*not including the price of HBO

If you read this site frequently, you probably know by now that I’m a bit of a documentary junkie, which is probably why HBO has been sending me screeners of their Documentary Films Summer Series.  It’s just one of the MANY ways I impress the ladies down at my local tavern.  (*uses alternating pectoral flexes to spell out ‘LET’S BONE’ in Morse Code*).  Tonight the series kicks off with Bobby Fischer Against the world at 9 pm ET/PT.

Directed by Liz Garbus, Bobby Fischer Against the World uses interviews and stock footage to tell the story of the world’s most famous chess player, his Rocky IV-like matches against his Russian counterpart, Boris Spassky in 1972, and his gradual descent into paranoid, anti-Semitic, A-holishness.  I’m not going to pretend it isn’t a mostly-talking-head documentary on the subject of chess, but the relationship between genius and insanity remains endlessly compelling.  And the cool thing about watching documentaries on HBO is that you can DVR them and you don’t have to watch it all in one sitting (you know, unless you’re poor and you don’t have DVR like a godd*mned caveman).  Probably my favorite scene in the film is Bobby Fischer’s last press conference, in 2005 in Iceland a country that had sprung him from jail in Tokyo, welcomed him as a citizen, and given him a hero’s welcome, even after his rambling diatribes and wild conspiracy theories about 9/11, Garry Kasparov, and everything else.  At one point in the press conference, Fischer confronts reporter Jeremy Schaap, whose father, Dick Schaap, had apparently once written an article saying Fischer “didn’t have a sane bone in his body.”  Fischer explains to a room full of nervously chuckling press how Schaap (the elder) had befriended him, acting as a father figure, and then, “like a typical Jewish snake,” turned around and written a nasty article (it should be noted that Fischer’s parents were both Jewish).  Schaap (the younger) interjects, saying he hadn’t read his father’s article, but “honestly, I don’t know that you’ve done much here today to disprove anything that he said.”

What follows is one of the longest periods of extended silence (broken only by the shutter snaps in the background) you’ve ever heard.  It is glorious. Anyway, it’s a little slow at times and could perhaps be more focused, but if you like documentaries about troubled Jewish chess champions who slowly turn crazy, paranoid, and anti-Semitic, you’ll love Bobby Fischer Against the World.

I’ve got the first episode of Flight of the Conchords’ new season available for free after the jump, even though it won’t be on TV until January 18th.  I’m just really f-cking cool like that.  If you’ve never seen Flight of the Conchords, it’s an HBO show about the New Zealand singing sensation… uh, Flight of Conchords.  Think Tenacious D, but skinnier and much, much drier.  HBO has a pretty good track record when it comes to breaking new comedies – Ali G, Summer Heights High… pretty much everything except Little Britain, which makes me want to self-immolate.  Hey, England, you can have Tracey Ullman back too.  Anyway, check it out.  And if your boss gives you any shit, just tell her* to f-ck off.  It’s December.  Nobody works in December.
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As far as HBO shows go, True Blood can blow me, but Rome was awesome.  And now Rome‘s creator, Bruno Heller, wants to do a movie version. Via THR:

“There is talk of doing a movie version,” he said. “It’s moving along. It’s not there until it is there. I would love to round that show off.”

Heller would not discuss plot ideas, but the original series outline next called for the hedonistic Roman leaders to deal with the rise of a certain problematic rabbi [Schloimo Nussbaum? Who is it?  Why must you play coy with me, Hollywood Reporter?]

The lavish period drama ran for two seasons on HBO, which co-produced the series with the BBC. With the final season of “The Sopranos” as its lead-in, the first season was solidly rated, but high production costs presented the network with a tough call on the pickup. HBO opted for a second season to help get more value from its initial investment but not a third, effectively canceling the show in summer 2006 before the second season debuted the following January. The “Rome” sets were destroyed, and the actors were released from their contracts, making the decision all but irreversible.

HBO executives have since admitted that axing the show probably was a mistake.

I hope it happens.  Rome was great because it was faithful to the source material.  It didn’t pull any of that Bruckheimer crap and turn an awesome historical period into some gay halloween dance party.  95% of that show was bare tits, incest, and sword fighting.  Pretty much like Thanksgiving at my house (but with less BMX stunts).

The movie news out there today is pretty boring, so instead I’m giving a free plug to a new HBO show, Summer Heights High.  It’s kind of like the Australian version of a Christopher Guest movie, and the three main characters are all played by Aussie comedian Chris Lilley.  It can be slow at times, but it’s all worth it for his portrayal of Tongan gangster wannabe kid Jonah Takalua.  He absolutely nails it.  I used to substitute teach middle schoolers and I swear to God there was a kid exactly like this in every class.
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