THE IT CROWD 2.3 - "Moss And The German"

Writer & Director: Graham Linehan

Cast: Chris O'Dowd (Roy), Richard Ayoade (Moss), Katherine Parkinson (Jen) & Matt Berry (Douglas)

Moss becomes worried that his life is stagnating, so enrolls on a German cookery course; Roy attempts to watch a film without someone spoiling the ending; while Jen finds a depressing smoking area...

Opening with a hilarious spoof of those UK piracy adverts, the absurdity of IT Crowd really hits some delicious highs with Moss And The German -- leaping off from three mundane starting points: Moss (Richard Ayoade) realizing he's effectively "married" to Roy (Chris O'Dowd), the obsessive desire to watch a film on a big-screen TV without someone ruining its twist ending, and a pure flight of fancy as Jen (Katherine Parkinson) discovers the company's outdoor smoking area resembles Soviet Russia...

As with last week's death clock website, writer Graham Linehan targets another internet-related true life story -- the German who legitimately used the web to find a willing victim to eat! The story is crazy enough, but this episodes takes it to a humorous extreme, thanks to a cello-playing German called Johan, with an accent broader than the River Rhine.

There is a faint whiff of unease with a show as playful as IT Crowd tackling a rather sinister storyline, but it just about works thanks to the ridiculous extreme Linehan's script takes it. Oh, and the fact the German cannibal was actually a decent bloke behind the whole eating people thing...

Roy's storyline is more basic in nature, with him struggling to watch a Quentin Tarantino produced South Korean zombie flick. It works surprisingly well given its simplicity, although his quest becomes repetitive once he's sharing a sofa with company boss Douglas (Matt Berry) and his 50" TV screen. It just about manages to overcome growing tedium thanks to a wonderful last scene at a police station, which acts as a great punchline.

As is often the case (sadly), Jen's storyline is by far the weakest, as it's essentially a one-joke scene stretched beyond breaking point. Yes, it's a good joke to find smokers treated like Russian peasants, and is particularly topical with the recent smoking ban in the UK, but once Jen's trudging up a motorway's hard shoulder with a Russian comrade, all the joke's energy has dried up.

However, it was very nice to see Katherine Parkinson giving Jen a more motherly angle to her scenes with Roy and Moss, instead of the gruff cynic she tended to be last year. It makes sense she's grown to like her geeky colleagues, so scenes when she's quite supportive to their needs created an emotional charge that's usually absent in The IT Crowd. She also remains the only character who can flit between craziness and normality with any real success.

Matt Berry restrains himself from his overblown debut last week, as Reynholm Industries' new loony boss Douglas. I still much prefer Chris Morris in this role, but Berry's good for a few laughs -- such as his "there's somebody at the door!" dance in the hallway. I'm not sure it's wise to have him be so pally with the main characters, though -- as his sudden befriending of Roy seemed very unlikely and purely for plot reasons -- but I hope they continue Douglas' lust for Jen, as that should provide plenty of comic mileage...

Overall, Moss And The German was a very entertaining episode and the best of series 2, so far. It really soared whenever scenes involved Moss (Ayoade; on good form) and the eponymous German weirdo, while Roy's DVD plot made for decent support and Jen's storyline raised a few chuckles. It's not a classic episode, but it came close to greatness at times -- only to be dragged down by some repetitiveness with Roy and meandering with Jen...


7 September 2007
Channel 4, 10.00 pm

SAXONDALE 2.3 - "Episode 3"

Writers: Neil Maclennan & Steve Coogan
Director: John Henderson

Cast: Steve Coogan (Tommy Saxondale/Keanu), Ruth Jones (Magz), Rasmus Hardiker (Raymond), Morwenna Banks (Vicky), James Bachman (Alistair) & Darren Boyd (Jonathan)

Tommy becomes involved in a dispute over some squatters that have moved into the neighbourhood...

It's true there are more wry smiles than belly-laughs in Saxondale -- which is no bad thing if you're in the mood for that. The characterisations and intricate dialogue are so finely drawn that you can forgive the lack of big laughs. That said, it would be nice to have more overt humour in the show, as I sense bigger potential for Coogan and Maclennan's characters if they'd target a wider audience. But, as it stands, Saxondale is a curate's egg.

