Saturday, March 28, 2009

20 Favorite Actors


I did my 20 Favorite Actresses a few months ago and felt the need to list my favorite actors as well. It's not a terribly surprising list, lots of obviously good actors, but it's who I'm feeling right now and it's the actors that appear in my favorite films. Someday I hope to be discerning enough to have a few "What?" picks on the list. It would be nice to throw in a Philip Baker Hall or a George Sanders sometime and mean it. But for now, here's who made the cut, as well as my favorite role they've played.




Paul Bettany: A Knight's Tale

I wish this guy worked more often. His role as Chaucer in Knight's Tale absolutely stole the show. He's charismatic and sexy, and has the greatest hangdog eyes. Also love watching him play tennis in Wimbledon and he matches really well with Russell Crowe in Master and Commander.

Jeff Bridges: The Fabulous Baker Boys

Has absolutely incredible range. He's the cocky, shrewd President in The Contender, the man-child alien of Starman and smolders, mostly silently, playing the piano in Baker Boys. (And of course, no one can forget, he's also The Dude. Dude!)

Russell Crowe: L.A. Confidential

Everyone already knows he's one of the best actors of his generation. Again, range. First noticed him as Bud White in L.A. Confidential, who remains one of my favorite film characters of all time. For such a fearsome actor, I'm amazed at his gentleness in Cinderella Man.

John Cusack: High Fidelity

Love his line delivery; it sounds intentionally funny, but off the cuff and like he's musing it over internally at the same time. The way he talks to the camera in High Fidelity clinches that movie as one of my faves, but I can't forget him as the ultimate underdog Romeo in Say Anything either.

Daniel Day-Lewis: Last of the Mohicans

He looks and sounds so refined (part of the reason I love him as Newland Archer in The Age of Innocence) but has wells of anger and passion simmering in his eyes. I will always love him best as Nathaniel in Mohicans, but am so impressed by the diversity of characters he's played in My Beautiful Laundrette, Gangs of New York, A Room with a View, and There Will Be Blood. (Still haven't seen My Left Foot, his first Oscar-winning performance.)


Johnny Depp: Benny & Joon

Such a chameleon. Love him in sensitive roles like What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and always thought his ode to Keaton in B & J was underrated by the general public. Fantastic physical comedy.


Leonardo DiCaprio: The Departed

Sentimental vote for sure; I've loved him almost as long as I've loved movies. His roles in What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Departed are the most obvious examples of his skill and range, but I also thinks he pretty fantastic in Titanic (I know), and Catch Me If You Can. Revolutionary Road is just the most recent example of his willingness to get emotionally naked and ugly for a part.


Harrison Ford: Star Wars

He's pretty underrated as an actor, but he's got the nuances of the tough guy role down. He just is Han Solo or Indiana Jones, he's so great in Witness and The Fugitive, but I love the comic chops he's shown in personal guilty pleasures Hollywood Homicide and Six Days, Seven Nights.


Morgan Freeman: Kiss the Girls

We all know he's one of the best. I would have picked his Oscar-winning role in Million Dollar Baby, but it's been too long since I've seen it. I always had a pesky affection for this underappreciated crime thriller, which coasts on Freeman's ability to make the ridiculous plausible and very scary with his deep intonation and quiet, serious delivery.


Paul Giamatti: Sideways

He's accused of only playing sadsacks, but I don't think that's true. Yes, his character in Sideways is rather pathetic (but he does it so beautifully, with such subtlety of feeling in his eyes), but he is a pillar of strength in Cinderella Man and the HBO miniseries "John Adams", has amazing comic abilities that usually go unmentioned, and likes to tackle different roles in films like The Illusionist and Shoot 'Em Up. (He's also one of the early "Hey, it's that guy(s)!" for his unnoticed roles in everything from The Truman Show and My Best Friend's Wedding to Saving Private Ryan and Donnie Brasco.


Jake Gyllenhaal: Moonlight Mile

He's got that innocent vibe, true, but displayed some creepy skill in Donnie Darko, and is the true romantic of Brokeback Mountain. His best role in my opinion is the almost completely-by-eye acting he does as the bereved fiance' in Moonlight Mile. I'm excited to see what he does next.


Heath Ledger: Brokeback Mountain

His Joker is amazing, but it was his charismatic turn as Patrick Verona in 10 Things I Hate About You that caught my eye. He's beyond beautiful in A Knight's Tale and The Patriot, but turns in really great supporting performances in Monster's Ball and Lords of Dogtown. Of course, Brokeback Mountain will always be the most impressive, in my opinion; it was the first time we really sat up and said, "Damn, look at what he can do!"


