons.

When we last left our Losties, Ben and Locke had ‘moved’ the island, which we came to learn meant moving it back in time. Through the first few episodes we get to see some of our characters (inc. Sawyer and Juliet) in flux moving through time randomly, thus allowing us to see previous plotting from different points of view, before they settle in the 1970’s at the time of the Dharma initiative. Back in the real world, at the behest of the Locke, Ben assembles the Oceanic 6 (inc. Jack, Sun, Hurley, Sayeed, and Kate) and convince them to return back to the island. But how are they going to find the island if it’s disappeared? Thanks to Daniel Faraday’s mother Eloise, the island is charted and the losties are reunited – in 1977! The reunion of Kate and Sawyer brings much complications as Sawyer and Juliet are now in a three year relationship. With these allegiances divided they’re new mission is now to get out of the time warp and back to present day – at whatever cost that might be.

I think we all figured out that the ‘Lost’ showrunners have been playing catch-up to their high concept mysterious narrative shenanigans for a while now. Not everything was planned out in advance and the producers’ need to tie every loose end, mysterious happening and oblique easter egg is approached with more transparency than ever.

Arguably the fifth season loses its forward narrative thrust when the time shifting starts to happen. The notion of conventional reality is tossed out and we are forced to accept whatever we are told could happen on this island – including moving through time. In an earlier season Hurley once joked that they were in another time, and, as the audience, there seemed to be assurance that indeed, the show ‘wouldn’t go there.’ Indeed it did go there, which I can only assume was the only way to tie these loose ends.

So is Season 5 a cheat? Perhaps. Certainly having to keep track of where the characters are and why and tracking their individual motivations became very difficult in the ‘weekly’ viewing format. On DVD, this will be alleviated for the first time viewer and even the second time viewer. In terms of narrative, the central goals of the characters are weakened. Due to the time shifting there’s a narrative gap in Juliet and Sawyer’s storylines, as they find themselves on the island three years longer than anyone else.

Even the motivation of the Oceanic 6 to get back to the island is murky. Midway through the season we even forget why they’ve returned. Is it because Locke told them to? And with what substantial reason? To save the others? From what?

The season ends with a bang as the last 2 episodes introduce a baddie even higher up the chain than Ben or any of the Dharma people – Jacob. And that four-toed foot finally gets some attention after 3 years of teasing.

“Lost” is still as much fun to discuss as ever and thus one of the best shows on television. The final season with begins in the New Year is thus welcomed with both relief, excited and sadness.

“Lost Season 5” is on DVD and Blu-Ray from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Rome

Rome (2005-2007) created by John Milius, Willam J. Macdonald, Bruno Heller
Starring: Ciaron Hinds, James Purefoy, Kevin McKidd

This posting doesn’t really serve as a review but an admonition of excitement about getting to work on watching the lauded television series ‘Rome’. The series, created by muscular 70's/80's writer/director John Milius 'Apocalypse Now'), William J. MacDonald and Bruno Heller, aired for only two seasons on HBO in the US in 2005 and 2007, not a long run but just enough for it to strike an impact in the broadening world of serial television. At the end of the decade many publications including Entertainment Weekly have declared it one of the best TV series of the decade.

This decade of the 2000’s will likely be seen as a second 'Golden Age of Television', or maybe the 'Renaissance of Television'. Since “The Sopranos” first aired in 1999, each year a new must-see limited run television series was introduced. First it was ‘The Sopranos’, then ‘Six Feet Under’, then ‘Band of Brothers’, ‘The Wire’, ‘Carnivale’, ‘Deadwood’, ‘Generation Kill’, ‘True Blood’, ‘Mad Men’, ‘Breaking Bad’. For someone who doesn’t have HBO, it was impossible to keep up this barrage of must-see content.

Of course, with the discovery of the retail DVD market for television shows, we all have the ability to go back and compress an entire series once spread out over years into a few weeks of concentrated hard core anti-social viewing hibernation.

And so arrives ROME on Blu-Ray this week from Warner Bros/HBO Home Video. The boxset contains all 22 episodes packaged nicely in textured box, the colour of stained or dried blood, in a flipbook style holder resembling an ancient manuscript.

I have no idea what to expect, but I hope to be blown away. Wish me luck.

"Rome: The Complete Series" is available on Blu-Ray from Warner Bros/HBO Home Video

Clubland

Clubland (2009) dir. Eric Geringas
Documentary

***

By Alan Bacchus

Every year at this time much is made of the annual Queen’s University Homecoming extravaganza when thousands of students descend on the campus and carouse in the streets intoxicated like typical restless youths. The student arrests, minor scuffling, skirmishes, and general public disturbance of this weekend always seems to spark nationwide debate. Well in Toronto, this happens every Friday and Saturday, in the city’s notorious ‘Entertainment District’ – 1.4 square KM area in the heart of the city where nightly 50,000 young people inhabit 60 nightclubs for four hours and then emerge into the streets after last call for even more drunken rowdiness.

