My most recent rental from Netflix is The Young Pope, a 2016 HBO tv series starring Jude Law and Diane Keaton.
The plot has Law play an orphan (Lenny Belardo) raised by Sister Mary (Keaton), who eventually becomes a New York archbishop and then, out of the blue, the pope. The guys in the curia believe he will be naive and easily manipulated. What they get instead with their vote is a ruthless and damaged sociopath who doesn't even believe in God.
I signed up for this because I like Jude Law (Gattaca, Enemy at the Gates) but I'm
not sure if I'm going to stick with it. The Vatican sets are really great and the cinematography is very good, as is the acting, but there's a certain cynicism to the story and, being HBO, there's the nudity factor (Why I'm sick and tired of seeing naked women on HBO). I've just seen one episode so far - maybe it will improve.
There were quite a few articles at Commonweal by Matthew Sitman and Dominic Preziosi about the show when it first came out. I haven't read any of them but they might be more helpful on deciding if it's worth a watch. Here's a bit from their first article: Comparing Notes on 'The Young Pope': Episodes 1 through 4 ...
[N]o matter how compelling the idea of Jude Law as a pontiff who takes the name Pius XIII; who chain smokes, curses, and expresses contempt for the many faithful; who exhibits an undeniable swagger—all of which there’s a lot to be said for—I’m trying to figure out just who this is supposed to appeal to and where it’s supposed to land. I’m an adherent of the very conventional wisdom that all “quality TV” as now defined descends for better and worse from The Sopranos, and indeed we get some of that ground-breaker’s by-now familiar devices: pathologized protagonist; out-of-body episodes (panic attacks for Tony S., trance-like fugue states for Pius XIII); mundane workplace maneuvering punctuated by moments of scheming and interpersonal hostilities; troubling, unsettling narrative passages that may or may not be dreams. So far what’s missing is the food (and in Rome at that) ....
And here's a trailer ...
Friday, July 7, 2017
There's a new sheriff in town
My most recent rental from Netflix is The Young Pope, a 2016 HBO tv series starring Jude Law and Diane Keaton.
The plot has Law play an orphan (Lenny Belardo) raised by Sister Mary (Keaton), who eventually becomes a New York archbishop and then, out of the blue, the pope. The guys in the curia believe he will be naive and easily manipulated. What they get instead with their vote is a ruthless and damaged sociopath who doesn't even believe in God.
I signed up for this because I like Jude Law (Gattaca, Enemy at the Gates) but I'm
not sure if I'm going to stick with it. The Vatican sets are really great and the cinematography is very good, as is the acting, but there's a certain cynicism to the story and, being HBO, there's the nudity factor (Why I'm sick and tired of seeing naked women on HBO). I've just seen one episode so far - maybe it will improve.
There were quite a few articles at Commonweal by Matthew Sitman and Dominic Preziosi about the show when it first came out. I haven't read any of them but they might be more helpful on deciding if it's worth a watch. Here's a bit from their first article: Comparing Notes on 'The Young Pope': Episodes 1 through 4 ...
[N]o matter how compelling the idea of Jude Law as a pontiff who takes the name Pius XIII; who chain smokes, curses, and expresses contempt for the many faithful; who exhibits an undeniable swagger—all of which there’s a lot to be said for—I’m trying to figure out just who this is supposed to appeal to and where it’s supposed to land. I’m an adherent of the very conventional wisdom that all “quality TV” as now defined descends for better and worse from The Sopranos, and indeed we get some of that ground-breaker’s by-now familiar devices: pathologized protagonist; out-of-body episodes (panic attacks for Tony S., trance-like fugue states for Pius XIII); mundane workplace maneuvering punctuated by moments of scheming and interpersonal hostilities; troubling, unsettling narrative passages that may or may not be dreams. So far what’s missing is the food (and in Rome at that) ....
And here's a trailer ...
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Well let us know how you like it after you've seen more of it. I didn't think I could put up with the main character, reminds me too much of a former pastor that nearly wrecked the parish. He's no longer a priest, our town was his last assignment on the way out. I was like, don't let the door hit you in the back.
ReplyDeleteCrystal, is it your impression that they are pushing an ideological bias? Just reading about the series online I am seeing a lot of echoes; the choice of Pius XIII as the young pope's name. And "Sister Mary" sounds a lot like Pius XII's housekeeper, Sister Pascalina ("La Popessa"). Pius XIII sounds like rather an antihero, going to kick the joint into shape, but not a nice guy.
ReplyDeleteAnd I should add that I have no idea if Pius XII was a nice guy or not; I think the pope-as-personality thing is a more recent phenomenon.
DeleteKatherine, I've been reading more about it too and posted more about it at my blog. This is a short video of behind the scenes ... link.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching two more episodes,I think the series (only 10 episodes) is trying to be visually beautiful, shocking, and thought provoking. Jude Law plays a pope who is really conservative on doctrine - anti-abortion, anti-gay - but who himself doesn't really believe God exists. He's a very disturbed person because of his childhood, and I think by being so off the rails, he brings up questions about why things are the way they are at the Vatican, in the church, in the way we all try to be believers.
I don't know if he's based on a real past pope or existing church guy, but the person he kind of reminds me of is Trump ;)
Crystal, are you getting this off Netflix? When I search for it, it doesn't pop up. I have heard lots of discussions about this at work from Catholics and non. It seems to confuse everybody, but the talk about it is interesting!
ReplyDeleteYes, from Netflix. I still get the DVDs but maybe it can't be streamed? Can you see this page?
ReplyDeleteThanks. I see the page, but I only stream. Usually, the title comes up, though, and tells me I can get the DVD if I upgrade.
DeleteWhen streaming first started, my computer couldn't do it, so I stuck with the DVDs. But strangely I can stream stuff at Amazon. They have some stuff you can stream for free if you have Amazon Prime. Also stream stuff from network websites, like ABC. The internet is a wonderful thing :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I think Amazon makes sure it can stream on your phone, tablet, laptop, computer, or gas range if necessary.
ReplyDeleteI have a love-hate relationship with Amazon. I hate shopping, they've got everything, often it's cheaper, and if I order enough crap, they ship it free. Plus they process refunds even before the returns get back tomtheir warehouse.
On the other hand, they gyp workers and weasel out of charging sales tax in many areas.
It's like having an affair with someone you find attractive but are ashamed to tell anyone you're involved with.
I like Amazon a lot. For someone like me who can't drive, it's a lifesaver for shopping. I even was able to buy a lawnmower from them :)
ReplyDeleteAlso they allow people to check out e-books from the public library there for free, which is great for me who can't get to the library unless my sis takes me.
And I take a lot of Advil for pain and they sell a bottle of 300 pills, which coast $24 at my grocery store, for just $14 and free shipping.
Seems like the last time I bought something, they did charge tax.
I'm also a guilty user of Amazon. Here it's about the only alternative to Walmart or Walmart, unless I want to drive to Omaha. They do pay sales tax now. My main gripe is that they need to treat their employees better, like about every other major company, since we decided unions are so yesterday. I don't know that Amazon is that much worse than traditional mail order for unfair competition against local stores. When I was a kid we used Montgomery Ward a lot.
ReplyDeleteLast I heard, Amazon had to pay state tax in states where it had a physical warehouse, per outdated laws that defined a physical presence in a state as having a building. Law needs to catch up.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, all of us are responsible for paying state tax on stuff we buy on line. But most of us are not that good at citizenship.