It’s with this in mind that DailyHelping climbs onto the proverbial soapbox, several years late, to proclaim the greatness of HBO’s much-lauded series, “The Wire”.

The Wire premiered on June 2, 2002 and ended on March 9, 2008.  This amounted to 60 sixty episodes over five seasons. The show never saw the  water cooler popularity of Sex in the City or The Sopranos or won any major television awards, and yet is considered by long-time television critics as the greatest  television series ever produced. The Wire has been off the air for roughly two years and is still the focus of fan sites and college course work where the show is considered a realistic portrayal of urban life in America.

The series has been out in DVD compilations for better than a year now and is available for rental at almost all independent DVD vendors and through Netflix.  Allow us to repeat what was said above…one more time.

Considered by many long time television critics as the greatest television series of all time.

The show has a very large, incredibly talented, for the most part unknown cast.  The stellar corp of writers were unafraid of complex and unorthodox plot lines and at times, undecipherable jargon. This is the true “reality show”.

Go to Netflix or Google “The Wire” and read a little about the show. Treat yourself to watching the first three or four episodes. In no time you’ll be hooked and experiencing an entertainment experience that will stay with you long after watching that final episode.

Here is a terrific article that compares The Wire to The Sopranos in a debate as to which is truly the best.  Surprisingly the DailyHelping, which has long been a huge fan of the Sopranos, accepts The Wire as the best of the best.

There are plenty of cynical fans of cinema who complain that “Hollywood” doesn’t have any creativity left and that the same old formulas are being regurgitated and repackaged and the fans will still come.  How much of a risk is it to fund an exact copy of a movie that grossed 70 Million dollars ten years ago. With the way marketing has become more sophisticated and effective, it’s a safe bet that something like “Friday the Thirteenth” can mine that franchise without having to worry about a new plot or characters.

There’s a flood of remakes off the horizon and it’s my duty to let you know what lay ahead. It’s also good to know that there are a few remakes that can sometimes outshine the originals. These can prove to be viable Netflix rentals.

What’s Coming?

Conan the Barbarian. Don’t expect the Governor of California to reprise his classic comic book warrior role.  The guys who wrote the uninspired Sahara are at work on the script.

Death Wish. This was the movie that was synonymous with Charles Bronson. (I believe Jeff Goldblum was one of the uncredited rapists). Sylvester Stallone is going to take this one on and make it his own. He’s going to star, write the script and direct.

Tron. There’s already been some viral buzz about this project and it involves some of the original cast. This was all about a game developer getting sucked into the program and he must compete with the Master Controller in the “game grid”. The special effects for the time were what made this “The Matrix” before we had any sense of what computer gaming can do.  Are we going to see someone propelled into Grand Theft Auto 2?

The Birds.  Gus Van Zandt re-made Hitchcock’s Psycho and critics and fans were united in their asking: why? There are some movies that resonate because of their age. The original movie is just perfect for it’s use of live birds and the simplicity of it’s Bodega Bay locale.   I can’t help but feel this is a big mistake.

The Warriors.  I loved the original, though it’s not as edgy as it was thirty years ago. Back then, when the movie first came out there were gang fights breaking out in the theaters which only helped promote the movie at the time.  My sense is that with an updating of this movie there may be some glamorization of the various gangs…like in the first film.  Let’s just say more harm than good can come from this little project.

Meatballs. An 80’s camp comedy that had Bill Murray to it’s benefit.  Sounds like something that will have a non-rated version already lined up for it’s DVD release.

The Dirty Dozen.  This is a concept that’s recycled over and over. The only thing that separates the Dirty Dozen from Finding Private Ryan are a few criminal records.  This could be fun, depending on the cast.  Then again, it could turn out just like Tropic Thunder.

The Taking of Pelham 123. This was an edgy crime drama from the 70’s. It starred Walter Matthau. (It’s said that Tarantino drew inspiration for Reservoir Dogs from this picture).  The new version stars John Travolta, Denzel Washington and James Gandolfini as the mayor of New York.

Also look for: Dune, Fahrenheit 451,  Westworld, Porky’s (with Howard Stern), Logan’s Run and The Thing.

Hearing that The Thing is going to be re-made again is disappointing. I thought the remake by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell qualified as a horror classic. The special effects and fantastic supporting cast make this an excellent rental.

Another Horror remake that I think improved on the original is The Fly, by David Cronenberg. (Another director I consider at the top of his game).  This is a typically gruesome movie for Cronenberg but the decaying humanity that changed Jeff Goldblum to the monster made this movie very special.

Other remakes I enjoyed over the originals: Cape Fear, Vanilla Sky (which was originally called, “Open Your Eyes”, Payback (probably my favorite Mel Gibson movie, an excellent rental), and The Departed.

NSFW ahead....

As much as I like discussing prime time television and sharing a spy novel or two…there are also going to be times when the Daily Helping opts for gratuitous nudity.  Again, this may alienate a certain demographic, but I’m open to all suggestions as far as content goes.  If there are readers out there who are more inclined to ogle Viggo Mortensen than Penelope Cruz, then I’ll be certain to make sure you get your needs met; and keep it interesting for everyone else, I hope.

For now I’m going to share two online clips from a little known movie from the UK called, Cashback (2006).  It’s something you can find at Netflix, both to watch online or rent.

Cashback is a unique movie in that it’s got more nudity than you would expect from a British romantic comedy. You may actually get away with watching Cashback with your significant other and not be entirely uncomfortable, as opposed to say watching an episode of Californication. There’s  a clever little plot,  it’s kinda funny and the acting is reasonably good.

A young art student deals with a broken heart and his insomnia by working the graveyard shift at a supermarket. It’s there, as time drags on, that he discovers an ability to freeze time.  Think about what you would do if you could freeze time.

Exactly.

There’s a sweet romantic thread to the story and the  a few monologues where the hero explains why he’s so enthralled by women and their bodies.  These two clips  are from a flashback,  when he reflects on his early appreciation of the female form.

Take a look here…and then here.

By the way, the young actress in this scene is British model, Hayley-Marie Coppin.

I tend to find things a bit after they’ve hit their peak.  I discovered Three Dog Night three years after they broke up the band.  I discovered tequila in my 30’s and most will agree that’s like learning to roller blade when you’re in your 40’s.  With that said, my hope is to share some quality entertainment with you, fair reader, and trust you will reply back in kind.  Word of mouth led me to that album by The Killers,  Hot Fuss.  It lead me to Deadwood (RIP) and to Slumdog Millionaire.

My first recommendation can be found and played for free if you have Netflix. (Netflix doesn’t advertise here, but I’m going to refer to this fine company quite often.  It’s a service that I treat like a utility and it continuously impresses me).  Netflix allows its members an opportunity to watch films and television programs immediately on their computer.  This doesn’t work for everyone. They need a bigger screen and so all the power to them.  Whether it’s on your computer or in the comfort of your own home; I’m strongly recommending you check out the BBC mini-series, Jekyll. It was originally shown in the summer of ‘07.  There are only six episodes, each about an hour long.

I have no idea how popular this was when it was first broadcast, but I can assure you that it’s very engrossing and should satisfy fans of the Jekyll/Hyde myth. This is not a re-telling of the Robert Louis Stevenson story, but rather a continuation filled with sex, violence and enough conspiracy to please all those Prisoner or X-File fans.

I don’t want to say too much about this program because there’s a great benefit to coming into the show cold.  The performances are wonderful and this is one of those times when the monster is smarter than the guys looking to catch him. How refreshing.