tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267830852024-03-14T07:34:22.174+00:00Pigasus PressPublishers of science fiction, horror stories, genre poetry, and media-related non-fictionTony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comBlogger343125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-46380823241055480082024-03-04T21:05:00.002+00:002024-03-05T22:12:44.658+00:00Walter Hill: Peer of the USA<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsmElork56V-rSUAXEFOigNqNxFC-V2bnBsyowrmsmPbLrLmF1-cFytK8yM-jecXSU1Yxgwj7oAyI7WRlLKauHvUAuAWRq6F4WQSShuWaPR6qAP7MHC2DoJ89iR3OBfItlQLggJgazF2ZN4RqtEsNI8UccRgdt53WTV4-EBDv2GgM0mifk-u-/s599/WalterHill.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="421" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsmElork56V-rSUAXEFOigNqNxFC-V2bnBsyowrmsmPbLrLmF1-cFytK8yM-jecXSU1Yxgwj7oAyI7WRlLKauHvUAuAWRq6F4WQSShuWaPR6qAP7MHC2DoJ89iR3OBfItlQLggJgazF2ZN4RqtEsNI8UccRgdt53WTV4-EBDv2GgM0mifk-u-/s320/WalterHill.jpg" width="225" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">His movies about cowboys and gangs, music and mayhem, with sundry clever gimmicks that usually elevate subgenre clichés to pulp art-forms, make
Walter Hill the best director of pictures about American cultures. Although the
quality his work might vary quite a lot, his credits include several classics (<i>48 Hrs</i>, <i>Streets Of Fire</i>, <i>Extreme
Prejudice</i>) as Hill practically perfects buddy-movies, timeless adventures,
and modern westerns. Is he the greatest auteur of genuine Americana? Perhaps his success was partly because he was born, like Clint Eastwood, in California, not
in New York like his rivals Martin Scorsese, the late Michael Cimino, and
upstart Abel Ferrara. Usually, Hill’s own class of directors are less prolific,
or their action movies are far too inconsistent in average quality. </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For last week’s re-watching survey, I picked a batch of 7
titles that (apart from </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Long Riders</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">) I
have not seen again since their VHS releases. Charles Bronson’s mysterious loner
Chaney almost seems destined to save chronic gambler Speed (James Coburn), and
junkie doctor Poe (Strother Martin) from their vices. After serving his time as
screen-writer, Hill’s directing debut HARD TIMES (1975) looks well crafted,
despite its low-budget. Sets and locations are carefully shot with painterly
care to enhance social struggles of the Depression era. Bronson’s fisticuffs generate
whatever mercenary thrills and amorality that western styled action themes promise
to deliver, while sequences like cage fighting are sharply edited by Roger Spottiswoode
(who, like Hill, also worked for Sam Peckinpah). Restored to 4K standard, Eureka’s
MOC Blu-ray has a pictures booklet, with a contemporary review by Pauline Kael.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3V2NUPqbpvswARkxaFfg8MG5yZhKu6rBLwAIhBHU5G4TDHOegzZWb8H0yLpCn1D3S1j8U-WkATfGglIbHvjdRWwuDXOIxQUHR4kNQtY1HJJXdV5WIRYLKTw6IPjB0N6oZnuOONOpsVFnrd8xS9sEyWZ7rtgZmR-mr8hlHU0Neya8fQFOehCw/s647/WalterHill1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3V2NUPqbpvswARkxaFfg8MG5yZhKu6rBLwAIhBHU5G4TDHOegzZWb8H0yLpCn1D3S1j8U-WkATfGglIbHvjdRWwuDXOIxQUHR4kNQtY1HJJXdV5WIRYLKTw6IPjB0N6oZnuOONOpsVFnrd8xS9sEyWZ7rtgZmR-mr8hlHU0Neya8fQFOehCw/s16000/WalterHill1.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Renowned for its unique casting of actual brothers (Keach,
Carradine, Quaid, Guest), playing outlaws from families, THE LONG RIDERS (1980),
re-mints gunslinger lore with revisionism like meta-movie authenticity.
Curiosity values aside, this version of the ‘James-Younger gang’ sees director
Hill blasting his way into western mythology, tackling bank/ stagecoach/ train
robbery, with ruthless guns and attempted chivalry.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjy2h1M-R2xEZFf3OnRmwxoS89tU6zQSOf8D3Ly68ABn-PEZHlL1kcyP524uD-YhSMvyGX5amE7sLXGkRMfY5PVH9K3jFLxhCaUcmUPD0gjPzlKVDnf1p431AwEi10DBAniIIf6T3SqQT_0k37U99BjMFuXAY1LEVeoJdqlTzQxPQqk5pO7fM/s637/WalterHill2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjy2h1M-R2xEZFf3OnRmwxoS89tU6zQSOf8D3Ly68ABn-PEZHlL1kcyP524uD-YhSMvyGX5amE7sLXGkRMfY5PVH9K3jFLxhCaUcmUPD0gjPzlKVDnf1p431AwEi10DBAniIIf6T3SqQT_0k37U99BjMFuXAY1LEVeoJdqlTzQxPQqk5pO7fM/s16000/WalterHill2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Outsmarting Pinkerton agents, or getting brutal revenge
after ‘Robin Hood’ failures, Jesse James and Cole Younger get increasingly
violent when lawmen harass a widow and kill innocents. Previously filmed as
Kaufman’s<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Great Northfield, Minnesota
Raid</i> (1972), the gang’s climactic job results in a bloody shoot-out of
slow-mo stunts, a ride through shop-windows, and inventively stylised
bullet-zinger effects. The appearance of a steam-tractor that spooks horses
symbolises the cowboys’ finale while a time-lock defeats armed robbery. Here,
musician Ry Cooder begins a career doing soundtracks for six Hill movies, while
Pamela Reed and James Remar have Starr turns, providing witty characters for
unhappy loner Cole to fight. Kino special edition R1 Blu-ray has a disc-load of
extras, including retrospective cast interviews, plus 1 outstanding hour of German documentary, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Outlaw Brothers</i> (2013), made by Robert Fischer, for Fiction Factory. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqELztWhJact2U6K39OKH-mb99Izp8YHvCCuHoRTAxCJ27v9E_6LvAHcuGfKh0EWqOGs0exdrR6z2uYZ_5YT3upGYkYM5bSpA6iR0saW6S8CpDxvk0i15yVScN4miVu_T03UwgHhE-rq83oRoALxQSFa84z_OC9aU2hMFtMHYAs0BvCEPAQDQQ/s643/WalterHill3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqELztWhJact2U6K39OKH-mb99Izp8YHvCCuHoRTAxCJ27v9E_6LvAHcuGfKh0EWqOGs0exdrR6z2uYZ_5YT3upGYkYM5bSpA6iR0saW6S8CpDxvk0i15yVScN4miVu_T03UwgHhE-rq83oRoALxQSFa84z_OC9aU2hMFtMHYAs0BvCEPAQDQQ/s16000/WalterHill3.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">An engagingly persistent comedy of American excess, filmed
several times before this version, BREWSTER’S MILLIONS (1985) celebrates
rags-to-riches fantasy with links to Twain’s story <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Million Pound Bank Note</i>, and John Landis’ class-conscious money-bags
bet in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trading Places</i> (1983). Can a
baseball pitcher spend-but-never-squander $1 million every day for a month, to
inherit a mythically vast fortune? If any wealthy life-style is only a tawdry
game, should the results be a win or a loss? Hill’s approach to farcical humour
is fuelled by tragedies about frequently mercenary attitudes, and wholly tasteless
extravagance, in the premier decade of yuppies. Its amoral schemes and thematically
virulent greed gained even greater cultural resonance after Oliver Stone’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wall Street</i> (1987), but none of all that
detracts from a sense of overindulgent fun, boosted by John Candy wittily playing
sentimentalism for keeps.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDuoM0fyRZvBzJdEuiqCpEf9XfwCxvl-DdtdZIETeukZjF9OyZZ3nbBiaM4c8Rvcu-Fix7wBIPZusDf6RwG9aNsXOZjmgQIGjFAPL1psAvfqV7gytE91Wr2t0M2_TEdH914iF7cnqU8upOFaS2exA3yhyL33Y-ebVjtgH4ETJb42G7PIKZ41I/s718/WalterHill4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDuoM0fyRZvBzJdEuiqCpEf9XfwCxvl-DdtdZIETeukZjF9OyZZ3nbBiaM4c8Rvcu-Fix7wBIPZusDf6RwG9aNsXOZjmgQIGjFAPL1psAvfqV7gytE91Wr2t0M2_TEdH914iF7cnqU8upOFaS2exA3yhyL33Y-ebVjtgH4ETJb42G7PIKZ41I/s16000/WalterHill4.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After his cross-genre “rock ‘n’ roll fantasy” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Streets Of Fire</i>, director Hill
explored<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the roots of US music in CROSSROADS
(1986). Wannabe guitar-star Eugene ‘Lightning Boy’ teams up with legendary
bluesman ‘Blind Dog’ Fulton for this road-movie with a mojo bag, heading into
southern gothic. Dangerous dreams on the Mississippi delta shape their quest
for one ‘lost song’ by Robert Johnson (feature debut of TREK’s Tim Russ) whose mythic
deal with Legba makes an eerie prologue. Hitchhikers on trail to celebrity,
with decades of culture between them, the heroes windup in an electric duel
against Steve Vai. Ralph Macchio and Joe Seneca are fun as the kid and Willie,
while Jami Gertz’s runaway heart-breaker Frances provides the young man his final
lesson in getting the blues. Pained silence... needs no explanation. Joe Morton
almost steals the show as Scratch’s assistant.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZr-6YkyFb18tMtULMglRu8njKmtGlCuZ-0-bLbqoUAQSG3U6MDiUrMSQ3Yetb_0N6WEpSDLwtw4OTJrOZbnrkaBj8tIH4OL8FyhmBk4v0OeTL9_zWiYM3ynJ1SRwta6pO47atW58DzwwoUrSIdfPLfbwNldHlAtTcMTnm37ng2P8nvede5PFr/s624/WalterHill5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZr-6YkyFb18tMtULMglRu8njKmtGlCuZ-0-bLbqoUAQSG3U6MDiUrMSQ3Yetb_0N6WEpSDLwtw4OTJrOZbnrkaBj8tIH4OL8FyhmBk4v0OeTL9_zWiYM3ynJ1SRwta6pO47atW58DzwwoUrSIdfPLfbwNldHlAtTcMTnm37ng2P8nvede5PFr/s16000/WalterHill5.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not to be confused with Joel Schumacher’s last movie, 2011’s
home-invasion thriller, starring Cage and Kidman, actioner TRESPASS (1992) is
Hill’s reworked updating of John Huston’s classic </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Treasure Of The Sierra Madre</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1948). On an urban adventure,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">reckless fire-fighters, Don and Vince, stray
into a conflict between black gangs led by King James (Ice-T). A disused
factory becomes a death-trap for all concerned, when a lockdown siege seems
influenced by John Carpenter’s </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Assault On
Precinct 13</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1976). Sniper shots and hostage crisis ramps up tension, while
suspense cranks higher from army weapons</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">in gunfights over turf. Philosophical angles ensure the hoods are more
than just angry thugs, and it’s grimly amusing when they act like black
yuppies. There are talky smarts against feral greed on both sides of racial
issues, but adding maniacal impatience and junkie-level desperation to this
wholly mixed-up situation generates a wealth of thieving violence for the long
lost stash of churchy gold. William Sadler and Bill Paxton make for engaging
leads, especially when their moral dilemmas become a nightmare of explosive
demolition, where it’s always the savvy of survival that counts.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTfN3QATBAzyxlOY-YQPd4tW82u-aODjt0INhvZeQjtItRrtYRZDHE0tPtP3HqX8aAYGzpwgcQ9HEyjE62eDC7fbMPADkDURo-mBY5Dff01q7capHWTMai1-ri5UcoGYPFW5poZlh1k0NvDu8fog-2TqjmTyti5urgOoBrzhsGZycZ5j99h5s/s649/WalterHill6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTfN3QATBAzyxlOY-YQPd4tW82u-aODjt0INhvZeQjtItRrtYRZDHE0tPtP3HqX8aAYGzpwgcQ9HEyjE62eDC7fbMPADkDURo-mBY5Dff01q7capHWTMai1-ri5UcoGYPFW5poZlh1k0NvDu8fog-2TqjmTyti5urgOoBrzhsGZycZ5j99h5s/s16000/WalterHill6.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b> </b></span></o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>“This dance is a demonstration hostile to the citizens of
the United States.”</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, that’s how trouble starts in GERONIMO: An American
Legend (1993). Blue-coats played by Jason Patric and Matt Damon escort Apache
leader Geronimo (Wes Studi, deserving stardom here after his great performance
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Last Of The Mohicans</i>), to meet US
army General ‘Nantan Lupan’ Crook, before his tribe are confined to Reservation
land. Old hands Gene Hackman and Robert Duval express acting proficiency for
their co-stars, and need only grins and nods to communicate effectively
on-screen. Narration adds depth to a story observing that freedom (wild like
the wind?) is never civilised, while USA’s cultural dilemma prompts the
question: can ‘pacification’ ever be honourable? But for Geronimo’s visions,
this movie is almost drama-doc in approach, and yet Hill just cannot resist
doing splendidly arty compositions for locations. It’s also not a bio-pic, but
a powerful character-study. Look out for Scott Wilson and Stephen McHattie in a
fine supporting cast of 'White-Eyes'. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfLLjxSVDajVLoqFgy9JIUxEE71v7tKllBUjGsfQjTendO44yE0h6ZggkXhuOywNx2JycUGs7fjtJb2gMaya-LkpNrt-aPtw-oObUd4BGxpB1Msud_yHI17RcZMarm6gEgiwSa3EkDtnfvGdsBh5f2pXz_EJ_EzYmiZ_Kkatx1kQXliCtnsI0/s720/WalterHill7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfLLjxSVDajVLoqFgy9JIUxEE71v7tKllBUjGsfQjTendO44yE0h6ZggkXhuOywNx2JycUGs7fjtJb2gMaya-LkpNrt-aPtw-oObUd4BGxpB1Msud_yHI17RcZMarm6gEgiwSa3EkDtnfvGdsBh5f2pXz_EJ_EzYmiZ_Kkatx1kQXliCtnsI0/s16000/WalterHill7.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Notably, except for </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Another
48 Hrs.</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1990), director Hill does not create sequels, and rarely repeats
his past work beyond signature in-jokes like a pub/club called Torchy’s. WILD
BILL (1995) crams plenty into a brisk 90+ mins. As famous gunslinger, James
Butler ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok, Jeff Bridges improves upon previous western
