Zorral Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Show Me a Hero premieres August 16th. A write-up about Show Me a Hero is in the Washington Post Sunday Magazine. A head's up: the WaPo has a 5 story per month limit for non-subscribers. So here's the very long url instead of a link, in case people don't realize this paywall limit and don't want to use it for this story, preferring to save their 5 story limit for something else. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/no-dragons-no-zombies-can-david-simon-turn-a-story-about-public-housing-into-high-drama/2015/07/24/887f09a6-25aa-11e5-b77f-eb13a215f593_story.html A pull from the story: He [David Simon] expresses continuing astonishment that HBO has seen fit to give him six hours of air time to tell a story about housing policy, and assembled the Hollywood talent to help him tell it: the director Paul Haggis, an Oscar winner; the rising star Oscar Isaac; seasoned pros such as Catherine Keener, Winona Ryder and Alfred Molina. Bill Zorzi, Simon’s co-writer on “Show Me a Hero,” who also worked on “The Wire” and at the Sun, shares his surprise. “I don’t want to perform unnatural acts on HBO,” says Zorzi, “but letting us make this speaks to what they’re about. My wife, Patty, was like, ‘Come on, they’re actually going to let you do this?’ ” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Definitely looking forward to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 Simon and his team are brilliant depictors of the national scene. This is going to be both wonderful and heartbreaking as are all his works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Not surprisingly critics are raving about this in early reviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsay B. Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Nice, I figured it would be critically acclaimed. First two parts tomorrow so I finally have something to watch on sundays too. Love me some Oscar Isaac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 David Simon's got two other HBO possibilities in the works as well. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hbo-orders-two-david-simon-813513 http://deadline.com/2015/08/david-simon-james-franco-the-deuce-time-square-porn-drama-capitoll-hill-carl-bernstein-get-hbo-pilots-1201492951/ The Deuce sounds particularly interesting. I also resonated with a Vulture essay, “The Radical Humanism of David Simon” here, in which the writer-critic >?< apologizes for reading Simon’s Treme wrongly, in contrast with his The Wire. the essay's about, ultimately, how difficult it is to change the story-telling tropes that television and movie writing has made de rigueur — though, of course, as this is fiction, it is not law. “His preference for subject matter is just one part of the reason widespread popularity has eluded him. Yes, it’s significant that he tells stories about poor and working-class as well as middle-class people, and has never had much interest in the rich, except as foils or obstacles for the less fortunate. It’s also true that he’s fascinated by the minute inner workings of institutions, and how they tend to become corrupt and inert thanks to the laziness or selfish ambition of whoever happens to be in charge. Neither of these would necessarily be considered “sexy” things to care about because they deny easy opportunities for escapism. You can’t put expensive clothes and top-dollar haircuts on your characters if the story is about how hard they have to work just to make rent. And you can’t indulge the audience’s desire to watch crusading good guys root out and defeat a handful of bad apples who are preventing an otherwise perfectly fine institution from doing good work — be it the police department and school system of The Wire or the state and local government and construction industries of Treme or the United States Marine Corps of Generation Kill. But more significant than all that, I suspect, is the way that Simon insists we care about things and people thatAmerican entertainment’s clichéd storytelling habits have no use for. Characters who help or hinder the white hero or heroine in a single scene of a major motion picture get not just scenes but whole story lines in Simon’s TV shows. Sometimes they are major characters.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commodore Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 excited to be scolded by David Simon about what awful racists Americans are for being skeptical of forcible integration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malik Ambar Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 I love David Simon's works. The Wire, for me, is the most amazing television show to have ever existed. Eagerly looking forward to this excited to be scolded by David Simon about what awful racists Americans are for being skeptical of forcible integration Then you might be sorely disappointed :P No, but seriously, Simon's works are surprisingly politically balanced. Infact a major theme of the wire was that politics is what screws everything up, and ultimately society isn't able to do what needs to be done because of political leanings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 IIRC, some of the other writers on The Wire were right-wing, or to the right of Simon anyway. Simon didn't give a toss as he liked their writing, and they brought a more balanced viewpoint than what Simon managed by himself. In particular, I get the impression that Ed Burns is more centrist, and might be why his collaborations with Simon are among Simon's more successful works. That's why them pairing up again on this Washington DC project is promising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The King in Black Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 The Wire was many things ; politically biased wasn't one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fez Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Really interesting, but kinda slow. I get why Simon wanted to also have characters living in the community, and not just be councilmen and lawyers; but for that to work, those other characters need to actually be doing something at least a little compelling to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Pretty decent start. I was really into all the stuff centering around the Mayor and the political side of things. I'm glad they didn't drag the election out very long. Jon Bernthals character was especially a highlight. Wasn't as sold on the civilian side of the show so far. The elderly woman going blind and the stuff in Dominican Republic (I think?) kinda lost me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astromech Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Pretty decent start. I was really into all the stuff centering around the Mayor and the political side of things. I'm glad they didn't drag the election out very long. Jon Bernthals character was especially a highlight. Wasn't as sold on the civilian side of the show so far. The elderly woman going blind and the stuff in Dominican Republic (I think?) kinda lost me The residents of the low-income area of Yonkers were sympathetic and I believe that is Simon's intent. I agree with Fez that their storylines were not compelling though. That said, I do have faith in Simon to deliver. However, it did annoy me there were no subtitles when the mother was in the DR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nictarion Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Not bad. All the scenes without Oscar Isaac fell a little flat for me though. Can't believe the older woman that Isaac's threw out of the Council meeting was Catherine Keener. Didn't recognize her at all until the scene where she was in line and her voice finally clicked for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Winona Ryder was the one I didn't recognize for some reason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Yeah of course I'm awake, I had to answer the fucking phone" :lol: Oscar Isaac was in top form tonight, gem of an actor. Whenever he's on screen the show shines. Really started to like Wasiscko this week. Once again the civilian stuff was hit and miss for me. It does seem to be tying into the main storyline for the most part but I can't help but check out during some of it. The characters who have appeared in all four parts mostly kept my attention tonight though and it was super heartbreaking to see the single mom had turned to drugs. Also, did you guys notice Namond? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nictarion Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Also, did you guys notice Namond? :DBrother Mouzone, Orlando, Levy, Namond, so far. Am I missing anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Kimas girl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt b Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Also, did you guys notice Namond? :D That's who that was!!! I knew I recognized that actor but I couldn't quite place him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talleyrand Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 It's weird seeing Bernthal as a Lawyer fighting for integration its good not to have him type-cast as a meathead like he is in almost everything else I've seen him in (which to be fair is a small list) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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