OZ
I have often spoken about this show (OZ) , and in particular the performances by the actors involved. It used to appear every Monday night at 10pm on SBS. It’s a hard-hitting prison saga, nothing like you’ve ever seen on TV. It is extremely graphic in every sense imaginable; no holds barred, full on nudity, full on sex, full on violence, full on themes, everything.
In a time when TV is struggling to attract 18 - 35 year old males, this was the only show that I and every single guy in my undergrad would never miss.
Imagine our dismay when they suddenly replaced it with Queer as Folk, I heard a collective scream echo throughout the city, as men aged 18 - 35 had to make an option, watch Queer as folk, Big Brother, some other crap on 9 and 7, or simply switch off and go and play computer games or the internet. I chose the latter. However the other day in the RMIT library, I stumbled across the entire DVD collection of Oz, from season one to season 8!!!! So since my guest lecture this evening (from one Paul Weigard from Madman Distribution, whom I managed to hand a Pitch for Rupert and I’s feature film with unsteady nervous hands, wishing all the while I had huge breasts) I sat up until after midnight watching Oz.
Anyway, I have previously spoke about Chris Melloni and Harold Perrnieau who were both in Oz, but I left out another of my favourites. Dean Winters is a relative unknown, who plays the irrepressible Ryan O’Reilly, leader of the Irish gang in the prison.
Winters is excellent in this role, I have never seen him in anything else, but I really do like his style, he is abrasive and hard hitting, he would have done well as Tom in Millers Crossing, instead the Coens went with the awful Gabriel Byrne
Oh Well….
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