performances, in </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Hearts Of The West </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">and
</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Heaven’s Gate</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, and seems to perfect
grouchy mannerisms he later displayed for the Coens’ excellent </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">True Grit</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> remake, succeeding John Wayne.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Slowly going blind, Hickok faces down foes and outrages even
friends, like ‘California’ Joe (James Gammon, never better), and Charley Prince
(John Hurt). Hurt’s extra job as narrator sticks close to Hill’s formula by
providing insights, not just details, to help viewers ‘see’ the unfolding
narrative clearly. Wild Bill is roundly portrayed as walking nightmare, not a
cowboy hero. “I don’t explain myself.” He’s a serial killer, sometimes wearing
a badge. Just daring to touch Bill’s hat is annoyance enough for him to shoot
anyone. Ellen Barkin’s Calamity Jane looks definitive, and is certainly far
superior to Jane Alexander’s 1984 TV film, or Anjelica Huston’s series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Buffalo Girls</i> (also 1995). A fabulous
supporting cast showcases Diane Lane, David Arquette, Bruce Dern, and James Remar,
with Keith Carradine’s witty cameo as ‘Buffalo Bill’.</span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-56625595019431564592023-05-25T09:38:00.000+00:002023-05-25T09:38:26.739+00:00Rush In Rio<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr62paXe0WIBWlDhYsyly5WO5M8i7O3CoCwYjalaqlGGCdY43F9DuE2hw2wCoj4al8Ykk-5O61y4uT7wy2xZ3pQfc7oba1dl_yAVk-mpwSj3tXoB2gHrdZKBml8184BvmejE-54KpTWrGbErTePvkHq6i51njWAfx72_t0yzCs571eqTnuCQ/s500/Rush%20In%20Rio1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr62paXe0WIBWlDhYsyly5WO5M8i7O3CoCwYjalaqlGGCdY43F9DuE2hw2wCoj4al8Ykk-5O61y4uT7wy2xZ3pQfc7oba1dl_yAVk-mpwSj3tXoB2gHrdZKBml8184BvmejE-54KpTWrGbErTePvkHq6i51njWAfx72_t0yzCs571eqTnuCQ/s16000/Rush%20In%20Rio1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Remember the bad old days of music on VHS, when most videoed
concerts ran for a standard TV-show length of 45 minutes? If you were lucky, a
premier band released 75 minutes worth, but that was rare. Canadian trio Rush
always provided far better value for money than most of their rivals (not that I think they have any equals). Their previous
live video, the remarkable </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">A Show Of
Hands</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1988), filmed over two nights at Birmingham’s NEC, plays for 90
minutes.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqLQ_2glWoK4wQ4vfp83_jpihjJAHS_0OJ0MvVnPNbnlAuiv-IPhd41mtTfzbaWHuFo3HwBMEfEnz0hzFXopLypz7L4xAIqFkS6No8Dt4hUvclEDTzlpeDxfK9c7OJUgGaSDyVae46EgIYCMKavXtVvD-mDht7TKOdWEXYZ_ozIva9GfYGQ/s500/Rush%20In%20Rio2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqLQ_2glWoK4wQ4vfp83_jpihjJAHS_0OJ0MvVnPNbnlAuiv-IPhd41mtTfzbaWHuFo3HwBMEfEnz0hzFXopLypz7L4xAIqFkS6No8Dt4hUvclEDTzlpeDxfK9c7OJUgGaSDyVae46EgIYCMKavXtVvD-mDht7TKOdWEXYZ_ozIva9GfYGQ/s16000/Rush%20In%20Rio2.jpg" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is the first DVD from Rush and, despite various
production difficulties including the band’s lack of prep time for a pro sound-check,
it’s an amazing film. Shot with 22 cameras in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium,
this venue sees Rush performing for a 40,000-strong audience on 23rd November
2002.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0vA1L1pUH-oR9Jah0uPOw7xetM_cRxlqiqkSTbUAgNSi_AMZh-rZZt8tZ4QEcS-r71d0jtCn8r7O5kYYWjxaqMlz8uA7PYK2XCAPH0mlEfdQ6zy-iiHiXIcnk0n9_JKUGr2YuGPmcnkKuhveIuIMzqkI34Rf1VlPbAIQQ4q5_3NHBsoLJQ/s500/Rush%20in%20Rio3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0vA1L1pUH-oR9Jah0uPOw7xetM_cRxlqiqkSTbUAgNSi_AMZh-rZZt8tZ4QEcS-r71d0jtCn8r7O5kYYWjxaqMlz8uA7PYK2XCAPH0mlEfdQ6zy-iiHiXIcnk0n9_JKUGr2YuGPmcnkKuhveIuIMzqkI34Rf1VlPbAIQQ4q5_3NHBsoLJQ/s16000/Rush%20in%20Rio3.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neil Peart - the Professor</td></tr></tbody></table></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Starting with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tom
Sawyer</i>, the band recycles other 1980s’ tracks such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New World Man</i>, before launching into new material like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Earthshine</i>. Unlike many progressive-rock
bands, Rush play artfully composed instrumentals - including their momentous <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">YYZ</i> - without any danger of appearing
self-indulgent, because such works maintain their commitment to creativity and
musicianship. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Pass</i> is introduced
as one of the band’s own favourites, and it’s followed by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Big Money</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Trees</i>,
with lyrics that comment on capitalism and politics. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Closer To The Heart</i> was a late addition to this tour’s set-list,
especially for the Brazilian audiences, because Rush discovered it was the most
popular of their songs, down south. The often-neglected <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natural Science</i> precedes a brief intermission, but the band return
to the stage in spectacular fashion with a cartoon dragon on the main
projection screen, perfectly synchronised to physical fire effects to mark the
beginning of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One Little Victory</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORqjz99E9zHtMw_yZon3QH-SZB_gs8b_Rvu8HUT1IYkAvho_oontlHxvOauLigAFGa48anJ7FmEIyc5trsfTHRrFjW7rIdqYssNva6ya3QvenCJ-OpFmqNKJvvOikI4qtMQFUOWkchdpriJuGqeQM2BOJUCb6s26EZhpxH4RmvWPloJJwiQ/s500/Rush%20in%20Rio4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORqjz99E9zHtMw_yZon3QH-SZB_gs8b_Rvu8HUT1IYkAvho_oontlHxvOauLigAFGa48anJ7FmEIyc5trsfTHRrFjW7rIdqYssNva6ya3QvenCJ-OpFmqNKJvvOikI4qtMQFUOWkchdpriJuGqeQM2BOJUCb6s26EZhpxH4RmvWPloJJwiQ/s16000/Rush%20in%20Rio4.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second half of the show continues with more songs from
the latest album, and their live versions of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghost Rider</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Secret Touch</i>
are even more energetic than the studio tracks. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dreamline</i> and the brooding <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red
Sector ‘A’</i> segue into the main instrumental section of the show, which
includes Neil Peart’s awesome solo <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">O
Baterista</i>, an impressive piece that aims to present a narrative of drumming
and drums. Rush have pointedly ignored rock stars’ vogue for ‘unplugged’
versions of their songs, but here we find Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson sitting
down with acoustic guitars for a folksy arrangement of protest-song <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Resist</i>, which does at least give Peart a
break from the circular array of his revolving drum kit.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaLauJhc-889X2__LT6EiakOprQEUkVQGTbEd3H0AOCihntUuDXhaWx0O1gA2MgyxYg2l9Xj98wjeUojLN-BceI0Hu6bWnu9PvAc8VvOdSC6KKa9jsv61mz8oqsi9o0wzAKqo2cQ7Asa61vY2DMwtbuqs9ZG63FRKmmEeHb22UJrRiHdjJw/s500/Rush%20in%20Rio5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaLauJhc-889X2__LT6EiakOprQEUkVQGTbEd3H0AOCihntUuDXhaWx0O1gA2MgyxYg2l9Xj98wjeUojLN-BceI0Hu6bWnu9PvAc8VvOdSC6KKa9jsv61mz8oqsi9o0wzAKqo2cQ7Asa61vY2DMwtbuqs9ZG63FRKmmEeHb22UJrRiHdjJw/s16000/Rush%20in%20Rio5.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geddy Lee</td></tr></tbody></table></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s mostly older material from then on, with the powerhouse
‘Overture’ from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2112</i>, a livewire
rendition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Spirit Of Radio</i>
(still, I think, Rush’s most successful 45-rpm single), a medley of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">By-Tor And The Snowdog</i> with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cygnus X-1</i> (only the intro), in an
encore that closes with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Working Man</i> -
a track from their very first album.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_r3GyrRgYMDOgtseC7yQHgTd3FxCW6Vwf3auKscGy4niSrT2ei_LziOv6VtVemmkVxj25-gqYL420NEn3VOul7p0XooHWmG2WRP79VMfuHk4LclC3_r6vUIK1iWat6687tdbas2E5nBWTYPwydfM9WJuNpxQu5b4IOHHogxKUmEd3E80Tg/s500/Rush%20in%20Rio7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_r3GyrRgYMDOgtseC7yQHgTd3FxCW6Vwf3auKscGy4niSrT2ei_LziOv6VtVemmkVxj25-gqYL420NEn3VOul7p0XooHWmG2WRP79VMfuHk4LclC3_r6vUIK1iWat6687tdbas2E5nBWTYPwydfM9WJuNpxQu5b4IOHHogxKUmEd3E80Tg/s16000/Rush%20in%20Rio7.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Lifeson</td></tr></tbody></table></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At nearly three hours, RUSH IN RIO (2003) offers magnificent
entertainment, complete with Peart’s frankly staggering variety of percussive
beats, Lifeson’s hilarious warbling rant about jazz, and there’s also Lee’s
unusual stage-decor of laundry machines. If your musical tastes include
anything by Led Zeppelin, Rush are regarded as leaders of the next generation of
innovative rock acts. Diehard fans will not be disappointed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaXLfE-nWefhgA_oHht5ct90RxKkV751p7k_CIcGvE_mnDEc9te5imj9YKNuHoaOz5L7gHHXOy-7izUwdsJx-nr-e-o0f2NznDRAu6jT8ftU4g1ltdHL5tCmNd2VemZGiyPB2B3nfYbZ6Ssj8s7GgglNFK9Dl-npoGN13TkWliYAWpzJGWg/s500/Rush%20in%20Rio9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaXLfE-nWefhgA_oHht5ct90RxKkV751p7k_CIcGvE_mnDEc9te5imj9YKNuHoaOz5L7gHHXOy-7izUwdsJx-nr-e-o0f2NznDRAu6jT8ftU4g1ltdHL5tCmNd2VemZGiyPB2B3nfYbZ6Ssj8s7GgglNFK9Dl-npoGN13TkWliYAWpzJGWg/s16000/Rush%20in%20Rio9.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">An extras disc features Andrew MacNaughton’s excellent
documentary <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Boys In Brazil</i> (54
minutes), which details the planning and execution of Rush’s first ever visit
to Brazil for the tour’s last three dates (all stadium shows) with the 60,000
crowd in San Paulo being the largest audience Rush have ever played to as a
headline act. </span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-50868647850573045142023-05-24T09:43:00.001+00:002023-05-24T09:43:11.139+00:00Tolkien 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJOtOhRnQdRdWMVsSv9pE_pU1Aa9j-yGbgeu4KAQ4LrVyuRfZHriyuNDZfspwjZIAmyqFbuTEp6NXGYvKrbbm3_we8juxuzlM6sGhzJP8sc7DEzk5mmzTveitl3EDSIRYPu3tCWer4vuqmKwZUdM-V4lSqR20wCItwQ_3drhDzv7Y2P9RqA/s500/LOTRking1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJOtOhRnQdRdWMVsSv9pE_pU1Aa9j-yGbgeu4KAQ4LrVyuRfZHriyuNDZfspwjZIAmyqFbuTEp6NXGYvKrbbm3_we8juxuzlM6sGhzJP8sc7DEzk5mmzTveitl3EDSIRYPu3tCWer4vuqmKwZUdM-V4lSqR20wCItwQ_3drhDzv7Y2P9RqA/s16000/LOTRking1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Peter Jackson’s epic ‘Tolkien trilogy’ revolutionised
fantasy movies, starting with <i>The
Fellowship Of The Ring</i> (2001), followed by <i>The Two Towers</i> (2002), and this closing chapter, THE LORD OF THE
RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003). For this great Middle-earth saga to work
on-screen, with original cinema versions and the full set of ‘extended
editions’ many liberties were reportedly taken with JRR’s texts. As I have
not read those books, my view of what’s widely acclaimed as the ultimate form
of literature in its genre, and this adaptation, remains limited to an SF interpretation of the grandiose
spectacle as a legend about disarmament. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kefnBrXtHR1hvlgTTO79zTdf-I0OEn0qsNx_WZ88PjeufVkjgxmDHGmTZ0NBTxIEFZcwZTVZ6xd-1XVcoJ7_t2E4fAnwqEHbUut1kRP7Hyfi8d1yeLyGGPJO_-7Voo1ekPlgeOmuzN0OPg2-avtUmGYiujKq-88AZgDFty4RcC9WJPpzBw/s500/LOTRking2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kefnBrXtHR1hvlgTTO79zTdf-I0OEn0qsNx_WZ88PjeufVkjgxmDHGmTZ0NBTxIEFZcwZTVZ6xd-1XVcoJ7_t2E4fAnwqEHbUut1kRP7Hyfi8d1yeLyGGPJO_-7Voo1ekPlgeOmuzN0OPg2-avtUmGYiujKq-88AZgDFty4RcC9WJPpzBw/s16000/LOTRking2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MiTc8CwE-ktV0d2NVFpmGYX2YGgZNjPlEKitqikeJx1IWnv_PXmFM7TMvnPflYy1h12MghuWP9zx8QcyNxt-5wLnU5AM2OowJH4zz2IVJsIEgFzvcAUES3F3MHWXagtqIP6LZnAzkp3mShpxeHVOy9z4tPalPf_NOQHS_V0sBWJHnqJ4GQ/s500/LOTRking3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MiTc8CwE-ktV0d2NVFpmGYX2YGgZNjPlEKitqikeJx1IWnv_PXmFM7TMvnPflYy1h12MghuWP9zx8QcyNxt-5wLnU5AM2OowJH4zz2IVJsIEgFzvcAUES3F3MHWXagtqIP6LZnAzkp3mShpxeHVOy9z4tPalPf_NOQHS_V0sBWJHnqJ4GQ/s16000/LOTRking3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s a triumph of genuinely noble wisdom over
madness, and details valiant efforts to avert the possibility of catastrophic
warfare simply by disposal of the doomsday weapon. Since the One Ring can
only be un-made in the fires of Mordor, we can see this notion of a meltdown
destruction putting an end to such 'evil', and so the ring becomes a prime WMD example.
