It was the worst of times... 07 Media Review Pt 1
Being in a job in the libraries has its notable perks - one of which is free issue of CD's and DVD's. OK ,you have to wait for them to come out on DVD - come on, I haven't got that fast a system to tackle program downloads just yet - future dreams - but providing you give the paying public first option on the popular releases , you do eventually get the chance to see a hell of a lot of stuff for no pence at all. This is why my yearly media review looks like it will come in two parts because there's just so much good stuff to watch. And as usual no time to type it all up. So this is why its x weeks late. I was never very good with deadlines.
One of the categories that has impressed me this year has been documentaries.The noughties for some reason are turning out to be a cracking time for docs. Or maybe I never noticed them before. Anyway the list is certainly impressive :
Bowling For Columbine, Farenheit 9/11 and Sicko (the Michael Moore trilogy - whether you think he is Anti-American or not, whether you agree with his views or not, the fact still remains that he's a damn good filmmaker and cuts like a devil.)
Supersize Me and the 30 Days series from Morgan Spurlock.
Capturing The Friedmans (both astonishing and controversial showing the costs of alleged child abuse).
The Falling Man (media fallout in the wake of 9/11)
That Spelling Bee national competition where all the kids cry when they lose.
The latest title to join these leaders of their field is The Bridge.
It's amazing all the time you think of these world famous sights and you never hear the darker side and the true stories surrounding them - in this case the Golden Gate Bridge. It's a sobering sight to watch real time footage of jumpers and people who have taken the so called "easy" way out. There's a staggering shot five minutes in of a wide shot of the bridge - suddenly your eyes are drawn to a splash , one minute there the next gone - and you're thinking " Did I just see that?" Very disturbing. Just like the ripples it causes in the circle of family and friends. "Could I have done this differently?", "If I could have been there" etc. There's also a first hand account from the one person who survived the drop and the water - strong subject matter, but a story that needs telling - all the best documentaries deal with such stories.
Of course it would be much easier if I only preferred one particular genre , but that's just the problem - there's so much good stuff that one day I'll be watching true life horror stories and the next day I can turn my brain off completely and watch 24.
As you may or may not know, there's been a lot of criticism chucked at S6. They say it's a series that goes nowhere new in plot development- they say the finale lacks any cohesion and they say that Jack is weakened by his family constantly getting in the way. These people are the sort of people that view Jack Bauer as an indestructible no mercy USA killing machine and for the producers to write in any sign of emotion is somehow un-American. From my point of view, the season suffered from having to ditch the baggage of - boo hiss - Audrey Raines. You've gotta say that Seasons Four and Five are garbage - both have weak villains throughout; (Mandy, plus the characters played by Arnold Vosloo, Julian Sands and "Robocop" are all terrible) and/or weak bosses (Erin Driscoll anyone>?). Plus that useless tub of lard Edgar - it was a party in our house when the virus got him.
My seasons ranking of 3,1,6,2,5,4 comes in for a bit of stick. :P 8):o8)
But Surnow, Loceff and Cochran had to clear the decks this last season - get rid of the dead wood. And Audrey and her dad were top of the tree. Chucking out CTU as well is an unexpected bonus for S7 (when we finally see it after the Writers Strike is sorted).When you look past Sourpuss Raines and Dad, there's a lot to like about Season Six. Let me count the ways:
•i) Unexpected deaths: Curtis was a kick in the teeth - and Milo getting a bullet I did not see coming at all. Very powerful stuff.
•ii) Great guest stars: Peter MacNicol was terrific all year - a huge performance - plus great turns from Alex Siddig, Ricky Schroder and Rena Sofer (very nice as Jack's sis in law)
•iii) Greg Itzin: having the spotlight off Logan this year was wonderful and you could see Greg was having a whale of a time trying to wind his way back using Jack as a bargaining chip. Lovely scenes between Kiefer and Greg - it was just a shame it ended when it did.
•iv) Weak President Palmer: after David was such a massive presence during Seasons 1-3 , it's understandable that Wayne was under such pressure to perform. So it was a shock when we discover that he's not destined to succeed.
•v) And finally: huge episodes. The opening episode is just fantastic - to find Jack in the state he's in after the Chinese problems is such a departure. And it's good to know they don't cut any corners with the mini-nuke - the fallout (both political and radioactive) hangs over the rest of the day from 10am onwards.
