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inmyriadbitsMore Man From U.N.C.L.E.!
1.08 The Double Affair
1. The opening: Illya fights two foot-high robots armed with missiles. No, really.
2. Heh, this woman knows what's what. Napoleon toasts "To the most beautiful airline hostess in the world," and she toasts "To the most beautiful liar in the world." :) Meanwhile, the guy with the face-covering bandages at the next table over isn't at all conspicuous...
3. "Well, you see, I have this odd behavior pattern that whenever I go to strange places with strange women, I get hit on the head by strange men." Kinky, Napoleon.
4. HA. Napoleon's double is apparently not as good a kisser as Real!Napoleon. I love that this is a main distinction between the two.
5. A briefcase that releases acid to destroy its contents if opened improperly, where have I seen that before? :D (Granted, it was a box and a Rambaldi device, but still.) God, I should rewatch some Alias.
6. See, THIS is why Napoleon's awesome: he'll both 1) flirts with the hot masseuse they send into his prison cell (don't ask), just as everyone expects him to, AND 2) steals a bobby pin to pick the locks on his handcuffs under the guise of sniffing her hair, with no one catching on.
1.09 The Project Strigas Affair
1. This episode marks the first time William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy acted onscreen together, a couple years before Star Trek happened. *spock eyebrow* Fascinating.
2. "I need a man, and I need him quickly." Whoa there, Napoleon.
3. LOL ILLYA WITH A PORNSTACHE. (Also, speaking with a full Russian accent, which interestingly points out how much of Illya's accent is deliberately a British blend)
4. Woman: "Why, that's absolutely diabolical!" Napoleon (for both him and Illya): "We try."
5. My favorite thing about this ep is that they essentially run a con game on the bad guys, only with more spy gadgets! and cyanide pills! and clandestine meetings! And now I want a spy-themed Leverage episode, damn it...
1.10 The Finny Foot Affair
1. I know none of you probably care about this as much as I do, but Napoleon's baggage tag says his address is "Napoleon Solo, 221 5th, New York, N.Y." This means he lives either here in the East Village, or here in the Flatiron District at E 27th St. I personally think it's the latter, because Napoleon is not the East Village type, and it's closer to U.N.C.L.E. headquarters in the lower 40s.
Also, as Google Maps is so helpfully pointing out, that address is across the street from the Museum of Sex. Nothing about that isn't funny. :D
2. Omg, that IS baby-Kurt Russell. Aww, he's so cute and freckled!
3. Napoleon: "Take me to your leader!" :D I half expected him to pull a Doctor who and say "I've always wanted to say that," and oh god now I want a DW crossover.
4. "Another interesting thing about me is that under torture I tend to yell a great deal and reveal absolutely nothing." It is a credit to Robert Vaughn that he can deliver a line like this and make it both kind of funny and vaguely dark and threatening at the same time. I love when Napoleon gets like that.
5. I love the twist here on the 'let's send the bad guy's tracker off on something else mobile so they can't follow us!' ploy.
1.11 The Neptune Affair
1. Napoleon's wandering around this house he broke into, eating a stolen apple. I can't help thinking about one of Michael Westen's little bits of advice for breaking into houses -- namely, grab some food. It helps you bluff your way out if caught; it helps you seem like you belong, or at least that you are utterly convinced you do, and thus more likely unfortunately mistaken than a criminal.
2. Heather McNabb, the woman who operates the communications channel, is clearly stuck in that room for long periods of time. I love that they always have her doing these weird hobbies when she answers the calls (like using sun-lamps to get a tan, of sculpting clay, or knitting dog sweaters for a dachshund who is sitting right there modelling).
1.12 The Dove Affair
1. The badass agent Napoleon is up against has a phobia of children, WTF. (The term is apparently "pedophobia.")
2. Okay, so I kind of got distracted during this ep. I got nothing.
1.13 The King of Knaves Affair
1. LOL! Napoleon is belly-dancing with a performer (who is, of course, actually a spy). The man can actually do rather impressive things with his hips. And I say that as someone who knows how to belly-dance herself.
2. "You had another visitor drop in. He's dropped out. I have to go see to him." How delightfully understated of him -- this is all Illya says after having a vicious knife fight with someone on the balcony, and almost being thrown off said balcony himself before tossing the bad guy over instead.
