TV: Bryan Brown, You're On Notice
Tonight, almost a year late, premieres Two Twisted (Channel 9, 9:35), producer Bryan Brown's follow up to Twisted Tales, an Australian Twilight Zone-esque anthology series from the mid nineties.
It's a year late, so let's go back eighteen months, to when it was then only supposed months away. Brown put forth a call for scripts for the series from anyone willing to write one. There were rules, mostly for budgetary and time limitations. The script had to be no longer than twenty-two pages, could only feature two major characters (although other minor characters were allowed), only three locations, and a minimum of nighttime exterior scenes. On top of this, every script was required to have a twist. The scripts were due in May 2005, with the show slated to air late in the year. Obviously, this didn't happen.
So, I wrote on and while waiting for the rejection letter (which ultimately came in the form of the script being mailed back and its name not appearing on the list posted on the show's website), Twisted Tales was re-aired.
I remembered really liking the show. It originally aired in a time when I was, I shamefully admit, big into the writings of RL Stine, so it appealled. Hey, remember that Fear Street where there were wicked and sinister goings on around Fear Street? That was great.
Years after RL's influence had worn away, I'm watching the original Twisted Tales, week after week. With both the old and current series, two air at a time, but in its repeat form, four are put back to back. And they're awful. Almost stunningly so.
Maybe it's a case of the stories aging really badly. Maybe it was always bad, and it's just one of those things that everyone has, where you remember loving something, only to revisit it years later to find out how bad it really is. Maybe it was the stories. There was one where this robot, played by Kimberly Davies (from Psycho Beach Party!), went around killing people, and I think the twist was that she was a robot, despite it being obvious from the start. In another, possibly the worst of the lot, a man is jealous of his ex wife's new life, and in the end, dances with air, or a blow-up doll, or a something else I forget. I don't know, it was really stupid. And then I got rejected.
Not that I'm bitter.
I shall be watching eagerly tonight. Television drama has become a lot more cinematic, even since the mid nineties. Australian TV drama has... given us McLeod's Daughters and... more Home and Away and Neighbours... but also some stuff that's not complete worthless shit, like Love My Way on Foxtel. Let's hope Two Twisted falls into the latter camp, quality-wise. Tonight, Melissa George stars. Uh oh.
The main thing I'm watching for is the quality of the scripts themselves. If there is a single story that ends in "and it turns out he was DEAD ALL ALONG" I will throw a brick through the TV screen. If a single story ends with "and it turns out his OTHER PERSONALITY DID IT. Because he had MORE THAN ONE OF THOSE", I will through a brick through the TV, and then I'll deliberately breathe in all the tiny shards of the shattered cathode ray tube, which will shred my lungs, killing me painfully.
Not that I'm bitter.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday (ABC, 9pm), we finally get Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's spectacularly good Extras. It's maybe as good as The Office. Maybe. Kate Winslet's episode, which will air in a week or two, is maybe the best episode of TV ever. Maybe. Winslet's final few moments of the episode are some of the finest minutes I've ever witnessed on a screen. Possibly.
It's pretty hot.
Watch it, or better yet, buy the fucker. Import it from England, or wait until Thursday, when it's available here, or if you're not here or in England, choose where you want to import it from, and then do so. But keep in mind that our DVDs are marked by huge glaring ratings symbols, like this:
Although if you're buying NCIS, you've got bigger issues to contend with than ugly ratings symbols.
Because it's shite.
In conclusion, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Kate Winslet are all better than you.
It's a year late, so let's go back eighteen months, to when it was then only supposed months away. Brown put forth a call for scripts for the series from anyone willing to write one. There were rules, mostly for budgetary and time limitations. The script had to be no longer than twenty-two pages, could only feature two major characters (although other minor characters were allowed), only three locations, and a minimum of nighttime exterior scenes. On top of this, every script was required to have a twist. The scripts were due in May 2005, with the show slated to air late in the year. Obviously, this didn't happen.
So, I wrote on and while waiting for the rejection letter (which ultimately came in the form of the script being mailed back and its name not appearing on the list posted on the show's website), Twisted Tales was re-aired.
I remembered really liking the show. It originally aired in a time when I was, I shamefully admit, big into the writings of RL Stine, so it appealled. Hey, remember that Fear Street where there were wicked and sinister goings on around Fear Street? That was great.
Years after RL's influence had worn away, I'm watching the original Twisted Tales, week after week. With both the old and current series, two air at a time, but in its repeat form, four are put back to back. And they're awful. Almost stunningly so.
Maybe it's a case of the stories aging really badly. Maybe it was always bad, and it's just one of those things that everyone has, where you remember loving something, only to revisit it years later to find out how bad it really is. Maybe it was the stories. There was one where this robot, played by Kimberly Davies (from Psycho Beach Party!), went around killing people, and I think the twist was that she was a robot, despite it being obvious from the start. In another, possibly the worst of the lot, a man is jealous of his ex wife's new life, and in the end, dances with air, or a blow-up doll, or a something else I forget. I don't know, it was really stupid. And then I got rejected.
Not that I'm bitter.
I shall be watching eagerly tonight. Television drama has become a lot more cinematic, even since the mid nineties. Australian TV drama has... given us McLeod's Daughters and... more Home and Away and Neighbours... but also some stuff that's not complete worthless shit, like Love My Way on Foxtel. Let's hope Two Twisted falls into the latter camp, quality-wise. Tonight, Melissa George stars. Uh oh.
The main thing I'm watching for is the quality of the scripts themselves. If there is a single story that ends in "and it turns out he was DEAD ALL ALONG" I will throw a brick through the TV screen. If a single story ends with "and it turns out his OTHER PERSONALITY DID IT. Because he had MORE THAN ONE OF THOSE", I will through a brick through the TV, and then I'll deliberately breathe in all the tiny shards of the shattered cathode ray tube, which will shred my lungs, killing me painfully.
Not that I'm bitter.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday (ABC, 9pm), we finally get Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's spectacularly good Extras. It's maybe as good as The Office. Maybe. Kate Winslet's episode, which will air in a week or two, is maybe the best episode of TV ever. Maybe. Winslet's final few moments of the episode are some of the finest minutes I've ever witnessed on a screen. Possibly.
It's pretty hot.
Watch it, or better yet, buy the fucker. Import it from England, or wait until Thursday, when it's available here, or if you're not here or in England, choose where you want to import it from, and then do so. But keep in mind that our DVDs are marked by huge glaring ratings symbols, like this:
Although if you're buying NCIS, you've got bigger issues to contend with than ugly ratings symbols.
Because it's shite.
In conclusion, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Kate Winslet are all better than you.
posted by Simon A at 4:03 PM
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