Over There, back here.
/My friend Kyle got back today from Washington. I went to the airport to pick him up this morning. It was good to see him again, after a couple weeks. We spent most of the ride back catching up on various things that happened over the summer. He apparently didn't do much, worked around a little, but relaxed most of the time. He was pretty tired today, but we got him moved into his new apartment for the year.
While we were in Burlington, I picked up the pilot episode for a new FX show called Over There. It's the first show that I know about the war in Iraq. It's only 40 or so minutes, not too long. Thus far, it's kinda impressive, and has a lot of potential. The camera work and coloring is very well done, although I think that they overdo the handheld camera work a little, but with this type of show, it works really well. Storywise, it's a little cliqued, but as far as I know, right on the books for combat procedures, equipment and other things like that. Has a decent soundtrack as well.
I did a little bit of poking around about the show, with a couple of articles here and here. It looks like the show's not too popular with the soldiers who've seen the show and who have been in Iraq and in combat. The common complaints are basic things, like combat procedures. For example, a couple land mines are marked with flags, whereas in reality, they're hidden in something. Or as one truck driver said, they don't pull the trucks over on the side of the road. They park them in the middle, for the very reasons of what happens in the pilot. Things like dialogue and other things stuck out as well. It's all detail stuff, but it's really the details that matter. I think that the main problem is that it's a little too dramatic, and ordinary things, or things that happen out there just wouldn't cross over to the American public. So, with anything in Hollywood, dumb it down a bit, and you get a slightly more inaccurate version. I really don't know, not having been out there.
I think that the show will be a fairly big success, but I really hope that it doesn't become too political. Too right or left, that probably wouldn't help things at all. I'll definently try and track down more episodes here and there to follow up on it a bit. I'm pretty sure that this will be popular here at Norwich though.
The Cast of Over There And finally, cool song that's pretty descriptive: Aqueous Transmission I'm floating down a river Further down the river Two weeks without my lover Further down the river I'm building an antenna Further down the river I'm floating down a river
Incubus
Oars freed from their holes long ago
Lying face up on the floor
Of my vessel
I marvel at the stars
And feel my heart overflow
I'm in this boat alone
Floating down a river named emotion
Will I make it back to shore?
Or drift into the unknown?
Transmissions will be sent
When I am through
Maybe we can meet again
Further down the river
And share what we both discovered
Then revel in the view