Let’s talk Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones, the second installment of the Marvel/Netflix deal was released last Friday to overwhelmingly positive reviews and a tremendous amount of hype. But is the show really all it’s cracked up to be? Well, that really depends. As a show that came from a comic series originally intended for a more mature audience, the creators of the Netflix series were able to leverage that to create a darker, more sinister show, while maintaining the continuity between the other marvel shows in the franchise. However, don’t think for a second that you need to be a super hero fan to enjoy this show. In fact, if you have never even seen a Marvel film or show, this one might just be the one to start with.

Even from the first episode, it is clear this is no Avengers style A-list action film. Far from it. The tone is much more noir and is much more of an intellectual and mental experience than an action flick. The show manages to be almost more of a psychological drama than a super hero show, and honestly, Jessica Jones really doesn’t bust out her kick ass powers all that often.

This is a show far more interested in the characters, their interactions and the effects of past trauma coming back to haunt them. It’s a show that leaves you feeling sorry for nearly every character, and through the use of cinematography and a near perfect performance from the cast, it is a show that will make you sit at your desk after watching it for a good while just processing a range of emotions. Not a small feat to be sure.

Speaking of which, the acting. Let us take a moment to talk about the acting. We’ll start with Krysten Ritter, who plays Jessica Jones. While her performances in the past (Breaking Bad, Don’t trust the B in Apt. 23) have not been at all bad, she truly shows us what she is capable of in her role as the title character. Overall a fantastic performance, but there are three or four scenes that really stood out. I cannot describe them here, (spoilers) but you will know them when you see them. She has the ability to be at once vulnerable and powerful, and the way in which she plays Jessica Jones is truly spot on.

While Krysten Ritter’s performance is phenomenal, I would be remiss to overlook the insanely fantastic portrayal of Kilgrave, played by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Broadchurch). Something about watching Tennant play this sociopathic mind controlling villain is just enchanting. The way that he is able to make one feel complete contempt for the character and immediately after something that nearly resembles sympathy is truly amazing.

I should not focus on only these two portrayals, however. In fact, the entire cast was a joy to watch preform. I really cannot pick out a character that was not well acted. Sure, there are characters that I did not like, but that is quite a different category from being poorly acted.

And really, that is the overall feel of the show. Never a part that I felt was poorly done. Parts that were less intriguing but needed for story development were given enough attention to make them watchable, and the cinematography matched the tone of the show quite nicely.

But is the show really all it’s cracked up to be? Well, that really depends. If you are expecting a super hero show, Jessica Jones is not that. It is a psychological drama that happens to have a few superhero characters in it. Is it good television? Absolutely. In fact, it is likely better than most TV shows out there today. And it’s dark, tackling issues and situations nearly never ventured into by “mainstream” TV networks. It is a fantastic show, but something is, perhaps, missing.

It’s a show that is almost perfect, but just not quite. Something is missing, but one cannot be sure exactly what it is. Nothing is inherently wrong with it, but that key ingredient is somehow, not there. A show that could have easily been the best show of 2015 is somehow only one of the best shows of 2015. What’s missing is unclear, but the hype of the show and the insanely positive reviews are likely somewhat to blame. It is truly hard to live up to an impossible image of what a show might be.

And really, I think this is a show that was hurt more by the hype than by anything else. If this was a show that no one know about and just sort of happened, it would be fantastic. As it is, the show is 99% of fantastic. But, in today’s overly crowded and competitive television arena, 99% of fantastic is about as good as it gets.

The Verdict:

9/10 - Fantastic

Nanowrimo 2015 (Or Zero Draft Thirty for us screenwriter types)

Alright. So, you may have heard of Nanowrimo, an annual event utilizing the internet to bring novelists together in the effort to write the first draft of a novel in 30 days (the number of days in November.) Speaking of which, Nanowrimo is an acronym of sorts, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. But I am not a novelist, but why let that stop me from participating?

Exactly. I just saw a Facebook post from a friend of mine talking about Zero Draft Thirty, the same concept but for screenwriters. Now, I am not a screenwriter either, however I am a filmmaker and would love to explore more about the screenwriting process, as, after all, scripts are really important for film making. Like, really, really, really important.

So, if I'm going to make a film, I need a script, so why not start one this November for Zero Draft Thirty? Yes, this seems like a great idea. Oh, right, I need to think of a story. Shoot, this might be more difficult than I thought. Anyways, I will try, and we'll see what happens! I will be making some videos on my YouTube channel on this topic as well, so feel free to follow my progress over there as well. (I will post the first video as an update to this post once I have filmed it.)

For more info on this project, check out: https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2015/10/zero-draft-thirty-write-a-script-in-a-month-challenge.html

Thanks all! Talk soon :)
- David

Review: Imitation Game (2014)

Breaking the unbreakable German code in World War II might seem like an impossible feat, but Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) is up for the challenge. Playing a socially awkward and misunderstood incarnation of the real man, Cumberbatch leads the cast of stellar characters that make up this film. While being predictable at times, the film still managed to throw me some twists that I didn't see coming, and entertained me through the entire movie.

The Imitation Game is about the life and work of British mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing, and follows his journey of attempting to break the "unbreakable" German code during World War II. The film explores his childhood, as well as the events after the war, and also looks at the personal relationships Turing built while building a machine that he hoped would be able to crack the code.

Turing's machine is considered to be the first mechanical computational device, and as such he is considered to be "the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence." (Beavers, Anthony 2013)

The film is a period piece, of course, and the sets and costume design was beautiful and, from what I can discern, fairly accurate. In addition, the overall production design was well done, and I really believed that the action was unfolding in mid 20th century England.

The acting was superb. By far the best part of the film, in my opinion, and Benedict Cumberbatch truly did an amazing job - not to over shadow the other actors in the film, however. Keira Knightly did a fantastic job as well, as did really the whole primary cast.

While the shining moments of the film are the highlight of the film, there were a few things that I was not as thrilled with, like the somewhat predictable plot (though some parts of the film did catch me by surprise) and the decent (but not amazing) score detracted a bit from the film, but not enough to prevent my recommendation.

Is it, as some have said, the "best British film of 2014?" Maybe, I'll be honest, I haven't seen that many British films this year. But is it good? Yes, yes it is. I would say that, despite the minor issues, and they are minor, this is well worth the watch.

The verdict?
7 out of 10 - Heartily Recomend