(no subject)
Film has been rather boring as of late. I've sseen a number of films that just haven't been very good, a few that have been decent, and even fewer that I would classify as good (Crash, Pride and Prejudice, Me You and Everyone We Know, United 93, V For Vendetta, Pirates II), though none that have come up to the quality of Finding Nemo or Eternal Sunshine from a few years back. Maybe I just was spoiled, but from 1999 to 2004, there were just so many unbelievably good movies.
But, while film has been weak, the quality of television has been getting better and better. Now, there are shows that, instead of rotting your brain of soap opera style drama, actually tell epic season and series wide stories. Last season, a number of shows were really good: The Wire, Veronica Mars, Battlestar Galactica, Big Love and House. Fortunately, all these shows have come back this season, and a new one has cropped up: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, created by Aaron Storkin, the creator of the West Wing. From last season, the best show by far was the Wire. The only show that's ever come close to as good as it is probably Firefly, but they're completely different kinds of shows. This season, Studio 60 might give it a run for its money, given the quality of the pilot, but I'd still place my bet on the Wire given how good the three episodes have been. The Wire has the unique quality wherein NONE of the episodes are just random filler episodes about some "mystery of the week". Every episode advances the season-long story line, and huge things happen from season to season.
Studio 60, on the other hand, is just filled with amazing characters, striving to achieve unprecented success within the context of their day-to-day jobs. It's very inspiring, and hopefully, given the focus of the pilot, will avoid the sort of plotlessness that the West Wing struggled with. My hope is that the theme of the show far surpasses what the Wire is trying to accomplish with its theme, cause it just has a much better take on the world.
With regard to the other shows, I'd probably rate them: House, then Battlestar Galactica, Veronica Mars, and finally Big Love. It's certainly very hard to compare these shows considering what each of them does well is so very different. House is intellectual way above par. Battlestar is incredibly epic. Veronica Mars has some of the best characters, and Big Love probably has the most solid, focused episodes of the group. So, there's something for everyone. In addition, I've started watching Men in Trees, which is decent. It seems surprisingly intelligent for a relationship drama/comedy.
But, while film has been weak, the quality of television has been getting better and better. Now, there are shows that, instead of rotting your brain of soap opera style drama, actually tell epic season and series wide stories. Last season, a number of shows were really good: The Wire, Veronica Mars, Battlestar Galactica, Big Love and House. Fortunately, all these shows have come back this season, and a new one has cropped up: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, created by Aaron Storkin, the creator of the West Wing. From last season, the best show by far was the Wire. The only show that's ever come close to as good as it is probably Firefly, but they're completely different kinds of shows. This season, Studio 60 might give it a run for its money, given the quality of the pilot, but I'd still place my bet on the Wire given how good the three episodes have been. The Wire has the unique quality wherein NONE of the episodes are just random filler episodes about some "mystery of the week". Every episode advances the season-long story line, and huge things happen from season to season.
Studio 60, on the other hand, is just filled with amazing characters, striving to achieve unprecented success within the context of their day-to-day jobs. It's very inspiring, and hopefully, given the focus of the pilot, will avoid the sort of plotlessness that the West Wing struggled with. My hope is that the theme of the show far surpasses what the Wire is trying to accomplish with its theme, cause it just has a much better take on the world.
With regard to the other shows, I'd probably rate them: House, then Battlestar Galactica, Veronica Mars, and finally Big Love. It's certainly very hard to compare these shows considering what each of them does well is so very different. House is intellectual way above par. Battlestar is incredibly epic. Veronica Mars has some of the best characters, and Big Love probably has the most solid, focused episodes of the group. So, there's something for everyone. In addition, I've started watching Men in Trees, which is decent. It seems surprisingly intelligent for a relationship drama/comedy.