Review - Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks
Season 1 - 2
Pilot + 29 episodes
1990-1991

Twin Peaks is one of the most unusual television shows ever produced and has influenced television both in style and substance. Created by surrealist film savant David Lynch (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive) and Mark Frost, Twin Peaks captivated American audiences and became a sensation.

The plot begins with the murder of Laura Palmer in the small town of Twin Peaks in Washington state. FBI Agent Dale Cooper comes to the small logging city to investigate and is quickly immersed in the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the high school student and the variety of people who become suspects. To describe the plot any further becomes difficult as more and more new layers are revealed as Cooper investigates and learns more about the inhabitants of the city. The characters, their relationships, and their idiosyncrasies are the heart of the show.

The show is obviously from the mind of David Lynch as dreams, portents, symbolism, and a surrealist bent are firmly within the makeup of the show. In some ways these hallmarks of Lynch's work are quite effective in the serial episodic nature of a television show like Twin Peaks. The mysteries of the show grow and expand in ways that are not possible in 90 or 120 minute film, and the audience is constantly creating their own theories of what is happing in Twin Peaks. There is a quirkiness to Twin Peaks that is refreshing in comparison to what can often pass as a mystery in many other television shows.

It seems almost destiny that a show as original and unique as Twin Peaks would burn brightly but fade quickly. Under pressure from ABC Frost and Lynch wrapped up the central murder mystery in the seventh episode of the second season, a fantastic episode directed by Lynch himself. The pilot, the seven episodes of the first season, and the first seven of the second season are simply some of the best television this reviewer has ever seen. Once the central mystery is resolved the show begins to wander and is unable to refocus quickly enough to keep the momentum the show had built up. In the special features of the DVD release Mark Frost admits to several issues in the collapse of Twin Peaks; the show spent too much time building up the next mystery and several episodes were without the forward direction that had served the show so well, secondly Mark Frost and David Lynch themselves were busy directing other projects, the films Storyville and Wild at Heart respectively. Lynch, himself, admits that they should have never revealed the killer of Laura Palmer. Without the guiding hands of Frost and Lynch the series began to lose much of the heart that had propelled it to the great heights that it had attained. Most painfully the show began to become a sort of parody of itself and became almost too similar to other television shows. The vision of Frost and Lynch was far too unique for others to simply ape. The show would simply have shuffled off to a sad cancellation had this continued, but the last four or five episodes of the second season saw Frost and Lynch come back and attempt to salvage the series. These episodes, while not as strong as the earliest episodes, were a strong return to form and which culminated in a cliffhanger second season finale, once again directed by Lynch, that is among the best episodes of the series. The strong finish was not enough to save the series, but it remains a fantastic experience and is a perfect show for the TV on DVD revolution of the last decade. The show also lives on in the series that clearly owe much to the trail that Twin Peaks blazed in the television landscape.

The continuing mystery and serial nature of the X-files owes much to Twin Peaks. Perhaps most in debt to Twin Peaks is another ABC series; Lost. Lost is similar in many ways; the strength of the show lies in the intricate characters and their relationships, the overarching mystery, the symbolism, and the audience participation and obsession.

The acting is superb and the characters of Twin Peaks are the sort who will stick with the viewer. Quirky, but not defined by their quirks. Standouts include Lynch favorite (Dune and Blue Velvet) Kyle MacLachlan as Agent Dale Cooper, Lara Flynn Boyle as Donna Hayward, Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey Horne, and many more. As a television series the direction of each episode varied in quality with each director, but standouts include each episode directed by Frost or Lynch.

In the end, Twin Peaks is a unique, interesting, and powerful television show. While there is a definite drop in quality in the middle of the second season the show returns to form in the end and needs to be experienced to be believed.

Verdict: 5 stars out of 5.

