TinsHeadline Touches You

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Scott_Mercer Glad to see that Eric Jonrush's "The Spoils of Babylon" has finally gotten out to the wider public. Sure, it's been available for years on the collectors' circuit, on shabby VHS dubs from shady dealers at shadier fan conventions, but now, finally, it can be seen in its original fidelity and quality.Which really isn't that much better.There's a reason why certain projects get released, and others remain on the shelf, whether that shelf be in an air-conditioned film vault in a major movie studio or in a pawn shop. SOB is a case in point. And apparently, Eric Jonrush has reached that point; desperate, pining for former glories. A sad, obese old man draped in tent-like garb, swilling mid-priced wine and flirting with waitresses one-third his age. We see this much in the recorded introductions to the episodes of this mini-series.I actually had not ever bothered to track down any of those low fidelity bootleg tape versions, usually made from a single, unauthorized broadcast on an Indonesian cable channel in 1987. But, I must admit, I was curious.Though I had not read any of Jonrush's source novels, I had seen several of his potboiler films. Those were all much better than SOB.I frankly wallowed in the cheesiness of "The Barbarian Hordes," his Roman A Clef expose of his time working in the advertising industry on Madison Avenue, in retrospect an amazing precursor to "Mad Men." TBH had the distinct advantage of being written by a direct eyewitness, but the distinct disadvantage of being written without any talent. It's a nutty conflation of The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit, Darren Stephens from Bewitched, and the worst parts of The Fountainhead, without any of Ayn Rand's subtlety. And, yes, lots of sex scenes thrown in.I stood in awe of his most widely seen film, "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of," the sweeping, star-studded epic about the early days of the Hollywood studio system. Most famous for its bizarre casting of then current stars playing stars of the past. (Kate Jackson as Mary Pickford! Tom Selleck as Charlie Chaplin!) I spent weeks trying to puzzle out the complicated wonders of "The Aubergine Conundrum," his police/spy/detective/murder mystery/courtroom drama: equal parts Perry Mason, The Maltese Falcon, and Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.But those productions had notable advantages over SOB: they were produced by major studios and had decent budgets behind them. Though SOB (the novel) did show up on the bestseller lists, it wasn't the kind of runaway hit that has Hollywood beating down a writer's door. And with only three television networks at that time, the available slots filled up fast, especially for tent-pole productions like sweeping, multi-part epics.Jonrush, seething to get SOB made, could not take the rejection and put up his own money to complete the production. His caviar tastes and baloney budget forced him to cast little known actors, including his then-wife, Laureigha Samcake, and low profile soap opera hunk Dirk Snowfield. Samcake is way out of her depth, but she tries her best. She's even out-acted by the mannequin playing Lady Anne. Yes, in one case, Jonrush's limited budget meant that for one role, he could not afford to hire an actress, only a voice over artist. Only Samcake's endless fashion parade of ever-changing wigs keeps her afloat. Snowfield is not much better, with his accent that wanders more than Jack Kerouac and his Bob Dylan hairpiece. The decision to use scale models for sets rather than stock footage is a curious one, especially when it is discovered that a crew of Old World craftsmen was flown in especially from Switzerland to construct each model by hand out of thousands of matchsticks, which Jonrush paid for in Krugerands.Believe it or not, the writing is actually the least awful thing about SOB. After a while I started getting into the story and the relationships between the characters. Would Devin wrest control of Morehouse Conglomerated from Cynthia? Would that little twerp Winston get what was coming to him? So many questions, and so little wine to find the answers.Why doesn't anyone try to film romance novels anymore? Here you have the response to that query, in full color. Advisable for Jonrush completists only.

javier rós Yeah, after watching the first three episodes of The Spoils of Babylon all I have to say is: I just don't get it. I don't get why there are so many negative reviews, to which, in my consideration, is one of the most interesting comedies this season. There are many factors which makes this, besides of a pretty hilarious sitcom, an amazing work that flirts with films and art on behalf of the most bizarre form of parody.First, we're introduced to the false premise of an old writer whose finally gotten to release the TV adaptation of his novels, The Spoils of Babylon. Of course, as it's expected, the writing is not always something as good as it could be, which generates some pretty hilarious scenes in which all logic is questioned, mixed with the chaotic film techniques that the director (and also producer, writer, etc) decides to apply given his moods and whatever he feels suits the current mood of the scene, it proves to be a recipe for disaster. However, which makes more interesting is that there's actually some character development through all this non-sense, a story which plot, if rather weird, could only get better from the low point it begun. If you enjoyed, like me, great series like the Mighty Boosh or the never ending parodies in Saturday Night Live, you'll probably love this.

BlueCollarGoddess That's all. Just stunned at the stupid. No, wait -- allow me to express my dismay, my crushed hopes and dreams, my abandoned faith. A stellar cast that must have lost a bet, or was somehow blackmailed into doing a Saturday Night Live skit that forgot it was a skit and went on. And on. And on. And on. And you are forced to sit through it because, well ... because there are incredible celebrities with amazing talent and something has to happen that is genuinely funny. Right?I will admit to a hearty chuckle at the beginning. The first couple of minutes. I am embarrassed to admit that I watched two full episodes. What is that? 40 minutes without the commercials? I will never get that time back. In fact, this is the first review I have ever written for a television show, and I'm pretty certain I am doing it to prove to myself that the 30 IQ points I lost while watching can somehow be regained by engaging in an attempt to articulate my dissatisfaction, my bewilderment and disappointment. Unless that's the point? Was that it? Are we supposed to be dumbfounded and confused by the stupid? That has to be it. That's the only logical interpretation of this I can come up with.------------------------------- UPDATE: (following day) Perhaps I was a little harsh. In retrospect, and because I can't stop thinking about it, and Will Ferrell is a genius (seriously, have you ever seen the short "The Landlord"?) -- I began to consider certain elements of the entire spectacle. I don't want to give away important details but I began laughing. Just sitting here at my desk, in between work, I was busting up. And that means this is genuine comedy that works. I don't know who is more ridiculous now. Me? It? Them? The mannequin? The compass? Tobey Maguire creating his own sound effects in a fighter plane? The tiny sets made out of epic plastic toys from -- presumably -- old train kits? Okay, Will Ferrell. You win, again. This is a wreck I have to keep watching. Darn it.

kcninesling Totally unfunny vanity project for the absolutely untalented Will Ferrell. If this is supposed to be a send-up of the mini-series craze of the 1970s and 1980s, it's about two decades too late. Cartoonish, silly, downright predictable. I watched the first two episodes in order to give it a chance, in hopes that it would develop, but, it got worse as it went on. Seems that they ran out of ideas about mid-way through the second segment. I came to ask myself, "Why am I watching this? I could be doing something much more entertaining, like doing the dishes or cleaning out the catbox." You'd think with all the money Tobey Maguire makes that he'd spring for a bottle of shampoo. Sad to see someone like Tim Robbins reduced to appearing in a piece of dreck like this. And, the rest the cast? Well, a cadre of has-beens and never-was. What passes for funny among present generation television producers, directors, writers and audiences is pretty sad.