All major cities and specifically ‘college/university towns’ have this phenomenon to some degree. And so it’s not unique to Toronto, but the fact it’s a grossly exaggerated and heightened event weekend after weekend indeed makes it one of the ‘unofficial’ attractions of Toronto. You won’t see it on listed on tourist guides, or in subways ads, but 3am on a Friday night at Richmond/John, for good and bad, it’s something to behold. Violent? Yes. Debauchery? Yes. Utterly fascinating like a trainwreck? Yes.

This is the subject of Eric Geringas’s one-off hour long doc “Clubland” which played at Hot Docs this year and now premieres on television tonight at 8pm on Global. Geringas serves the subject matter adequately showing us several angles of this Toronto experience. We get to see the clubgoers who drive in from the suburbs in droves, bribe the bouncers to get past the monstrous line-ups, spend hundreds of dollars on overpriced bottle service tables and navigate the tricky game of picking up. There’s the nightclub owners, like veteran Charles Khabouth, Toronto’s club king and the one who famously brought Paris Hilton to town to promote one of his venues. There’s the policemen who strap on riot gear and patrol the streets nightly like it’s a G20 summit meeting. And there’s Adam Vaughn the city counselor who represents the interests of the residents (thus the voters) of the area, locals who, of course, resent the ritualistic disturbance.

Geringas’ visual palette compliments the electricity of these nights. Eye candy is all over the place – spotlight, lasers, and neon of the nightclub interiors, good looking young people dressed to the nines and acting like drunken ragdolls. The bright lights of the nighttime streets are so well lit up it becomes a natural expressive lighting for his cameraman. Even the camera light offers a fluorescent softness to the interviewee’s faces blending them in with the general look and artistic design of the clubs.

While it all works for a one-off, the film doesn’t get much deeper than the surface of the issues. We’re told nothing we don’t know already from the frequent nightly reports on local news and even our common sense of the issues – the residents complain, the business owners scoff back, nothing solved. The characters are mildly interesting and represent an adequate slice of the modern club scene, but we don’t spend enough time with any of them to really get to know them. With commercial breaks the film clocks in at 42mins or so, so that’s about all we can expect. With 90mins our expectations change drastically.

“Clubland” is thus successful and provides us a fun glimpse into this world I have long since bypassed, but like to get a taste of every once in a while to remind myself that little has changed, or will change, about how young people party.

One Step Beyond

One Step Beyond: Season 1 (1959)
Starring: John Newfeld

***

Before ‘Twilight Zone’ there was ‘One Step Beyond’, CBS' original paranormal anthology series. Premiering 10 months before T-Zone, the series created by Merwin Gerard and hosted by John Newland had a remarkably similar concept, a half hour show devoted to unique stories of the paranormal. While Twilight Zone’s short stories sought to examine current social and political hot button topics under the guise of science fiction, OSB’s hook was that each of their stories were real life documented cases.

This added sense of spooky realism is enough to separate itself from innate comparisons thus holding its own in the annals of classic television. Young and early performances from Cloris Leachman, Patrick McNee, Warren Beatty also add to the surprises in each episode.

Erudite and very serious host (and director) John Newland introduces each episode entering the first scene of the show and teasing us with the real life backstory of the paranormal event we’re about to see. Newland’s persona is effective, though not the chain smoking gritty voiced enigma of Rod Serling, Newland’s upper class authoritative demeanour lends some respectability to its tricky and doubting subject matter.

Over the 22-episode first season, packaged on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment, scoured the history books for instances of paranormal evidence and events - a compendium of spooky campfire tales and urban legends.

The pilot episode, entitled A Bride Possessed (great title), tells the story of a newly married woman, who while driving with her husband through a small town seems to inhabit the life of another person. Suddenly without provocation, she claims to have another name, her voice changes, she doesn’t recognize her husband, with the twist being that she has been possessed by woman who has died in an apparent suicide. But with a series of flashbacks the bride uncovers a plot of murder thus solving an undiscovered crime.

Episode 3 ‘Emergency Only’ resembles the concept of the 'Dead Zone', an innocent woman with psychic powers foresees the death of a cynical party goer aboard a train journey. Knowing only snippets of the future the man believes wholeheartedly it’s bogus, until one by one the moments told by the woman come true and he finds himself face to face with his murderer. With a clever twist presenting a surprise worthy of a M. Night Shyamalan film.

Production values are kind of a marvel for 1959 TV. The pilot was shot by the great cinematographer Russell Metty (‘Touch of Evil’). The B&W imagery, all around, are often stunning, and the producers make good use of stock footage where necessary to embellish the scene. Watch the Titanic episode to see how they manage to recreate that disaster in a small scale yet completely believable manner.

“One Step Beyond” only lasted three seasons, but clearly its influence on television and thus feature films deserves to be rediscovered.

"One Step Beyond" is available on DVD from Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

G.I. Joe Season 1.1 (1983)
Voices By: Michael Bell, Arthur Burghardt, Chris Latta, B.J. Ward, Morgan Lofting

**

I can remember it vividly, in 1983, after the first year of the new generation of G.I. Joe toys, Hasbro introduced the animated TV show. Instead of a traditional series, for the first three years G.I. Joe was aired as one-off episodic mini-series’. For kids it was an event bigger than “Roots”, or “Lonesome Dove”, everyone's favourite sandbox toys in glorious 2D animation – Duke, Scarlett, Gung Ho, Destro, Cobra Commander and all those vehicles. In prep for the Stephen Somers version, these first three years of Joe are packaged on DVD as 'Season 1.1".