Increasingly common is how the first 15-minutes of Saxondale is all slow-burn build-up, paving the way for resolutions in the last 10 minutes. Episode 3 is easily the most disappointing instalment of series 2, but its second half manages to make the journey worthwhile (just about), thanks to some nice moments with Tommy's porn tapes and some squatter's rancid abode.

Darren Boyd gets increasingly brilliant scenes as neighbour Jonathan, playing the acolyte, whilst brimming with ulterior motives. Likewise Morwenna Banks as Vicky the receptionist. But it's a shame Saxondale has never really provided dependable Ruth Jones with a particularly funny character, as Magz just comes across as a nonentity.

Steve Coogan performs double duties again this week, returning as dreary slacker Keanu from series 1, a whiny northern kid with pale complexion and little brainpower. He's extremely two-dimensional compared to many of Coogan's other creations, so seems slightly out of place in the show. The comedy that surrounds Keanu is far more obvious and fun in nature -- from his squalid living conditions (cheese in a cup!), to general apathy towards getting a job...

The story again presents Tommy with a difficult choice; following his rebellious nature to fight for the rights of squatters, or ensuring they're kicked off the estate because his own living standards are above theirs. The meat of the story doesn't kick in for quite some time, meaning the first half is somewhat meandering. It remains true that you can often cut entire scenes from Saxondale and it would rarely impact the episode's structure.

Overall, despite some later scenes that rescue Episode 3 from the dolldrums, this is quite a downer overall. I never expect big laughs from Saxondale (as it's more a character study than a gag-fest), but the lack of narrative drive, weak comedy at a town meeting and a very slow first half flags Episode 3 as one of the weakest.


6 September 2007
BBC2, 9.30 pm

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Director: Paul Greengrass
Writers: Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, George Nolfi & Tom Stoppard (based on a story by Tony Gilroy and characters by Robert Ludlum)

Cast: Matt Damon (Jason Bourne/David Webb), David Strathairn (Noah Vosen), Joan Allen (Pamela Landy), Julia Stiles (Nicky Parsons), Paddy Considine (Simon Ross), Albert Finney (Dr. Albert Hirsch), Scott Glenn (Ezra Kramer), Colin Stinton (Neal Daniels), Joey Ansah (Desh Bouksani), Edgar Ramirez (Paz), Corey Johnson (Wills) & Sam Dang (Raymond Sykes)

After a British reporter comes under surveillance by the CIA over an article he wrote about Jason Bourne, the amnesiac assassin himself comes out of hiding to expose the US government's secret program...

Ever since Doug Liman's The Bourne Identity (2002) exploded into cinemas, followed by Paul Greengrass' superior Supremacy (2004), Matt Damon has helped reinvigorate the modern spy thriller. Bourne's influence can be felt in many subsequent movies, most famously with the back-to-basics, gritty, kinetic Casino Royale -- as even the great James Bond had to tip his hat to this young, American pretender.

Now, Greengrass returns for the third chapter, The Bourne Ultimatum, and delivers another superb slice of thrills and kills. To be honest, there's little reason for Ultimatum to exist, as everything was wrapped up quite nicely in Supremacy, so while the "mystery" is basically a rehash of the last film (swap shadowy operation "Treadstone" for shadowy operation "Blackbriar"), it remains a wonderfully involving, tense and exciting few hours.

The stars of the show are Matt Damon and director Greengrass. Damon's boyish good looks have hardened since 2002, meaning he's far more believable and dangerous as Bourne these days. The brutal fights and stunts seem second nature to Damon now, as he tears up the screen and stakes his claim as the best action hero of the new millennium.

Greengrass' camerwork and editing is wonderful to behold; sucking you into the film and refusing to let your attention wander. He can take simple, cliched sequences (crowd surveillance, car chase, bathroom fight) and makes it zing with freshness and verve. His "shaky cam"-style may not be to everyone's taste, but it's never overused, rarely annoying, and creates a huge connection between audiences and the screen.

