Henceforth, when a tremendous gulf stands betwixt one post and the next, I’m just not going to bother telling you anymore. You know I haven’t updated in a while, I know I haven’t updated in awhile, there’s nothing that can be said. All I can do is apologize, which I will commence doing immediately: my bad. We can either stand here talking about the drought, or I can get to watering some plants. Psychological, metaphysical plants, of course.
I just reviewed that last paragraph, and it leaves me with a burning question: why do any of you read this?
Anyway,
I told the world at large that I would not play the “Left 4 Dead 2″ demo, and of course this was a dirty lie. The first time I logged onto Live, it asked me if I was interested in whacking zombies with an electric guitar. Only a godless heathen could refuse that offer. My impression is incredibly positive, I’m very pleased with everything I experienced. I suspect that melee weapons are going to be to L4D what jacking vehicles is to “Halo”: you can’t believe the game didn’t always have them. The wider array of Special Infected also alters the experience in a cool way: you’re not just waiting for the inevitable Smoker anymore, every attack is kind of a surprise.
In other news, I find it amusing that the Swiss authorities are refusing to release Polanski on bail, but I find it downright hilarious that their press isn’t covering the story at all. This is not some attention-getting publicity stunt they’re pulling here, these guys really did lock him up and toss the key to the dog. We owe them a beer or something.
In the world of television, “Dexter” continues to flat-out stun in its 4th season, there’s little question that it’s the best thing you can watch in your house right now. The problem is, it may be the only real success story Showtime has. They’re still sandbagged by a sea of mediocre programming: “Weeds,” “The Tudors,” “United States of Tara,” “Penn and Teller,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Californication,” this is not programming that puts you on par with “The Sopranos.” “Dexter” is. It’s the kind of event that causes board room meetings where executives demand to know “why we missed that one.” And more than that, it goes a long way towards defining Showtime: the weirder, more scintillating alternative to HBO. Now if only Showtime had grabbed “True Blood.” Man, did they miss the boat on that one. That was their show, it fits perfectly into the image they’re going for. Better luck next time, guys.
I don’t think it’s unfair to say that Michael C Hall as Dexter Morgan is the best acting you can watch on television. Hall is a good actor, but he’s never really blown me away in anything else, I think this is just a case of a match made in Heaven. He just gets the role. From his phenomenal voice-overs to his incredibly textured on screen presence, this is as good as acting gets. The show has many other strengths: stunning music, accentuated by three key theme songs, all of which are classics on par with anything in “The Simpsons” or “The X Files.” A stunning supporting cast, featuring Jennifer Carpenter, James Remar, Julie Benz, David Zayas, John Lithgow (a new addition), the list keeps going. Sharp writing, especially in the first and fourth seasons, the latter of which is currently in progress.
In general, Showtime needs more programming like this: a catchy gimmick, and then solid foundation behind it to build upon. “Californication” is actually somewhat interesting, and I’ve always been curious what the deal is with “Weeds,” but I read one article in an “Entertainment Weekly” about “Dexter” and I knew I had to have it. The pilot proceeded to blow me away and that was that. Now if you’re watching HBO, plenty of shows do that: “The Sopranos,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “True Blood,” “Entourage,” and that’s not mentioning shows they’ve already put down such as “Deadwood,” “Band of Brothers,” “John Adams,” “Sex and the City,” “The Wire,” and “Da Ali G Show.” These aren’t just popular shows, most of them are legitimate cultural titans. Showtime has a long road ahead of it before it gets to a place like that, and so far their eye for new material is only so-so. Yeah they got it right with “Dexter” and I owe them for that, but I think they’re wooed too easily by quirks.
The underdog I actually have some hope for is AMC. I think it’s kind of daring to try and run high-end dramatic content out of a cable channel, I admire their balls over there. So far they’ve only had one thing work for them, “Mad Men,” and even that had to shake off a reputation as a critic’s darling without actual fans. “Breaking Bad” gets reviews, but I doubt it’s the kind of show that can pull a big audience over a long haul. So why am I holding out for them? Because they’ve got “The Prisoner” on the horizon, and that’s a scintillating prospect for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is Ian McKellan. They’re young in this game anyway, and everyone knows it takes time to build a premium-style assortment of programming. Seeing Jim Caviezel running through the desert on a massive billboard near Sunset Blvd makes me think these guys have the goods, in the long run, to really be something.
Let’s hope so, anyway, or else FX is going to march in with another batch of supposedly “counter-culture” junk, which is hilarious when smashed between ads for SUVs and bar soap. Yes, I get it, you’re edgy, your characters say bad words, give it a freaking rest.