Kids got everything they desired from the series – an extravagant assault of cartoon military violence, told with Indiana Jones-like globetrotting and James Bond-worthy world domination plotting. The writers take influence from this serialized-cliffhanger school of storytelling using episode titles like “Slaves of the Cobra Master’, and ‘Duel in the Devil’s Cauldreon’. The DVD preserves all the commercial bumpers which leave kids under bated breath as, say, when Snake Eyes gets engulfed in radioactive gas, or Duke's confrontation with a hypnotized beast is left in a cliffhanger. With the eyes an adult and former Joe fan though, the series is an elaborate advertisement shamelessly placing its product for kids to add to their Christmas lists.

There's very little for mature adults to latch onto here. Themes and social commentary are shallow if non-existent and characters are base clichés discernible only by the actors' voices. The chief baddie Cobra Commander is nothing more than a bombastic screaming idiot with a Nero-like compulsion for inane destructive behaviour. The key good guys, Duke, Scarlett, Gung Ho etc, exist solely to be heroes of the world. Destro’s stormy banter with Cobra Commander provides the only character throughline to follow. The animators have some fun drawing the female characters though, ie. visualizing the Baroness as a schoolteacher/S&M fetish, squeezing her curvy buxom figure into sexy black latex.

Former fans looking for that nostalgic kick will find the series surprisingly violent. In the first two miniseries Cobra Commander's penchant for gladiatorial torture of Joe prisoners is actually kinda disturbing, and rarely does 90 seconds go by without a massively creative action sequence. On this level, the amount of action and violence they could get away with is actually kind of impressive. The cartoon half-heartedly attempts to absolve their irresponsibility for the violence by using lasers instead of bullets and parachuting injured pilots from shot-down airplane and helicopters, and of course, no one EVER dies, get shot or even injured in the G.I. Joe world.

The DVD package is colourful and attractive. Ron Friedman the chief writer of the three mini-series is interviewed and takes himself and his work very seriously. The fourth disc contains some great nostalgic timewarping with some classic commercials, those awful ‘knowing is half the battle’ PSAs and a printable script PDF. Yo Joe!

This review first appeared on Exclaim.ca

Russell Brand in New York City

Russell Brand in New York City (2009)
Documentary

**

Ok, it’s not quite a documentary and definitely not a movie, so forgive me for defying my own blog guidelines.... "Russell Brand in New York City" is exactly what the title is, an hour of Russell Brand’s stand up comedy, on stage in NYC, and sadly not up the standard which has quickly made him a budding comic star in Hollywood.

Brand burst out into North America last year with a one-two publicity punch of the scene stealing role in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and before that the hosting gig on the 2007 Brit Awards and then after the 2008 MTV Music Video Awards hosting gig. So his stand up routine was worth the shot to watch and review.

Brand's persona takes precedent over the material, or perhaps I should say his persona is his material. His extravagant glam haircut and Freddie Mercury spandex identifies him more as a rockstar than a comedian. His confident stage swagger has the same self-confident superiority as a Liam Gallagher. So how he could possibly get away telling jokes without referencing himself.

The first 15mins understandably includes bit on his new fame from his role on “Sarah Marshall” and his MTV bit. So it’s a mix of self-referential mockery and false British overconfidence.

Despite his reputation as a bad boy, his material is surprisingly tame and uninspired – much of it out of comic stand up 101. British people get knocked around a bit, same with the same old Brit-American cultural differences. Apparently he got fired from an early MTV gig when he dressed up as Osama Bin Laden the day after 9/11. That’s not particularly funny, but certainly risky. There’s little risk taken in this New York gig.

"Russell Brand In New York City" is available on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment

STAR TREK SEASON 1

Star Trek Season 1 (1966)
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelly, Nichelle Nichols, James Doohan

****

What a joy to travel back in time to 1966 to those campy sci-fi studio sets, pastel sweatshirts and rubbersuited aliens. Much has changed since those days, a franchise born by audience demand (the original fanboys) which includes six TV series, seven feature films and numerous ancillary merchandising spinoffs.

The original Star Trek Season One, now available on Blu-Ray, is full of so many quotable pop cultural landmarks it’s probably only rivaled by "Casablanca" for quotable lines. It’s interesting to see how polished the franchise has become, the JJ Abrams reboot is arguably the most anticipated movie of the summer, and on a technical level far above the 1966 series. But it’s the content which is king in the Star Trek world - a series originally billed as a 'western in space' deeply exploring themes of sociological, class, politics, economics, racism and feminism, within the numerous adventures in space.

And on the level of entertainment, it's as watchable as when I first saw these shows, for me, in the early 80’s on syndicated re-run television.

Of course, the consistent relationship in the series involves the three leads - Kirk, Spock and Bones. William Shatner as Kirk expresses all the chutzpah, leadership, humanism and ego needed to command a vessel. Shatner is an actor much parodied for his unique speech cadence, but also capable of making the most ridiculous of sci-fi chatter riveting. He stands right in the middle of the dichotomized personality spectrum of Spoke and Bones. Leonard Nimoy is continually fascinating as the emotionally distant half Vulcan-half Human science officer. And Bones McCoy (DeForest Kelly) is the antidote to Spock's extremely logical leanings. As doctor, his bedside manner often helps Kirk understand and appreciate the illogical humanistic flaws which govern decision-making.

