Jackie’s Comments (group member since May 09, 2008)

Jackie’s comments from the The Wire group.

Seth, Doesn't the author in the NPR interview mention the "good night crackheads" in particular as having come almost verbatim from Clockers? (c;

http://www.variety.com/VR1117998589.html

When is this show on and on what channel?

I hadn't thought of that!! Wow--that would have been very satisfying. Yet, you wonder if some of them would express cynicism about what realistic change can be accomplished, given the writers' harsh scrutiny of the political machine in Baltimore.

Did you have a chance to listen to the writer's commentary? It's very interesting. I would recommend it.

I posted this in "Movies We Just Watched" as well, but I thought it had relevance to this group also:

I just re-watched Fresh after several years. What a clever movie and the director's commentary is very thoughtful. For any HBO The Wire fans out there, this movie lays some groundwork for that series, in my opinion. I'm thinking of specifically dealing with the complex personalities of the underclass that rarely get portrayed as other than stereotypes in tv dramas or caricatures in urban movies. The director was also commenting on his approach to violence on film which matched what I've heard Ed Burns and David Simon express--which is to say that they resist portraying violence but rather the aftermath--as violence is often glorified even in anti-violence pictures.

Finally--the character of Fresh (Michael) seems to me to be a somewhat of a precursor to Michael Lee on Season 4 of The Wire.

Some people have a real problem with the violence perpetrated against an animal in the film, but the director justifies this disturbing decision to include it in the picture in a very convincing way in the commentary if you're interested.

Did anyone catch Tristan Wilds as Dixon Wilson on 90210? There was one scene in which he comes up to two friends and puts his elbows on their shoulders like on the first day of school during Season 4 of The Wire. It was painful to watch since as Michael Lee it was sweet and playful and in 90210 it appeared to be a bit forced as he is the new kid in a predominantly Caucasian school. Heart-breaking for me as a viewer because I feel it captured the contrast of these 2 roles in one snapshot.

I was thinking of the tradition of good television writing--even if it's just for entertainment purposes in the teen genre and there are many. Even ones in which you would bring back "classics" from the 90s . . . of course, "My So-Called Life" came to mind and if any show would come close to the caliber of writing that Wire alum could sink their teeth into, possibly a remake of this teen cult show would have been a better choice? It also has a "token person of color" but at least it was written a bit less choppy and a lot smarter, in my opinion.

But kudos for Tristan for finding work in a post-writers' strike season.

I completely agree with you . . . that semi-rape was really unseemly. Not that any rape is seemly. However, as I can not speak personally about the influence of drugs, I did not know if this scene was out of the ordinary or not.

What I thought worked best about the subject of the movie is that anyone from suburban American who thinks they have "something to offer" people "in the hood" are all figuratively "on drugs." What I mean is that--and clearly I'm indicting myself here--if you go into the hood as a "do-good" teacher without acknowledging the serious disadvantages you possess, you are figuratively "under the influence." Everyone is crippled by poverty, people who are in it and people who try "to fix it." Naturally, some people have the advantage of being able to turn their backs on it while others have to deal with it every day.

Yet, the addiction of the teacher in "Half Nelson" truly leveled the field to where you were able to see clearly just how disadvantaged we all are. This offers a more transparent view of the wealth of talent in the middle of struggle people living in the neighborhood have and of which they are sometimes (most times) robbed. I saw it in my students--I recognized they had so much more courage and wit when it come to certain things that I had never encountered. But it was difficult to overcome my initial feelings of wanting to "share the gifts I had been given" and get over my desire to "make a difference" without paying respect up front.

You can "make a difference" of course, but you need to get over yourself first. I appreciated the terms in which the movie put this message into perspective.

I misspoke . . . Dionysius was the tyrant in the story.

