Tag Archive: HBO


Olive Kitteridge, again and again

Filed under: Books, Fiction, Movies, Parenting, Television — Leave a comment
August 30, 2022

‘Olive Kitteridge’ (2008) and ‘Olive, Again’ (2019) by Elizabeth Strout

‘Olive Kitteridge’ directed by Lisa Cholodenko (HBO mini-series ,2014)

How many books really stick in the mind? Frequently, I struggle to recollect plots and characters of novels I know I have read, even those I have enjoyed. 

I first read ‘Olive Kitteridge’ soon after it earned Elizabeth Strout the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 and casually decided to re-read it after watching the excellent HBO TV series based on the novel.

I immediately continued to the follow up, ‘Olive, Again’ and feel now slightly bereft that this is the end of her story (unless Strout decides to write about the first 60 years of her life!)

I was struck by just how much I had forgotten or completely overlooked in the original novel. In revisiting it, the theme of ageing now resonated more fully with my own life.  There’s quite a difference between reading this book in middle-age and now I am at an age (approaching 65) regarded by institutions and individuals as officially old. You can soften this with terms like ‘silver surfers’ or speak in terms of the ‘third age’ but the hard truth is that I am (if I’m lucky) entering the last couple of decades of my life.

As I get older, mortality is no longer an abstract concept  but a harsh reality. This is the first full year without my mother who died on Christmas Day 2021 aged 93 (my father passed away in 1986 aged 60).

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POST BINGE THOUGHTS ON TRUE DETECTIVE (WITH SPOILERS)

Filed under: Music — Leave a comment
October 11, 2014

true-detectiveHaving spent four days bingeing on the 8 episodes of HBO’s True Detective (season 1) I was left bemused by the weak finale but otherwise in awe of the faultless acting of this superbly sustained TV drama.

The contrasting personalities of homicide cops Martin ‘Marty’ Hart (Woody Harrelson) and Rustin ‘Rust’ Spencer (Matthew McConaughey) create a genuine sense of tension.

The mismatched pair travel down the lost highways of Louisiana on the trail of a demonic cult and ritualistic murderers.

Their long running investigation takes them into the twisted underbelly of American life where superstition and old-time religion hold sway. The moody atmosphere is helped by a magnificent soundtrack of traditional blues, folk, alt-country and hard-driving rock overseen by the ever reliable T.Bone Burnett.

Brilliantly scripted by Nic Pizzolatto and stylishly directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the power of the gothic drama is undermined by a ludicrously contrived happy ending which sheds false luminosity onto this journey into the heart of darkness. Continue reading →

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PUSSY RIOT – DERANGED VAGINAS AGAINST PUTIN

Filed under: Atheism, Gender, Good causes, Movies, Music, Politics — Leave a comment
January 6, 2014

PUSSY RIOT , A PUNK PRAYER   directed by Mike Lerner & Maxim Pozdorovkin (Russia, 2012)

PussyRiotAPunkPrayer-Poster

This HBO documentary follows the highly publicised show trial of Nadia, Masha and Katia, the three members of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot who were arrested for their part in the very public disruption of the holy mass at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in February 2002 and who were subsequently sentenced to three years in a penal colony.

The film opens with a quote from Bertolt Brecht: “Art is not a mirror to reflect the world, but a hammer with which to shape it” which immediately reassures us that it will be justifiably weighted in favour of the women’s cause. Interviews with their parents help us to understand their background to the protest while humanizing their stories.

orthodoxyordeath

In the interest of balance, however, the filmmakers also give ample space to the case for the prosecution. There are interviews with angry members of the church wearing T-shirts proclaiming ‘ORTHODOXY OR DEATH’  who look like greying doom metal fans.

One web site once took Pussy Riot to mean “an uprising of the uterus” but an offended worshipper states on film that “deranged vaginas” would be a more apt translation. 

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TOP BOY , TOP MUM

Filed under: Music, Parenting, Television — Leave a comment
November 12, 2011

Screen shot 2019-09-09 at 09.26.11Ronan Bennett’s drama, Top Boy, recently broadcast on Channel 4 has been widely cited as UK’s answer to HBO’s The Wire. This is a hugely flattering but not particularly accurate comparison.

