You know how sometimes you don't have time to do a full character introduction for a secondary character, so you show them in an iconic (ie cliched) pose or action that instantly telegraphs who they are and what they're about?
Every single character in this show is introduced that way.
Tonight was a "special" two hour premier... really meaning it was two regular episodes back to back. The show is extremely formulaic, the characters are cardboard cutouts, the overarching story is uninteresting...
While I wouldn't say I'm a fan of the "found footage" variety of movie, it's never bothered me the way it does some people on this forum. However, after tonight's viewing of The River, I have to say that the handicam style really, REALLY bothers me. At least in other movies I've seen, it either served the plot (Blair Witch, which wasn't as bad as everyone complained it was, or perhaps Paranormal Activity), or at least didn't hurt things (Cloverfield).
However, in The River, I can honestly say that the style hurt the presentation. It would have been more palatable shot in a traditional sense; that being said, I think I need to introduce a "Bottles Rating" system, based on how many beers you have to drink to be able to enjoy it. Fewer bottles means more enjoyable, or at least enjoyable when sober.
I got through 3 beers in the two hour premier, but I felt like 2 more would have been necessary to really get into things. So for my inaugural usage of the metric,