The first season features some of the franchise’s best episodes:

Episode 1 is “the Man Trap”. Although Trek purists, consider the episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before” as the first. But prior to airing, the pilot and six individual episodes were filmed before the series first went to air. CBS chose to air “The Man Trap” first. There’s no origin story or exposition in this episode, the show opens up with the Enterprise routinely stopping and picking up a pair of explorers on a nearby moon. Little do they know one of them is a shapeshifter looking to take over the ship. It's kind of amazing to watch how many crew members die in this first episode. But the series has never shied away from killing off random crew members, famously tipped off to viewer by their red shirts.

The Romulan episode, "Balance of Terror", introduces one of the great villains of the Trek world. In this episode, Kirk battles wits with a Romulan commander as cunning and crafty as he. It's one of the great 'action' episodes, the characters never leave their vessels, instead playing out the tete-a-tete battle like a couple of WWII u-boats captains encircling each other in the Atlantic Ocean.

The two-part episode "The Menagerie" makes for clever storytelling. Gene Roddenberry makes wonderful use of the original unaired TV pilot "The Cage", which couldn't be shown due to the fact that it used a completely different actor and character as the captain - Cpt. Christopher Pike played by Jeffrey Hunter. In "the Menagerie" the Enterprise meets up with the old Cpt Pike and plays out the episode as if the events in "The Cage" actually happened. Spock takes lead in the episode and covertly commits mutiny against Kirk and the Enterprise. Of course, it's all part of a logical altruistic plan intended to save his old Captain Pike, who is now a helpless invalid. The episode tests the relationship of Kirk and Spock, by putting the crew at the brink of disaster. Of course, JJ Abrams has put the character of Pike in his own reboot film, a clever way of linking back to the original series.

The other treasure of Season One is "Space Seed", the precurser to "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn". It's another action-heavy episode which has Kirk discovering a lost penal colony of genetically-engineered criminals from the 20th century led by Ricardo Montalban's iconic character, Kahn. It's a thrilling episode made even better watching it with the great movie sequel in mind.

The Blu-Ray picture doesn't quite 'pop' like it does in other films. The Blu-Ray medium is only has good as it's original cinematography and like most television of its day, it was a largely flat look. But compared to the washed-out re-run episodes I used to watch, it's like watching a whole new show. The episodes contain 'enhanced' special effects, specifically the transition shots and commercial bumpers of the Enterprise flying past the camera. For the purity of the show, I don't really need to see anything other than the picture quality enhanced, but to their credit the new effects have been created with a look and feel in keeping with the original shots - a sign of the appreciation the Trek franchise producers have for their fans, and the reason for it's longevity in cinema and television. Enjoy.

"Star Trek: The Original Series" is available on Blu-Ray from Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment

ELEVEN MINUTES

Eleven Minutes (2009) dir. Michael Selditch and Rob Tate
Documentary

***

Right now, there are no less than four reality television shows on the go about the fashion industry - “America’s Next Top Model”, “Project Runway”, “The Hills” and “The City”. It seems looking underneath the veil of the fashion industry is a nightly ritual. On film the tradition goes back even farther to Izaak Mizrahi’s “Unzipped”, Robert Altman’s “Pret-A-Porter”, “The Devil Wears Prada” and the upcoming Anna Wintour doc, “The September Issue” (read my advance review HERE).

With considerably less famous faces than these other films “Eleven Minutes” does everything right to put us into the world of a struggling fashion designer about to hit the industry’s biggest stage, New York Fashion Week.

Jay McCarroll is not exactly obscure though. He was the winner of the first season of “Project Runway” a competition McCarroll freely admits is 90% talent, 10% personality, with the final 10 pushing him to victory. But after the show’s ending, McCarroll reveals he was cut loose to fend for himself in the industry. After two years of trying to get his design business off the ground, he’s finally secured a spot at Bryant Park – the home of New York Fashion week. The problem is he has 8 months, no financing, and only some drawings on a paper.

And so within these eight months leading up to the big day we watch as Jay goes through the creative and business process of creating a fashion line – drawing and choosing his designs, securing financing, hiring staff, publicists, models, event coordinators etc. The title “Eleven Minutes” refers to the actual running time of McCarroll’s final show, which puts into perspective the ratio of glory to hard work it takes to succeed at the top level. The film captures all the cuthroatness, bitchiness and diva eye-rolling we expect to see.

The “Project Runway” connection is both a blessing and curse for McCarroll. While McCarroll can walk into a room and get noticed, it’s often harder to be taken seriously. Whitney’s old boss from the “The Hills”, the bitchy Kelly Cutrone is featured prominently as Jay's event publicist and confesses to the camera that no one, from any of those reality shows, has ever made it.

So, as much as the film is about the process of art, whether Jay or the filmmakers like it or not, it’s also about reality television. Perhaps this is the strongest part of the film. We’ve seen the process of fashion before, but we’ve never seen a former reality celebrity trying make a living at what he’s famous for. Enjoy.

