accendi-lux Reviews

Stargate SG-1: Emancipation (1997) Season 1, Episode 3

Boy, it sure is a good thing the magic white people came to solve sexism!

[2/10 · 5 August 2012]

After a couple of solid episodes to kick off the show, we get this dreadful mess. For an episode whose basic premise essentially boils down to beating you viciously about the head with the message that "Hey, women's rights are great, y'all!", there sure is a lot of awkward misogyny on display alongside some amazing cultural insensitivity. Jack seems to be tuned out through most of the episode, and Daniel when-in- Romes Sam into going along with the ludicrously inaccurate representation of Mongol culture. The whole thing ends with the chief of the clan more or less pronouncing gender equality a thing. Egalitarianism is easy, you guys! It's not like they'll have to unlearn centuries' worth of privilege or anything like that. This also has the added discomfort of some nasty little white-saviory implications. Hundreds of years of patriarchy are undone in a couple of days as soon as the white folks (well, and the black alien) come to town? If this society was really that close to the cusp of equality, why did our cuddly chieftain try to kill Carter as soon as he came on-screen?

The plot is stupid, the script alternates between stupid and uncomfortable, and the resolution is uninspired and boring. If this was the first episode of the series I'd seen, I probably wouldn't have bothered with any more. There's also nothing important in the way of mythology, so it's just straight up filler.

The whole episode is quite unfortunate. It'd be a one-star episode if it wasn't for Teal'c asking "What is an Oprah?" at the end.

New Prime (2011)

A brilliant piece of filmmaking from a rising talent

[10/10 · 7 November 2011]

Olan Rogers is a miracle worker. That's all there is to it.

For those of us who have been watching since the beginning of BalloonShop, the sketch comedy group which Rogers was previously one- third of, it is IMMENSELY satisfying to see his talent developing. His ambitions and emergent talent have been visible since mid-to-late period BalloonShop, but since he struck out on his own, he's been growing by leaps and bounds as a filmmaker.

I was sad to see BalloonShop end. I'm of the opinion that it would be as influential to modern comedy as Monty Python was if only more people were aware of it. What BalloonShop and Monty Python have in common is a surrealist bent and a knack for distilling the purest strain of humor out of absurdity, and all three members had some of the best comic ideas and timing I've ever seen. As it slowly became apparent to everyone involved that its era was past, Olan kept going.

Rather than letting the energy and creativity that had gone into BalloonShop fade away, Olan redirected and focused it. As time went on, he built up a collection of dozens of hilarious vlogs and shorts, many with longtime friend Reid Sullivan (previously seen in several BalloonShop sketches). We as viewers felt involved in his life. We developed a sense that this wasn't just some guy on the internet; this was a friend of ours who was so eager to share his talent, and we got to see that talent develop.

When The Last Scene hit, I don't think any of us were prepared for what we were about to get into. What started as a particularly ambitious comedy short developed by the end into something as touching and emotional as it was funny. I think we all knew Olan was headed for great things, but as The Last Scene ended, something felt different somehow. We'd seen the birth, and here we were watching an artist's first step.

It wasn't long before he announced a sequel series: New Prime. A few months later, New Prime has been completed, and even days after watching the finale, I'm a bit dazed.

This series should not be possible. How did a few friends, less than a thousand dollars, and a cat accomplish this?

Much like The Last Scene, it starts off on a small scale as a series of ridiculous dialogue exchanges with hints of something larger to come. By the time the credits roll, it's transformed into something massive, an epic story filled with big ideas and bigger characters. Olan plays most of the roles himself, and if he hadn't previously proved himself as an actor, he does here. Ferris goes from a parody of several well-known archetypes to a deeply sympathetic character. Sullivan and Thomas Gore, also of BalloonShop, fill out the other primary roles (except, of course, for the implacable Emperor Laboosh, played with measured placidity by Rogers' cat Starscream and voiced by Gore). Brett Driver and Sara Frietes take on a couple of smaller parts with little to no dialogue, and play them convincingly (and amusingly, in Driver's case) while on screen.