The assembled supporting cast are all great, particularly David Strathairn as Noah Vosen, another hard-nose CIA deputy director; and Joan Allen, who returns as CIA deputy director Pamela Landy from Supremacy. Julia Stiles is also back as Nicky Parsons, although her involvement is little more than an excuse to provide cohesion with Identity.

Character actors like Paddy Considine and Albert Finney also impress in their small roles, while Ultimatum is again full of great villains for Bourne to grapple with, most notably Joey Ansah as silent Desh Bouksani -- who has a gruelling fist-fight with Bourne in bathroom that will have you wincing. It's in that scene that the Bourne character's brilliance is most felt; as he makes a violent kill, but doesn't shrug it off, or offer a Bond-style quip to get a weak laugh... he just feels disgusted with himself.

While The Bourne Ultimatum is undoubtedly an immaculately produced action thriller, blessed with three standout sequences (surveillance at Waterloo, a Tangiers rooftop chase, a brutal car smash), it offers nothing new to the ongoing Bourne storyline. Supremacy successfully deepened the "amnesiac assassin" idea from Identity, but Ultimatum fails to bring anything fresh to the table. By the end of the film, there's actually only one new facet to Bourne's history that audiences were not previously aware of... and that's disappointing.

But while the series is stretching its conceit to breaking point (a fourth chapter would be silly -- what, Bourne tries to find mum and dad?), Ultimatum manages to avoid utter pointlessness by making the journey so wonderfully entertaining. This is slick, energetic, fast-moving, violent, intriguing and clever filmmaking, full of great performances and excellent direction.


Universal Pictures
Budget: $110 million
111 minutes

Transformers (2007)

Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman & John Rogers

Cast: Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky), Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes), Josh Duhamel (Captain William Lennox), Tyrese Gibson (Sgt Robert Epps), Rachael Taylor (Maggie Madsen), Anthony Anderson (Glen Whitmann), Jon Voight (John Keller), John Turturro (Reggie Simmons), Kevin Dunn (Ron Witwicky), Julie White (Judy Witwicky), Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime, voice), Mark Ryan (Bumblebee, voice), Darius McCrary (Jazz, voice), Jess Harnell (Ironhide, voice), Robert Foxworth (Ratchet, voice), Hugo Weaving (Megatron, voice), Charlie Adler (Starscream, voice), Jess Harnell Barricade), Reno Wilson (Frenzy, voice), Jimmie Wood (Bonecrusher, voice)

A teenager discovers that his car is actually an alien robot in disguise, part of many that have arrived on Earth to find a mysterious cube called the Allspark...

Michael Bay would seem to be the best choice for Transformers; a big, brash, noisy, militaristic, effects-driven action adventure, where the stars of the show are mechanical machines. Bay's an acquired taste, but he can certainly orchestrate big-screen mayhem, which makes Transformers even more disappointing...

Shia LaBeouf (Holes) plays Sam Witwicky, an average high school kid who has a crush on hottie Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox), who he tries to woo with his beat-up yellow Camarro. Unfortunately, Sam is unaware his temperamental car is actually an alien robot called Bumblebee, one of many "Autobots" that are due to arrive on Earth in search of a life-giving cube called the "Allspark". Of course, villainous shape-changing robots have already arrived, known as "Decepticons", and are searching for the Allspark's location via the U.S defence network...

Everything tenuously links to Sam, whose great-grandfather accidentally discovered the frozen leader of the Decepticons, Megatron, in 1897, during an exploration of the Arctic Circle. It's not long before Sam is knee-deep in transforming robots, and in trouble with secret agency Sector 7, with the fate of the world on his shoulders.

The visual effects are superb, as you'd expect from ILM. The special effects are easily the main reason to even considering watching Transformers, as their quality never drops from beginning to end, meaning you're never taken out of the film's reality. So it's incredibly frustrating to report that Bay's direction is so schitzophrenic that he neuters most of ILM's work!

Bay notably shows the robots in close-ups, even during action sequences, so the screen just becomes a mess of metal, tyres, whirring gears and pistons. You very rarely understand the choreography of the fights, meaning they're difficult to get excited about. Only on rare occasions does Bay gives us a satisfying wide shot, to show the scale of the robots, or reign in the frenetic editing so we can soak up ILM's terrific work.