"Eleven Minutes" is in select theatres starting this week via Regent Releasing.

Eleven Minutes Eleven Minutes | Movie Trailers

TOP TEN TELEVISION OF 2008

Guest commentary by Matt Reid

I started this annual TV summary a few years ago when I noticed a number of friends sending Top 10 Movies and/or Music lists at year end, so thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. Why so late? Well, it probably means I'm busier and/or lazier this year, but we won't dwell on that (hey, at least it's not February, right?)What qualifies me, you ask? I guess nothing more than the fact that maybe I watch too much TV.

First off, a couple notes & sub-categories for this year's list:

The programs on my list were ones that I (personally) watched in 2008 (some people may have seen them in 2007, but due to my lack of Pay TV, I may have watched later than some of you)

This also means there are shows that aired this year that I haven't seen yet (e.g. Season 3 of Dexter) so I can't put that on until next year's list

Another perennial favourite missing this year: Friday Night Lights (Season 2 was on the 2007 list and Season 3 just started, so it will have to wait for next year)

Best Use of PVR Award:
SNL - nothing is better than skipping through a too-long skit or terrible musical performance to find the truly funny nuggets hiding in there

2009 Top 10 Futures Award (for new shows with promise that aren't quite top 10 worthy yet):
Fringe, Life on Mars

Summer Guilty Pleasure Award:
Swingtown

Hoping That It Can Rebound Award:
Heroes (here's hoping the new volume starting next week will feel Bryan Fuller's returning influence sooner rather than later)

Getting More & More Ridiculous But I Just Can't Stop Watching Award:
Weeds

5-day-a-week Show Award:
Jeopardy

Canadian Shows I enjoyed this year:
jPod, The Rick Mercer Report

I've Been Watching So Long I Have To Give It An Honourable Mention:
Scrubs

Reality Shows That I've Started Watching Again Due To Some Unknown Influence:
The Amazing Race, Survivor

Now that's those are done, here's the actual Top 10:

10. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER/BIG BANG THEORY
Two more traditional sitcoms that have found their way through my usual 'laugh track snobbery' armour. HIMYM is my favourite of the two and does a great job of providing a good dose of heart amongst all the great laughs (plus, Neil Patrick Harris's performance is 'legen....wait for it.....dary'). Big Bang is also worth the price of admission for Jim Parson's performance alone

9. DAILY SHOW/COLBERT REPORT
Sad as it is, this is the way I keep up on current U.S. events.....it is the best way to get them though: through a prism of sarcasm and mockery. This election year truly brought out the best in both shows and when they teamed up together for a live show on Election Night, the results were incredible....

8. PUSHING DAISIES
Obviously the last year this show will make the list (which is really too bad), but it's fantastical look, top notch cast and quirky murder mysteries made for a great mid-week pleasure. The upside of the cancellation is Bryan Fuller's return to Heroes. [By the same token, I quite enjoyed Eli Stone, which also was a breath of fresh air but not in the Top 10 as it just wasn't as good as Daisies]

7. THE OFFICE
A perennial Top 10 on my list, they've kept it fresh by shaking things up. Toby's shorter than planned vacation, Pam going to school, Ryan returning at the bottom. Amy Ryan's guest turn as Toby's replacement was a favourite of mine. Not as good: the hour long episodes, which feel a little stretched.....

6. EXTRAS
I watched all of Season 2 and the Finale all together at the start of this year. Ricky Gervais has created another classic character to go right up there with David Brent. The decision between selling out and sticking to your principles makes us all wonder what we'd do in that situation....while keeping us laughing, of course

5. BREAKING BAD
High school teacher dying of cancer sells meth to support his family? Come on, everyone will love that! It may sound like a ridiculous concept, but it's executed so well (most notably by Bryan Cranston, who deservedly won an Emmy for this role) that you can't help but be drawn in. I can't wait for a (full) Season 2 (Season 1 was cut short by the strike) to see what happens next....

4. 30 ROCK
My favourite weekly sitcom continues to win awards and critical praise, but can't quite find that broad audience. Maybe that's a good thing and they'll give up on the big-name guest stars, which is my only real complaint about the show. Just keep the focus on the core cast and you've got so much funny, I often need to watch twice

3. FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS
This is one that I'm sure a lot of you saw in 2007....well, I'm not quite lucky enough, so it was a DVD marathon for me. And, wow, I'm glad I did - the struggles of Bret & Jemaine only became funnier when put to music (Murray may just be my favourite though). Getting the album for my iPod allows me to drive along laughing as the Hiphopopotamus takes on the Rhymenoceros...

2. MAD MEN
Brilliant show that got even better in its second season. Now that all the characters have been set up, we're able to dive more into the stories about their fascinating lives. Top notch writing and performances are supported by the gorgeous look of the show and its meticulous attention to details. What's next for the Sterling Cooper group? I can't wait for July to find out.

1. LOST
Back on top again. After changing the entire game in 2007 with the switch to flash forwards, this year took us on an intense adrenaline ride. Mystery? Check. Compelling characters? Check. Action? Check. This show has it all and I can't wait to experience these final two seasons.....which, by the way, I've given up trying to solve all the mysteries. I'm just enjoying the ride now.....

