Friday June 21, 2013

First day of summer. I like this time of year.

UNCheats beat NC State 7 - 0 in baseball last night in the College World Series. State comes home - UNCheats advances. They will have to beat UCLA twice in a row to advance to the Final 2. It's tough to beat a team twice - especially in succession.

Entertainment

Two of my favorite shows are ending their runs this year - Dexter and Breaking Bad.

I don't get pay cable - so I have to wait till Dexter is out on DVD before I get to see it. I just finished watching the last season. Great show - but it seems as though they are jumping the shark a little bit.

While Dexter is a great fun roller coaster ride - to be honest - the writing on Breaking Bad is far superior. The main character, Walter White / Heisenberg, has gone from a scared teacher trying not to mess up to a cold blooded killer who will analytically calculate the odds of your being a danger to him - and if you're a serious thereat - you're dead. The last episode scene where Walter White decides to get out of the meth business and goes to see Jessie Pinkman for an 'old times sake' visit - is simply one of the best dramatic scenes written. It'll make the hair on your arm stand up.

The 1950s and 60s were the decades of great American writing. The 60s were when European films were the cutting edge of writing. The 70s decade belonged to the great American film - and continues from then.

I think America's appreciation of great cinema from the 70s helped pave the way for independent films. I remember taking my parents and grandmother to see Tender Mercies. Grandmama cried just about the whole second half the film. (I think this is Robert Duvall's best performance - period.) My folks in turn made sure I saw Breaking Away.

Outside of some great movies and the beginning of independent films - the 80s were a bit of a cultural wasteland. This was the decade that gave us Disco.

Starting with the 90s through today - the best dramatic writing is found on cable television. It was pretty much started by HBO. Cable as a venue has allowed writers and actors the ability to create some fantastic art without the hugely exorbitant expense of movies. Broadcast TV has to satisfy 'everybody' - therefore it caters to the lowest common denominator - so that leaves cable.

Which brings us back to Dexter and Breaking Bad. Ending their runs this summer and fall.

Weekend Plans

None.