Ten Favorite TV Shows Pt. 6: Six Feet Under

Favorite character: Nate Fisher
Favorite episodes: A Private Life, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, I'm Sorry I'm Lost, Untitled, Everyone's Waiting

A series that deals with death in a profoundly moving way. Injecting a good number of Twin Peaks influenced dream scenes throughout. This only elevates the material and gives it a darker edge. Especially as the series progresses. Alan Ball's writing prose is certainly relevant in this case. As the series has countless moments of dark humor

The best one can hope for in a series finale is a conclusion that is wholly satisfying and original. One that caps off the series in the particular aesthetic or subject matter that series touches upon. In that regard, Six Feet Under has probably the most satisfying ending to any series I've seen.

Ready for my close up

It started with a chair...

Top 100 Grab Bag- #14- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I was once asked by a good friend "how could you like Zodiac more than Shawshank Redemption?" Since my digs are purely subjective and exist on the basis of wanting to watch the film multiple times, then it should come out the other end as honest. In both choice & ranking. Regardless of how high it charts an some list the AFI or imdb made or how many oscars it won.

Ranking has always been the difficult task of any list. I'm sure anyone who has made one knows what I'm talking about. It's not that I dislike the film at #100 because it ranks there. The way I look at it, these are 100 A+ students. The smartest, liveliest, wittiest kids in the class. Always ahead of the game.

So in that regard, I will be choosing all 100 entries at random. That's right. Random. & today we'll be visiting a little ole' mental institution.

#14- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Cuckoo's Nest takes on the form of what one would expect from a prison movie. You have the rebellious lead. The villian in Nurse Ratched. It's a 100% anti-establishment picture that the audience of the 70's dug so much along with those golden boys at the Academy.

Sure, films like Cool Hand Luke & The Great Escape had that tasty morsel of rebellion that had us cinemagoers chomping at the bit for that breathtaking escape scene. & while I hold huge digs for both films, one can see the inherant reblliousness of a baseball tossin' Captain Hiltz in the natural born world shaker Lucas Jackson. Characters like that exist to throw the establishment off its kilter. & do they do it ever so cool too. Even that tall glass of water, Andy Dufrasne exists to do so.

OFOTCN excels over the others because of its attention to secondary (& even tertiary) characters. Bill Bibbitt, the Chief, Tabor, Charlie Cheswick, even . It's the little moments. Billy dancing with Candy. Mac thinking to himself after the party he throws in the place. If there ever were a case to be made as to how important character actors are, then this is one of the films to show someone.

You see, the greatness of Cuckoo's Nest, Cool Hand Luke & even Great Escape lay in not having some character escape a correctional facility, POW camp or mental institution. It lay in presenting a world through thorough characterizations the that makes us innocent folk want to break in. If only for the duration of two hours. Now isn't that pe-culiar.

Lotioning. Oiling.

Ten Favorite TV Shows Pt. 5: The Sopranos

A startling reflection of the modern American family. Its praises have been sung in countless circles. The one major problem I have with The Sopranos, & one I have with a myriad of TV shows is just how long it was given to run. Granted, the long list of secondary characters- Bobby Bacalieri, Phil Leotardo, Johnny Sack, etc. were given further development. The near existentialism of the first half of Season Six was very welcome. Though, it seemed to run out of steam when looked at in context of the entire show. That still caused Chase to leave room for unnecessary plotlines (ex: Vito Spatafore & the head scratching inclusion of what happened to his son in the last season.)

Now the big thing people have complained about since it aired is of course, the finale. I won't spoil it for those who have yet to wade through this series. Regardless, it works. & very well, I might add. The gangster genre, even traced back all the way to the 30's with Scarface & Public Enemy, has a clear cut message to it. Crime doesn't pay is the message that is always left on our doorsteps with a bowl of egg noodles and ketchup. The triumph of the Sopranos is showing just how damaged the way of American life actually is. This, made all the more chilling by the way David Chase chose how to end the series.

Favorite episodes: Long Term Parking, Whitecaps, Pine Barrens, College, Funhouse, Army of One, Whoever Did This, Join the Club

Favorite characters:
Christopher Moltisanti- Chris once ironically complained about his 'arc' when writing a script in Season One. Out of all the characters on the show, his character arc may be the most interesting. By the ending of Season 2's episode D-Girl, I felt this. By Season 5's episodes (Irregular Around the Margins & Long Term Parking) it was set in stone. In many ways, the 'Jesse Pinkman' of the series.

Paulie Walnuts- Always the comic relief. Probably the most self centered characters on the show (which is saying a hell of a lot).

Most effective villian: Ralph Cifaretto. Sure Richie Aprile & Phil Leotardo have made their impressions. Joe Pantoliano's Cifaretto on the other hand just makes you want to squirm in your seat. (think Cesar from Bound and go even further.) True sleaze that is exemplified in a horrific scene in the intensely dark season 3.

Ten Favorite TV Shows Pt. 4: Breaking Bad

Favorite character: Walter White
Favorite episodes: Fly, One Minute, ABQ, Grilled

OK. So it might be a little early to proclaim this a top 10. & in all likeliness, if it continues down its current path on a consistent basis, this could even rank higher. For now, it secures a 7 spot. It may not be as ambitious as some of the other shows on the list. Its strengths however lie in its characterizations and ability to create palpable tension and mix it with jet black humor.