Quick Hits - Comics for the week of 5/14

Quick and to the point reviews of your (my) weekly comics:

Superman #676: This issue is an interlude before the coming of James Robinson in the next issue and, while the issue feels like it should have been an issue of Superman Confidential rather than Superman, it isn't a total loss. The issue's focus is on the early days of Superman in Metropolis and what it really means to be a hero in light of Memorial Day. There is a good appearance by Alan Scott and a good classic Superman vibe to the proceedings. The art is passable, but not memorable and the writing is similar. Verdict: 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

Green Lantern Corps #24: Mongul continues spreading fear as new and powerful member of the Sinestro Corps. This issue features a refresher on the origin of Mongul and the fate of the original Mongul. Depending on which direction Tomasi and Johns wish to take the Green Lantern titles Mongul could become a great villain for the GL Corps. The art is not my taste and it is difficult for me to discern details in several panels, but it certainly isn't much of a detriment to this fine book. Verdict: 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Locke and Key #4: This series has really begun to press on in the most fantastic fashion. While starting out a bit slow Locke and Key has become a do-not-miss treat for horror and mystery fans. With each successive issue the characters come to life more and more and the vastness of the horror and deepness of the mystery involved becomes ever more interesting. For the most part the art is quite good, but a few characters aren't as strongly done visually as others. Verdict: 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Review - Speed Racer

Speed Racer
dir(s). The Wachowski Bros.
2008

Here he comes,
Here comes Speed Racer,
He's a demon on wheels!

The classic anime Speed Racer makes it to the big screen with the help of those Matrix-famous Wachowski brothers. The anime that the film is based on premiered in 1967 in America and was the first successful animated shows to make it over from Japan. The film is in most ways very faithful to the anime, taking both characters and images from the show. This isn't just a film based on an anime or cartoon but one that is brazenly, and for the most part succeeds, in being a live-action cartoon.

The world of the film is one in which racing is the dominant world sport and with advanced technology the internal combustion engine has been replaced by something far more powerful that allows for speeds far higher than in our world. The film follows young Speed Racer as he starts to win acclaim for his driving on the WRL circuit. His family has lost a son, Rex Racer, already to the sport and Speed idolizes his older brother and sees himself as continuing on in his brother's footsteps. Speed is tempted to join the racing team of Royalton Industries, but when he decides to stick with his family and stay independent he is threatened by Mr. Royalton and shown that racing has always been fixed and is a sport not for the driver or the fan, but a sport dominated by money. With the help of the mysterious Racer X, his girlfriend Trixie, and his family Speed tries to take down Royalton and save the heart of racing itself. The story, both for those who have experience with the anime and for those who do not, is simple and basically follows the beats of the underdog sport genre of films. What makes Speed Racer different is the style of the film.

Filmed with a new HD technique that allows all images on the screen to be shown in focus Speed Racer is a beautiful piece of movie making. Following in the steps of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Sin City, most of the world of Speed Racer was created in a computer with filming happening in front of a green screen. The whole world inhabited by Speed Racer and his family is hyper-colorful and pops from the screen. The races are a filmed frenetic chaos and definitely are the films main draws.

The acting is largely serviceable with John Goodman standing out as Pops Racer. Matthew Fox is obviously having a fantastic time with Racer X. Christina Ricci is stunning as the love interest Trixie, and also has a toughness and strength not seen in the anime. The rest of the cast handles their roles with varying degrees of success, but nothing is too cringe worthy when one takes into account the goal of the film. In many films of this ilk the comic relief can be painful for anyone above the age of 10, but Spritle and Chim-Chim are not as bad as Jar Jar Binks or other ill-fated characters.

The film does have its share of issues though. As a family and kids film Speed Racer could have definitely stood to be 10-20 minutes shorter and does drag a bit before the two big races of the film. Sometimes the frenetic action on the screen is too much to handle though that breaking point will vary from person to person.

With the multitude of negative reviews pouring out, I feel the problem that Speed Racer has had is that people simply refuse to understand who this movie was made for and what the intention was. Various reviews condemn the film for being too cartoony or too manic. The movie isn't too cartoony though it is a cartoon. This is a film that defies the fetish to redo a nostalgic franchise in a gritty, edgy, realistic, and dark tone that so many seem to call for. Speed Racer is trying to be nothing more than Speed Racer. Oftentimes films will use the term "popcorn movie" as a defense for being incomprehensible and vapid, but these films are often trying to be more. This movie functions fine on logic, only it is Speed Racer logic. Logic of a day-glo world with superfast cars. While I can fully understand someone saying that they didn't enjoy the film because it isn't their taste, to fault the film for not being something it wasn't intended to be or something you wished it to be is a strange way of thinking. This idea is also something that they filmmakers could never escape as if they made the film dark, gritty, and realistic many would be calling the out on the fact that they betrayed what made Speed Racer so fun in the first place. Fun. That, to me, really is the key for Speed Racer. Speed Racer isn't necessarily a good film, but it sure is a fun one.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5.