James McAvoy: Atonement

This guy is so my new favorite. In a very short time he's already played so many different kinds of characters, my favorites being the idealistic and romantic Robbie Turner of Atonement and the immobile, but fiercely individual Rory O'Shea in Inside I'm Dancing. He looks more like a character actor than a leading man, and I think that will help him continue to play a variety of roles and not be typecast in the future.


Viggo Mortensen: Lord of the Rings Trilogy

This is a guy with genuine presence. His roles in LotR, Eastern Promises and A History of Violence are mostly quiet, inner performances, carried off with minimal dialogue, and yet you know each of these characters so well. Mortensen is able to completely change by altering his bearing and physicality.


Paul Newman: Cool Hand Luke

I think this is one of his best performances, although I love Cat on a Hot Tin Roof best, but that's really Liz Taylor's movie. I love his partnership with Redford (The Sting nose-flick is one of my faves) and his performance in Nobody's Fool is amazing.


Joaquin Phoenix: Signs

I sure hope he hasn't really retired and isn't as crazy as he appears. Another actor with a lot of range, some of his most memorable roles have been dark sociopaths, but I will always prefer him as the honest, reliable, unintentionally funny Merrill Hess of Signs, one of my favorite film characters.


River Phoenix: Running on Empty

Another talented career that was cut short, Phoenix was one of the most promising actors of the '80's and early '90's. He's a standout in Stand By Me, and won accolades for his offbeat performances in My Own Private Idaho and Dogfight. In Running on Empty he's quiet and odd and bares emotions so vulnerably. He was an actor who knew how to play a hard character and still realistically expose the soft underbelly.

Brad Pitt: Fight Club

Yes, he's very pretty. But dammit if he isn't scary and hilarious as Tyler Durden. He puts that beauty to good use as the tortured "bad boys" of A River Runs Through It and Legends of the Fall, and his ability to access a lot of raw emotion is always impressive. (Plus, I want to see him in more comedies - his turn in Burn After Reading was outstanding.)


James Stewart: It's A Wonderful Life

The only "classic" actor on my list. He was just such an "Aww, shucks," nice guy. He played idealistic early in his career, starred in one of the best films ever (It's a Wonderful Life) and then did a really creepy turn in Vertigo as an obsessive P.I. Really love his voice.


Vince Vaughn: Wedding Crashers

Not someone I generally consider, but his performance in this is one of my favorites, ever. God, that motormouth just goes and goes and goes and forces this manic energy out and I laugh at this role every single time. He really earned it in this one.


Just Missed the Cut: John C. Reilly, Alan Rickman, Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr., Hugh Grant, Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

This Week in Chuck...

Thank God Chuck is back to interacting with Serena and Blair. Didn't hate Vanessa or Dan for the 2nd week in a row. Nate and Blair!!! OMG! Didn't like them together at all beginning of season 1, but they kind of make sense now. And that scene of them talking was so sweet and vulnerable!

Winner: This...is much better. Love that kid in bowties!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Saying Goodbye to BSG


This is what I wrote on Friday morning, 12 hours before the series finale of "Battlestar Galactica" aired:

I originally wanted to do a post of predictions for the finale. But I'm not creative enough to come up with anything other than "Adama and Roslin die. Tigh dies. Chief kills Boomer, then himself. Helo and Athena die, leaving Caprica Six to raise Hera with a newly reformed Gauis Baltar, fulfilling the Opera House visions. Lee becomes President officially." Those are pretty pessimistic predictions, and not even remotely inventive. And even if a lot of cast members die (which I really am anticipating and preparing myself for) the show will do beautiful and satisfying things with their deaths - things I can't even remotely fathom.

I didn't post it because this was all I could come up with, and it didn't merit an entire post. So I watched the finale, sat and thought about it, and tried to ignore the word that kept coming to mind: disappointing.

You don't know how much it grieves me to say that.

It didn't completely suck, but for a show that's been as consistently dark, complex and willing to take risks, the entire finale just felt a little too cut and pasted. Too straightforward - let's get to that happy ending!


