An intriguing adaptation...

Posted : 1 month, 1 week ago on 14 July 2008 06:15 (A review of Sweeney Todd)

"Today I wish I'd lost my sense of smell as well as my sight."

David Moore's 2006 BBC made-for-television version of Sweeney Todd is a creative re-imagining of the Broadway musical that was originally written by Stephen Sondheim. Moore's vision of the classic story eliminates the songs and the singing: this is not a musical, but instead a dead serious drama that's more based on the old urban legends in preference over Sondheim's musical. This film bears little relation to Tim Burton's lucrative cinematic musical released in 2007. In place of songs, there's dialogue that dives into characters relationships and motives behind their emotions. By all means, Burton's musical is the superior film - however this is a competently crafted television movie that showcases some extravagant visuals.

With proficient direction and tight scripting, the film moves at lightning pace and is a remarkable interpretation. It's radically different to its supposed source material, in fact the only thing kept the same are some of the character names and part some concepts. Apart from that, the structure is dissimilar and the characters are vastly different. Sweeney Todd is an enthralling effort, especially considering the budget constraints and its nature as a television film. Aside from a few imperfect technical aspects, it's possible to look upon this interpretation as an official Hollywood production. Unfortunately the film will always be extremely overlooked due to Tim Burton's big-budget cinematic masterpiece that was soon to follow.

The film is set in London at about 1765. Sweeney Todd (Winstone), understandably the film's protagonist, runs a barber shop in Fleet Street. Previously, Todd's childhood was crushed by injustice when he spent 20 years in gaol for a crime his father committed. It's interesting to note that, in the original musical, Todd was formerly known as Benjamin Barker. In a few brief dialogue scenes the characters hint that Todd's name is not his natural name; however his true name is never revealed in this version. Anyway, Todd lives a tranquil and lonely life making money from his flourishing business as a barber-come-surgeon. His reputation is renowned around London as nothing but satisfied customers leave his barber shop. But one night, Todd's services are being employed by a gaoler who too long has boasted about his appalling treatment of children. A former child prisoner himself, Todd's fury leads him to commit murder. Stunned at his actions, he quickly tries to hide the corpse. Soon he befriends pie maker Mrs. Lovett (Davis) who takes a warming to him. Todd soon purchases an establishment for Mrs. Lovett to utilise to set up her own pie business. Wanting nothing but the best for the lady, Todd begins slitting the throats of innocents and sending the meat to Mrs. Lovett for use in her pies (with Mrs. Lovett being none the wiser).

Ray Winstone is a fine actor who convincingly pulls off the title role in this version of Sweeney Todd. His interpretation of the character is much less demonic, instead more sympathetic. His emotions come through impeccably, and it's shocking to witness the character slashing someone's throat in cold blood. Essie Davis is a very different Mrs. Lovett. Instead of a depressing widow with a pale appearance, she's a whore - finding pleasure in the arms of a new man almost everyday...while she still has a husband! The supporting cast are all admirable in their character executions. You won't find characters such as Judge Turpin, Beadle Bamford, Johanna, or even Lucy! Instead, this adaptation of Sweeney Todd relies on a mostly new slate of characters and different interactions.

While many who are die-hard fans of Sondheim's musical may find this a preposterous re-imagining, it's possible to toss away all prior conceptions and be wholeheartedly engaged in a different set of events. With a modest budget and a skilled production team, Sweeney Todd is a remarkable version of Stephen Sondheim's musical. Like I previously stated, the filmmakers here opt to play out the events as a drama as opposed to a musical. I must say that the film works less due to being so radically different to the source material. It's a good film, but it's slightly underwhelming and I feel that some things could have been expanded. In 2007, Tim Burton made a cinematic musical of the story.

7.0/10

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The best Aussie TV show for years...

