-.- < title
I don't feel inspired to watch it...
The remake of classic 1960s Brit TV series The Prisoner will hit US screens on Sunday, when viewers of AMC will be able to enjoy writer Bill Gallagher's six-part "reimagining of themes and characters", as the New York Times ominously puts it. Promotional poster for The Prisoner rehash Jim Caviezel has the task of interpreting …
I won't let not having seen the show prevent me from commenting that it is both a travesty of the original that should never have been made, and a surprisingly watchable and contemporary reimagination. Condemnation and kudos to all concerned. Don't let it happen again - can't wait for series 2.
Information. Information!
You're not going to get it!
By hook, or by crook we will.
Looking up Bill Gallagher on imdb I see his past credits include Lark Rise to Candleford and Dalziel and Pascoe. I don't see anything there that inspires me to think that this will be anything other than run of the mill TV drama.
A love triangle? They didn't want number 2 to be faceless and soulless? They're going to develop the "characters", and leave the short-story format for more of a soap-opera style, aren't they! Golly.
I do hope they develop that love triangle; it promises to be a lot more interesting than that boring "wanting to escape" part. And I'm so looking forward to seeing the human side of number 2, explore his human and sympathetic side, maybe even have some dramatic moments that explore their sameness and differences in more heart-rending depth. They don't have to wallow in that boring "prisoner trying to escape" thing; they can explore the various dramatic and interesting relationships with the characters around him!
I can see it now: he refuses to fully commit to a relationship, because he believes he is going to escape one day, resulting in dramatic tension. Oh golly! They could have long, heated conversations about it! One of them could become slightly upset, and leave you wondering if they're going to break up, only to reconcile the next week! Wow!
This promises to be as good as the new Doctor. I'm weeping tears of joy. Really.
It seems that the Terms & Conditions of Use (http://www.summakor.com/terms.html) have instructions about notificaitons and removing content that violates copyright (through DCMA). The website lists a pharma product "Lucidia" for putting people in a "removable coma". Odd thing, there really is a product called "Lucidia" - www.lucidiadreams.com, which appears to be one of those "herbal" supplement sleep aid.
Don't seem to be affiliated, so maybe a marketer didn't do a Google first?
Interesting, attempting to use Network Solutions WHOIS gives back a "violation" message (or could be from where I am accessing), but http://whois.domaintools.com/summakor.com gives the info as Network Solutions. Cover up to hide a piece of marketing, or is this going to be a real venture? Interesting.
(Note: Modified and excerpted for posting)
Registrant: Summa Kor, ATTN: SUMMAKOR.COM, c/o Network Solutions, P.O. Box 459, Drums, PA. 18222
Domain Name: SUMMAKOR.COM
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact: [SAME AS REGISTRANT]
Record expires on 28-Jul-2013. Record created on 28-Jul-2008. Database last updated on 11-Nov-2009 10:30:50 EST.
Watched the preview yesterday. Wasn't as crap as I was expecting - of course can't have a show on US TV without some romance, so not surprised to see that in there.
At least in the original you knew why he had been taken there. This one doesn't seem to have a definite reason so you don't know what he's fighting against. Or what they want from him.
Perhaps it will be explained in more detail during the first episode....
I'm guessing from that 'community' description of the ending that all the numbers rise up, exercise the right to bare arms in the name of truth and justice?
Given that we now live in a society much closer to that of the original Village, there was probably more scope to make a believable version this time, one where you don't need to be an arty-farty nonce in order to perceive any meaning (not that there was any meaning anyway - We all know they just made up a load of rubbish on the spot because Lou Grade demanded 26 episodes instead of 6 so, like a supermarket own-brand 'economy' sausage, it contained less than 3% meat.)
Or they could have reimagined it as a village where people who switch back from Macs to PCs suddenly find themselves... with Steve Jobs as Number 2 in all that iconic 60s iFurniture.
The big revelation at the end of the series is that number 1 is.... you guessed it - King William III himself!
So yet another rehash of an old success because they cant think up anything new.
Is anyone surprised that, yet again, they change it all and make the main protagonist American (since as we all know, nothing exists outside the borders of the USA other than evil terrorists and backwards natives...)
What's the betting that they will take out everything that made the original a success the first time round - the mystery, the struggle against faceless and untrustworthy government...
But hey - we get a "love triangle" instead! Hooray!
The original series was made during the Cold War and all about Left vs Right, East. vs West, Communism vs Capitalism etc etc.
Except that it wasn't.
Patrick McGoohan was trying to make the point that both sides are really the same and that it doesn't matter which of the sides you are ostensibly on at all, because it is all the same thing in the end.
Unfortunately, the public weren't quite up to the task of interpreting it the way PM wanted them to and started holding his character up as the some sort of Hero of the West valiently holding out against the evils of the socialist east. Rah Rah Rah.
This annoyed McGoohan to no end. When the premature end to the series was announced he basically said "fuck 'em" and produced that nonsensical load of rubbish that was the last episode.
I can't imagine that the yanks could manage to make something with similar sensibilities (last episode of ToS not withstanding). No doubt it will all end in a glorious victory of Good (U.S.A) over Evil (The people with all the oil).
If it's not a puerile load of hogwash cloaked in good old American Patriot garb I'll eat a bug.
"Or they could have reimagined it as a village where people who switch back from Macs to PCs suddenly find themselves... with Steve Jobs as Number 2 in all that iconic 60s iFurniture."
You might be a computer geek if you:
(a) understand these references
(b) find the idea strangely alluring
(c) would pay good money to actually see this version
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but I keep doing the comparison to the original (which I watched again before watching the new version.)
The original was almost an acid trip in its oddness, while the "new" version is sort of sneaking out behind mum's for a quick joint. I'll watch it through before making up my mind completely.
(This is the time I need a "meh" icon!)