The is a show on HBO called The Wire and I will be goddamned if it is not the best police/criminal drama series i have ever seen in my life. While I am no fan of network television (besides Jeopardy and Law & Order SVU) or anything else that falls under the realm of FCC regulation, I admit to being a strong supporter of HBO programming. four shows over the span of the year occupy my Sunday evening:
The Sopranos - First 3 seasons were a flawless case study in the grey areas of morality and mortality. Sympathy for sociopaths and psychopaths. Rooting for the bad guys, welcoming retribution, despite my inherent values regarding marriage, sex, loyalty and money, and a good story line to follow, debate and cast predictions on. The last two were mediocre in comparison, but still light years ahead of most television and even film.
Six Feet Under - Let's face it, it is a soap opera, evoking the ages old qualms of human relationships, including very gay ones (Jimmy 3000 loves that), all centered around the existential dreariness of death as a business, crushing grief and occasional gratuitous gore and butt-fucking. Nevertheless it is a priority for me to watch the episodes first-run and lust after Brenda, who is really not that good-looking, in the conventional sense. Claire is not so shabby either, with that baby-fat red-headed druggy demeanor. Billy is the best character on the show. Those the watch it will agree.
Deadwood - As a rule, I hate westerns, not because what they were really based on, but because of john Wayne and having his creaky old wrinkly dickhead persona ingrained into my boyhood, blah blah psychobabble blah.
Repo Man was the best movie referring to the falsehood of The Duke (I will make a future post regarding the relevance of Repo Man):
Miller:" John Wayne was a fag"
Repo Men: "What'd he say? He was what?"
Miller:" John Wayne was a fag"
Repo Men: "Get the fuck outta here, you'recrazy"
Miller:" He was too you boys. i installed two-way mirrors at his pad in Brentwood and he come to da door in a dress"
Deadwood is a western that uses the term "Cocksucker" every 30 seconds. The bad dude in the show is Ian McShane, who was a bad dude in Sexy Beast, a British film that i can write a thesis on, given the time and energy, but anyway he carries the show, cursing and banging hookers. it is a good show, I did it no justice here.
The Wire - This show must be followed from beginning to end to be appreciated. Buy the DVD set, borrow friend's old VHS tapes, subscribe to HBO on demand - this serial drama does not suck, and that alone is my basis for recommendation - the show never lost steam, it gains it each episode on an upward trajectory of intelligence, street reality, social commentary (never preaching) and the futility of poverty, politics and the War On Drugs. - enough for now. I am sure to continue this Topic by next week.
This post is in no way an endorsement of HBO but i must admit their Original Series Programming is of the highest quality.
The Sopranos - First 3 seasons were a flawless case study in the grey areas of morality and mortality. Sympathy for sociopaths and psychopaths. Rooting for the bad guys, welcoming retribution, despite my inherent values regarding marriage, sex, loyalty and money, and a good story line to follow, debate and cast predictions on. The last two were mediocre in comparison, but still light years ahead of most television and even film.
Six Feet Under - Let's face it, it is a soap opera, evoking the ages old qualms of human relationships, including very gay ones (Jimmy 3000 loves that), all centered around the existential dreariness of death as a business, crushing grief and occasional gratuitous gore and butt-fucking. Nevertheless it is a priority for me to watch the episodes first-run and lust after Brenda, who is really not that good-looking, in the conventional sense. Claire is not so shabby either, with that baby-fat red-headed druggy demeanor. Billy is the best character on the show. Those the watch it will agree.
Deadwood - As a rule, I hate westerns, not because what they were really based on, but because of john Wayne and having his creaky old wrinkly dickhead persona ingrained into my boyhood, blah blah psychobabble blah.
Repo Man was the best movie referring to the falsehood of The Duke (I will make a future post regarding the relevance of Repo Man):
Miller:" John Wayne was a fag"
Repo Men: "What'd he say? He was what?"
Miller:" John Wayne was a fag"
Repo Men: "Get the fuck outta here, you'recrazy"
Miller:" He was too you boys. i installed two-way mirrors at his pad in Brentwood and he come to da door in a dress"
Deadwood is a western that uses the term "Cocksucker" every 30 seconds. The bad dude in the show is Ian McShane, who was a bad dude in Sexy Beast, a British film that i can write a thesis on, given the time and energy, but anyway he carries the show, cursing and banging hookers. it is a good show, I did it no justice here.
The Wire - This show must be followed from beginning to end to be appreciated. Buy the DVD set, borrow friend's old VHS tapes, subscribe to HBO on demand - this serial drama does not suck, and that alone is my basis for recommendation - the show never lost steam, it gains it each episode on an upward trajectory of intelligence, street reality, social commentary (never preaching) and the futility of poverty, politics and the War On Drugs. - enough for now. I am sure to continue this Topic by next week.
This post is in no way an endorsement of HBO but i must admit their Original Series Programming is of the highest quality.
posted by tom @ 1:42 AM
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