Sherlock

Source: Wikipedia

Beginning its local run here in Australia tonight, Sherlock is an amazing 3-part TV movie mini-series written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Those are two names you should be familiar with, given these two gentlemen have been responsible for some of the best British TV shows in recent years, including Jekyll and Coupling from Moffat, and The League of Gentlemen from Gatiss. In addition, both of them have contributed numerous scripts to Doctor Who since it returned in 2005, with Moffat himself having recently been promoted to the ranks of Executive Producer on Doctor Who. So, with all of this in mind, and given there's been so many film & TV adaptations of the original Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories before, just what does Sherlock do to make things more interesting, and seem fresher than ever before? It's quite simple - these guys modernised it.

This is actually a very clever modernisation, too - take the basic elements of the original narrative, keep the core character traits consistent, but essentially change everything else - setting, dialogue, motivations, et al. It's a refreshingly appealing notion, for it unshackles the characters of Holmes and Watson from the Victorian-era trappings that have become sadly so cliched in this modern world, and presents them in a world more akin to something like The Bill or CSI. This puts this new TV version in stark contrast with the recent Robert Downey Jr. film version, which kept the setting and dialogue style of the original, but attempted to pseudo-modernise the content and storytelling methodology. There, it sadly jarred - because it was a half-way house attempt. Here, Moffat and Gatiss go for broke, and thankfully their talent ensures that the scripts work.

While some people seemed disappointed that Series 1 was made up of 3 x 90-minute movies, the fact is the format and running length allows for the breathing space needed to tell these stories. Had the show adopted the more common 45-minute episode format, I am not convinced the stories as presented here would have worked. The depth would have been sacrificed to make the episodes fit the running length, and this has been seen ample times with the new Doctor Who revival. Going from 4 x 25-minute episodes to 1 x 45-minute episode has made for a slightly shallower feel over there, but here Sherlock works in the TV movie format. This is something I'd be keen to see more British TV shows adopting as a format, given their predilection for deeper, more engaging narratives. Especially in the "crime investigation" genre utilised here.

Source: BBC

The casting on this show was always going to be problematic, for much the same reasons that casting a character like James Bond or Doctor Who can be problematic. Given there's been so many screen versions of Holmes and Watson, how do you ensure the casting is appropriate? Well, once again it comes back to trusting in Moffat and Gatiss. Their choice of Benedict Cumberbatch for Sherlock Holmes, and Martin Freeman for John Watson, was a magnificent choice. Especially Cumberbatch, who it's safe to say was born to play the role, and settles into the nuances of the character so completely. I've been a big fan of Martin Freeman ever since he first appeared in The Office, and here he portrays the world-weary Watson well. He combines so beautifully the enthusiasm for his new life with the weariness of having to live with Sherlock's eccentric behaviour.

When it comes to the actual stories, I do feel that the first and third installments were the strongest. The first one, an adaptation of the first Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet, is an excellent pilot for this new show, demonstrating to us the reason why Holmes is the legend he has become. Seeing him at the start of his career, as it were, is also a nice element to this first episode. His talent for deduction is beautifully used here, with some lovely sequences of him explaining his reasons. The third episode, The Great Game, felt extremely thrilling, with a touch of The Bourne Identity thrown in for good measure, as Sherlock and Watson are introduced to a character that is sure to take on a deeper significance in Series 2. I shan't spoil it here, but sufficed to say, watch out for the hints throughout the 3 movies, because it's a great ride to go on.

Overall, there is a heck of a lot to like about Sherlock. One thing that should be mentioned is that the production values are consistent, and of a very high standard. The BBC excel at producing this type of show, and this level of gloss and expert cinematography nicely combine to present a very visual story that is ably supported by an excellent cast (and not just Cumberbatch and Freeman - Zoe Telford and Rupert Graves are excellent additions as well, for example), a fantastic score by David Arnold & Michael Price, and some gorgeous visual decisions (such as how SMS messages are displayed in the story) all combine to create what is a standout hit for 2010. Do yourself a favour, and tune in to see Sherlock on Nine tonight, or if you miss it, on GEM later this week. I'm just so pleased a second series has been commissioned for 2011. Well done to all.

Windows Phone 7 lands!

Source: Microsoft

Yes, that's right folks. Nearly 9 months after it was first unveiled at the Mobile World Congress conference, Microsoft's latest attempt at developing a mobile operating system has been publicly unveiled in New York. Windows Phone 7 is surely set to revolutionise what one expects of a Windows Phone, which isn't hard really, given how lacklustre the various Windows Mobile 6.x iterations have been since 2007. This time around, the team appear to have gone for broke - they've broken with the past, and seemingly started all over again. A brand new codebase. A brand new user interface. A whole slew of on-line services directly linked into the phone, meaning that in so many ways WP7 offers the user the chance to really stay connected wherever they are. All of this was most welcome news at Monday's press conference in New York, given that WM6.x was technically a smartphone platform, but never really seemed to be modern in any real sense. Sure, it had great Exchange ActiveSync support, but that was only really important in isolation 4-5 years ago, before the iPhone came out, and changed the entire game. Microsoft was well behind.

