The Pop Pirate

Conventional TV gets Lost

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I don't like TV.

The last time I made this claim, I was about to explain what I liked about an exceptional TV show called Firefly. This time, it's to illustrate my discovery of another exceptional (but not quite so exceptional as Firefly) program: Lost.

I know I'm not the first blogger to post about this show- in fact I'm more likely the last- but I can no longer deny this show's unique quality. I should mention, though, that I was not easily won over by it's charm. At first I was skeptical of the show's premise: that a whole bunch of people survived a horrible plane crash, and ended up on a seemingly mystical island. I am not a fan of weirdness for the sake of weirdness, so I was very wary of elements such as polar bears, apparitions of dead characters and, of course, the mysterious "monster."

Eventually, however, I became convinced that the weirdness was not just for weirdness's sake. I began to believe that the writers did, in fact have a reasonable, if not strictly scientific explanation for everything that was going on. Once I came to accept this, I was able to drop my "supernatural" reservation. But it wasn't the mystery that, by then, was beginning to rope me in. It was the characters.

No character on Lost exists in a vacuum. Each of them has past experiences, from before the beginning of the show's main story, that influence and shape each and every choice he or she makes. This fact is revealed through flashbacks that generally focus on a single character each episode, skillfully intercut with the ongoing events on the island. From John Locke, the wheelchair bound box company employee who is miraculously cured and turns out to be an expert hunter and is the groups de facto spiritual leader to Hugo "Hurley" Reyes the funny guy who won the lottery with cursed numbers, and has made the term "dude" cool again, these are not your stock, formula television characters. And from these character's interactions come plenty of complex and interesting conflicts and alliances. Make no mistake- the characters of Lost not only drive the story, they are the story.

The best news is that it's not too late to jump on the bandwagon. I made the mistake of underestimating it, but you don't have to- the DVD of season 1 is available for rental, and season 2 is just now kicking off.

I maintain that I don't like TV in general, but with too many more posts like this one, you might start to question the veracity of that claim. What I'm hoping for is more shows like this one to come along and to change the fact of it.

posted by Jeff @ 8:15 PM 0 comments

Serenity Review (Finally)

So this review is late.

I saw Serenity tuesday night, but I've been very hesitant to review it. Not because the movie was bad- far from it- but because I realize that I have absolutely no objectivity about it. In the end, I said screw it- I'll write the only review I can, the review of an unabashed Firefly fanboy, a browncoat. So consider this a warning: if you are not a fan, this review may or may not ring true to you. But hopefully it will.

Rarely am I surprised by a movie that I've been highly anticipating, but Serenity suprised me. It was surprisingly fast-paced, surprisingly well written (and that's saying a lot since I was expecting Joss Whedon) and, well, surprisingly good.

In fact, it's the pacing that makes me question how non-fans will respond to the movie. It moves at a pretty good clip, and if you're not already familiar with the characters and the rhythm of the dialouge, you might miss a lot. But for the fan, it's a thrill ride, through and through, not the leisurely pace one would expect from an episode of Firefly.

When it comes down to it, I think the element of this movie that elevates it to greatness is not the excellent effects, nor the pitch perfect acting, but its uncompromising and beautiful story. Mr. Whedon is an expert storyteller, and his craftsmanship is plenty evident here. Each element is carefully planned and executed to bring the viewer to the ragged edge and bring them back.

I won't go into too much detail, but this movie truly breaks ground in the range of emotions a film can evoke. We've all laughed and cried at movies, but when was the last time you were truly worried for a character? Or got mad at them?

Take this emotional range and add to it poignant but understated political comment, mesmerizing visuals and witty, crackling dialouge, and you've got yourself a darn fine way to spend a couple of hours.

Again, maybe it's because I know these characters. Maybe it's because I am predisposed to love anything related to Firefly. Or maybe- just maybe- this film is really, really good. Come September 30th, judge for yourself.

posted by Jeff @ 10:07 PM 5 comments