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Top 10 Television Shows

TV Shows

A good TV show for me, first and foremost, is one that has great characters with depth and potential for development over the course of time. As a show continues over multiple seasons, character arcs are very important. Storylines that carry the central characters as well as the central theme of the show should generally remain consistent in terms of tone. That being said, the ability of a show to captivate me and pull me into it’s ‘universe’ is what I value the most.

Below are my 10 favourites chosen from a variety of shows, ranging from those that I watched as a child, to more recent fare.

Review: ‘Fracture’ (2007)

‘FRACTURE‘

Directed by – Gregory Hoblit

Written by – Daniel Pyne & Glen Gers

WARNING: There are SPOILERS ahead!

SYNOPSIS:

Billionaire Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins), a talented structural engineer discovers that his wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) is having an affair with police detective Robert Nunally (Billy Burke). He subsequently shoots her in cold blood and then confesses on the scene to none other than Nunally himself.

Subsequently, hotshot lawyer Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is assigned to prosecute Crawford in what appears to be an open and shut case. However, at his arraignment, Crawford chooses to represent himself and pleads not guilty to attempted murder. The case is further complicated when Crawford’s gun is inadmissible as evidence, on account of never having been fired. What therefore seems like a straightforward case turns into something more elaborately planned than either Beachum or the police department could have imagined.

As the plot unravels, Beachum invariably finds the case slipping out of his hands. He is unable to provide any evidence to convict Crawford; most notably he is unable to uncover the murder weapon. Crawford is therefore eventually acquitted, following which, a depressed Nunally commits suicide. Crawford subsequently pulls the plug on his wife, who has thus far been in a coma.

His career now in tatters, Beachum, out of sheer luck, discovers that Crawford had switched guns with Nunally prior to shooting his wife. With the guns being identical in appearance, nobody had noticed the difference and Crawford had subsequently switched the guns back before being arrested by Nunally. The weapon was therefore in the possession of an unwitting Nunally during the entire trial. With this evidence in hand, Beachum successfully brings Crawford back to trial; this time on the charge of murder.

Overview:

Fracture provides us with an intriguing and refreshing narrative. Although the plot isn’t particularly original, it is unique in that the audience is already aware of the killer’s identity. As a result, the film avoids the oft-used cliché of a surprise twist.

The story largely relies on its ability to engage the audience in Crawford’s diabolical plot by letting the onion-like layers gradually unravel, and for the most part, it is successful in this aspect. However, having set up a gripping narrative, the film is unable to provide a satisfactory pay-off at the climax. In addition, a less than adequate subplot involving Beachum’s transition from the DA’s office to a big law firm and his subsequent romance with his future boss Nikki Gardener (Rosamund Pike) dilutes the intensity provided by main thread of the film.

Characters/Characterisation:

Although Beachum is the protagonist of the story, there is no doubt that ‘Fracture’s’ most interesting character is Ted Crawford. His actions at every step draw our interest and serve to intrigue us in the subtleties of his character – the cold-heartedness with which he shoots his wife; the manner in which he subsequently treats the crime scene. His every action indicates intelligence and manipulation that leave everyone completely helpless and baffled.

The writers have done a very good job to balance the audience’s reactions towards Crawford and the film succeeds, at least partially, in aligning our sympathies towards him. One can, to a certain level, understand his anger towards his wife’s infidelity and her subsequent cold demeanor towards him following his confrontation with her. Yet, one is left with a feeling of distaste towards Crawford’s nonchalant behaviour. Hopkins owns the screen with a chilling performance that has ostentatious echoes of Hannibal Lecter, but is nonetheless solid in its own right.

For all the effort that seems to have gone into creating the character of Ted Crawford, the writers appear to have neglected the remaining characters. Every other character, including Beachum, seem to simply go through the motions in relation to Crawford’s actions and as such have no real depth.

While, the character of Detective Flores (Cliff Curtis) for example, simply serves the purpose of a plot device to help Beachum in his investigation, Nikki Gardner is a completely unnecessary character. While this is no reflection on Pike’s performance, the character itself is uninteresting. She neither has any effect on the narrative nor does she seem to influence any development in Beachum’s character arc. On the other hand, the character of Joe Lobruto (David Strathairn), the District Attorney (and Beachum’s erstwhile boss), while not integral to the plot, does play some part in Beachum’s character arc, in some ways representing the role of a mentor.

The only other character besides Crawford and Beachum to play a major role in the narrative is Detective Robert Nunally. The detective plays a unique role in the narrative flow, whereby he is both an instigator for Crawford’s plan as well as a pawn within it. In some ways, Nunally is perhaps the most important character in the film, as Crawford’s plan would not work without his unwitting participation and as such, he is a very interesting character with a lot of potential. However, the writers do not seem to have given him any depth whatsoever. He is essentially a tool to facilitate the narrative, making him rather one-tracked.

