I do not believe you will find many who
would pan Mr. Jackson's handling of the “Lord of the Rings”
trilogy. I for one find them to be amazing. However, I wonder what
lies ahead, and ultimately how Peter Jackson will be remembered in 50
or 100 years time.
Look at Orson Wells. Citizen Kane
often cited as one of the best ever made. Touch of Evil (despite the
strange casting of Charlton Heston) also a classic. What other OW
movies can you name, right this instant? CK 1941, ToE 1958, what of
his later work, and what happened to the promising figure he was
supposed to be.
Fast forward. Can Peter Jackson top
Lord of the Rings? Possibly not. Should he try? Damn straight yes.
Will he succeed? I hope so. His next movie, King Kong
(
http://imdb.com/title/tt0360717/).
King Kong has been made 19 times in one form or another
(
http://imdb.com/find?tt=on;nm=on;mx=20;q=king%20kong)
and yet the first in 1933 still stands as the best. Time will only
tell how Peter Jackson's version will fare.
As for his past, I have not seen his
entire back catalog but I would wager I have watched more than most.
- Bad Taste (1987) and Meet the
Feebles (1989) I have not seen, perhaps others can tell us their
experiences with these.
- Braindead or Dead Alive (1992) I
have seen, and oh boy, what a movie. A slasher zombie flick with
more blood than dialog, and there is a lot of dialog. Camp and
slapstick with humor to spare. How can you describe a movie that
uses a lawnmower as a weapon, or that uses the line “I kick
ass for the LORD!”. Don't take it too seriously.
- Heavenly Creatures (1994). In my
opinion, an amazing movie. From the extreme climax, to the
interesting use of claymation to the development of the relationship
between the two central characters this is a movie that delivers.
His first film to be shot with a budget it is a quantum leap in
quality from Dead Alive.
- Forgotten Silver (1995). Still
have not seen.
- The Frighteners (1996). I liked
this movie from the first time I saw it. Not many other people did.
A commercial flop at the time I wonder just how many are
re-evaluating their initial opinion on this film.
just one man's unvalued opinion and
ramblings