The link stems largely from the fact both feature a predominantly black cast of non actors and each is set against the inner city backdrop of drug deals.

Yet while in The Wire, the rivalry between the police, politicians and the criminals was central, in Top Boy the fuzz are conspicuous by their absence. At one point we are told that ‘the estate is crawling with feds’ but we don’t see any of them. If you live in London, you take for granted the sound of sirens even in relatively crime-free neighbourhoods. In the course of the four one hour episodes, you only hear one.

Bennett’s aim here is to write from the point of view of the young kids (the ‘tinies’) so he chose not to include any police characters. His reasoning is sound but the drawback is that it gives the misleading impression that the kids do not need to be constantly looking over their shoulders for a raid. This is a major weakness for a drama that prides itself on social realism. The killings and beatings take place in a surreal vacuum in which the forces of justice are all but invisible.

Despite this, there is a lot to admire and the central performances by the, mostly, non-classically trained actors are remarkable.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster (right) is outstanding as a single mother,Lisa, battling with depression after been left to bring up her son, Ra’Nell, alone by an abusive husband (who we never see).

Her transformation from someone afraid to face the outside world to an assertive woman determined to keep her son clear of the gang culture is both convincing and heart-warming.

Leon

One aspect of the story where comparisons with Baltimore in The Wire and London (Hackney) of Top Boy do hold up is with the character of Leon (Nicolas Pinnock).

He is a family friend who takes it upon himself to help ensure Ra’Nell doesn’t go off the rails. Leon is very similar to Dennis ‘Cutty’ Wise in The Wire, both in looks and character. Each are physically strong, morally upright and quietly spoken ex-bad boys who still command respect on the streets.

The drama was impressively directed by Yann Demange, who is definitely a name to watch. It also features a cracking soundtrack with original music by Brian Eno, some atmospheric drone/noise and plenty of urban soul and Dubstep.

The ‘top boy’ of the title could refer to Dushane (Ashley Walters) as the drug dealer who wants to move up in the world but it makes more sense to say that it refers to Re’Nell.

Personally, I’d have been tempted to call it ‘top mum’ as, for me, Lisa was the true hero.

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THE WIRE – EVERYTHING’S CONNECTED

Filed under: Television — Leave a comment
June 25, 2008

The main problem with writing about the HBO TV series ‘The Wire’ is that you quickly run out of superlatives.

I wrote about this show on September 16th 2007 after watching Season 3 and now having reached the end of Season 4, I have no reason to change my (and many others’) view that this one of the finest and most important TV series ever produced.

The Wire takes its title from the phone taps used by the serious crimes squad. In this season this investigative method is a non starter as the targets have got wise to this means of surveillance. The title still seems appropriate, however, given that the show is all about making connections between economic, sociological and political issues.

In the fourth (and penultimate) season the focus turns to the new generation of ‘corner kids’ in the underprivileged part of Baltimore. The problems of inner city education is linked both implicitly and explicitly with the power battles in the mayoral election campaign, the hierarchy in police departments and working methods of criminal gangs. The genius is in keeping all these plates spinning while maintaining the show’s integrity and believability.

They get this right because, while it is a work of fiction, it is based on a real and thorough knowledge of this city, which in many ways serves as a microcosm for other inner cities in America. The accuracy comes form the fact that the series creator, David Simon, used to cover crime stories with the Baltimore Sun while main series consultant is Ed Burns an ex-detective with Baltimore police department.

In season 4 the performances of the child actors are so convincing that you imagine they’d be playing these roles in real life if The Wire hadn’t employed them. One of the most amazing, and chilling, is Snoop played by Felicia Pearson (see above)who clocks up a high body count over the season’s 13 episodes. Before landing this role she sold drugs and spent more than seven years in jail.

This gives an insight into the urgent crusading message behind the series. It is more than just escapist entertainment. David Simon says that if they hadn’t got it right it would have been just another cop show. Instead it raises all the complex and messy day to day moral dilemmas that have to be faced by politicians, parents, kids, teachers, junkies, police and we the people.

The show doesn’t pretend to know all the answers but they sure as hell know how to ask the right questions.

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