In 2010 NBC cancelled the once popular serial TV show Heroes, which, for all those who can't remember or didn't watch, followed the adventures and misadventures of a group of individuals who wake up to find that they have each have superpowers. The programme was part television drama, part action comic, and kept it's viewers hooked with the kind of episodic cliffhangers typical of your standard Spanish soap opera. One of the shows primary characters was the emotionally sensitive and lovable Peter Petrelli, presumed dead at the end of Season 1. But during the final moments of the long awaited Season 2 premiere, we saw him chained up, shirtless and with a brand new haircut, chained up by his wrists and shipment container in Ireland. Which was kind of mind-blowing to my 14 year-old self, seeing as the show was primarily set in New York. Then the episode ended, and by the time the next episode rolled around I was on the edge of my proverbial seat to find out, but the following episodes dragged on like crazy, revealing effectively nothing.
Flashforward six years and here we are with two Governer-centric episodes of The Walking Dead that have dragged us away from the main storyline in the prison. It's obvious why this has infuriated a lot of people; when we saw the Governer overlooking the prison in Episode 5 I wanted to jump ahead and find out what was going to happen straight away - what would he do? Was someone going to die? Probably. But here's why these two episodes had to happen, and it manifests in a single word:
Conflict.
Since the season premiere we've seen the increasing threat of zombies making their way into the prison, and Rick and Carl did a mighty fine job of staving off any potential threat by mowing them down video-game style. We've also had sickness and an absence of food. But what we now need is a new threat to provide excitement, and the writers have duly supplied that. The story needs conflict. Something has to be posing a threat to the characters, otherwise it turns into just another run of the mill soap opera, like the ones I previously mentioned, where we as the audience are fed weekly scenes of various characters conversing about deep philosophical issues, or something else faux-profound. Something has to threaten their safety and their livelihoods, and that thing has just stepped in.
Look, I'm not saying that the last two episodes have been great. Heck, Live Bait was one of the dullest hours of my life, only saved by the adverts in between that allowed me some time to get another cup of coffee to keep me awake through the thing. Dead Weight was something of a step up, seeing as it pretty confidently leads onto more prison-centric antics.
On a further note, these episodes were necessary in providing a basis for the Governer's return as the epitome of conflict. What I mean is, if he had returned as he did at the end of Episode 5, emerging from the forest and ready to serve as the primary villain, it would've been so terribly contrived and desparate that I probably would've lost even more faith in the show. There had to be some basis, some further backstory concerning 'Brian' and what he's been up to, rather than just introducing him as an excuse for something to happen.
Indeed, while these last two episodes haven't exactly been some of the best, or the most entertaining or the most well-made, they were unquestionably necessary in the longer run of things. There just better be a big pay-off of entertainment factor in the midseason finale.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Thomas Pynchon, as told by Paul Thomas Anderson; Why the Inherent Vice adaptation will be Excellent
When it comes to Thomas Pynchon, there isn't being in the know and being out of it. There's just the legend of the man/etherreal being himself, and the literature that follows in his wake.
Thomas Pynchon is an author originating in New York... Allegedly. He's published several works intermittently over the past fifty years, the most prominent of which is undoubtedly his magnum opus Gravity's Rainbow, a 900-page, 300,000 word doorstopping behemoth of a novel that spat in the face of literary convention and, in doing so, is now regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written since World War II. But when it comes to the author himself, Pynchon is nowhere to be found. Since 1963 he has successfully evaded the world's press, and as a result there is little to no evidence - aside from his works and the odd youthful picture/paparazzi shot - that he even exists. Some have even suggested that Pynchon may be a group of people writing under a pseudonym, as opposed to a single man.
Speculation aside, in recent years Pynchon has been considered by many as having scaled down the scope of his works, much in the same fashion as fellow New Yorker Don Delillo. His two most recent novels, Inherent Vice and Bleeding Edge, still utilise a vast array of characters and motifs in their execution, ones that would in fact send most other authors reeling in confusion, but they still haven't matched up to what could be considered as Pynchon's golden age.
One of the most shocking revelations that recently came forward concerning the author was that his novel, Inherent Vice is soon to be adapted by none another than Paul Thomas Anderson himself, director and writer of There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights and The Master, as well as several other works of outstanding cinema. This is indeed an important event; it's the first occasion on which a Pynchon novel will be adapted for the screen, and you'd be hard pressed to find a better person to pull that off than Anderson. There are a multitude of reasons as to why optimism is a given when it comes to this project.
