The Dexter Effect

Why do we continue to support the antics of a serial killer? That fundamental question is constantly ringing in the ears of Dexter viewers, one of Showtime’s hit series. Dexter, played flawlessly by the ever creepy yet likeable Michael C. Hall appears in television in an era where good and evil are not so black and white.

Several factors seem to contribute to the audience’s tolerance of multiple murders, the first being perspective. We see the world through Dexter’s eyes. We see the rationale behind his acts, and we understand the psychological trauma that has made him this way. More importantly, each season is set up to present Dexter as the anti-hero, but more importantly, NOT the villain. In The Silence of the Lambs, though Hannibal Lecter’s crimes may be ultimately worse, we see him as at least somewhat good because he helps to apprehend Buffalo Bill. In Dexter, we see Dexter taking justice into his own hands (a feat also accomplished by Lecter in Hannibal), and we see the true villains as The Ice Truck Killer, Lila, Miguel Prado, George King, even Sergeant Doakes. Ultimately, Dexter is not the villain to the viewer because each season, that spot is taken by characters even worse than the title role.

Audiences also seem ready to accept the “hero” qualities in Dexter because we no longer want simple presentations of good and evil. The critical and audience success of The Dark Knight and even Iron Man this year both reflect Hollywood’s acknowledgement of more complicated hero movies. The failure of movies like Punisher: War Zone and Rock’n’Rolla also help my argument. While the quality of The Dark Knight and Iron Man are irrefutably better than the other films I mentioned, part of their achievements are their complexities of character presentation.

Maybe Dexter is just a good hour of television. Maybe it simply appeals to the darkest versions of ourselves, without going too far off the deep end to the point of being unidentifiable… But I’d like to think that audiences are looking for something more than just a mindless comedy or shoot ‘em up action flik (Shoot em Up was also a terrible movie). Hopefully Hollywood takes notice.

Book to Movie

"Maus," it's next year's Waltz with Bashir or Persepolis. Come on, it's only natural...

Re-Watch and Rewind.

New post I'm starting today of shows I want to revisit since my youth. My exploration into Bug Juice inspired me to look into some great shows of the past. I'm starting with Doug.

Book to Movie - Don't Worry, it has Absolutely Nothing to do with Physics

I should have made this clear with my last post, but ever since Hollywood has decided to re-make and re-boot every single movie it has ever already made, I'm taking a stand. If you can't come up with new ideas (and I understand, thinking is totally hard), then there is plenty of good source material at your local library. My suggestion today? "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl. (http://www.calamityphysics.com/main.htm)

It's Juno meets Nancy Drew meets Running with Scissors (the book, not the dreadful movie) meets Gossip Girl then hangs out with a bookworm. Some of the "Special" qualities of the book will be lost in translation because a lot of what I loved about it were the references to other books - but nothing a good narrator can't fix. I see Kristen Stewart or Olivia Thirlby as the lead!


** Update: apparently the movie is in development with Scott Rudin producing and the directing team behind the awesome Half Nelson on board.

17 Kids and Counting.... An Argument for Sterilization

I was channel surfing the other day and came across a repeat of TLC’s 17 Kids and Counting in which the family takes a road trip to The Creation Museum (http://www.creationmuseum.org/) in Kentucky. While this wasn’t their final destination, it covered about half of the episode, and since I’ve actually been to the Creation Museum, I thought I’d weigh in on the episode’s presentation.

The producers and camera crew consistently do a good job on this show of making sure the audience knows the joke’s on the Duggars, and that watching their lifestyle is more voyeurism than relatable TV, but this episode marks the most obvious mockery of their belief system. I don’t feel bad for the Duggars, I’m sure raising 17 (well, now 18) kids is expensive and if I were stupid enough to pop out 18 kids, I wouldn’t mind the extra cash, but I do often wonder if they watch the episodes and realize that they are surrounded by non-believers.

Often the producers will ask leading questions (for example: do you think your parents are brainwashing you) and all the children will individually answer ‘no, of course not,’ or the crew will bring in Amy, the Duggar’s less-conservative niece to mock the family’s stringent rules. In an episode where the Duggar’s eldest son Joshua gets engaged and decides to save his first kiss for the day of his wedding, Amy cheekily admits that she certainly hasn’t followed suit. Side note: since the original airing of that episode, Joshua married Anna Keller in September (http://www.ja20.com/home.html) even though they barely knew each other when they got engaged and I’m pretty sure their hormones were rushing the wedding and not true love. But maybe that’s just me. Okay, back to the Creation Museum…

In the episode where the family visits the museum, there are interviews with the founder, footage from the guided tour, and family reactions contrasted with interviews of people on the street. During this sequence, the Duggar children argue that Creationism (the belief that the earth was created 5,000 years ago by God, dinosaurs coexisted with man, and many natural signs of aging like the Grand Canyon can be explained by the flood) is the most logical explanation for the existence of life as we know it; and the people on the street argue that Carbon dating is accurate and we aren’t about to find dinosaur bones chilling with human bones anytime soon. To me, and seemingly the producers and crew the winner of this argument is crystal clear, While it is not clear if the interviewees were taken from outside of the museum or in other cities, I’m pretty sure my friend and I were the only people visiting the Museum from a Secular perspective on the day of our visit.

