Two recent disappointments...
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:06 pm
Sinbad (Sky 1 HD)
It's a family friendly show, so I understand it's never going to have the same violence, sex and harsh language as something like Game of Thrones or Spartacus, but even so this was still a very tepid affair, failing to live up to its billing in almost every respect. The light-weight script is probably the biggest culprit, followed closely by some casting issues. Sinbad himself, played by Elliot Knight (a good-looking young fella), just about scrapes through, but the supporting cast are a pretty vapid bunch at best, all of whom seem almost totally lacking in enthusiasm for the plot (such as it is). I also took issue with some of the wardrobe decisions - Sinbad in a nice v-neck T-shirt and a pair of espadrilles..? Really?
I'll give this one another go, but it's not off to a good start. Too many bum notes.
The Newsroom (Sky Atlantic HD)
This one had promise - scripted by Aaron Sorkin, it promised much and early trailers seemed to suggest it might actually deliver. Alas. The opening feature-length episode was a clunky business - a bit by-the-numbers even for Sorkin and his scattershot scripting. Jeff Daniels inhabits the character of middle-aged disillusioned prime-time news anchor Will McAvoy pretty well - and it's a character with great potential; sadly little if any of that was on show in this opening episode. McAvoy has issues and sees himself grown soft and apolitical in the fast-moving word of modern 24-hour US broadcast news. His estranged partner, played by Emily Mortimer, promptly reappears in his life (and his newsroom) as his new Executive Producer on a mission to bring him back to 'real' reporting, 'real' journalism. It's a motif that was played out to Oscar-winning effect back in the 70's in the truly excellent Network in which Peter Finch plays the prototype for Daniels' character - a well-known news anchorman on the verge of a nervous breakdown and a devastating intellectual crisis.
I usually enjoy Sorkin's scripts - that punchy, fast-moving word-play he's made his trademark - but here his plot stumbles, even repeats itself, and his characters seem more like cyphers, less like people you actually want to care about. Daniels puts in a spirited performance (the opening scene remains the best in the entire episode), but the whole thing soon degenerates into liberal hectoring almost too easily, whilst the focus on side-characters and their trivial relationships is a constant irritation, getting in the way of the story and leading to some cringeworthy moments.
Again, this is early days - but some reports from the States predict things don't really get any better as the series progresses. I'm hoping they are wrong.
It's a family friendly show, so I understand it's never going to have the same violence, sex and harsh language as something like Game of Thrones or Spartacus, but even so this was still a very tepid affair, failing to live up to its billing in almost every respect. The light-weight script is probably the biggest culprit, followed closely by some casting issues. Sinbad himself, played by Elliot Knight (a good-looking young fella), just about scrapes through, but the supporting cast are a pretty vapid bunch at best, all of whom seem almost totally lacking in enthusiasm for the plot (such as it is). I also took issue with some of the wardrobe decisions - Sinbad in a nice v-neck T-shirt and a pair of espadrilles..? Really?
I'll give this one another go, but it's not off to a good start. Too many bum notes.
The Newsroom (Sky Atlantic HD)
This one had promise - scripted by Aaron Sorkin, it promised much and early trailers seemed to suggest it might actually deliver. Alas. The opening feature-length episode was a clunky business - a bit by-the-numbers even for Sorkin and his scattershot scripting. Jeff Daniels inhabits the character of middle-aged disillusioned prime-time news anchor Will McAvoy pretty well - and it's a character with great potential; sadly little if any of that was on show in this opening episode. McAvoy has issues and sees himself grown soft and apolitical in the fast-moving word of modern 24-hour US broadcast news. His estranged partner, played by Emily Mortimer, promptly reappears in his life (and his newsroom) as his new Executive Producer on a mission to bring him back to 'real' reporting, 'real' journalism. It's a motif that was played out to Oscar-winning effect back in the 70's in the truly excellent Network in which Peter Finch plays the prototype for Daniels' character - a well-known news anchorman on the verge of a nervous breakdown and a devastating intellectual crisis.
I usually enjoy Sorkin's scripts - that punchy, fast-moving word-play he's made his trademark - but here his plot stumbles, even repeats itself, and his characters seem more like cyphers, less like people you actually want to care about. Daniels puts in a spirited performance (the opening scene remains the best in the entire episode), but the whole thing soon degenerates into liberal hectoring almost too easily, whilst the focus on side-characters and their trivial relationships is a constant irritation, getting in the way of the story and leading to some cringeworthy moments.
Again, this is early days - but some reports from the States predict things don't really get any better as the series progresses. I'm hoping they are wrong.