1. Pynchon himself has (allegedly) approved the script.
This is a rumour that's been circulating for months, and it's just as likely to be credible as not. Pynchon and Anderson have been in contact and Pynchon himself has read the script and given it his blessing. As an aged and seasoned veteran (he celebrated this 76th birthday this year) Pynchon is unlikely to pass on giving his opinion on the script that will provide the basis for his first cinematic adaptation, and if the author himself approves the script you can be pretty sure that it's of a high quality.
2. Joaquin Phoenix will be portraying the lead.
As previously mentioned, Inherent Vice is, at it's heart, a detective story. It's protagonist, Larry 'Doc' Sportello, is a withered pothead, and he'll be portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, teaming him up on a second consectutive occasion with Anderson after 2012s The Master. Phoenix is renowned for immersing himself in the roles that he takes on, and since production ended earlier this year footage from an extra on the set has emerged of Phoenix in full-Sportello-attire. And it just so happens to be here...
3. Anderson is seemingly immune to failure.
Since Boogie Nights Anderson has repeatedly proved himself to be an exceptional writer/director. His works often have a tendency to examine as well as present, rather than simply the former, and that's what Inherent Vice is all about. It's Pynchon's tribute to 60s and 70s Los Angeles, and all the hedonistic activity that came with it. Anderson is more than adept at examining specific periods in time, as we've already seen his great takes on 1950s post-war America and the turn of the century oil-boom.
Thomas Pynchon is an author originating in New York... Allegedly. He's published several works intermittently over the past fifty years, the most prominent of which is undoubtedly his magnum opus Gravity's Rainbow, a 900-page, 300,000 word doorstopping behemoth of a novel that spat in the face of literary convention and, in doing so, is now regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written since World War II. But when it comes to the author himself, Pynchon is nowhere to be found. Since 1963 he has successfully evaded the world's press, and as a result there is little to no evidence - aside from his works and the odd youthful picture/paparazzi shot - that he even exists. Some have even suggested that Pynchon may be a group of people writing under a pseudonym, as opposed to a single man.
Speculation aside, in recent years Pynchon has been considered by many as having scaled down the scope of his works, much in the same fashion as fellow New Yorker Don Delillo. His two most recent novels, Inherent Vice and Bleeding Edge, still utilise a vast array of characters and motifs in their execution, ones that would in fact send most other authors reeling in confusion, but they still haven't matched up to what could be considered as Pynchon's golden age.
One of the most shocking revelations that recently came forward concerning the author was that his novel, Inherent Vice is soon to be adapted by none another than Paul Thomas Anderson himself, director and writer of There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights and The Master, as well as several other works of outstanding cinema. This is indeed an important event; it's the first occasion on which a Pynchon novel will be adapted for the screen, and you'd be hard pressed to find a better person to pull that off than Anderson. There are a multitude of reasons as to why optimism is a given when it comes to this project.
1. Pynchon himself has (allegedly) approved the script.
This is a rumour that's been circulating for months, and it's just as likely to be credible as not. Pynchon and Anderson have been in contact and Pynchon himself has read the script and given it his blessing. As an aged and seasoned veteran (he celebrated this 76th birthday this year) Pynchon is unlikely to pass on giving his opinion on the script that will provide the basis for his first cinematic adaptation, and if the author himself approves the script you can be pretty sure that it's of a high quality.
2. Joaquin Phoenix will be portraying the lead.
As previously mentioned, Inherent Vice is, at it's heart, a detective story. It's protagonist, Larry 'Doc' Sportello, is a withered pothead, and he'll be portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, teaming him up on a second consectutive occasion with Anderson after 2012s The Master. Phoenix is renowned for immersing himself in the roles that he takes on, and since production ended earlier this year footage from an extra on the set has emerged of Phoenix in full-Sportello-attire. And it just so happens to be here...
3. Anderson is seemingly immune to failure.
Since Boogie Nights Anderson has repeatedly proved himself to be an exceptional writer/director. His works often have a tendency to examine as well as present, rather than simply the former, and that's what Inherent Vice is all about. It's Pynchon's tribute to 60s and 70s Los Angeles, and all the hedonistic activity that came with it. Anderson is more than adept at examining specific periods in time, as we've already seen his great takes on 1950s post-war America and the turn of the century oil-boom.
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