You know, I've been watching the first season of Lost and I have to say. Its a little too sappy. The mystery of it is interesting and some of the characters are neat, but overall, I have to say that the writing is fairly poor.
Maybe its because its on network TV and maybe its because its built around emotional manipulation, but I just can't stand the high level of sappiness. Is there something I'm missing? Is there some disbelief I have to suspend? What am I doing wrong that makes me not enjoy the show when everyone on the goddamned planet thinks its the Mona Fucking Lisa?
Incedentally, I really enjoyed watching "Mona Fucking Lisa". When those two get together... woowee...
I really can't explain it. I'm usually not one to be drawn into a TV show. The last time this happened, it was with Twin Peaks. Now, I'm hopeless when it comes to LOST and Battlestar Galactica.
Ok, Twin Peaks. Say no more. I think that David Lynch is the literally the most overrated artist of my lifetime. That would explain why the Twin Peaks crowd is gangbusters about Lost...
Twin Peaks and Lost? Don't see the connection. I did fall for Lost, but only slowly, and despite its whitebread characters and writing. Partly about waiting to see how the connection between the island and Locke pans out. Twin Peaks, on the other hand, was amazing -- I'm mixed about Lynch's other work, and especially think Eraserhead is complete crap.
Lost and Lynch's work have a very similar thread: They present a world that follows dream logic but seems realistic enough to seem clever. People watch these works wondering how it will unfold. They have their pet theories about what the randomly chosen images really mean, and this in turn makes them think that the writing is clever. When they find "the hidden meaning" they themselves feel clever.
I think it was William Wordsworth who once said "Poetry is language freed from what it has to say." That is to say, that the meaning doesn't matter as long as its beautiful. I think this applies to all art: it doesn't matter what is being said as long as it is said well. Unfortunately, Lynch and to a lesser extent, Lost, seems lost in its "meaning". People are falling over themselves to unlock this secret truth which is somehow so important as to eclipse the huge faults in the art itself.
I see the appeal of that style of art. For people who place value on what the artist is trying to say, it seems like the most fun possible really. Im not so into that. Its what makes me hate Lynch more than any other maker of movies and make Lost a collection of emotional manipulations that interest me very little.
"That is to say, that the meaning doesn't matter as long as its beautiful. I think this applies to all art: it doesn't matter what is being said as long as it is said well. Unfortunately, Lynch and to a lesser extent, Lost, seems lost in its "meaning". People are falling over themselves to unlock this secret truth which is somehow so important as to eclipse the huge faults in the art itself."
Hmm, I would have said the opposite about Lynch. I think he often (not always) sacrifices meaning and clarity to his compelling dreamlike, surrealistic style. And while some of his movies do seem to have meaning, I'm not sure I would burden Twin Peaks with any. It is an exercise in delightful weirdness, and the fun is in caring about characters who are not remotely believable, and seeing how they develop in the face of an unpredictable and bizarre universe.
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tinhuviel
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Date: 2006-02-05 02:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 02:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 02:09 am (UTC)Maybe its because its on network TV and maybe its because its built around emotional manipulation, but I just can't stand the high level of sappiness. Is there something I'm missing? Is there some disbelief I have to suspend? What am I doing wrong that makes me not enjoy the show when everyone on the goddamned planet thinks its the Mona Fucking Lisa?
Incedentally, I really enjoyed watching "Mona Fucking Lisa". When those two get together... woowee...
no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 02:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 07:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 05:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 09:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 12:02 am (UTC)I think it was William Wordsworth who once said "Poetry is language freed from what it has to say." That is to say, that the meaning doesn't matter as long as its beautiful. I think this applies to all art: it doesn't matter what is being said as long as it is said well. Unfortunately, Lynch and to a lesser extent, Lost, seems lost in its "meaning". People are falling over themselves to unlock this secret truth which is somehow so important as to eclipse the huge faults in the art itself.
I see the appeal of that style of art. For people who place value on what the artist is trying to say, it seems like the most fun possible really. Im not so into that. Its what makes me hate Lynch more than any other maker of movies and make Lost a collection of emotional manipulations that interest me very little.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 12:33 am (UTC)Hmm, I would have said the opposite about Lynch. I think he often (not always) sacrifices meaning and clarity to his compelling dreamlike, surrealistic style. And while some of his movies do seem to have meaning, I'm not sure I would burden Twin Peaks with any. It is an exercise in delightful weirdness, and the fun is in caring about characters who are not remotely believable, and seeing how they develop in the face of an unpredictable and bizarre universe.