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Alan Sepinwall posted:I have no idea if Jane Campion, co-director and co-creator of Sundance's "Top of the Lake," has ever seen "The Killing," or the Danish series that inspired it. But the mystery miniseries certainly plays like she watched a few hours of the AMC version, leaned back in her chair and said, "Let me show you how it's done, kid."  The early episodes of The Killing introduced the novel premise of showing the aftermath of a horrific crime from multiple perspectives within the community it affected. It promised to slow down from the typical pace of a police procedural, to let us observe human beings trying to to pick themselves up from a tragedy or otherwise take advantage of one, and to take us through the grind of bringing justice and closure to the dead, step by exhausting step. And then, you know, the rest of the show happened. As The Killing prepared to limp into a third season that only AMC seemed to want, Jane Campion and Gerard Lee went to work on a limited-run mystery series of their own for Britian's BBC2, Australia / New Zealand's UKTV, and America's Sundance Channel (which, coincidentally, is owned by AMC Networks). About Jane Campion: She's not a BIG name, but she is an important one in feminist filmmaking; her most well-known work was 1993's The Piano, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Director (only the second woman to ever get that honor) and a win for Best Original Screenplay. Since then she's stayed somewhat on the fringes (only venturing into the mainstream for the poorly received thriller In the Cut), but her last feature, 2009's Bright Star, gave Abbie Cornish her breakout role. So she may not be as relevant as she was twenty years ago, but she remains very, very talented and worthy of respect. Top of the Lake, which has already aired in New Zealand and even screened at the Sundance Film Festival, centers on an investigation into the pregnancy of Tui, a 12-year-old girl living in a small New Zealand mountain town. Called in to assist is Robin Griffin (Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss, sporting a solid Kiwi accent), a Sydney-based sex crimes specialist who happened to be in town visiting her ailing mother. There are, as expected, a couple of wrinkles; for one thing, Tui's father Matt Mitcham (Peter Mullan) is a violent drug lord who holds some sway with the local police, including Robin's temporary partner Al Parker (David Wenham). For another, shortly after Robin's initial talk with Tui, she goes missing. The ensuing Hell that breaks loose propels Robin into a direct confrontation with the demons she's lived with all her life as she throws herself into the search for the girl. And watching from the sidelines is GJ (Holly Hunter, reuniting with her Piano director), a woman running a commune called Paradise that Matt Mitcham will stop at nothing to snatch away. It all sounds so typical, but going by critics, it's so well-executed it doesn't matter:
Top of the Lake premiered Monday night on The Sundance Channel. It will run for another four weeks, with two installments airing in the final week. NZ/Film Festival viewers who are somehow watching this again on Sundance Channel: Be advised that while the original run was split into six episodes, this run will be split into seven to account for commercials. This explains why some episodes start and stop in odd places. DivisionPost fucked around with this message at Mar 20, 2013 around 22:36 |
| # ? Mar 20, 2013 21:29 |
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| # ? May 24, 2013 09:10 |
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I just finished the first two episodes and HOLY poo poo I love it. The first thing I noticed: This show looks amazing. Seriously. The cinematography is great and the set/costume design is just perfect. People who were in IRC with me this evening can confirm that I really liked the cinematography  .I love the characters so far. I really love just how threatening Micham is and Elisabeth Moss is great in her role too. It is slow but very intense. Watch it!
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| # ? Mar 21, 2013 00:33 |
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DivisionPost posted:
It hasn't actually but it starts in a few days and i'm definitely looking forward to it. Looks like a beautiful series. Interesting to see an American attempting a New Zealand accent, I can't even recall another time that's been done.
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| # ? Mar 21, 2013 03:30 |
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Watching the show takes you back to Water Rats.
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| # ? Mar 21, 2013 11:40 |
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I just watched the pilot and really enjoyed it. I'm on board for the season.
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| # ? Mar 22, 2013 21:13 |
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This drew me in like the first season of Twin Peaks. I want Top of the Lake in my veins. Wandle Cax posted:Interesting to see an American attempting a New Zealand accent, I can't even recall another time that's been done. I had Elisabeth Moss pegged as an Australian having not seen her in Madmen. She has that Nicole Kidman / Naomi Watts Australian but actually pronouncing things as if she is presenting at the front of the class nailed. With just enough Kiwi thrown in to sound odd. The character is meant to have been in Sydney for 8 years so its entirely plausible. Their first choice was Anna Paquin who is lovely but Elisabeth Moss knocked it clear out of the park. Vorpal Wombat fucked around with this message at Mar 25, 2013 around 14:40 |
| # ? Mar 25, 2013 11:19 |
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Everything is brilliant. The writing, the acting, the cinematography. I wish more people knew about this.
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| # ? Apr 3, 2013 00:03 |
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Well I just finished the finale, and holy poo poo. This was an absolutely phenomenal miniseries, and I really hope people give this a chance and check it out. If you felt burned by The Killing, this will make up for it. It pays off the premise fantastically, and the ending genuinely shocked me and left me wholly satisfied. I'm thinking Elizabeth Moss gets a Best Actress in a Miniseries Emmy for this.
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| # ? Apr 16, 2013 04:14 |
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Moss truly was amazing in this. I thought the pacing was really weird, though, and the way they broke a, what, five-episode show, into a seven-episode show may have been the cause for that. It's not really a show that lends itself to TVIV chat, as people watch it, but hopefully goons will watch it and have more to say about it.