THINGS I LIKED:

  • Sam Anders made me happier than just about anyone, which is surprising given that I didn't even really dig the character until the 4th season. But his flashback was the most perfectly concise and presently relevant: "It's about those moments when you...when you feel the perfection of creation. The beauty of physics. The wonder of mathematics...you know, the elation of action and reaction. And that is the kind of perfection that I want to be connected to." And he was. And it was beautiful and simple. And his final line was the heartbreaking goodbye, "See you on the other side," to Starbuck, which completely made me tear up. If there was ever a moment where I completely believed they were meant to be together, that was it.
  • Roslin's death. We knew it was coming, so I'm glad we got to see it. I'm glad she died peacefully, with Bill at her side, knowing her people had found home. Of all the characters, her dying without seeing her people at rest would have been wrong.
  • Saul and Ellen Tigh. I would have liked a little more interaction with them and other characters, but I enjoyed the last flashback to Ellen and Tigh in that night club, delirioiusly in love, Ellen so happy and excited just to have time with her husband. And now they have all the time they want.
  • "What do you hear, Starbuck?" "Nothing but the rain." So beautiful. And in an episode that spelled out far too much, I like that Starbuck just disappears. We don't know how she came back, or if she was really just an angel, and in one second she's just not there anymore. And Lee says, "I won't forget you." I prefer that ending for her.
  • Caprica and Baltar found their way back to each other. I was most pleased by the redemption of Gauis Baltar. We've already seen Caprica Six made some sacrifices, some amends, for her prior wrongs. She has suffered and handled it with grace. Hearing her say, "I always wanted to be proud of you," just about broke my heart. And Gauis breaking down as he tells her, "I know something about farming..." was the perfect place to bring his character. Back at peace with his roots. No longer needing the adoration of many, he is content with the love of one.
  • Boomer's End. It was the logically conclusion of her story. I still wish she could have been happy, but since they made her kidnap Hera, there wasn't much chance of that. So I'm glad she bonded with the kid, saved her from Cavil and brought her back to Athena. She didn't beg or argue, just accepted her punishment (from Athena, which seemed right) and died. The flashback to her meeting with Adama and Tigh was really great - it'd been so long since she was Sharon "Boomer" Valeri, and I loved that she remembered her promise to pay him back when it mattered.
  • The Opera House visions. I really liked the way they played out visually. I loved the way Roslin, Athena, Baltar and Caprica were just all, "Holy Shit! It's actually happening!" I loved that Galactica substituted for the Opera House, and the way the Final Five were standing on a higher ledge, bathed in white light. It was a very visually arresting sequence.


THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:

  • Why did they have to find a second Earth? I knew they were gonna find some planet - the show obviously wasn't gonna end with the fleet still wandering aimlessly through space - but having them now find the "real" Earth just cheapened the fabulous midseason fail of "Nuclear Earth." That midseason finale was such a fabulous risk and resonated so deeply (I mean, Dualla killed herself because of "Nuclear Earth" - it was such a great idea), but now it's all, "hey, no problem, that wasn't really Earth. Kara Thrace has led us to the real Earth." It seemed like such a copout. Especially since I feel like Starbuck could have fulfilled her destiny without cheapening the original Earth reveal.
  • It was too easy for them to take out the Colony. They were heavily outnumbered, but Starbuck and her one raptor full of people were able to navigate the maze sooooo easily. I mean, Baltar and Caprica didn't even have to get off the ship and help; they got to wait for the retreat. I know that the Raptor crews sustained heavy losses, but we never saw any of them except for Racetrack and Skulls (who lost my sympathy in the mutiny, so who cares), all we got was a "I guess we were the only ones who made it." LAME. This was the ultimate showdown and it felt too light, yet still too long, and had too much fruitless action for it to be wholly satisfying for me.
  • Not enough people died. The only ones who died were either "bad" (Cavil, Boomer, Tory) or already dying/dead (Anders, Roslin, Starbuck). There were no surprises on that front. Nothing felt truly at risk. I didn't want everyone to die or anything (for example, if either Helo or Athena had died that would have broken my heart), but they took a small crew up against the ENTIRE COLONY of Cavil's, Simon's, Doral's and Centurions; there should have been heavy losses and that should have meant someone we cared about bit the dust. Not having a significant or shocking death in that attack made the whole thing feel too easy and unrealistic, like nothing was really at stake. (For example, in the finales of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," main characters Spike and Anya died, and in the "Firefly finale" movie Serenity, Shepard Book and Wash both died in really touching and tragic deaths. I know, nitpicking cause at least 5 major characters died, but we already KNEW they were gonna die. (Except for Tory, but no one liked her, so no one cared.)
  • I have no problem with the ChipSix and ChipBaltar being actual angels; the show has really been heavy on the religion throughout, especially this season, so those two being actual agents of whatever God is out there didn't bother me. I don't require a scientific explanation. But if they've been there all along just to lead Caprica and Baltar to their destiny of "keeping Hera safe," then doing so should require more than just picking her up, bringing her directly to the fight, and having a corny conversation with Cavil. That entire reveal lacked some dramatic weight.
  • What on Earth was Lee smoking? After all the thoughtful exploration of issues on this show it all comes down to "Technology Bad"? They spend four years hoofin' it through space, only to find a great planet and say, "Let's just live like savages. No good comes from technology." That's ridiculous and overly reactionary. And then they spread out all over the planet, hardly anyone together? I get they don't wanna build another replica Caprica City, but after all these people have been through together, they're just gonna spread out like nomads? What? Doc Cottle couldn't come on the "suicide mission" because the fleet needed him, but now we're gonna spread over seven continents where the doctor won't be able to get to us anyways. Great idea, Lee.
  • Helo gets shot in the leg at about the 54 minute mark, exposits that he might bleed out and die, and then we don't see him again until the last 5 minutes of the damn show? You kept me on the edge of my seat for over an hour waiting to find out if he freaking died! WTF? That pissed me off. Way to treat one of your main characters. By all means, lets see Adama say goodbye four freaking times, but we're gonna hold off telling you whether Helo was left dying in a ship's corrider.