So in honor of the extended 24 break, I present: THE FIVE BEST 24 VILLIANS .
5/ira gaines(Michael masee) -
A honorable mention for 24's first villain only lasting twelve hours. It is said you are only as good as the team around you and Ira stands out from the team of fools like a diamond. I still quote his eternally genius line about the end of times around pubs and clubs "You're either dead or not dead. Here. Let me show you.....". A brilliant little cat and mouse sequence from the hospital and when Gaines realizes "its either Bauer or us" as to which one gets the bullet when Andre brings in team B, you feel for our doomed number 2 nasty. A great face off with Jack to end as well - nice one Ira.
4/cheng zhi (tzi ma) - 
Whether you think 24's later seasons sparkle or suck, you have to appreciate in the land of heightened drama where nasties come and go in three hours, a reoccurring villain is a rare thing. That's why Cheng has to be on this list - he's responsible for a major shift in the 24 timeline where Jack spends all that time in a Chinese cell. The continuity works as well - picking up the thread from the embassy attack in Season 4 and working all through Jack on the run through the release and the family connection with the Chinese politician. So Cheng is a villain by association - the story behind the scenes makes him a major player.
3/Stephen saunders (paul Blackthorne) -
OK, I will defend Season 3 to the hilt, it's a fantastic year despite all the moaning about Jack not supposed to show any emotion, betraying his superman roots etc etc. But again the continuity works here - Saunders being a part of Jacks team on the Drazen mission who was left for dead. Here, however, being English, Stephen isn't capable of being truly nasty, especially when CTU slightly declaw him once they grab his daughter.
This time its all about the setpieces - Saunders is responsible for some of the best sequences up on screen in 24's history. The virus in the hotel is just brutal and then you have three final episodes from heaven - Jack pursuing Tony where Saunders is pulling his strings after kidnapping Michelle - the exchange under 6th street bridge - the F-16 attack - all at such a high level. You think things can't get any better when Jack threatens to chuck Jane into the doomed hotel. And then the writers top it all with that terrific final - a throwaway death , but helping to identify the rogue agent leading to the final battle in the school. Fantastic stuff.
2/victor drazen (dennis hopper) -
I, like many people, watched Victor in the Saugus cells and thought "24 has truly arrived". It was a major major coup to get such a big movie name like Hopper to star as the big bad for the year. He may just be around for four hours, but what an impression. Again, it's the history between the two that makes the scenes sparkle - a player returning from the dead out for revenge. Victor (or Victors family) being behind the whole events of Day One - the Saugus scenes are wonderful, the Jack as a bomb hour from 10pm is great - and you have the best final hour in 24's history , just shading Day Three. They have recruited many other famous actors since, but none bigger than Dennis.
1/nina myers (sarah Clarke) - 
Well, there's no contest, is there? The queen beeyatch from Hell. Nina Myers was trouble with a capital T. You don't need me to catalog all the ways this slippery snake has brought trouble and pain to the 24 universe - being a former agent turned traitor, Nina knows everything. The writers tell you there's a mole all the way through Day One and knowing its Nina puts a completely different slant on the events at the pit head. Does Ira tell Jack to shoot Nina knowing shes the mole? Whether that's true or not, Jack's mercy comes back in a big way to bite him at midnight on Day One.
It's also the wonderful little asides Nina has with the other cast - the pitying look Tony gives her after the capture in CTU's parking lot and the slow mo sequence in Day Three when Kim sees Nina finally dragged through CTU ( in a great reverse from Day Two when she's interviewed after the old CTU's bombing with Jack). In a way, the subplot with Kim wanting payback for mum Teri's death makes up for all that terrible filler with the leopard and the baby. Just when you think that maybe Kim isn't strong enough to pull the trigger or the writers aren't brave enough to get rid of a major story asset, up steps heroic Jack - and Bang! Bang! the beeyatch is dead.
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Of course, with a certain former CTU agent coming back from the dead(?) in Season Seven , we might have a new leader , but is it a big bad or just a supporting role... we wait and we wonder....
Events just written occurred in realtime.
Be careful out there, Sis x
