TV vs. Film

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a fan of cinema. I watch a lot of movies, as I have said and written about previously. Sadly, and maybe this is just me showing my age but there are not a lot of quality films out there. The big studios only care about having a big opening weekend. So this forces them into making movies that only eighteen year olds want to see because, typically that is the age group that will go see a movie in it’s first week of release. If a movie bombs in its opening weekend the movie is domed and will not recover.

Listen, I am no movie snob. I like Jackass and cheap horror films. However, mainstream Hollywood produces nothing that I want to see anymore. I look in the paper each week and it is a continual lineup of recycled romantic comedies, PG-13 rated “horror” movies or action films for pre-pubescent boys. This is what happens when you care more about the bottom line then about making a quality film.

With that said, for the first time in a long time there is actually some quality television being done. HBO has long been a gold standard for TV and they still are. The Soprano’s while not once what it once was is still very good. Curb Your Enthusiasm has been one of the funniest shows on, ever since it premiered. I liked Big Love and Entourage is a great fucking show.

Showtime has gotten in on the act with its new show Dexter. It took me a couple of episodes but it has got me. Any show about a serial killer who kills other serial killers is going to interest my twisted tastes. Over on FX you have Rescue Me. At long last Denis Leary has found a project that knows how to use his talents correctly. While this show can lay on the drama, it is also very funny, when it wants to be. Comedy Central offers viewers the Daily Show and the Colbert Report which are both excellent satirical comedies.

Over at the network’s, NBC has some really good comedies on right now. One, is My Name is Earl. The show is what it is. It is a chance to leave your brain at the door and laugh at some redneck humor. Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee both stand out and make this show better then it should be. The Office is my favorite comedy currently on television. I was a fan of the British version, so I was leery of the American one. Well, I may be in the minority but I think this show is even better. Everyone in the cast is perfect and Steve Carrel is one of the funniest people on the planet. A program that is getting better and better with each episode.

Also on NBC you have Scrubs. Scrubs has been putting out quality entertainment for awhile now. It is another program where the actors are all very good and the writing is as well. I also dig the O.G. Law and Order as well as SVU. Over at ABC, I have just gotten into Lost. I never watched it and then I started getting the DVD’s from Netflix. This show reminds of the first few seasons of the X-files in that each episode answers one question while asking two more. It is addictive and spell binding as hell and one of the best shows I have seen in a long time.

Fox has long been the source of one of the greatest shows ever, in the Simpsons. I admit it is not as good as it was in its heyday, but it is still damn good. Family Guy and American Dad are also pretty funny. As for non-animated shows at Fox, I have heard 24 is great but, I can’t say that I watch it.

All of this is not to say that there isn’t some bad TV out there, because there certainty is. As long as you have American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, and Deal or No Deal on the air there is going to be bad television. It is sad that these are your top-rated shows while some of the above mentioned shows have to fight to get viewership.

I can’t remember a time when television had so much quality to offer and cinema had so little. Maybe, I am just an old man now and I have completely lost touch with what is now cool and hip. Listen, I still like going to the movies. I like being in a crowd and seeing a film up on the big screen. Sadly, I just don’t get to the movies as much as I once did because of the lack of good movies out there. Sure, if you look hard enough you will find a needle in a hay stack and find a real good film. The problem is that most of the time the higher quality flicks will have a much smaller release, while the Grudge II plays on three screens per theater. So, I guess I am thankful that there are some quality programs on the air to fill the gap in my entertainment needs.