Take 4 TV: Two from Cable
It’s been a while, so I’ll just take the official stance that Take 4 Reviews was on hiatus for the month of September. But now that it’s Clarktober (oh, you heard me right, folks), I felt I should get back on track, starting with a review of the first season of two TV series, one from Showtime and one from HBO.
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Weeds: Season One (2005)
The Basics: A comedy/drama on Showtime, currently in its fourth season. It stars Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, and Kevin Nealon.
The Premise: In order to continue to give her family the life to which they’ve grown accustomed, a widow takes on the mantle of “provider of herbal remedies” to the local community, while dealing with the school issues of her two sons, a slacker brother-in-law who would just as soon smoke all their profits, and all the other ins and outs of supply and demand in suburban California.
Random Trivia: The name of Nancy and Andy's "fakery" is Breadsticks and Scones. The cap that bakery employees wear shortens the name of the bakery to "BS" as a joke.
And I Quote: Doug Wilson: “It's a weed wonderland, Nancy. It's like Amsterdam only you don't have to visit the Anne Frank house and pretend to be all sad and shit.”
Curt’s Take – Must See: All I know is that this show has a huge following at work…and I can see why: it’s funny, it’s well-written, and the characters are great. It focuses much less on the moral issues of whether marijuana is evil or benign, and looks more at the lengths to which a mother will go to provide for her family. It’s got language, sex, and plenty of drug references…but it’s all in good fun. If you don’t have much of a sense of humor and have a tough time looking at otherwise serious situations with a grin and smirk, this probably isn’t for you. Otherwise, you should really check this out.
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Entourage: Season One (2004)
The Basics: A comedy/drama on HBO, marching forward toward the start of its fifth season. It stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven.
The Premise: A young actor from New York lives in the Hollywood hills with a group of friends who act as his consultants, confidantes…and entourage. Together, they battle slimy agents, lousy scripts and other hazards native to the Hollywood scene.
Random Trivia: Kevin Connolly had actually retired from acting when show creators first approached about doing the show. It wasn't until he was informed the part of Eric had been written specifically for him that he decided to take part.
And I Quote: Ari Gold: “Let's hug it out, bitch.”
Curt’s Take – Must See: At first, I was hesitant about this. I really didn’t think I’d enjoy it…while I do enjoy some elements of the California lifestyle, I’m more attuned to the laid back South Bay beach scene, rather than the “east of the 405” Hollywood “scene to be seen” mentality. That having been said, I quickly found that the series doesn’t take itself all that seriously. It gently mocks the Hollywood vibe, presents some honest-to-goodness genuine moments, and presents a bunch of characters that are shades of truth that mirror parts of all of us. Check it out…it’s a fun time.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Weeds: Season One (2005)
The Basics: A comedy/drama on Showtime, currently in its fourth season. It stars Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, and Kevin Nealon.
The Premise: In order to continue to give her family the life to which they’ve grown accustomed, a widow takes on the mantle of “provider of herbal remedies” to the local community, while dealing with the school issues of her two sons, a slacker brother-in-law who would just as soon smoke all their profits, and all the other ins and outs of supply and demand in suburban California.
Random Trivia: The name of Nancy and Andy's "fakery" is Breadsticks and Scones. The cap that bakery employees wear shortens the name of the bakery to "BS" as a joke.
And I Quote: Doug Wilson: “It's a weed wonderland, Nancy. It's like Amsterdam only you don't have to visit the Anne Frank house and pretend to be all sad and shit.”Curt’s Take – Must See: All I know is that this show has a huge following at work…and I can see why: it’s funny, it’s well-written, and the characters are great. It focuses much less on the moral issues of whether marijuana is evil or benign, and looks more at the lengths to which a mother will go to provide for her family. It’s got language, sex, and plenty of drug references…but it’s all in good fun. If you don’t have much of a sense of humor and have a tough time looking at otherwise serious situations with a grin and smirk, this probably isn’t for you. Otherwise, you should really check this out.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Entourage: Season One (2004)
The Basics: A comedy/drama on HBO, marching forward toward the start of its fifth season. It stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven.
The Premise: A young actor from New York lives in the Hollywood hills with a group of friends who act as his consultants, confidantes…and entourage. Together, they battle slimy agents, lousy scripts and other hazards native to the Hollywood scene.
Random Trivia: Kevin Connolly had actually retired from acting when show creators first approached about doing the show. It wasn't until he was informed the part of Eric had been written specifically for him that he decided to take part.
And I Quote: Ari Gold: “Let's hug it out, bitch.”Curt’s Take – Must See: At first, I was hesitant about this. I really didn’t think I’d enjoy it…while I do enjoy some elements of the California lifestyle, I’m more attuned to the laid back South Bay beach scene, rather than the “east of the 405” Hollywood “scene to be seen” mentality. That having been said, I quickly found that the series doesn’t take itself all that seriously. It gently mocks the Hollywood vibe, presents some honest-to-goodness genuine moments, and presents a bunch of characters that are shades of truth that mirror parts of all of us. Check it out…it’s a fun time.
posted by Curt at 8:53 PM
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