In my opinion, this is the most beautiful sequence ever aired on television:
This essay is part of a series about our favorite TV shows past.
Previously: You, Me And "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
It's the opening scene for episode two of "Carnivàle." I've probably watched it 100 times. I know every motion, piece of furniture, item of clothing, dialogue snippet, and character backstory. I know the song playing is Ruth Etting's 1929 hit "Love Me or Leave Me."
And yet still, I have absolutely no idea what's going on.
That was kind of the experience of watching the show. Trying to [...]
This is totally a thing! Richard Rushfield went to see a forthcoming HBO movie and came away thinking… hey, that is sure an HBO movie! It's "an intriguing concept, great art design, some fine actors that somehow doesn’t come together as anything special or present any compelling reason why it should be up on a big screen." Hey, yeah, that! First, there's a certain kind of sweeping literalism to the high-end TV movie and miniseries: what's Temple Grandin about? Oh, Temple Grandin. What's Too Big to Fail about? What's Hemingway and Gellhorn about? Ohhhh. I think part of this is: HBO straddles the budgetary line between movie-movies and [...]
The five-part, Todd Haynes-directed miniseries of "Mildred Pierce" starts on Sunday, at 9 p.m., on HBO. Let me just tell you the most important part right now: The first episode may not particularly make you want to carry on! You might hate it immediately. But you likely should press on: what follows is definitely more exciting and pleasurable, as the show goes on. And sometimes when you try a weird new flavor, it's disgusting at first. This flavor is decidedly off-putting or maybe just like it popped out of a time machine from when flavors were different: it's the starchy tale of a snooty lady, and from the hilariously [...]
I had not realized that HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" had retained the services of Michael Pitt in the role of Steve Buscemi's protege. Pitt's work can most often, these past few years, be viewed solely under the JMZ elevated, as he struts along in a t-shirt that displays his scars and tattoos and his tight filthy jeans with the rocker belts. How reclusive is he? His band's website only plays music; it has no words or, you know, gig announcements. He has not made a movie since Funny Games. But here he is on the HBO: "Mr. Pitt was simply made for the fashions of the 1920s, with [...]
"Excuse, Mr. Snoop Dogg?" "Yes?" "Sorry to bother you, sir. But HBO called. They want to know if you'll do a promotional rap for the True Blood show." "Oh, True Blood? Yeah, sure. I like that show." "When should I tell them you'll have it done?" "About fifteen minutes." "Very good, sir."
I will now say a few sacrilicious things about the new trailer for David Simon's "Treme." First, this doesn't tell me anything, and it's loaded with (admittedly amazing-looking) New Orleans cliches. (Jazz funerals! Trombones!) Second, it makes me both miss "True Blood" and wish "True Blood" was better. That aside? If this puts Katrina and New Orleans-the real story of America-back into the "national conversation" again finally, then David Simon deserves a Nobel and an Oscar and an Emmy and maybe a Peabody. Also some award that I will make up and decoupage and mail to him.
