[The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind] Off To See, umm... Richard Dreyfus?

Now, first thing's first, Tin Man ain't your precious pappy's previous field o' poppies.

However, as much as I thought it would be loaded with annoying cheese and kitsch, this new spin on the old Wizard of Oz is actually quite fascinating. I dig the art-deco feel of the sets, and the whole thing reminds me of that 1980 bastion of glitz Flash Gordon.

In fact, at more than one point while watching, I half-expected to hear the shredding notes of a Brian May guitar assault with the late, great Freddy Mercury singing notes that only Freddy could sing. But, the soundtrack to Tin Man is subdued. Granted, it's effective, and it does, at times, take on a character all its own as all good soundtracks hope to do. And, when they do that, the whole point of a good soundtrack is not to notice it.

One of the really great surprises in watching this was to see the unbelievably talented Alan Cumming once again find a way to just act amazingly well and fit in perfectly to the role he's given. The guy is easily one of the most underrated actors out there, and watching him play the role of the ersatz scarecrow with such an entertaining ease really makes this series.

Another great surprise was just how utterly cool it was to see Richard Dreyfus acting again. And that laugh of his... There's just something about that damn cackle of his that cements the entire tone of any scene he's in. Whenever I hear Richard Dreyfus laugh, the thought which inevitably tumbles into my head is man! I wish I could laugh like that.

And then there's Zooey...

I wish I could take an unbiased look at this show, but once you toss Zooey Deschanel into the cast, well... as a result of the freakish, mind-boggling crush I've had on her since god knows when, I don't care if she's stumbling around on roller skates and doing a remake of The Wiz, I'm still going to like it. She's a smart man's hottie, and though, like the brainless scarecrow, I don't really know how smart I am, one look at her upon the screen is more than enough to make me say "this movie isn't so bad."

But, I digress... This is about the show, and not random objects of my affections.

I have to admit, I was surprised by Tin Man. I think I went in expecting it to be at least a little close to the original, and subsequently overdone and utterly dreadful. I mean, other than some sort of snarky satire, how much more could you do with the story, right?

Well, apparently, you can do a lot. There are parts which I think were intended to be an homage to the original, yet rather than be a cutesy reference, they actually come across as adding something of a backstory to the events which plagued the original Dorothy. But, it's still a stand on its own telling of this rather trippy tale (I mean, the idea that the Tin Man is a cold, heartless cop is perfect when you think about it).

There are things which annoy me though. The constant references to the O.Z. should be played with more subtlety, and it would be better if they just committed themselves to calling it "the Outer Zone" as opposed to constantly using such a ham-handed abbreviation. It just doesn't fit.

And then there's the character of Raw. Gyaagh! He's pretty much the embodiment of every cowardly cliche imaginable. Don't get me wrong, Raoul Trujillo does a good job with what little he's given. It's just that, for every fascinating portrayal the other characters provide and the depth those characters were given, I just don't imagine there's anyone out there capable of making the "cowardly lion" anything other than outrageously annoying and frustratingly shallow. It's one thing to be cowardly, and it's a whole other kettle of fish to be pathetic to the point of deserving a righteous stabbing.

Finally, perhaps one of the best bits is the scenery and cinematography. The vistas and panoramic shots are breathtaking. The colors are vibrant in all the right places to allow themselves to provide a stable crutch for the whole surreal environment of the show. It's got a feel that's somewhere between the aforementioned Flash Gordon from 1980, and the bombtastic 2004 Angelina Jolie flop Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

So, if nothing else, it's a hell of a lot of fun to look at, and so long as one can suspend one's disbelief for a couple of hours, it's easy to just enjoy the silly little ride.

I like it.

Anyway, did anyone else manage to catch a gander at this show? If so, what are your thoughts? You see, I tend not to see it as the "bold reimagining" of the SciFi Channel's hype. I see it as standing alone because it's far enough removed from the original, and it's so easy to just forget about Judy Garland and her ruby red footwear and all that damned singing. And, trust me. You'd be doing yourself a favor to just forget the original tale and just enjoy this for what it is. A good story with a great cast and characters that are fun to watch interact.

-DP

P.S. Yes. It's late and my mind is kind of mushy. I blame the reading, the writing, and the shoveling of snow in the pouring rain (there was also a trip to the grocery store which is probably best I don't get into).

Hope you all had a good weekend. Did anyone do anything fun?


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Posted By Dan to The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind at 12/02/2007 10:08:00 PM