The Age of Commercialism

Redundant and unnecessary.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The story is a veiled attempt at going where the church of Scientology exists. Anton Kreutzer, played fairly well by Robert Loggia, is pretty much L. Ron Hubbard. There are even spot lines that go to the arena of Aleister Crowley, Hubbard's "very good friend". The Sea Org and the Commodore's Messengers are dressed to the nines, perfect in their affectation of the naval attire. Coty is a mock-up of the now ruler of the Darkstar, the honorable king David. You know the Star of David is two inner locking equilateral triangles encompassing three 60 degree angles. "and ye shall know them by their number":666; a number exulted upon by Ron's very good friend, Aleister Crowley. The acting is spotty, some actor's can't and some can. However great imagery, fantastic attire, and far ahead of its time in technology make this a must see for the clued-in sci-fi fan. Hubbard might have been twisted, but give him his due, a genius for manipulation of the truth. Scientology is still standing and Tom Cruise can't handle the truth, can't handle it because he knows not what he do.

The real credit for WILD PALMS should go to Bruce Wagner and his flowing, prosaic dialogue. It's like classic Film Noir crossed with cyber-speak, doused with a fifth of Single Malt Scotch and set on fire. There are so many clever, nimble phrases that are turned on their axis and spun into something entirely different. Examples: "Mystery loves company." "Do you know how much it hurts to be SHOT IN THE CHEST??""You're no General! You're a pimp with the wings of a bat!" "You've got quite a mouth on you! Take care someone doesn't take a needle and sew it up." "Weak dog! You stillborn calf! YOU MAKE ME VOMIT!"Granted the whole package is a little hard to take in all at once - it's one of those things that becomes more interesting the more you watch it. And for everyone who argues it ends with a whimper, not a bang, well, you may be right, but I posit that The Senator, Harry's real lineage, The Go Chip, and the Mimezine are all besides the point. Enjoy it for one of the campiest, cleverest, most intelligent scripts ever written for television.(Thank You Bruce Wagner) This is a project that is not only entertaining to watch, but a JOY to listen to. It's FUN.

I loved Twin Peaks and have watched the whole thing a few times, but it seems to lose something each time. I will always argue that TP was important and revelatory when it first aired, but memory amplifies its merits. I find the first three or four episodes are the best, followed by a rapid decline in quality.Wild Palms has stuck in my head from the era also. It's a strange mini series adapted from an equally strange comic that featured a weird take on Scientology. It was originally published on the last page of Details (U.S.) magazine back before it became a tiresome hetero-meathead lifestyle rag. The "TV broadcast as mind control agent" is a thoroughly exhausted plot device, but I don't think the merits of this are in the plot; rather the characters passing off song lyrics as dialog, and startling scenes like one involving Angie Dickinson, a seven-year old and a tanning reflector.This is not the usual grade-Z Jim Belushi project He's pretty good in this. Dana Delaney alone seems to strike the wrong chord. It also was somehow spared Oliver Stone's characteristic heavy-handedness and clumsy direction.

It's a pity it wasn't released 5 years earlier: the mood created by cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (Phenomenon, Cool Runnings) is so eighties-like, the great Michael Mann (L.A. Takedown, Manhunter, The Insider) must like it, if only visually: it's very clean and cool. Except Mann usually adds some really excessive displayals of power with lots of shooting (Miami Vice) and lots of music. Wild Palms is far more subtle. The great score was created by legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence). The chosen hit songs (Where the streets have no name, Hello I must be going) just add slightly to the mood and you really have to pay attention to the songtexts. And notice the subtle fashion statements, like the sober collars? There are 5 episodes directed by 4 directors, one of which is Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark, Point Break, Strange Days): Strange Days (1995) is a nice movie about more or less the same subject but without the aesthetics and the good acting. James Belushi is great, Robert Loggia and Angie Dickinson must be the devil themselves. Wild Palms may feel like 'Dynasty - the play - set in the future' about families in multimedia instead of oil. The story IS about media monopolies and law-suits (MS anyone? - Church Windows): there seems to be no credible independent justice system anymore in this future. There are family intrigues, but definitely never really feels like a soap opera. However, one of the flaws of Wild Palms is that you can see that it is made for tv because you can see where the commercials are supposed to be. Wild Palms is quite lengthy, but I just couldn't wait for the next episode to be broadcasted seven days later. I wouldn't recommend trying to watch all episodes at once, because the pace is rather low. Cut it down to 180 minutes and you can show it in a theater (although Warhol's 'Empire' wasn't cut down a minute...). Definitely more interesting than 'JFK' and 'Nixon' together. 9/10