Tennant-Fest Continues - Blackpool, Einstein & Eddington, and Recovery
As a relatively recent and clearly fanatical convert to the awesomeness that is David Tennant, I’ve been scrambling to get my hands on all DT’s works to date. Thanks to the fabulous buffyaddict13 who so kindly sent me copies, I got to see Blackpool, Einstein & Eddington, and Recovery this week! Add in Hamlet and Doctor Who: End of Time in the same week and I’m practically ODing on Tennant over here. And all the happier for it. :D
Blackpool
I don’t have any real thinky analysis for Blackpool today, just massive squee and flailage.At some point, I’m sure I’ll post detailed reviews by episode or something after a few more rewatches. For now, let me just say, Blackpool is fucking awesome! This series fills me with glee beyond measure. And that was extremely unexpected. I’d heard so many praises for Blackpool that I had high expectations, but at the same time, with extremely rare exception, I don’t do musicals. So, when it first started, I wasn’t sure I’d make it through it, particularly as it became immediately apparent that this might just be the crackiest thing I’ve ever seen or will ever see in my life. Seriously, the folks behind this were on a whole new level of crack. And I absolutely love them for it. I don’t even drink, but I want the name of their drug dealer. Hee! It also took me a bit to ease into it given that Ripley Holden is such an epic prick, I never thought at the start that I would be able to stand him for 6 minutes, much less 6 hours. And yet, now, I love the bastard! How the hell did that happen? The journey of Ripley’s character and every other character in this show is absolutely amazing. The character arcs they packed into a mere six episodes is astounding. I’ve said it before, but this is further proof that as much as we may whinge over it at times, there is really something to be said for the shorter Brit seasons. That pressure to compact stories into short spans seems to yield some of the tightest tv around, there’s just no space for filler or dragging things out, and I think US tv could really learn a thing or two from this. That, or the UK just naturally produces some of the best writing stock around, like it’s in the gene pool there or something. Maybe its both. The acting is also top notch all across the board. You could make a masters class out of this thing. There’s profound acting amidst lip syncing and absurd choreography for Christ’s sake! The facial expressions they manage to hold! I cannot fathom it. The songs and the choreography (omg, the crackiest choreography in all the land!) make me laugh so hard, I could never keep a straight face watching it, much less performing it. And that they do, and the juxtaposition of those expressions with the dancing?! Kills me dead. Stone cold, door nail dead. Even just thinking about DT in the rendition of “The Boy With the Thorn in His Side” has me crying with laughter even now. OMG! ROTFLMAO indeed! And even as you’re howling, the drama is preserved. I don’t know how, but it is. It should defy the laws of the universe for it to be that compelling, and maybe it does, but universe be damned, it’s still that compelling. Before you even know it, you’re completely invested in the characters and what’s happening or may happen to them. And it’s delightfully unpredictable. It’s pretty clear from episode two who the killer is and why, but how everyone’s going to get themselves out of the corners they’ve painted themselves into with their deceptions and how it will all play out is a wild ride. And such a fun ride, and a surprisingly emotional one. I probably never would have watched this had it not been for DT (and how I would have missed out!), and as it turns out, DT just makes it even better. I heart DI Carlisle so freaking much. I love how quirky his is, always eating (and omg littering!), except for those revealing times when he’s not. I love the romance and the sexiness and the heart of the character. I love the ambiguity of him and his behavior. I love how compromised he becomes. I just plain love him. And DT had a field day with the character, and he had some amazing people to play off of. Sarah Parish and David Morrissey are absolutely brilliant. The whole thing is brilliant. And deliciously cracky. In conclusion, SQUEE!
