Lights, Camera, Action - Critique!

Hey there, Parker here.  Let’s talk television and film.

I was watching Law & Order yesterday when it occurred to me that I've been watching this show (and spinoffs) for more than half of my life.  Briscoe was my favorite Sr. detective.  Jr. detectives Logan, Curtis and Green shined with Briscoe in the lead. Lt. Van Buren took no prisoners.

My favorite cast of Law & Order

Ben Stone, Jack McCoy and Michael Cutter all made excellent executive DA's but Adam Schiff was the best DA in the show's history.  No one came close to Assistant DA's Clair and Abbie, except perhaps Paul.

I talk in terms of characters and not actors.  This is because I enjoy when actors play their parts so well they became the character.  The talent of a tv show’s writers appear when actors are true to their craft - acting.

Some tv actors are brilliantly gifted like Vincent D'onofrio, Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterson, Jesse Martin, S. Epatha Merkerson, etc.  Some major motion film actors are equally talented.

"It's Hard Out There for a Pimp" deserved that Oscar

Taraji P. Henson is one of my favorite ladies in the business.  Before The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, she brought Shug to life in Hustle & Flow.  Shug had me sweating, feeling bloated and accepting that was all the good this world would give as she sang into the microphone in that makeshift studio.  Taraji took a backseat while Shug performed on-screen.  Yvette was as real a person could be in Baby Boy because of Henson's talent.

Good acting.

And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

Maximus Decimus Meridius was commander of the armies of the north, general of the felix legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelies.  You shared his pain upon kneeling at the foot of his murdered son and wife.  You held your breath when his hand waved upon the wheat in the field and saw his family in death.  Then long after the credits rolled, almost as long as it took for the Academy Awards to announce the nominees, you paired Gladiator with Russell Crowe.

Very good acting.

Stanley Tucci can wear anything and look good!

Meryl Streep is the greatest actress ever.  As famous as she is, her talent is such that Julia Child was as lovable on-screen has her dishes were delicious to watch.  Miranda Priestly was the quintessential b!tch whose wardrobe, shoes and purses caused me to drool.  Even Mary Fisher, entitled as she was, had me on her side as she whipped those kids into shape and reclaimed her life.  Meryl Streep plays her role so well that you do not see Streep, only the character during the movie.

Great acting.

beauty. song bird. can't act.

Everyone mentioned above are the cream of the crop in show business.

On the flip side, there are famous people who star in movies who cannot overcome their name.  Let's play a game, I name the movie and star, you name the character:

• Lindsay Lohan in Georgia Rule
• Beyonce in Dream Girls
• Beyonce in Cadillac Records (hint: she portrayed a famous living person)
• Madonna in Swept Away
• J-Lo in Maid in Manhattan
• J-Lo in The Wedding Planner
• J-Lo in any movie she's made
• Brad Pitt in any movie after 1995 with the exception of Fight Club

Remember "The Parent Trap"?

You see where I'm going.  Their names are too big for the big screen.  No matter how hard she tries, you only see Beyonce, not Dina or Etta James.  You recall Madonna, not Amber, rolling around on the beach.  Marisa, Mary, Charlie, Gertrude, Ricki, Slim or Sharon might as well have all been named "J-Lo" because that's who you saw.  Linsday was Rachel but she didn't have a chance in hell of escaping her fame while filming Georgia Rule despite the fact that she can really act.

Even Brad Pitt, who is very talented, was Brad Pitt in all of his post-1995 movies except as Tyler Durden in Fight Club.

best.  movie.  ever.

You take the good; you take the bad when it comes to movies and television.  But you stick with what you love.  For me, that is Law & Order for nearly 20 years.  The characters are real, the actors are great and the storylines are riveting.

Well folks, that's my cue to take five.

Best,
Parker

Putting It All On the Line

Hey there, Parker here with my 2 cents about Wikileaks.  TV, radio and web (face it, who reads print anymore?), is all about Julian Assange.  He put it all on the line in as literal the term as possible.  He used the always on and always accessible power of the internet to eavesdrop (hack) sensitive, need to know, information and post it.

I don't agree with the cries of 'campaigner for truth' defending Assange because he showed no discretion or concern for the leaks and his audience, respectively.  I don't agree with his arrest either.

I do, however, agree with the 'need to know' status of some information.  In the case of the February 2009 leak regarding the US request for a list of key global facilities vital to national security.  That knowledge was important to our government but should not have been available for anyone with a computer and wi-fi connection.

The leak was not necessary and had the potential to cause harm and destruction on a mass scale.  Can you imagine the #hashtag used for that Twitter feed?  Exactly!

The world wide web has afforded us opportunities to learn about global events with a tap of a mouse.  We see how it can jeopardize the ability to protect information that concern public safety and security.  And we are witnessing in real-time online opinions from both sides of this situation.

I admit I'm a Snooki fan

Paris Hilton's perp walk, Lindsey Lohan's car crash and Snooki's drunk dancing was on the web as fast as the developer could code the streaming video.  Foul play wasn't called then because the object of attention in each case WANTED the publicity.

But the public need not be privy to the type of data collected for key UN officials and those who manage the requests for such bio and technical stats.  In the extreme case it undermines the very purpose of having the policy – to provide security for the officers and the United Nations organization itself.

Assange is all over the web and his fans are raging against the injustice for his trumped up charges (I agree the charges are trumped up). But in the short-term, Wikileaks seems to have done more harm than good for the very public it is supposed to represent.  Definitely not a win-win for either side.

That’s my rant for today.  In a 24 hour news cycle I’m sure tomorrow’s rant will be much different.

Best,
Parker