ON THE FENCE ABOUT...

  • The way Adama leaves. I really thought he was gonna go down with his ship. So seeing him get to be with Roslin when she dies was a bonus. But why did he have to leave Lee behind? Laura dies about 10 minutes later, and he goes off the live next to her grave and die alone? I would rather he had flown their raptor into the sun and died with her than live like a hermit, leaving his only son alone. Especially since Starbuck disappeared mere seconds after Adama's departure, meaning Lee lost his father, mother figure, and sister/lover/best friend all in the space of minutes. That seemed wrong. Adama should come back and be with his damn son!
  • Tory's death. I was really excited to see the Airlock of Cally come back to haunt her. I love it when long buried secrets resurface. So in theory, I have no problem with Chief throttling her. But it left her character firmly in the "bad" category, which I don't think is fair. Fans didn't like her (I wasn't particularly fond of her either) so having one of our favorites (Tyrol) kill her so brutally seemed kind of like an interactive audience gift; like, "you want a death? Here, take Tory Foster, and we'll really make her pay!" I don't think she deserved that. The way she killed Cally was cold, as is her character most of the time, but she did it to protect the Final Four from certain death from Cally's cylon-hating ways. And after all the talk Ellen did about how close she was to all of them ("imagine if there were only 5 of you left? how close you would be?) she doesn't really seem to care. I know she would forgive Chief, but no talking about it, all let's just get to the happy ending and not dwell on the fact that two of my family members (Anders and Tory) died recently?
  • Starbuck punching in the code. I loved the music (whenever they bring in "All Along the Watchtower" the show seems freaky cool), and the moment seemed momentous, but after all that, her father's music held the code and Hera knew it too and she just punches it in and they get to Earth? Seemed to easy and obvious. No nuance. (Plus I would have loved to see her have one more conversation with Leoban. He was non-existent in this finale.)
  • Cavil's death. I'm no big fan of his and he has done some terrible things, but he has some legitimate complaints about his creators. He's screwed up majorly, but that doesn't make the Final Five right about how they went about things. I thought it was kind of funny that chaos erupts and he just says,"Oh, frak!" and shoots himself in the mouth, but again, seemed to easy. Perhaps there could never be a peace between the two factions, but having Cavil off himself and the rest of the colony conveniently thrown into a black hole was too black and white. This was a show where black and white didn't really exist. Where there was no pure evil (although Cavil was close), and no pure good. All of the characters had points. So where was the debate, really? It was too easy to just write off the 1's, 4's, and 5's and be done with it. Yeah, that solves it all, doesn't it. Good guys win. Bad guys dead. Yay. (Please note sarcasm).
  • The Kara/Lee flashbacks. I loved the chemistry. I loved the things they talked about. I love him stumbling back to his house drunk and seeing the bird that represents Starbuck. But were they really gonna screw on the dining room table with his brother/her boyfriend passed out mere feet away? I know they were drunk, and yes, that's kind of in character for Starbuck, but there was something about it that I really didn't like.