Would love to hear your thoughts on my choices if you so wish to share.....and then we can end up in a vicious, no-holds-barred debate......

LOST: SEASON FOUR

© ABC Studios. All Rights Reserved

Lost Season 4 (2008) dir. Various
Starring: Matthew Fox, Terry O’Quinn, Michael Emerson, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway

***1/2

Being a fan of LOST, whenever I’m overheard discussing the show I get comments like “Is that show still on?”, or “do people still watch that show?” Though LOST is not a top 10 Nielsen program, the series continues to intrigue and perplex for its loyal fans. After four seasons which take place over only 108 days of time in the reality of the show the series has showed remarkable staying power. For a series that relies on hiding and revealing key information to generate suspense even after four seasons our expectations continue to be subverted.

Season Four begins right where the phenomenal final episode of Season Three left off. We discover the some of the Losties indeed did get rescued from the island – six of them in fact, who have become minor celebrities dubbed ‘the Oceanic Six’. In the flashforwards to the future we come to learn these six have forced themselves to lie about what happened on the island. And for Jack especially this burden has taken it’s toll on his sanity.

Meanwhile in the present we watch as the heroes are split as to whether the new arrivals to the island are there to save or to kill them. The survivors are forced to choose between Jack and Locke’s differing ideologies. At the heart of the conflict is Ben Linus, the conniving “other” who continues to screw with everyone’s heads and manipulate them into getting his way. The season culminates with the dramatic reveal of how the Oceanic Six get rescued and an awe inspiring disappearance of the surviving islanders.

We are introduced to more wonderful and intriguing characters. The rescuers from the offshore freighter include more shifty scientists who can never give a straight answer - Jeremy Davies’ neurotic physicist Daniel Farraday, Ken Leung’s saracastic and prickily psychic Miles Straume, the red-headed Aussie beauty Charlotte Lewis (Rebecca Mader) and the kindly old helicopter pilot Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey). One the season's best episodes is episode 2 “Confirmed Dead” where the origins of this quartet are revealed.

Since there are so many main characters, it’s difficult for the producers to give everyone equally screentime. Other than Jack’s background story, Season Four's key character arcs are given to Desmond, Jin/Sun, and Ben. Even the underused Claire gets her first substantial plot participation since Season One. The coincidence of Claire and Jack being half-siblings becomes more significant towards the end of the season resulting in some of the most shocking individual moments in the season – including Claire’s perplexing association with Jack’s father and the mysterious Jacob.

The best episode of the season arguably is “The Constant” which finally reveals what LOST fans have suspected for some time, the involvement of time travel on the island. In the episode Desmond’s mind moves back and forth between past and present which helps him reunite with his long lost love Penny. It's make for the most emotional moments of the season.

One of the consistently impressive aspects of the series from a screenwriting perspective is how, despite such high concept scenarios the writers manage to avoid obvious exposition. This has to do with the constantly changing point of view. The flashbacks and flashforwards allow the audience to see the same action, or same period of time, from a different point of view, thus relieving the writers from excessive explanatory dialogue. Unfortunately in Season Four the producers do resort to this trap – specifically Friendly Tom’s explanation to Michael about the Oceanic cover-up and even Ben’s explanation to Locke of the Charles Widmore connection.

Season Four also suffers from the prevalence of guns. Every episode seems to feature one of more characters pointing guns at each other. It’s a shame the writers had to resort such easy conflict creation and resolution, but perhaps this was inevitable. As well the season was plagued by the writer’s strike which meant only 14 episodes were filmed resulting in a palpable lack of momentum.

These minor failings aside I still believe LOST is the best show on television – a near flawlessly constructed puzzle which continues to unfold unpredictably. Though many questions have to be answered – who is Jacob, where did the Island go, that Season Two mystery of the ancient four-toed rock statue – the end of near and visible. And I have confidence these two seasons will wrap up this series with complete fanboy satisfaction.

“LOST: Season Four” is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

BAND OF BROTHERS

Band of Brothers (2001) dir. Various
Starring: Damian Lewis, Donnie Wahlberg, Scott Grimes, Ron Livingstone, Peter Youngblood Hills

****

After “The Sopranos” bowed in 1999, one of the next programs in HBO's dominance of quality television was 2001’s “Band of Brothers”. The series is comprised of 10 hour-long episodes, so it’s neither a traditional TV series nor a traditional mini-series. Just a unique benchmark in television history.

Of course it was the brainchild of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, who wanted to parlay their “Saving Private Ryan” success onto television. The source material came in the form of Stephen Ambrose’s book of the same name. With over $120 million to spend, it was easily the most expensive television ever made.

So it’s a given that the series looks and sound 100% authentic. It’s certainly authentic to the new cinematic language of war, that is, the bleached out, desaturated look of “Saving Private Ryan”. Other than CG animation, the new Blu-Ray version of the series is certainly the sharpest looking pictures I’ve seen on my television.

The budget also ensured that the technically complex battle scenes are up to the Spielberg quality. And indeed, it fits right in with “Saving Private Ryan” and any filmed war scenes ever put on the big screen.

