Broadchurch series 3 episode 1
It's hard to imagine a TV series in recent years which fell so far from being the most talked about show of the week to apparently having people switching off in their millions. "Broadchurch" series one was a fine example of today's slow paced TV detective shows which had the nation gripped to find out who killed young Danny Latimer to a degree that hadn't been seen in years. With two damaged yet sympathetic leads played by Olivia Coleman and David Tennant, creator Chris Chibnall breathed new life into the "whodunnit".
It was an almost impossible act to follow and instead of opting for following another case with our two polices officers, the second series chose to focus on the fallout from series one and the subsequent trial of the alleged murderer. The fickle British public wanted more of what they had seen before and were less that impressed with what they got.
For season three Chibnall appears to have gone back to basics and since expectations are not as high, it's a chance to blend the best elements of the previous two series. Dealing incredibly sensitively with the aftermath of a sexual assault, it is already after one episode looking like a return to form. Tennant and Coleman have slipped back into their roles with ease and along with the new investigation we also have the added mystery of why DI Alec Hardy returned to the area to work on the local police force (quite some time seems to have passed since he left at the end of the last episode). It's all heightened by that haunting, heartbeat driven music from Olafur Arnauld. Apaprently there are fifty potential suspects, so its clear we will get lot's of twists and turns over the next few weeks.
It's possible that based on this, "Broadchurch" may quickly return to being ITV's most talked about drama.
Ben-Hur (2016)
I watched this more out of curiosity than anything else, as this is one of those films where you just think "Why on earth would anyone want to remake a stone-cold classic?". Is it possible that Timur Bekmambetov (an interesting if wildly uneven director) could add something new to the well known story? Sadly the answer is no. It was marketed as a "re-telling" of the original novel, but that means it has so many of the same beats as the 1959 Oscar winner that you can't help but make comparisons.
Part of the problem is that this has been cut within an inch of its life. Sometimes good stories need a long running time, but as this is only a little over two hours long, it has to quickly lurch from place to place (utilising a voiceover and sudden "five years later" captions to fill in many of the gaps) all in service of getting to that chariot battle (the entire film is really a flashback as Messala and Ben-Hur are about to race). It means you are just waiting for it to turn up and not invested in the bits in between.
Elsewhere other scenes that could have benefited from modern filming techniques are rendered dull by strange directorial choices - the naval battle is largely shown from below decks for example, and although one could argue that it gives a claustrophobic sense of the fate of the slaves, it just all feels so...one note. Jack Huston is a decent enough actor but he's no Charlton Heston. You never really feel than Judah Ben-Hur is in any danger (in fact my wife was more bothered about fate of the gorgeous white stallions). Oh and the last ten minutes feel like they were running out of time and had to tack something on to wrap it all up.
Sadly the sandals really are too big to fill. Sometimes you really should just leave things alone.
Judge Dredd: Mega-City Zero
Over the last forty years, many, many writers have tried to put their own stamp on the adventures of Mega-City One's finest lawman. I can guarantee though that you have never seen a Dredd like this before. Waking up in a grassy wilderness, the Judge finds that his city and it's 800 million inhabitants are almost all gone. What Cityblocks remain are overgrown with hundreds of years of vegetation and the few meagre citizens have descended into tribalism. Teaming up with three teenage girls, Dredd must try to find out what on Earth has happened to Mega City One and is there still a place for the word of law in this violent, strange world.
The art by Dan McDaid (from "Jersey Gods") is rough and scratchy but kinetic, with a distinct European feel. There are frequent sections across the run that have no dialogue, and you need a decent artist to be able to communicate visually what is going on. McDaid also draws a mean Dredd with bushy grey beard! Issue six also has a guest stint by the legendary Jesus Redondo, which was a exciting surprise. I also have to mention the unusual covers to each issue which are very distinctive.
Writers Ulises Farinas And Erick Freitas are clearly going for a "fish out of water" feel along with some strong underlying themes about social behavior and the influence of the internet. Their twelve issue storyline is big on ideas and "out-there" concepts but perhaps lacking in clarity occasionally. At times it can be a confusing read. Just which is the true reality? There are multiple alternates here. Saying that I'm all for comics that make you work a little and maybe I just need to read the whole thing in one go. Some ideas concerning Dark Judge cultists stealing babies to use in their experiments and a "troll" that gets larger the angrier he gets are also interesting - I'm just not sure if this concept would have worked better as a stand-alone post apocalyptic piece with a different lead character. You have to give them kudos for trying something different though and I'm still intrigued enough to pick up the follow-up story "The Blessed Earth".
No comments:
Post a Comment