7/31/08

Bob's Big Screen

TV sitcom worth watching and a big movie gets even bigger

by Bob Connally

There are those who insist that television is, was, and always will be inferior to film. You can put any cinematic atrocity in front of their eyes and they’ll watch every frame, but try to get them to watch just one episode of great TV and they shudder at the mere thought of watching the “idiot box.” They complain that it’s just an endless parade of reality shows celebrating shallow ugliness at every turn.

To them I say, claiming you won’t watch “Mad Men” because you don’t like “Big Brother” makes about as much sense as saying you’ll never watch “L.A. Confidential” because you didn’t like “Dude, Where’s My Car?” The shows I have written about in the past few issues should put to bed any doubts about television’s ability to be artistically satisfying.

So whether you need further convincing or you’re just looking for the next great show to devour on DVD, I have another one for you.

“Spaced”: The Complete Series (Now available)

Before “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” there was a little sitcom made by and starring complete unknowns. That little sitcom was called “Spaced.”

Daisy Steiner (Jessica Stevenson) and Tim Bisley (Simon Pegg, “Shaun,” “Fuzz”) are a couple of London twenty-somethings who are both in desperate need of a new place to live when they bump into each other in a coffee shop. After weeks of fruitlessly searching separately, Daisy sees an ad for an apartment that is available to “professional couples only.” Tim offhandedly suggests that Daisy grab a “homeless male friend” and pretend to be a couple. Little does Tim know that he is Daisy’s only homeless male friend. Together they fool the owner, Marsha (Julia Deakin), and get the flat. Misunderstandings ensue.

Written by Stevenson and Pegg and directed by “Shaun” and “Fuzz” helmer Edgar Wright, “Spaced” was designed with a tried and true sitcom premise in order to turn sitcom conventions on their ear. What makes “Spaced” unique is its ability to show you what you’ve seen a hundred times in a way that you have never seen before.

It is obvious to the audience that Daisy and Tim belong together even if they have absolutely no idea. Stevenson and Pegg not only make this interesting, they make it seem completely fresh. But there is a lot more to “Spaced” than mixed signals and an oblivious perfect pair.

Tim and Daisy’s friends are tortured artist Brian (Mark Heap), shallow Twist (Katy Carmichael), and would-be soldier Mike (Nick Frost). Mike was kicked out of the British army for stealing a tank and attempting to invade Paris, a fact that regularly comes into play over the show’s oh-so-short yet oh-so-British 14-episode run. Each character is well written, well acted, and adds something unique to the ensemble. Throw in an endless supply of sly pop culture references (which you can track on the DVD’s “Homage-O-Meter”) and a complete blurring of the line between fantasy and reality, and you have yourself a DVD you’ll want to tear through in a single day. Trust me, I almost made it.

Long awaited by fans, this DVD boxed set comes fully loaded with commentaries by the cast, creators, and famous fans such as Quentin Tarantino and “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone. The set also comes with deleted scenes, outtakes, documentaries and the always exciting “and more.”

If you’re a fan of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” you like catching obscure film and television references, or if you’re just seeking out a sitcom as funny as it is inventive, I highly recommend “Spaced.”

For those of you who still love the big screen (which I most definitely do), this summer sees literally the biggest thing to ever grace cinemas. “The Dark Knight” (PG-13) is not just a towering cinematic achievement, in IMAX it’s six stories high. By now it seems everyone in the known universe has seen the film, probably two or three times even, but until you’ve seen it in IMAX you haven’t seen it all.

While many Hollywood films in recent years have been shown in IMAX theaters, Christopher Nolan’s sequel to “Batman Begins” is the first to ever shoot scenes in the large format. These scenes are every bit as wide as they are on a regular screen playing a 35 millimeter print, but they are significantly taller and have a much higher resolution. Also it is still film, which means the blur and grain often associated with digital is a non-issue.              

As for the movie itself, I don’t have to tell you it’s easily the best thing to come out in 2008 and that Heath Ledger’s work as the Joker has left the entire movie-going public asking, “Jack who?”

From the opening shot, which is simply panning in on buildings, I had a Joker-sized grin on my face. IMAX has that affect on me. In every sense, “The Dark Knight” is an epic event, the likes of which has not been seen in some time and if you’re planning to see it again, IMAX at the Pacific Science Center is definitely the way to go. The action, drama, and emotion are heightened by the experience as well. No matter how good your home theater setup may be, you cannot replicate this at home.

For ticket information and show times go to www.pacsci.org/darkknight/. So please go see this film in the big-screen format. If you don’t it may only gross $500 million instead of $600. The people at Warner Brothers have to eat.

Coming to DVD:

8/5

Get Smart: Season 1

Nim’s Island (PG)

The Counterfeiters (R)

Star Trek: The Original Series- Season 2

8/12

The Wire: Season 5

Prison Break: Season 3

South Park: Season 11

Smart People (R)

The Secret (R)