But a repetition of battle scenes for 10 hours will get tedious very fast. Where the series succeeds is how the filmmakers mixed action with character. Take the first two episodes. Ep1 begins showing Easy Company in basic training. They are raw and enthusiastic soldiers ready to be shaped into soldiers. David Schwimmer does a good against-type turn as the anxiety-stricken drill sergeant who makes the soldiers’ lives a living hell. Amid the abuse and backdoor military politics the soldiers bond with each other and become surrogate brothers (hence the title). The series continues the company’s journey starting with D-Day and all the way to the liberation of Europe.

Action is not constant, but intermittent, sometimes planned out, sometime random and unexpected. The second episode begins exactly where Ep 1 left off – in a plane ready to drop the soldiers from the air and onto the ground. The episode leads up to the first action for the Company. After the paratroops regroup on the ground, their mission is to take out a trio of artillery guns which have been pounding the Normandy Beaches. The filmmakers are careful to have us understand the tactics, choreography and strategy of the battle.

No episode of “Band of Brothers” is the same. As the Company moves through Europe so does the audience, experiencing all the sights, sounds and pain of combat. Using “Saving Private Ryan” as it’s bible, we’re saved from overdramatic heroics, patriotism, romantic rendezvous, love letters home or other syrupy melodrama. I never been in combat before and I know nothing on television will come close to the real thing, but I’m glad to know my enjoyment of the series is not mutually exclusive of a real soldier’s enjoyment of the series. Enjoy.

“Band of Brothers” is available on Blu-Ray from Warner Home Video.

SQUARE PEGS

Square Pegs (TV) (1983) Created by Anne Beatts
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Linker, Tracy Nelson, Jami Gertz, Merritt Butrick

**1/2

With the release of “Sex and the City” Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has finally released the short-lived cultish TV series which jumpstarted Sarah Jessica Parker’s career. “Square Pegs” lasted only one season (19 episodes) and has rarely been seen until now. I’ve never seen re-runs anywhere, and I’ve never seen the series available for retail sale either. 

Though it only lasted a season, the series somehow stuck in my memory from when I watched it last – 25 years ago. The opening voiceover and theme-song is just as I remembered. We hear Parker and Linker’s characters (Patty Greene and Lauren Hutchinson) discussing their plan to befriend the cool cliques in school and become ‘popular’. And theme song by "The Waitresses" which follows is a catchy Clash-like punk tune.

The series doesn’t quite represent the opening monologue of the show. After a couple of episodes Patty and Lauren seem to be on good terms with the popular crowd, which essentially is two girls - Jennifer Di Nuccio (Tracy Nelson), and her best friend La Donna (Claudette Wells). Patty and Lauren’s two guy friends are Marshall Blechtman (John Femia) and Johnny Slash (Merritt Butrick). Marshall and Johnny are like George and Lenny from “Of Mice and Men”. Marshall the short fast-talking wise-guy and Johnny is the tall odd-ball goof. Jami Gertz rounds out the leads playing Muffy Tepperman the aggressive social academic-type (ie. Tracy Flick in “Election”).

The series plays off the usual high school clique/segregation we see in the high genre today. There’s less overt and mean conflictual behaviour though among the groups. Although Jennifer Di Nuccio walks around the school with snobby entitlement, she’s alone at the top of her food chain, and so there’s never the group bullying we see in today’s high school environments. Don't let anyone convince you "Square Pegs" compares to John Hughes' films at all. If there is an influence between the the two, John Hughes took the genre and created something far more superior, long-lasting and relevent.

Though the character, situations and humour may not translate well in the new millenium, “Square Pegs” does feels as if it’s on the edge of being a great and innovative show. Several steadfast network television rules were broken by the series. “Square Pegs” is a sitcom yet it’s freed from the limiting confines of the traditional studio setting. Weemawee High School feels like a real place, unlike, say, the dorm room of “The Facts of Life”. The laugh track is still present but it’s a lowered volume, and it seems like if the producers had it their way, would probably have wanted it removed totally. The series takes place in the prime of the early 80’s, yet it seems to reflect nostalgically on those times instead of being dated by them - it plays like a show about the 80's' as opposed to a show taking place 'in the 80's'. As a result the series feels more like “Freaks and Geeks” which was a nostalgic look on high school in the 70’s.

It’s fun to look at the ridiculous outfits worn by the characters. Ironically some of those styles have come back in fashion (skinny jeans, and screen-printed Ts) and some have not. Johnny Slash (minus the black shades and omnipresent ear phones) still looks mildly hip today, yet Jennifer Di Nuccio looks like a member a fundamentalist cult. In fact, all the girls on the show wear the most frumpy, unisexual clothing imaginable - something which hasn't be brought back in style. And the language spoken by the characters helped popularize the ‘Valley-girl’ speak – ‘gag me with a spoon’, ‘like whatever’, and ‘totally lame’ became household terms. 

The show's creator Anne Beatts was one of the writers during the famed first 5 years of SNL (1975-1980). Unfortunately there’s surprisingly little of the biting and edgy humour we saw late night in this little show. There’s plenty of horrendous acting and lightly written and forgettable comic situations, but the perky aura of Sarah Jessica Parker is still present even 25 years ago. Enjoy.

