Too Old to Die Young 2019

"I am the High Priestess of Death."

A new TV favourite of mine; it's extremely rare for me to rate a show in its entirety this high but Too Old to Die Young is frankly, a masterpiece for the history books.
This is gripping stuff. I was up at 6am last night because I couldn't stop watching, it feels very much like a 13-hour film in that you can't really stop it midway...
...and performances are uncanny from everyone: Augusto Aguilera, Jena Malone, Miles Teller, Babs Olusanmokun, John Hawkes and especially Cristina Rodlo, who is outrageously iconic here.

Like I said, extremely high ratings are rare for me when it comes to TV but the reason this isn't a 10 is nothing more than me not understanding all the symbolism and metaphors on first viewing, meaning this could certainly receive a perfect rating when I rewatch it. [Edit: I upped it to a 10, seemed stupid not to] The filmmaking, which consists of gorgeous hypnotising cinematography, a dream-like score, out-of-this-world blocking and 100% effort for every single frame of this thirteen hours, is utterly perfect and groundbreaking at the same time.

It's Nicolas up his own arse for sure, but I love it! I don't think I've seen anything quite like it.
I doubt any TV or film will top it this year. I'm 99% sure this will remain my favourite thing to come out of 2019, and will certainly remain one of my favourite shows ever made.

I miss it already.

I know it feels terrible to have wasted 13 precious hours of your life on this, but I can’t believe there are actually people defending this show. It felt just like yet another provocation from NWR. Most episodes are almost 90 minutes long, yet they have 15 minutes worth of footage. The rest is long silences, static shots with slow pullbacks, endless dollies across the landscapes as people walk around, semi-disjointed conversations, fuck, drive, eat pie, masturbate, or kill someone we don’t even know. The photography is gorgeous as usual, but as it always looks kind of the same, you get tired of it pretty fast. Sometimes shots are so dark and saturated that I couldn’t understand what was going on. There is a lot of gruesome violence, but as with the rest, habituation kicks in pretty fast.

I guess that at least up to a certain point the “plot” was alright, even though there is no narrative structure whatsoever. It’s like cinematic diarrhea: what comes out comes out, in no particular order. There are two main storylines happening simultaneously, but instead of alternating scenes from each character as most TV shows, Refn had this insane idea of dedicating full episodes to either storyline and amplifying this awful sense of having spent hours to get nowhere (remember, each episode is as long as a feature film and less content than a Youtube prank video). It gets a little better after the first couple of episodes, mainly due to the consistently hypnotic atmosphere that sucks you in, and especially that one absurd scene in each episode that wakes you up from the nihilist numbness, the most memorable ones being: 1) A random Korean dude goes to borrow money from the Japanese mafia and gets his finger chipped off with a katana by Hideo Kojima: 2) A guy’s severed hands left in the middle of the room as we listen to reggae; 3) William Baldwin making tiger noises and masturbating in his own movie theater: 4) The bad guys unable to find the right song to listen on the radio during a car chase; 5) The fascist police department performing the Passion of Christ with a broom and the Eucharist with potato chips.

By the way, even though a few characters’ arcs got inevitably closed, there is no ending and there won’t be a second season. Too bad because I was at least looking forward to seeing everyone die.

Gripping, suspenseful, cinematography-filled utopia of a highly graphic, disturbing, sickening, and sometimes sexual nature, violence, pedophilia, rape, misogyny, panning shots, long shots, and longer-than-normal pauses in-between dialogue in a disturbing and sickening world. This is peak entertainment, and possibly peak television. Those who gave up watching it minutes into the premiere or in general and those who streaked through it that then spewed out negativity at it don't have the ability to appreciate what is truly good, what is good entertainment and television, and this masterpiece of a very long movie disguised as a show fits within that category. This has been one hell of a treat, courtesy of Nicolas Winding Refn, one we didn't deserve but appreciate very much, those that recognize and acknowledge real entertainment. I feel sorry for those who don't feel the same way, and I feel all the more sorry for those that hate it. I have enjoyed it so much over the last week and a day, and now I feel empty inside. What a ride-filled experience, wow. Do me one favor. Watch this masterpiece. It'll seem and feel very slow, especially when you're getting into it, and it is, but entertainment isn't limited to fast, action-filled pacing. You may end up feeling ecstatic and thankful that you did. I know I am. I wish I could watch this all over again for the first time but with a more matured, open mind. That would make for an even better experience. Anyway, please. Be compliant with the one favor that I ask of you. That's all I ask, and I hope it works out, that you enjoy it.