While it is not entirely clear from the episode of 17 Kids and Counting, the Creation Museum is an incredibly well-funded amusement park level structure in the middle of nowhere right near the Pennsylvania and Ohio borders of Kentucky. The displays include creepy animatronic dinosaurs and humans to convey the beauty of Eden that fell when that darn Eve ate a delicious apple. If she hadn’t, we would all be hanging out in that garden naked, riding dinosaurs, and assumingly still products of incest because that was cool back then. What a shame. What I found most disturbing wasn’t the fact that people paid for the construction of the place, or that all the displays of destruction and immorality look like cities, while goodness is consistently portrayed as a pastoral or dare I say, suburban landscape; my problem with the museum rests almost solely on a 22 minute interactive video that teaches kids that science is boring, and God is totally way cooler. The 4-D experience (the seats shake and you get sprayed with water during the flood sequence) begins with a confused animatronic girl, I think her name was Wendy, sitting front of a fake fire on the stage. Screens project that she is in a campsite all alone, questioning her feelings about God. All of a sudden two angels with a sharp sense of wit and Tony The Tiger appeal to kids come out of nowhere and take us all on a journey of understanding. There is a fairly long sequence in which science teachers are depicted as black and white, old and boring, while the angels wear sunglasses and backwards caps and present “facts” about Creationism that the teachers are flummoxed by – the whole film is minute after minute of propaganda and the children in the theater with us seemed to lap up every minute of it.

My experience at the museum was troubling because it forced me to admit to myself that there is still a large population of people in this country who believe in and fund places like the Creation Museum. Sarah Palin was another nasty reminder. Being there also made me realize that although I’m pretty sure the producers at 17 Kids and Counting see the world from an evolution point of view, there are probably many people that watch the TLC show and strive to live life after the Duggar example. Scary.

Today's Book That Should Be Made Into A Movie

"Rule of the Bone" by Russell Banks.

Why? It's a coming-of-age tale (Into The Wild meets The Wackness, or if you'd prefer - a modern "Catcher in the Rye") with an existing fan-base. In fact, either lead from those movies could transfer well to the character of Chappie/Bone. Just a thought Big 8, just a thought.

The Real World Gets... Real?

I recently attended a screening and Q and A session with the cast of this season’s upcoming Real World: Brooklyn cast… and I was pleasantly surprised. Two of the cast members don’t drink, there are three cast members who consider themselves LGBT, and there is a war veteran. MTV took its standard casting choices of culturally, ethnically, and sexually diverse casts up a notch to include new and exciting stories, and this particular cast seems like they all came to the house to stir up the wild-child reputation of The Real World, and actually talk about something important.

While I assumed it was a prerequisite for cast members to be able to express themselves well on screen and in the now-famous Confessional, there was always something inherently stupid in the idea of exposing your worst moments to audiences of millions over four months. In listening to this particular cast, (don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there will be plenty of drama), I got the sense that at least some, if not all of them went on the show to share insights rather than their forays with intercourse. Camera time seemed to them, like an opportunity to tell their story, and not necessarily to gain pseudo-celebrity status or participate in the post-Real World challenge programs. The Jerry Springer-esque turn the show has taken seems broken by these eight strangers, and hopefully the trend will continue.

The change comes at an interesting time for MTV and America as a whole. While I doubt the overall level of reality television will change drastically - as NBC continues to air Momma’s Boys despite the bigotry and sexism central to the show’s entertainment value - perhaps younger audiences are ready to embrace more sophisticated versions of the old formulas. Even though MTV has also recently given us the atrocious Double Shot at Love, they have also announced 16 new reality shows for the new season that are meant to push real-reality instead of the scripted reality to which we are accustomed.

I don’t have high hopes for Bromance or The City to push the envelope on intellectualism in reality TV, so we’ll have to wait and see what other fare MTV has to offer this Spring.