Einstein & Eddington
A lovely little movie. When I watched it, the adjective that kept springing to mind for DT’s performance as Arthur Stanley Eddington was “precise.” There is such precision in his every word and movement in this piece, and yet far from the coldness that might suggest, it is infused with such obvious heart. Now that I think on it, that’s pretty fitting for a character who was equally known for both his efforts at scientific measurement and for his intuitive and philosophical approach to science. I love the appropriate focus on Eddington’s faith and his struggles with it upon the loss of his love, the horror of the war, and the injustices at home, as well as the role his efforts to test Einstein’s theory had in restoring that faith. The whole story’s quite touching, and it’s remarkable to think how pivital Eddington was to Einstein’s scientific acceptance. In truth, Eddington wasn’t the only one, but his timing and impact on helping Einstein break through cannot be denied, and Eddington’s continued support and ability to “translate” Einstein to the masses of the time was profoundly important to Einstein’s success. It’s hard to imagine what could have been lost to the world had it not been for Eddington’s principles and determination.
I also love the honesty with which the film shows persecution of Quakers and Germans in England at the time (Eddington was nearly imprisoned!). I don’t know British film well enough to say how common it is in the UK, but in US films, it is appallingly rare for the harsh and shameful realities of conduct on the part of Allied nations to be shown in films set during WWI or WWII (or any U.S. war era film other than those set in Vietnam or Iraq for that matter). We practically revel in depictions of the misdeeds of our enemies, yet turn a blind eye to our own. We have no shortage of depictions of our enemies’ war-time brutality, persecution of Jews, concentration camps, mistreatment of POWs, death marches, and so on. But where are our portrayals of Allied soldier brutality, the vehement anti-Semitism in the US and the rest of Europe that allowed the genocide to happen and prevented the escape of millions of Jews and other persecuted classes, the internment of the Japanese-Americans, and so on? I’m not saying the former is not important - it certainly is - but so is the later, and it is the height of hypocrisy and inherently harmful to perpetuate such an imbalance. And, um, stepping off the soapbox now. Sorry.
The performances overall were quite good. The actress playing Eddington’s sister really stood out to me, and I love their relationship as depicted in the film. Andy Serkis also shocked the hell out of me as Einstein. I think this is the first time I’ve seen him play a non-CGI character. Freaky.
The only thing I didn’t love about the film was the epilog comments re Eddington. They got that wrong. Eddington was very successful and renowned. Obviously not as famous as Einstein, but Einstein’s in an echelon of scientists all his own, with the possible exception of Stephen Hawking. Just because the current general public doesn’t know of him doesn’t mean his work was forgotten - the general public can’t even name the top scientists of our own day, for Christ’s sake. Eddington is certainly remembered in his field, I can tell you that.
Recovery
And now it’s time for DT to rip my heart out yet again this week with the gutwrenching Recovery. This is a no holds barred look at a family trying to cope after a husband and father suffers a severe head injury. It is brutal, it is raw, it is honest, and it is absolutely beautiful. DT and Sarah Parish are reunited and both deliver some of the boldest performances I can recall in a very long while. (This is what, the third time DT and SP have worked together? Clearly, casting directors have realized, when it works, it works. And I’m so going to need to look into SP’s catalog now.) DT is absolutely fearless here. He so completely disappears into the character, never once when watching it did I catch myself thinking this is DT or Ten or Carlise or any of his other roles. You just see Alan and the varying shades of not-Alan his family is faced with, and it is so devastating and real. Nothing is sugar coated. No one behaves like a Lifetime movie tells us families are supposed to behave. They’re people. Perfectly imperfect people. They live in reality, in all its harshness. Money matters. Sex matters. There is piss in the living room. It’s untidy and shocking and unpleasant and ugly and so very beautiful. This isn’t a fairy tale. There’s no magic fix, not for Alan or for this family. Things improve and they find their way, but there’s no simple cathartic moment that puts everyone on the right track and makes everything suddenly work out. There are turning points, but they are small and gradual, and it still takes grueling, daily effort to pay them off, and there will still be setbacks and bad days, and standards of living and of life must change. The family adapts, but it’s not a going back to what was or a moving on to a fantasy future. Alan will still be different. Alan will still say and do inappropriate things at inappropriate times. Alan will still get lost coming home from the shops. Make do. This is not a fucking Lifetime move. This is life.
