tgarnett25

I really like this show. I can readily see how it achieved cult status. It's original, and thought provoking. For some reason though, I have never felt the kind of resonance from it that I could have. It doesn't pack the kind of open door, winter chill that was to be had from such an awesome premise. Each time I watch an episode, I find myself prodding, and pushing for it to answer some nameless, formless question.

Before continuing, let me preface this by saying that what follows is my opinion, and my opinion only. Different strokes for different folks.

I would have liked to have seen more scenes in "American Gothic" that were shot at night. There's too much daylight in this show, and I think it had a tendency to counteract the suspense. We're not afraid of the daylight, after all. We're concerned about what's in the shadows. The devil isn't always in the details. What we're not seeing is often the most frightening.

Second--and this is the one that's probably going to lead to tar, and feathers: Gary Cole is a tremendously talented actor...a character actor. I've followed his career from The Brady Bunch films on, which is why it pains me to say that he was probably miscast as Lucas Buck. He's almost too petroichan, too likable to be embodiment of evil, even by Biblical standards. Lucas Buck is a narcotic. He's Heroin. He's freebasing in a kitchen laboratory next to a gallon of Drain-O. You keep going back, even though you know the end will be madness, and death. He should be like the ultimate loan shark. He's a maker of book, but also of unspeakable condemnation. Sure. You've got the money, and before long you're also going to have broken fingers; a severed hand, a decapitated head, and eventually, a damned soul. Turning to Buck is an act of desperation, and whenever he's around, there should be some immediate, ambient finality--with interest compounded daily--in the air.

It's all largess, all strings attached, and by the time you realize that, you'll also know that it's too late.

Which leads me to three: they showed Buck a little too often. He's in most of the scenes, in fact, which may have caused him to lose his edge. The sheriff would be like the next door mythology. He's the apocryphal acquaintance. Many would know 'of' him, but only an unfortunate few would really know him. He'd be the stuff of flashbacks, and cryptic conversations, and the perfect person to deliver this plot exposition would have been the deputy character that Nick Searcy portrayed.

Four, the show could be very self-reverential--to a fault, some might say--and this is typified by the whistling of "Meet Me At The Fishing Hole" in the series pilot. I think we've already established that what Cassidy, and Raimi were shooting for was the anti-Andy Taylor. We probably didn't need the concept delivered to us via Fed Ex. I gathered that within the first five minutes so, for me, the piano on the head was unnecessary.

These remarks are all about what, FOR ME, would have made a good show great. I also understand that the producers had their own, unique style, and that there were many hands in the soup. In their everlasting quest for LCD programming, the network played a definite role in the demise of this series.

The least these jerk-off suits could have done was to air the episodes in order.

Get real.

Either way, it's a grievous loss to both genre fans, and casual viewers alike.

There really isn't much that I can add to what's already been said. This is a great movie, and the further back in time that Fincher takes us, the more dazzling it becomes--his use of colors, in particular. The sequences used to recreate the era of the early seventies was especially haunting--it comes across as surreal...as if it was extracted directly from our memories of that period, more so than photographs, or films.

This film has the walk, and it has the talk that makes for a memorable epic.

If I have any criticism, it is that David Fincher's characteristic impressionism--his mind blowing spontanaeity--is sorely lacking in the production. On the other hand, did we want a funky story, or did we want the facts? Fincher is into the realism of this, and it shows in each, meticulously crafted frame of this gruesome, spellbinding saga.

A formidable piece.

I admit to having some reservations about this movie...not that I dislike Superman. To the contrary, he's always been my favorite superhero. I grew up during the Man Of Steel's golden age era between the covers of DC Comics. No, I experienced trepidation because so much time had passed since the previous film, the horrendous "Superman IV, The Quest For Peace." Add to that, the fact that, with the exception of archival voice-over material from the late Marlon Brando, none of the original actors were returning to the franchise. I was not bolstered by the Prue-title sequence which seemed decadent, and shamelessly puerile considering that no one in the audience had any reason to have confidence in this movie.

I'm elated to report that my fears had no basis. Bryan Singer did one hell of a job bringing Superman back to life (or back to relevance, depending on how you view the situation). By the end, I came to realize what this movie was really about. The opening hook did have its place--it was not meant to celebrate the grandeur of an aging, long underwear hero. To the contrary, it was a reaffirmation--a rededication. Superman had lost his place. This film was about the painful journey we all sometimes have to make; it's about finding your place in a world where you no longer seem to fit in. Brandon Routhe emotes this well, both as Kal-El, but somehow, even more profoundly, in his alter ego, Clark Kent. It's in the crestfallen looks...the bittersweet caesura. The notion that he may not be able to reintegrate into society overshadows every scene in the movie in a way that's poignant, and significant.

The movie is long, but don't let that deter you. There's a huge payoff at the end. You will be well rewarded for the time you spend watching it.

Kate Bosworth was awesome as Lois Lane. Perfect casting.

Frank Langella was amazing in the unusual role, for him, of Perry White.

Kevin Spacey is always top notch. He could do a commercial for Rolaids, and it would be a masterpiece.

What can I say, I'm buying the DVD when it comes out.