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shadowkatFB: There are over 7 million people in the world, and you are going to let one person ruin your day?
Me: Well it would help if I stayed off the internet on weekends and weeknights, less likely to happen.
Although, seriously, this does pose another question? Why is it that out of all the comments we get, many extremely positive, we focus on that one negative one? Okay, maybe not we...I just like to think I'm not the only nitwit that does this.
Finished watching yet another new series pilot How to Get Away With Murder - which is really hard to follow and focus on. It has a lot of characters, three or four plot threads, flash-forwards in time, and two-three mysteries. That's one busy tv show. Particularly, if you count all the commercial interruptions. By the way - are other countries television series as broken up by advertisers and commercials as US tv shows are? Because I think it makes a big difference. a) the ad dollars do mean a lot more money can be spent on the tv show (up to 10 million, possibly more), and b) lots of interruptions and the tv show is often geared to well bring in lots of viewers. Seems to be a bit of a double-edged sword. This may be why we don't have quite as much of the informational/educational programming that other countries appear to have? Because informational/educational programming doesn't make money well not like a football game or an episode of Big Bang Theory would.
That said, I do find HTGAWM or "Murder" to be rather compelling. And I love Viola Davis in it. Wasn't all that surprised by the plot twist at the end - mainly because once I figured out that it was a flash-forward, not a flash-back, and the connections between various characters - it was merely a process of elimination.
So I'll continue with it for now. But we'll see how it goes, since it is rather hard to follow in places. And lately my brain hasn't really been able to focus on tv shows, movies, or books - busy, busy, busy.
What's "Murder" about? Has an interesting premise. Criminal Defense Attorney, Annalease Keating, teaches a Criminal Law Course entitled How to Get Away With Murder - each year she selects four to five top law students to join her small firm, where they help her defend various clients. She's married to the Psychology Professor - who is attempting to get a big job at another University - and may or may not have been involved with Annalease's associate, or for that matter, one of his former students who has been missing for well a few months now. Meanwhile, Annalease is having a rather heated affair with a police detective. Most of the action is shown through the points of view of the law students, who in a series of "flash-forwards" are shown carting a body into the woods and burning it. Who the body is - is revealed at the very end of the first episode. Since it is a flash-forward - we don't know when the murder happens - just that it will in the future. We're in the past watching the tale unfold - a story telling technique that Nowack stole from Damages. It can work - except I think Damages was executed better. This show jumps around too much and doesn't quite have the talent that Damages had behind it. It does however remind me a great deal of Damages in some respects. Except I think I like Viola Davis better than Glenn Close, but that's just me.
This is however just the pilot and if it's anything like Scandal - it may take it a while to find its footing.
Lately, I've been struggling with television series and "execution" - they have a great idea, a good cast, but poor execution. Or it's the opposite - great execution, great cast - but I hate the characters. There are a few hidden gems out there though...which succeed on all counts:
* The Good Wife
* Sleepy Hollow
* Parenthood
* Breaking Bad
* Game of Thrones
* Broadchurch
* Justified
To name a few.
Once Upon A Time is frustrating me - because it has a great idea, great characters, a decent cast - but really bad execution and writing. I keep wanting to strangle the writers. How to Get Away With Murder may elicit a similar reaction.
In other news? I've managed to drop five dress sizes in one year. I went from an 18W in September 2013, to a size 12 in September 2014. My co-workers are telling me not to lose any more weight. Or asking if I have a weight goal in mind? They don't appear to understand that I'm not on a diet per se, but a new life style/method of eating to ensure no back, leg, head, etc pain. And its working. I haven't had a cold or the flu all year. The pain in my back and legs has diminished and rarely bothers me. No more hot flashes. No more migraines. No more night sweats. No more pain pills. No more crazy mood swings. I'm a new woman. It's amazing what going off sugar, dairy, all grains, alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and beans can do for your sanity. I do cheat occasionally - but often feel the negative effects after-wards, so rarely.
Me: Well it would help if I stayed off the internet on weekends and weeknights, less likely to happen.
Although, seriously, this does pose another question? Why is it that out of all the comments we get, many extremely positive, we focus on that one negative one? Okay, maybe not we...I just like to think I'm not the only nitwit that does this.