(Illya is very casual about his own abilities, which is incredibly attractive quality to me. <3 This is going to sound weird, but it almost reminds me of characters like Parker or River, who are all "what, can't everyone do this?" They feel absolutely no need to brag or posture about what they can do, although they clearly enjoy doing it. They just sort of come out of nowhere and pwn everyone who is underestimating them because they just don't think they need to talk about it.)
3. Why do the guys with swords on horseback always go after Napoleon? ;)
I have to say, the only thing I don't like about this show so far is that it's hard to decide whether I want to focus on Illya or Napoleon more when they're onscreen together, because they're bothso pretty played with such subtlety. Sometimes I have to go back and watch a scene again so I can watch both, and it's awfully inconvenient (but oh so fun). :D
From a film geek POV, it serves as an interesting reminder of how much more often in TV today they use cut-aways from a master shot into close-ups or inserts, rather than cutting between several different angles on the scene in the mid-to-long-shot range. The direction of the viewer's attention is much tighter (and consequently more manipulative); you aren't often allowed to choose what you look at in a scene, because the camera is always moving, and the editing is too fast for individually-driven contemplation of a tableau. While this is sometimes a good thing, I think, there is something to be said for letting the audience sink into a moment, and for the depth a fictional world gains by everyone in a shot acting as if they were the close-up. Granted, most actors aren't good enough or engaged enough to do the background-acting thing, but I love it when they do, and not doing it out of laziness is just sad.
For perhaps a more specific example rather than a lot of film-student blather, think of SPN. They generally shoot Sam and Dean's Dramatic Angsty Conversations (TM) as shot-reverse-shot; you see Sam's face, then Dean's, then Sam's. While this is fine, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to watch one of those convos in a long-take with both in frame, or even several takes from different angles but always with both in frame, rather than fragmenting it. Things like that are more like theater, in that the viewer's attention is intended or desired to follow certain things (like a dramatic arm gesture emphasizing one actor, or a spotlight follow), but the creators control it no further than a certain extent (i.e., maybe you're "supposed" to be focused on the swordfight, but you can watch the reactions of the romantic interest standing on the sidelines instead). In film, when they cut to a close-up of Dean, it doesn't matter that you maybe want to be watching Sam's reaction at that moment instead.
Anyway. I am a film nerd, perhaps I have mentioned recently? :)
1.08 The Double Affair
1. The opening: Illya fights two foot-high robots armed with missiles. No, really.
2. Heh, this woman knows what's what. Napoleon toasts "To the most beautiful airline hostess in the world," and she toasts "To the most beautiful liar in the world." :) Meanwhile, the guy with the face-covering bandages at the next table over isn't at all conspicuous...
3. "Well, you see, I have this odd behavior pattern that whenever I go to strange places with strange women, I get hit on the head by strange men." Kinky, Napoleon.
4. HA. Napoleon's double is apparently not as good a kisser as Real!Napoleon. I love that this is a main distinction between the two.
5. A briefcase that releases acid to destroy its contents if opened improperly, where have I seen that before? :D (Granted, it was a box and a Rambaldi device, but still.) God, I should rewatch some Alias.
6. See, THIS is why Napoleon's awesome: he'll both 1) flirts with the hot masseuse they send into his prison cell (don't ask), just as everyone expects him to, AND 2) steals a bobby pin to pick the locks on his handcuffs under the guise of sniffing her hair, with no one catching on.
1.09 The Project Strigas Affair
1. This episode marks the first time William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy acted onscreen together, a couple years before Star Trek happened. *spock eyebrow* Fascinating.
2. "I need a man, and I need him quickly." Whoa there, Napoleon.
3. LOL ILLYA WITH A PORNSTACHE. (Also, speaking with a full Russian accent, which interestingly points out how much of Illya's accent is deliberately a British blend)
4. Woman: "Why, that's absolutely diabolical!" Napoleon (for both him and Illya): "We try."
5. My favorite thing about this ep is that they essentially run a con game on the bad guys, only with more spy gadgets! and cyanide pills! and clandestine meetings! And now I want a spy-themed Leverage episode, damn it...
