{"id":583,"date":"2012-03-30T10:27:32","date_gmt":"2012-03-30T14:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.nd.edu\/yankswatchingtelly\/?p=583"},"modified":"2012-03-30T10:31:06","modified_gmt":"2012-03-30T14:31:06","slug":"dont-look-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yankswatchingtelly\/?p=583","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Look Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Blink and you’re dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don’t turn your back. Don’t look away. And don’t blink.” The Doctor’s words in “Blink” seem to resonate with BBC4’s The Thick of It<\/em>, a program which requires the viewer’s undivided attention due to its quick wit, shaky camera, and the incredible pace at which the characters speak. I had the accent barrier against me, but it still seemed as though a mere blink or mishearing of a line would have me lost. There’s certainly no slumping down in front of the boob tube and turning your brain off with The Thick of It<\/em>. This falls in line with Cinema Verite’s position on the British comedy spectrum as opposed to surreal humor like The Mighty Boosh<\/em>, much of which is more easily accessible slapstick. The comedy in Cinema Verite is easily missed if one does not look for it, especially when the dialogue is bursting with sophisticated references to politics and pop culture. The articulate language of The Thick of It<\/em> makes much of the humor of the show lie merely in the manner in which the words are spoken. A sharp viewer is required for this show, but if one is willing to put forth the effort, The Thick of It<\/em> has a hilarious payoff.<\/p>\n

When The Thick of It<\/em> started, I first noted that Malcolm Tucker was played by Peter Capaldi, who also plays Sid’s father in Skins<\/em>. It wasn’t until about five minutes in that I realized I’d seen a few of these characters before in the film In the Loop<\/em> with James Gandolfini and Anna Chlumsky (of My Girl<\/em> fame). This film depicts the British government’s relations with the American government as the U.S. moves forward with war in the Middle East. I’d never heard of the television show before seeing the movie, but that certainly didn’t affect my enjoyment of it. Although many of the TV series cast returned, the only actual returning characters are Malcolm Tucker, Jamie MacDonald and Sam Cassidy, with other actors from the series playing new characters. In The Loop<\/em> was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2010 and is really worth checking out. Here’s an old trailer:<\/p>\n