On the human side of things, Shia LaBeouf somehow manages to shoulder the whole movie, rescuing it from monotonous effects overkill. He's fun, likeable and plausible as Sam Witwicky, the young hero, dominating the first third of the movie -- where producer Steven Spielberg's influence is felt with some Iron Giant-style shenanigans between a boy and his 'bot.

But comedy isn't Bay's strong point, so it does becomes a relief when Transformers kicks into top gear, after some interminable scenes with Jon Voight's Secretary of Defence, whose suited lackeys debate the origin of a signal that's hacking their servers. A geeky group of teen hackers, led by a sexy blonde (because this is a fantasy world), is just another pointless subplot that only serves to increase the film's runtime.

Megan Fox is there as the token eye candy; a teenager's wet dream given life -- she even likes tinkering with car engines! She's beautiful and alluring, but wasted after a promising start in the "comedy romance" third of the film. After that, she just melts into the background and is forgotten about until some late heroics in a robot-ravaged city.

Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman and John Rogers do the best they can to craft a story around this franchise. Transformers began life as a toy line, before it became a cash-in cartoon and comic-book series, so crafting a decent story from such a shallow starting point was never going to be easy. The script is ridiculous on many occasions, but it just about manages to give the humans and the robots a reason to coexist narratively. It was a nice idea to get Sam involved in the story via his sentient car Bumblebee, not to mention putting the emphasis on comedy before the visuals really begin to fly... but no script about giant, alien, transforming robots is going to win any awards. It's as good as you'd expect, basically.

Fans of Transformers should enjoy Bay's movie, despite grumbling over some aesthetic changes (Bumblebee reimagined as a Camarro instead of a VW Beetle, Megatron no longer an enormous gun, etc), but the changes are for the better. The spirit of the cartoon is definitely there, particularly through Peter Cullen's involvement, who returns from the cherished 80s cartoon series to voice Autobot leader Optimus Prime.

Transformers is about as good as a Transformers movie could hope to be -- which is faint praise, but accurate. Visually and aurally, it's a treat -- despite confusing choreography from director Michael Bay. The performances range from embarassing (John Turturro), bland (Jon Voight) or wasted (Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel), with only Shia LaBeouf managing to upstage ILM. The plot is just silly nonsense, particularly the business about coordinates to the Allspark being ingrained on a pair of spectacles, but atleast it's not taking itself too seriously.

Overall, Michael Bay can certainly film military vehicles in a fetishistic way and orchestrate rather large and impressive explosions, but he can't film a coherent punch-up between robots that were added in post-production. Sadly, all of the action sequences disappoint on some level: being either too short (the freeway rumble with Optimus Prime), too obscure (Bumblebee's scrap), or too confused (the climactic city fight).

This certainly isn't "more than meets the eye".


Dreamworks
Budget: $147 million
143 minutes

DOCTOR WHO - Season 5 in 2010!

It seems the BBC are giving Doctor Who a rest after season 4 next year...

The fourth season is still scheduled for spring 2008, with Catherine Tate as the new companion, but only three special episodes will air in 2009, written by executive producer Russell T. Davies.

The fifth full season, strongly rumoured to be sans Davies and star David Tennant, will air in spring 2010.

Jane Tranter, Controller of BBC Fiction, commented: "Doctor Who is one of the BBC's best loved and most successful dramas. Its journey over the past three series has been one of the most ambitious and exciting that we have had, and I'm delighted to be able to confirm not only three exciting specials for 2009, but a fifth series in 2010."

Menna Richards, Controller of BBC Wales, commented: "The success of Doctor Who is a fantastic tribute to the dedication and expertise of the production team at BBC Wales who have worked on the project from the outset. This announcement is marvellous news for all involved, and more importantly for the programme's amazing fan base and audience. BBC Wales is looking forward to producing the fifth series."

It makes sense to give Who a rest after a hectic few years, and I'm sure the three special episodes will be enough to satisfy fans in 2009. So, a wise move by the BBC, methinks...