This notion is reflected in varied sci-fi works but, perhaps most tellingly, with the
annihilation of the cyborg stealth weapon, in <i>Terminator 2: Judgement Day</i> (1991), that saves the future for
humanity.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh6tMelCmXSbcKhHXcMeeViMC73ESCs7aa_gqRt8EIB94OFHqbHfwUhiuosdHihkH1uv5Pqru-CMqi3G4jE1HXKVokNw1vpjVittH2IQKjqzUuZ40sYxPaQfLIaXa30OrCcIaL-LCygpOnevjoDLrXaFhSrImeXVrKuLOJyx-2Af6vQ3fGg/s500/LOTRking4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh6tMelCmXSbcKhHXcMeeViMC73ESCs7aa_gqRt8EIB94OFHqbHfwUhiuosdHihkH1uv5Pqru-CMqi3G4jE1HXKVokNw1vpjVittH2IQKjqzUuZ40sYxPaQfLIaXa30OrCcIaL-LCygpOnevjoDLrXaFhSrImeXVrKuLOJyx-2Af6vQ3fGg/s16000/LOTRking4.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxZutlLA-4PVUhmHN2PQm7YURpJ8bEQ7Oi3b_WrlbGO6zeUU0klAqpNS2W5QxyhiWSOidOaxHsZkN1hNoawMyR_TKI6S_wyp3TH58vQQguFVcxkPb1B-f-aia7q4sl63FRgh_jhWLCYDDjuwxFtuzLvPRHYT_e0Y4vYW6akZkUtdFdcr62Q/s500/LOTRking5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxZutlLA-4PVUhmHN2PQm7YURpJ8bEQ7Oi3b_WrlbGO6zeUU0klAqpNS2W5QxyhiWSOidOaxHsZkN1hNoawMyR_TKI6S_wyp3TH58vQQguFVcxkPb1B-f-aia7q4sl63FRgh_jhWLCYDDjuwxFtuzLvPRHYT_e0Y4vYW6akZkUtdFdcr62Q/s16000/LOTRking5.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite its glorification of warfare, referencing the
crusades (as ‘halflings’ can be read as children), here, somewhat perversely,
even the long dead are called upon to fight as ghosts. Whatever your views, this remains action cinema
of repeatedly astonishing displays when levels of magical threat expands from shire (village), to fortress (city), to realm (the world). There are many
grotesque fantasy horrors in Middle-earth's journey, but I always found that Shelob the
giant spider is the most nightmare-inducing creature of them all. As for this movie's protracted string of awkwardly sentimental endings, I think Jackson’s ROTK should
have shown the newly crowned monarch, with elf royalty, and other people,
bowing to the heroic hobbits... and then a fade to black. That would have been a more
sensible as the final scene.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEz0LhqE0m2JUva9awi5tHjavx5jGtCxU9q9efAXW6NWT2YzJ0Y8j08q2Eb8KpD63b0Dw_6mXN_y2U2WsVWlY_PnPAF9aDFahdj-gyw0KiOrBmQ3Uw6g4s8KTMznUlqgXmNUcteJl5HfJEDAkcxiyOaaO8rA2x7I-BptXOCxvxXXGfyQMcw/s500/LOTRking6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEz0LhqE0m2JUva9awi5tHjavx5jGtCxU9q9efAXW6NWT2YzJ0Y8j08q2Eb8KpD63b0Dw_6mXN_y2U2WsVWlY_PnPAF9aDFahdj-gyw0KiOrBmQ3Uw6g4s8KTMznUlqgXmNUcteJl5HfJEDAkcxiyOaaO8rA2x7I-BptXOCxvxXXGfyQMcw/s16000/LOTRking6.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-30559593841790213442023-05-23T13:02:00.003+00:002023-05-23T13:09:33.099+00:00Demonlover<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXayjUVPrbGtenkhALkr0wJ60h67j_ej3BxeHkRRAe118TYiK9Z-fHSYs5FEz8IUMmhIjt8hZhMo0OrEqVoePhtDEsg5bf0s7vR1sRlQFv12mShZc8qp31RGA7MZBS5kAD4nXKwq8FipiIY62LVyP5jd17sdb74wMrnc-sCUSwdmvgWj2i5w/s500/demonLo1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXayjUVPrbGtenkhALkr0wJ60h67j_ej3BxeHkRRAe118TYiK9Z-fHSYs5FEz8IUMmhIjt8hZhMo0OrEqVoePhtDEsg5bf0s7vR1sRlQFv12mShZc8qp31RGA7MZBS5kAD4nXKwq8FipiIY62LVyP5jd17sdb74wMrnc-sCUSwdmvgWj2i5w/s16000/demonLo1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What begins as a routinely credible intriguer about
industrial espionage stealthily but relentlessly develops into a meditation
upon and an expose of the disturbing and complex roles that sex with violence play in global corporate media markets. DEMONLOVER (2002) by Olivier Assayas, maker
of stylised French comedy-drama <i>Irma Vep</i>
(1996), delivers his very best movie, so far. It’s one of this century’s new
classics and an often dazzling picture that’s the most underrated
Euro-Asian psychological thriller of its decade. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2TgEO8dx9U30o66mu1s_T1E0E8TpYBJRkHPQnIMNoCJP-ejCT5nRV2hSt1h-_TgpJ3cdZTJGf8wqtk_6b910Tr64-UOv36GKTI5ftJEEvwx6eewMw4XJn8kYMDci_QKEULlv37i3hFG7eELXNFTe8mD5uVMzFk0xL5o5rp7QAuuJNMgsbA/s500/demonLo2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2TgEO8dx9U30o66mu1s_T1E0E8TpYBJRkHPQnIMNoCJP-ejCT5nRV2hSt1h-_TgpJ3cdZTJGf8wqtk_6b910Tr64-UOv36GKTI5ftJEEvwx6eewMw4XJn8kYMDci_QKEULlv37i3hFG7eELXNFTe8mD5uVMzFk0xL5o5rp7QAuuJNMgsbA/s16000/demonLo2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkXPR2lp8OXGyhbzcTFpNXujIOcQR88G_NAoyJuZKXfiAT87JRLboVygiCQBZ8M95TI4nBrh_pqLIl374P0OWIeDiuygliZeKVQENbDinucn0CIkzGpZPpL7jYhdkHaaolW5_WoaVJCaw80p_9Uif4BEkvkpY7hs8KASVU1yrJLPjQFeiiw/s500/demonLo3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkXPR2lp8OXGyhbzcTFpNXujIOcQR88G_NAoyJuZKXfiAT87JRLboVygiCQBZ8M95TI4nBrh_pqLIl374P0OWIeDiuygliZeKVQENbDinucn0CIkzGpZPpL7jYhdkHaaolW5_WoaVJCaw80p_9Uif4BEkvkpY7hs8KASVU1yrJLPjQFeiiw/s16000/demonLo3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite some quite adverse critical reactions, Assayas' extraordinarily perceptive character-studies of women in control, and women
being controlled, overcomes initially baffled reservations about
its lack of obvious narrative logic, especially on repeat viewings. With the
fascinating central performances, by Connie Nielsen, Chloe Sevigny, and Gina
Gershon, there is executive rivalry for management promotions on a brokered
virtuality project for securing a world monopoly on ‘adults only’ anime. Cold
ambitions are stymied by romantic entanglements and office politics. Cat-burglar
exploits result in a clumsy murder and subsequent cover-up, but more answers
than questions about frequently bewildering crimes when conventional plotting
segues, quite inexplicably, into resolutely horrific surrealism. Assayas’ deeply
tragicomic leanings are startling in both aspect and affect.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkYz0LfXAgyeaVkHAEl2JVF_L-k3Sm9DePrhsZJTJXLOosCftvzYC4fNTbnGzxnCCZGMNVKi1Sa2TtBbfRT5iemIVYOBnnmX7nRzthL8OMtbIyg-jhPEm_jP2xaaJg-joUvw2vL1zpz9lKdqJcWj8CePk-jyiSe8l_6Hi8sgMgdkhmRfl2lw/s500/demonLo4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkYz0LfXAgyeaVkHAEl2JVF_L-k3Sm9DePrhsZJTJXLOosCftvzYC4fNTbnGzxnCCZGMNVKi1Sa2TtBbfRT5iemIVYOBnnmX7nRzthL8OMtbIyg-jhPEm_jP2xaaJg-joUvw2vL1zpz9lKdqJcWj8CePk-jyiSe8l_6Hi8sgMgdkhmRfl2lw/s16000/demonLo4.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLj_c4g3ZDvkNj9C-oMcGJMNpGOCKFpzUTUlfXSz5u9vTxJtP0zC1rerh4QsiFTu9AlPSuw4DuqVoCDO8IIXzDqM96rnc5DOcj62FDO8qvJk9JJYulMuGXNyifuJXI31V6V8r83ao8RFFvwtAcEZldHPzKv8ptawgzKei7Ht7-CoGL3NnYg/s500/demonLo5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLj_c4g3ZDvkNj9C-oMcGJMNpGOCKFpzUTUlfXSz5u9vTxJtP0zC1rerh4QsiFTu9AlPSuw4DuqVoCDO8IIXzDqM96rnc5DOcj62FDO8qvJk9JJYulMuGXNyifuJXI31V6V8r83ao8RFFvwtAcEZldHPzKv8ptawgzKei7Ht7-CoGL3NnYg/s16000/demonLo5.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Demonlover</b> defies expectations and dramatic standards by
providing no comforting explanations for those in need of reassurance that the
heroine will escape, or at least survive. After upsetting all the ‘wrong’
people by hacking into the forbidden ‘Hellfire Club’ website, the unwary thief
is kidnapped for (perversely, off-screen) a systematic ordeal of drug abuse and
torture, later thoroughly broken by sadomasochistic experience when she returns to work,
at an office now run by a mysterious assistant. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqA4CiFFLFPCH7oxIkjq6myLi_sqVFzs07xRQV6Zh5Z4sYNSh7d3bOwdNKhSGumpli2Dah2zjTHtIteEkms8n_dnWvelGx8AZfrc2voN52Tx33B-sVrN5O78yVS7eIo_dIlFhJOtvNnpFFNju-3pRKKRmwbPNpxfIw9cJ8Tys4zVv20eQdA/s500/demonLo6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqA4CiFFLFPCH7oxIkjq6myLi_sqVFzs07xRQV6Zh5Z4sYNSh7d3bOwdNKhSGumpli2Dah2zjTHtIteEkms8n_dnWvelGx8AZfrc2voN52Tx33B-sVrN5O78yVS7eIo_dIlFhJOtvNnpFFNju-3pRKKRmwbPNpxfIw9cJ8Tys4zVv20eQdA/s16000/demonLo6.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganmzccv_AUItReq85nprorQEVYxFQhQAAwjdhk92d7Yws103ePCGfbTvC8R6zAKjcCUA2cOJCFDl-XzvxPbSXHbfb91Rkp-mMD_JznR_QSGIJI7GA64oIN4rNlIsv8iP6T6fIHKEshLTYTny9Hsj-DUIRfE4PvsZr3ip5Y2FNNQyg9oAe9w/s500/demonLo7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganmzccv_AUItReq85nprorQEVYxFQhQAAwjdhk92d7Yws103ePCGfbTvC8R6zAKjcCUA2cOJCFDl-XzvxPbSXHbfb91Rkp-mMD_JznR_QSGIJI7GA64oIN4rNlIsv8iP6T6fIHKEshLTYTny9Hsj-DUIRfE4PvsZr3ip5Y2FNNQyg9oAe9w/s16000/demonLo7.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Palpable fetishistic eroticism follows during nightmares of gamely
fighting a way out of anomalous captivity. Is this just another weirdo activity
in a cyber-sexy damnation trial? Glossily mesmeric and peculiarly anonymous,
eager to jettison its rationality, while counter-balancing everyday mundanity with an exotic glamour of hyper-fast edits of intoxicating imagery, <b>Demonlover</b> might appear annoyingly</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> imprecise, yet it's overloaded with tantalising subtexts. It’s ironic, as a recklessly unfocussed critique of sociopathic corporations, and a headlong ride into garishly wondrous oblivion. This is essential viewing for anyone who enjoyed Cronenberg’s </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Videodrome</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1983), and </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eXistenZ</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1999), or Wenders’ superbly
enigmatic </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Until The End Of The World</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
(1991). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrOmUBn-M3V8ptUc7EuFSGYca2BFF3dTbiQZ56V-GbwkQCEFagyFSvUzd-5GGrB6Xo1c_y11utcFhtK7Wf8LfxrjJy8ddO8vvybUYLoDWiRnrLZQVZEZs8amCackiJ4dq-mrZynG_qJWFBRTaKfZYyUhIDxDpqpZMh7ZN470tt42veafjFA/s500/demonlover8-590x308.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrOmUBn-M3V8ptUc7EuFSGYca2BFF3dTbiQZ56V-GbwkQCEFagyFSvUzd-5GGrB6Xo1c_y11utcFhtK7Wf8LfxrjJy8ddO8vvybUYLoDWiRnrLZQVZEZs8amCackiJ4dq-mrZynG_qJWFBRTaKfZYyUhIDxDpqpZMh7ZN470tt42veafjFA/s16000/demonlover8-590x308.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-34065372226662929262023-05-22T12:49:00.000+00:002023-05-22T12:49:30.136+00:00Adaptation<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCR-iakjCCbnsyXxn3GFkLAZVMAQW8G0XODLpdPWVIjPLkz-XqSk2Obj6cnSAD5baE9j5k6l5A7IRVWc63QJ8GJ_vmKCnHLB2Bd8P33ZbAqAkwTS8KMhYP6-PfMvq28tcqsSnWNRd8a-kBSUevTmed9FHS7VUGVDvI-AYVmVx3QJYB6nhqQ/s500/adapto1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCR-iakjCCbnsyXxn3GFkLAZVMAQW8G0XODLpdPWVIjPLkz-XqSk2Obj6cnSAD5baE9j5k6l5A7IRVWc63QJ8GJ_vmKCnHLB2Bd8P33ZbAqAkwTS8KMhYP6-PfMvq28tcqsSnWNRd8a-kBSUevTmed9FHS7VUGVDvI-AYVmVx3QJYB6nhqQ/s16000/adapto1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Spike Jonze, and
with an excellent dual-role for Nicolas Cage, portraying Charlie and his twin
Donald, comedy-drama ADAPTATION (2002) offers an offbeat deconstruction and
