Thursday Movie Picks Television Edition: Journalism

Having to list something based on a theme you yourself recommended (journalism of course) is ironic. I’m was excited about journalism at the end of 2019 because I work in journalism. Also when I recommended this theme I had just seen one of my recommendations! Now many months later the plan I had has escaped me and now I don’t know what I was thinking. Anyway, here’s my three not so theme within theme recommendations. There is a bit of a connection in here but it took ma AGES to figure out!

3. THE MORNING SHOW (2019 – …)

So first up we have one of my favourites, The Morning Show. This one focuses on the TV journalism side as will the next pick. It focuses on a morning show that is in the midst of a scandal. The show took a very important topic and handled it with grace. The Morning Show takes its time, as do these sexual harassment cases in general. So give it time, allow it to show you how different people handle these kinds of things and allow yourself to be utterly impressed with the acting. Billy Crudup won an Emmy for his role and he is truly one of my favourites here. He walks the line between hero and villain and does it brilliantly. We also have Marcia Gay Harden here who takes us straight into the next show!

2. THE NEWSROOM (2012 – 2014)

Also one great TV journalism show and we again have Marcia Gay Harden in the mix. As you can see it’s sort of like playing connect the dots with this weeks shows. The Newsroom was created by Aaron Sorkin and to be honest, I think it changed television a lot. It was fast paced, had a lot of dialog, didn’t miss a beat and took on really big topics. The cast was top notch, big hitters left and right. Olivia Munn actually is a stand out here for me because I remember being utterly impressed by her in here. She truly shines if given the right material. And although I would have loved to continue with Harden I will need to go with Chris Messina instead. Messine is here in The Newsroom but also there, in the next pick.

1. SHARP OBJECTS (2018)

We have a recommendation I have yet to see (yes, I’m sorry, it’s on my list and I might start soon) but we have Chris Messina here. So it all sort of connected. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a big deal if I didn’t do this second layer of themes or whatever but it’s become my thing. Let me have it. And although I haven’t seen Sharp Objects let me just take a moment to say that I know I’ll love it anyway. There’s Amy Adams but also Eliza Scanlen who has been popping up everywhere. And even though I’ve yet to see her performance here, I know I’ll be totally blown away by her. That’s how much I’ve come to like her this year.

THIS SERIES IS CREATED BY WANDERING THROUGH THE SHELVES

mettelray

September 24, 2020

Thursday Movie Picks

Aaron Sorkin, Amy Adams, Billy Crudup, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Jennifer Aniston, Journalism, Marcia Gay Harden, Reese Witherspoon, Sharp Objects, The Morning Show, Thursday Movie Picks, Thursday Movie Picks Television Edition, TMP

5 responses to “Thursday Movie Picks Television Edition: Journalism”

Joel

September 24, 2020 at 10:05 pm

I’m intrigued by the first two but the only parts I’ve seen of The Newsroom were clips of Jane Fonda being all badass as only she can be as Leona. Both are on networks I can’t access however so watching on the regular is out.
I like Chris Messina but with that Adams woman attached I’ll never watch Sharp Objects. They all work very well though.

Journalism as a trade is pretty widespread on television so that made it easier this week. Unfortunately our real life journalists are being assailed at the moment by our criminal of a president. I found three (two interrelated) that look at different aspects of journalism-magazine, TV and newspaper. They all had distinctive opens as well which sort of ties them all together.

The Name of the Game (1968-1971)-Publisher Glenn Howard (Gene Barry), “People” magazine reporter Jeff Dillon (Anthony Franciosa) (before that publication existed) and editor of “Crime” Dan Farrell (Robert Stack) all work for magazine giant Howard Publications. Described as a “wheel” show at the time with the three main leads in rotating stories that dealt with everything from industrial espionage to fanatical hippies committing mass suicide to corruption in sports and everything in between. Though the men very occasionally appeared in one of the others episodes they were all tied together by Peggy Maxwell (Susan Saint James) the editorial assistant to each man. In the opening credits each star’s name would appear in small type and multiply until forming a portrait of each.

Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977)-For seven seasons Mary Tyler Moore turned the world on with her smile as the independent and single (a rarity at the time) Mary Richards, associate producer at WJM News in Minneapolis. She works for the gruff but good-hearted Lou Grant (Edward Asner) along with head writer Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod), dim bulb anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) and two faced “Happy Homemaker” Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White). Outside the newsroom she had a cozy efficiency apartment where best friend Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) and dizzy landlady Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman) frequently popped in for chats and humor. Similar to the first show the star’s name appears as a single line in the credits before multiplying as the iconic theme song plays. You would need a truck for all the awards the show won.

Lou Grant (1977-1982)-After nearly the entire staff is fired from WJM Executive Producer Lou (Edward Asner) relocates to L.A. to become city editor for the Los Angeles Tribune newspaper. Aided by reporters Joe Rossi (Robert Walden) and Billie Newman (Linda Kelsey) and overseen by publisher Margaret Jones Pynchon (Nancy Marchand) they pursue topical stories each week. One of the rare shows where a character from a comedic show transferred to a dramatic one successfully (Asner won Emmys for both Best Dramatic Actor and Best Supporting Actor in a comedy). The show won 13 Emmys in total. The opening credits show the life cycle of a newspaper from a tree being felled through printing, delivery and finally a piece of it being used to line a canary’s cage!

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Allie

September 24, 2020 at 10:40 pm

Ooh yes you’re the expert this week! I don’t watch nearly as much TV as I’d like to but Sharp Objects is something I really, really want to see.

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Brittani

September 25, 2020 at 2:43 pm

I love these shows! I think season 2 of The Newsroom is underrated. I remember they got a bit of flack for making up that Genoa story line but I still think Red Team III is one of the best episodes of TV period.

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sati

September 26, 2020 at 2:42 pm

omg girl watch Sharp Objects!

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Wandering through the Shelves

October 2, 2020 at 12:02 am

Yes you need to get to Sharp Objects. You know it’s only after I seen it that I remember that Amy Adams and Chris Messina were costars in Julie & Julia too,

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