Here's a link to an interesting article about The Wire alum:

The Wire Alum

I wasn't the biggest fan of the book, The Secret Life of Bees, but am keeping an open mind about the movie. I think that the role of Zachary Taylor makes much more sense for Tristan Wilds (than 90210 without seeing the show yet, of course). I also noticed that Wilds will be in Indelible which also looks intriguing. I just saw the independent film, Half Nelson with Wilds and Nathan Corbett (Donut) which was very thoughtful. Based on these career moves so far--I remain hopeful for 90210 . . . (c;

I just keep thinking about Wilds' comment in the dvd extras (Season 4, Episode 11), "I hate that, yo! There are not enough roles for young striving black men." So it's gratifying to see this kind of talent recognized.

Michael K. Williams!! Did you catch that comment in the dvd commentary extras for Season 4 when David Simon (I'm pretty sure) mentions that only certain people can refer to themselves in the 3rd person--only certain people have that presence? "Is Omar going to give it up?"

Oh my gosh! It's difficult to consider these amazing actors under anybody else's influence--but I have to believe their talent will match or exceed the expectations that were set in The Wire.

What are your thoughts on Tristan Wilds in the new 90210? A potential tragedy, but I'm glad to see him get recognition and more work. But yikes!!

Chilly!! I love the Blue!! Especially Sipowicz. My affection for The Wire reaches far beyond though due to the AMAZING wealth of talent--minority talent on the show. It was fun to see Rick Schroeder and Mark Paul Gosselar have the opportunity to prove themselves on NYPD beyond their break-out roles, but in The Wire I so appreciated the street cred of actors from cult films and newcomers that would rarely or otherwise get recognized.

Of course, the biggest thrill for me was the credibility of the writers. As a Teach for America alum, I treasured Ed Burns' insights into both the streets and the schools. Wow!

This reminds me of when I saw "Grand Canyon" years ago and thought that the helicopters were a metaphor for "their eyes were watching God"--when in reality, now I believe they were there to show suburbanites just how menacing constant helicopter blades in a neighborhood would actually be. I'm such a suburbanite! Ugh!

Is it a stretch to think that Marlo's pigeon hobby is a nod to Jimmy Smit's character on NYPD Blue who was also an avid pigeon keeper?

Jeanne, Thank you!! Yeah, that's what threw me too. I was wondering if it was Dionysius (the god of wine, etc.) who would have been this self-sacrificing or if it were some other character. Mostly likely I misheard the character's name during the episode.

On a different note . . . didn't you find the visual metaphor of the volcano in this episode, in a subsequent scene involving the character of Michael, a tad too clever? It would be almost kitschy if the subject weren't so tragic. Believe me, I'm not one to minimize the effect of abuse in any way. As Michael is about to explode in the worst way . . . a foreshadowing wink from the writers to anyone paying attention, no?

You know the scene where Mr. Prez is reading the sample standardized test question (Season 4), and it involves Greek character names and themes? Is this a real Greek tragedy or a simulated one? I found it moving that although Michael always looked like he was dozing in class, he apparently was paying attention as the story spoke to his situation. Not a coincidence and I'm sure not one that anyone in this forum would miss.

Just wondering if anyone had heard of this Greek tragedy before. I believe it involved Dionysius (sp?).

I'm new to The Wire and am an instant addict. So if this has been mentioned before, forgive me. But what do you think of the passing of the ring in Season 4 as being linked to the ultimate literary ring from The Lord of the Rings. That ring was so powerful that its wearers needed to beware.

I'm not sure if it turned people bad, but caused people to come looking for them. From Andre (fatality) to Marlo (cold-blooded) to Omar (almost killed) to Officer Walker (shady) to Michael (the best in him becomes his tragic flaw into the gangster world) . . . tragic. I'm sure I'm reading too much into this or missing something--but I thought I'd share.

P.S. Where did Michael get his gun in Season 4 when they got payback on Officer Walker? Did Chris and Snoop entrust him with it? I don't think so because the end of the episode sets him up possibly to be attacked by them (although you can read Marlo's "yeah" in that scene later as a nod of admiration). Any thoughts?