Newsnight Review, Friday, 28 November, 2008
Here's Martha with a look ahead to tonight's Newsnight Review:
Do you ever get that annoying thing in a film or a play when you recognise an actor and can't place them?
It happened to me this week at at the National Theatre. I poked my editor in the ribs and said "Look, he's a really famous actor". Then I began to wonder where I'd seen him.
It took until the intermission to place him in the dramatic firmament. Gary Cole is the dodgy dad in Desperate Housewives. Oh, and the vice-president in The West Wing. How deep is my cultural hinterland? Or should that be shallow?
Anyway, that doesn't give a very good indication of the play which had been a huge hit on Broadway with its writer Tracey Letts compared to Eugene O'Neill and Tenessee Williams. It is certainly very enjoyable and I don't often say that about plays which are three and a half hours long, I tell you. But does it really have the same depth as plays by those great masters? I shall leave that to my panel - , and the .
We will also be discussing a new film which stars Robert De Niro as a harassed film producer. Yes, another Hollywood film about Hollywood. Bruce Willis stretches every acting sinew to play an ageing egomaniac action hero.
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have a lot to live up to with their new album Day & Age after selling more than twelve million albums in the past. This was recorded in Barnes in London and has a distinctly Anglophile air with homages to Bowie and Eno.
And could Wallander do for Kenneth Branagh what Prime Suspect did for Helen Mirren? He plays the Swedish detective in a new 91Èȱ¬ drama series based on a series of successful novels set in the small town of Ystad.
Hope you can join us all at eleven,
Martha
Comment number 1.
At 28th Nov 2008, spettitt wrote:Yet another boring and musically naive discussion about yet another pop group, The Killers, tonight
When is Newsnight Review ever going to talk (intelligently and challengingly) about classical music? And I don't mean Lesley Garrett's latest.
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Comment number 2.
At 28th Nov 2008, Oldvinylcollector wrote:Why does Newsnight Review devote 90% of its music reviews to totally trivial and undistinguishable pop music, Isn't about time your middle-aged reviewers got over their childhoods? Don't they listen to anything more worth hearing?
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Comment number 3.
At 28th Nov 2008, misscredan wrote:I was sorry to hear the standard of review in this evenings programme. Something has got lost. It used to be such a stimulating programme. Now we have what seems to me panelists who have to appear gritty, controversial and CRITICAL. All your panel end up sounding the same and saying the same things, no matter what they are reviewing. Sorry, but I don't think you have people on this programme who are any more able to really use their feelings to enter into a meaningful relationship with the pieces they are reviewing. It also leaves me wondering if this has something to do with the way in which this programme is now being produced and what you want from your panel ? but bring back people that actually can stimulate me to want to enter into the works you look at.I don't trust your reviews anymore!! I want discussions between people who want to share their enthusiasm for the arts and stimulate and not just a bunch who have to show how good they can be as latenight review panelists.
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Comment number 4.
At 29th Nov 2008, redBalmullo wrote:The Killers: Day and Age
They deserve the fantastic reviews - No other band today can blend a successful balance between pleasing the critics, pushing creative boundaries whilst also striking a chord with the consumer.
Day & Age is a wonderful album. One of the best albums of 2008.
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Comment number 5.
At 29th Nov 2008, bookhimdano wrote:for the crypto classicists here is a video that presents two models of reason and art.
Then one can decide which archetypal model the bbc [as a creature of the State] follows and why they devote so much time to historical themes and [in NR case] interpretation.
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Comment number 6.
At 29th Nov 2008, AnnSRD wrote:Sadly I agree with the comments about last night Newsnight Review being not up to scratch. Usually the reviewers are varied, excited and sometimes a bit opinionated (which is fine to me!). However, last night's programme was boring, unstimulating and left us feeling 'flat'. The panel of reviewers didn't seem to be 'on the ball' and personally, I think it is better if there is a gender balance.
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Comment number 7.
At 1st Dec 2008, bookhimdano wrote:i like all the constant negative posts on NR. It reminds me of the gardeners world board. Is it the same people?
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Comment number 8.
At 2nd Dec 2008, shanewexford wrote:I think some of the earlier comments are a bit harsh. Albeit during a largely superficial conversation, Richard Coles did offer some interesting cross-references, though this brought to mind a one-sided tennis match.
Despite myself, I agree with AnnSRD's point regarding the gender balance of the panel. Perhaps the participation of the versatile Grayson Perry could solve this point.
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