tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post4428153092347808913..comments2024-03-14T18:09:09.667-05:00Comments on Do Some Damage: Dumbing DownUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-67924986940050308092011-05-18T09:45:28.502-05:002011-05-18T09:45:28.502-05:00Well put.
My favorite movies as a kid were:
Jaws,...Well put. <br />My favorite movies as a kid were:<br />Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Alien, Poltergeist, The Thing and Blade Runner.<br />They scared the living shit out of me and I loved them for it. The Ewoks came by and ruined everything.Thomas Pluckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17008022962076648740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-25984160517606019992011-05-18T06:47:42.185-05:002011-05-18T06:47:42.185-05:00Bill/Dave - me too ;)Bill/Dave - me too ;)Stringer Bellehttp://lastyearsgirl.pixlet.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-17604377481291951162011-05-17T16:40:38.931-05:002011-05-17T16:40:38.931-05:00Here here, Jay. And Bill, I'm agreeing with y...Here here, Jay. And Bill, I'm agreeing with your ranking so far.Dave Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10185814518997114591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-85166248183822999502011-05-17T12:43:25.657-05:002011-05-17T12:43:25.657-05:00The first novel I read by personal choice was what...The first novel I read by personal choice was what today we would call a YA novel. It was dark, subtle, complicated and dealt with serious issues of isolation, loss, and the impact on violence in our lives—issues which affect both children and adults. The writing was spare and intelligent. From time to time, I re-read the book, and now nearly forty years later, I still find it rich and powerful—and dark.<br /><br />That's what this kid could appreciate then. The success of everything from Harry Potter to The Hunger Games proves that kids today have the capacity to not only appreciate but engage and grow from their exposure to dark art. Hell, most of us live with some degree of darkness in our everyday lives. Erich Fromm didn't speak of the banality of evil as some kind of ephemeral thought experiment.<br /><br />Too many so-called "adults" need to a good throat-punching. That would occupy their attention while the rest of us, young and old alike, get down with some serious, funny, dark, intelligent, challenging, harrowing, giggle-inducing, thought-provoking entertainment.<br /><br />(Side note: while I loved "The Doctor's Wife," and rate rate it top five easily, "Blink" remains my favorite of recent run of Doctor Who.)Bill Cameronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04796321136771189464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-23996142520209559562011-05-17T12:35:04.849-05:002011-05-17T12:35:04.849-05:00But throughout the course of Doctor Who hasn't...But throughout the course of Doctor Who hasn't there always been someone in a newspaper somewhere complaining about how the current Doctor and current storyline has gotten "too scary" for kids?<br /><br />Except for a few isolated episodes I haven't particularly cared for Moffat's time as showrunner on Doctor Who(strange since I thought he wrote some of the best episodes under Davies and both Coupling and Jekyll were brilliant). Which I'm fine with. Like you said, if you know anything about Doctor Who, just wait and they'll be something to you liking.<br /><br />But, what I do fear is a catering to American audiences since it seems to have exploded here. I watch Doctor Who on BBC America-- it is about the only thing worth watching unless you really really like Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and want to watch 20 hours of it straight nearly every day. This season, on the American broadcasts, they've stuck an Amy Pond intro before the credits that's absolutely terrible--it makes it feel like you're watching The Amy Pond Show. Ugh..I don't want a Doctor Who that caters to "American tastes"; if I did, I'd watch the awful 1995 Fox TV movie with Eric Roberts as The Master.Chad Eagletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06863680540230538227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-90176895888906782882011-05-17T12:18:48.385-05:002011-05-17T12:18:48.385-05:00Kids can't handle multiple story lines and cha...Kids can't handle multiple story lines and characters? The richest woman in the world (I think) might take issue with that.Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-9243838195907504762011-05-17T10:20:15.535-05:002011-05-17T10:20:15.535-05:00Friggin A! That's what I'm saying. Bravo f...Friggin A! That's what I'm saying. Bravo for this essay. I get a lot of grief over the stuff I like, but I can always point to something--good plot points, good writing, something--that brings it up a notch. Kids get much more than we think of. My son is constantly surprising me with what he knows when I think he doesn't. Kids are sponges. I didn't know why Star Wars worked the way it did back when I saw it in 1977, but I got it. And, as I aged, I learned more. Nuances are there for those that can see them. It's one of the reasons why I think Pixar actually makes adult films disguised as animated kids movies.Scott D. Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293540073601809197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-17403252887910968542011-05-17T05:43:16.375-05:002011-05-17T05:43:16.375-05:00Well said that man!
I don't remember any spec...Well said that man!<br /><br />I don't remember any specific <i>scary</i> moments from Doctor Who growing up, but I do have a few hazy recollections that still feel a bit disturbing. My most vivid memory, though, is of bawling my eyes out when Adric died, and although not scary that talks to exactly the same thing - letting kids experience feelings they might not otherwise feel, from which they can grow.<br /><br />Admittedly I can also remember crying at the last episode of It Ain't Half Hot Mum, when they all went home, so maybe that isn't the greatest example after all.Richyhttp://www.arbee.co.uk/blog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-28580368973515681442011-05-17T03:20:13.722-05:002011-05-17T03:20:13.722-05:00[I]t's about dumbing it down for the adults.
...<i>[I]t's about dumbing it down for the adults.</i><br /><br />That's it exactly. <i>Adults</i> - well, certain adults, and I think you know the ones I mean - want their Saturday night Eastenders equivalent. But it's more socially acceptable to say "but it's supposed to be a kid's show".<br /><br />Last night I spoke to somebody who wanted to know what I thought of <i>The Doctor's Wife</i>. "Pants," was this person's opinion. "But at least it had her from Coronation Street in it. And it's such a shame, because the pirates episode last week was so good."<br /><br />I stayed remarkably calm while explaining that it was written by contemporary fantasy's greatest living writer and that actually, everybody else I had spoken to was pretty much in the 'best episode ever' camp.<br /><br />Different audiences, see. The trouble is that in catering to a certain demographic - the demographic who have made the show the success it has been since the reboot - RTD has set an expectation, for a certain amount of viewing figures for example. I'd argue that the viewers the show has now, while fewer, are more engaged (just take a look at Twitter on a Saturday evening) but whether that's within the remit of a public service broadcaster we're all fucking paying for remains to be seen.<br /><br />Geez. Stick it on a Tuesday night, and make another series of Merlin if you want, BBC. Just don't hurt the quality of storytelling we've had these past few episodes.<br /><br />Incidentally, guys, I've let Mr Stringer know that he has royally fucked the tags in this post so hopefully it'll be easier to read soon. It's a good'un.Stringer Bellehttp://lastyearsgirl.pixlet.netnoreply@blogger.com