Marco Polo

Started watching Marco Polo on Netflix. The reviews are mixed, trending toward the down side but there’s a lot of good going on in this series. Following the same Silk Road followed by Marco Polo the shooting locations span from Venice to Malaysia to Kazakhstan.

Minimal CGI, real sets and being shot in 4K should garner some respect. Netflix went all out for this series and I plan on watching all of the episodes.

 

Breaking Bad

Getting caught up on Breaking Bad, with the finale tonight. We’re just starting Season 5, so as much as we’re tempted to spend the next few hours catching up we’re not going to. We’re watching it on Netflix, who, according to creator Vince Gilligan, helped save the series. Breaking Bad is so good on so many levels, the writing, acting, production and photography. As soon as we’re done I’m going to go back and study the cinematography, which has impressed me the most.

I really like the notion of Breaking Bad going out on top. From a revenue standpoint, I read that AMC is asking for, and getting, $300,000 to $400,000 for thirty second commercial spots on tonight’s finale. That’s up from $130,000 to $140,000 for previous episodes. I’m happy AMC isn’t milking this cash cow to death.

What’s also interesting is when they approached HBO about the series, Gilligan said, “They wouldn’t even grace us with a ‘no’. They were basically like, ‘Just get out of the office, please.’”

So this is the end for Breaking Bad, or is it? In a sense, no. A new series is being produced about the criminal lawyer (heavy on criminal) Saul Goodman, named “Better Call Saul.” I’ll keep my expectations medium, but my hopes high.

Great job and good luck to the cast and crew of Breaking Bad.

Under The Dome Miniseries Premier Review

The first episode of Stephen King’s Under The Dome premiered on Monday night. Here’s a few of the highlights:

• The earthquake-like vibrations before the dome hits was interesting and entertaining.
• The dome landing and laterally bisecting a cow was much better than the woodchuck being cut in two in the book.
• The pissed off fireman rushing out of the cab ready to kick the main character Barbie’s ass was good acting.
• To a lesser degree, the tail section of the Cessna 172 almost hitting the kid on the farm and the severed leg landing nearby was cool.

That aside, the whole one hour episode moved too fast attempting to introduce a plethora of characters and motivations. The worst offender, to me, was the switchblade-flicking son of the wealthy car salesman. He’s totally unconvincing when he confronts Barbie after Barbie had a brief and benign conversation with the kid’s girlfriend. Too great a manufactured conflict.

In the end, it boils down to the cast. Compare Under The Dome to an earlier King story, The Mist, released in 2007. The Mist was adapted and directed by Frank Darabont. For what the film lacked in budget it made up for in casting, with Thomas Jane as the main protagonist, Marcia Gay Harden as a religious fanatic, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn and Melissa McBride in supporting roles, among many others. The cast of The Mist had presence and depth, and it’s probably no coincidence that most of them wound up on The Walking Dead (during the Frank Darabont seasons). Thomas Jane would have played a great Rick.

The cast of Under The Dome, at least right now, lacks charisma and empathy which is all important to the survival of a series. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trashing Under The Dome. I like it, but too much was thrown at the audience too rapidly. I just wish Under The Dome would have been produced by a cable channel, such as AMC rather than a mainstream network which reduces everything it touches to the lowest level, common denominator form. Why is that?

Bottom line: Under The Dome is well worth watching, but let’s hope the pacing improves.

Grade: B-

Soul Train, American Bandstand and Don C.

Bummer about Soul Train’s Don C. It was cool in the old days when it was on right after American Bandstand on Saturdays. What a fascinating contrast in cultures and it all revolved around the same thing- music.

Steve Van Zandt’s Lilyhammer

Steve Van Zandt has a new mafia comedy series called Lilyhammer that’s hit it big in Norway. I watched the trailer and it looks great. Van Zandt is a mafia boss who flips and chooses to live in Norway under witness protection. He opens a bar and the series takes off from there. Netflix obtained North American rights and it will start streaming on Feb. 6. Check out this link for more info and a trailer: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-van-zandt-s-lilyhammer-285271