The Confession and Why It’s Different From Any Other Web Series

           As I mentioned in my previous posts, I love web series.  Often they're short, entertaining, and laugh out loud funny.  Often these series, however, are made by people who went to film school and know all the things about film making but were unable to make it big in to the main stream.  Often the production value of these shows will be bad and most could probably do with better writing. 

           For example, episodes of Red V.S. Blue and The Angry Video Game Nerd tend be hit or miss and The Nostalgia Critic's material tends to be a bit repetitive.  The effects of these series’ tend to be a bit cheap and the people who star in them aren’t known for anything else and probably won't be known for anything else.  Even other web series that air on Hulu tend to either be limited to short reality show and short talk shows and likewise have people who will probably never be known for anything else. 

            And then you have The Confession, which is the complete opposite of all these web series and is probably the best web series I have ever seen.  So what makes this series so different?  Well, for those of you who don't know, I shall enlighten you.  This is The Illusive One's take on The Confession and why it's so different from other web series.

            The Confession is a ten part web series that aired on Hulu, beginning on March 28^th, 2011 and ended yesterday on May 2^nd.  The story revolves a hit man, (only know as the Confessor), who walks into a confession booth one day and begins talking to a priest about the nature of evil after seeing a man he killed completely a peace with his fate after making his peace with God.  In the process, he tells the Priest his life's story as a killer and the Priest likewise tells the Confessor his so they are able to relate to one another as the Priest tries to convince the Confessor to stop killing and the Confessor tries to bring the Priest to his way of thinking and was a unique look at good and evil.  As the series progresses, we find that the Confessor isn't as evil as he was suggested to be in the first episode as he is able to show acts of mercy and compassion.  We also find that the Priest isn't as good as the series first suggested, as he had done horrible things in his past that drove him to the church.  Sold yet?  Well, if not, keep on reading.

            Where this series shines, is in its choice in actors and great writing as it had first rate actors in the lead roles and actual script writers and film directors writing and directing.  Kiefer Sutherland was perfect as the Confessor and I doubt anyone could have been better for this role.  John Hurt was likewise great as the Priest but he was kind of overshadowed by Sutherland.  The storyline revolving around the two characters was just great and kept you in suspense and eager for the next episode.  The only real problems I had with the plot and characters was that the end twist was a little predictable and I felt the Priest said “God forgive me” a little too much.  That aside, the series had great acting with great characters and great writing and is what makes the series worth watching.

            As far as web series' goes, The Confession actually had good production value.  The set design, cinematography, camera angles, and general directorial style used for the series were great and actually surpass many of the things they have T.V. nowadays.  The down side to this, however, is that a lot of the effects sucked.  When a gun shot with a silencer, it was good but most of the other sound effects were bad.  Any gunshot without a silencer didn't sound right or sounded like a generic gun shot; an effect that anyone could pull off but fails to sound real.  The same goes for when someone is being punched or kicked as it sounded too generic and flat out stupid.  Then you had the blood spatter effects that were either bad or nonexistent.  For example, when the Confessor shoots someone in the head the blood that appeared behind the victim just looked beyond fake.  Keep in mind, however, that it's just a web series and they probably had a limited budget and more than likely spent most of their money in the filming process.

           All around, it was a great little series and a welcome departure from both the usual web series and T.V. series.  It had a great plot, great acting and great writing and that's what separates it from all other web series.  What separated it from T.V. series was that it was about a hit man who is unapologetic about what he does and shows no intention of stopping.  You can't put lead characters like that on prime time.  One of the best things about this series is that each episode is only around six minutes long with the longest episode around ten minutes.  As I mentioned the series did have its flaws but the bad never outweighed the good.  In truth, my biggest problem with it was that it showed no sign of continuing after the final episode and that disappointed me.  So if you have an hour and a half to spare, I would highly recommend watching this series as it's worth every second.  It's truly a great web series so check it out and let’s hope it paves the way for more like it in the future.

All Around

9/10

24: Redemption

            I'm sure everyone remembers the series 24.  To refresh your memory, it was a show series that aired on Fox from 2001 to 2010 and starred Kiefer Sutherland.  The plot of the series revolved around CTU agent Jack Bauer as he and CTU fight against various terrorist organizations and was undeniably one of the greatest shows ever put on television and Jack Bauer is one of the greatest T.V. characters of all time.  This is undoubtedly due to the fact that events in the show occur in real time with each season spanning a 24 hour period, (hence the title).  The shows greatness is also due to its brilliant writing with many head turning twists occurring in each season, and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland's fantastic performance as Jack Bauer.  The series would go on to have eight seasons, a made for T.V. movie, and currently has a feature film in the works, (sadly who knows if it will ever see the light of day).

            Having only gotten into the series a few months ago, via my Netflix Instant Viewer, and having seen the TV movie, 24: Redemption, I decided to give my thoughts on the latter. 

            24: Redemption is a prequel to the 7^th season of the series, (although the description on Netflix said it's standalone movie) and takes place over a year after the end of the 6^th season.  Long story short, the season ended with Jack once again disappearing.  However, he is constantly hounded by a subpoena to appear before a senate hearing, regarding the unlawful detainment of people and the torturing of prisoners at CTU but refuses to acknowledge it and has to keep moving as a result.  While helping his old army buddy Carl Benton, (Robert Carlyle), manage a school and build houses for the poor in Africa, Jack gets caught up in a military coup and has to save the kids of the school from becoming child solders.  Meanwhile in the U.S., President Elect Allison Taylor prepares to be sworn in as President as the backers of the coup try to cover their tracks. 

            On the positive side, for starters, was the acting.  Kiefer Sutherland gave his usual great performance as Bauer, a man tortured by his past, constantly trying keep people at arm’s length but finds them slipping in.  Robert Carlyle was perfect as Carl, a man who is also tortured past but, unlike Jack, has been able to move on.  Jon Voight was also perfect as the mysterious backer of the coup, although his screen time was short.  Powers Booth returned as Noah Daniels, this time world weary and ready to leave the Presidency, (but every part he does is great), and the supporting cast in Africa were also great, particularly the villains who were just horribly evil. 

            Oh, yea.  Then there are the action scenes.  While there were only a few of them, it was immensely satisfying to see Jack Bauer kill evil African Warlords.  On that regard, it contains the themes that are common with Africa regarding child soldiers and genocide.  While a little overused, they still remain powerful, very real, and, to me, they never get old and shows what the U.N. should really be working to prevent.

            On the negative side, the whole thing seemed rushed.  Heart to heart conversations happened way too early and seemed out of place.  Whereas an entire season takes 24 hours to tell, this one takes place in just two and, as a result, didn't seem as developed.  There were disappointingly few action scenes and the sound editing wasn’t that great, (although that may have been due to my player).  It infuriatingly left a lot of loose ends, and doesn’t have a very happy ending, (but sets the stage for the 7^th season).  My final issue has to do more with the Netflix description then anything else.  It's says it's a standalone movie, (which it's not), and gives the reader the idea that Jack would be fighting directly against this coup and I found it extremely disappointing that he was only trying to get kids out of harm’s way.

            All around, however, it was really enjoyable, and if you like 24 you'll definitely like this.  The plot involving an African coup was a welcome departure from the usual, over the top terrorist attacks that 24 is famous for, the casting was perfect, and the action was more than satisfying.  If you haven't already seen the show, then what the hell are you doing reading this?!  Watch it on Netflix Instant Viewer, rent the DVDs or buy them, because 24 is fucking awesome!  As a standalone movie, 24: Redemption sucks, but as a setup to the 7^th season, it's great.

All Around

8/10

WHERE'S THE BOMB?!