'Show don't tell...'

Just a few links tonight since I'm catching up in the BBC's recent adaptation of Terry Nation's novelisation of the BBC's Survivors. Having also watched Dead Set, Sunshine and The Bitter Tea of General Yen lately, I figure I'm already in a nihilistic mood so I might as well get it over with. The first episode had its moments though I do wish it hadn't resorted to the kind of narrative and thematic handholding which ruins most tv drama these days, which in this case meant the inclusion of characters who's whole existence is predicated on the apparent need to point out how rubbish life's going to be and how the modern human doesn't have the skills to cope. My old writing teacher used to shout 'Show don't tell...' at ten minute intervals throughout tutorials and looking at Survivors I can see why. That's what's so brilliant about the opening twenty-odd minutes of 28 Days Later. It's all in Cillian's eyes.

This is my 100 day challenge to Yuu, Nintendo.
Man locks himself in his room for a hundred days because Nintendo won't release his bedroom authored game for the DS. Includes minimalistic webcam. He seems to be under the impression that he's the first person to write a computer game by himself. Yuu, meet Jeff Minter. And the other Matt Smith for that matter.

WTF Was That!?!: Deep-Sea Siphonophore
Lovecraft lives!

It's a crying Shane
Five-Centre's summation of Martine McCutcheon's career is so funny I almost choked. Since I do seem to have blogged about everything at some point, here's what happened when she appeared on Parkie with J-Lo in 2001.

Janeane Garofalo, Comedian
Soon to be seen in 24, though she doesn't seem to have enjoyed the experience.

Find out what happened on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in Woody Allen's diary
Which allows me to forgive him for ruining my Saturday night. This diary is funnier than his last three movies: "30 June: Dailies are looking good, and while Javier's idea to add a massive Martian invasion scene complete with 1,000 costumed extras and elaborate flying saucers is not a very good one, I will shoot it to make him happy and cut it in the editing room."

BBC News US Presidential inauguration coverage
To be anchored by Huw 'Not you too Bob' Edwards; Dimbleberry is nowhere to be seen.

3 comments:

Rob Buckley said...

Re: Janeane. Doesn't look like she's had much to do so far. She's kind of Chloe-lite at the moment.

Stuart Ian Burns said...

Which is rather the problem. No one ever knows what to do with her -- once introduced she was wasted on The West Wing and time and again you see films with characters she would be amazing playing filled by less amusing actresses because they fit the visual 'type' but are far less talented.

The other problem is that when she says things like "Also I did a lot of mediocre stuff towards the end of the '90s" I know she's talking about the likes of 'The Truth About Cats and Dogs' which I love dearly and think she was brilliant in, even if the dynamic of her being the less fanciable one is a bit skewed.

Rob Buckley said...

I seem to remember an interview with her where she pointed out that only in Hollywood would she be regarded as the ugly one, rather than the less blonde one, in TTACAD. Of her and Uma, she's certainly the more attractive, too.

Ben Chaplin: whatever happened to him, hey? He was great in Game On. Now where is he?