Comments on: Made For TV: Filmwell’s Resident Telephobe Launches New Series

By: Anti-Telly Foot Note | Filmwell

Anti-Telly Foot Note | Filmwell — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:39:53 +0000

[...] up on the Reed screed against the small screen, here’s fellow iconoclast Werner Herzog on the same [...]

By: Darren

Darren — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:15:22 +0000

Amazing podcast featuring Harvard scholars and cast of The Wire discussing the impact of the show.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:49:37 +0000

Alissa, that’s a good point — Dostoevsky is a better analogy (I think I chose Dickens partly for the serialized aspect).

By: Alissa Wilkinson

Alissa Wilkinson — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:30:32 +0000

The Wire is the best show to ever have been on television, by far. It’s so good that it’s not fair to the rest of television. Though I’d compare it to Dostoevsky more than Dickens.

By: Ron Reed

Ron Reed — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:41:53 +0000

I hereby apologize to The Wire.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:54:38 +0000

To some extent, I’d never go too far out of my way to defend television. Most of it can be pretty awful, including the stuff that’s supposed to be fairly mindless, designed for relaxation. In addition, I’ve seen people waste their lives away in front of the TV. Yet, as much as I can understand where you’re coming from, Ron, I don’t know if I’d be dismissive in such a wholesale way, even if it’s tongue-in-cheek (though, I admit, to nodding in agreement here and there). At its best, television can be as good as anything — it’s rare, but it definitely can be. I share Darren’s enthusiasm for “The Wire”, which is a monumental achievement and which could very well be included in a conversation not only about television, but about drama and novels. In some ways, it’s like one of those serialized Dickens novels from the 19th century, but it’s even better because the characters aren’t types. “Mad Men” is one of the most incisive treatments I’ve seen of gender relations in post-war America — it could have been a novel, but its creators used a different medium.

Having said all that, I applaud an effort to examine some of the achievements of television movies and miniseries, as they are definitely worthy of our attention.

By: John

John — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:29:43 +0000

Terrific idea, Ron, but I wonder if you might be setting yourself up to too much disappointment by critiquing films such as Angels in America early in the process. Here’s a production that had scale ($60 million budget) that probably 99% of other made-for-TV movies/miniseries don’t come near. I think it would be much more interesting to discover those diamonds in the rough (such as the previously mentioned Duel), that only had shoestrings to work with, but through great effort managed to become something more than what had been expected. Good luck to you with your adventures with the idiot box (that I too frequently lose myself in).
— Baal T’shuvah

By: Darren

Darren — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:55:05 +0000

Ron, I also think this is a great idea for a series, but I have to say: frankly, your dismissal of critically-acclaimed tv that you admit to having not seen comes off as a bit ridiculous (and even a little smug), even though you own up to your personal biases with tongue in cheek. The Wire is, in my opinion, America's landmark cinematic achievement of the 21st century. It's a greater accomplishment than nearly all of the films you mention in your third paragraph. Deadwood, Mad Men, The West Wing, Friday Night Lights, and a few other series aren't far behind. I watch hundreds of films and attend two major festivals a year, and, believe me, there is nothing better on.

By: M. Leary

M. Leary — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:36:53 +0000

Great idea for a series, Ron. Speilberg’s Duel, Skellig, Jesus of Nazareth, Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage and Saraband. Lots of great directions to go here.