The Ugly Stepsister Gets a Makeover
BY ANDREA CIRILLO
We all love movies. We love the magic and power of them. We love watching them in dark theaters in plush seats, dimly lit by the big silver screen; or even in our living rooms or on our little computer screens. Movies are awesome, but haven't we all noticed how television has been creeping into movie territory lately?
Studios struggle to raise money for big budget movies, investors for smaller films look for safer bets elsewhere and digital distribution continues to take bites out of Hollywood’s apple. And like some sleight of hand parlor trick, just off to the left of our peripheral vision, tv has been getting better and bolder. While remakes and franchises underperform at the box office and taste as stale as the neon yellow popcorn at the bottom of the bucket, mini-miracles have been happening on the small screen. (Hallelujah!) Somehow as we were checking out film festivals and the latest offerings at art movie houses, the new wave of tv morphed into smart, sexy, provocative and fresh programming—not unlike the films we love. If big budget movies and mainstream television rely on lowest common denominator "foolproof" formulas, indie films and the new breed of television push the envelope, penetrate prudish American boundaries, delve into controversial subjects and characters with passion and wit. From The Sopranos to Mad Men to Glee, these shows remind us that there's a lot more to the medium than the proliferation of reality shows that not long ago seemed to have a choke-hold on our remote controls.
As guilty pleasures go, I thoroughly enjoy Top Chef and Project Runway and will confess to having watched at least a few episodes of the Real Housewives of New Jersey before reaching my saturation point. But exciting and excellent things are happening beyond those shows, especially but not exclusively on cable networks. Powerhouse writers, actors and directors are lining up for a chance at the small screen, hoping to take advantage of the opportunities that exist there and nowhere else. Names like Idina Menzel, Martin Scorcese, Eminem, Sasha Cohen, Carol Burnett, Marcia Gay Harden, Candice Bergen, Amy Irving, Neil Patrick Harris, Brian Dennehy and Javier Bardem are enticing viewers, and sometimes showcasing entirely new talents—without jeopardizing their box office status. The end result of all this muscle-stretching and experimenting is a new sense of power, joy and vitality in an old friend (or foe) that many of us would have dismissed as stale and stupid not long ago. Instead of unplugging the boob tube, I’m ready to settle into my easy chair for a juicy episode of Boardwalk Empire with a Big C chaser!