The Hollowmen S01E04 WS PDTV XviD-BiA

thanks!

i love this show!

can't say i agree. i gave it a shot but find it lacks nuance, subtlety and wit.
whoever put this together doesn't have input from intelligent real people
working in real government that would make it comparable to great british
counterparts like yes minister or house of cards. from the sets to the dialogue,
this show doesn't measure up. for example, the sets for senior government staff
look like they were hobbled together from cheap office supply places. most
senior gov't staff, including the pm work in plush surroundings, not dodgy
cubicles and cheesy looking boardrooms. bureaucrats and politicians (in real
life) spend money on themselves. this does not show. also, much of the dialogue
is hackneyed as if they feel they have to explain the joke they are telling.
it's an insult to the viewer and left me really bored.

what viewers who like it apparently fail to realize is that there are keenly
intelligent people in government who recognize the stupidity of the
bureaucracies they work for. this is the intelligence the producers should be
tapping, not their limited imaginations.

i think your taking it too seriously, it's just a little australian series to
keep us all busy until the big boys of wit/comedy come back like the office,
scrubs, dexter and in some cases kitchen nightmares!

its good for what it is, a simple dry witted comedy for australian viewers and
the internet community who can't be bothered watching american chopper until
september!

on the contrary mate, i'm responding to those who think this is a high quality
show like the office et al.

also, the show obviously takes itself seriously (as per what it's trying to
achieve. unfortunately, not seriously enough to actually achieve it).

anyhoo, at least we have mad men, and real time returns next week.

barbell, do you know much about australia, australians, or australian politics?
are you basing your opinion on your understanding of another nation?

also - i find it interesting that you compare it to the office. the
writers/producers of the hollowmen created a show called frontline in the early
90's. it was way ahead of its time, cinema veritae style, comparable to the
brilliance of the office. watch the first few episodes of the office again and
the exchanges are just as pointed as hollowmen.

most australian polticians do not look at all to spend money on themselves, and
many are not, as you so eloquently phrased it: 'intelligent real people'.

i'll admit that hollow is still finding its feet, but i think you might be
missing the point.

wow!!!

all this because someone said thanks i love this show.

why is it that some people think that their opinion is the only one thats
valid. personally, i'm an aussie and i think this show is great fun. a
lighthearted poke at the pollies and civil servants.

as piedle said this is the mob (working dog productions) that
created "frontline" but they were also behind films like "the castle" and "the
dish". they are also the central core of what was considered a groud breaking
comedy group called "the d generation". they have a habit of creating
something different rather than following everone else.

as no one's bothered to mention it there is a slight glitch at 8:06 with two
seconds of sound loss.

on the other matter:

ok so it's caricature rather than biting satire and, as such, isn't going to
change the world, but not everything has to.

i thought it was a bit of a giggle although, strangely enough, i won't be using
this as the yardstick with which i measure all things australian.

that's what "neighbours" is for.

the sets were created from the blueprints of the pm's offices so this is exactly
what the pm's staff work in. the pm's personal office never features on the show.

thanks. this show is quality. episode 1 was a bit thin but 2 and 3 were
crackers. can't wait for 4. :-)

it's got some great lines, and excellent delivery, but it is starting to feel
like a one-trick pony in the overall plot department. i do enjoy working dog
productions and this feels fairly incisive and satirical of our inner govt.
workings.

i am somewhat amused as to how this depicts, admittedly, a small portion of the
aus. govt to the rest of the world - compared to, say the west wing as a fantasy
depiction of the us govt.

i did particularly enjoy them hiding from the treasury guys in this most recent
episode.

to answer your first question, i have considerable knowledge of the
parliamentary political machines in britain and canada; and australia's system,
like canada's is modeled after great britain to some degree. the three
countries have many cultural things in common actually.

when i say the office, i mean the british show. i haven't watched the us
version. intentional decision...i am very biased when it comes to the us
copycats of british shows...they never measure up to my standards 😉

i don't mean to disparage australia btw and hope you didn't take my criticism of
hollowmen to be some blanket statement. i've seen some excellent programming
come out of your country. the surgeon, for example. i was very sad when that
wasn't renewed as it was so good.

i'm surprised that you say aussie politicians don't spend money on themselves.
surely they do. 🙂 most politicians are egotists and the dumb ones are the most
egotistical/easily corruptable of all. in any case, this show is not just about
politicians, but the civil servants who support the politicians. this show is
very much trying to model itself after shows that have gone before.

when i say "intelligent" politicians: certainly there is all manner of
intelligence but you can't be serious to suggest there is no intelligence. the
show yes minister had advisers on the inside of government who are/were
extremely intelligent and these provided clues to how government works. this is
my main point. you need people on the inside to inform a show like this
otherwise it doesn't work so well. usually these insiders are extremely
discreet...they won't be showing up on the credits.

ok it's starting to feel like a high school debate night - but ya i was
referring to the british office.

the show is a (cynical) satire. it amplifies the specific world for comedy's
sake. not all the staff are bumbling fools - check out ep 2, 3 and 4.

but yes, all good. i understand your point. just ain't your thing.

not that my internet voice has much cultural capital, but i can assure you that
australian federal politics has a narrative uncomfortably similar to the one
portrayed by the show.

in fact, several of the episodes are based directly on actual events. i can
safely say that the depiction of the central policy unit is genuine, albeit not
exactly under that name. plus they go about their business with a lot more finese.

the role of the media relations team is underplayed compared to its power in
reality, and it\'s three people - not one. the media\'s mix of viciousness and
herd-like mentality is correct to a fault.

the only part of this show i can\'t vouch for is that of the public servants,
having never dealt in much depth with them.