Recovery isn’t easy viewing, but it’s important viewing. I know it’d never make it past the censors here, but I wish to god it would be widely broadcast in the US. I live in a military-heavy region, and we have so many soldiers coming back from deployments with head injuries of varying degree, so this is more timely than ever. This could be so helpful for families affected by head injury/stroke and for increasing awareness and understanding in the public. This film hit me on a particularly personal level, as my father has survived a series of strokes in recent years. We’ve been extremely fortunate. Most of the skill disruption, memory loss, and personality changes he’s experienced have gradually subsided and he’s made one miraculous recovery after another. But those periods in between, seeing Dad and not-quite-Dad, watching him and the rest of my family trying to cope with what was and could be, the not knowing whether and how much of him would come back… While more extreme, Recovery captured that hell in a way I couldn’t help but relate to. And since this is starting to make me cry I’m going to leave it at that.
On a light note: For the shallow take, I hated DT’s beard, but he’s naked, a lot, so… *hands*
ETA: Does anyone know what the song is that Alan always crys to and that plays at the end??
Bonus Tennant: Bright Young Things
This has been running on IFC lately, so when I heard DT was in it, I DVR’d it. Sadly, I must confess that I couldn’t make it through this one. I only got about 15 minutes in before I gave up on watching it properly. Maybe it gets really awesome after that. If so, let me know. But, being a DT fanatic, I then fastforwarded to the times DT was on-screen and watched his bits. That’s not weird, right? So, I don’t know precisely what was going on. But DT had a ridiculous mustache, even more ridiculous and atrocious hair, and I gather was playing a weasely bastard. Yet I still thought he was pretty and hearted him. That’s not weird, right?
I just checked my email and it turns out L.A. Without a Map should be arriving today. Huzzah! Tennant-Fest marches on! \o/
I’m still dying to see Casanova and Takin’ Over the Asylum! If anyone knows a safe place to view/dl them online, I would be extremely grateful! Any other DT works you could refer me to? (In addition to the above, thus far I’ve seen: Doctor Who, Hamlet, Secret Smile, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.)
.
ETA: The song from Recovery is "You Do Something to Me" by Paul Weller. I just found and downloaded it. \o/ Thanks to all who helped with search ideas!
Blackpool
I don’t have any real thinky analysis for Blackpool today, just massive squee and flailage.At some point, I’m sure I’ll post detailed reviews by episode or something after a few more rewatches. For now, let me just say, Blackpool is fucking awesome! This series fills me with glee beyond measure. And that was extremely unexpected. I’d heard so many praises for Blackpool that I had high expectations, but at the same time, with extremely rare exception, I don’t do musicals. So, when it first started, I wasn’t sure I’d make it through it, particularly as it became immediately apparent that this might just be the crackiest thing I’ve ever seen or will ever see in my life. Seriously, the folks behind this were on a whole new level of crack. And I absolutely love them for it. I don’t even drink, but I want the name of their drug dealer. Hee! It also took me a bit to ease into it given that Ripley Holden is such an epic prick, I never thought at the start that I would be able to stand him for 6 minutes, much less 6 hours. And yet, now, I love the bastard! How the hell did that happen? The journey of Ripley’s character and every other character in this show is absolutely amazing. The character arcs they packed into a mere six episodes is astounding. I’ve said it before, but this is further proof that as much as we may whinge over it at times, there is really something to be said for the shorter Brit seasons. That pressure to compact stories into short spans seems to yield some of the tightest tv around, there’s just no space for filler or dragging things out, and I think US tv could really learn a thing or two from this. That, or the UK just naturally produces some of the best writing stock around, like it’s in the gene pool there or something. Maybe its both. The acting is also top notch all across the board. You could make a masters class out of this thing. There’s profound acting amidst lip syncing and absurd choreography for Christ’s sake! The facial expressions they manage to hold! I cannot fathom it. The songs and the choreography (omg, the crackiest choreography in all the land!) make me laugh so hard, I could never keep a straight face watching it, much less performing it. And that they do, and the juxtaposition of those expressions with the