Posts by Bob Munro
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Lovely. I'd always felt frustrated at the Stephen Jones type jibes, not having any hard data to counter with. And here it all is. Great!
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Michael Tomasky has a North American take on broadcast television versus the emerging interactive technologies in his review of Al Gore's 'The Assault on Reason' for the New York review of Books at:
http://www.nybooks.com/ -
As someone without Sky and having had to listen to Hamish McKay on the delayed TV3 coverage for years I was dreading his commentary on Saturday. I was all set with the radio ready by the TV to switch over audio if it got unbearable but it wasn't too bad. He has no insights to offer on the intricacies of the game but at least he toned himself down and didn't get into verbal diarrhoea mode. A pass mark - just.
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Brilliant again Graham. Is there no end to the inanities we allow ourselves to be sucked into?
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Yes Russell. It makes no sense. How much does it cost to run off a few DVDs? It's not like they're trying to keep the gene pool of quality up or anything. The Wire is a difficult series for both programmers and viewers in a regular broadcasting format but it is perfect on DVD. Once it's in the rental circuit I'm sure word would spread. Why wouldn't it become TV's Shawshank Redemption?
Anyway I see my mission in life to convert people to the Wire. Even one soul saved would be worthwhile. So please if you like any sort of detective series or police procedual type stories give The Wire a go.Just for example, without giving anything away and the way series three is tied up is magesterial in the last episode - there is a regular part of a policeman's day that is the same through all the series, where they gather somewhere, I think it might be at the rear of the police station, and quaff a few beers at the end of a shift. The ritual is to squash the can and toss it on the roof. Right at the end of series three you see someone do this and for the first time we see where the cans land. The camera slowly pans across this nearly flat roof and there to see are thousands of cans slowly coming into view as the camera pans. In that shot is the long history of the rituals of the job, the people who have gone before and by implication those yet to come, there's also the sense that though the individuals change on both sides of the criminal fence the job goes on and tthe battle is never ending.
As well as that Solomon Burke's deep soul voice comes on singing Van Morrison's 'Fast Train'. one of the few times music is used over the top of the visuals. I don't know what the technical term is but there is a lot of music in The Wire of the gritty urban variety but it is always playing in the situation, from stereos, background radios, pumping out of the SUV's of the gangsters. It's a beautiful way to complement the audio in an authentic way and avoid the usual cliched use of music to dictate mood.
I could go on - and probably shall whenever The Wire gets mentiuoned. -
Thanks Graeme. I've downloaded series three and watched it right thru on the computer. It is very fine. There was tremendous satisfaction in the final episode as it all came together. It's a tour de force.
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Whenever I see the The Wire mentioned I have to add my ten cents. This is one of the greatest TV series ever made in my opinion. If we are living in a golden age of American drama, surely The Wire stands there with any thing else. i think it's much better than the Sopranos. It has more breadth, characters, atmosphere and realistic truth. You can see why it is difficult to show in a regular TV format. It is not episodic and doesn't have cliff hangers or artificial peaks to end an episode. It must be murder to watch with add. breaks. But it is quite wonderful to watch in DVD format. Give yourself a weekend and settle in and watch the whole thing unfold langorously in all it's Dickinsean splendour.
But hang on you can't! Series two was broadcast on TV2 late at night, it's use of Baltimore patois does make it tricky for prime time. But at least you could get the DVD.
Series three is not even issued in Zone 4 DVD format. You cannot watch it in New Zealand unless you download it, which takes about a week it seems and you have to watch it on a computer screen. But believe me it's worth it. -
Excellent! There was no need for the disclaimer at the bottom Graham, it was obvious from the opening line what you were up to. When I first read it I thought Michael Field must be just another Gen-X whiner but is he the same Michael Field who was kicked out of Fiji after the latest coup?