Now, the major character issues come from Willy Beachum. As a protagonist, Beachum is unremarkable and unimpressive. Though his prowess as a prosecuting Lawyer is mentioned more than once during the course of the film (he has a 97% conviction rate), we are never really convinced of this fact. This is largely due to the fact that Beachum and Crawford are never evenly matched in terms of intelligence. If the writers have intended to portray it as a battle of wits, it is woefully one sided in Crawford’s favour. Beachum’s characteristics are uneven, as his actions are contradictory to the background set up for him. Despite his stated reputation, he behaves irresponsibly.

Additionally, his subplot, which involves his transition into a famed law firm, is drab at best. The prospect of this transition initially distracts Beachum, resulting in him treating the case nonchalantly. The subplot appears to have thus been written solely with the intention to justify his initial irresponsible behaviour.

Though Gosling’s performance is adequate enough on the whole, Willy Beachum is an extremely generic character and poorly written in comparison to Crawford.

Story/Narrative:

‘Fracture’ gives us a narrative that tips the scale in favour of the antagonist in such a convincing manner that we seem to be invariably headed towards a climax that would see the said antagonist emerging victorious. Although there are several films that have used similar narrative arcs, ‘Fracture’ gives us an intriguing combination of a character (Ted Crawford) and plot that gel together so well, that one almost wants to see the antagonist win.

However, the film falls flat in its final moments. The climax unfortunately follows the well-trodden path, whereby the protagonist discovers a way to outsmart the villain and ‘win the day’. In this instance, Beachum discovers the elusive murder weapon and is subsequently able to pin it on Crawford. This sudden change in direction that the narrative takes is both sloppy and ridiculous. It seems as if the writers suddenly decided to switch sides at the last hurdle.

Let us make it clear that it is not Beachum’s discovery that is the problem, rather the manner in which he is able to so easily dig himself out of the hole as a result. It feels like the equivalent of winning the derby only to later find that the horse you betted on is disqualified on a technicality. The resolution is therefore disappointing, as Beachum seems to win on a technicality rather than really earning the victory in our eyes.

Plot Holes:

Now this climax is not only unsatisfactory, but also has a gaping plot hole. When Beachum finally uncovers the elusive murder weapon following Crawford’s acquittal and discovers that Crawford switched guns prior to shooting his wife with Nunally’s gun, he subsequently recovers a matching bullet from Mrs. Crawford’s head and claims this to be enough evidence to take Crawford back to trial. However, since the gun is eventually found in Nunally’s possession, bearing only his fingerprints, it cannot possibly be traced back to Crawford. Therefore, the fact that Beachum is able to use this evidence to convict Crawford does not really seem plausible and appears to simply be an attempt to neatly tie up the story in favour of the protagonist.

Overall, despite the flaws and the unsatisfactory ending, the film still provides enough to chew on from an intellectual point of view. The script is intelligent for the most part and Crawford’s character is able to hold the film up well enough to make it worth a watch.

Reviewed by: Janit Mahadevia & Vishaal Desai

Our Rating – 3/5

The Top 10 Films of the Decade – Part III

The Top 10 Films of the Decade (2000-2009)

PART III

Apologies for the delay in getting this post. Unfortunately a bout of illness has kept me away from the computer. I’ll keep this one brief and get on with the list, but first, here are the films that just missed the cut for this year.


ICE AGE – dir. Chris Wedge & Carlos Saldanha

‘Ice Age’ is not an exceptional film by any means, but it is a very memorable one. The hilariously quirky characters and the oddity of the pairing between the protagonists makes this an interesting and enjoyable viewing.

SPIDERMAN – dir. Sam Raimi

A classic superhero comic book turned into a classic superhero film. Raimi is faithful to the existing mythos and character arcs of the Spiderman universe and delivers a heart-pumping, enjoyable, coming of age story with great visuals and intense action.

THE BOURNE IDENTITY – dir. Doug Liman

Robert Ludlum’s book is turned into a high-tension, spy thriller. Matt Damon delivers an edgy and gritty performance and Liman manages to keep us on the edge of our seats throughout.

X2: X-MEN UNITED – dir. Bryan Singer

Although superior to it’s predecessor, the second installment of the X-Men franchise misses out this year due to stronger competition. Having done away with a majority of the character and story world introductions in the first film, Singer proceeds to craft a strong, multi-character story arc that provides an entertaining, yet thought provoking film.


Below are my Top 10 Films (in alphabetical order) for the Year 2002………….

