Game of Thrones S4 E39: The Watchers on the Wall, or Everything Sucks/Ends by Amelia G on Blue Blood

Can we all agree that George R. R. Martin is bipolar, with a strong emphasis on the depressive side? Most extremely creative people are bipolar. Whether their medium is science, stories, visual arts, or being a really accomplished warlord like Mance, I believe this applies. I don’t meant…( Read more )

Game of Thrones S4 E39: The Watchers on the Wall, or Everything Sucks/Ends by Amelia G on Blue Blood

Game of Thrones S4 E38: The Mountain and the Viper, or You’re Fighting THAT? by Will Judy on Blue Bl

Our latest episode of Game of Thrones opens in a dark, muddy shithole village, and leads us to the filthy whorehovel where Gilly does the washing up. And gets drunkenly abused for being a Wildling. Why is everyone so mean about Wildlings?
Well, the raiding and slaughtering is kind of…( Read more )

Game of Thrones S4 E38: The Mountain and the Viper, or You’re Fighting THAT? by Will Judy on Blue Bl

Game of Thrones S4 E37: Mockingbird, or Brothers and Sisters Will Raise a Few Blisters by Will Judy

Our new episode of Game of Thrones begins with Jaime and Tyrion recapping the last scene of the last ep. They agree that things could have gone better, but at least they screwed Tywin over. Tyrion’s leaning towards self pity, and the jokes are getting meaner and less funny. At least he’s aware of…( Read more )

Game of Thrones S4 E37: Mockingbird, or Brothers and Sisters Will Raise a Few Blisters by Will Judy

Game of Thrones S4 E34: Oathkeeper, or at Least Joffrey is Still Dead by Will Judy on Blue Blood

We begin this week’s episode of Game of Thrones with Grey Worm and Missandei doing a little bonding over the shared horror of their past. She’s teaching him the common tongue of Westeros, apparently. Eyes on the prize, Dany.
Grey’s role in the taking of Meereen is as an agent provocateur, suppl…( Read more )

Game of Thrones S4 E34: Oathkeeper, or at Least Joffrey is Still Dead by Will Judy on Blue Blood

Boardwalk Empire (PICS)

Boardwalk Empire

by Amelia G : September 19th, 2010

I’ve been watching a lot of TCM lately. In particular, the gangster movies from the 1930’s really resonate with me. In a way, the world is such a different place now, and, in a way, so many of the issues are so very current. Those movies took on themes of people with good work ethics and limited opportunities, as well as issues of gender roles, personal responsibility, defining right versus wrong, and how a society can reabsorb men who have been to war and killed people for their country.

I believe we are in a depression now. My mother was an economist for the United States government for many years and, when I asked her what the difference between a depression and a recession is, she told me, without even having to think about it, that it depends on whether your party is in office or not.

I have another definition of the difference between a depression and a recession. They say porn is recession-proof. Everyone I know who does any business in the adult arena says revenues there are down. Way down.

So, in addition to TCM, I’ve also been watching the Boardwalk Empire previews and ubiquitous Los Angeles billboards for some time with great impatience. Everything about the show looked like it was going to be awesome. HBO got Martin “Goodfellas” Scorsese to do a long form cable drama about Prohibition in Atlantic City. Boardwalk Empire was apparently created by Sopranos writer/producer Terence Winter.



Boardwalk Empire stars Steve Buscemi as the Treasurer of Atlantic City when Prohibition goes into effect. The pilot kicks off with him addressing a temperance group and then telling his driver, a Princeton drop-out back from war, played by a fine-looking Michael “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” Pitt, that the first rule of politics is to never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Looks like Michael K. Williams, who played Omar on The Wire, is going to be in this too.

I saw Steve Buscemi and Michael Pitt act amazingly together before in the thought-provoking movie Delirious, about a good-looking homeless teen, a lonely paparazzi photographer, and a trapped teen pop diva. I think Delirious would have been a bigger film, if it had just had a name which was not so forgettable. I thought it was really good and I just had to look up what it was called. But I digress.

Boardwalk Empire so far is a ridiculously good story. I keep wondering about its historical accuracy and there are so many fascinating little tidbits, of the sort I’d usually go check if I saw them in a TCM movie, but I don’t want to spoil any suspense on a series I will definitely be watching all of. I just know to take it all with a grain of salt because of that opening disclaimer about the truth and a good story.