Have A Break, Have A [Generic Chocolate Product]

Well, I'm on holiday this week -- yay!

Normal service will resume next week, but I'm not out of the country, so there should be some posts while I'm "away". Just not as many as usual, although I have developed O.C.B recently. Some of the TV reviews may also be a little late.

It's been a record-breaking time for DMD recently, with my hit-counter stats going through the roof (well, 200 page-loads every day) which is fantastic stuff.

While I never started this blog to get excited about stats, it's very nice that a growing number of people are reading. It makes it worthwhile. A year ago, only a hardcore group of 20-30 were regularly surfing my way, so it's been wonderful to see the traffic increase this summer.

Oh, and a special thank you if you've linked to DMD from your own blog or website. Let me know so I return the favour! You scratch my back, etc...

Anyway, that's all for now, but please keep checking back for updates...


* Obsessive Compulsive Blogging

X FACTOR 4: The Good, The Bad & The Deluded...

Week 33. Uh, I mean 3.

We're just half-way through the audition round... and Dannii is still trying to fake enthusiasm for the auditions, as her cheekbones remain the most impressive thing about her; Louis is his usual perkily predictable self; Sharon looks utterly bored by everything (probably because she knows it's all a pointless exercise in ruining the UK Christmas Number One tradition), and Simon remains on autopilot, throwing out quips and put-downs that have hardly changed since the days of Pop Idol...

The X Factor's search for someone to exploit continued in Glasgow, where Simon upset fans of last year's McDonald Brothers -- who consist of the McDonald family, I think. But even Mr Nasty couldn't bring himself to snipe at a "cute" Japanese "girl", 31-year-old Tatosho, who gave a quiet rendition of Sinatra's My Way, before being patronized to within an inch of her life by the judges.

It was then on to Birmingham, a city that seemed to have some talent to share -- such as sexy girl group Fallen Angels -- although a few barmy brummies turned up like bad smells. Most memorable was a combo of siblings-husbands-and-wives called It's About Time, with one member admitting their dream is for their mum to live next door to Wet Wet Wet's Marti Pellow. Of course, their lackluster performance was drubbed by Simon for being "carol singer" standard, before the mother broke down into tears...

A few moments of emotional blackmail ensued, which worked a treat on Louis, but forced Dannii to make her first big decision on the show. Well, it was about time she did something. Anyway, she showed them the door, and the teary-eyed mum cried on Dermot's shoulder, utterly baffled that Simon hadn't told "the truth".

And somewhere in the UK, Marti Pellow let out a sigh of relief...

But where was Sharon Osbourne in all of this, I hear you cry? Like Louis, she's just as easily swayed by a good sob story, so her valuable vote could have rescued It's About Time! Well, she'd flown back to Los Angeles because of "work commitments". So what's X Factor then, Shazza -- a hobbie?

The frustrating thing about X Factor now is how utterly predictable it's become. This could be a repeat of an episode from last year. Or 2005, for that matter! Only Dannii's presence and Sharon's expanding jaw-line dates it to 2007!

The editing and the music choices to highlight the emotional highs and lows is also as formulaic as ever. So whenever Jo from S Club 7 belts out "never had a dream come true", it's clear someone has been put through to Boot Camp.

You could actually save yourself a lot of time by waiting till Sunday and then downloading all the best bits off Youtube. It turns a hour-long slog of bitching and adverts into a decent 12 minutes of entertainment. Try it!

THE IT CROWD 2.2 – "Return Of The Golden Child"

Writer & Director: Graham Linehan

Cast: Chris O'Dowd (Roy), Richard Ayoade (Moss), Katherine Parkinson (Jen), Chris Morris (Denholm), Matt Berry (Douglas), Noel Fielding (Richmond) & Alex McQueen (The Vicar)

Moss discovers a website that predicts people's deaths, and Reynholm Industries is shaken when Denholm commits suicide…

I didn't expect Chris Morris to turn up in series 2 as company boss Denholm, but it seems he was gracious enough to give writer Graham Linehan a suitably hilarious suicide as his swansong… and then appears in pre-recorded videos at his own funeral!

