Perhaps the main challenge for Dibrov as an interviewer right now is finding a guest of a worthy caliber, which is not an easy task. If the channel provides guests based on its various promotional interests, things get even trickier. Just try to feign interest when you have to chat with mediocre actors from series that are hardly essential viewing. Nonetheless, Dibrov's experience allows him to feel like an actor himself in the given circumstances.
In the first episode of the show, the host was somewhat lucky. After all, Maxim Lagashkin has played a wide range of roles and is known not only for routine comedies, although the main topic of conversation was indeed one of them. After a series of standard questions about the promoted project, Dmitry Alexandrovich shifted to a discussion about life and could have easily and passionately talked about Fellini and Tarkovsky, leaving his guest with little more than the chance to nod along and slightly support the conversation. But then something incredible happened.
For at least a third of the runtime, Dibrov asked about fees, and with such enthusiasm that many bloggers would envy him. Generally, in the film industry, discussing fees is not customary. Firstly, the payment structure doesn't always lend itself to commentary, and the figures can leave the average person bewildered. However, Dmitry Alexandrovich, without a hint of embarrassment, stormed this fortress, while Lagashkin held the defense, sometimes with all his might. “In intimate scenes, I usually film without a stunt double. They pay as for a regular shift, but they could probably offer extra for stunts,” joked the actor, adding that there should be no limitations on the payment for film work. Who would argue with that.
It’s possible that seasoned Dibrov fans may find such revelations a bit too intrusive, and there will certainly be a reason to indulge in nostalgia for the times when the questions were more sophisticated and the guests had a different aura. But those times have passed. Thoughtful conversations now take place only in certain online projects. There, they can chat for hours, laughing at pedestrian interests, but such discussions act more like a good sleeping pill.
Bloggers who attempt to provoke stars into revealing moments are essentially creating pop television, with the only difference being that most internet interviewers have zero charisma and issues with the Russian language.
In this situation, Dibrov is clearly in no rush to restore the former glory of the interview genre. He is doing what modern producers deem appropriate. And in such a less than enviable situation, for Dibrov, it’s like water off a duck's back.
HELLO, RECEPTION!
Office dynamics can serve as a foundation for both melodrama and detective stories. The creators of the series “Personal Assistant” have presented both, draped in themes of revenge and psychological abuse. And the skyscrapers of the “City” provide a fitting backdrop for this.
A girl secures the position of assistant to a big boss, along with the opportunity to control almost every aspect of her superior’s life. The assistant has personal grievances against him, which the boss, of course, is completely unaware of. However, in this case, revenge is hard to serve cold, because the situation is not so straightforward.
Not the most original plot is effectively played out by well-chosen actors. Maria Lugovaya beautifully transforms into a character that emanates danger. Kirill Safonov is back in the saddle as a wealthy and powerful heartbreaker after a break. Yevgeny Antropov is taking on increasingly mature roles and handling them quite well.
In general, there are capable hands to develop the intrigue, but the unfolding story unexpectedly hits a snag with the dialogues. Local series currently practice two types of communication between characters. One is advanced: the actors seem to whisper to each other, clearly wanting to draw the audience away from their domestic chores and seat them in front of the television. The other is old-fashioned: the characters speak slowly and expressively, as if for a hard-of-hearing audience.
The screenwriters of “Personal Assistant” seem to have decided to spare the audience from fast talk and incomprehensible terms, so the characters convey their thoughts with the diligence of applicants during an exam. This overly earnest manner of communication adds an extra layer of comedy, especially given the language that bears no resemblance to office jargon. It sounds particularly ridiculous when the main character is selecting escorts for her boss. In “Interdevochka,” the dialogue was much livelier.
Of course, there remains the possibility that the concept of the series is not fully understood. Perhaps the creators were depicting people living in a hypothetical Gotham City, where their own laws and unique speech prevail. All that's left is to wait for Batman.