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

A Raisin in the Sun (2007) dir. Kenny Leon
Starring: Sean Combs, Sanaa Lathan, Phylicia Rashad, Sean Patrick Thomas

**1/2

The latest version of “A Raisin in the Sun” teams the cast from the recent Broadway revival and moves them onto the small screen in this made-for-television adaptation. Added lustre comes from its inclusion at the Sundance Film Festival – rare occasion for an ‘MOW’. Unfortunately this version is a dull-edged sword with little added to bring the play into the new millennium and stands completely on the shoulders of the powerful 1959 play.

If you haven’t seen or read the play or seen the Sidney Poitier version, the story takes place in the 1950’s Chicago in a poor rented tenement apartment occupied by the Younger family. There’s Walter Younger (P Diddy) who feels ashamed for driving a limousine as a career; his wife Ruth (Audra McDonald) who is pregnant with their second child and works as a housemaid, the matriarch is Lena (Phylicia Rashad) who also works as a housemaid, but retains her pride in her work and family. His sister Beneatha (Sanaa Lathan) is close to her dream of going to university to be a doctor.

The story begins after Walter's father has died and the family receives a tidy sum of insurance money, which Lena holds close to her. Walter wants to make his own mark on the world and invest in a liquor store business. Lena disappoints Walter when she buys a house in a white neighbourhood. Their move to the suburbs is complicated when the family receives backlash by the racist neighbours. Walter feels emasculated until Lena reveals she has saved some money for Walter to do what he pleases. Will Walter do the right thing and use it wisely for the security of his family? Walter’s ego gets the better of him and he finds himself in a situation where he can save face, at the expense of his dignity.

The film feels like a Hallmark Sunday Movie. Kenny Leon’s adaptation does little to update or invigorate the 50 year old play. Though there wasn’t much Mr. Leon could have done with the multiple speeches the characters have to say – after all it’s Lorraine Hansbury’s words which has to be kept in tact. The film therefore remains short on subtly. The characters’ inner feelings are always expressed with spot on and lengthy speeches of emotional catharsis.

Hanbury’s characters are still manipulated archetypes brought to life to create simple conflict. Walter Younger is still as foolish as ever, naïvely handing over his fortune in his botched investment scheme. Beneatha Younger still has the same conundrum of which man she should choose – the right man or the wrong man. She still chooses the right man. And Lena is still the all-knowing wise matriarch. Saying all that, I still found myself rooting for them to succeed and overcome their hardships.

“A Raisin in the Sun” is essentially a story about pride, and how the temptation of money can easily compromise that. The film can be simplicistic and old fashioned, but its core values haven’t changed. They are still relevant and, with the right mindset, “A Raisin in the Sun” can be a surprisingly entertaining film. Enjoy.

FAMILY GUY PRESENTS BLUE HARVEST

Family Guy Presents Blue Harvest (2008) dir. Dominic Polcino
Voices by: Seth McFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis

***

“Family Guy” is the most obscure-referencing fanboy show out there. And so it’s only fitting that the naughty cartoon gets the authorized privilege of spoofing the granddaddy of fanboy films –“Star Wars”. Yes, with full support of Mr. Lucas Seth McFarlane has created a near shot for shot remake of “Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope” with his loveable yet profane characters. For Star Wars fans the inside humour is hilarious, and even for regular people it should be fun.

Chris plays a pudgy Luke Skywalker, Lois plays Leia, Quagmire and Cleveland plays C3PO and R2D2. Peter is Han Solo, Brian is Chewbacca, Mr. Herbert is Obi-Wan, etc etc. It’s amazing to watch the reverence for the material on display – starting with the title which refers to the fake name used during the production of “Return of the Jedi”. The animators manage to condense 121 mins of Star Wars’ running time into 45mins of Family Guy screen time. It’s funny because it’s actually difficult to figure out which pieces are missing. But what’s on screen is shot-for-shot as it was the original. In fact, though I can’t confirm, some shots appear to be rotoscoped.

The gags are hit and miss – some are simple visual gags which reminded me of the juvenile “Spaceballs (ie. the bumper sticker on the back of the Empire battleship cruiser) but there's plenty of subtle insider jokes that will please the hardcore fans. The writers pick apart all the inconsistencies and ‘mistakes’ in the original film, such as the battleship officer who doesn’t let his gunner shoot down R2D2 and C3PO’s escape pod at the beginning or when Han questions Luke for instantly believing in the force, having only heard about it three hours prior. These jokes went way over the casual viewer's head but the scene where Han tries to take a couch out of the trash compactor and into the Millenium Falcon is stand alone priceless.

The DVD special features contains a great interview with Seth McFarlane questioning George Lucas. There’s a giddy look of glee on McFarlane’s face that comes through in his questions. Lucas is his usual glum demeanour, but McFarlane manages to coax a few interesting answers out of the man.

The film sounds great thanks to the real John Williams score and some recycled sound effects – though I was disappointed the film was created in only 1.33:1 aspect ratio. I guess the pressure from the broadcaster to make the film TV-friendly won out over true fanboy authenticity. Because as we all know “Star Wars” is a 2.35:1 film .Oh well. Enjoy this must-have disc for “Star Wars” or “Family Guy” fans.

“Family Guy Presents Blue Harvest” is now available on DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.