meta-dissection of screenwriting and the nature of making movies. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSDkwdID-sA9eW7Mk8AawLOd1m-hgRAfyvCtD26yrzTaxWEcrK8MJrIFTQQIosWRjUOP0vRMMrwuD3uTLeu-Gz6Msoll-UpP2-aJ5-384pQsJa8K0tD4zygOoLi475je1d7rJGAcaFZDfAfUVAj85ZUEdBLhDSp7FPK5-ZRSYifFxf17BVw/s500/adapto2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSDkwdID-sA9eW7Mk8AawLOd1m-hgRAfyvCtD26yrzTaxWEcrK8MJrIFTQQIosWRjUOP0vRMMrwuD3uTLeu-Gz6Msoll-UpP2-aJ5-384pQsJa8K0tD4zygOoLi475je1d7rJGAcaFZDfAfUVAj85ZUEdBLhDSp7FPK5-ZRSYifFxf17BVw/s16000/adapto2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHUUOSXxECGvm7PmmerY8kvbYCnNqZL1q0VgbGHppYId7JMdbSDKD1jNhbGtsO1W5xASxJdVQaA5rU-bByAZpPZVHFV-UNevYva4iP8QxUOHbMkHzrirelryy28yjYe0h56p04-70Oo5UpXBqpZ1LJO308IUTN3eEAc9E3h76QaM6OVqgaA/s500/adapto3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHUUOSXxECGvm7PmmerY8kvbYCnNqZL1q0VgbGHppYId7JMdbSDKD1jNhbGtsO1W5xASxJdVQaA5rU-bByAZpPZVHFV-UNevYva4iP8QxUOHbMkHzrirelryy28yjYe0h56p04-70Oo5UpXBqpZ1LJO308IUTN3eEAc9E3h76QaM6OVqgaA/s16000/adapto3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It boasts
outstanding support from Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton, and Maggie Gyllenhaal,
with Brian Cox as story-maven Robert McKee, plus endearing cameo appearances
for studio flashbacks about Jonze’s classic <i>Being
John Malkovich</i> (1999). Prompted by a case of writer’s block, this is bursting
with searing pathos for profoundly creative struggles, while attempting to turn literary art-forms into something more commercial.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglCvNkAGm4U4XK_XJkphMG99vGuttqZJ9k0BZeEenIfICUQFoEagWoZA-myMBUJAzCWvrVbNd-IhhU1aIcvU9UX2FaOaPxxDoE9E3YdDOOdwQQ_lENlcjQQgkGt0Y83ducI52cXsuAJUg-dOUy-AIl5cX5oEV1dDGeUU4fuhi5KKG1rO2NQ/s500/adapto4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglCvNkAGm4U4XK_XJkphMG99vGuttqZJ9k0BZeEenIfICUQFoEagWoZA-myMBUJAzCWvrVbNd-IhhU1aIcvU9UX2FaOaPxxDoE9E3YdDOOdwQQ_lENlcjQQgkGt0Y83ducI52cXsuAJUg-dOUy-AIl5cX5oEV1dDGeUU4fuhi5KKG1rO2NQ/s16000/adapto4.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But “..what if the writer is attempting to create a story where
nothing much happens?” It never succumbs to entirely maudlin sentiment or
gentle whimsy, but explores with a fascinating wit, various models of
documentary realism, bizarre fantasy, and almost everything between such polarised
opposites. This peculiarly amusing satire remains essential viewing for any keen
fans of genuinely innovative cinema.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHj2AvPoJGoM0gkfZyjThF8CgLkg2P4o-cdgCXTs4BSHE3kGGKaLrrxLx3OUw90vAR-x75P_NgTaZ4l_Zus1Uz1nSHckMNt0dildiMiMqIDtdaqpDtNqfrMHQn_KgYtyeud2xb7SxPQSdJ1xhBUjTgiP61mXkLHDT2QlvZta0OBuYRQp3Mg/s500/adapto5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHj2AvPoJGoM0gkfZyjThF8CgLkg2P4o-cdgCXTs4BSHE3kGGKaLrrxLx3OUw90vAR-x75P_NgTaZ4l_Zus1Uz1nSHckMNt0dildiMiMqIDtdaqpDtNqfrMHQn_KgYtyeud2xb7SxPQSdJ1xhBUjTgiP61mXkLHDT2QlvZta0OBuYRQp3Mg/s16000/adapto5.jpeg" /></a></div><p></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-63466573483235359842023-05-21T17:08:00.003+00:002023-05-21T17:14:46.122+00:00Mulholland Drive<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNJ_4rPmTk3U8vUPv7Az5FJfxPfMAuha-abfH6pG2jGB_FrJJ4GfAWMlvaJ5lE1KgEpdZzXPreFdtuqhNvvphSVTIDpRETj7kMz9wML1s5U-DxQ09DbdBcCrmTBPDkETMxGSKwDPWH31as0OF5rYjIMq0GObd3e802bfoicd_NOsGLRPyOA/s500/mulholand1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNJ_4rPmTk3U8vUPv7Az5FJfxPfMAuha-abfH6pG2jGB_FrJJ4GfAWMlvaJ5lE1KgEpdZzXPreFdtuqhNvvphSVTIDpRETj7kMz9wML1s5U-DxQ09DbdBcCrmTBPDkETMxGSKwDPWH31as0OF5rYjIMq0GObd3e802bfoicd_NOsGLRPyOA/s16000/mulholand1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Noir desires collide with a sleepwalking detective-story while this mind-bending narrative unfolds with archly trickster mendacity. David Lynch’s
MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001) seems to be classic movie-making by happy accident. Much like Richard
Kelly’s cult-worthy </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Donnie Darko</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
(also 2001), this deals out its death cheating hands of marked cards, open to interpretations
of romanticised fate that perhaps tolerates no rational explanation. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifE53hPNwB7zc0Fv9JzyZ1ikkbp3A1FyH7MWzhPie1OA6wsFsgLj2prPREtasUmRljUxUyOqDKwxZxUeUJKIhnQDxJ2IOtpSe8KhP80boT3scGHb72smu4K7PQk5TQhwU_8M-nG56KH8swgt4a5aR3R-BbvXDWltNGe_NX2Oty_0dDox60WQ/s500/mulholand2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifE53hPNwB7zc0Fv9JzyZ1ikkbp3A1FyH7MWzhPie1OA6wsFsgLj2prPREtasUmRljUxUyOqDKwxZxUeUJKIhnQDxJ2IOtpSe8KhP80boT3scGHb72smu4K7PQk5TQhwU_8M-nG56KH8swgt4a5aR3R-BbvXDWltNGe_NX2Oty_0dDox60WQ/s16000/mulholand2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Watching
it is to just wonder why this puzzler exists at all. Elements from the auteur’s
previous work drift into view, every now and then, so looking for visual expressionist
references or thematic riffs on </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Twin
Peaks</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1990), and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Lost Highway</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1997),
should be a sport you wish to play. Was </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Inland
Empire</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2006) supposed to be clarification?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lCDZBGLOXC4vD_Q-F1orE5squFva_LTltkSXiwdGlS6VqkiOz_ef-8B00Z0b-mDNPPOiiBwv1e-yCbmMv5xrPH4sp9uKS6HDcM0a-0CqBtixHHUTeB6SfDwqBFEcb6oXBhEg8Toan8eD9-Oe-vkN1x2WjfqAwrzzWNhAizT2JwlfpG4KYA/s500/mulholand3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lCDZBGLOXC4vD_Q-F1orE5squFva_LTltkSXiwdGlS6VqkiOz_ef-8B00Z0b-mDNPPOiiBwv1e-yCbmMv5xrPH4sp9uKS6HDcM0a-0CqBtixHHUTeB6SfDwqBFEcb6oXBhEg8Toan8eD9-Oe-vkN1x2WjfqAwrzzWNhAizT2JwlfpG4KYA/s16000/mulholand3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Classification resistant and impossible to pigeon-hole, this
mystery about murder and identity on the border of sanity abandons logic but
not hope, in a convoluted fairytale that hinges upon Lynch’s apparent fascination
with Jungian psychology.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41pPpJwYEEWNeTrjwd_XN85vDHQJaY0B21Ijjy7UEysjM0fVPyZ0UChgyBkLJlsN-roLiY-euXbOh20CkstPZL36TPJ_bhtFZLGdjxcqShWOMDM6LkO36OiunENBqIiXD4ffTFIiqgqwua66y5HXAiLi2w2MRdYqNEyez3gJmDthnTzLY3Q/s500/mulholand4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41pPpJwYEEWNeTrjwd_XN85vDHQJaY0B21Ijjy7UEysjM0fVPyZ0UChgyBkLJlsN-roLiY-euXbOh20CkstPZL36TPJ_bhtFZLGdjxcqShWOMDM6LkO36OiunENBqIiXD4ffTFIiqgqwua66y5HXAiLi2w2MRdYqNEyez3gJmDthnTzLY3Q/s16000/mulholand4.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Effortlessly blending dreams with harsh realities the
artist’s ingenuity is utterly beguiling, as paired female characters switch
from emotional transparency to morally opaque destiny in this dark realm
charting the mechanics of creating films, and the overpowering quest for bright
transcendental metaphors, whether its director thinks they are revelations or simple illusions. Who really cares what he thought, anyway? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5XjULdp8xFTLLu-hj_Dto3TvIXRKRVxNdnuwCJ70ivcrBgi7U9KDFH2hg9Dii6Vd2vIqQJjDqzGdL0jWFGpSE-5t1uxPKhaBMAVeeO4wvj2DEFivhQ0tF3ThGkGLPwVDrJHcyGnLfjxnwZqoRqnIMqkp9mlb-e2O0h57GHRx7gzsrEGWww/s500/mulholand5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5XjULdp8xFTLLu-hj_Dto3TvIXRKRVxNdnuwCJ70ivcrBgi7U9KDFH2hg9Dii6Vd2vIqQJjDqzGdL0jWFGpSE-5t1uxPKhaBMAVeeO4wvj2DEFivhQ0tF3ThGkGLPwVDrJHcyGnLfjxnwZqoRqnIMqkp9mlb-e2O0h57GHRx7gzsrEGWww/s16000/mulholand5.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dr</i></b> is in...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy39TBS-27NNFxrTYAHFNYdKNkuV-sJyL9yNRXu1yTcbXZtKMjRK4NS_CFZKm2_uTxsBf5IRnubp86VSuBK3596pZZZPtWF_Oes9lRc0RI_a3ScCstFgpv6qL48cLR5H04JSLi0QRJmARH1YHW4K-Ot-CS-PIuAvGbkBY6xA2LdkPSMLEdrA/s500/mulholand6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy39TBS-27NNFxrTYAHFNYdKNkuV-sJyL9yNRXu1yTcbXZtKMjRK4NS_CFZKm2_uTxsBf5IRnubp86VSuBK3596pZZZPtWF_Oes9lRc0RI_a3ScCstFgpv6qL48cLR5H04JSLi0QRJmARH1YHW4K-Ot-CS-PIuAvGbkBY6xA2LdkPSMLEdrA/s16000/mulholand6.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-10955207614004444592023-05-20T23:26:00.000+00:002023-05-20T23:26:14.253+00:00BHD<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4kWQO39AmYHBalX3C3qKw-TzPjIWAd76mZ87hJPn0q0B8SjTArr8QWfAVb4f46a8luhyudQV85JC1knq0k4gCanEQZdWbMWrNeG4rQpleVsPMbwxKtAXFnzc6vYpukrktxx9fKon-zDrvzJGVynr2Trfa674LcJCkFtSKLYCa0O40U8xTw/s500/BHDown1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4kWQO39AmYHBalX3C3qKw-TzPjIWAd76mZ87hJPn0q0B8SjTArr8QWfAVb4f46a8luhyudQV85JC1knq0k4gCanEQZdWbMWrNeG4rQpleVsPMbwxKtAXFnzc6vYpukrktxx9fKon-zDrvzJGVynr2Trfa674LcJCkFtSKLYCa0O40U8xTw/s16000/BHDown1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The battle of Mogadishu in 1993 gets a vivid big-screen
treatment from a great filmmaker at the height of his technical proficiency and
creative powers. Ridley Scott’s BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001) is a true-story horror
of a military operation going tragically wrong. It shows what happens when
professional soldiers confront a warlord’s militia forces. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVBjhW0ccR_lUQ-W3Q0gbamX77Gkbe-nEK8MVGMv4pBYITJ1cJsQxRvLgik-qAvVv0B5LSNVYi7JsQ28rxTncsQaehlEWIh4vanwPfFe0zF0qz2WPXL6ppEm0tAgjc83v2_fZPzh_g6wl0BG__txoOEXSu_h4wGV_6lCN8KYuSIntnawObQ/s500/BHDown2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVBjhW0ccR_lUQ-W3Q0gbamX77Gkbe-nEK8MVGMv4pBYITJ1cJsQxRvLgik-qAvVv0B5LSNVYi7JsQ28rxTncsQaehlEWIh4vanwPfFe0zF0qz2WPXL6ppEm0tAgjc83v2_fZPzh_g6wl0BG__txoOEXSu_h4wGV_6lCN8KYuSIntnawObQ/s16000/BHDown2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95NF3QMRGuVy8FgjVB3hoeXvsey3p-1oynaySRaDc_vgAP49Ad3O_V49IlScBa4cooGKuPc0zmVBtusca5xZjwyPNM9iRU_mIaCNEfoa2fYoVrxk_lmsFmWNCrkByTKX2pjkte6PTs6CoxktFVlcrgyQLTW0Wi1rm2PluGy0GmHgYQs96eA/s500/BHDown3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95NF3QMRGuVy8FgjVB3hoeXvsey3p-1oynaySRaDc_vgAP49Ad3O_V49IlScBa4cooGKuPc0zmVBtusca5xZjwyPNM9iRU_mIaCNEfoa2fYoVrxk_lmsFmWNCrkByTKX2pjkte6PTs6CoxktFVlcrgyQLTW0Wi1rm2PluGy0GmHgYQs96eA/s16000/BHDown3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When any thorough tactical
advantage is lost, American squads are outflanked and besieged by Somali
belligerence and ferocity. Gritty and messy scenes of airborne troops are quite
unnervingly mixed with a more traditional sort of gung-ho US action, epitomised
by Tom Sizemore as the battalion commander. He strides purposefully through the
mayhem of sundry guerrilla strikes in urban slums, to deliver a fearless
portrait of unflinchingly single-minded heroism, staring into the face of
sudden death and wanton destruction. Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, and Sam Shepard
are excellent in their supporting roles. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr4EULZ17AVye8QKLwPevnRTJe2e0Kjt-w7FWBy3G2_IFBc9H7ino5Y5SBIph4fF2M4xn8TMjKhHIqFEwcV7J96HQSgRisIbGJf1_tbN7JcRI1Ty75xMmoR6RQRd9uIGGM9VRPy9Q4Rk3VsQRyxfmertcv9m1Gs4R4H7ng9zYLtD44yD2-A/s500/BHDown4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr4EULZ17AVye8QKLwPevnRTJe2e0Kjt-w7FWBy3G2_IFBc9H7ino5Y5SBIph4fF2M4xn8TMjKhHIqFEwcV7J96HQSgRisIbGJf1_tbN7JcRI1Ty75xMmoR6RQRd9uIGGM9VRPy9Q4Rk3VsQRyxfmertcv9m1Gs4R4H7ng9zYLtD44yD2-A/s16000/BHDown4.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Centred on a pair of helicopter crashes, and the
desperate bravery of rescuers, it’s one of the greatest war movies ever made.