Posted : 1 month, 3 weeks ago on 29 June 2008 07:15 (A review of Breaking News)

NOTE: This is a review solely for season 1

"I'm Mike Moore...welcome to Frontline"

By the mid-1990's, Current Affairs programs had developed into a strange nightly beast on our television screens. These programs were more tabloid than journalism: few viewers truly understood the extent to which they were being manipulated. Even in the current generation of television viewers, shows like Today Tonight and A Current Affair are seen to be concealing themselves behind the facade of journalistic professionalism. Yet they feed us nothing but tiring stories about weight-loss and dodgy tradesmen, in addition to shameless network promotions and pointless celebrity puff-pieces. Stories broadcast in these Current Affairs programs are not determined by their importance but their entertainment value. How severely will ratings rise if fascinating (futile) stories constantly fill their time-slot?

Enter the brilliant satire team of Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner. Following the triumph of The Late Show in 1992 and 1993, and prior to the creation of The Castle (still regarded as Australia's best film) in 1997, the team behind those classic Australian comedies produced what is extensively regarded as one of the smartest and funniest satire comedy series ever created in Australia. This aforementioned series was of course Frontline, and the fact that many of the episodes are still used as a part of school syllabuses around the country is a testament to the esteem in which the series is held.

In the early 1990s, Frontline took audiences completely by surprise. The brilliant show opened up the eyes of the gullible viewing public to some of the more dubious and entirely debauched procedures of commercial tabloid television...all while stocking a high amount of laughs. Frontline covers everything in the dishonest Current Affairs industry: from the use of concealed cameras, the standard foot-in-the-door bullying approach of interviewing, the vulgarity of cheque-book journalism and the necessity to consider ratings wins above everything else - Rob Sitch and his loyal team include the whole package. The show also deals with the huge egos noticeably present in commercial television and the incapacity for many television stars to stop thinking about anything apart from themselves. Frontline satirised many events that were topical at the time: such as a real event when the host of A Current Affair, Mike Willesee, actually talked to a gunman during a siege. Within one series of the wildly innovative program, the team managed to tear down the apocryphal pretences constantly surrounding the medium using brilliant satire without exaggerations.

Frontline is fundamentally a satirical fly-on-the-wall account (almost documentary style) of the background workings of a commercial television Current Affairs program. 'Frontline' is the title of the news program aired each weeknight on an unnamed commercial network. Consider a cross between A Current Affair and Today Tonight...and you are accurately comprehending the types of stories that Frontline is after. The show is hosted by former ABC journalist Mike Moore (Rob Sitch). Mike believes that he's hard hitting and in the same league as Laurie Oakes or Kerry O'Brien, but in actuality he's fairly light weight and nothing overwhelmingly superior to a talking head. Mike uses a great deal of each episode trying to prove his journalistic worth and increase his standing in the hierarchy of Australian television...all without much success.

The on-air reporting responsibilities are carried out by Brooke Vandenberg (Jane Kennedy) and Martin Di Stasio (Tiriel Mora). Brooke is a highly motivated, upwardly mobile young lady who will let nothing get in her way as she scrambles to the very top of the television pile. Marty is a somewhat disparaging, hard-bitten and extremely rough-around-the-edges veteran journalist of countless years. He's seen and done it all, and genuinely cannot be bothered with all the shenanigans of those wannabes surrounding him. Similar to Brooke, he has been known to bend a few rules and stretch the journalist’s code of ethics to breaking point to secure the exclusive story. The man charged with the responsibility of getting the show to air each night and keeping the ratings on the upward trend is executive producer Brian Thompson (the late Bruno Lawrence). Brian is a man with one eye on the ratings, one on his staff, and one on the executives pushing for higher ratings. His life is one extreme stress attack and he is never settled. The real brains and effort behind each of the stories is program producer Emma Ward (Alison Whyte), who comes up with most of the ideas for the stories, does almost all the research, and is also probably the only staff member with any hint of veracity.