1.10 The Finny Foot Affair
1. I know none of you probably care about this as much as I do, but Napoleon's baggage tag says his address is "Napoleon Solo, 221 5th, New York, N.Y." This means he lives either here in the East Village, or here in the Flatiron District at E 27th St. I personally think it's the latter, because Napoleon is not the East Village type, and it's closer to U.N.C.L.E. headquarters in the lower 40s.
Also, as Google Maps is so helpfully pointing out, that address is across the street from the Museum of Sex. Nothing about that isn't funny. :D
2. Omg, that IS baby-Kurt Russell. Aww, he's so cute and freckled!
3. Napoleon: "Take me to your leader!" :D I half expected him to pull a Doctor who and say "I've always wanted to say that," and oh god now I want a DW crossover.
4. "Another interesting thing about me is that under torture I tend to yell a great deal and reveal absolutely nothing." It is a credit to Robert Vaughn that he can deliver a line like this and make it both kind of funny and vaguely dark and threatening at the same time. I love when Napoleon gets like that.
5. I love the twist here on the 'let's send the bad guy's tracker off on something else mobile so they can't follow us!' ploy.
1.11 The Neptune Affair
1. Napoleon's wandering around this house he broke into, eating a stolen apple. I can't help thinking about one of Michael Westen's little bits of advice for breaking into houses -- namely, grab some food. It helps you bluff your way out if caught; it helps you seem like you belong, or at least that you are utterly convinced you do, and thus more likely unfortunately mistaken than a criminal.
2. Heather McNabb, the woman who operates the communications channel, is clearly stuck in that room for long periods of time. I love that they always have her doing these weird hobbies when she answers the calls (like using sun-lamps to get a tan, of sculpting clay, or knitting dog sweaters for a dachshund who is sitting right there modelling).
1.12 The Dove Affair
1. The badass agent Napoleon is up against has a phobia of children, WTF. (The term is apparently "pedophobia.")
2. Okay, so I kind of got distracted during this ep. I got nothing.
1.13 The King of Knaves Affair
1. LOL! Napoleon is belly-dancing with a performer (who is, of course, actually a spy). The man can actually do rather impressive things with his hips. And I say that as someone who knows how to belly-dance herself.
2. "You had another visitor drop in. He's dropped out. I have to go see to him." How delightfully understated of him -- this is all Illya says after having a vicious knife fight with someone on the balcony, and almost being thrown off said balcony himself before tossing the bad guy over instead.
(Illya is very casual about his own abilities, which is incredibly attractive quality to me. <3 This is going to sound weird, but it almost reminds me of characters like Parker or River, who are all "what, can't everyone do this?" They feel absolutely no need to brag or posture about what they can do, although they clearly enjoy doing it. They just sort of come out of nowhere and pwn everyone who is underestimating them because they just don't think they need to talk about it.)
3. Why do the guys with swords on horseback always go after Napoleon? ;)
I have to say, the only thing I don't like about this show so far is that it's hard to decide whether I want to focus on Illya or Napoleon more when they're onscreen together, because they're both
From a film geek POV, it serves as an interesting reminder of how much more often in TV today they use cut-aways from a master shot into close-ups or inserts, rather than cutting between several different angles on the scene in the mid-to-long-shot range. The direction of the viewer's attention is much tighter (and consequently more manipulative); you aren't often allowed to choose what you look at in a scene, because the camera is always moving, and the editing is too fast for individually-driven contemplation of a tableau. While this is sometimes a good thing, I think, there is something to be said for letting the audience sink into a moment, and for the depth a fictional world gains by everyone in a shot acting as if they were the close-up. Granted, most actors aren't good enough or engaged enough to do the background-acting thing, but I love it when they do, and not doing it out of laziness is just sad.
For perhaps a more specific example rather than a lot of film-student blather, think of SPN. They generally shoot Sam and Dean's Dramatic Angsty Conversations (TM) as shot-reverse-shot; you see Sam's face, then Dean's, then Sam's. While this is fine, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to watch one of those convos in a long-take with both in frame, or even several takes from different angles but always with both in frame, rather than fragmenting it. Things like that are more like theater, in that the viewer's attention is intended or desired to follow certain things (like a dramatic arm gesture emphasizing one actor, or a spotlight follow), but the creators control it no further than a certain extent (i.e., maybe you're "supposed" to be focused on the swordfight, but you can watch the reactions of the romantic interest standing on the sidelines instead). In film, when they cut to a close-up of Dean, it doesn't matter that you maybe want to be watching Sam's reaction at that moment instead.