... It Doesn't Come on DVD Either

If you are like me, born in the mid-80s, raised in the Clinton administration – the light shining between two Bushes - then you may have watched a reality show purer than the yellow snow being passed off as reality today. Bug Juice was the true story of kids at summer camp. Airing on the Disney Channel for three seasons, the simple stories of crushes, stage fright, and nerves leaving home were both touching and familiar. Bug Juice was The Real World for kids, and it didn’t have the pretensions of meaning anything beyond what it was: the tales and exploits of teenagers experiencing life outside their familiar bubble.

It seems that everyone has moved on but me. Douglas Ross, one of the Creators and EPs of the show’s three seasons has gone on to produce Big Brother, The Real Housewives of Orange County, and the ill conceived, poorly executed trash that was Date My Ex: Jo & Slade. Although I’m sure he’s sitting pretty burning $100 bills for sport, I really miss the days when reality television didn’t have a scriptwriter, and when the word ‘showmance’ wasn’t part of our vernacular. On a personal level, Bug Juice even helped me transition to college, the real test of leaving your comfort zone - seemingly for good. It was my first day at Northwestern University, my first class (History of Ancient Egypt), and who should I see gracing the same classroom? Andrew, from Season 1 of the show. Once the shy theater geek, he had clearly grown up and grown into his musical skin. It was certainly a comfort, whether I realized it or not, to know I was halfway across the country, but I still wasn’t too far from home.

Whether you relate to my lament for Bug Juice, which is probably more broadly a cry for all of my favorite shows of the 90s to reappear in my life, I sat down to write this post mainly because I want to watch Seasons 2 and 3 again, and cannot seem to find them anywhere. Disney never re-aired them after 2001, and ABC seems to be behind Fox and NBC in posting old content. Although my viewing of the series might be tainted by my enlightened perception (in Season 3 I distinctly remember a male character having a girlfriend, though he’s probably not interested in girls anymore, and I think one of the kids was kicked out for drug possession), I still want to reminisce with these kids more than I’d ever even consider re-watching an old Real World season, or certainly one of Mr. Ross’ more recent projects.

Recommendation!!!

If you're like me, and you like Hulu - check out Boxee. It's currently in Alpha Testing and will apparently revolutionize the way you watch television... on your computer. I'm giving it a go and like it so far, so check it out.

Honor Among Geeks

It seems that in the age of competition, the word "loyalty" would rarely come to mind in the context of the entertainment industry, but more and more I notice how Judd Apatow is, in many respects, the man who breaks the mold. Apatow made famous the novel idea in today's superficial society of casting people who look like, well, people. In his earlier endeavors on television, the cult hits Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared were adept at depicting reasonable physical and social expectations for the environments of high school and college, and cast actors who were, *gasp,* actually of high school and college age. Though it says something that neither of these shows survived past their first season (it seems as if audiences forget the characters that look like we do, and remember the characters we can pin-up above our beds), Judd Apatow never forgot the actors that helped him make the leap from television to film.

Whether it's in the role of producer, creator, or director, Apatow seems to enjoy creating star vehicles for the people Hollywood might have easily forgotten. The Ben Stiller Show (1992-3) was one of Apatow's first endeavors in Hollywood, then Apatow worked with Stiller again on the film Heavyweights (1995) and produced Stiller's directorial effort of The Cable Guy in 1996. Apatow also worked with Jim Carrey early in his career and linked up with him again on The Cable Guy and Fun with Dick and Jane.

The cast of Freaks and Geeks has appeared numerous times in Apatow's later productions. Jason Segel, Natasha Melnick, Samm Levine, Martin Starr, David Krumholtz, and Busy Philipps all moved with Apatow to Undeclared in some capacity. Seth Rogen is also included in that group and has gone on to appear in seven films connected to Apatow. Loudon Wainwright III went from Undeclared to roles in The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, and James Franco of Freaks had a cameo in Knocked Up and starred in the Apatow-penned Pineapple Express. Jonah Hill has appeared in five Apatow films, and Superbad director Greg Mottola got his start working with Apatow on the set of Undeclared. Jay Baruchel went from Undeclared obscurity to film fame with roles in Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder (written, directed, and starring Ben Stiller). Carla Gallo of Undeclared has since worked on three Apatow projects, as the characters Toe-Sucking Girl, Period Blood Girl, and Gag Me Girl. While that may not be considered a favor to her career, I'd like to think these particular casting choices come from a place of love. Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared even used the same extra – if only I knew his name! He can be seen walking the hallways of both schools with a horrible mushroom cut, and he's also in the Disney Channel Original Movie Brink sitting behind Brink's family during the Vert ramp competition wearing an orange bucket hat. Don't ask me how I remember these things. And of course Apatow has involved his family: wife Leslie Mann, whom he met on the set of The Cable Guy, and daughters Maude and Iris, who appear in both Knocked Up and the upcoming Funny People.

