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[The Newsroom] Journalists report the news. Tabloid writers are not journalists.
Atomika
Live fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered User regular
Live fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered User regular
Aaron Sorkin is a famous film and television writer. You probably know him as the writer and creative talent behind things like The West Wing, Moneyball, and The Social Network. You probably don't know him as the creative talent behind Sports Night and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, because they failed (albeit loudly and famously).
He has a new show premiering tonight on HBO called The Newsroom, where (if shows like Game of Thrones tell me anything) we'll be given weekly glimpses of profanity, nudity, horsemurder, and sister-fingering. Being that it's a TV show about journalism, we'll probably only just see the profanity (and maaaaaybe horsemurder).
Aaron Sorkin also likes to make movies and TV shows about politics and the behind-the-scenes machinations of large entities. This is his third TV show about the behind-the-scenes antics of a television program; both others were cancelled after low ratings and criticisms of being blunt, smarmy mouthpieces for left-wing radicalism.
It is with sad news, friends, that I bring you the following news:
He has a new show premiering tonight on HBO called The Newsroom, where (if shows like Game of Thrones tell me anything) we'll be given weekly glimpses of profanity, nudity, horsemurder, and sister-fingering. Being that it's a TV show about journalism, we'll probably only just see the profanity (and maaaaaybe horsemurder).
http://youtu.be/wC8ovJYAU3UAaron Sorkin also likes to make movies and TV shows about politics and the behind-the-scenes machinations of large entities. This is his third TV show about the behind-the-scenes antics of a television program; both others were cancelled after low ratings and criticisms of being blunt, smarmy mouthpieces for left-wing radicalism.
It is with sad news, friends, that I bring you the following news:
"It's an altogether splendid cast and there are some truly lovely moments, especially in the first two episodes, but then it becomes a baffling free-fall in which plot exists almost solely to support the political and cultural points Sorkin wants to make, often in non sequitur monologues. But try as they might, the actors cannot make their characters anything but what they are: mini-megaphones for pronouncements on blogs, morning shows, reality TV, celebrity news sites, the Tea Party, handguns, the history of the FCC and Bigfoot.
Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times
"The pilot of 'The Newsroom' is full of yelling and self-righteousness, but it's got energy, just like 'The West Wing,' (Aaron) Sorkin's 'Sports Night' and his hit movie 'The Social Network.' The second episode is more obviously stuffed with piety and syrup, although there's one amusing segment, when (news anchor Will) McAvoy mocks some right-wing idiots. After that, 'The Newsroom' gets so bad so quickly that I found my jaw dropping."
Emily Nussbaum, the New Yorker
"An HBO executive once told me that, since so much artistic freedom is given to its shows' creators, new series often take a few episodes before they find their rhythm. I hope that proves to be true here."
Laura Bennett, the New Republic
“But at its worst, the show chokes on its own sanctimony.” — Alessandra Stanley, New York Times
“Either Sorkin is no longer able to write credible women characters, or he no longer wants to.” — James Poniewozik, TIME
The Newsroom
2012 - 2012
R.I.P.
2012 - 2012
R.I.P.
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I like Jeff Daniels.
I will watch dis.
Honestly.
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On the other hand the west wing was also kind of awkward and message-driven (although not as obnoxiously) in its first season, so maybe this will improve if it gets enough run.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Fixt.
Hopefully this will be the same.
And I sort of liked Studio 60 : /
I disagree.
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This is actually the moment that I started getting into it.
It's also almost 75% of the way into the episode.
I'm hoping that The Newsroom is awesome though, because it has potential.
I ran as fast as I could!
also, i loved freaking Studio 60. stupid cancellation people.
you all must tell me that this is good and I am a sad panda for not being in the states to get it.
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That being said, this show has all the elements of something I should like so I'm probably in for the entire season.
Resident 8bitdo expert.
Resident hybrid/flap cover expert.
This exact clip was used as an example in the scriptwriting class I took recently. Granted that professor was just slightly obsessed with Sorkin.
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What was the strawman in that scene? It's not at all uncommon (from either side of the aisle) to claim that we're the greatest country in the world - and oftentimes, the greatest country in the history of mankind. Nobody bats an eye at that. In fact, you're attacked politically if it sounds like you ever suggest otherwise.
Politicians love to claim it for obvious reasons, but why ask a newsman that question? Heck, why ask anyone that question once they're out of the 2nd grade? "We all know we're awesome, but what's your favorite reason why?" That line was put up to be spiked.
It is a setup for the show obviously, but it's not completely unrealistic either.
This is an Ayn Rand sort of approach, and last I remember atlas shrugged isn't very popular on these boards.
This show could not be any worse than it is. The opening scene, the credits, the music, Alison pill's douchey boyfriend, all the paint by numbers sorkin quirks ("oh his dialogue is musical it has rhythm isn't it so great!"), the fact that literally half the characters feel directly lifted from sports night, the...
gahh, I can't take much more of this.
Not a fan of the character of Gov. "Crime, boy, I don't know" Ritchie?
I do, too. It reminded me of Jurassic Park. Overly epic for the scenes.
Except Jurassic Park's music is awesome.
Honestly, this was my favorite part of the entire show.
Which is to say that I find it a bit jarring how many episodes of TWW end touching on powerful and/or emotional issues, often dark or at least vague, but the ending theme is this upbeat cheery piece. It's similar with the opening/cold open, but with the recap in place it isn't quite as noticeable as 'Mr. President, the atrocities are happening this very minute, and your daughters are all being threatened by a radical group, and the chef may have taken a shit in your lasagna, and you have four forms of cancer'*SUPER CHEERY MUSIC GO!*
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Resident hybrid/flap cover expert.
Except Governor Ritchie wasn't a strawman.
He was just ten years too early.
He's another one, but what springs to mind most is that clip that gets posted a lot of the fundamentalist Christian woman getting chewed out by Pres. Bartlett about reading the Bible literally to justify hating gays. It's a fine point that needs to be made, and I got a real charge out of that scene when I first saw it, but he practically just soliloquizes at her for a couple minutes straight while she sits there with a dumb look on her face, then to top it off he gets to ding her for sitting while he's standing, bam, done.
He gets some leeway because he's the president, but realistically, anyone with those views in politics is going to have heard the anti-literalism argument before and have a response/deflection on standby. They're not going to sit there dumbfounded like no one's dared to challenge their views before. She might as well have had a monocle pop out. The fact that she's being rude by sitting is just a cheap ploy to end the scene on a note of just one more way the character is a bitch (as if we needed reminding).
Probably what bugs me most is that I agree with Sorkin on most things politically, so if I just sit on the surface I can enjoy the plots and dialogue and get a warm fuzzy when the liberals win. But the idea that political duels happen that way is a fantasy, and it's a fantasy where the liberals always win - not necessarily because they're right and convince people of it, but because they get the best zingers written in and their opponents set them up for it, and then sit there speechless afterward. It's a lot of fun to watch as a liberal, but once it's over you get that feeling you get 4 seconds after you've finished jerking it.
but by the end sorkin's sorkininess won me over anyway and i liked the episode a lot despite my better judgment.
did anyone else get a strong leo-jeb relationship from the two main chars? the signs written in her binder, especially, reminded me of the campaign promise cocktail napkin from WW.