Mozart in the Jungle

primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
edited February 2015 in Movies & TV


Most people who know me know that I don't go in for television shows. Of course, as we get deeper into the 21st century, the line between "movie" and "show" is starting to blur quite a bit, but I can name on one hand shows that I've actually seen the full run of:

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Legend of Korra
Firefly

There we have it. That's the television I've watched as an adult. I just don't get into TV. I've caught passing glimpses of shows that my roommates and wife watch (Sherlock Bumberdumb, Doctor Bleh, Dowdy Abbey, American Horror Boring, CSI: The Same Thing Over and Over), and they're all just crap. The acting is flat, the scripts are formulaic and filled with tropes, and they don't interest me at all.

I saw a tweet from @SylvieBarak that mentioned this show "Mozart in the Jungle" that mentioned a hot chick, so of course I went looking and found it on Amazon Prime. It's an original series from Amazon because that's what you do now. The premise seemed interesting: a show based around the seedy underside of a major metropolitan orchestra (The NY Symphony Orchestra in this case), and that purported to show the orchestra members as real characters rather than stuffy people in suits.

I have Prime, and I was bored and doing something else, so I clicked the first episode. It wasn't mind-blowing but it was compelling enough to watch the second. By the time I was four episodes in, I was pretty much hooked.

The thing that drew me in was that the acting is superb. Really, this could have been a feature-length film. Even with the episodic format, they're not formulaic and are instead just chunks of the continuing story (I guess that's why I like those other three shows I've watched). The acting is fantastic and the story is character-driven, and that's very important to me. While a few of the characters are one-dimensional (after all, this is about a whole symphony orchestra and therefore you cannot have a character drama about 100 different people), the main characters are surprisingly deep and interesting. Since this is a TV-MA rating, it means they can be real adults rather than a sanitized version for television.

At any rate, if you have Prime and a spare 300 minutes, I heartily recommend the first season of Mozart in the Jungle.

ChoochPirateNinjaLinc

Comments

  • AnnesAnnes Tripped Up by Libidos and Hubris Alexandria, VA Icrontian

    Welp, guess I know what's coming after Twin Peaks.

  • PirateNinjaPirateNinja Icrontian

    I absolutely agree, this show is fantastic.

  • KarmaKarma Likes yoga Icrontian

    @Annes said:
    Welp, guess I know what's coming after Twin Peaks.

    If you make it all the way through season 2 of TP I'll make you a certificate or some shit.

  • AnnesAnnes Tripped Up by Libidos and Hubris Alexandria, VA Icrontian

    @Karma said:

    No shit. I'm only on episode 4 of season 2 and it has just gone off the rails. They have also cast too many brunette white dudes who look alike and I sometimes forget who some of them are. I think if a certificate is on the line I may persevere.

  • AnnesAnnes Tripped Up by Libidos and Hubris Alexandria, VA Icrontian

    GOOD LORD WHAT IS GOING ON, TWIN PEAKS. (s02e07)

  • KarmaKarma Likes yoga Icrontian

    @Annes said:
    GOOD LORD WHAT IS GOING ON, TWIN PEAKS. (s02e07)

    Honestly I just stopped trying to figure out what was going on.

  • doabarrellrolldoabarrellroll San Jose, CA Icrontian

    You can sum up the drama in an orchestra pretty easily:

    Strings
    Violins: Cut-throat competition with no mercy.
    Violas: Entitled cut-throat competition.
    Cellos: God's gift to music between their legs.
    Basses: Don't care, still debating on French versus German bows.

    Woodwinds
    Flutes: Expect people to hear me despite only ever whispering.
    Oboes: IDGAF unless I have the melody.
    Clarinets: Comparing their tattoos of the opening glissando from Rhapsody in Blue.
    Bassoons: Have no life, spending it all making reeds.

    Brass
    Trumpets: Our notes are the word of God, also terrible kissers.
    Trombones: Dick jokes and counting rests. Excellent kissers.
    Horns: Wagner or forget it.
    Tuba: Basically the Bass section summed up in 1 person.

    Percussion
    1,2,3,4; 2,2,3,4; 3,2,3,4...

    All in all, it sounds like it would make great TV.

    primesuspectGnomeQueenmalia
  • AlexDeGruvenAlexDeGruven Wut? Meechigan Icrontian

    @doabarrellroll said:
    You can sum up the drama in an orchestra pretty easily:

    Clarinets: Comparing their tattoos of the opening glissando from Rhapsody in Blue.

    Actually lol'd at this.

    doabarrellroll
  • doabarrellrolldoabarrellroll San Jose, CA Icrontian

    @AlexDeGruven said:
    Actually lol'd at this.

    I've had professional clarinet player friends walk out of performances of that because they didn't like the opening. LOL

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian

    Renewed for a second season :)

    ZanthianAnnes
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian

    Season two is out :)

    Annes
  • AnnesAnnes Tripped Up by Libidos and Hubris Alexandria, VA Icrontian

    I cannot figure out why Amazon doesn't seem to be marketing this to me. They know I watched the whole first season. Why is it not front and center?

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian

    Agreed. I have not seen a trailer or anything for it. Anywhere. I heard about it on Twitter from a friend. wtf.

  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited January 2016

    I have never watched, searched, or even googled for this show....

  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian

    So subtle, it only advertises to people who don't care.

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