We're at the end. I had a lot of thoughts about this. But in spite of all my complaints and the rather large disappointment of the finale, I'm still so grateful to have found this show. I still haven't seen many episodes from the first two seasons ("33," "Resurrection Ship," and "Pegasus" among them - I know, some of the best!) so I'll be enjoying that in the future and forget all of the things about this finale that left a bad taste in my mouth.


Thursday, March 19, 2009

This Week in Chuck...

"The Age of Dissonance" wasn't quite up to 1st season expectations (Chuck still being involved in the stupid Eyes Wide Shut storyline ruined all chances of that), but this was a vast improvement. I'm still frustrated that the "Minions" (Penelope, Hazel, Nelly Yuki) can't seem to decide if they hate Blair or want to follow her (the writers change their motivations way too often), but I do like where the episode brought Blair. Looking forward to her shame spiral.


Really liked Dan Humphrey for about the 3rd time in history, just for telling off Rachel Carr and giving Blair the ammunition in such an offhand, "Oh yeah, we had sex in costume closet," way. Still adoring Nate, Vanessa is finally likable! (I love her being friends with Serena), and happy for the reappearance of Carter Baizen (love continuity!). However, the real showstopper (and reason this episode eventually rocked) was the play! Blair and Dan having a full argument in the middle of a fabulous set, while performing the play's most intimate scene was stupendous (especially the moment Blair threw him down in what looked like a passionate embrace). And the moment everyone broke character and shouted their complaints was so wonderful, especially with Nate leading the charge in Chace Crawford's most charming, loose and teenage performance. Loved it!

Winner: Chuck's still dressing like Chuck, but as I've ment
ioned before, I miss the really crazy outfits. So the winner is this kinda weird plaid coat, lavender shirt and purple tie. Fruitier than your average businessman, but no where near the outrageous ridiculousness he's capable of. Less of this:


I want more of this:


Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Friday Night Lights: The Lighting!

Here's a little background on the way this show is filmed. It's made on location in Austin, Texas (so the outdoor scenes are definitely accurate Texas weather and lighting) and most, if not all, the shooting is done in actual locations/houses/restaurants/etc. and not on fabricated sets, lending the setting a definite air of authenticity. I don't know for sure how much of the lighting is natural and how much is set up, but the lighting all looks natural, as if the sun is sneaking in the windows and illuminating only portions of the rooms. If this was reality there would probably be a lot more fluorescent lights in the school, but for the sake of beautiful shots, I'm glad they used mostly unfiltered (or manufactured) sunlight when filming indoors.

Another big bonus, the actors have no marks. They just get inside the scene and walk and talk wherever they want. They don't have to worry about where to stand or where the light will hit (which is another clue as to the natural lighting). That really frees up an actor to perform exactly as he/she thinks the character would. And how do they capture all that movement without marks? I'm not sure exactly how many cameras they use on a given location, but I know they have multiple cameras catching the action simultaneously from all directions so the performances match, and they catch just about everything going on. I watched an extra on the DVD where the Assistant Director was giving instructions to the extras about how they had cameras everywhere, so no one could slack off on the acting, thinking that it wouldn't make it on film; they catch everything.

So in addition to really freeing up the environment and mak
ing great use of natural resources, this makes the show much less costly to produce; they don't have to spend hours setting up the lighting, they don't have to do as many takes, so they don't waste as much film. I think that's pretty neat. I have "prepared" a ridiculously long pic spam of all the great shots/lighting/camera angles I've noticed in the show so that you guys might see how technically admirable the filming of this show is. I'm sure there are many other TV shows that have great lighting, angles. etc. ("Battlestar Galactica" and "Veronica Mars" spring to mind), but this is one of the first that has really captured my attention. Just going through screencaps to find examples was an arduous process because there were too many great examples to choose from.


Natural Lighting/Backlighting: Like I said, I don't know how much of this is genuine natural light, but the way the show captures backlighting and shadows on the actors faces is really impressive. Much of it plays like the light in a real environment, especially in a sunny location.


Aimee Teegarden has the most fabulous hair for lighting. There were too many to choose from for her.


I love it when the sun goes directly into the lens, distorting the image; it's how our eyes often work.


So gorgeous. Captures the light reflecting on his face from the dash as well as the cloudy sunset in the background.

His face would be in total shadow if not for the light reflecting on either his desk or the floor.


This is exactly what school hallways looked like first thing in the morning (especially my junior high). Those fluorescent lights on the ceiling would get more use in reality that they do on the show, but I love the reflected light from the doorways.