Steve Ballmer and Joe Belfiore were the two who took to the stage on Monday, to show off the core elements which they hope will make WP7 a competitive answer to Apple's iOS platform, and Google's Android platform. The catchphrase of the day seemed to be "always delightful, wonderfully mine". While that is clearly a nice piece of marketing sloganism, at its core what they are attempting to sell is the notion that the user experience (UX) will consistently elicit a feeling of delight from the user, even if that is something as simple as a stark 2D transition animation between screens, or the deep personalisation that occurs when you can seamlessly link your Facebook and Windows Live accounts to the device. This deep level of integration is something I am very keen to play around with later this year when I get my hands on a WP7 device. Paul Thurrott, of the Supersite for Windows fame, has frequently commented on the notion of how lovely it is to switch on a brand new WP7 device, input a single user name and password for your Windows Live account, and have the device flood with your contacts, Facebook photos and updates etc. Lovely.

The links with other Microsoft-owned products is also a major selling point for the new Windows Phone 7, and is not something Apple can really lay claim to, even if they have tried to respond with their insipid Game Centre feature. WP7 will offer the world's first fully portable XBox Live experience, complete with on-device avatar manipulation, Achievements, multi-player turn-based game options, as well as a whole host of high-quality games available from launch day. Furthermore, the phone will have heavy links into the Zune Marketplace for music, videos, and podcasts, which will finally present us with the first proper rival on a mobile platform to Apple's iTunes Music Store. Additionally, the phone will have deep integration with the Bing online service, (for both on-device searching, as well as extensive web-based and map-based searches), as well as making those corporate users happy by offering Microsoft Office 2010 linked directly into the phone. Exchange support will also be present, and really it's just wonderful to see Microsoft finally realising that they have so many disparate elements that need to be combined to make something fantastic.

At this stage, it's hard to say what kind of a reception or impact Windows Phone 7 will have on what is a pretty crowded market. While the smartphone market is still very much in its infancy, I think Microsoft might be taking the best approach here. By adopting Apple's strategy of closely managing the hardware specs and software updates, but coupled with Android's diverse set of hardware partners and form factors, we could end up with the best of both worlds. No need to be locked into a single "one size fits all device" like the Apple approach, but similarly no obvious level of fragmentation such as what the Android platform is currently experiencing. I guess sometimes it does pay to hold back and wait a year or two to see what the rest of the industry does, then choose the best path for you. All the major phone players, such as HTC, Samsung, LG, and Dell, are getting in on the WP7 act, and I look forward to seeing what comes of the worldwide launch next month. I'm gagging for an iOS-esque phone experience, but not in the Apple ecosystem. Windows Phone 7 might just be what I need, and so far all the signs are looking really rather good.

For more details on Windows Phone 7, I really suggest you check out Paul Thurrott's excellent Windows Phone Secrets blog.

7:30 Report revamp for 2011?

Source: Wikipedia

Recently it was announced that Kerry O'Brien, long-time host of the excellent ABC current affairs program The 7:30 Report, was planning on stepping down as host of the show as of the end of 2010. While this is indeed a very sad moment for those of us who have been enthralled for many a year with his incisive interviews, the fact is it is more than likely just reflective of the inevitable change that occurs in anything, no matter how wonderful, after so many years. In this particular case, we were very lucky to have someone of Kerry's calibre as the host of The 7:30 Report for 15 years, and I know I for one will sorely miss his evening contributions. So long as he stays on board for the ABC Election evening programs, then it won't be a total loss to this nation.

Attention is now, of course, turning towards what needs to be done in 2011 to keep The 7:30 Report format alive - as this article from The Australian demonstrates - and it would appear that in some respects the ABC might just be as clueless as the rest of us. While I can understand the desire not to give away advance plans for 2011 right now, the fact is that I seriously hope the ABC are examining this issue with the gravitas it deserves. Under Kerry's stewardship, The 7:30 Report has become a national icon, an institution, and they will need to do something awesome to ensure the same quality delivery of content can continue in a post-O'Brien world. This is more than just finding a new host for the show within the ranks of the ABC News staff, this is about finding someone who has the level of passion and dedication that Kerry brought to the role.