Quick Hits - Comics for the week of 5/7

Quick and to the point reviews of your (my) weekly comics:

Detective Comics #844: This issue is definitely a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the art is well done, especially the fantastic cover, and the story is a good wrap up of a two parter featuring the new Ventriloquist and Zatanna. On the other hand, we are seemingly forever stuck with a "personal demons haunted" Batman who refuses to start a relationship with Zatanna. Batman's personality has not always been this way, but DC definitely seems to want to push the grim, haunted, dark, and moody Batman to a degree which often leaves me cold. See last week's Action Comics #864 for a good mocking of this Batman. All this isn't to say I want him to be with Zatanna for years worth of comics, but there would be interesting stories available and a new facet of his character revealed if they were allowed to have a relationship for a few months worth of comics. Verdict: 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Action Comics Annual #11: The long (by which I mean extremely long) awaited wrap up to the "Last Son" arc that began over a year ago finally hits store shelves. Geoff Johns and Richard Donner had a great arc on their hands if it weren't for the horrible tardiness of Andy Kubert's artwork. This final issue is well written and would have been a very memorable finish to this arc had it come months ago, but as it stands now it is hard to emotionally reconnect with the story. Kubert does give some good work and several panels are spectacular, but this is definitely the type of case in which a fill-in artist would have been acceptable. The story does reestablish General Zod, Ursa, and Non as great adversaries for Superman, and Zod warns of something far more frigtening and powerful still to come from the Phantom Zone, so there should be lasting impacts from this storyline. The way in which the storyline climaxes though seems discordant and strange in light of the the last eight or ten months of Superman books, and one wishes they would have added the obligatory editors note from days long past telling when the events of this book took place. Verdict: 3 stars out of 5.

The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #3 of 5: Another superbly written and drawn issue of Dark Tower hit stores this week. While I think Peter David has the tone of the Dark Tower books down and the art is almost uniformly stunning, I do wish there'd be a bit more straightforward gunslinging going on. The stories in the end of the book by Robin Firth continue to be strong tales that help elaborate the world of the Dark Tower. I did love the teasing of the adult Roland pre-The Gunslinger that we are shown in this issue. The time period of Roland's adulthood but before the books is a fertile one that could be a great foundation for more and more tales. Verdict: 4 stars out of 5.

Quick Hits - Comics for week of 4/30

Another round of Quick Hits:

DCU #0: Different in concept from Countdown to Infinite Crisis and Brave New World, DCU #0 is basically a set of short trailers for different storylines for several titles coming through the rest of this year. The art was well done, though your mileage may vary due to the different artists working on each trailer, and the writing was strong enough to make most of these trailers successful. DC could publish a book like this once or twice a year to promote upcoming stories and to help raise awareness of certain titles, for if DCU #0 has anything questionable about it is that each of these titles, save Wonder Woman, has already been heavily promoted and this is the icing on the cake. This book could have been ruined by focusing too much on the "big reveal" of the final page, but the writing is strong enough and the hooks in each trailer are well done enough that the book is more than the final page. Verdict: 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Action Comics #864: Taking a cue from DCU #0, this issue is largely a preview for the upcoming Legion of Three Worlds arc coming later this summer. The art is strong though and the interactions between Lightning Lad and Batman are exceedingly well done. The ominous voice over is handled well and the reveal at the final page, while not unexpected, was put together well and certainly builds excitement for the coming miniseries. Verdict: 4 stars out of 5.

Green Lantern #30: The cleverly done set up of the upcoming Blackest Night storyline with the retelling of the origin of Hal Jordan continues along. The art continues to be consistent in this book with Ivan Reis creating a cohesive and strong look for the book. While part of me wishes we were investigating the different colored lanterns and continuing to hunt the Sinestro Corps, I will admit that this is an origin story done right. Verdict: 4 stars out of 5.

Thor: Ages of Thunder: Matt Fraction continues his apparent quest to write every non-Bendis or Millar book in the Marvel stable with this first in a small series of Thor one-shots. In Ages of Thunder we have two stories of Thor in a more Norse mythological setting than we usually see him. Fraction for the most part does a good job in maintaining a mythical quality to this Thor stories, though there are a few clunkers in the dialog in which Fraction breaks his mythic prose with a far too modern turn of phrase. The pencils of Patrick Zircher are well done and he certainly captures an Asgard that we do not see in the comics. Good moments with Loki, the Enchantress, and Odin help these stories keep from being too centered on Thor killing frost giants. Verdict: 4 stars out of 5.