Yet Another Quick Glance At My DVD Collection

THE LAND OF THE LOST: THE FIRST SEASON (1974)

Plot;
Marshall, Will, and Holly on a routine expedition
Met the greatest earthquake ever known.
High on the rapids it struck their tiny raft,
And plunged them down a thousand feet below.
To the Land of the Lost


This is one of the treasures from my childhood. This show had everything, comedy, dinosaurs, the scary troll-like Sleestacks, time travel and of course Chaka. The best part about this show for me was watching the strange mythology build up as the series progressed, we learned about how the Altrusian's devolved into the Sleestacks, about how the Pylons effected the environment. In a lot of ways she show primed me for my love of the weird tales of Robert E. Howard and HP Lovecraft.


Another great thing about the first season is that it wraps up the entire storyline in a nice little time loop. Sure there were two more seasons after this but honestly they didn't do much for me then and still do nothing for me now. I also caught the remake series from the 1990's but that didn't really hold my attention either and they had a savage jungle girl in it! Ordinarily I love savage jungle girls.


Now of course they're going to try and this into a movie starring Will Farrel. I remain cautious but interested but I am not sure they could ever recapture the old show's strange magic.


I'm sure the over 40 nerds out there already have their own feelings about the series but I would like to say to all you youngsters out there with your iPods and your Xboxes that if you can look past the thirty year old production values and pacing you might really enjoy watching this.




DOUBLE FEATURE RECOMMENDATION;


OLDBOY (2003) and SWEENEY TODD (2008)
PLOTS: Both are stories of men destroyed by vengeance


OLDBOY is the story of a man dragged off the street and held captive for over a decade in a strange private prison. He doesn't know why this was done, he doesn't know who is responsible but his time as a prisoner costs him his wife, his daughter and his sanity. When he is freed he goes on a quest for revenge but he only has 5 days to learn the truth.


SWEENEY TODD is set in the Victorian era and is the story of a man arrested and exiled for a crime he did not commit. Over a decade later he manages to make his way back home to try and find his loved ones again. What he finds sets him on a path that leads to bloody retribution and some very snappy musical numbers.


Both films are very violent and bleak and yet are punctuated with scenes of sweetness and desperation. OLDBOY in particular lurches from gore to pathos at speeds that might induce whiplash on unprepared filmgoers. SWEENEY TODD keeps the same atmosphere all the way through but the films juxtaposition of tropes from the standard Broadway musical and the long lost art of Grand Guignol theater make for enthralling viewing.


Watching both films back to back makes for a fascinating comparison of similar plotlines seen through different cultural and directorial styles.