I had unattainably high hopes for this series and, so far, it has absolutely met them. If someone were to tailor-make a series perfect for my viewing pleasure, Boardwalk Empire has it all. It is intelligent, witty, tidily plotted, beautifully shot with sets designed with entertaining and inspired attention to detail, flawlessly acted and directed, and features characters ranging from iconoclastic criminals to flashy club girls to artists, all in great outfits, including the best in mobster chic. All this one is missing for my needs is a vampire.

Treme Hubig’s New Orleans Pie

Treme Hubig’s New Orleans Pie

by Amelia G : April 12th, 2010

I love long form cable dramas and The Wire is my favorite of all time. So I’ve been looking forward to HBO’s Treme for quite some time. Treme is a brand new show created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer. David Simon created The Wire and Eric Overmyer wrote a couple episodes. Both of them did some work on it and on Homicide: Life on the Street. Eric Overmyer has also done buckets of work on Law & Order. David Simon is also responsible for Generation Kill, starring bad boy 3000-year-old vampire Alexander Skarsgård. (Okay, I’m a fan of the True Blood long form cable drama as well; like that’s a surprise.)

The first episode of Treme did not disappoint. The show is named after a particularly musically important historic neighborhood in New Orleans and the first episode featured appearances by Elvis Costello and New Orleans native Kermit Ruffins, both playing themselves. I’d probably enjoy the show more if New Orleans music resonated with me more, but the general musical lifestyle does resonate, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in New Orleans, I like the food, and I feel like post-Katrina resilience and during-Katrina failures are really important for the USA to examine as a nation. The folks behind this show are not ones to shy away from difficult or important issues. If Treme is anything like The Wire, and I expect it will be, the show will probably demonstrate a full spectrum of viewpoints on problems and solutions. Just one episode in, they’ve already jumped in with both feet on the issues of corruption on government contracts, the economic peculiarities of New Orleans, and . . .

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Treme Hubig’s New Orleans Pie

Treme Hubig’s New Orleans Pie

by Amelia G : April 12th, 2010

I love long form cable dramas and The Wire is my favorite of all time. So I’ve been looking forward to HBO’s Treme for quite some time. Treme is a brand new show created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer. David Simon created The Wire and Eric Overmyer wrote a couple episodes. Both of them did some work on it and on Homicide: Life on the Street. Eric Overmyer has also done buckets of work on Law & Order. David Simon is also responsible for Generation Kill, starring bad boy 3000-year-old vampire Alexander Skarsgård. (Okay, I’m a fan of the True Blood long form cable drama as well; like that’s a surprise.)

The first episode of Treme did not disappoint. The show is named after a particularly musically important historic neighborhood in New Orleans and the first episode featured appearances by Elvis Costello and New Orleans native Kermit Ruffins, both playing themselves. I’d probably enjoy the show more if New Orleans music resonated with me more, but the general musical lifestyle does resonate, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in New Orleans, I like the food, and I feel like post-Katrina resilience and during-Katrina failures are really important for the USA to examine as a nation. The folks behind this show are not ones to shy away from difficult or important issues. If Treme is anything like The Wire, and I expect it will be, the show will probably demonstrate a full spectrum of viewpoints on problems and solutions. Just one episode in, they’ve already jumped in with both feet on the issues of corruption on government contracts, the economic peculiarities of New Orleans, and . . .

( Read more )

True Blood Season 2 - Can Vampires Grow or Dye Hair?

True Blood Season 2 - Can Vampires Grow or Dye Hair?

by Amelia G : June 18th, 2009

As you all probably know, the HBO series True Blood, based on the Charlaine Harris novels, was one of my favorite new shows this past year, maybe my very favorite. The new season is kicking off with fun altmodel cam boy and local vampire blood dealer Lafayette Reynolds possibly in trouble and more murderous whodunit and more surprisingly well done and extended sex scenes. I’m not sure the first True Blood Season 2 teaser pics and True Blood Season 2 promo photos really do the show justice.

I am sure that a bunch of the product placement tie-in billboards and suchlike around Los Angeles are a bit cringe-inducing. There are billboards for motorcycles, cars, automotive insurance, and and Gillette razorblades and other not terribly vampy products. (I don’t necessarily want to give tons of bonus exposure to silly things advertised this way, but I have to give Gillette a shout-out because years ago I worked the product launch for the Gillette Sensor and it was the most awesome and creative technical theatre gig I ever saw.) Pale-skinned dark-haired vampy femme fatale Dita Von Teese says, “I don’t understand this vampire bandwagon. Just saw a billboard advertising razors that “vampires prefer”. Vampires don’t have to shave!” I could get into a dissertation about the necessary equilibrium between enjoying the success of what you love verus avoiding having what you love co-opted. But really . . .

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