After Denholm's wonderful exit, the first half of Return Of The Golden Child suffers from the same first-half blues as last week's episode, with Linehan clearly setting up gags for pay-offs after the adverts. The theme this week is death; although the comic potential of Roy (Chris O'Dowd) being given his time of demise (via a website calculation) is sadly not the main thrust of this episode. I was expecting a humorous riff on Final Destination, but it wasn't to be…

Instead, it all boils down to Denholm's funeral, of which the IT Crowd's triptych of characters all play second fiddle to Morris' beyond-the-grave video and a bonkers late-appearance by Matt Berry as Denholm's son Douglas. There's a brief smoking gag for Jen (Katherine Parkinson) and an overused bit of business with a vibrating phone for Roy and Moss (Richard Ayoade), but very little else to sustain things.

I also think Goth weirdo Richmond is being used badly on the show now, as he only appears to deliver a few weak gags here -- almost becoming the IT Crowd's equivalent of Father Jack shouting "arse!" when things get stale. Noel Fielding would be best utilized in a Richmond-based episode, rather than these pointless appearances…

While it was nice to see the characters involved in IT work around the building in a few scenes, this episode involved the second "work outing" in as many weeks, and I just don't think the characters work well once removed from their environment. That was also the case in Father Ted, when the cast were similarly neutered once they left Craggy Island for one episode. We can believe Linehan's crazy group exist in the context of their own little world, but they just seem ridiculous when they invade our own…

Matt Berry, who co-starred with Richard Ayoade in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, is Chris Morris' replacement as company boss, and definitely makes an impression here… just not a very good one. Berry is known for his eccentric, vocally-fruity performances, but his fist-pulling screams of "Faaather!" at the church and general zaniness, was overcooked and misfiring. Morris was able to balance insanity with intensity, whereas Berry just seems to draw on lazy nuttiness.

Overall, despite a few amusing moments (the first few vibrating phone gags, Jen's line "you clean your teeth in the bath? But that's where your balls are" and Morris' early death fall), this episode was very tepid. The final gag, a lazy homage to an Airplane! visual, made very little sense, and was indicative of the unfocused nature throughout.


31 August 2007
Channel 4, 9.30 pm

TRAILER PARK: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

You have to believe it to see it...

Background: Zach Helm makes his directorial debut, after impressing with his script for Stranger Than Fiction, in this magical children's fantasy starring Natalie Portman as the manager of a magical toy shop, who is bequeathed the business by its eccentric owner Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman).

Review: The trailer is the expected overload of special-effects in what amounts to Charlie & The Chocolate Factory but in a toy shop context. Hoffman looks to be having fun as man-child Mr. Magorium (despite being a Willy Wonka rip-off), while Portman looks elfin-like and entranced by the FX bouncing around the screen; from animated toys to magical pop-up books. But there's a worrying sense of formula here; not helped by the plot's strong parallels to Roald Dahl's classic book and sickly choice of music: "whoa, whoa, whoa it's magic...."

Prediction: It's difficult to say, but the trailer seems aimed at under-10s, so it should appeal to kids who liked Tim Burton's Charlie & The Chocolate Factory or Night At The Museum. But, for teenagers and adults, only Hoffman's performance is notable from the trailer -- with the rest looking silly, unoriginal, saccharine and cutesy.

Hi-Res (22 MB)
HD 480P (45 MB)
HD 720P (104 MB)
HD 1080P (169 MB)

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP 1.6 - "The Wrap Party"

Writer: Aaron Sorkin (story by Melissa Myers & Amy Turner)
Director: David Semel

Cast: Sarah Paulson (Harriet Hayes), Bradley Whitford (Danny Tripp), Amanda Peet (Jordan McDeere), Nathan Corddry (Tom Jeter), Matthew Perry (Matt Albie), D.L. Hughley (Simon Stiles), Timothy Busfield (Cal), Steven Weber (Jack Rudolph), Ayda Field (Jeanie Whatley), Merritt Wever (Suzanne), Nate Torrence (Dylan Killington), Simon Helberg (Alex Dwyer), Columbus Short (Darius), Eli Wallach (Eli Weintrob), Mystro Clark (Willy Wilz), Sarah Smith (Treasure), Lauren Graham (Studio 60 Host), Nancy Lenehan (Mrs. Jeter), Randy Oglesby (Mr. Jeter), Diana-Maria Riva (Lilly) & Edward Sears (Darren Wells)

Danny tries to get Matt's mind off Harriet, a drunken Jordan makes friends with the cast during an after-show party, Tom gives his parents a tour of the studio, Simon makes a plea to hire black writers and Cal deals with a mysterious old man backstage...