Anyway. I am a film nerd, perhaps I have mentioned recently? :)
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-08-12 02:02 am (UTC)Well, okay, your pimping is vaguely working (AFTER MY HONOURS IS HANDED IN DAMMIT), it sounds fantastic! :D
And I know what you mean about the camera work... I love long scenes in one take (West Wing! Pedeconferencing! Nothing to do with children!) and some of the post-ep-sitting-on-the-car-drinking-beer-and-emo-ing scenes could've done with less cutting, even at the expense of a close up of Dean's pretty, pretty manpain. You can feel pauses more with that technique and sometimes the pauses are just as important as the dialogue...
:)
Jaydeyn
(no subject)
Date: 2009-08-12 02:50 am (UTC)Yes! Although in TWW, they use camera motion rather than cuts to direct attention. A static or infrequently-moved camera with few or no cuts is what I was thinking about, since that really puts the entire weight of attention on the actors. But I agree about the pauses; people are so caught up in everything moving at a snappy rate that they forget to pull out pauses when they would be useful, which is a shame, because if they did do that, the pauses would be even more effective.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-08-12 05:27 am (UTC)Did you spot Scotty's actor - James Doohan? - in the beginning of The Shark Affair? We got a good laugh out of that.
that address is across the street from the Museum of Sex. Nothing about that isn't funny. :D
LOL! Seriously? Maybe there are, like, sexual ley lines in the area. (Heh heh, *lay* lines)
Hey, I thought of Michael Westen during that scene, too! :D The thing with the yogurt, from - was it the pilot?
I wonder how much of the trend towards more single shots/closeups is due to general trends in continuity shooting ("intensified continuity", as David Bordwell calls it) or if it's simply more economical for a TV show to shoot actors individually. But the more old-fashioned style would suit certain shows, particularly those with strong ensemble casts. (Out of curiosity - does Mad Men use modern style or old school '60s style? That'd be interesting.)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-08-12 07:29 am (UTC)The show has like, 30 episodes per season, so there's no way I'll have watched them all by the time I get home. Besides, I have no problem rewatching these cracktastic things in good company. :)
Did you spot Scotty's actor - James Doohan? - in the beginning of The Shark Affair? We got a good laugh out of that.
OMG yes! I'd forgotten about that! It was pretty hysterical. As a side note, the bad guy in that had an awesome voice.
Maybe there are, like, sexual ley lines in the area. (Heh heh, *lay* lines)
*snerk*
Hey, I thought of Michael Westen during that scene, too! :D The thing with the yogurt, from - was it the pilot?
Yep, pilot. Here's the full quote: "I never run around in the bushes in a ski mask when I'm breaking in someplace. Somebody catches you, what are you gonna say? You want to look like a legitimate visitor until the very last minute. If you can't look legit, confused works almost as well. Maybe you get a soda from the fridge, or a yogurt. If you get caught, you just look confused and apologize like crazy for taking the yogurt - nothing could be more innocent..."
I wonder how much of the trend towards more single shots/closeups is due to general trends in continuity shooting ("intensified continuity", as David Bordwell calls it) or if it's simply more economical for a TV show to shoot actors individually. But the more old-fashioned style would suit certain shows, particularly those with strong ensemble casts. (Out of curiosity - does Mad Men use modern style or old school '60s style? That'd be interesting.)
I do wonder about the economics of the decision, particularly since I believe MFU was shot entirely on the MGM lot. I'll have to check on Mad Men, but I don't think they're too much in either direction; the style doesn't favor long/wide/multi-person takes, but it doesn't go crazy with edits like NCIS or with camera movement like TWW. I'd say it aims for the "invisible"/conventional Hollywood style with a touch of artistry; there are times when I'm like "goddamn that was some pretty camerawork," but it's all very subtle and not very stylized.