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| # ? Apr 16, 2013 22:17 |
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ufarn posted:I thought the pacing was really weird, though, and the way they broke a, what, five-episode show, into a seven-episode show may have been the cause for that Yeah, the episode breaks were weird. It's definitely something you'll want to binge through. Like a 6 hour film. JayMax fucked around with this message at Apr 17, 2013 around 01:53 |
| # ? Apr 17, 2013 01:43 |
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I'd compare this show to Twin Peaks. Come for the world, suffer the ending. The first six episodes were fantastic, then the series just shits all over itself at the end. My biggest problem is a frustrating lack of payoff, especially if you've been paying attention. In most movies/shows, you're rewarded for picking up on the clues when the characters finally catch up to you at the end. That happens here, sortof, but it seems like the writers approached it as a given that everyone would get the twists, so they they either rush through the payoff (the surprise sex room, Al's role as the Kingpin, Matt's death), or just skip it all together (Tuie's real father, Johnno's real father, Robin's employment status, Johnno's role in Robin's surprise sex). You could argue that it is a concious decision to leave some parts ambiguous, but gently caress that. If you're going to tell a story, tell a story. Despite that, and the large block of spoilered whining I have below, I'd recommend this, especially now that it's on Netflix. The setup and world-building are top-notch, and Laketop is full of interesting side characters. The visuals are beautiful, and Jane Champion is fantastic at a somber and menacing mood. The actors put in good performances, and Elizabeth Moss's accent is good enough that I didn't notice it being bad. Pros: -That loving fake out twist with Tuie asleep on the couch was amazing. For a brief second I wondered if the dude I called as the bad guy in the first episode, whom Robin had just gutshot, was innocent all along. I really wish they had run with this, because then the story is clarified as a cop who's own issues twisted her sense of reality into seeing things that weren't there. -Al's "oh gently caress" after Robin shot him in the gut, then kicking the door closed on him. -Known side-effects of co-ed dancing in the 1980's included a 100% chance of pregnancy -That male-midwife was about as useful as I would be. -"We're fighting, you and I, I'll be in my tent." -The scene where Robin tries to gently caress Johnno into believing Matt wasn't her father was amazing. Sure he's telling her "Matt's full of poo poo," but the fact that he can't bang her proves he has his doubts. -They very realistically portrayed Tuie, like most 14 year olds, as a giant rear end in a top hat. -I really enjoyed the Crazy Dowager Ranch ladies and wanted more of them, I wish they had stuck with them rather than have them provide a specialized vagabond for every plot need -"I need to get away from these crazy bitches." Cons: -Robin spent the last half hour doing the worst, slowest rip off of the usual suspects (Seriously, I'm pretty sure that shot of her looking at the pegboard was a direct lift)I've ever seen. We observed her observing enough clues in the first six episodes that I thought they were over-telegraphing it and that she had the plot, but couldn't prove it. Nope. Turns out she just filed them away before knocking off at noon to gently caress her half brother. -This series covered something like 4 months of Tuie's pregnancy and it seemed like Robin clocked maybe 40 hours on what was presumably her only case. Perhaps I'm just used to American cop shows that don't show the work/life balance of the protagonists, but she really seemed to be a cop and a not cop at random based on plot necessity. "Pregnant 12-year old in the woods due anytime now? We should probably have a bunch of sex.""You want to testify against the guy whom I swore a vendetta against and happen to be racing to an endangered child? Sweet, come by in a couple days." -Her boss might as well have worn a black hat and mustache. He 1. flooded the girls interrogation with a bunch of cops, intimidating the hell out of her. 2. made inappropriate advances, then roofied her 3. "Hey so you woke up naked in my bed, I didn't try anything, want to get married?" 4. pulled her out to sea so she could be threatened by the local crime boss 5. Admitted foreknowlege of Matt's confession, then arranged a scenario where it was broadcast to the rest of the force and created conflict of interest so he could pull her off the case. From #2 onward she would have had ample grounds to go to whatever supervisory authority that kiwi cops have. Also, he wasn't even her boss, she was on loan. Why on earth wouldn't you call your comparatively big city department to mention "this place is loving corrupt, send help."? Questions -So many unresolved plot points: 1. When did the community randomly adopt Crazy Dowager Ranch? They started out as outcasts, but by episode 5 their hosting sing-along funerals for the townsfolk. 2. Why spend the first two episodes developing Ranch-Dwellers that we wouldn't see ever again? 3. Did Johnno have more to do with Robin's surprise sex than he let on? 4. What happened to Matt's loving drug empire? 5. Is kiwi adoption law basically "gently caress it, just adopt whomever? 6. Robin, Johnno and Tuie seem to be a going concern as a family when the Matt's ashes and paternity tests arrive. Did they just say gently caress it and resume banging, test results be damned?
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| # ? Apr 18, 2013 18:29 |
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quote:Questions: Just finished this, and although some tidy ends would have been nice in some places, I guess most of the above just counts as life goes on - the commune wasn't a secret cult or anything, just a bunch of women hanging out thanks to buckets of cash. They met the locals, mixed in town, no crazy religious plans, weren't stopping anyone coming to visit. Sudden flashbacks of the episode which was wall to wall domestic abuse (3/4?) with Matt driving in  I was expecting more than just Johnno was ashamed for the question above, but it also leads to the question of if Matt knew he was Robin's father, and presumably had some power 15 years back, why the hell did the rapists survive past getting their asses kicked (and licked) a bit? Assuming that her parentage was unknown, why gently caress with the son of the local druglord, assuming Johnno really had no part in any of it? I'm guessing that Matt was never really in as much control as he seemed to be, being crazy, and second fiddle to Al the whole time. I think of all the cast Al was played perfectly. Would love to watch that character just poo poo on earnest-cops and wayward teens (!) all day. If anyone can provide or link to any deeper discussion of themes, imagery etc that would be great. School Bully fucked around with this message at Apr 21, 2013 around 11:04 |
| # ? Apr 21, 2013 11:01 |
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| # ? May 24, 2013 09:10 |
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Marathoned this whole series over the weekend. drat.
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| # ? May 6, 2013 03:03 |
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