Idiot Box
So, I forgot to click send on this one after writing it. Doh!
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As promised, here are some of my favourite TV shows from this year:
Atlanta
Donald Glover has been quoted or paraphrased as saying he wanted this show to be 'Twin Peaks for rappers'. The show has a similar kind of mysterious 'anything can happen' air to it but is much more playful in tone.
There was the episode where Justin Bieber is introduced. And he's black. This joke soon begins to become a commentary on racial identity in the music business and how it ties into expectations of behaviour.
The supporting cast is great, with each character worthy of their own episodes (which often happens) and the whole thing has a very Coen-esque sense of humour. The comedy here is on point (as expected from a show created by Glover) from snappy one-liners to a seemingly throwaway joke about an invisible car that pays off visually in a "did I just see that?" moment at an episode's climax. Atlanta is hard to define and entirely unpredictable. Please watch it.
Fleabag
This show first aired on the BBC over here in the UK. Since then it's made its way to Amazon's streaming service elsewhere, I believe. As well as writing/creating the series, Phoebe Waller-Bridge puts in a fantastic performance as the titular character. What starts of as humourous and biting soon reveals itself to be a deep character study of someone using comedy as a mask for their own shortcomings and the gaping void of grief at the centre of their being. The show spends its time building up a relationship between Fleabag and the viewer, all-knowing glances and fourth-wall-breaking asides, before bringing it crashing down around our ears in its finale.
The Night Of
A worthy distant cousin to The Wire. Created by crime writer (and The Wire scribe), Richard Price and screenwriter Steven Zaillian, this show explores the ramifications of the American justice system on a young Muslim, Nazir Khan after he is accused of murder. The show explores race, the media, the slow wheels of justice and what it takes to survive in the prison-industrial complex in modern America. John Turturro's lawyer gives the show its heart, but Riz Ahmed steals the show as Naz. We see him develop from a shy, bookish student into an imposing, hardened inmate. The show is a compelling journey that leaves you thinking about what is just and what is right.
Mr Robot
The philosophical hacker show went even deeper down the rabbit hole this year with show creator Sam Esmail directing every episode. As such, it feels much more cohesive than the initial season but can sometimes veer into dalliances with pomposity and grandeur it can't live up to. The season's back half though drops a twist that makes the viewer question their perception all over again, before screaming towards a finale that leaves you guessing. Fantastic stuff, with some fantastic ideas and shots, but Season 3 needs to start putting some cards on the table.
OJ: Made in America
This six-part documentary series takes its time. First, it makes you appreciate the skill and grace of what Simpson achieved on the field. We see him twist, turn and dance through opponents like they're wading through treacle. We see him smash the boundaries of race and become an American icon that everyone loved. Then the show begins to tease out the darkness beneath the public facade, as well as plunging us into the shadowy corners of racial politics in the tense atmosphere of 90s LA.
What emerges in the shows second and third acts is the trial of the century, twists upon twists and a gargantuan fall from grace. Even if you don't enjoy sports this will grip you.
Honourable Mentions
Just a few brief comments on some other shows that I haven't finished yet.
Quarry - A jet black noir set in the malaise of a post-Vietnam America. This show gets the period right and has fantastic performances across the board as a returning soldier struggles to find work and finds violence calling once again.
Westworld - Yeah, you know all about this one. A show similar in feel and scope to Lost, playing with big themes on a fantastical canvas. The show is suffering midway through the season with some pacing issues, but I'm told it picks up again in the final stretch.
###
This week has mostly been about finishing off the mountains of work in the day job before I break up for Christmas. Comics-wise it's been all editing this week.
Things are moving quickly with Project Gibson, the hybrid, trans-media cyberpunk project I'm editing. As mentioned before, this one has a *lot* of moving pieces and project management, something I'm eager to sink my teeth into and add to my skillset. The first batch of stories are all coming along quite nicely and we have artists attached for 90% of them now. I'll be hitting the ground running with this one when the Nea Year rolls around.
Project 47 continues to build momentum, with the third issue being the current script being broken across the altar of the narrative gods. There will be an announcement about this in the New Year at some point I imagine. Looking forward for it to drop.
Meanwhile, Project Curveball has generated some interest so I'll be putting the story through its paces (some pun intended) again soon so it can be the best it can be before it goes before the scrutiny of publishers.
The next week or so will also be spent deciding and firming out what projects of my own I want to achieve and put out in 2017.
###
Here are some links:
The Best Game Soundtracks of 2016
How Will Our Religions Handle the Discovery of Alien Life?
Inside Nike’s Quest for the Impossible: a Two-Hour Marathon
The Best Horror Movies of 2016
###
I'll be back next week to close out the year with some movie recs.