There's a lot going on in episode 6, centred around the titular wrap party, although a great deal of it has little consequence. But that's not to say this is a waste of time, as there are a few engaging plot strands and character development, with Sorkin taking the time to deepen some of the supporting cast...

Tom Jeter (Nathan Corddry) is given the most thankless storyline, as he basically shows his naive parents around Studio 60, giving voice to Sorkin's meticulous research into showbiz history. Tom's mother (Nancy Lenehan) is smiley but nonplussed by everything, while his curmudgeon father (Randy Oglesby) isn't impressed by his youngest son's choice of career.

This subplot is a little ancillary, but it nicely touches on a subject I've been asking myself about Studio 60 in recent weeks: why should any of this stuff matter? The truth is, there are far important things in the world than television, and Sorkin uses this subplot to contrast showbiz with real issues like the Middle East. No conclusions are drawn, but it's nice to see it addressed.

Jordan (Amanda Peet) seems increasingly unlikely as a Network President, floating around the wrap party, tipsy and desperate to make friends with Harriet and the cast. Peet's a lovely presence on the show, but her character veers all over the place; naive, misguided, idealistic, and shrewd -- it all depends on the scene she's presented with.

Cal (Timothy Busfield) is involved in an intriguing subplot about a mysterious old man called Eli Weintrob (Eli Wallach), who has a poignant link to the studio's history. This story begins promisingly and there's a great scene between Busfield and the wonderful Wallach when the old man's identity is discovered, but it's a little plodding and worthy.

The best subplot belongs to Matt (Matthew Perry) and Simon (D.L Hughley), as Simon provokes racial discussion over the lack of black writers on staff. The pair soon head off to a comedy club to scout for talent, leading to an interesting scene where they watch a bad black stand-up called Willy Wilz, who deals in lazy ethnic stereotypes. Later, they notice another comedian dying on stage, but using interesting material that just needs sharpening...

I really liked this storyline, as it threw the spotlight onto comedy writing, stand-up performances and racial issues in Hollywood. Perry and Hughley spark well off each other and have a great scene at a bar together; with Hughley elaborating on his character's standing on the show and in society.

While most of the plots are undernourished or mere diversions, there's a general slowness that I actually appreciated from this episode. The characters on Studio 60 are very likeable, even the "unlikeable" ones like boss Jack Rudolph (Steven Weber). It's just a shame poor Bradley Whitford is again sidelined by Sorkin's script as Danny. The expected firm partnership between him and Matt just hasn't really materialized, despite their strong cohesion in the first few episodes.

Sorkin's dialogue also remains a problem, in some respects. It's as polished and intelligent as always, but nobody speaks like this. Whenever Sorkin tones it down to be more natural, it works much better, but he likes to OD on his own words, making characters throw verbal curve balls at each other with every sentence. It's sometimes dizzying to pay attention to, and takes you out of Studio 60's reality.

For a show that's supposed to be a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a comedy sketch show, I think the dialogue should be more natural sounding. I never really believe we're peeking behind the curtain at real people, making a real show. Compare Studio 60's "reality" to the malaise of Ricky Gervais Extras, which may be a parody, but contains more hum-drum reality in its behind-the-scenes sequences than Studio 60 sometimes.

Overall, this is definitely filler material (which is worrying given we're only on episode 6), but a few subplots are worthwhile and the general vibe is pleasant. But I can feel my concentration slipping from the show, which began as fascinatingly flawed... but is becoming less interesting with each episode.


30 August 2007
More4, 10.00 pm