I have recently watched and/or finished:
The Exorcist:
This is a show I went into with very mixed feelings, wanting the best because I love William Peter Blatty's book so felt the series 'inspired' by the novel had to do it justice. I don't think it did, and didn't like what they did with Pazuzu and Captain Howdy, but really enjoyed the interplay between the two priests, the performances by the teenagers and Geena Davis. It wasn't as bad as I feared it could have been, as an affront to the novel and the film adaptation, nor as good as William Friedkin's film based on Blatty's screenplay from his novel.
If there is a second series, I'll probably watch it.
Arrested Development:
I watched the first (and best) three series in fairly quick succession, really enjoying reliving some things I haven't seen for some time and remembering scenes or lines which cracked me up the first time I watched the show. The casting is perfect, the writing is sharp and beautifully delivered, and Ron Howard's narration is inspired.
Nathan Barley:
Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris teamed up to make this parody of the way the magazine industry was heading in around 2003, but I don't think they could have imagined how prophetic it turned out to be. There are clear parallels to be found between the ridiculous clothing and hairstyles and those sported by hipsters, the cruel pranks on Nathan's website and the cyber bullying on anything from Vine, YouTube, or Facebook and even, if you swap the world weary defeatism for the messianic following he has, Dan Ashcroft and Russell Brand. It is scary how pretentious wankers and idiots have seemingly become mainstays of culture (TOWIE, Big Brother etc.) rather than being ostracised and exposed for the vacuous fools they are. Intentionally or not, Brooker and Morris predicted it.
|