The Front Line: Oscar Isaac is one of those actors with star quality—you know it when you see it. He’s good looking but not blindingly so and his presence (especially in A Most Violent Year) reminds me of a young Al Pacino. With more promising projects to come (albeit in blockbuster-scale films such as X-Men: Apocalypse and Star Wars: The Force Awakens) his fan base will not be esoteric any longer.
The Plot: Before venturing into those big budget movies, Isaac can now be seen in HBO as the main protagonist in Paul Haggis (Crash) latest directorial outings, Show Me a Hero, executive produced and written by David Simon of The Wire fame. It's a specifically American saga about a newly-elected mayor, Nick Wasicsko (Isaac), who is thrust into the political spotlight when he's given the responsibility of building affordable apartments. Wealthy—and mostly white—residents whose areas are targeted for the buildings are outrage due to their unwillingness to have their family home despoiled by possible criminal activities that comes from the people living in said apartments. And the politicians are divided whether to side with the people or with the law. (You see, the federal government already mandated the construction of the buildings.)
The Great: Set in 1987, the first two episodes of Show Me a Hero promises great diverse stories (accompanied with great 80s tracks such as Bruce Springsteen's Hungry Heart) since it doesn’t only portray the politicians behind closed doors, but also from the point of view of the working-class people, both from the residential area and the apartments. This is where Simon’s handprint can be deeply felt since these slivers of scenes involving low income apartment dwellers (as well as gang members) are characteristically similar to his previous HBO hit, The Wire.
Though some scenes do not flow fluidly (minor characters appeared briefly to provide backstory and then moved on to the bigger story) but that’s minor due to the variety of characters involved, which includes veterans Winona Ryder and Jim Belushi, but I’m pretty sure the structure will settle in upcoming episodes. And, yes, this is just the warm up of Oscar Isaac’s career.
Watch Show Me a Hero on HBO Monday morning at 8PM.
The Plot: Before venturing into those big budget movies, Isaac can now be seen in HBO as the main protagonist in Paul Haggis (Crash) latest directorial outings, Show Me a Hero, executive produced and written by David Simon of The Wire fame. It's a specifically American saga about a newly-elected mayor, Nick Wasicsko (Isaac), who is thrust into the political spotlight when he's given the responsibility of building affordable apartments. Wealthy—and mostly white—residents whose areas are targeted for the buildings are outrage due to their unwillingness to have their family home despoiled by possible criminal activities that comes from the people living in said apartments. And the politicians are divided whether to side with the people or with the law. (You see, the federal government already mandated the construction of the buildings.)
The Great: Set in 1987, the first two episodes of Show Me a Hero promises great diverse stories (accompanied with great 80s tracks such as Bruce Springsteen's Hungry Heart) since it doesn’t only portray the politicians behind closed doors, but also from the point of view of the working-class people, both from the residential area and the apartments. This is where Simon’s handprint can be deeply felt since these slivers of scenes involving low income apartment dwellers (as well as gang members) are characteristically similar to his previous HBO hit, The Wire.
Though some scenes do not flow fluidly (minor characters appeared briefly to provide backstory and then moved on to the bigger story) but that’s minor due to the variety of characters involved, which includes veterans Winona Ryder and Jim Belushi, but I’m pretty sure the structure will settle in upcoming episodes. And, yes, this is just the warm up of Oscar Isaac’s career.
Watch Show Me a Hero on HBO Monday morning at 8PM.