Review: ‘The Wolfman’ (2010)

‘THE WOLFMAN’ (2010)

Directed by – Joe Johnston

Written by – Andrew Kevin Walker & David Self

Based on the 1941 Screenplay – ‘The Wolfman’ by Curt Siodmak

Joe Johnston’s ‘The Wolfman’ is a clear representation of a film industry that is afraid of breaking the mold of perceived ‘audience expectations’ and box-office intakes to promote originality. Although there are a few exceptions, the agonizing trend of endless Prequels, Remakes and Adaptations continue to plague the efforts of those wishing to push towards new and original stories and story worlds.

‘The Wolfman’ is thus a result of this obsession with recycling existing material. Now, the original version of this film was one amongst several dozen ‘Monster Films’ produced by Universal Studios during the 1930′s, 40′s and early 50′s (Films such as Dracula, Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera etc.). A classic from 1941, ‘The Wolf Man’ holds up even today due to it’s fear inducing atmosphere, scenes filled with sheer tension and a frightening performance from Lon Chaney Jr. It was one of the earliest films to depict the condition of Lycanthropy (the ability to transform from Human to Wolf) and is more than likely responsible for the popularity of Werewolves amongst generations of horror fans. But, let me not digress any further from the topic at hand, which is Universal’s 2009 remake.

The Top 10 Films of the Decade – Part II

The Top 10 Films of the Decade (2000-2009)

PART II

Admittedly, I didn’t have much trouble putting together a Top 10 list for the Year 2000. Perhaps I haven’t seen as many films from that particular year as I thought? ‘American Psycho,’ is one film that was mentioned to me, which I have yet to watch and will endeavor to do so. Now, 2001 has proven to be a little harder. There are many more films to choose from and a wide variety of genres, languages and mediums. After much deliberation, I’ve managed to list 10 films.

There are however, quite a few noteworthy films that didn’t make the cut for some reason or the other. Below are the films that ALMOST made the Top 10  for the Year 2001:

MONSTER’S, INC. – dir. Pete Doctor, David Silverman & Lee Unkrich

MULHOLLAND DR. – dir. David Lynch

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS – dir. Wes Anderson

LIFE AS A HOUSE – dir. Irwin Winkler

Although ‘Monster’s, Inc.’ is considered by many to be one of Pixar’s finest, it somehow does not stand out as much for me as some of the others do. It is nevertheless a fine film and only just misses out.

Mulholland Drive is a fine example of an insane film that can only be pulled off by David Lynch. Although brilliantly shot and directed, the flow of the story is incredibly complex and confusing, especially in the second half, when the narrative is twisted and turned upside down to a point where you’re not sure who the characters are anymore.

‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ is Wes Anderson’s finest film to date, with an incredible range of characters played by a stellar cast and a style of storytelling that is unique to Anderson. In a marginally weaker year, it would have made it into the Top 10, but not so in this year.

‘Life as a House’ is a simple story of a dying man who wishes to reconnect with his estranged son. The heart and soul of this film are the performances of Kevin Kline and Hayden Christensen who play the protagonist and his son respectively. Unfortunately as well as the film brings out this father-son relationship, it does not expand much beyond it in terms of character or story development, which is why I left it out.


And now….here are my Top 10 Films (in alphabetical order) for the Year 2001………….

The Top 10 Films of the Decade (2000-2009) – Part I

The Top 10 Films of the Decade (2000-2009)

PART I

Okay, so this is my attempt at putting together a list of the 10 best films of the past decade. Despite what some people may say, I believe the 2000′s (or noughties) were actually pretty good for films and filmmakers. Technologically the industry has taken several giant leaps forward. There are films that have brought forth innovative techniques, both visual and narrative. Several up and coming filmmakers have broken out with great debuts (District 9, Thank You For Smoking) or giant boosts to fledgling careers. Low-budget indie films like ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and have stood toe to toe with big studio projects like Pirates of the Caribbean or Harry Potter, perhaps not in terms of box office receipts but definitely in terms of global viewership.

Despite the advent of DVD’s, Blueray and Home Theaters, despite the insurgency of internet piracy and despite the recent global recession, the audience for cinema has rarely dwindled and the passion for filmmaking is ever present.

Now making a shortlist from a wide variety of quality films produced worldwide in the last 10 years is no easy task. So to make things easy for myself, I’m going to shortlist 10 films from each year of the decade starting with the Year 2000. These lists are likely to be based equally on personal opinion as well as critical appraisal, which I feel should make for an interesting mix of commercially and critically successful films respectively. Obviously I will not be including films that I have not seen, so there will inevitably be a few films that will, according to some, be ‘criminally overlooked.’ That can’t be helped unfortunately, but I will endeavor to watch whatever anyone suggests.

So without further adieu, here are my Top 10 films (in alphabetical order) for the Year 2000………..