John Moore’s similarly themed </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Behind
Enemy Lines</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2001), about a US jet pilot shot down in the Bosnian war,
fails to match its grim intensity.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwXGNxRa0cnshNGFOBOUMc4BpqU5Bgib2TJeE7bC7KIJwcO3QDzBcr4RAEOF0ZHHHhgD_nbCOsxPBBKqbo0Psi4VnTRLRxcVAKgfqQME4OQuI8nvLc0UClRMDYhPPlewJFcg8oJKLYqKOnouPcTX-WFm_w2BYUhcS_N2naUtYYg7ZGhFTfw/s500/BHDown5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwXGNxRa0cnshNGFOBOUMc4BpqU5Bgib2TJeE7bC7KIJwcO3QDzBcr4RAEOF0ZHHHhgD_nbCOsxPBBKqbo0Psi4VnTRLRxcVAKgfqQME4OQuI8nvLc0UClRMDYhPPlewJFcg8oJKLYqKOnouPcTX-WFm_w2BYUhcS_N2naUtYYg7ZGhFTfw/s16000/BHDown5.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Rotary Action</b> archive page about <b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181212051514/http://www.rotaryaction.com/pages/blackhawk.html" target="_blank">Black Hawk Down</a></b>. </span></span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-74723885262171801342023-05-20T00:22:00.001+00:002023-05-20T00:22:39.976+00:00X-Men<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJTmgkB_r024L3sPrJxE7_b9Ba-F7ZZ2E-f0ArvEj2AYY4nSMrPJdJH9LGRqUQoJlbGhDCysoAe2VCMoSGjZ2DGwtDLUqiZdQcVrJ9RXJPzCHFVkZ9or3DXW6oMmQPg085ZEIuliYL7TX31Jqb7yYreF7AhukiuAEy-KLuoVjYTssqyfgAg/s500/XMEN1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJTmgkB_r024L3sPrJxE7_b9Ba-F7ZZ2E-f0ArvEj2AYY4nSMrPJdJH9LGRqUQoJlbGhDCysoAe2VCMoSGjZ2DGwtDLUqiZdQcVrJ9RXJPzCHFVkZ9or3DXW6oMmQPg085ZEIuliYL7TX31Jqb7yYreF7AhukiuAEy-KLuoVjYTssqyfgAg/s16000/XMEN1.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />A starter-pack for this century’s golden age of superhero cinema, Marvel actioner X-MEN (2000) was primary, in many respects, although one previous
low-budget attempt to launch a franchise was made for introducing mutants in Jack Sholder’s TV movie <i>Generation X</i> (1996). Bryan Singer’s
fantastic adventure boasts plenty of remarkable sci-fi aesthetics, with its fast cutting
impressively blending staged stunts and special effects to ensure noisily convincing
fights, frequently with the animalistic Wolverine (Hugh Jackson). </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh2JkvcXxUWUVzziKB_j15-_OVP_4wTBJDTpMrJmHfjDt5wOoVe4lWyhJhveR4J7TRlpXK6-m6t0kgOf3n3vI2lTqnN-L3qTjgt-4ggJkK0VBYvTdw6wspaUXX1oeUDGGg-IWWOZOL35eLhZuEFlI1L6UIKvSV_IOMXuw4m0thmAf6FUieQ/s500/XMEN2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh2JkvcXxUWUVzziKB_j15-_OVP_4wTBJDTpMrJmHfjDt5wOoVe4lWyhJhveR4J7TRlpXK6-m6t0kgOf3n3vI2lTqnN-L3qTjgt-4ggJkK0VBYvTdw6wspaUXX1oeUDGGg-IWWOZOL35eLhZuEFlI1L6UIKvSV_IOMXuw4m0thmAf6FUieQ/s16000/XMEN2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqSAyeOFu-6ewvwybvzDIazwSDzK0eNHZy_2TPCq48pMYkowrFT_G3fq5GX6ZT0Tb6HAyuMI8FFi9_SdZtwyRbOzltXwbi6DmvQ-aoWkyCK_lQT01wRYPVKLfpO9ddLSWIjF-wshQGxnu_kpVZsc3hVK-IQgf9PpYo9ybPOU8Qq9D9_M9hg/s500/XMEN3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="219" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqSAyeOFu-6ewvwybvzDIazwSDzK0eNHZy_2TPCq48pMYkowrFT_G3fq5GX6ZT0Tb6HAyuMI8FFi9_SdZtwyRbOzltXwbi6DmvQ-aoWkyCK_lQT01wRYPVKLfpO9ddLSWIjF-wshQGxnu_kpVZsc3hVK-IQgf9PpYo9ybPOU8Qq9D9_M9hg/s16000/XMEN3.jpg" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Impossibly
agile kids, talented prodigies, and social misfits, all despised by one witch-hunting senator, that make up the secluded outsider community of Xavier’s
school for gifted students in New York state, are just a front for Prof X’s
super-team. These X-Men aren’t keen on fighting for Superman’s much vaunted 'truth, justice, and the American way' but they will stop terrorist plots to
irradiate world leaders at a UN summit, while also trying to save mankind from
self-destructive impulses - which is altogether decidedly more pragmatic and honest than
those woolly principles that Krypton’s last son usually upholds.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7lEVRFSB1Pb5QojITLkKtcd4t3WQbmSNfMIuPmf0CPAmF8fAEfcCCtkoqgbcjs2p8QCrVpfqtEG305YkK9NrpRIi0wM42ATukIxMM83opUIcI4Kuydh8ZmeNuEWizgpDmXlkixW-zHDi3dvNO2H8Asp0O5k2Y_dtnbj0PRN5sNnHasbutA/s500/XMEN4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7lEVRFSB1Pb5QojITLkKtcd4t3WQbmSNfMIuPmf0CPAmF8fAEfcCCtkoqgbcjs2p8QCrVpfqtEG305YkK9NrpRIi0wM42ATukIxMM83opUIcI4Kuydh8ZmeNuEWizgpDmXlkixW-zHDi3dvNO2H8Asp0O5k2Y_dtnbj0PRN5sNnHasbutA/s16000/XMEN4.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Xavier and Magneto are old friends who cannot agree on the
shape of things to come. Rogue seems doomed to victim status, Wolverine is typically
quite happy to just slay his enemies, and nice guys finish first, if not always like winners against prejudice, while the young X-Men are full of
doubts and fears, just like us regular folks. After this major success, the Marvel way looked like the only way for this post-millennium world. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTcCf9g4ZqJvnmo9SAAmxPD2cTeu-qKYqREozNkc8QuW3QAgxCUI3fzyQ9QjJdGn0QNCL-4SlgrYQ7A01HqbqTGWHLGNEFI3ETVTNjZQNaL0-o0t374MewReag0slLgLoNqF2QCjVaGN6nfD1mx1OLtvF27o-_WVmvtz1pmDv7ufElTgSYw/s500/XMEN5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTcCf9g4ZqJvnmo9SAAmxPD2cTeu-qKYqREozNkc8QuW3QAgxCUI3fzyQ9QjJdGn0QNCL-4SlgrYQ7A01HqbqTGWHLGNEFI3ETVTNjZQNaL0-o0t374MewReag0slLgLoNqF2QCjVaGN6nfD1mx1OLtvF27o-_WVmvtz1pmDv7ufElTgSYw/s16000/XMEN5.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sequels tend to signify
commercial exploitation, usually tolerated only as a necessary evil of an
industry that needs to keep the reels turning. Yet the comics format - unlike
novels, short stories, or plays - as source material for movies, would seem to
demand a filmed trilogy, at least. Singer’s X-MEN 2 (aka: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X2</i>, 2003) introduced German, Russian and other characters, with the spectacular action playing on a broader scale, that includes Wolverine versus Deathstrike in the greatest knife-fight
ever filmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHDsfKvtBkNttTDkzbBDqNdV4uKz6HaX2NBZsgeEUZOKYh4YeJTOxMfq3OThMpwrDUAKKFxLpVWesoyM2B9vbujLpNn38qXPZV5Q3rMsGnE2ovKgNz20_gWlEl56GHthr5nQVRk0PhTrVjcPCB3Mu32-Tsm6ITza01kobrppi3AXCZ2tNxw/s500/XMEN6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHDsfKvtBkNttTDkzbBDqNdV4uKz6HaX2NBZsgeEUZOKYh4YeJTOxMfq3OThMpwrDUAKKFxLpVWesoyM2B9vbujLpNn38qXPZV5Q3rMsGnE2ovKgNz20_gWlEl56GHthr5nQVRk0PhTrVjcPCB3Mu32-Tsm6ITza01kobrppi3AXCZ2tNxw/s16000/XMEN6.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-46765476267319952322023-05-19T00:12:00.001+00:002023-05-19T00:12:44.597+00:00Requiem FAD<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wUq71SNdHc5S_NzT7y_40Qapf8pT3906dWefNbliejtBiBtC9eMpdl1ma014TZZXewgCPqmnZEWrAYE-ndlsnkx2dJlgIHlWswkvOr06hxxKrSxU0EfgmJYSr0RY6OSBFZSdXHgP1rdwNo-iWWVfqxg1bk_aPnABP5g8DSUcP-2V8l__JA/s500/requiemFAD1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wUq71SNdHc5S_NzT7y_40Qapf8pT3906dWefNbliejtBiBtC9eMpdl1ma014TZZXewgCPqmnZEWrAYE-ndlsnkx2dJlgIHlWswkvOr06hxxKrSxU0EfgmJYSr0RY6OSBFZSdXHgP1rdwNo-iWWVfqxg1bk_aPnABP5g8DSUcP-2V8l__JA/s16000/requiemFAD1.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Critically described as 'the greatest movie you’ll never
want to see again', this intense psycho-drama of how drugs crush any shred of
humanity in addicts is a bleak tragedy of errors. On first viewing, Darren
Aronofsky’s REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000) was so powerfully grim, it was a week before I recovered from
its lingering depressive mind-set. Hyper-charged editing patterns combine with
surrealistic images and uncompromisingly morbid repetitions to create its
unsettling moods. The provocative affect is mesmerising yet equally disturbing.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaC6hC6qSfyFHCHV_0jPSTeY09UN73GzajFk0vD3fXFV901cEUUlSIcAujFdntAsvsBLcQbRUF8Z5v7_Ws-IQ0PSkmKdT1cIQuF01ZRJCQ65DG7wItW6ODXYiE5xCexnn_OW-B3w8pnDsQYh4xSQCXmLQE3modu-UmJt3LuR7OLKAJ0UWKYA/s500/requiemFAD2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaC6hC6qSfyFHCHV_0jPSTeY09UN73GzajFk0vD3fXFV901cEUUlSIcAujFdntAsvsBLcQbRUF8Z5v7_Ws-IQ0PSkmKdT1cIQuF01ZRJCQ65DG7wItW6ODXYiE5xCexnn_OW-B3w8pnDsQYh4xSQCXmLQE3modu-UmJt3LuR7OLKAJ0UWKYA/s16000/requiemFAD2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The furious barrage of hypnotic visuals sets RFAD far apart
from any typical junkie pictures, like Terry Gilliam’s black-comedy <i>Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas</i> (1998),
so its relentlessly downbeat model of cynical pessimism eventually becomes a
mind-shattering experience, that’s also heart-breaking because an addict’s
quest for yet another dose of high sometimes mirrors wishful thinking about
freedom from inhuman cruelty in this
modern world. Drug culture means no possibility of any fleeting escape from
that all-consuming desire for a fix. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBHBRC0UQLVuY5xxlhf6meKzzMR2l8RDEJd-qc8L0EcWJHPQ3ZWs47zl4PYeFCHVFXJK6sVm177fbBJa8CM0PB-GRoUPKO6BgbgeRe-f7C1NdnS9qlzg46B-L1v2mwPiyN0OWh0Ej0bB3kRBcuCh00HnIawZixGC4Mq_3RizguZFFK62Bfg/s500/requiemFAD3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBHBRC0UQLVuY5xxlhf6meKzzMR2l8RDEJd-qc8L0EcWJHPQ3ZWs47zl4PYeFCHVFXJK6sVm177fbBJa8CM0PB-GRoUPKO6BgbgeRe-f7C1NdnS9qlzg46B-L1v2mwPiyN0OWh0Ej0bB3kRBcuCh00HnIawZixGC4Mq_3RizguZFFK62Bfg/s16000/requiemFAD3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">While Ellen Burstyn steals the show as
widow Sara Goldfarb, hooked on diet pills and obsessed by trashy TV shows, her
low-life son Harry (Jared Leto), and his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly),
fail as heroin dealers, very soon falling into crimes that spiral all the way down to scenes like hell on Earth. Some pictures are unforgettable. This is not usually classified
as genre horror and yet that’s exactly what this scary, weird, and crushingly
depressing drama really is. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPWraxU1pom4Trc0sMPyYqTrsQh2UOTb6rAhhOS5qRaskeOJBALWAB6laoiKXPbEMI5SSYbrdhtgo3rONHkgn6BEDZ9i1_blUJuW57CVZ-OVpN_OEza8Ov_eoTwmrq9piDUzB95DWTFAM6OsQukRBhHJOxWaRzQxU-cKRLOxvzcT4HkieEQ/s500/requiemFAD4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPWraxU1pom4Trc0sMPyYqTrsQh2UOTb6rAhhOS5qRaskeOJBALWAB6laoiKXPbEMI5SSYbrdhtgo3rONHkgn6BEDZ9i1_blUJuW57CVZ-OVpN_OEza8Ov_eoTwmrq9piDUzB95DWTFAM6OsQukRBhHJOxWaRzQxU-cKRLOxvzcT4HkieEQ/s16000/requiemFAD4.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What sticks in memory is genuine horrors without a pause, bloated
with grisly shocks and intense suffering, evocative of social depravity for a
devastating emotional landslide of startling images. Mental collapse and
physical infection eventually results in hospitals or prison abuse, with
paranoid hallucinations until... there’s no such thing in reality as a happy
ending that exists beyond fantasy. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXyRuLk9yddnQ_N1PG3RXcKaTDVmBwSYHEL_QDGqlNACvJIgtHA6gad4Rc7OCGP-mntSDivBfDae6wgMi1HvkEpuL7YFMPsXyWAKKpC4pidnnSTIA2QGG_vWzPI_ERB7LtQdo7PqgJPQoETiQ8XO_eCAgiJOMn8HUHQ7OkRgiANL4Dqx1yQ/s500/requiemFAD6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXyRuLk9yddnQ_N1PG3RXcKaTDVmBwSYHEL_QDGqlNACvJIgtHA6gad4Rc7OCGP-mntSDivBfDae6wgMi1HvkEpuL7YFMPsXyWAKKpC4pidnnSTIA2QGG_vWzPI_ERB7LtQdo7PqgJPQoETiQ8XO_eCAgiJOMn8HUHQ7OkRgiANL4Dqx1yQ/s16000/requiemFAD6.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stunning evidence of a visionary imagination
this cements director Aronofsky’s reputation as a fascinating American auteur
to watch, and so his later work, in particular, <i>The Fountain</i> (2006), <i>Black
Swa</i>n (2010), <i>Noah</i> (2014), and <i><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2018/01/mother.html" target="_blank">Mother!</a></i> (2017), reveals a talent for
conjuring up weird wonders to rival those by David Lynch.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWUQnUSyPwHcjuutDew3ojzrPAri-V7TJBUklLIDDKt3jEWRuVbBcmeRfaG7GujBGa8Y8rWpXTLdezoLeQeD3VvP_jgJ9WyCrHqXL1A7mF2AkhIYrJ75pwmM-hJ96RdazyDAqq_gjQPiK11p1KVhW-oUne2wZ4APptTUY1U6mOvEFFXD63w/s500/requiemFAD7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWUQnUSyPwHcjuutDew3ojzrPAri-V7TJBUklLIDDKt3jEWRuVbBcmeRfaG7GujBGa8Y8rWpXTLdezoLeQeD3VvP_jgJ9WyCrHqXL1A7mF2AkhIYrJ75pwmM-hJ96RdazyDAqq_gjQPiK11p1KVhW-oUne2wZ4APptTUY1U6mOvEFFXD63w/s16000/requiemFAD7.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-16476258184534954642023-05-18T07:36:00.001+00:002023-05-18T07:40:03.632+00:00Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPcLBqP-ga5lj_SzY7Bg19p3Lb51jRMyCmrLFpZrNZLepCh5R4TaggsoQEbzhzOBOTEECFCFo72Gb1uWCP6M1JZt0Lyc-Z3qoyfZ45y3rCydPOitULgK6yO1TxXa7xd2r65A2djgA2LMEQXyQcY16r6crnbX1XKW4r93DDnN4guIv0lGSgQ/s500/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPcLBqP-ga5lj_SzY7Bg19p3Lb51jRMyCmrLFpZrNZLepCh5R4TaggsoQEbzhzOBOTEECFCFo72Gb1uWCP6M1JZt0Lyc-Z3qoyfZ45y3rCydPOitULgK6yO1TxXa7xd2r65A2djgA2LMEQXyQcY16r6crnbX1XKW4r93DDnN4guIv0lGSgQ/s16000/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Ang Lee’s magnificent ‘wuxia’ sword-play adventure proved to
be a breakthrough production as the biggest international success for Chinese
language cinema. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000) established a mainstream presence for Asian costume-drama
martial arts, with its great popularity reflecting that of <i>The Water Margin</i> series on British TV in the late 1970s. Chow
Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh lead a varied cast, and CTHD helped to make Zhang
Ziyi a star. Certainly, this fantasy is an improvement on
the director’s western <i>Ride With The
Devil</i> (1999). It offers a wonderfully seamless blend of kung fu thrills, romantic
dramas with engaging characters, and plenty of exhilarating action, even if