dancing?! Kills me dead. Stone cold, door nail dead. Even just thinking about DT in the rendition of “The Boy With the Thorn in His Side” has me crying with laughter even now. OMG! ROTFLMAO indeed! And even as you’re howling, the drama is preserved. I don’t know how, but it is. It should defy the laws of the universe for it to be that compelling, and maybe it does, but universe be damned, it’s still that compelling. Before you even know it, you’re completely invested in the characters and what’s happening or may happen to them. And it’s delightfully unpredictable. It’s pretty clear from episode two who the killer is and why, but how everyone’s going to get themselves out of the corners they’ve painted themselves into with their deceptions and how it will all play out is a wild ride. And such a fun ride, and a surprisingly emotional one. I probably never would have watched this had it not been for DT (and how I would have missed out!), and as it turns out, DT just makes it even better. I heart DI Carlisle so freaking much. I love how quirky his is, always eating (and omg littering!), except for those revealing times when he’s not. I love the romance and the sexiness and the heart of the character. I love the ambiguity of him and his behavior. I love how compromised he becomes. I just plain love him. And DT had a field day with the character, and he had some amazing people to play off of. Sarah Parish and David Morrissey are absolutely brilliant. The whole thing is brilliant. And deliciously cracky. In conclusion, SQUEE!
Einstein & Eddington
A lovely little movie. When I watched it, the adjective that kept springing to mind for DT’s performance as Arthur Stanley Eddington was “precise.” There is such precision in his every word and movement in this piece, and yet far from the coldness that might suggest, it is infused with such obvious heart. Now that I think on it, that’s pretty fitting for a character who was equally known for both his efforts at scientific measurement and for his intuitive and philosophical approach to science. I love the appropriate focus on Eddington’s faith and his struggles with it upon the loss of his love, the horror of the war, and the injustices at home, as well as the role his efforts to test Einstein’s theory had in restoring that faith. The whole story’s quite touching, and it’s remarkable to think how pivital Eddington was to Einstein’s scientific acceptance. In truth, Eddington wasn’t the only one, but his timing and impact on helping Einstein break through cannot be denied, and Eddington’s continued support and ability to “translate” Einstein to the masses of the time was profoundly important to Einstein’s success. It’s hard to imagine what could have been lost to the world had it not been for Eddington’s principles and determination.
I also love the honesty with which the film shows persecution of Quakers and Germans in England at the time (Eddington was nearly imprisoned!). I don’t know British film well enough to say how common it is in the UK, but in US films, it is appallingly rare for the harsh and shameful realities of conduct on the part of Allied nations to be shown in films set during WWI or WWII (or any U.S. war era film other than those set in Vietnam or Iraq for that matter). We practically revel in depictions of the misdeeds of our enemies, yet turn a blind eye to our own. We have no shortage of depictions of our enemies’ war-time brutality, persecution of Jews, concentration camps, mistreatment of POWs, death marches, and so on. But where are our portrayals of Allied soldier brutality, the vehement anti-Semitism in the US and the rest of Europe that allowed the genocide to happen and prevented the escape of millions of Jews and other persecuted classes, the internment of the Japanese-Americans, and so on? I’m not saying the former is not important - it certainly is - but so is the later, and it is the height of hypocrisy and inherently harmful to perpetuate such an imbalance. And, um, stepping off the soapbox now. Sorry.
The performances overall were quite good. The actress playing Eddington’s sister really stood out to me, and I love their relationship as depicted in the film. Andy Serkis also shocked the hell out of me as Einstein. I think this is the first time I’ve seen him play a non-CGI character. Freaky.
The only thing I didn’t love about the film was the epilog comments re Eddington. They got that wrong. Eddington was very successful and renowned. Obviously not as famous as Einstein, but Einstein’s in an echelon of scientists all his own, with the possible exception of Stephen Hawking. Just because the current general public doesn’t know of him doesn’t mean his work was forgotten - the general public can’t even name the top scientists of our own day, for Christ’s sake. Eddington is certainly remembered in his field, I can tell you that.
