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DarkHawke
Reviews
Lost (2004)
Rod Serling would be proud.
Perhaps the most compulsively watchable show since the X-Files is at the same time more open with the lives and secrets of its characters, yet far more resistant to telling the viewer everything that's going on. This can be a good thing, in that maintaining the mystery sucks viewers in and keeps them watching, or it can be a bad thing, where too little is ever revealed to keep viewers on the hook, hopeful that they will eventually learn the truth. So far "Lost" has played both sides of this, but for the most part, enough has been shown and works from a logical standpoint that you don't need to be a conspiracy nut to enjoy it. The character flashbacks, which frame every episode, go a LONG way in keeping viewer interest as the secrets of the island and its inhabitants are dribbed and drabbed out. The actors do a universally excellent job of essaying interesting and sympathetic characters. And so far the writers, with the exception of some early second season episodes, have struck an excellent balance between back-stories and advancing the plot. I can't help but think, especially during the brief, bizarre and appropriately enigmatic title sequence, that the late Rod Serling would have fiercely enjoyed this show that seems to owe so much to his legacy of the strange and weird happening to ordinary, flawed, but ultimately noble people.
Brimstone (1998)
Talk about Brilliant But Cancelled!!!
This was a knockout series on just about every level, from its singular look, to the writing, to the directing, and most especially to the acting! I had heard of Peter Horton previous to Brimstone only in relation to the yuppie self-indulgence fest known as Thirtysomething, which by no means recommended him highly to me. Turns out I had NOTHING to worry about. He gives Zeke Stone a note-perfect mix of soulful anguish and world-weariness, and he can still find the occasional light moment in his Purgatory on Earth. Make no mistake, though, this is a deep, dark show that deals with fundamental questions of right and wrong, Heaven and Hell. In fact, I'd recommend it to any devout Christians as a fantastic morality play. The line between light and dark is often obscured and who really deserves to go to Hell is pretty much the question each episode, but that's what made it such a compelling program. Can't finish without lauding John Glover's tour de force performance as the Devil himself. You might find yourself grudgingly liking this version of the Prince of Lies, even when he screws over Stone almost every chance he gets! I can't recommend this show highly enough, and I'm DYING to see this get to DVD! Anyone know who and how to lobby to get it?
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
The best motion picture of all time.
Hyperbole? Not for me! What more could you ask? Life, death, special effects that have stood the test of time, and the best starship battle ever! Not to mention a conclusion that'll bring the strongest man to tears, if he's a true Trekkie! There are other movies with perhaps grander scopes and perhaps better stories, but this does it for me every time. It's perfect. Simply perfect.