The Cancellation Epidemic

Last week ABC announced that they would not be ordering additional episodes of Last Resort following the initial thirteen planned episodes. That this decision came after only seven episodes of the military drama had aired in the US and three in the UK epitomises the increasingly cut-throat nature of the TV industry these days. I'm not going to pretend to know the inner dealings of US TV networks but over the past few years it seems that shows are cancelled ever earlier and for shorter failings despite record budgets being invested in pilot episodes.

Are TV networks holding out for their own The Wire or The Sopranos? Surely the network bosses realise that these kind of shows don't come along too often. Obviously ratings are king and rarely increase once they begin to slide but what level warrants the chop? Such is the economic climate perhaps the rate of diminishing returns is becoming higher and higher. Maybe the level competition of has become too great, maybe it's evolution and a survival of the fittest until only HBO shows remain.

From a writers point of view it must be difficult to plan the story arcs for a first season without having the security of a fixed run. Imagine being a writer, do you load your pilot with the beginning of as many story arcs and cliched characters as possible in the hope this attracts viewers at the start or do you pace long story arcs and cliffhangers for later in the season and run the risk that viewers fall away before this point? Imagine being told your show is being axed knowing that you have some killer story lines just around the corner. The answer to the previous question is neither. Obviously, you write the perfect plot, recruit the perfect actors, get scheduled in the perfect slot and market the show perfectly. Answer me this, in this day of extreme competition and demand for immediate success would slow burning shows like The Wire have survived?

One issue I have with TV networks is the scheduling of 22 episodes. Look at successful shows like The Wire, The Sopranos, The Shield, Homeland, The Walking Dead and Mad Men, what do they all have in common? Seasons of between 10 and 13 episodes (granted some have episodes an hour in length). Not only do I believe it is much easier for viewers to commit to watching shorter seasons, (who wants to watch anything for 22 weeks? It's exhausting.) but it produces higher quality, more cohesive and less diluted story telling.

Lately, news of a show's cancellation has tended to spark brief twitter movements among the deceased show's fans and the past has proved that shows can be saved, see Firefly/Serenity or Southland. For fans of axed shows it is insanely frustrating that end of season cliffhangers are left unresolved and stories are left incomplete. At least in the case of Last Resort ABC gave the producers enough notice for the writers to amend the plot for the final episodes yet to be filmed and give viewers some closure.

Truthfully, the reasoning for this article comes from the fact that I am one of the aforementioned frustrated fans, several times over. Within the last few years, I've witnessed FlashForward and Alcatraz canned after first seasons had aired, leaving unconcluded stories and also Terra Nova and Last Resort axed mid-season in the UK, not to mention HBO's Luck being cancelled mid-season for entirely different reasons. Granted some of those shows weren't too great but were they THAT bad? Mid-season cancellation bad?

What is for certain is that it's a difficult time to be a first season TV show and that shows are certainly having to work harder than ever before to reach the promised land of second season renewal.

BOOK: The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy (8/10)

Why did I read it?

Remembered enjoying the film a while back and thought the book would be worth a read for a bit more detail.

What's it all about?

For those that haven't seen the film, Red October is a Russian submarine captained by respected submariner Marko Ramius. Taking place during the Cold War, Ramius and his officers aim to defect to the US taking their brand new submarine with them. Independently, the US and Russsians get wind of the attempted defection and without alerting each other to their true intentions both sides race against time to locate the submarine. CIA analyst Jack Ryan gets thrown into the action as the CIA contact to the US military's mission following his theory that Ramius was attempting to defect and not launch missiles at the US.

Should you read it?

The Hunt for Red October is a really gripping pressure-cooker thriller and probably one of the best cold war thrillers out there. In comparison with the film adaptation, Clancy's original story includes a few extra sub-plots and twists as well as additional characters (US President and Russian ambassador). I never realised quite how boiled down the film version was. Clancy's additional detail and demonstrated research into the operation of submarines may put off some readers and perhaps understandably so, but I found it both interesting and complimentary to the plot.    

