Every time I turn on the TV, I can't help but notice the theme is always crime or murder or some kind of drama. It's gri
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PrometheusTree64 — 10 years ago(March 01, 2016 10:15 AM)
It almost seems as if everything on television these days is required to have a blatant, in your face element to it. Im not sure whether or not its genre specific, though.
That's the gist of it. Today, executives ask endlessly for "OMG moments" from their shows everything has be an endless orgasm, as it were.
It's not just the older crowd who has a problem with the modern tone. I've heard younger people complain how shows of their generation are too over-the-top and are constantly trying to impress you to the point of exhaustion, and just a good ol' story well told isn't considered enough, ever.
That said, newer shows have, obviously, superior visual effects unimaginable in the past, and a cleverness of dialogue and execution rarely found in days or yore.
The trick, the ideal, would be for producers to be able to do a show with a modern, cynical sensibility and wit and CGI when necessary, but also simple story and human character focus as it used to be.
And how often is that balanced going to be allowed or even asked for?
The reason the
film noir
genre from the '40s and early-'50 is one of the only kinds of Old Hollywood pictures that still generates strong interest from more contemporary audiences (although not necessarily from the kids who mostly haven't seen them) is that the
film noir
of that era blends the artistry and language of Old Hollywood with a certain realisitc nastiness consistent with the present.
That's a powerful combination. And, in a Tv kind of way, it's probably why TWILIGHT ZONE still works 57 years later.
LBJ's mistress on JFK: -
grizzledgeezer — 10 years ago(February 28, 2016 06:37 AM)
As
Silent Night, Deadly Night
is a notorious slasher film, I find your remarks hypocritical.
Ever watched
Gunsmoke
? It's one of the most-brutal TV series of all time, easily matching (or exceeding) current programming (but with little or no visible gore).
The Twilight Zone
is poor, highly
un
imaginative programming that too-often depends on cheap plot twists. It rarely tells stories of any real dramatic or intellectual substance.
The only good thing about it is the title music by Bernard Herrmann, the best title music ever written for a TV series. It was, of course, replaced after the first season, probably because it was assumed to be too subtle for the average viewer. -
mgreen9715 — 10 years ago(March 04, 2016 05:15 PM)
The Twilight Zone is poor, highly unimaginative programming that too-often depends on cheap plot twists. It rarely tells stories of any real dramatic or intellectual substance.
There aren't enough days out of the week to describe how ignorant and completely stupid your statement is.
Leave, troll. Go watch your talk shows. -
canadazbest — 9 years ago(October 12, 2016 12:50 AM)
Grizz, have any of your screenplays ever been produced, or published, or considered for either by any production company? You know I'm an admirer of yours, so I ask this with sincerity - I'd love to watch, or read some of your works.
Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought an idiot - than to open it and remove all doubt! -
crashdummy35 — 10 years ago(March 22, 2016 11:01 PM)
The Twilight Zone is poor, highly unimaginative programming that too-often depends on cheap plot twists. It rarely tells stories of any real dramatic or intellectual substance.
Yet after over 42 thousand votes it's sitting at a 9 rating. -
LucusNon — 10 years ago(February 29, 2016 04:40 AM)
Yes, but not nearly as serious and heavy.
For its time,
The Defenders (1961)
could qualify as "serious" and thought-provoking ("tackling issues headfirst that other shows wouldn't even mention," as one review said)./board/10054531/reviews
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doug65oh — 9 years ago(August 29, 2016 08:21 PM)
Funny you should mention
The Defenders
. I actually bought the first season dvds a few weeks back from Amazon and am about to settle in for a first look at "The Quality Of Mercy," which incidentally was directed by
Twilight Zone
alum Buzz Kulik. (I'm also fully expecting a figurative kick in the teeth owing to the subject matter.) -
grizzledgeezer — 10 years ago(February 29, 2016 04:48 AM)
I guess I'll have to repeat myself you haven't seen
Gunsmoke
.
The
only
difference between
Gunsmoke
and
Breaking Bad
is that the latter is more graphic. Except for the scene in which Walter White murders a room full of people with a machine gun, there's nothing in
Breaking Bad
to top
Gunsmoke
.
You can easily find episodes in which three or four people are shot down on-camera. Psychopathic cowboys drag Chester behind a horse. The leader of a group of hunters kills one of his men (so he won't have to pay him) by shoving his face in a bowl of molten lead. Two elderly brothers decide to rid the West of evil by killing as many Indians as they can. (This is a comic episode.)
Both Marshall Dillon and Festus Haggen commit murder. Rape is not unheard-of (though the word is never used, and the "event" is often described euphemistically). In "Hostage!", Miss Kitty is kidnapped, raped, and then shot twice in front of the town. Ken Curtis (Festus) considered this acceptable family viewing. -
SilentNightDeadlyNight2807 — 10 years ago(February 29, 2016 05:36 AM)
I HAVE seen Gunsmoke, what makes you think I haven't? What I mean is, tv now has a much gloomier atmosphere to it. I can't explain what it is, but I find them utterly un-enjoyable. Is that such a crime?
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SilentNightDeadlyNight2807 — 10 years ago(February 29, 2016 06:24 PM)
Most modern programs are fanciful garbage, far from realistic. Another thing that bothers me about films and tv now is how quick they flash from one camera angle to the next, you can hardly tell what's going on.
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grizzledgeezer — 10 years ago(March 01, 2016 07:00 AM)
And
Donna Reed
is realistic?
I agree that cutting has become very quick, to the point where it's annoying. Sometimes it's so fast that you don't have a chance to properly take in what whipped by too quickly. -
Jennie_Portrait — 10 years ago(February 29, 2016 08:00 PM)
I've never liked Gunsmoke. It's odd how it really didn't make the effort to develop the main characters at all. The show was exclusively plot-driven and, in a single hour, the "guest stars" had more character development than the main characters.