The linked article from above does give me some cause for hope, as it would appear that the ABC do indeed seem serious about keeping things fresh as they move into 2011. The fact that they are even considering a "from the ground up" re-think of their 7:30pm weekday timeslot is a good idea, especially as it'll help whoever steps into the breach avoid the obvious comparisons to what went before, as well as those "It used to be better under Kerry..." comments. I'd definitely be sad to see the Friday evening Stateline program vanish, although I do understand why the ABC are feeling the pinch, particularly since launching the ABC News 24 channel in July. I just hope they keep things as they are, but fiddle around with the format of The 7:30 Report to give it a bit of a break from the Kerry Era. I think that will ultimately be their best move. I cannot see them going back to a completely state-based current affairs program, although I can see them branching the new program out, and making it feel more at home in a post-ABC News 24 world. Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if the new show ended up using their stock News 24 set to help save costs.

Either way, come December it will be a sad day when Kerry O'Brien finally does decidce to step down from his hosting duties on The 7:30 Report. His contributions to the intelligent discussion within this nation over the last 15 years have been invaluable, and he will be missed. I also vainly hope that whatever the ABC decides to do, they don't turn the show into yet another ACA or Today Tonight in 2011! 'Cause that would be bad...

Betrayal

Last week I got the chance to visit the theatre once again, and see the latest production of the Queensland Theatre Company, Betrayal. Normally I would be posting the review of said production here, but this is where I get a chance to make a pretty exciting announcement - I am now writing theatre reviews for the venerable e-newsletter, Crikey!

My aim is to, going forward, to review as many mainstage Brisbane theatre shows as I can, and write up 1200 - 1500 word reviews for Crikey. Each time I will link to them from here, whether it be through a formal blog post, or though a tweet on Twitter. But rest assured, I will be writing theatre reviews - hopefully in 2011 a lot more than I have in 2010. We'll just have to wait and see how many, I guess.

Anyway, you can read my formal review of QTC's Betrayal by visiting the Crikey Curtain Call blog. This is where I will be posting most of my future theatre reviews, while any small-scale shows I see will have reviews written exclusively for my blog here.

Hope you like the change, as I am pretty excited about it! I just hope people like my ponderings!

RIP Stephen J Cannell

Over the weekend the sad news was revealed to the world that Stephen J Cannell, creator of shows such as The A-Team and The Rockford Files, passed away, aged 69.

His contributions to the world of television were certainly extremely big elements that defined my TV viewing habits when I was a kid. The two shows mentioned above are ones that I regularly tuned into, especially The A-Team, with its "TV safe" violence and action-adventure storylines. While I certainly don't remember much about either show based on my childhood memories, I do remember loving them each and every week.

Which is why it was nice to recently be re-exposed to the shows on the new free-to-air TV station 7mate, which just launched. As part of their regular afternoon schedule, both shows (along with other 80s classics like Knight Rider) have been given a brand new lease of life, and I know I've certainly become a regular viewer thanks to my PVR. It's upon re-viewing these shows that one realises just how significant a contribution SJC made to the 1980s TV schedule, and it wasn't just because of the prominence it gave Mr T to our eyeballs.

OK, so The A-Team cops a bit of flack here and there because of its almost cartoon level of violence - the notion that hundreds of rounds of ammo can go off, along with several explosions, and yet not one person dies. But here's the thing - despite this, the show was totally watchable. Why? Because of the quirky characters we were presented with. Sure, they were at times a bit shallow, but each character in The A-Team had a well-defined personality, and it was instantly likeable. You had the annoying relationship between BA Baracus and Murdoch, or the paternal role played by Colonel Smith. Coupled with the near cowardly womanising of Faceman, and you have a great group of characters to drive the show each week.

This trait could also be clearly seen in another of SJC's hits, The Rockford Files. Jim Rockford was the quintessential "down on his luck" good guy. A bloke with a big heart, who tried to put himself first, but never seemed to be able to get ahead. The guy who always took the job to help someone, even if it meant he'd come out the worse for wear. The poor bugger landed up in jail more times than he managed to solve a case, in some instances. But he was totally likeable. Coupled with his father, Rocky, the two made a great double-act team. The show was watchable because of these two.

And yes, I agree that the actors involved did bring a huge amount to each role - James Garner as Jim Rockford was a consistently excellent performance - but any actor is only as good as the material he/she is handed to read. And this is the true legacy of Stephen J Cannell.

So his passing last week is a sad loss to the industry, and with the recent The A-Team movie re-make, along with plans to resurrect The Rockford Files for a brand new 21st Century audience, the future does indeed hold some hope of the legacy of the man with the most famous typewriter in history living on. I know I for one will be lining up to see any resultant productions.

And speaking of his typewriter, this blog post wouldn't be complete without looking at a compilation of the aforementioned end-credits element that featured in almost all of his productions over the years. Sure, the typewriter might change a lot, and the number of Emmys grow, but each time it was the same sense of energy that he brought to his work.

Even a simple flick of a page.