FILM: Cowboys & Aliens (6/10)

Why did I watch it?

No particular reason, it just came along and looked a pretty harmless action adventure film.

What's it all about?

Daniel Craig stars as a cowboy who wakes up with no memory and a strange futuristic bracelet on his wrist. Apparently an outlaw, he is captured and taken to the local sheriff where he gets caught in an alien attack on the town, learning he capabilities of his bracelet in the process. The alien planes capture a few residents including local cattle baron Harrison Ford's son. Craig and Ford lead a rescue mission to retrieve the captives.

Should you watch it?

Based on a recent graphic novel of the same name, the concept of cowboys battling aliens is certainly a novel one but it doesn't really work for me. I expected more intrigue from a screenwriting team including Damon Lindelof. 

What you get if you cross a John Wayne film with Independence Day

I'm not sure if Jon Favreau and Universal Studios were trying to pitch this as a new Indiana Jones but Daniel Craig is not nearly likeable enough with his stereotypically surly cowboy. Ford is suitably gritty as the veteran gun-slinger finding his softer side. Granted there are some exciting scenes but overall it falls pretty flat in merging the two polar genres. One scene where Craig carries Olivia Wilde in his arms until he collapses in exhaustion simply made me want to watch True Grit instead. 

FILM: The Tree of Life (6/10)

Why did I watch it?

Came across this one after seeing it mentioned in Sight & Sounds 2012 greatest film poll. Although it didn't make the final list, 16 critics voted it in their top 10 greatest films of all time. That coupled with the fact that I enjoyed another of director Terence Malick's films, The Thin Red Line, made this worth investigating.

What's it all about?

Simply put, the film largely chronicles the childhood memories of a middle-aged man Jack O'Brien (Sean Penn). Growing up in Waco, Texas, Jack is the oldest of three boys, sons of parents Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain with contrasting views on life. Pitt is frustrated with his achievements in life and raises his sons with a firm hand, in particular Jack, as he attempts to impress upon them that life is a cruel game that must be conquered through hard work and desire. In Chastain, the boys have a mother with a carefree spirit, happy to simply be alive amongst the wonders of God. In between the present day and the retold memories, the viewer is told at the film's offset that one of the younger boys died as a young adult in military service.

Should you watch it?

The Tree of Life is without doubt the most difficult film I have ever watched. I'll admit to watching this in two sessions as I stepped away from it after the first twenty minutes or so, frustrated with the lack of narrative and religious whispering behind scenes of light flickering in the dark.

Thankfully, I returned to it later although I almost gave up again during the twenty minute sequence covering the creation of Earth and life upon it. This was like watching a nature documentary and culminating with CGI dinosaurs, I still question the necessity for this sequence. To me it felt completely detached from the 'the tree of life' that was the telling of the life of Jack.

"Do not speak unless you have something significant to say"

The film is edited to within an inch of it's life as some fantastically beautiful shots and imagery are interspersed between the scenes of the family's relationship. I believe the only person who will truly appreciate and understand the intricacy of the film's editing and imagery is Malick himself.

A corner is turned once the philosophy of evolution is put to one side and the narrative (although still unconventional) begins. Pitt, Chastain and Hunter McCracken (young Jack) give truly excellent performances. As the oldest of three brothers myself, I related to the boys innocently running amok in the neighbourhood, usually going too far in their youthful exuberance and daring (and usually the younger brother paying the price!). I really enjoyed this section of the story, as Jack became troublesome and his relationship with his father began to breakdown to the point of him considering dropping a car on his head. Disappointingly though, for me the ending was as unrewarding as the film's start leaving my enjoyment of The Tree of Life a real quandary.

FILM: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (8/10)

Why did I watch it?

I am a massive fan of Steig Larsson's series of books so I was keen to see Hollywood's take on the story. I've haven't seen the original Swedish versions of the films yet.

What's it all about?

