Carnivale S1 + Libeled Lady

[meganbmoore]

Finished season 1 of HBO's Carnivale.  I'm really not sure what to make of this...On the one hand, I like the setting and the story-about a prison escapee with the power to heal who joins up with a carnivale whose management is actually a representative of a higher power, and a preacher in LA following a dark path to what he believes is a higher calling-but on the other hand, every relationship and almost every character sets off my "squick" or "urk" meter.  It also has the same problem is had with Deadwood...too much reliance on language, nudity and sex(though not as much as with Deadwood) and exposing the darker side of humanity...and the dirt(really, both shows make me worry that the actors aren't allowed to bathe)  Carnivale also made me realize that that, more than the cost, is likely why I don't yet have S1 of Rome or S2 of Deadwood...don't get me wrong, if there's a need for it, I'm fine with sex, nudity and vulgarity in my fiction, but I have little tolerance for it when it's dictated by the need for being edgy, modern, mature, arty, etc., as opposed to dictated by story.  That said, Carnivale was nowhere near as bad about it as Deadwood, or what I've heard of Rome(which I understand puts Deadwood to shame in that regard) and the story is very interesting and-when it's not busy being mature or edgy-it's very well written.

I also rewatched Libeled Lady the other day.  For those who don't know it, it's about a newspaperman, Spencer Tracy, who mistakenly reports that a rich socialite, Myrna Loy, had an affair with a married man.  She slaps him with a $5 million libel suit almost as soon the ink on the papers is dry, and faced with his pride or his job(and entire livelihood) he swallows his pride and goes to newspaper spin doctor and fixit guy, William Powell, to get him out of the jam(naturally, the two hate each other's guts)  Powell concocts a scheme...to get out of the libel suit, they just have to fix it so that it ISN'T libel by making Loy really get caught with a married man-even if she doesn't know he's married, so Powell enters into a fake marriage with Tracy's EXTREMELY long-suffering fiance, Jean Harlow, and sets out to seduce Loy, who, naturally, is more than capable of handling herself against such a man.  There's something about William Powell and Myrna Loy that's just magic-like they enter a room and sparks and wit start flying before they even know the other is there, and their Bill and Connie(like their Nick and Nora) are just so obviously made for each other and a perfect match that you almost wonder why they bother having a bit of a triangle with Harlow's Gladys when you know it won't go anywhere(ok, it's there so Tracy can get the metaphorical whack upside the head and get his rear in gear before he loses her)  The setup of this movie is the kind that could easily make me throw popcorn at the characters throughout, but instead I'm always rooting for them throughout.  Now I have to decide whether or not to give in to the urge to rewatch my Thin Man movies.

Comments

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

I've watched all three shows. Here's my take:

1. Carnivale was one of the most boring shows I've ever seen. I didn't even finish the series. Not that I don't love love love Clancy Brown or I didn't appreciate the idea behind the story—but the execution! I love the description of the show on TWoP:

SEE freaks, geeks, and a story so oblique that it makes David Lynch's work seem straightforward! THRILL to the acting of Michael J. Anderson and Clancy Brown! You'll be ASTONISHED at how dull a show about carnies battling apocalyptic forces can be! Gaze in AWE at the lush production! MARVEL at the interminable pacing and deliberately obscure storytelling! WONDER at all the time characters spend staring at each other! BRACE YOURSELF for a cliffhanger ending that won't ever be paid off, because HBO cancelled the show.

That about sums it up, to me. I might read the recaps to find out what eventually happened.

2. Deadwood. Got through about 9 episodes of the first season and stopped. The only reason I even got that far is I knew Kristen Bell had a guest spot and I wanted to see her part. AFter that I still wasn't hooked. I was just... bored. The language seemed actually to fit with what was going on. My problem with the show is I didn't like the Al Swearengen character all that much, and since he takes up about 90% of the show I was SOL. And I couldn't empathize with any of the females so I didn't bother going any further.

3. Rome is awesome. Awesome awesome awesome. There were a few sex scenes at the end I thought were too much, and a bit more swearing than needed second season, but the story rocks the hell out of it all so it doesn't matter.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

see...i think your comments about Carnivale and Deadwood boil down to too much reliance on being "modern" and "adult" and too little on story. And I agree that the language suited deadwood, so i wasnt overly bothered by it usually, but it was still a crutch.