The creative team behind Frontline did not exaggerate because there was no need - Current Affairs programs generally used over-the-top methods of getting the most fascinating stories to boost their ratings. This behind-the-scenes examination looks in-depth at two different aspects of the show: the journalism + planning of an episode, and the broadcasting of an episode with Mike at the newsdesk. These two aspects portray a different version of the truth. While the show is being planned, we watch the actual truth being manipulated by the sneaky journalists. This aspect of the show is portrayed using hand-held camera as it is essentially behind-the-scenes footage. During a broadcast, the manipulated version of the truth is shoved into the head of the viewer. Of course, these shots are filmed using steady tripod camera.

Overall, Frontline is a clever Australian TV show that is still rightfully held in high regard over a decade since its initial release. The form of humour is dissimilar to the brainless slapstick and constant swearing present in American humour. It's a breath of fresh air. This is a stunning show which relied on a subtle wit and an intelligent dissection of a media white elephant. Watch this series and you will never, ever look at A Current Affair, Today Tonight, or the myriad of other current affairs shows that have long come and gone in the same way again.

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Best Australian TV programme.

Posted : 3 months, 3 weeks ago on 28 April 2008 06:38 (A review of The Chaser's War on Everything)

Granted the Australians haven't had the best luck in creating successful television programmes, but the Chaser boys changed all that. The first time I saw this show I became addicted.

Why is The Chaser's War on Everything the greatest TV programme to be created by the Australians? Just watch one episode and you will find out why. The boys have skilfully created a bunch of hilarious segments that give them the opportunity to make jackasses out of themselves (on that note this show is a bit like Jackass...except Chaser is actually good).

Believe it or not, the Chaser team are a group of Aussie blokes who met in law school. They would need a damn good bunch of lawyers on their side because of how funny that are capable of being. That Apec stunt is a good example of the authorities strongly disagreeing with their actions. "You're not funny" says a policeman during an interview. All I can say is...the bloke is only saying that because he's the one who got in deep shit for being incompetent. Heh, maybe it will teach you to actually have a good team of security guards next time. Sheesh!

Of course the Chaser team have their fair share of scandals. The "dead person song" in particular caused a negative ruckus. For me, I didn't find it insensitive. The boys just had a little bit of fun. They're not hurting anyone, are they? People should just grow up and appreciate a bit of entertainment.

The Chaser boys originally had their own newspaper column (they still do) but they were eventually given the oppportunity to give TV a shot. Australian television has become better with the Chaser filling up a suitable time slot. As a result the show is so popular that tickets are sold astronomically quickly for being a member of the audience.

In a nutshell: The Chaser's War on Everything is the greatest Australian television programme of all time. It's funny, witty and entertaining! When you get the chance you must watch an episode. You will not regret it!

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Superb entertainment!

Posted : 3 months, 3 weeks ago on 25 April 2008 04:18 (A review of Family Guy)

"Lucky there's a family guy!"

Family Guy is basically The Simpsons on crack. Each episode is filled with random gags, hilarious one-liners, off colour gags and memorable characters. This also marks one of the most quotable cartoons in existence. I don't think I can remember the last time I could frequently quote a show without getting sick of it.

So why does Family Guy work so well? Other shows try to focus on laughs as well as interesting drama. But the drama and meaningful underneath just ruins everything. I realised after the umpteenth season of The Simpsons that if they focused just on the laughs then the show would be a lot better.

My prayers were anwered. Family Guy moves from one hilarious memorable scene to the next. It's brilliant because of how genius each and every episode is. Plots are clever, ideas are creative, characters are exceptional. In the space of one week I found myself watching about 55 episodes. It was all I did of an afternoon. And I thought it was fantastic!

Family Guy had such a strong entertainment influence that it tainted my image of other shows. I flipped on The Simpsons again not too long ago and found it painful to watch. Family Guy is the future of cartoon comedy. It has been cancelled so many times but comes back with a vengeance. If every show was of this high standard then TV would be a whole lot better.

The voice cast of Family Guy is sublime. The characters are well thought out and conceived. It's hard to choose just one favourite character because they are all so hilarious. Peter, Quagmire, Brian, Lois, Stewie - the list is endless.