Based on the book of the same name and set in Sweden, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo tells the story of disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) and extrovert freelance researcher Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) investigate the disappearance of teenager Harriet Vanger decades earlier. As the pair attempt to hunt down the murderer they become entangled in an estranged family with shady history.

She used to be such a nice girl

Should you watch it?
TGWTDT is essentially a cold case whodunit but what sets the story apart is not the complexity of the wealthy Vanger family and their whereabouts on that day but the characters investigating the mystery. Blomkvist is fresh from losing a libel lawsuit and accepts the case as a sabbatical from work while Lisbeth Salander is now probably one of the most iconic female characters of recent times. A gifted researcher and computer hacker under state guardianship due to a chequered adolescence, Salander only enters the story in its main sense half way through. The first half introduces her character's issues, her initiative and resolve in the face of difficulty. Despite being a whodunit, as the title suggests, the story is really about Salander.

I enjoyed the US film version and thought David Fincher managed to do the book justice squeezing just enough detail from the book into the two and half hours without compromising some of the more extreme scenes.  I was concerned that some of the complexity of the various generations of the Vanger family would be lost in the translation from book to film but Fincher managed to explain this carefully enough with visual aids for it to get across to the audience.

The faults with the film are similar to the book in that the postscript ending seems just as tagged onto the end but this is a small gripe and it rests with Larsson's decision to set up the next instalment here. 

Rooney Mara is excellent as Salander, and the production team did a great job designing her appearance true to the story.

FILM: Crazy, Stupid, Love. (7/10)

Why did I watch it?

Another Mrs Northerner special this one while we were on holiday. I hadn't even heard of this film before watching it.

What's it all about?

A romantic comedy that weaves together the romantic entanglements of several interlinked characters. To refer to Crazy Stupid Love as a love triangle would be simplifying it grossly. A love triangle dangerously perched on top of a love pyramid would be more accurate. Steve Carell is the soon to be divorced middle-aged guy with no interest in finding another fish in the sea. He meets successful ladies man Ryan Gosling who offers to help reinvent him as a ladies man himself. Meanwhile Gosling meets a girl and begins to question his own lifestyle of fast women while Carrell's young son ambitiously pines after his babysitter, who herself has eyes on a guy herself. Amongst all this, Carrell's wife Julianne Moore continues to date Kevin Bacon, the cause of the divorce.

Chat-up lines Dad-style

Should you watch it?

As rom-coms go, Crazy Stupid Love is definitely worth a watch. Steve Carell is pretty funny as always and the same can be said for the plot machinations which culminate in a hilarious farcical scene as the love triangle/pyramid collapses. It also features a pretty large A-list cast which certainly helps things along.

FILM: The Rock (7/10)

Why did I watch it?

This is one of those films that I should have seen but for no particular reason I haven't. Instead I've managed to see Con Air probably half a dozen times. 

What's it all about?

Ed Harris plays disillusioned US general Frank Hummel, who leads his rogue team of Marines to seize control of Alcatraz, taking 81 hostages in the process. Armed with biological VX missiles aimed at San Francisco, Hummel demands funds for the families of those marines who have died in deniable operations. The US governments teams up FBI chemical specialist Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) with former SAS operative and Alcatraz inmate John Mason (Sean Connery) to save the day.

Should you watch it?

The Rock is a straight forward action film with no regrets. Bang for your buck director Michael Bay's second film delivers gun fights, car chases, explosions a plenty, all tethered to a pretty zany plot. He finds time to squeeze in some instantly recognisable shots, namely the slow motion shots of Cage getting to his feet a la Will Smith in Bad Boys.

The three leads play there characters well. Harris plays Hummel dead straight and manages to give him several dimensions. Cage is his fairly usual character, the goofy, funny, out of place hero. Connery brings some extra class to the film although he does have a few cheesy lines that would make a Bond script look Shakespearian. Producers Bruckheimer and Simpson gave soundtrack duties to Hans Zimmer, who delivers another fantastic Zimmer special.

As 1990's action films go, The Rock is up with the best of them.