Until then...
###
As promised, here are some of my favourite TV shows from this year:
Atlanta
Donald Glover has been quoted or paraphrased as saying he wanted this show to be 'Twin Peaks for rappers'. The show has a similar kind of mysterious 'anything can happen' air to it but is much more playful in tone.
There was the episode where Justin Bieber is introduced. And he's black. This joke soon begins to become a commentary on racial identity in the music business and how it ties into expectations of behaviour.
The supporting cast is great, with each character worthy of their own episodes (which often happens) and the whole thing has a very Coen-esque sense of humour. The comedy here is on point (as expected from a show created by Glover) from snappy one-liners to a seemingly throwaway joke about an invisible car that pays off visually in a "did I just see that?" moment at an episode's climax. Atlanta is hard to define and entirely unpredictable. Please watch it.
Fleabag
This show first aired on the BBC over here in the UK. Since then it's made its way to Amazon's streaming service elsewhere, I believe. As well as writing/creating the series, Phoebe Waller-Bridge puts in a fantastic performance as the titular character. What starts of as humourous and biting soon reveals itself to be a deep character study of someone using comedy as a mask for their own shortcomings and the gaping void of grief at the centre of their being. The show spends its time building up a relationship between Fleabag and the viewer, all-knowing glances and fourth-wall-breaking asides, before bringing it crashing down around our ears in its finale.
The Night Of
A worthy distant cousin to The Wire. Created by crime writer (and The Wire scribe), Richard Price and screenwriter Steven Zaillian, this show explores the ramifications of the American justice system on a young Muslim, Nazir Khan after he is accused of murder. The show explores race, the media, the slow wheels of justice and what it takes to survive in the prison-industrial complex in modern America. John Turturro's lawyer gives the show its heart, but Riz Ahmed steals the show as Naz. We see him develop from a shy, bookish student into an imposing, hardened inmate. The show is a compelling journey that leaves you thinking about what is just and what is right.
Mr Robot
The philosophical hacker show went even deeper down the rabbit hole this year with show creator Sam Esmail directing every episode. As such, it feels much more cohesive than the initial season but can sometimes veer into dalliances with pomposity and grandeur it can't live up to. The season's back half though drops a twist that makes the viewer question their perception all over again, before screaming towards a finale that leaves you guessing. Fantastic stuff, with some fantastic ideas and shots, but Season 3 needs to start putting some cards on the table.
OJ: Made in America
This six-part documentary series takes its time. First, it makes you appreciate the skill and grace of what Simpson achieved on the field. We see him twist, turn and dance through opponents like they're wading through treacle. We see him smash the boundaries of race and become an American icon that everyone loved. Then the show begins to tease out the darkness beneath the public facade, as well as plunging us into the shadowy corners of racial politics in the tense atmosphere of 90s LA.
What emerges in the shows second and third acts is the trial of the century, twists upon twists and a gargantuan fall from grace. Even if you don't enjoy sports this will grip you.
Honourable Mentions
Just a few brief comments on some other shows that I haven't finished yet.
Quarry - A jet black noir set in the malaise of a post-Vietnam America. This show gets the period right and has fantastic performances across the board as a returning soldier struggles to find work and finds violence calling once again.
Westworld - Yeah, you know all about this one. A show similar in feel and scope to Lost, playing with big themes on a fantastical canvas. The show is suffering midway through the season with some pacing issues, but I'm told it picks up again in the final stretch.
###
This week has mostly been about finishing off the mountains of work in the day job before I break up for Christmas. Comics-wise it's been all editing this week.
Things are moving quickly with Project Gibson, the hybrid, trans-media cyberpunk project I'm editing. As mentioned before, this one has a *lot* of moving pieces and project management, something I'm eager to sink my teeth into and add to my skillset. The first batch of stories are all coming along quite nicely and we have artists attached for 90% of them now. I'll be hitting the ground running with this one when the Nea Year rolls around.
Project 47 continues to build momentum, with the third issue being the current script being broken across the altar of the narrative gods. There will be an announcement about this in the New Year at some point I imagine. Looking forward for it to drop.
Meanwhile, Project Curveball has generated some interest so I'll be putting the story through its paces (some pun intended) again soon so it can be the best it can be before it goes before the scrutiny of publishers.
The next week or so will also be spent deciding and firming out what projects of my own I want to achieve and put out in 2017.
###
Here are some links:
The Best Game Soundtracks of 2016
How Will Our Religions Handle the Discovery of Alien Life?
Inside Nike’s Quest for the Impossible: a Two-Hour Marathon
The Best Horror Movies of 2016
###
I'll be back next week to close out the year with some movie recs.
Until then...
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