Mixed-Up Monster Club

Sunday, July 7, 2013

REVIEW PENDING: Hannibal (NBC) "Oeuf" - The Banned Episode

This is the controversial episode that was pulled by creator Bryan Fuller in light of "the cultural climate right now in the U.S."

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Bryan Fuller Talks About The Artistic Significance of Will's Vomit in Hannibal's Season 1 Finale "Savoureux"

TV Guide interviewed Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller about the season 1 finale. Fuller goes into detail about Will Graham vomiting up a human ear in the season 1 finale.

Link: http://www.tvguide.com/News/Hannibal-Postmortem-Bryan-Fuller-1067011.aspx

Some people might look at this screen shot and think they are seeing a kitchen sink containing a vomited up human ear and pills. According to Bryan Fuller's interview, this is part of his grand artistic vision.

Somebody frame this work of art.

From the inteview:

It was something that I knew was going to happen, even before I started writing the pilot. The last run of episodes was going to [have] Will Graham throwing up an ear, fearing that he had eaten somebody. Initially it was a finger, [but] I just thought, 'There's not as much chew time for a finger as there is an ear.' [Laughs] It was a really great destination to drive to and one of those kind of sparks of inspiration.

"Great destination"!!! "Sparks of inspiration"!!! He's talking about a sink filled with vomit, people. It's not the Sistine Chapel.

Fortunately, the interviewer asked the key question: "Speaking of what we don't see, how did Hannibal get the ear in Will's stomach?"

Hannibal is a wily guy. [Laughs] As a storyteller, I have to have an answer in reality. On one hand, I could see a version of Hannibal sneaking into Will's house with an ear on a stick and pushing it down his throat. On the other hand, as a lover of horror and sci-fi and quasi-supernatural storytelling, I love the explanation that Hannibal is a devil. But that was not Thomas Harris' intention. So, he has to have been physically able to accomplish that in some manner. If we did something where it was sort of magical, then I think we would lose our grip on reality. That's something I think is very important to maintain, out of respect for the audience and also the character and his origins. But in my mind, I love the greater mythology of Hannibal being a very punitive devil.

I think Fuller has lost his grip on reality. He is constantly choosing style and drama over substance. You've got to think these things through logically or you run the risk of looking foolish. People (me) are still wondering how an aging Lance Henriksen hoisted the dead body totem pole on the beach. And how did the "living dead girl" break into Will's house and hide under the bed without one of Will's menagerie of dogs barking? All of these loose ends are adding up and getting very distracting. In short, it is not a "great destination" if you don't know how you got there.

If Hannibal did sneak into Will's house with an ear on a stick and push it down his throat, film the scene. If it was a magical stick pushing the ear down Will's throat, show it. Why have the same few characters have the same few conversations? Why have the elk visions all the time? Shake it up a bit.

Imagine with this "auteur" could do with a toilet.

Cue up the theme music to "That's Entertainment."

1979 Ad "Genuine Soil from Dracula's Castle with Certificate of Authenticity"

1977 Ad for "Planet of the Apes Hollywood Masks"

Friday, June 21, 2013

REVIEW PENDING: Re-Reading "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris

Since the first season of NBC's "Hannibal" has ended, I am going to re-read the book where Hannibal Lecter is introduced to the world for the first time.

I read it in the 1980s and this is the only part I remember. It is Freddy Lounds (pictured below) with his lips bitten off, set on fire, and rolled down the street in a wheelchair. It's kind of a hard image to shake off.

No, it is not the Fantastic Four's Human Torch in the wheelchair.

REVIEW: Hannibal (NBC) "Savoureux" Season 1 Finale or "Friends, Romans, Countrymen...and Abigail Hobbs"

UPDATE: Bryan Fuller Interview About Season Finale

Season 1 is officially over. This means that a lot of elk wranglers will be out of work this summer. Honestly, the elk imagery on this show is at the "beat a dead horse" level. Enough.

The show opens with Will dreaming about an elk with a man's head. (See below). If I had these kinds of dreams, I would avoid sleep at all costs by drinking coffee by the gallon.

When Will wakes up from his gruesome nightmare, Will vomits up a human ear in his kitchen sink. He calls Hannibal Lecter for help (bad idea) which quickly leads to Will's arrest for the murder of Abigail "Freckles" Hobbs.

The "Encyclopedia Brown" Syndrome

I do not like this version of the Will Graham character. He is constantly miserable. He seems very weak-minded and always caves in when his boss, Jack Crawford, is pushing him to his limits. Will goes around telling other characters things like "I don't trust myself to know what is real." They shouldn't let him drive a car, let alone hunt down serial killers.

Will Graham, and later Dr. Lecter, have what I call "The Encyclopedia Brown" syndrome. The police have to go to Will (and later Dr. Lecter) because he is the ONLY person who can possibly crack the case. You have to accept this premise, if you are going to enjoy the "Hannibal" universe.

What would Thomas Harris' books Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs be without having Dr. Lecter as a consultant? Unlike miserable Will Graham, Dr. Lecter gets a kick out of investigating gruesome serial murders. He loves to play mind games with the investigators ("quid pro quo") and he enjoys trading information for small freedoms and privileges.

Again with the handcuffs?

Haven't we learned anything from Dr. Gideon? We saw two episodes where the same middle-aged, somewhat out of shape man busted free from handcuffs and went on a killing spree. What are the odds of Will, who looks as frail as a 90 year old woman with brittle bone disease, busting out of the handcuffs?