Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom

Started by ono, May 16, 2012, 07:41:29 PM

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polkablues

Quote from: Tictacbk on July 03, 2012, 11:53:01 AM
Man did this show take a nosedive for ep 2. Hope it gets better seeing as it just got picked up for a second season.

I still liked it, but god how bad are the two black staffers who only bicker about how Obama's doing? All the obnoxious people who whined about race issues in "Girls" should really get on this.
My house, my rules, my coffee

©brad

Quote from: polkablues on July 03, 2012, 12:01:38 PM
Quote from: Tictacbk on July 03, 2012, 11:53:01 AM
Man did this show take a nosedive for ep 2. Hope it gets better seeing as it just got picked up for a second season.

I still liked it, but god how bad are the two black staffers who only bicker about how Obama's doing? All the obnoxious people who whined about race issues in "Girls" should really get on this.

God that scene was like swallowing glass. I was one of those annoying people bitching about race in girls and this show deserves the same criticism. It's like Sorkin is trying to go for comedic shock value with the token Indian IT guy remarks but it's just falling flat.




wilder


ono

My thoughts exactly.  While I was underwhelmed by Episode 2, this one was Sorkin at his best.  I'm really loving the Maggie character and that scene on the roof where she was having a panic attack was just so real and well done, with the perfect balance of empathy and humor by whoever that guy was who helped her.  It made even more real the stresses that go along with this environment.

Only thing is, I got a minor case of whiplash considering how fast things moved.  This episode covered 6 months.  Either there's going to be some serious backtracking, slowdown, or we'll find ourselves at present day very soon.  I also find myself thinking "what's the counterargument?"  Well, this show itself is the counterargument to news "entertainment" shows that do all the things McAvoy and company are now trying to avoid.  When logic is staring someone in the face, who can ignore it?  Only the most ignorant of people, who would never see the show anyway.  Preaching to the choir?  Sure, why not.  As Sorkin once wrote, it gets them to sing.  ANYWAY, what I like most about Sorkin's efforts in the West Wing is a lot of time he was able to show both sides of the coin quite evenhandedly.  There hasn't been a lot of that here yet mostly because "other side" isn't quite found in any brand of logic readily available these days.  But I'm looking forward to more incisive dissections of the tougher arguments that face the world.

Anyway.  This, Breaking Bad (6 days!), Weeds, and even Futurama (no matter how weak these first few episodes have been thus far) will do nicely to get me through the summer.  But that's for another thread.

©brad

I liked this episode a lot more, but man Sorkin is really proving he cannot write dimensional female characters consistently. They're all ditsy, emotionally erratic and adolescent, can barely send an email. I mean the way Mac whines and pouts like a school girl to Wil about his girlfriends, and airs their dirty laundry in front of the entire newsroom with that "why don't you just go to Hoosters!" bit (which would never happen), all while the men remain controlled and relatively professional, it's kind of insulting. 

But, I liked the episode.

©brad

Jesus forget I said what I said last week. I'm not going to bitch too much about this show anymore as I don't want to spoil discussion for those who are enjoying it. This is probably one of the most frustrating things on TV right now. Frustrating because there are some brilliant lines and moments amid the overwhelmingly preachy and misogynistic shambles. The women on this show are soooo poorly written it's becoming painful to watch. This quote from AVClub sums up how I feel:

"You want to know why the Newsroom pisses me off? Because I agree with Sorkin about most issues, but he makes me hate myself a little bit for agreeing with such a pretentious hack. His dialogue has gone far downhill since the days of the West Wing. His depictions of debates are laughable--it's basically Will vs. can-you-spot-the-fallacy, while pretending that's a balanced portrayal of whatever issue's at hand. His female characters are insulting to the point of offense, as if women who have been hired to work in high pressure professions seemingly fuck up all the time because their lady-feelings are too overwhelming. At least the male characters are given the dignity of fucking up for other reasons."

I want to bitch about one more thing one more time and I swear I'm done - the title sequence irks the everlasting fuck out of me. It feels so off-brand (as does this entire show) for HBO. One thing they've always done well is awesome and often iconic opening credit sequences (my favorite being True Blood and I don't even watch that show). This one is so saccharine and self-righteous. Sounds silly but if this show was on ABC I don't think I would be as annoyed.

diggler

My main problem is how fast they're jumping through time. They made a decision to set the show in the past, then in over 4 episodes they've covered 8 months.  We're expected to accept this passing of time as character development, yet certain characters act like the previous episode just happened.  It really took the network 8 months to try and get him off the air? 

I'll keep watching for Sam Waterston, whose temperamental indignance is starting to border on meta commentary.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

polkablues

So the first season's over, and apparently the point Aaron Sorkin was trying to make is that the utopic ideal of television journalism is essentially "Countdown with Keith Olbermann".
My house, my rules, my coffee

pete

it's Keith Olbermann but with a female producer who is always watching him nervously.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

Brando

I did enjoy the small plot line with Sam Waterston and the deep throat whistleblower guy but it took up about 2% of the entire season. I would love to watch a show of Sam Waterston involved in some sort conspiracy theory with meetings on park benches.
If you think this is going to have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.

squints

Quote from: Brando on September 04, 2012, 08:49:56 PM
I did enjoy the small plot line with Sam Waterston and the deep throat whistleblower guy but it took up about 2% of the entire season. I would love to watch a show of Sam Waterston involved in some sort conspiracy theory with meetings on park benches.

That's my exact feeling. I gave so little of a shit about the romance between Jim and Pam....wait...Jim and...what's her name?
"The myth by no means finds its adequate objectification in the spoken word. The structure of the scenes and the visible imagery reveal a deeper wisdom than the poet himself is able to put into words and concepts" – Friedrich Nietzsche

Lottery

Was this meant to be Network as a TV show? A bunch of my friends were going bananas over it.

wilder


ono

I can't say that I loved the first season of The Newsroom.  I enjoyed even the much maligned Studio 60 more than I did this.  But still, this article gives me a bit of hope that Sorkin is at least aware of past missteps and wants to make something great.  I think at least the material this time around will be more ripe.  The show returns in just under a week.

©brad

I'm warming up to this show. The last episode was kind of great. The direction continues to suck though, and the camerawork is awful. It's like a bunch of first year film students tried to replicate The Office. I feel Sorkin was best served when Fincher was at the helm. He knew when the mount the camera to let the dialogue (which is why we're all here) shine and when to do cool, jerk off montage-y sequences that remind us what decade we're living in. All these snap-zooms and pointless glides and pans don't add the suspense or verite they're no doubt aiming for. Stylistically it feels like a clueless baby boomer's attempt to be hip. The show is so dorky and unintentionally kitschy, why not just embrace that.

But it's getting good.