Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions
I have to agree with s3raphita here. Sorry ultrarishi and bhairitu...please don't take this personally, but my honest reaction to this series was feeling like I needed to take a shower afterwards. The worst thing about it was the overriding sense of obsession and ickiness that has become Jane Campion's trademark in her later films. And interestingly enough, it wasn't just the subject matter that made it that way. For example, the Millenium series of movies (starting with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) dealt with material just as dark, as did Bron-Broen in some ways, but I wasn't left with the same icky feeling after those films. On a craftsmanship level, I have to disagree with most of the reviews of this film I've read since watching it. I think that the reviewers either were swayed by the big names (Campion, Elizabeth Moss, Holly Hunter) or they have low standards. The plot was mediocre IMO, even by TV detective series standards. The timeline (which took place over 5 months) was completely messed up, with no real sense of elapsed time between scenes, the whodunnit was obvious after episode 3, and IMO there were almost no real characters. Instead they were caricatures...stereotypes with little depth...and I for one found none of them believable. Especially Holly Hunter as GJ. As I said before, if Campion actually based her on UG Krishnamurti, then her perception is *way* off. The only one of the awards it was nominated for that I felt was deserved was for cinematography, and even that was a no-brainer, because all that the DP had to do was point a camera at the beautiful NZ countryside and turn it on. All in all, color me disappointed. I was hoping that watching it would cure me of my aversion to Jane Campion, but instead it reinforced it. I won't be bothering with any of her films in the future. I really *needed* (after the shower) a quick watching of a dumb nerd/horror movie (Knights Of Badassdom) to take the bad taste out of my eyes. From: s3raph...@yahoo.com s3raph...@yahoo.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2014 12:22 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] RE: TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions I watched the whole of Top Of The Lake. It's unpleasant and violent with no redeeming or attractive characters. I only watched because of the UG guru role to see where that would lead. Nowhere is the answer. There's no real relationship between the spiritual group and the disorder and crime surrounding it so the commune just adds a slightly exotic ambience to the drama. You wanted Holly Hunter's character to provide an alternative interpretation of the events but there is no resolution - just a confirmation of Campion's pessimism.
Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions
Well as somebody once said, taste is relative and you're no relative of mine. :-D I was more into the storyline especially the bit about dealing with the town tyrant. I also like films just set in other countries. Campion also mocked Hunter's cult a bit in the film. In an earlier Campion film, Sweetie, she mocked another cult. Guess which one? I was right about Knights of Badassdom. There are articles on the web about it being shelved even after getting a good response at Comic Con. On 02/13/2014 12:28 AM, TurquoiseBee wrote: I have to agree with s3raphita here. Sorry ultrarishi and bhairitu...please don't take this personally, but my honest reaction to this series was feeling like I needed to take a shower afterwards. The worst thing about it was the overriding sense of obsession and ickiness that has become Jane Campion's trademark in her later films. And interestingly enough, it wasn't just the subject matter that made it that way. For example, the Millenium series of movies (starting with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) dealt with material just as dark, as did Bron-Broen in some ways, but I wasn't left with the same icky feeling after those films. On a craftsmanship level, I have to disagree with most of the reviews of this film I've read since watching it. I think that the reviewers either were swayed by the big names (Campion, Elizabeth Moss, Holly Hunter) or they have low standards. The plot was mediocre IMO, even by TV detective series standards. The timeline (which took place over 5 months) was completely messed up, with no real sense of elapsed time between scenes, the whodunnit was obvious after episode 3, and IMO there were almost no real characters. Instead they were caricatures...stereotypes with little depth...and I for one found none of them believable. Especially Holly Hunter as GJ. As I said before, if Campion actually based her on UG Krishnamurti, then her perception is *way* off. The only one of the awards it was nominated for that I felt was deserved was for cinematography, and even that was a no-brainer, because all that the DP had to do was point a camera at the beautiful NZ countryside and turn it on. All in all, color me disappointed. I was hoping that watching it would cure me of my aversion to Jane Campion, but instead it reinforced it. I won't be bothering with any of her films in the future. I really *needed* (after the shower) a quick watching of a dumb nerd/horror movie (Knights Of Badassdom) to take the bad taste out of my eyes. *From:* s3raph...@yahoo.com s3raph...@yahoo.com *To:* FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com *Sent:* Thursday, February 13, 2014 12:22 AM *Subject:* [FairfieldLife] RE: TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions I watched the whole of Top Of The Lake. It's unpleasant and violent with no redeeming or attractive characters. I only watched because of the UG guru role to see where that would lead. Nowhere is the answer. There's no real relationship between the spiritual group and the disorder and crime surrounding it so the commune just adds a slightly exotic ambience to the drama. You wanted Holly Hunter's character to provide an alternative interpretation of the events but there is no resolution - just a confirmation of Campion's pessimism.
Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions
Yes, I agree he should stick with it. It has some surprises coming up. It's also interesting how Elizabeth Moss's career has developed. I recall her being the teen villain in the ABC sci-fi dram Invasion of around 10 years ago. Last night I watched the British thriller Closed Circuit on Blu-ray with Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Jim Broadbent, Ciarán Hinds and Julia Stiles. I really liked where the storyline goes but can't go into that without it being a spoiler. On 02/11/2014 10:55 PM, ultrarishi wrote: Stick with it. It's good. Most long form crime series pad out their stories with stuff, like the so called angry feminist element you speak of. However, misdirection is a key part of these dramas and the padding is the misdirection. While I don't want to give any spoilers, the misdirection is there to keep you from solving the mystery too soon. What would be fun in watching if you guessed right off the bat. Season 2 of Bron / Broen made good use of this with various plot elements. Same goes for the Killing. At the end of the day this is still just a crime drama, just with characters a bit more wacky than usual.
[FairfieldLife] RE: TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions
I watched the whole of Top Of The Lake. It's unpleasant and violent with no redeeming or attractive characters. I only watched because of the UG guru role to see where that would lead. Nowhere is the answer. There's no real relationship between the spiritual group and the disorder and crime surrounding it so the commune just adds a slightly exotic ambience to the drama. You wanted Holly Hunter's character to provide an alternative interpretation of the events but there is no resolution - just a confirmation of Campion's pessimism.
[FairfieldLife] RE: TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions
Stick with it. It's good. Most long form crime series pad out their stories with stuff, like the so called angry feminist element you speak of. However, misdirection is a key part of these dramas and the padding is the misdirection. While I don't want to give any spoilers, the misdirection is there to keep you from solving the mystery too soon. What would be fun in watching if you guessed right off the bat. Season 2 of Bron / Broen made good use of this with various plot elements. Same goes for the Killing. At the end of the day this is still just a crime drama, just with characters a bit more wacky than usual.
[FairfieldLife] Re: TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, ultrarishi wrote: Stick with it. It's good. Most long form crime series pad out their stories with stuff, like the so called angry feminist element you speak of. However, misdirection is a key part of these dramas and the padding is the misdirection. While I don't want to give any spoilers, the misdirection is there to keep you from solving the mystery too soon. What would be fun in watching if you guessed right off the bat. Season 2 of Bron / Broen made good use of this with various plot elements. Same goes for the Killing. At the end of the day this is still just a crime drama, just with characters a bit more wacky than usual. I watched the third episode last night, and it was a little less tiresome than the previous two, so I will probably continue watching. As for the misdirection and the mystery, I am hoping against hope that it isn't a rehash of her AWFUL plot in In The Cut, with the heroine having sex with the person she begins to suspect is the bad guy. I have heard from women friends that they like Jane Campion because of her obsession with obsession. That is, according to them she captures the way that women sometimes glom onto some guy who is a total loser because they're attracted to him sexually, and fuck him because they can't control themselves. You'll have to forgive me if I find this theme as uninteresting and as dumb in women as I find its counterpart in men. Sounds to me as if Jane Campion has some real issues with regard to her love life, and that she acts them out in her movies. Another tell is that she made her guru character look pretty much exactly like her. Long, straight grey hair (I mistyped earlier when I referred to a blonde wig), no makeup, and almost purposefully dressing down to make herself more unattractive. Please don't get me wrong...I liked The Piano, and had high hopes for her films after that. It's just that she manages to dash those hopes over and over and over. As a friend of mine once said about Rama (who we both studied with), He never fails to disappoint. So far, Jane Campion has never failed to disappoint. I will finish Top Of The Lake, however, and hope that she redeems herself at the end.
