On Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 10:49 AM, Mark Jeffries <[email protected]> wrote: > Or you can just watch this compilation of "Sorkinisms": > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S78RzZr3IwI
I've seen this floating around. Not sure what this clip proves. The same can be done of CSI, Law & Order, House, Murder She Wrote, Dragnet, I Love Lucy, Happy Days, and really every piece of episodic television ever produced in the history of the medium. The line about Aaron Sorkin right now is not that he's a bad writer but that he repeats himself. So does every writer. You hear one Phil Collins song or Bon Jovi song, you don't need to hear any others, unless you happen to be a fan of the sound, in which case you want to hear them all. I'm a fan of Phil Collins so I own all his music, and I detest the sound of Bon Jovi so I only own the video he did wherein Cindy Crawford wears very little except a Santa hat. Was the story in the pilot poorly acted, directed, or messed up in any way? No. Was it original? No. But all modern writing is derivative of something else. What the editor of this not-too-cleverly-edited YouTube clip failed to include are the many references Sorkin makes to his pilfered source material. His repeated use of the phrase "I don't always know what pleases you, Lord, but I think the fact I want to please you pleases you" is paraphrased. Other quotes used over and over are from Camelot and Lion In Winter. Sorkin cites these in his work and wants people to hear them and be inspired by them. The biggest criticism I hear about Sorkin is that he didn't reinvent the wheel... again. Well, who the f*ck has? I don't know how many people watched the low-rated "Big Apple," but fans of "Deadwood" (as series I loved) might be shocked to learn much of the dialogue from the period western was almost word for word from the NYC based detective drama. One of my favorite movies is "Heat" with DeNiro and Pacino, but watch the TV series "Crime Story" and you'll hear every word and every scene and every idea (with the exception being Pacino's adlibbed "great ass" moment) come from the mouths of Dennis Farina and the others on that TV show. The other argument is that he is preachy. Yes he is. And? "Star Trek" wasn't preachy? "Twilight Zone" wasn't preachy? Most of the popular shows are simple morality tales featuring those moments when the music ramps up and a lead character lays down some harsh truths on somebody else. Why? Because the viewing public is comprised of the American people, and as each day passes the citizenry proves it needs to be hit over the head to drive a point home. Some like the reassurance that comes from knowing we're on the right side of the proverbial sermon. Others like that even an idea we disagree with can be laid out in clear prose. Repetition is a concept that dates back to elementary school -- it is proven to work. It isn't that Sorkin thinks he's the smartest kid in the class; it is that Sorkin wants people to strive to be the smartest kid in the class. As someone who is sick to death of students who are baked out of their mind, that is a point that cannot be emphasized enough. I'm sorry for those who didn't like the show. I'd recommend you not watch any of Sorkin's other work either. But if you're going to dislike his shows and movies, I'd recommend other reasons than the ones expressed. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
