DH left a link to a great article on ‘The Wire‘ in the comments of my last post, but I thought it deserved a post of it’s own.

The long New York Times article about David Simon, co-creator of ‘the Wire’ is well worth reading.

“The Wire,� Simon often says, is a show about how contemporary American society—and, particularly, “raw, unencumbered capitalism�—devalues human beings. He told me, “Every single moment on the planet, from here on out, human beings are worth less. We are in a post-industrial age. We don’t need as many of us as we once did. So, if the first season was about devaluing the cops who knew their beats and the corner boys slinging drugs, then the second was about devaluing the longshoremen and their labor, the third about people who wanted to make changes in the city, and the fourth was about kids who were being prepared, badly, for an economy that no longer really needs them. And the fifth? It’s about the people who are supposed to be monitoring all this and sounding the alarm—the journalists. The newsroom I worked in had four hundred and fifty people. Now it’s got three hundred. Management says, ‘We have to do more with less.’ That’s the bullshit of bean counters who care only about the bottom line. You do less with less.�

The article goes on to report that

Simon makes it clear that the show’s ambitions were grand. “ ‘The Wire’ is dissent,� he says. “It is perhaps the only storytelling on television that overtly suggests that our political and economic and social constructs are no longer viable, that our leadership has failed us relentlessly, and that no, we are not going to be all right.� He also likes to say that “The Wire� is a story about the “decline of the American empire.�

And, on a less serious note, for those who are already keen fans of the Wire, you might appreciate this little anecdote:

Once, a man pressed a package of heroin into the hands of Andre Royo, the actor who plays the sympathetic junkie and police informant Bubbles, saying, “Man, you need a fix more than I do.� Royo refers to that moment as his “street Oscar.�

This is, in my opinion the best TV ever… ever ever. Seeing as all the shops are putting their Christmas decorations up, I may as well tell you now to add the DVD box sets of the Wire to your Christmas wishlists!

With cinema leaving me down so often these days, I can’t wait for the final season of the Wire… if I had the time I’d watch every season again now before it starts up. Don’t miss it!

For some background on where the Wire came from you could have a look at my post on The Corner, written by the creators and well worth a read. I also read “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets” since reading The Corner, and can highly recommend that book too.

Thanks to Damien for the heads up that this is coming soon!

Time for a YouTube break people. Raging Fred, legend.

Went to see Rendition the other night, the trailer looked promising so I was looking forward to it as it couldn’t possibly be worse than The Kingdom.

It wasn’t worse than The Kingdom, I’ll give it that much. In fact, it started out quite promising, and in fairness it entertained for a fair portion of the duration. However, overall this is an instantly forgettable film.

It’s main malady is that it’s just too simplistic. Rendition just doesn’t contain enough detail to make it a compelling watch, or to make it ring true in any way.

The characters are not developed enough and what little dramatic tension there is in the plot peaks too early and leaves you with nothing but a slow deflation for the last section of the film - just where it should have kicked into a higher gear.

I like to see films being made which deal with issues like these, and of course I like it even better when they reflect my view… however it would be nice to see some real thought being put into the issue, and some form of compelling argument which might reach the odd person who isn’t already utterly convinced of your argument.

Even I have to admit that Rendition is a fairly naieve and over simplistic film. As an argument, it may well be right, but it doesn’t have the debating skills to defend it’s position for even a moment.

Another disappointment for the future of serious film.

Report card: Marks for attendance but could try harder.

The production of Howie The Rookie which recently finished in the Granary Theatre, Cork is being taken over by Clinic Media and will be going to Waterford. We play the Granary again as part of the Imagine Arts Festival. Anyone who missed it in Cork should come along as it looking set to be even better this time around. Book early as this venue only holds 75 people a night.