André Holland (of The Knick, which I dug) reads from David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King. (Via Matt Bucher).
André Holland Reads from David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King
André Holland (of The Knick, which I dug) reads from David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King. (Via Matt Bucher).
Biblioklept 
So The Knick is worth it?
Did you see Olive Kitteridge yet? It’s fucking fantastic.
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I’ve watched the first 3 eps of OK—it’s really well-acted and the script is good, and I will watch the last ep tonight or tomorrow tonight—-the depression angle I get/is well-done—but I think my ultimate lack of enthusiasm (which is weirdly knotted up in my love of both Frances McD and Dick Jenkins) comes down to genre here—-the domestic drama doesn’t intrigue me, no matter how good the dialogue and acting and lighting and directing is. OK is really really good, but it doesn’t zap me in the way that The Knick does—which I think is about genre. I just enjoy the genre more—by which I mean the era depiction + drug story + maniacal genius story.
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Interesting perspective–I don’t necessarily disagree re: domestic/relationship dramas. I was actually surprised how much I liked that in OK; it usually leaves me cold.
Tell me: are you zapped by The Knick more for stylistic reasons, or are the scripts as good as OK (or, say, another great show like Top of the Lake)? I heard some critics characterize The Knick as vapid and that it’s all style and no substance, so if you say that that’s bullshit and there’s more to it–I’m in. The trailer was certainly intriguing.
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I can’t really parse substance from style—style is the substance of any aesthetic medium, for me. The most highly-achieved works synthesize or balance or integrate their substances into a style that we can see as superior/strange/strong/etc. The Knick is not especially original, but I don’t think it’s trying to be. The music and photography and acting are all very strong, and the tone is consistent. It’s basically an historical medical procedure piece with high production values. Nothing transcendent or even haunting, but I liked it.
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