April 2007 - Cult Fiction

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Cult Fiction - April 2007

Frontline - Divide the Community, Multiply the Ratings

April 13th 2007 06:29

Episode: 2.7 ‘Divide the Community, Multiply the Ratings’

What Happens: Dom gets a tipoff about some Croatians attacking Serbians and the Frontline crew manage to get exclusive footage. Sam is keen to stir up the issue some more in order to drag the story out over more nights of the show.

The Issues/Cliches of Current Affairs television: Slow news days. Ethnic violence. Show hosts getting perks from companies for endorsing their products on air.

Elliot-Watch: Doesn’t appear.

Celebrities: None appear.

Celebrity mentions: Jack Thompson.

Quotes:
MARTIN DI STASIO: Emma, you got anything yet?
EMMA: A woman’s written a book on the joy of turning 60.
MARTIN DI STASIO: Keep looking.
(A few moments later, Emma still looking through newspaper for stories
EMMA: You know those triplets who were born three years ago?
MARTIN DI STASIO: Uh-huh.
EMMA: Well… they’ve turned three.

SAM: We have an ethical duty to make sure it’s seen by as many people as possible.
EMMA: So we distribute it to all networks?
SAM: I’ll rephrase the ethical duty – it must be seen by as many people as possible provided they’re watching Frontline.

SAM: A what?
EMMA: A brawl in the carpark after the show.
DOM: That’s really bad.
SAM: I’ll tell you what’s bad, the fact that we didn’t get it on tape, dammit.

SAM: What’s better than two psycho wogs in the studio? Fifty psycho wogs.

MARTIN DI STASIO: What about the fireworks?
SAM: Hey… what if, in addition to our various ethnic guests, we put someone else in the audience.
MARTIN DI STASIO: Who?
SAM: Someone who’s guaranteed to shit-stir. Someone who can create ill-feeling. Someone… who was there on the day.
MARTIN DI STASIO: Me?
SAM: You’re a journalist, you’re an eye-witness…
MARTIN DI STASIO: …and a professional shit-stirrer.

(In forum full of arguing Serbs and Croats)
MIKE MOORE: Martin, what’s your view?
MARTIN DI STASIO: Thanks Mike, and yes I was there the other day, obviously I’ve been listening to the debate and the Serbs say it was the Croatians’ fault and the Croatians blame the Serbs. But, in my opinion, it’s the Serbs’ fault.
(The forum erupts violently)

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Frontline

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Frontline - Let the Children Play

April 11th 2007 22:27

Episode: 2.6 ‘Let the Children Play’

What Happens: The success of A Current Affairs’ ‘help the kids’ specials starring Angry Anderson prompts Frontline to adapt the formula for their own charity special starring Jon English.

The Issues/Cliches of Current Affairs television: Ripping off the competition. Companies sponsoring ‘charity’ special all want on-air acknowledgement (making it little more than advertising).

Elliot-Watch: Doesn’t appear.

Celebrities: Jon English appears.

Celebrity mentions: Angry Anderson. John Phelps. John Mills. The Frontline crew also draw up a board of possible charities and hosts before settling on Jon English, a quick freeze-frame shows it as thus…

BOARD OF IDEAS
Story: Cancer kids. AIDs babies. Spas kids. Homeless youths. Schizos. Chernobyl kids.
Hosts: Farnham. Neil Finn. Tim Finn. Glen Shorrock. Daddo. Stevie Wright. Shirl.

Quotes:
KATE: She’s not talking.
MARTIN DI STASIO: Bitch!
KATE: Marty, her husband’s just been shot.

SAM: So it’s the inner city kids, right, what do we provide for them?
EMMA: Drugs?
KATE: Rifle range?

SAM: Brooke, we’re looking for a host for this charity special… muso, some television experience.
EMMA: Drug-free.
BROOKE: Hmmm, that narrows the field a bit.

REBECCA (Mike’s niece): So what’s the story about?
MIKE MOORE (Picks up paper) Er… well, here’s the rundown… used cars, it’s one of Brookes.
REBECCA: But what’s it about?
MIKE MOORE: Well… cars. Used ones.