Family Guy is also notorious for its clever parodies. Every episode could spoof several films in the space of 21 minutes. They also spoof TV shows and popular culture. The gags are so random but so funny. The creators of this show are genius.

I can't imagine a world without Family Guy. Its high entertainment value points out the flaws in other cartoon programs that just aren't funny after so many seasons. In its seventh season, Family Guy is still fresh. If anything it gets better with age. I could watch an episode everyday and never get sick of it.

This show is essential viewing.

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The best TV show of all time.

Posted : 3 months, 4 weeks ago on 23 April 2008 02:38 (A review of Firefly)

"Here's how it is: The Earth got used up, so we moved out and terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths. Some rich and flush with the new technologies, some not so much. The Central Planets, thems formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule; a few idiots tried to fight it, among them myself. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity. She's a transport ship; Firefly class. Got a good crew: fighters, pilot, mechanic. We even picked up a preacher for some reason, and a bona fide companion. There's a doctor, too, took his genius sister outta some Alliance camp, so they're keepin' a low profile. You understand. You got a job, we can do it, don't much care what it is."

Joss Whedon, modern master of television, was asked for another TV show. He had successfully made Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel; both of which became hits. And so Whedon conceived the sci-fi western of Firefly. Tragically the show was cut down in its prime; its cancellation being announced before half the episodes had been aired.

It was a major error for Fox to cancel Joss Whedon's Firefly after only the first season had been made. They gave the show an appalling time slot, and as a result it didn't get the ratings it deserved. But when this show hit DVD - popularity followed. The massive fan following then turned into a worldwide phenomenon. And this is all with good reason.

The show follows the crew aboard a space ship. Captained by Mal Reynolds (Fillion), the crux of the show's plot extends from the sub-plot of Mal and his crew accepting two fugitives aboard their vessel. Although there are differences between them and Mal, they are accepted as they are seen as assets for the jobs that the crew pull off.

So you can add me to the endless list of people who loved Firefly. When I first heard of it I felt it to be impossible for a show to be as good as it was hyped up to be. So I purchased the DVD I decided I'd watch the first episode that evening. As it turns out, I watched the first four episodes one after the other because I couldn't get enough of it!

And why is Firefly so darn special? It has witty humour, fantastic characters, relatable plots, exciting action, innovative concepts, attractive females, numerous sex scenes - the list will continue to go on. Each episode is as superb as the one preceding it. All the episodes have a high sense of excitement and adventure - this is truly the wild west that has been transplated into a science fiction setting.

The scripts are outstanding. There is humour aplenty; amusing dialogue, witty insults and characters that are developed superbly. Throw in some special effects that could rule all existing television programs, a faultless cast and some sublime direction from numerous contributors.

Another thing is that the cast are so lovable. Each character has distinguishable traits and a well thought out personality. Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds...unbeatable. Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cob...outstanding. It would take all day to list everyone in the cast that I liked. Each had something to contribute and there is no wasted space.

Music heightens the show's likability. The title song feels out of place, but suits the style. And the use of guitar music frequently reminds us we're in a western of the sci-fi universe. Even this music can't be faulted.

There is a reason why Firefly has won so many awards and has been voted so highly by many websites and publications. There's a reason why Firefly holds a firm 9.5/10 on IMDb with 20,000 votes (higher than The Godfather, Shawshank Redemption, etc). There's a reason why thousands of internet petitions have surfaced demanding the immediate resurrection of Whedon's masterpiece. It's because the show is the pinnacle of perfection. I have never seen a show (or a movie) of such high standard.

Some may be underwhelmed due to the hype, some may just not "get it". As for me, Firefly is better than any movie, any TV show or any damn internet series in existance. I could watch the whole first series everyday until the day I die and still shuffle off this mortal coil with a smile on my face. Watch it non-stop until I die...would still not be enough to satisfying my cravings.

Go buy this series NOW. If it's on the TV, watch it IMMEDIATELY. Firefly is unbeatable.

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