there’s about 15 minutes of set-ups, establishing dialogues and introductions,
before the first battle sequence.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMDq1fQyAj--zg8zncebgKGFwFfF9a9XIvVfnLdH-4dl5iSNO7LYtqfkDXWkQpcO3qdGO9OQwHEpOHvN-X1DNB2GMOKY844gBjouBhsom7Od7MgnslFSc4m25nmnWG4svTYtIX9Ng7EFFUJvj_VWXSaF76GAtuVlGYsXfdzbAywDzCEM2Gg/s500/crouchTHD1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMDq1fQyAj--zg8zncebgKGFwFfF9a9XIvVfnLdH-4dl5iSNO7LYtqfkDXWkQpcO3qdGO9OQwHEpOHvN-X1DNB2GMOKY844gBjouBhsom7Od7MgnslFSc4m25nmnWG4svTYtIX9Ng7EFFUJvj_VWXSaF76GAtuVlGYsXfdzbAywDzCEM2Gg/s16000/crouchTHD1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The main stars are both great, and they easily dominate
proceedings with a hypnotic presence not always shared by the supporting cast,
although Zhang is exceptional as Jen, a young rebel against several Chinese
traditions. The story is basically familiar hokum, simply but honestly revising many of
this genre’s Asian elements - about honourable warriors with idealistic passions, and
the minutiae of a closed society still alien to westerners - but also inverting
(and re-inventing) other diverse themes, including decisive feminism,
optimistic nostalgia, and the tragedy of heroes burdened by repressive social mores.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XrIs8R9n3acsKTHJBCGuYio3x8uFSV_quHJH06NxfJ6jPMFd0_1wO40CAw2qe8uR-I5JqTNjg7jyY3KBqgb6axw8iP67GcCXZ3tTFYbIGMyUrnDSR2Jised6tVV2HxeOT1MB1sZ4HH-ySZN-GgMVvcUtp5DeMULuzM4gProI2Whm720fiA/s500/crouchTHD2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XrIs8R9n3acsKTHJBCGuYio3x8uFSV_quHJH06NxfJ6jPMFd0_1wO40CAw2qe8uR-I5JqTNjg7jyY3KBqgb6axw8iP67GcCXZ3tTFYbIGMyUrnDSR2Jised6tVV2HxeOT1MB1sZ4HH-ySZN-GgMVvcUtp5DeMULuzM4gProI2Whm720fiA/s16000/crouchTHD2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Best known for his stylised gangster roles, Chow swaps handguns for a
Green Destiny sword, and sunglasses for a Manchu ponytail. Yet, even with a
newfound mastery of a blade, instead of his trademark automatic pistols, the two
heroines eclipse Chow’s reluctant champion, and the longest combat scenes
involve women. There’s one vigorous duel that’s equal to any of the spectacular
fighting displays in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Matrix</i> (1999),
although unsurprisingly, because extremely capable stunts master Yuen Woo-ping
was action choreographer on both films.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOD7XC6-p4hIT3YNhwC2CwPzzNKPkmWMkEpd8vzof4Ine7mHIiZsHbJpybMBoTy7_KuOiuCVT3iOyrB0yWSVcv2UbmU6lj5BLWgxjNp-o15tOvC_-E64YKFR12T9eU1BfhsxejGW7RGxejKMfGpZ1I5Y54sm96YF6gWwaiBF1er7vLCnLQAg/s500/crouchTHD3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOD7XC6-p4hIT3YNhwC2CwPzzNKPkmWMkEpd8vzof4Ine7mHIiZsHbJpybMBoTy7_KuOiuCVT3iOyrB0yWSVcv2UbmU6lj5BLWgxjNp-o15tOvC_-E64YKFR12T9eU1BfhsxejGW7RGxejKMfGpZ1I5Y54sm96YF6gWwaiBF1er7vLCnLQAg/s16000/crouchTHD3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unlike typical Hong Kong movies, such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160730154352/http://www.zone-sf.com/newdragon.html" target="_blank">New Dragon Gate Inn</a></i> (1992), this lacks
an almost relentless pacing, with black comedy, and general weirdness, but CTHD
offers a distinctive energy, with high levels of visual polish and artistic
style that only major projects can hope to achieve. I really can’t recommend
this enough, especially to any wuxia fans who ever felt disappointed by the
often low-grade finishing roughness applied to many similar movies.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnhQ6shE2ykuutnFarJplERyiCPHnZyZwUBigJwWt11OnCZvFf1eMFQh5pDYkR8_7knwTRru-sQ8xBOgr5dMaiAyLaefA6QwnorToCjmS4u1AgXdfiy5qTyo_hBHIhoeaCc6iqzBFAcvW66OU74yI-6NOYMTN3wYoDNHkIUy0k1asQsfUqg/s500/crouchTHD4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnhQ6shE2ykuutnFarJplERyiCPHnZyZwUBigJwWt11OnCZvFf1eMFQh5pDYkR8_7knwTRru-sQ8xBOgr5dMaiAyLaefA6QwnorToCjmS4u1AgXdfiy5qTyo_hBHIhoeaCc6iqzBFAcvW66OU74yI-6NOYMTN3wYoDNHkIUy0k1asQsfUqg/s16000/crouchTHD4.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-21511123554163776332023-05-17T07:05:00.004+00:002023-05-17T12:06:25.619+00:00Eternals<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ilenHnLTSSP4i8ZL-dKQWbztTiUHVBLunr9TBQgz0ewwoT8sr59mFJujVy8DAiat4BhjvMCBYuhAjsYU5QFksJ4qbgslGrhUUtOvMRaDFckO1n196HISUFXuvbw2BbNLc5oLFKWnU8c8Vftjq7F9-RSH8QvFgHI6ytDm_Uexu6zznHM4Kw/s500/Eternals.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ilenHnLTSSP4i8ZL-dKQWbztTiUHVBLunr9TBQgz0ewwoT8sr59mFJujVy8DAiat4BhjvMCBYuhAjsYU5QFksJ4qbgslGrhUUtOvMRaDFckO1n196HISUFXuvbw2BbNLc5oLFKWnU8c8Vftjq7F9-RSH8QvFgHI6ytDm_Uexu6zznHM4Kw/s16000/Eternals.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao’s condensed epic brightens the
possible future of superhero cinema with splendid narrative style while it
crams the scope of what previous Marvel movies did in their first decade, and a
franchised scale of ‘DC extended universe’ from </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Man Of Steel</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2013) to </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Justice
League</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2017) into a single feature layered with mega-structural plot-arcs,
and flashback episodes that span millennia of the Earth’s history. In essence,
ETERNALS (2021) is the greatest story in the MCU. Its imaginative cosmology is a blend
of sci-fi with ancient myths, where android immortals protect humanity from alien
monsters. Zhao had read Arthur C. Clarke’s novel </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">3001: A Final Odyssey</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1997) which explains early views of starship
‘Domo’, like a triangular monolith approaching Earth. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaXyzMLeE-doRSzU1ehTVInhL2rC0WmGd8btCSF5vYNVNSO1MkKa2As1pGh0RvSgqTv-9QeywsFt1JxBpgE2CQo1YuaWK74TCBxp7VE2wuF7VQwR2vX4Kc8fY_eIO2DEDHlPMcembVhSRnVog4RqTlGDgBA4mp5HePcNkMPNW5gAqNcA_rA/s500/eternals1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaXyzMLeE-doRSzU1ehTVInhL2rC0WmGd8btCSF5vYNVNSO1MkKa2As1pGh0RvSgqTv-9QeywsFt1JxBpgE2CQo1YuaWK74TCBxp7VE2wuF7VQwR2vX4Kc8fY_eIO2DEDHlPMcembVhSRnVog4RqTlGDgBA4mp5HePcNkMPNW5gAqNcA_rA/s16000/eternals1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahxffGLR51WrOpa3K6iPCVRHdZB31On2MkM552blDCd0JPeKkpajLbY_KyX-vWkl1FkdEhCeczkamFPC-QhYAe3H0w-wKL4jlNPuY8CbroXYbDOfp2-cXBSCogUGij7_lJBZWUACWQDwjX40p6n3JnZ6NgqTXcRN0uXSqtM2cJbjmXEsn1Q/s500/eternals2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahxffGLR51WrOpa3K6iPCVRHdZB31On2MkM552blDCd0JPeKkpajLbY_KyX-vWkl1FkdEhCeczkamFPC-QhYAe3H0w-wKL4jlNPuY8CbroXYbDOfp2-cXBSCogUGij7_lJBZWUACWQDwjX40p6n3JnZ6NgqTXcRN0uXSqtM2cJbjmXEsn1Q/s16000/eternals2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After ten superheroes
finish their mission to exterminate monstrous Deviants, any collaboration
slowly breaks down while they await further orders from Celestials. Now
scattered around the world, their distinct identities blur with legendary fictions,
especially notable for the characters of Ikaris, Gilgamesh, Phastos, Thena, and
Sprite. When new Deviant mutants appear and their secret origins are revealed,
the group is drawn back together for apocalyptic battles with space ‘gods’, and
against each other.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjylH4b7Lj36ihxr-0MzmHAhUkIn2_poJJvR0i8QmrGT2ot9V9MqRUo1VFS3zcH5jK2uedVfzq7xZri1sHBsFjQLJgZ-yfANZj_T3ACr1qS875FAcFOVlQWMEIsLOKOqZmk9Ctpybmb5agiU8xf-Ue3wuQyEpfVEJi-LZTMXraNh-uhaUU8CQ/s500/Eternals2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjylH4b7Lj36ihxr-0MzmHAhUkIn2_poJJvR0i8QmrGT2ot9V9MqRUo1VFS3zcH5jK2uedVfzq7xZri1sHBsFjQLJgZ-yfANZj_T3ACr1qS875FAcFOVlQWMEIsLOKOqZmk9Ctpybmb5agiU8xf-Ue3wuQyEpfVEJi-LZTMXraNh-uhaUU8CQ/s16000/Eternals2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSI05QIqoIZP3qfGPlGwF1AljYFvvp7m9Hg9wknjMUE74j59VsQk84aaeN_r_e3ezzh016VJHzehanVmqfTd1ZjGgcJY6h2QK6fdDimoP-5lDvjGiFcp3zOfPNQU2_AUywkqFuyWmO-KNT2pgrUMv-hrKroSv1UKReqSciFmz1-NX9YA30w/s500/eternals4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSI05QIqoIZP3qfGPlGwF1AljYFvvp7m9Hg9wknjMUE74j59VsQk84aaeN_r_e3ezzh016VJHzehanVmqfTd1ZjGgcJY6h2QK6fdDimoP-5lDvjGiFcp3zOfPNQU2_AUywkqFuyWmO-KNT2pgrUMv-hrKroSv1UKReqSciFmz1-NX9YA30w/s16000/eternals4.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Much better than expected, ETERNALS eventually reveals its artistic
genius, and it’s a marked improvement on other Marvel adventures, like <i>Black Widow</i> or <i>Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings</i> (both 2021). It’s good to
see gigantic space-beings presented just as they appear in bizarre comic-books,
instead of a ‘realistic’ depiction like ‘Galactus’ in Tim Story’s faulty <i>Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer</i>
(2005). In perhaps this movie’s definitive sequence, a dangerous Thena (formidable
Angelina Jolie) proves that her ‘goddess of war’ persona cannot be defeated, or
even disarmed, but she surrenders - albeit briefly, before she kills the
shape-shifting humanoid ‘Kro’. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYMmx-UfP9kznAtiUwapZf06eiX2b47ZrfcbL-bL-8X5LDuoN4QpxSLdQtyITLrpTC-ICL3gs4NHQRVlLz1wGSWMre8S7RKKhwcGdRsOr0843nTTJswQjPzsTvAVJvPLKaAg2UiwAgPkpykEnzhFwyH3kgK-G3EHHAZpe4FlqsGF8G01tmA/s500/eternals5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYMmx-UfP9kznAtiUwapZf06eiX2b47ZrfcbL-bL-8X5LDuoN4QpxSLdQtyITLrpTC-ICL3gs4NHQRVlLz1wGSWMre8S7RKKhwcGdRsOr0843nTTJswQjPzsTvAVJvPLKaAg2UiwAgPkpykEnzhFwyH3kgK-G3EHHAZpe4FlqsGF8G01tmA/s16000/eternals5.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENYdvsTkCikz99jnhO2vE5BDIZ1nuKlP2W8rU5l8KCNNvpCGPVdNqR8ULghObGq2fMTE68MT0zwVCIkO_8OR7v2fEOGqt1MtY8HQgZt32HiKPmeTS4xgIldgNKgGizxB-cyJmn9rn6r1Ds9z5vgTXwEXfGnRvpHac5pMZFH8wRo3zq4nIaw/s500/eternals6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENYdvsTkCikz99jnhO2vE5BDIZ1nuKlP2W8rU5l8KCNNvpCGPVdNqR8ULghObGq2fMTE68MT0zwVCIkO_8OR7v2fEOGqt1MtY8HQgZt32HiKPmeTS4xgIldgNKgGizxB-cyJmn9rn6r1Ds9z5vgTXwEXfGnRvpHac5pMZFH8wRo3zq4nIaw/s16000/eternals6.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ETERNALS boasts just the right balance of timeless uncanny perspective,
droll MCU franchise in-jokes, some worthy but sardonic human dramas, and plenty
of SF genre thrills. With its grand ‘uni-mind’ link-up finale to demo gestalt
powers, an intriguing teaser intro about Dane Whitman - alias: the Black
Knight, and the greatest ever use of Pink Floyd’s classic song ‘Time’, this
establishes new conceptual standards for any future super-teams to match, if
they and their makers dare to try.</span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-40840692972142139882023-03-30T08:46:00.003+00:002023-03-31T09:03:45.635+00:00Loopy tales<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Much more than just another art-book, Simon Stalenhag’s TALES
FROM THE LOOP delivers a compendium of illustrated fiction about mysterious technology,
centred on various industrial-scale science projects at a particle accelerator hidden under the Swedish countryside. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSePsBTLweHbR1vdzbqQJjZk2uqjPPMCu0VEVsZ5TYBl2q61kmIxWuK6FoyWYtF7MBzoKVHWwrh_wGy8v6Ms9UqvCWUIaIpp-Swk8CyYjhOAGwAzfG5gxMx6m_kEaNd9jIUUSt0eC4ixUXK1ns08Y9c41D8KRWRE-1TtQyQ8Gu6gGoi9zqNQ/s560/tales%20from%20the%20Loop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="560" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSePsBTLweHbR1vdzbqQJjZk2uqjPPMCu0VEVsZ5TYBl2q61kmIxWuK6FoyWYtF7MBzoKVHWwrh_wGy8v6Ms9UqvCWUIaIpp-Swk8CyYjhOAGwAzfG5gxMx6m_kEaNd9jIUUSt0eC4ixUXK1ns08Y9c41D8KRWRE-1TtQyQ8Gu6gGoi9zqNQ/w400-h358/tales%20from%20the%20Loop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This fascinating mix of drawings and paintings with nostalgic
anecdotes is the stuff of a childhood growing up within sci-fi dreams about big
robots, and levitating vehicles, as mere backdrops to several uncanny events
and family legends. An unlikely source, The Loop was adapted as eight episodes for
a TV series created by Nathaniel Halpern.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBlJjaeS6MqEOgoow5z3fUXjdMjm9hZIBY5-s9Ii2o4JqzW6XWmQ2cXwySLoIH43DGSVdn9Qar1-3VF8xXtwULCQbYldIAPI713nAjWBQTqr7ljrm1UMNrH5whOv-SfpfXNj7jVb556Isb7GH-J0Moitsug8YzZTvudnb_pMDwoST9TpAbg/s560/tales%20from%20the%20Loop1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="560" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBlJjaeS6MqEOgoow5z3fUXjdMjm9hZIBY5-s9Ii2o4JqzW6XWmQ2cXwySLoIH43DGSVdn9Qar1-3VF8xXtwULCQbYldIAPI713nAjWBQTqr7ljrm1UMNrH5whOv-SfpfXNj7jVb556Isb7GH-J0Moitsug8YzZTvudnb_pMDwoST9TpAbg/w400-h241/tales%20from%20the%20Loop1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite some thoroughly modern concerns, the melancholy
spirit of genre-giant Ray Bradbury seems to haunt alternate-history dreamscapes
for this competently Americanised show, its rural settings switched to Ohio, but decidedly elegiac tones of narrative maintain its lost futurism with quaintly styled 1970s era decor. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNc5j15Fwa1m_4wRK4c9pG1LQHk3Fj_cop_aZ-HPbcspjWr1t2cNndqDnF1M6PHREdSbq95Djrvg3g4Q5dpPhjvB1ZTKcFkSY7d80BijjQNtRuBBMaDvsyPnbvgGoRgoncdrEdG01LRfbd7p-99WCfptrAoBNMV--PVOMcHCjErnmnVu2Gw/s560/tales%20from%20the%20Loop2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNc5j15Fwa1m_4wRK4c9pG1LQHk3Fj_cop_aZ-HPbcspjWr1t2cNndqDnF1M6PHREdSbq95Djrvg3g4Q5dpPhjvB1ZTKcFkSY7d80BijjQNtRuBBMaDvsyPnbvgGoRgoncdrEdG01LRfbd7p-99WCfptrAoBNMV--PVOMcHCjErnmnVu2Gw/w400-h225/tales%20from%20the%20Loop2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mark Romanek directs first episode LOOP, where time-slip discovery
intros the core SF theme, while British stars Rebecca Hall and Jonathan Pryce provide
