I NO THINK THAT WORD MEANS WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS
Castaway was on TNT this weekend (a lot; I think it's their new Shawshenk Redemption). In spite of all the critical acclaim it garnered (see Tom Hanks fat, see Tom Hanks thin, see Tom Hanks hairy), I couldn't help thinking, you know, the soaps do (and overdo) this story a lot.
And they do it better.
Back from the dead is a soap staple. We get to see news of the miraculous resurrection travel around town. We get to witness loved ones' first glimpse of the mistakenly presumed dearly departed, and we get to see the girl/boy left behind wrestle for months (years, sometimes!) about their feelings for their old love and their new one.
What did we get in Castaway? Not only were we not treated to the moment when Tom Hanks sees his first human being in over three years (the cut is from him seeing the freighter that picks him up, straight to his reunion with his best friend -- what, did the filmmakers think there was no drama to a man's first reconnection with civilization?).
And then we get one (!) scene with Tom and Helen Hunt, where he says, "Come with me," and she says, "Nah, I'll stay with the dentist." And that's it.
This is angst? This is drama? This is what you need to hire two Academy Award winners for?
Give me a soap back from the dead, any day.
Furthermore, the movies seems to think that it's about the importance of not obsessing over time. After the first scene in Moscow, where Tom lectures his workers about "never turn your back on time," we get scenes of him on the island, marking the days of his exile and learning not to stress so much over minutes and seconds.
The movie thinks its about learning to get off the modern-age treadmill, smelling the roses, savoring the moments, etc.... BUT, what actually happens in it is that Tom Hanks does turn his back on time (or, more accurately, it turns its back on him) and as a result he loses his girlfriend (and basically, his entire life).
So how is the moral that time isn't important applicable here?
Coming soon, more movies that aren't about what they think they're about, including Dead Poet's Society and Shrek.
And they do it better.
Back from the dead is a soap staple. We get to see news of the miraculous resurrection travel around town. We get to witness loved ones' first glimpse of the mistakenly presumed dearly departed, and we get to see the girl/boy left behind wrestle for months (years, sometimes!) about their feelings for their old love and their new one.
What did we get in Castaway? Not only were we not treated to the moment when Tom Hanks sees his first human being in over three years (the cut is from him seeing the freighter that picks him up, straight to his reunion with his best friend -- what, did the filmmakers think there was no drama to a man's first reconnection with civilization?).
And then we get one (!) scene with Tom and Helen Hunt, where he says, "Come with me," and she says, "Nah, I'll stay with the dentist." And that's it.
This is angst? This is drama? This is what you need to hire two Academy Award winners for?
Give me a soap back from the dead, any day.
Furthermore, the movies seems to think that it's about the importance of not obsessing over time. After the first scene in Moscow, where Tom lectures his workers about "never turn your back on time," we get scenes of him on the island, marking the days of his exile and learning not to stress so much over minutes and seconds.
The movie thinks its about learning to get off the modern-age treadmill, smelling the roses, savoring the moments, etc.... BUT, what actually happens in it is that Tom Hanks does turn his back on time (or, more accurately, it turns its back on him) and as a result he loses his girlfriend (and basically, his entire life).
So how is the moral that time isn't important applicable here?
Coming soon, more movies that aren't about what they think they're about, including Dead Poet's Society and Shrek.
1 Comments:
You are so right!
I tuned in to "The 4400" on USA because I thought it would be great to see these reunions of lost and assumed dead folks that had been gone anywhere from a few months to 60 years. In addition, they hadn't aged a bit in the time they were gone.
I thought, here are 4400 great storylines for 4400 episodes. Bonus in that soap alum, Laura Allen would be in a feature role.
However, it became unbearable after season 2 with its total Sci Fi wackiness.
I feel they missed out on a good thing.
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