Recovery
And now it’s time for DT to rip my heart out yet again this week with the gutwrenching Recovery. This is a no holds barred look at a family trying to cope after a husband and father suffers a severe head injury. It is brutal, it is raw, it is honest, and it is absolutely beautiful. DT and Sarah Parish are reunited and both deliver some of the boldest performances I can recall in a very long while. (This is what, the third time DT and SP have worked together? Clearly, casting directors have realized, when it works, it works. And I’m so going to need to look into SP’s catalog now.) DT is absolutely fearless here. He so completely disappears into the character, never once when watching it did I catch myself thinking this is DT or Ten or Carlise or any of his other roles. You just see Alan and the varying shades of not-Alan his family is faced with, and it is so devastating and real. Nothing is sugar coated. No one behaves like a Lifetime movie tells us families are supposed to behave. They’re people. Perfectly imperfect people. They live in reality, in all its harshness. Money matters. Sex matters. There is piss in the living room. It’s untidy and shocking and unpleasant and ugly and so very beautiful. This isn’t a fairy tale. There’s no magic fix, not for Alan or for this family. Things improve and they find their way, but there’s no simple cathartic moment that puts everyone on the right track and makes everything suddenly work out. There are turning points, but they are small and gradual, and it still takes grueling, daily effort to pay them off, and there will still be setbacks and bad days, and standards of living and of life must change. The family adapts, but it’s not a going back to what was or a moving on to a fantasy future. Alan will still be different. Alan will still say and do inappropriate things at inappropriate times. Alan will still get lost coming home from the shops. Make do. This is not a fucking Lifetime move. This is life.
Recovery isn’t easy viewing, but it’s important viewing. I know it’d never make it past the censors here, but I wish to god it would be widely broadcast in the US. I live in a military-heavy region, and we have so many soldiers coming back from deployments with head injuries of varying degree, so this is more timely than ever. This could be so helpful for families affected by head injury/stroke and for increasing awareness and understanding in the public. This film hit me on a particularly personal level, as my father has survived a series of strokes in recent years. We’ve been extremely fortunate. Most of the skill disruption, memory loss, and personality changes he’s experienced have gradually subsided and he’s made one miraculous recovery after another. But those periods in between, seeing Dad and not-quite-Dad, watching him and the rest of my family trying to cope with what was and could be, the not knowing whether and how much of him would come back… While more extreme, Recovery captured that hell in a way I couldn’t help but relate to. And since this is starting to make me cry I’m going to leave it at that.
On a light note: For the shallow take, I hated DT’s beard, but he’s naked, a lot, so… *hands*
ETA: Does anyone know what the song is that Alan always crys to and that plays at the end??
Bonus Tennant: Bright Young Things
This has been running on IFC lately, so when I heard DT was in it, I DVR’d it. Sadly, I must confess that I couldn’t make it through this one. I only got about 15 minutes in before I gave up on watching it properly. Maybe it gets really awesome after that. If so, let me know. But, being a DT fanatic, I then fastforwarded to the times DT was on-screen and watched his bits. That’s not weird, right? So, I don’t know precisely what was going on. But DT had a ridiculous mustache, even more ridiculous and atrocious hair, and I gather was playing a weasely bastard. Yet I still thought he was pretty and hearted him. That’s not weird, right?
I just checked my email and it turns out L.A. Without a Map should be arriving today. Huzzah! Tennant-Fest marches on! \o/
I’m still dying to see Casanova and Takin’ Over the Asylum! If anyone knows a safe place to view/dl them online, I would be extremely grateful! Any other DT works you could refer me to? (In addition to the above, thus far I’ve seen: Doctor Who, Hamlet, Secret Smile, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.)
.
ETA: The song from Recovery is "You Do Something to Me" by Paul Weller. I just found and downloaded it. \o/ Thanks to all who helped with search ideas!