a semblance of science-team rationality when the curiosity of young brothers Cole
and Jakob find weird examples of experimental failures in abandoned but never
forgotten hardware. Loss and grief emerge from Loop tales without much chance
or expectation of happy endings. Jane Alexander heads the support cast with an increasingly
matriarchal role in the extended family. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXD3D6SBdjl2_CYdJhqJiXVkeLiIKmmE4LI1cMK7CyNMwJIOtH9EBMKzxjgLDIfENaWRKAgWQ0XIGkTe-cOJ96U_qHjCl3GsGAhY_u0VcPLnbuVa5K5nQ8fuoAiQsZuoQ6V7K3aSTC4l5qO-vkKNh6eJD68hB0yJpKj0BEZqGwPt40mS5FA/s560/tales%20from%20the%20Loop3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="560" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXD3D6SBdjl2_CYdJhqJiXVkeLiIKmmE4LI1cMK7CyNMwJIOtH9EBMKzxjgLDIfENaWRKAgWQ0XIGkTe-cOJ96U_qHjCl3GsGAhY_u0VcPLnbuVa5K5nQ8fuoAiQsZuoQ6V7K3aSTC4l5qO-vkKNh6eJD68hB0yJpKj0BEZqGwPt40mS5FA/w400-h256/tales%20from%20the%20Loop3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Flashback episode ENEMIES, directed by
Ti West, offers key plotline material with a misadventure on robot-monster-island,
before Jodie Foster’s season finale HOME, that benefits from better and more intriguing storytelling techniques, and includes a cameo/ subgenre in-joke by cult-auteur
Shane Carruth, who observes that a life-time is merely “blink of an eye” in duration
for this lonely milieu of retro visions, complete with evocative music by
Philip Glass.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnrfmC5Cyl12foCn6lR8EODbcaqt-k0eWB9Nk_djE52VWabIYbGropAL24RueyiasJSRJyxrs1EVMlKXmfUzn5NiO2E5UQF6IxMARD5zQ_uBQEh-CVjyIeT91jNCbDWt32sT9KT-hchqyJl4b3fpKaj6X-StTEr45WQ4nb-X_eeR4Dk__Bw/s638/tales%20from%20the%20Loop4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnrfmC5Cyl12foCn6lR8EODbcaqt-k0eWB9Nk_djE52VWabIYbGropAL24RueyiasJSRJyxrs1EVMlKXmfUzn5NiO2E5UQF6IxMARD5zQ_uBQEh-CVjyIeT91jNCbDWt32sT9KT-hchqyJl4b3fpKaj6X-StTEr45WQ4nb-X_eeR4Dk__Bw/w313-h400/tales%20from%20the%20Loop4.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There’s also table-top games, and Russo brothers’ movie
version </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">The Electric State</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (due next
year), for quest adventure starring the now ubiquitous Millie Bobby Brown. </span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-56571142149741474622022-09-25T06:56:00.004+00:002022-09-25T06:56:59.098+00:00Long live the New Weirdo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzMDeuWwNsnFCcRqhjYVav5bF4Pzv4vnELkttOP9Yt7blDnb-MndmMjy533l2mkKHPVxcfvJ7upKpT2m8iSbfoUtfDbSWncqvd5vUiE8-DBAn2lLvge511VX8raSOJIwLzf5kXoRsXLJuYaoe3F2xDKbFTAyr2q3ngV0KEcT2z14iWasDtg/s500/crimes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="355" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzMDeuWwNsnFCcRqhjYVav5bF4Pzv4vnELkttOP9Yt7blDnb-MndmMjy533l2mkKHPVxcfvJ7upKpT2m8iSbfoUtfDbSWncqvd5vUiE8-DBAn2lLvge511VX8raSOJIwLzf5kXoRsXLJuYaoe3F2xDKbFTAyr2q3ngV0KEcT2z14iWasDtg/w284-h400/crimes1.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_of_the_Future_(2022_film) " target="_blank">CRIMES OF THE FUTURE</a> harks back to director’s own 1970
experimental short but is otherwise unrelated. Instead of remake, sequel or
whatever, we get full exploration of Cronenberg milieu’s bio-anarchy medley
& more, to date, with grisly alternative futurism composed of notable
thematic riffs, to deliver thinking-man’s surrealism: <i>The Brood</i>, <i>Videodrome</i>, <i>The Fly</i>, <i>Dead Ringers</i>, <i>Naked Lunch</i>,
<i>Crash</i>, <i><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2018/05/existenz.html" target="_blank">eXistenZ</a></i>, plus Crony combo’s fatherly recognition of Brandon’s
worthwhile genre pictures <i>Antiviral</i>
(2012), <i>Possessor</i> (2020). SF
subversion reigns here as neo-organ creator Saul Tenser </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(Viggo Mortensen, veteran of DC’s previous </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">A Dangerous Method</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Eastern Promises</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">A History
Of Violence</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">) wallows in modern freak-show legends of pain-free subculture
where ‘sexy’ surgery is creepy theatrical performance while provocative satire unfolds
with partner Caprice (Lea Seydoux). </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4Czbi-KVrw4MuLhcBjSF05Ic2cLevmN4A1PLMn0CtJuwhSSYhxn5SUFugYtw1baIK8RnIgbiM6NUnfH18iT_GQYVPrXkfejCrZ8vJHCs9jSrBPdukYopeQ9qvxsnSE-KMTQqcW-upaa3fYeQYTeX7cfiKfaGiHGpIYsvLCG0LrCcKtNl7g/s500/crimesF2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4Czbi-KVrw4MuLhcBjSF05Ic2cLevmN4A1PLMn0CtJuwhSSYhxn5SUFugYtw1baIK8RnIgbiM6NUnfH18iT_GQYVPrXkfejCrZ8vJHCs9jSrBPdukYopeQ9qvxsnSE-KMTQqcW-upaa3fYeQYTeX7cfiKfaGiHGpIYsvLCG0LrCcKtNl7g/w285-h400/crimesF2.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Legal, social, & bureaucratic problems
arise from ‘New Vice’ cop & registry offices for body-horrors, when Saul
attracts fan-girly stalker Timlin (Kristen Stewart), as taboo-breaking Tenser &
Caprice prep their bio-tech gear for arty autopsy on murdered mutant boy. In a trans-human
world without infections where illness can be easily managed by cyber sleep, weirdo sensationalism
has become darkly beautiful, seemingly repulsive, yet strangely alluring. CRIMES... gets my vote as movie of the year. After this surprise return to directing Crony
is also making THE SHROUDS, now in pre-prod for 2024. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-49573231787974202872022-02-03T15:09:00.000+00:002022-02-03T15:09:01.662+00:00Stranger days<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Started this 25 years ago. Only just finished & edited, after waiting ages for genre franchises to catch up... so that song lyric's numbers all worked okay. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">12 Days of Sci-Fi</span> </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBzc9SefKBr-bFDXgpbUv4e2cxj0wwa9RWVMeCZaR9wuQWzAqcg7BLUyQrBv0jBUv4SfOoSBnLOCmTPMxkxUmN-rdM2vAc2B2TULTK8p6zDHgGuv6BAXBbxkgZBZi_GR8Xjozwt3DU3u2H2eEvAjLRZtoD11rDe3A4f2DKvfNGcJ10inBK-Q=s417" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBzc9SefKBr-bFDXgpbUv4e2cxj0wwa9RWVMeCZaR9wuQWzAqcg7BLUyQrBv0jBUv4SfOoSBnLOCmTPMxkxUmN-rdM2vAc2B2TULTK8p6zDHgGuv6BAXBbxkgZBZi_GR8Xjozwt3DU3u2H2eEvAjLRZtoD11rDe3A4f2DKvfNGcJ10inBK-Q=w192-h200" width="192" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the first day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDX9NIXgyy3ITrL3hZi0pUxU_7PBzqyveQo_qIrMPI1_cSAQfYhqIsyiqMFddLKjJPkdkQ262CJ8Cep7oyF1HpvH2dqdTzJhkJSWbhRx2WA1iHgqjagNxwlGAYcXmFWKIk4hcno4Z9n4H_TrZjml8K9ZVzIuV-BlzQum83uEBztQp6Oz6S3g=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="400" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDX9NIXgyy3ITrL3hZi0pUxU_7PBzqyveQo_qIrMPI1_cSAQfYhqIsyiqMFddLKjJPkdkQ262CJ8Cep7oyF1HpvH2dqdTzJhkJSWbhRx2WA1iHgqjagNxwlGAYcXmFWKIk4hcno4Z9n4H_TrZjml8K9ZVzIuV-BlzQum83uEBztQp6Oz6S3g=w200-h194" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">On the second day of sci-fi </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And a Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjnRntUDGbzv3nlipB9dmR7SF9jjYJTpK2n2Uip2jqL8alLzSA9IMpOGbzSiEOvQcZY3VHSaVFdk4vgsDIsUBTsh7UhwoAlFVDZqh0PBqrFP7C70cVESiqwnq7TGs-ibugC_UcwTitugXn_hJYZ9k6Wqwm68toFkQi8f0AA2mcnlfYtYnUfg=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjnRntUDGbzv3nlipB9dmR7SF9jjYJTpK2n2Uip2jqL8alLzSA9IMpOGbzSiEOvQcZY3VHSaVFdk4vgsDIsUBTsh7UhwoAlFVDZqh0PBqrFP7C70cVESiqwnq7TGs-ibugC_UcwTitugXn_hJYZ9k6Wqwm68toFkQi8f0AA2mcnlfYtYnUfg=w200-h192" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the third day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And the Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg35bCySnHESwrrGtTGZVRJd-_qWhHL2wPL6qn0MGyXTFXTaaH-zCKaaKPdYrx1QtHr_yEHTfky3uaSalRGatQbhQJ-p99-eCSUqtJjhQZBzhTobbCWkaLiBE7fPz1C34w00o5vc2lu3KpWx1fbJarHOSoe3HOGxbfibFCG75zpqlOmIBdyww=s499" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg35bCySnHESwrrGtTGZVRJd-_qWhHL2wPL6qn0MGyXTFXTaaH-zCKaaKPdYrx1QtHr_yEHTfky3uaSalRGatQbhQJ-p99-eCSUqtJjhQZBzhTobbCWkaLiBE7fPz1C34w00o5vc2lu3KpWx1fbJarHOSoe3HOGxbfibFCG75zpqlOmIBdyww=w161-h200" width="161" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the fourth day of sci-fi</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4 Fantastic friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggVXcVMHFkC1n2uZ4c76pnMJYHLI_FUbiTo9EJHcFM9oMe4e66j08y__MZ20PfG7oexFresQypy7ZOBkatWLXGtwsoKwS87lhDH9ALdH08ASY-5urKF2s3nst5r-lbRKG_mU4iq8axyLHFz742jp5J9Obsn3di-C_YihMdA_trNB0XT64bqw=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="400" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggVXcVMHFkC1n2uZ4c76pnMJYHLI_FUbiTo9EJHcFM9oMe4e66j08y__MZ20PfG7oexFresQypy7ZOBkatWLXGtwsoKwS87lhDH9ALdH08ASY-5urKF2s3nst5r-lbRKG_mU4iq8axyLHFz742jp5J9Obsn3di-C_YihMdA_trNB0XT64bqw=w320-h203" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the fifth day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Five Thunderbirds</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4 Fantastic friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzYJsWxC3jvdZzD7DkEUBD-v-aiU4HafdwBIIEeXFvDiqluo8AybqnOHZd-e26E7rv1Tl3c7GvapxjoS0MVPIaqaetj_NzAz9slf4RSIaZxFnUPnQC7szbP14tnQ5c2c5obyBeeZzsI_WUChAyXZ481l9AYYsJ3R3q8N708l85xRimQtqPAA=s520" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzYJsWxC3jvdZzD7DkEUBD-v-aiU4HafdwBIIEeXFvDiqluo8AybqnOHZd-e26E7rv1Tl3c7GvapxjoS0MVPIaqaetj_NzAz9slf4RSIaZxFnUPnQC7szbP14tnQ5c2c5obyBeeZzsI_WUChAyXZ481l9AYYsJ3R3q8N708l85xRimQtqPAA=s320" width="246" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the sixth day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Six mutants bleshing </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Five Thunderbirds</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4 Fantastic friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiawexRLY-vGsVgb5-oha4AcK6yrETmc227HARrwS26Rx3bjoITCS30XWOeyAFZs5VASn8ZJevgWy9PQHq82j_ub_PPt3Zxz-xhI3k9IlSVYyDDZGYKPuBcO2G3njP0TowvJlT84sEixPrSCpmvEMc39gsd2pezTRlMWt-XYt82-1OrdJ6CQ=s654" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiawexRLY-vGsVgb5-oha4AcK6yrETmc227HARrwS26Rx3bjoITCS30XWOeyAFZs5VASn8ZJevgWy9PQHq82j_ub_PPt3Zxz-xhI3k9IlSVYyDDZGYKPuBcO2G3njP0TowvJlT84sEixPrSCpmvEMc39gsd2pezTRlMWt-XYt82-1OrdJ6CQ=s320" width="196" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the seventh day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Seven Lensmen thinking </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Six mutants bleshing </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Five Thunderbirds</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4 Fantastic friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3_l32mSXnj0OZ8exBz41TGQbAGevWf1RVvccedmcuVAXq3owMspsJ3PCUANXmfVcRdaBIZHvKQbBcgSh4Jj3LjUlrU6_5z67_BRjFLQzZLKhJxn81YRAOPWgIorICWBgsV-lbHXL85iAReTMlmHUvXmnSMNRZqc7hbreNpUusXzhiw2621g=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="400" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3_l32mSXnj0OZ8exBz41TGQbAGevWf1RVvccedmcuVAXq3owMspsJ3PCUANXmfVcRdaBIZHvKQbBcgSh4Jj3LjUlrU6_5z67_BRjFLQzZLKhJxn81YRAOPWgIorICWBgsV-lbHXL85iAReTMlmHUvXmnSMNRZqc7hbreNpUusXzhiw2621g=w200-h194" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the eighth day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eight Spectrum captains </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Seven Lensmen thinking </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Six mutants bleshing </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Five Thunderbirds</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4 Fantastic friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEikZoZfsY_2rfA315IjAhPfak68r4k1Bamgx94Ma5INGnePrF4IVEQZGhJ7YqZ77NVhXHN5dJJZ9WaDDGxCVgMgTOzRn1fk7A2ge7wbDjGSjITbNy-4cJCPo7xNo93987nzuAmRFOyLPudbduLAsrosuERRN5-QrIax5-OItLqyjmmaALrA=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEikZoZfsY_2rfA315IjAhPfak68r4k1Bamgx94Ma5INGnePrF4IVEQZGhJ7YqZ77NVhXHN5dJJZ9WaDDGxCVgMgTOzRn1fk7A2ge7wbDjGSjITbNy-4cJCPo7xNo93987nzuAmRFOyLPudbduLAsrosuERRN5-QrIax5-OItLqyjmmaALrA=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the ninth day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nine plans from space </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eight Spectrum captains </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Seven Lensmen thinking </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Six mutants bleshing </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Five Thunderbirds</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4 Fantastic friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPzdaROjb_3sfr-QMr2muCsLXWRrkBHyQnkRjX5uzz7Vansh35cJL_XLLT-dJjzPZfRxiL7KotYhAvuYkrqt4W3vYN0mwkLbknE0IfSdcE-LYs9GwPs_KNEVRCzBVPYfgPThm78KTktQHu3-AO3x5Vz7wkGZBp82exqI77Q_pskblyJZdpyg=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="400" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPzdaROjb_3sfr-QMr2muCsLXWRrkBHyQnkRjX5uzz7Vansh35cJL_XLLT-dJjzPZfRxiL7KotYhAvuYkrqt4W3vYN0mwkLbknE0IfSdcE-LYs9GwPs_KNEVRCzBVPYfgPThm78KTktQHu3-AO3x5Vz7wkGZBp82exqI77Q_pskblyJZdpyg=w200-h199" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the tenth day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">10 Sheckley victims </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nine plans from space </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eight Spectrum captains </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Seven Lensmen thinking </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Six mutants bleshing </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Five Thunderbirds</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4 Fantastic friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidmOzN6iUJRxxBtlLlO2AyMpE4xIuzwY5FdWb-it3KT-ro1-TmicbgxbQeGyItIMIf54czPTdE1x9azzvFY-anGcg2X_XCNEc30G1cPbGN88IfZN8kPHm1zojqijbmKV0duOggRx5K9n386R_yGVbZxaGf-hTfk-_RbNMIvQe_SpJ803eANQ=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidmOzN6iUJRxxBtlLlO2AyMpE4xIuzwY5FdWb-it3KT-ro1-TmicbgxbQeGyItIMIf54czPTdE1x9azzvFY-anGcg2X_XCNEc30G1cPbGN88IfZN8kPHm1zojqijbmKV0duOggRx5K9n386R_yGVbZxaGf-hTfk-_RbNMIvQe_SpJ803eANQ=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the eleventh day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">11 STAR WARS films</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">10 Sheckley victims </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nine plans from space </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eight Spectrum captains </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Seven Lensmen thinking </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Six mutants bleshing </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Five Thunderbirds</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4 Fantastic friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another Doctor in a phone box.