All work and no play...

[angelophile]

So, things have been... kinda busy for me lately, works wise. We sent one publication to press on 9th january, another on Friday and another will be going to press next Friday. No problem for a big publishing company. For little old me doing the typesetting and design mostly by myself, more of an issue.

So I've not really had a chance to do much outside of work lately. Combined with my lack of computer, I've been watching a lot of DVDs when I have had five minutes to sit down. For example:

Last night I was babysitting for my sister and watched Ocean's Thirteen. A vast improvement on the vanity project that was Ocean's Twelve, which was, frankly, embarrassing to watch. A return to Vegas, Al Pacino and more of the tongue-in-cheek kitch charm of the original meant it was entertaining enough. Not great, but certainly there would have been worse ways to spend an evening.

I also watched the first two episodes of Tru Calling, which I bought on DVD a while back (all the eps at a bargain basement price). The first episode was rather ordinary, despite the rather interesting premise, but congratulations for the writers for going in an unexpected direction with the second episode. I'm not entirely surprised it only lasted 26 episodes, I'm sure that even the appeal of the opening titles shot of Eliza Dushku running in a tank top must start to wear thing after a while, but I see potential for a season's worth of stories at least, even though I'm not quite sure where you could go with the concept of the series without starting to repeat yourself fairly quickly. But I'll watch the rest soonish.

I also caught a bit of Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of As You Like It, which was a weird blend of the superb (Richard Briers of course, Kevin Kline very good) and the stupid (it was arbitrarily set in feudal Japan, but with a mostly western cast) along with not one, but TWO Brian Blesseds. Double the Brian Blesseds is worth the price of admission by itself, but it seemed to be Branagh's weakest adaptation by far. But then it's not exactly the strongest Shakespeare play either.

Which leaves ER, which I am completely obsessed with at the moment. Since picking up season 12 just before Christmas, I've watched all of season 12, season 14 and am half way through season 14. I have to say, Season 12 was okay, but after 13, 14 is a disappointment. Season 13 managed to kick off to a great start with the ER getting shot up by escaping prisoners, cram in Abby and Luka's son being born, their marriage, the fates of Ray and Gallant, a bus crash, some heavy character development and lots of good stories involving patients.

Season 14 less so. For a start there's been a heavy handed attempt to make the character Gates likable, up to and including him taking a terminally ill child to a baseball game and introducing him to his heroes. Since the character had been an unlikable dickwad in the last season, the writers apparently noticed that he wasn't roguishly charming like George Clooney, but just an ass and set about correcting that in the most unsubtle way possible.

There's also been a distinct lack of focus on the patients as well as the staff. ER has always been at its best when it's balanced both, giving a insight into the lives of the people who simply pass through the ER and how their stay there affects them and others. In later seasons the setting has become more incidental, as the focus has shifted from surgical, ER and patients in equal measure, purely onto the ER staff with the occasional patient-centric story slotted in. Season 13 balanced i well. Season 14, so far, hasn't.

Couple that with a lack of Luka, Abby descending into alcoholism and becoming deeply unlikable in the process, Neela being sidelined and not one, but two new Chief of Staffs being brought in in guest slots and rammed down the viewer's throats, it's not been as entertaining as the previous season. Particularly when Stanley Tucci's character was also unlikable. That's the trouble - in later seasons of ER, guest stars are drafted in, given the top job, focus in a bunch of stories and then disappear again before anyone cares about them. Meanwhile long established characters are sidelined or written out with barely a word (what the hell happened to Susan Lewis anyway?). It hasn't helped that the focus so far this season has been the unlikable Gates, the unlikable Moretti and Abby in her unlikable alcoholic phase.

Thank goodness, then, for Scott Grimes, who, as Archie Morris, has developed from a throw away joke character to the heart of the show. Still ridiculous, but the actor manages to bring real pathos to the role when allowed to too. It's him I'm really watching the show for at the moment.

But, as I say, I'm addicted either way.