SAM: Marty… murdered guy’s wife?
MARTIN DI STASIO: Still not talking, but we did manage to find this little exclusive (pulls photo out of pocket)
EMMA: How’d you get that?
REBECCA: Oh, he tricked the wife into giving it to him using…
MARTIN DI STASIO: Excuse me! (To Sam) And we could have an interview with the cops as well.

EMMA: Don’t forget to wave at everyone around.
JON ENGLISH: (Driving) There’s no one around.
EMMA: Yeah, don’t worry about that. We’ll pick up some shots of people waving back later on.

(Watching Hugh and Brooke edit a story)
REBECCA: So when a story’s boring we add music, and when it’s really boring we put it in fast motion.
(Brooke looks unimpressed, Hugh has a coughing fit)

JON ENGLISH: Who took my wallet?
STU: Cut! (To kids) Ah, for Christ’s sake – we’re trying to help you little shits!
EMMA: Stu!
STU: They’re old enough.
KID: This playground sucks!
KID 2: We wanted a basketball court.

(Some of the girls in the office cry while watching slow-motion montage of Jon English charity story)
EMMA: (Crying) This is manipulative.
SAM: Em, there was a need.
EMMA: Yeah, our ratings were sagging.
SAM: The kid’s wanted a playground.
EMMA: No, the kid’s wanted a basketball court. Our sales department wanted a playground.

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Frontline

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Doctor Who 3.2 - The Shakespeare Code

April 9th 2007 02:23

Image taken from Wikipedia.org

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS EPISODE

A Brief Rundown of the Plot
To prove to his new companion Martha that he does indreed travel through time, the Doctor takes her back to London, 1599. It's the era of Elizabeth the 1st, and Shakespeare is a popular writer of comedies on the London stage at the Globe Theatre. The Doctor and Martha go to watch the playwright's latest, 'Love's Labour's Lost', and witness Shakespeare announcing the early arrival of his next play, 'Love's Labour's Won' - the fabled lost Shakespeare play. But the Doctor and Martha aren't the only ones eagerly awaiting this new comedy - three murderous witches wait in the wings, manipulating events for their own evil ends.

What's Cool
Elizabethan England is beautifully and exceptionally recreated via big budget set decoration, matte paintings and CGI. A wonderful example of the show's new and improved quality and a reminder of Doctor Who's endless possibilities for adventure and atmosphere.

William Shakespeare. We're introduced to Shakespeare as he accepts the congratulations of his adoring crowd, and the Doctor prattles on about how great a wordsmith the writer was, and then Shakespeare speaks to the crowd, "Oh shut yer mouths!" Shakespeare comes across hilariously as a celebrity of his age - a vain, funny, sexed up genius.

The episode is also rife with references to Shakespearian lore... we see members of his documented company from the era, influential events from the episode, and the Doctor drops hints galore (accidental and otherwise) about the writer's future works.

As usual, David Tennant is on fire. The dialogue is great too.

What's Not So Cool
The witches are very pantomime, and the makeup used for them is fairly cliched, though it could be argued that this is kind of the point of the episode. Either way, they aren't the most original of Doctor Who foes.

That's about it, most of this episode was great.

The Verdict
This is a good episode, the setting was wonderfully re-created and the script was sharp and funny (I'd love to see writer Gareth Roberts pen further Doctor Who scripts). Non-stop fun the whole way through. Bravo.

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Doctor Who

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Frontline - Basic Instincts

April 5th 2007 11:15

Episode: 2.5, ‘Basic Instincts

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Frontline

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Blakes 7 - Trial

April 4th 2007 10:53

"Be gentle Zil!"

Another interesting episode of Blakes 7 here, this one kicks off with a look into the justice system of the Federation, and at first it looks like Blake and co. may not even appear. But, in keeping with the structure of past episodes, we're soon given two apparently disparate storylines that dovetail together in the final moments of the story

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Blakes 7

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