The point I'm trying to make is that Judd Apatow seems not only to enjoy the people he works with, but to actively take an interest in furthering their careers. Who would have thought that Seth Rogen would ever be cast as a superhero? Fast forward eleven years from Freaks and Geeks and he's the Green Hornet. While I can't see Martin Starr donning a cape in the near future (though McLovin will in the upcoming film Kick-Ass), the point is still valid: in a business swimming with sharks, it seems that this unlikely band of comedic actors who look like you and me looked out for one another.

(This post is also available on The Paley Center Blogs)

"Friends" or Foe?

I found myself watching an old episode of “Friends” the other day and thinking: what made me tune in every week, and during syndication, every day for this?! The show is about six friends who, in real life, would never be friends. The actor and massage therapist, the professor and the waitress, the (what was Chandler’s job?), and the chef; the tax bracket differentials alone would have strained their relationships beyond the one episode when Phoebe, Joey, and Rachel vehemently oppose splitting the check at dinner. Perhaps the foursome of Chandler, Ross, Monica, and Rachel would have continued to know one another for a few years, but being brought up in the stuffy world of New York class politics, I doubt once-homeless Phoebe would have ever made the cut.

I understand that part of the appeal of television is the suspension of reality, that the idea of friends uniting daily on the same couches (which again, minus one episode where the cast duels a rival group of friends for ownership) are mysteriously always free for them to exchange dialogue, is comforting… but who are we kidding? The “Friends” dynamic worked in the decadent 90s, during the tech boom, when spending money was fun rather than feared; but looking at the show today, the content doesn’t resonate. Sometimes I watch the comedies of my youth (“Full House,” “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “Family Matters”) and laugh at my innocence, but I still appreciate the times when I believed things were that simple. Looking at “Friends” today, I simply scoff at my poor taste in television programs, and wonder how they lived in such nice apartments while barely working.

I guess the problem I have with “Friends” is that it’s not intentionally outlandish and it is rooted in the illusion of real life – but I don’t believe a word of it. A modern equivalent, “How I Met Your Mother,” satisfies my tastes much better. Featuring Neil Patrick Harris and Bob Saget (some of the stars of my youth), the show is about an architect, a lawyer, a newscaster, and the mystery-job wielding Barney. Like Joey, Barney is entirely outlandish and quite the Lothario, but unlike Joey, he doesn’t employ the stupidity card. I don’t think many New Yorkers would put up with the likes of Joey Tribiani for long, but I think everyone has a friend who is obnoxious, and mostly serves the purpose of entertaining everyone else at the table. They still live in beautiful apartments (but they have jobs to pay for them), they still always sit at the same table at their bar (okay, maybe that’s a little ridiculous), but they make sense as friends. Perhaps it’s the recent recession that has turned me into a Scrooge, or maybe I’m in a phase when looking back on my teenage years is a lot less appealing than examining the days when the only books I picked up had large pictures and starred talking animals, but I watch “How I Met Your Mother,” and I believe in the characters. And somehow, that makes all the difference.

The Gosselins Go Corporate

You should probably take your children to see "The Tale of Despereaux," as this Monday's episode of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" glaringly pointed out. As the fourth season meanders on, I notice every week how more and more products seem to find their way into the lives of this reality family. From remote-control cars to V-Tech and Wii games, it seems as if the show has become a commercial rather than a narrative. This past week, Kate read a chapter of the book "The Tale of Despereaux" to her children on her bed in the Peabody Hotel, as each child clutched a stuffed animal of the movie's star. Although product placement has existed in radio, film, and television since practically their inception, the idea of a real family, rather than a reel family, pitching products to the highest bidder not only irked me, it made me dislike the show.

Remember the good old days when the sextuplets were three, and Mady was annoying – but it wasn’t to the point where you could tell this television show was doing irreparable damage to her psyche. Those were the days. Now Kate’s neuroses are no longer at the center of the drama, instead it’s the hectic schedule of their book tour or the absolutely necessary re-do of their vows nine years after their marriage. I’m not exactly when the show turned from an easy way to save up for the college funds of eight kids and into a mockery of American intelligence and living, but I feel sad for the lost innocence of its original message, and I find myself empathizing with Mady for having the right idea each week.

The show was always a little too perfect. Kate with her tidy house, organic food obsession and subtly present Christian values, the fact that their family is interracial, and all of their kids (despite the odds) are perfectly healthy. The show was always less “real” than “Little People Big World” or even “17 Kids and Counting” because I found it hard to believe someone could actually be so OCD about germs after 8 kids. But now, after all this time the man behind the curtain is revealed to be a family that, in the spirit of the Macoff Ponzi scheme, got a little too greedy and lost the integrity of their message.