Finished watching yet another new series pilot How to Get Away With Murder - which is really hard to follow and focus on. It has a lot of characters, three or four plot threads, flash-forwards in time, and two-three mysteries. That's one busy tv show. Particularly, if you count all the commercial interruptions. By the way - are other countries television series as broken up by advertisers and commercials as US tv shows are? Because I think it makes a big difference. a) the ad dollars do mean a lot more money can be spent on the tv show (up to 10 million, possibly more), and b) lots of interruptions and the tv show is often geared to well bring in lots of viewers. Seems to be a bit of a double-edged sword. This may be why we don't have quite as much of the informational/educational programming that other countries appear to have? Because informational/educational programming doesn't make money well not like a football game or an episode of Big Bang Theory would.
That said, I do find HTGAWM or "Murder" to be rather compelling. And I love Viola Davis in it. Wasn't all that surprised by the plot twist at the end - mainly because once I figured out that it was a flash-forward, not a flash-back, and the connections between various characters - it was merely a process of elimination.
So I'll continue with it for now. But we'll see how it goes, since it is rather hard to follow in places. And lately my brain hasn't really been able to focus on tv shows, movies, or books - busy, busy, busy.
What's "Murder" about? Has an interesting premise. Criminal Defense Attorney, Annalease Keating, teaches a Criminal Law Course entitled How to Get Away With Murder - each year she selects four to five top law students to join her small firm, where they help her defend various clients. She's married to the Psychology Professor - who is attempting to get a big job at another University - and may or may not have been involved with Annalease's associate, or for that matter, one of his former students who has been missing for well a few months now. Meanwhile, Annalease is having a rather heated affair with a police detective. Most of the action is shown through the points of view of the law students, who in a series of "flash-forwards" are shown carting a body into the woods and burning it. Who the body is - is revealed at the very end of the first episode. Since it is a flash-forward - we don't know when the murder happens - just that it will in the future. We're in the past watching the tale unfold - a story telling technique that Nowack stole from Damages. It can work - except I think Damages was executed better. This show jumps around too much and doesn't quite have the talent that Damages had behind it. It does however remind me a great deal of Damages in some respects. Except I think I like Viola Davis better than Glenn Close, but that's just me.
This is however just the pilot and if it's anything like Scandal - it may take it a while to find its footing.
Lately, I've been struggling with television series and "execution" - they have a great idea, a good cast, but poor execution. Or it's the opposite - great execution, great cast - but I hate the characters. There are a few hidden gems out there though...which succeed on all counts:
* The Good Wife
* Sleepy Hollow
* Parenthood
* Breaking Bad
* Game of Thrones
* Broadchurch
* Justified
To name a few.
Once Upon A Time is frustrating me - because it has a great idea, great characters, a decent cast - but really bad execution and writing. I keep wanting to strangle the writers. How to Get Away With Murder may elicit a similar reaction.
In other news? I've managed to drop five dress sizes in one year. I went from an 18W in September 2013, to a size 12 in September 2014. My co-workers are telling me not to lose any more weight. Or asking if I have a weight goal in mind? They don't appear to understand that I'm not on a diet per se, but a new life style/method of eating to ensure no back, leg, head, etc pain. And its working. I haven't had a cold or the flu all year. The pain in my back and legs has diminished and rarely bothers me. No more hot flashes. No more migraines. No more night sweats. No more pain pills. No more crazy mood swings. I'm a new woman. It's amazing what going off sugar, dairy, all grains, alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and beans can do for your sanity. I do cheat occasionally - but often feel the negative effects after-wards, so rarely.
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no subject
Date: 2014-09-28 09:47 am (UTC)I remember when I was watching Angel S5 on tapes sent over from the US, I was shocked that there was an ad break immediately after the credits.
no subject
Date: 2014-09-28 01:25 pm (UTC)Although I've seen shows now with lengthy credits and no advert until 15 minutes into the programming. The only problem is we get more towards the end.
I think the big difference between the UK and US on commercials may be that we don't have any rules regarding the maximum proportion of broadcast time that can be taken up - but I may be wrong about that. I'm not aware of any, at any rate. Doesn't of course mean there aren't any.
Am curious as to how the two countries television systems/programming differs now. It differed a great deal in the 20th Century and early portion of 21st, in various respects, but now with the internet and the importing/exporting of programming, it appears to have become more similar? I could be wrong about that.