The soundtrack is excellent, and features music by Andrew Goodman, Zack Hemsey, and indie band Awake! Awake!, all of which sets the tone perfectly and underscores the proceedings beautifully. Other music was written by fans (I myself wrote a theme which was ultimately not used) and several other independent musicians. None of the music ever draws you out of the moment; it always enhances the action.

Rogers' skill as a director shines through every pixel of every frame, especially in the fifth and final segment. New Prime outshines its budget. New Prime 5 was filmed on a budget of $500, about as much as a Hollywood studio executive might find in the pocket of his jeans, but somehow, it never feels like it. The visual effects are stunning for a project that, by all accounts, probably should be held together with duct tape and string. They're frequently more impressive than what you might see on television shows whose per-episode costs are exponentially greater than that of this entire series.

A sense of infectious enthusiasm bubbles throughout the entire production, just under the surface. You can feel Rogers and his crew's deep love for what they're doing every step of the way. New Prime has everything. A fantastic cast, sharp writing, strong characters, gorgeous effects lending life to a hugely creative and consistent visual aesthetic to match the beautifully-composed shots, intelligently and honestly directed, coherently and intuitively edited, with a hungry energy found only in the work of creators who genuinely love what they're doing so much that they would NEED to do it no matter what. All of this combines to form a definitive statement of purpose and herald the exciting arrival of an auteur. You WILL know Olan Rogers' name, there can be no doubt of that. If there is any justice in the universe at all, his name will be at the top of credits rolling down a big screen near you very, very soon.

House M.D.: Broken (2009) Season 6, Episode 1

A stellar return to greatness for House!

[10/10 · 22 September 2009]

For some time prior to this season, House had gotten stuck in a bit of a rut as a series. Many (most) episodes followed a formula that had become predictable, and a bit stale, although the show was never anything less than eminently watchable, thanks in large part to Hugh Laurie's always wonderful portrayal of the good doctor himself. Laurie's performance was enough to carry the show, but it still wasn't achieving the greatness of earlier seasons.

But for this episode (more a self-contained TV movie) at least, the formula is gone. In fact, most of the familiar is gone. Outside of House himself, the only familiar face we see is Wilson's, and not for very long. The only piece remaining is Dr. Gregory House, M.D., brilliant diagnostician, genius, emotional Gordian knot, psychiatric patient. And if Hugh Laurie does not receive an Emmy for this performance come next year, then he has been robbed of what rightly belongs to him.

The very British Laurie has always sunken so fully into the role of House that most people are actually unaware that he ISN'T, in fact, American. And he has always lent a layered complexity to the character, given a hint of humanity to a character who could so easily become unlikable in the hands of any other actor. What we see here, thanks to a combination of some outstanding writing and some of the finest thespianism you're likely to see on TV, is the systematic peeling away of every piece of Gregory House's carefully polished armor. House has always had defenses: social antagonism, easy lies, an aloof demeanor. He's always had a way of lashing out to avoid letting anyone in. But in this episode, we finally get to witness a truly vulnerable House open himself up, and Laurie's execution is flawless. Laurie doesn't fall prey to the common mistake of overacting, either; when House's emotions bubble to the surface, they're always palpable but restrained.

Even with all these emotions being bandied about, the writers (and Laurie) never forget the slashing wit that is such a core piece of the character. And while we don't see most of the beloved secondary characters, the ones presented to us in and around Mayfield are always balanced carefully and never irritating, and I would in fact welcome some of them back for recurring roles. Andre Braugher's Dr. Nolan is especially good.

Emotionally moving, sharply written, exquisitely produced, and wonderfully acted all across the board, Broken is not only a return to form (but a striking departure from formula) for the somewhat flagging series, it is the single best episode of the series to date. I only hope season 6 can maintain this kind of momentum without slipping back into old habits.