The One With The Boat Report
On HBO's Barry, Television Directing and Introducing 'The Boat Report'
~~Editorial Note~~
Sorry it’s been a minute. I would say I’ve been driving a boat this whole time since my last post, but that was only for about 3.5 hours this past Saturday.
I swear, I really do have loads of ideas about what to write here. As my archive of posts prove, I am a dynamic thinker with lots of nuanced and important takes! That said, whenever I start writing a post I get daunted by the task of writing one coherent long piece and get sidetracked/decide it’s not worth it. Mostly because I tire of my own thoughts after about 250 words.
Is this because I’m of the ADHD generation? Is ADHD real? Is it a scam perpetuated by private school parents to get their kids extended time testing on the SAT1? Does it even matter at this point?!
This is why I’m ~once again~ reworking the idea of what I do here. I’m 30 now. Sue me!
I’m giving myself the freedom to just rant about as many (or few!) topics as I want. I imagine most will still pertain to the world of entertainment (film, TV, music, pop culture, etc.) but it’s gonna be way chiller. Maybe I’ll throw up ten sentences about ten different things. Maybe I’ll finally crank out my 10,000 word opus on The Irishman2.
Who knows! Well I know. And it’s important to me to keep cranking out something, really anything, here. Partially because I actually like writing. Partially out of hubris. Mostly, because I’ve smoked out the majority of my brain cells and need something to look back on and remember what I thought about anything over the years. And somewhat because it encourages me to be more thoughtful about my media diet.
If you’ve still been paying for this, I’m so so so sorry. I am more than happy to refund, but for the time being I’m gonna turn off paid subscriptions (at least until it’s coming out at a more regular clip). Just know, though, if you paid: I’ve spent your money!
One last thing: I’m no longer holding myself to only sending this out on Friday mornings. Who needs more deadlines in this crazy world of ours…
Bill Hader: Good Director!
Everyone is going apeshit for this latest season of HBO’s Barry. Is it because Barry is actually a great show? I’d posit: No.
Do I enjoy watching Barry? Yes! I tuned in every Sunday (or Monday). Never, though, because I was curious to see how the story developed. Similar to Alec Berg’s other recent HBO hit comedy, Silicon Valley, Barry has been retreading the same narrative structure for three seasons now with minimal meaningful story and/or character3 development. The stakes have gotten “bigger” but they’ve felt artificially and unnaturally introduced. The cyclical plot machinations leave me cold. Sure, it took its largest swings in the final ten minutes of this season’s finale, but that’s true of every season before it. They go big before doing a semi restart by Episode 2 of the next season. I’ve been burned by this show before.
Fuck, though, Bill Hader, man. Dude can direct! That’s where Barry nailed it this season. Within the first 3 minutes of every episode you could tell if it was a Hader-directed episode because it was just so much better. The technique. The intent. He’s not a flash in the pan. He’s got the goods.
Everyone’s talking about that one car chase sequence4, but I haven’t seen enough praise for his coverage choices for even the smaller moments. Especially in that last episode. The camera movement always felt purposeful and inspired when he’s behind the camera. Hader’s direction single-handedly elevated Barry from a mediocre-but-entertaining show into something worth watching. Which brings me to my larger point:
Quality and innovative TV directors are in such short supply that audiences/critics/ conflate great directing with a great overall show.
The disposable and factory-line, mass-produced nature of television makes it so the visual component of the medium comes second to story. That’s just how it is. Audiences have internalized this. That’s why people were quick to blame Game of Thrones’ budget for the horrible, way-too-dark-to-see-anything action sequences before any of the, you know, directors who mad these decisions. It also explains why any time visual elements trump story in television it seems to break people’s brains.
Consider the (now cancelled) Cary Fukunaga’s work on True Detective - Season 1. Remember that big continuous shootout sequence everyone went crazy for? Bet you forgot what was even happening in that scene. Narratively, it was completely superfluous but it looked decidedly cinematic so everyone jumped on the “Best Show Ever” bandwagon. In hindsight, even the most ardent True Detective fans would admit the writing was garbage. It just looked cool and kept a vibe.
Or consider the more recent Tokyo Vice, a show that 3 people (including myself) watched. The pilot, directed by the wickedly talented, one-and-only Michael Mann, is one of the finest pieces of TV directing I’ve ever seen. There’s depth-of-frame! There’s unique, unconventional two-shot coverage that conveys power dynamics between characters! There’s a sick ass club sequence montage set to a song that sounds like pots and pans getting banged together!5 But after all that, the next 7 episodes were directed with such a by-the-numbers style it almost tanked an otherwise enjoyable, somewhat well-plotted show. Not because of what the show was, but because what an incredible director made us realize the show could be.
Once again, I understand television is a “writer’s medium” but there should be more credit and specific attention paid to the role of TV directors in the final product. Just cause work like Hader’s (and quality production design) can elevate even the most average of script into something special, it doesn’t mean an entire project should be unquestionably and uncritically showered with praise.
I really do love Hader’s work, but I’m more excited to see what he does after Barry than anything on the show itself. And, of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I would gladly work on the show and am currently available for hire!
The Irishman Is Still A Perfect Movie
Not much more to say here. If you haven’t watched it recently, consider this your sign to watch it again. If you haven’t seen it ever, you should be tarred and feathered.
Fun fact: I’ve started talking about finances in Irishman terms. As in, “This house costs $300,000. You know, for that amount, they would’ve only be able to make approximately one minute and twelve seconds of The Irishman.6”
Introducing: 'The Boat Report
I conclude this entry with the first in a new series I’m calling, “The Boat Report.” I will let you know if I drove a boat this week. So without further ado…
DID I DRIVE A BOAT THIS WEEK?
YES!!!
I drove a boat in Florida. It was fantastic. If you’re thinking about renting a boat here’s what you have to know:
It is incredible.
You need a boating driver’s license.
People renting the boats will say it takes four hours to take boating classes online but you can actually just skim through for 10-15 minutes and take the quiz. In truth, it’s all common sense. I think a lot of idiots drive boats. I scored 100% on the quiz. Starboard is right. Port is left. At least, I think?
Driving a boat on the open sea is one of life’s only true joys.
This concludes the first edition of The Boat Report.
It must be noted, I did not have extended time on the SAT, rather “small room” accommodations to help me deal with my anxiety.]
The true opus of Scorsese’s oeuvre.
“It’s a show about how people can’t change, though!” you say. “That’s why the characters repeat the same behaviors and responses in different situations,” you continue on. To this I say, “Ok.” Still, I think it’s incredibly on-the-nose about proving this point. And if that’s the only thing your show has to say beyond tepidly satirizing the entertainment biz, your show is not that great! Sorry!
The post-episode interview where he talks about his intent with the scene and the work that went into it feels more legitimate than most of the EPK-style bites HBO releases as special features.
Maybe this is a stretch…but it’s sick.
Before someone checks the maths, let it be known there are conflicting reports over the actual budget of The Irishman, but I believe this is accurate.