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jon_crooke
Reviews
Lost (2004)
LOST is what happens to the quality after season 1
Just caught a recap of the entire show's plot on YouTube, so felt inclined to see how this show is viewed so long after it finished...
Well, I must say, quite surprising that this is (still) rated so highly. You can argue that this show was one of the early examples of the recent new Golden Age of TV. The pilot was a huge success, and the first season was packed with intrigue. Like many when it was new, it was riveting stuff...
But then what? It goes nowhere. The first season creates this feeling that you're being introduced to this fascinating mystery that will slowly unravel itself, and we'll get to discover all of this along with the characters. And oh my, are there a lot of characters. And those intriguing plot points? Sorry we don't really have any substance to present there after all
So what do they do? Introduce more characters, and more McGuffins, in the hope that the audience won't notice that everything that was OH SO IMPORTANT a few episodes ago has not been resolved. Chekhovs gun? This is Chekhovs artillery factory
Needless to say, the producers succeed in CREATING initial intrigue. Sadly the show is unable to deliver on any of its promises. I remember when I initially watched the show, I'd make sure to be doing housework along to it, so that I make some constructive use of the time.
Salinui chueok (2003)
One of the very best crime movies
It's rather spoilt my appreciation of any other Joon-ho Bong movies, having seen this first. This is right up there with all the best (American) crime movies of recent memory; Seven, Silence of the Lambs, Usual Suspects, Prisoners, LA Confidential... Untold extra points for being the only one that's not even really about the murders at all. And that last scene. WOW.
Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) (2017)
This really knocked me out
I was really stunned by this, how it turns a tragedy into a redemptive triumph. I knew very little about the band prior to the events in Paris, but the way this brings you into their world and underlines how this horrible night dove-tailed into their story is deeply moving. It shouldn't matter whether or not you agree with Jessie Hughes' views on gun control. This is peripheral detail and beside the point. I would be highly disappointed with anyone who comes away from this movie without an appreciation for the humanity of the man; going through something so unbelievably atrocious such as this, but refusing to let it take away MUSIC - one of the few truly positive and uniting things we have in this ever more divided world.
Zardoz (1974)
Wow! A Humanist Mythological epic
This is the first time I've reviewed a film on IMDb, and after "finally forcing" myself to watch this last night, I couldn't resist.
I'm sure I noticed discussions of this movie growing up, but never saw it. It does contain some content (casual nudity, sexual discussions) that made it unsuitable for TV, so I may have seen documentaries and interviews that either referenced it or talked about it. Also the powerful imagery, giant floating head and all. Oh, and it happens to feature one "Sean Connery". I suppose the short term event that led me to finally watch it was the recent Rick & Morty reference. I'm probably not the only new reviewer for whom this is true.
So, having read about the movie online it was only a matter of time before my defences wore down and I selected it one evening.
What I was expecting: a pompous movie with good/great ideas, spoilt by camp and pretentiousness. I didn't really like Deliverance, for one thing. I told myself I'd give it 30 minutes to win me over. Instead, I was entranced for the duration. What I got, was a mind blowing mythology experience. Quite a few other films popped into my head whilst watching, although I can't recall all of them. If I were to describe it in a single reference, I'd call it "The Matrix in reverse".
I won't go into any particular analysis of my own. There's plenty of fine discussions on here already. I'll just add that I have a feeling that this film is ripe for a return to the public consciousness. I can see this happening if it finds its way onto Netflix, for example. Boorman really was quite far ahead of his time with this, or perhaps it's just that the kinds of social/political/cultural ideas he was critiquing here have come back with a vengeance in recent times.
This is probably one of the few times I've watched a movie that really worked as a "poetic" piece, whilst also being somewhat accessible to a mainstream audience. Modern audiences are probably going to find it hard to swallow, though. I watch a lot of 70s movies, but still struggle to adjust to the dramatically different storytelling and production styles at times. This probably explains the abysmal online ratings. Also, it's wrong to think it takes itself 100% seriously. There's plenty of wry British humour in there as well. It is also very widely open to interpretation. I'm sure people will read different things into this, particularly with respect to its core "message".
So all I can say is, see it. Keep an open mind, and expect a mind warping tale of life/death/sex/violence/technology/immortality. It's amazing how much is in there.