My Ames Is True
Many people in this world have become disillusioned (including your humble filmographer), in these modern times, lamenting for a television world past, the unfettered magic and beauty of those productions of yesteryear. We scour our television dials over, in search of a grail holy, something so
far from the madding crowd of what this medium has become.
And then - Eureka! you find that one pearl in the sand, away from those veritable seas of mediocrity.
Three Wiseguy Men.
In this case, what's washed ashore, is a show that's title, however ironic perhaps would not
instantly lure you in, but if it does, you may certainly be hooked on this low-key Sunday night HBO series
Bored To Death.
And what makes this series so unusual, beyond the fact that everything in it is a pastiche
and paean to film noir's golden age. What is infinitely more unique about this
series than any of the other offerings in the current rota of television , is that it conveys something empathic
in characters that would otherwise be seemingly unaffected. Take for instance, Jonathan
Ames (an eponymous name, as it's the same as the creator of this series).
Jason
Schwartzman ( son of Talia Shire, husband of Kirsten Dunst) adroitly plays the role of the make-shift detective, who is emotionally a cross
between Woody Allen and a tickle me Elmo doll. A twee 'tec who avoids confrontation
in bubonic plague fashion. Atypical for a gumshoe, given the character Ames, is as soft-boiled as it gets.
This is my "serious" face.
The supporting characters : bessy mate Ray, a cannabis consuming comic artist who has more issues
than Popular Mechanics and the ex- magazine publisher who loves them , George (an unstoppable Ted Danson). This trio of characters is rife with complexities. George never seemed to be able to keep it in his trousers, and still can't in his mid-sixties. Ray is not exactly savoury in any sense, has a napoleon complex that inspires him to draw comics, depicting his genitalia in a big way. There is no shortage of pathology here, but yet there are moments of an aware self in each of these characters, and something that an equally self-aware viewer could actually sense a beautiful simpatico.
Some of the themes of this irreverently brilliant series are overtly sexual, in the signature way HBO likes their fare to be after the 9 o'clock hour. The difference here, than the other gratuitous shows you find on the network is, that so busy is it's overall atmosphere that you will barely notice the shaking beds.
As a purist, I am vehemently against anything that suggests it's noir after Welles' end of era release; Touch Of Evil. And naturally this is not noir, by any stretch of
imagination. It is perhaps the finest lovesong to noir there could be. Often in a satirical setting, yet other times the noir theme it is technically referenced chiaroscuro style. Rain slicked urban avenues, strategically smoky scenes , and Langian shadows. It humbly references the genre, without any moments of pretense.
The signature noir dame in distress.
If you only ever watch one television series again, let it be Bored To Death, television finally has got it's magic back.
'Bored To Death' season three currently airs on HBO, Mondays at 9PM EST. Check your local listings.
far from the madding crowd of what this medium has become.
And then - Eureka! you find that one pearl in the sand, away from those veritable seas of mediocrity.
In this case, what's washed ashore, is a show that's title, however ironic perhaps would not
instantly lure you in, but if it does, you may certainly be hooked on this low-key Sunday night HBO series
Bored To Death.
And what makes this series so unusual, beyond the fact that everything in it is a pastiche
and paean to film noir's golden age. What is infinitely more unique about this
series than any of the other offerings in the current rota of television , is that it conveys something empathic
in characters that would otherwise be seemingly unaffected. Take for instance, Jonathan
Ames (an eponymous name, as it's the same as the creator of this series).
Jason
Schwartzman ( son of Talia Shire, husband of Kirsten Dunst) adroitly plays the role of the make-shift detective, who is emotionally a cross
between Woody Allen and a tickle me Elmo doll. A twee 'tec who avoids confrontation
in bubonic plague fashion. Atypical for a gumshoe, given the character Ames, is as soft-boiled as it gets.
The supporting characters : bessy mate Ray, a cannabis consuming comic artist who has more issues
than Popular Mechanics and the ex- magazine publisher who loves them , George (an unstoppable Ted Danson). This trio of characters is rife with complexities. George never seemed to be able to keep it in his trousers, and still can't in his mid-sixties. Ray is not exactly savoury in any sense, has a napoleon complex that inspires him to draw comics, depicting his genitalia in a big way. There is no shortage of pathology here, but yet there are moments of an aware self in each of these characters, and something that an equally self-aware viewer could actually sense a beautiful simpatico.
Some of the themes of this irreverently brilliant series are overtly sexual, in the signature way HBO likes their fare to be after the 9 o'clock hour. The difference here, than the other gratuitous shows you find on the network is, that so busy is it's overall atmosphere that you will barely notice the shaking beds.
As a purist, I am vehemently against anything that suggests it's noir after Welles' end of era release; Touch Of Evil. And naturally this is not noir, by any stretch of
imagination. It is perhaps the finest lovesong to noir there could be. Often in a satirical setting, yet other times the noir theme it is technically referenced chiaroscuro style. Rain slicked urban avenues, strategically smoky scenes , and Langian shadows. It humbly references the genre, without any moments of pretense.
If you only ever watch one television series again, let it be Bored To Death, television finally has got it's magic back.
'Bored To Death' season three currently airs on HBO, Mondays at 9PM EST. Check your local listings.
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