So many of the conversations on the show are filmed in closeup like this, and often with similar lighting. One person's face gets full light in their face (which then gets fabulously shadowed when the other person's head dips into their light) and the other is nicely backlit.


This light is actually coming from a porchlight.


This is actually a slightly metaphorical shot; the charac ter is coming from lightness into the black and his character is currently filled with guilt, which the darkness of his silhouette pretty aptly represents. But I mostly like it cause it's pretty. :)


Cars/Reflections/Windows: There's probably nothing really new or innovative about the way they're shooting through car windows or glass reflections, but I really dig the car shots on this show. I love that the windows are almost always reflecting the setting, or cover ed with dew or mud. I like that these cars aren't always clean. And I like the composition of shots within the cars as well; they really represent the space. And as I said, I have a thing for the Mirrors/Windows/Reflections so I just grouped all that together.

With the darkness and the condensation on the window, it's hard to make out the actor's expression, but that's what I love about this; the show trusts it's crew and actors to get meanings across without having to spell them out in a brightly lit shot.


I love the blurriness in the corners of the frame.


You can see the whitish reflections of everyone inside against that great blue wall, but that doesn't take any of the focus away from the actress' expression.


See how dirty the car looks?


This is just a fantastically cool angle (and use of a mirror).



Magic Hour: The time between dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and dusk. It's the time photographers are always scrambling to get before the light "disappears." I have a thing for clouds and sunsets and that bright sunrise light (my phone is full of pics I took of the sky while driving!). Not only does the show capture many sunrises and sunsets, but I films in that post-sunset light, where everything in tinged in blue. It's beautiful. I know lots of show like this light, but FNL uses it more often than any other I've ever seen. They take full advantage of Texas' flat landscapes and big open sky and I ki nd of love them for that.




The Elements: So I'm totally stretching with this category, but I love that while watching the show, I feel like I'm in a real place. The light changes. The wind is sometimes strong. It's damp, or hot. It rains and leaves puddles. The cameraman and director of photography can't take credit for the weather, but I can thank them for filming it so well. And for doing a kickass job with the manufactured rain.




Art Direction/Sets: Even if the crew uses real homes to film in, they still do their own set dressing. This show takes place in a relatively small town and most of the characters are low-middle class. So instead of fancy mansions like on "The O.C." or even the tastefully decorated homes on "Gilmore Girls," these homes look like regular middle America and that just cements the reality all the more.

The wood paneling. The haphazard knick knacks. Ugly printed furniture. And you can't really see it, but that wall going off the screen on the right is wallpapered in a green/white plaid print.


There's an old swingset in the yard. The hose is spread around the lawn. The house really needs a paintjob. As Matt is one of the poorer characters on the show, and is pretty much the man of his house, it makes sense that the house would be in need of repairs and that the yard needs some sprucing up.


This is a perfectly middleclass kitchen. Especially the cabinets - from an older home that hasn't been remodeled. And of course, the lighting is once again perfect.


The Riggins have a bachelor pad. The walls are pretty bare except for a dartboard and a swimsuit model cardboard cutout. The couches are built for comfort and the tables are usually strewn with empty beer bottles and automobile magazines.


The Taylors live in one of the brighter homes on the show. The white walls reflect the light soooo well. I love that the bookshelf isn't really filled and that all the books are falling over. Their house is rather genarically decorated, like people who don't have the time for a huge decorating scheme.


The Riggins TV (Continuity!): In season 1, the Riggins brothers get into a rather knockdown, dragout fight and they knock over their TV in the process. A couple episodes later, we get a look at that TV (the 1st picture) and see they've had to duct tape the top and side to keep it working. Flash forward two years and in season 3 we get another look at that TV which, God bless the continuity, is still broken and still duct taped. I love it!







Camera Placement: You've probably already gotten a good idea of the angles the show likes to shoot from the pictures above. But just to drive it home, I love the extreme closeups shot during conversations. The camera usually goes over the shoulder of one person and the face of the other of often obscured. It feels intimate. They often shoot through obstacles like fences (or windows) which makes the show feel like it's occuring in an authentic place, and also like we might be spying on the moment. Altogether, the style gives the show a very close, real feeling, like it's taking place right now. Once in a while there's a musical montage, but the show feels like it's unfolding in real time, without a lot of fancy showboating.



Hope you enjoyed some of that! Again, the screencaps were taken from Home of the Nutty's FNL Screencap page.