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVuAcMGFC_rFTMSCoXX2rsCT2lDTFX0KLONZl14EQYIsEsLZ-XJJ1HXVUnouTdmyMaFICr46rQDYdnG68yNWqsO8VBlPvitJMQH-_pH9jXX-y2cRkFW94G3-wjBRImOM91k9UDZXxGiE59vjFvUfpNHN74OrUNxzU-js1w_ppTxSGuOny_Nw=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="400" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVuAcMGFC_rFTMSCoXX2rsCT2lDTFX0KLONZl14EQYIsEsLZ-XJJ1HXVUnouTdmyMaFICr46rQDYdnG68yNWqsO8VBlPvitJMQH-_pH9jXX-y2cRkFW94G3-wjBRImOM91k9UDZXxGiE59vjFvUfpNHN74OrUNxzU-js1w_ppTxSGuOny_Nw=w200-h186" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the twelfth day of sci-fi </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My genre gave to me... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">12 Monkey rebels </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">11 STAR WARS films</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">10 Sheckley victims </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nine plans from space </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eight Spectrum captains </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Seven Lensmen thinking </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Six mutants bleshing </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Five Thunderbirds</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">4 Fantastic friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Three Champions </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two STAR TREK pilots </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another Doctor in a phone box.</span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-16716008162418546842022-01-16T12:01:00.005+00:002022-01-17T09:33:57.632+00:00Krrish trilogy<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMiBDEbtPLAMk2EW3oXJqkfvrDRSIFNFvrjk29Sw5UeUnRK2TwI2EpoCxSodrBlitJDpkX-jmk1jWsbv7RLLz5aWbLrEKzJtjgsL5QbSqxoSFJ7exLY4smYG2PKCFKE-5Bhs1b1Oo4HKUMmE44kFIYmTCIBYUOWZe5qQkq9V5Z1w06mmSthg=s317" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="220" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMiBDEbtPLAMk2EW3oXJqkfvrDRSIFNFvrjk29Sw5UeUnRK2TwI2EpoCxSodrBlitJDpkX-jmk1jWsbv7RLLz5aWbLrEKzJtjgsL5QbSqxoSFJ7exLY4smYG2PKCFKE-5Bhs1b1Oo4HKUMmE44kFIYmTCIBYUOWZe5qQkq9V5Z1w06mmSthg" width="220" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Weekends are good for trilogy viewing... </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Never been much of a Bollywood fan
but </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Koi... Mil Gaya</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> ('I found someone') was the launch for Rakesh
Roshan's sci-fi series, so worth indulging curiosity for. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">KMG </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">is typically
artless fare by Indian standards. It happily mixes lowbrow humour & witless
romantic songs (the entire first hour!) with special effects for </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">CE3K</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">-style
visitors. The director's son Hrithik almost wins sympathy playing man-child
Rohit (a better dancer than Forrest Gump?), before using scientist dad's computer
for contacting daft aliens. Space smurf with glowing brain does psychic magic
tricks for a bunch of kids, then gives Rohit superhuman powers. Blue Jadoo
enables hero's quickening by sunlight (basketball “match is getting existing”
says English subtitles), but ET-culty wonders won't fool brutal authorities all
the time. Time to phone home, OK?</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOfRggl-RkNgZBYHA1giZM7BXKB_KuzpKWos6apiLcybDWlKW5RsB9ysWVeG1Q37cPdzMqBOGgY8Khgkuw4CEKyrAICm-43_HjNJjkS5kBILOXTvTwRLzQxi6A0iNufgRjiqsLyJNXrR5JAW4YncUWVNEMIXYBCQZt0Ghfz9-go_E3Oy2SCA=s318" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="220" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOfRggl-RkNgZBYHA1giZM7BXKB_KuzpKWos6apiLcybDWlKW5RsB9ysWVeG1Q37cPdzMqBOGgY8Khgkuw4CEKyrAICm-43_HjNJjkS5kBILOXTvTwRLzQxi6A0iNufgRjiqsLyJNXrR5JAW4YncUWVNEMIXYBCQZt0Ghfz9-go_E3Oy2SCA" width="220" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Priyanka Chopra brightens up sequel <b>Krrish </b>(2006), a
mostly graceless fantasy about superhero Krishna, when Rohit's grown-up son is
played by Hrithik Roshan whose dad, director Rakesh, maintains generational
tale's focus on family & kids playing in mythical hideaway (rural India's
Smallville?) until his mid-air 'just imagine' catch of screaming skydiver
Priya. Campy romance, with first song delayed for 40 minutes, is giddy prelude
to Superboy-like antics. Adventure-camp boss seems like Windsor Davis' Sergeant (from
TV's <i>It Ain't Half Hot Mum</i>) in all but 'lovely boy' catchphrase. Amusing that
Krishna's glam granny Sonia is played by famous Rekha, only 20 years older than
Hrithik. Krishna visits Singapore circus where he saves kids from
burning tents (did I say how campy this is?). Who was that masked man? Although
dismally contrived - if compared to Singer's under-valued tribute <i>Superman
Returns</i> (also 2006), <i>Krrish </i>was & remains a Bollywood mainstream milestone
as entry-level genre picture that succeeds probably only as live-action 'toon
suitable mostly for little sprogs. Although deceits & betrayals by mad scientist Dr
Arya, before <i>Matrix</i>-fu action, add some vaguely mature themes to its finale. If
nothing else, <i>Krrish </i>is a vast improvement on sickly <i>KMG</i>.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBInam64X5B5w0GWL1kNO_HKtn5Rtfn6IJYvhMHY3ttAhbgF7eEItGHfz6k8YK1MSBv_lQm2SbINDgdrwL8O5ORKZVkdu79HUWI4wfjG16gdeDnVXGMSE9_33DfJB4Le2YxOjItUuJ0GUlCouKUMJBla00J7jJX-4mPelYU3VpwO1QT0mmpg=s318" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="220" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBInam64X5B5w0GWL1kNO_HKtn5Rtfn6IJYvhMHY3ttAhbgF7eEItGHfz6k8YK1MSBv_lQm2SbINDgdrwL8O5ORKZVkdu79HUWI4wfjG16gdeDnVXGMSE9_33DfJB4Le2YxOjItUuJ0GUlCouKUMJBla00J7jJX-4mPelYU3VpwO1QT0mmpg" width="220" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chopra returns for <b>Krrish 3</b> (2013) as the Hindi Lois
Lane. Hrithik plays<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Krishna + dad
Rohit, a bit like muscly Kal-El & boffin Clark Kent. Guess which saves the
stricken airliner? Main super-villains are shape-shifter Kaya (Kangana Ranaut),
and disabled psychic Kaal who makes evil GM hybrids – Rhino, Scorpion, Cheetah,
Frogman. Yes, it blatantly rips-off <i>X-Men</i> movies. Horror arrives with plague in
Mumbai, spread by Kaal's gang that Krrish fights on city streets while Doc
Rohit makes antidotes. Blissful smiles with inspid song & dance routines
diminish any aesthetic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>values possibly
claimed by impressive visual effects, when traditions of Indian musicals
undermine modern standards of subgenre cinema, but abstract ideas like Mahabharat-mutants bring welcome diversity from DC or Marvel comic-book movies. Very like Olivia Munn's sexy Psylocke in the later <i><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2016/11/x-men-apocalypse.html" target="_blank">X-Men: Apocalypse</a></i> (2016),
Ranaut's appealing Kaya steals every scene<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>she
appears in. Easily the best of its genre trilogy, <i>K3 </i>triumphs when it exceeds expectations
of showdown menace after evil Kaal's transformation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>into a Dr Doom / Magneto monstrosity for city-wide battle that reflects <i>Man Of
Steel</i> (also 2013).</span><p></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-22614980442228214442022-01-09T14:41:00.002+00:002022-01-14T08:05:35.004+00:00Hickman's heroes?<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>After enjoying Jonathan Hickman’s Marvels about the Fantastic
4 as a family tragedy blending into tales of cosmic wonder in </span><i>Future Foundation</i><span>, and chilling sci-fi
horror building dreadful utopia in a Darwinian bubble with a core of Aldous
Huxley riffs for an apocalyptic </span><i>Avengers</i><span>
saga of moral panic, I bought Hickman’s early works, to see whether certain
critics were right about him being as radical as a ‘new Warren Ellis’, for creating
a strong brand with multi-verse comics. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZib0isuYx77InVPFzAz_OmgjGIKcrWC77FKYsnywB71aWzrP9xlhZ8kPN6uAPmcx0K-CNmR2zT4pRHj1Cfzi5Ainkd7Co36komWhfLAfuT01c_9pEPzxIjasG_pozoWk3jLL8BmH4uqy0R5FbGNuFEQzRf0JA2jSGQWmWoPKbqp0NK9BR-w=s492" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZib0isuYx77InVPFzAz_OmgjGIKcrWC77FKYsnywB71aWzrP9xlhZ8kPN6uAPmcx0K-CNmR2zT4pRHj1Cfzi5Ainkd7Co36komWhfLAfuT01c_9pEPzxIjasG_pozoWk3jLL8BmH4uqy0R5FbGNuFEQzRf0JA2jSGQWmWoPKbqp0NK9BR-w=w258-h400" width="258" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The author’s first solo outings, a political-conspiracy
and murder-mystery in <span><b>The Nightly News</b></span><span>
(2007), and the global alternate-history steered by Lefty time-travellers in </span><span><b>Pax Romana</b></span><span> (2009), are wholly different absurdist
narratives. Yet both of them are live-wire testers, with minimalist graphic-design
elements, wrapped around starkly illustrated fictions, emerging from post-millennial
avant-garde formats, most notable in particular for using rather drab colours
(many characters appear only as silhouettes), perhaps in order to emphasise this
breakaway impressionistic styling from storytelling convention of typical comics
- but especially those about costumed superheroes.</span><span> </span></span><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin71Z0AD5phviu4EN1ni3Gu2SDrJQVc_nuPnTEDN0hsSbcOo1kJeBlmTsNFuRaEh76zFHcO2VhNw2OfXibHouuMkZ4xm89xVpnoqzTFyow83NN_Y91eHWfiseJ-qnPs1Jwh7xLDRvn8Fhz8Nq5p3bj0IJZFxfGg2R5lEj0LIuksWf_Y_eCSA=s500" style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin71Z0AD5phviu4EN1ni3Gu2SDrJQVc_nuPnTEDN0hsSbcOo1kJeBlmTsNFuRaEh76zFHcO2VhNw2OfXibHouuMkZ4xm89xVpnoqzTFyow83NN_Y91eHWfiseJ-qnPs1Jwh7xLDRvn8Fhz8Nq5p3bj0IJZFxfGg2R5lEj0LIuksWf_Y_eCSA=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKbI07QuPx3bQtOsMjw0kWJ7_1vdxQz_y6ATxr1IlWCPYrvXLCLjEGnBti8hnV6hIGzJHstgfDyMl4Qcv7dOZ3De4ZtEJ0tB3t73qdBQhIvEBI5BGD8TPle7eQQvXDxhEhzz-hNeWRHm8AE4ychw7inCRCrTIqPHSsfIj0ck4yDa23Eq84vg=s495" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="322" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKbI07QuPx3bQtOsMjw0kWJ7_1vdxQz_y6ATxr1IlWCPYrvXLCLjEGnBti8hnV6hIGzJHstgfDyMl4Qcv7dOZ3De4ZtEJ0tB3t73qdBQhIvEBI5BGD8TPle7eQQvXDxhEhzz-hNeWRHm8AE4ychw7inCRCrTIqPHSsfIj0ck4yDa23Eq84vg=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></div>Documentary styled book <span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>TransHuman</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">
(2009), has Hickman’s ideas for entertaining genre comedy illustrated by J.M.
Ringuet, while it’s about rivalries between cyber and genetics in
corporate-science for planning socio-political (re-)evolution. Unleashing a
freaky parody of Marvel’s X-Men and Inhumans with wannabe heroes crashing various moral
and ethical boundaries to compare with 'New Wave' SF taking inspiration from
Aldiss’ themes of ‘hubris clobbered by nemesis’, where the super-villains are
Big Money, and (of course) Human Nature, now following a downward spiral that, only retrospectively but also winningly, parodies Hickman’s later ‘Children of Tomorrow’ gig-writing
for </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Avengers</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> books.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hickman is teamed with artist Ryan Bodenheim for epic </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Red Mass For MARS</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2010), a
millennia-spanning sci-fi polemic about superheroic defence of Earth from
invasion by alien hive-mind, while narration considers humanity’s journey in
phases to utopia, or something quite like it. There’s no equality in eternity,
but ultimate star-man Mars fights unstoppable fate to accomplish his destiny,
so planetary civilisation can emerge after genuine freedom from religion is
achieved.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz0JVqiTR8nyYwRQWTxxzp-VfYvj3UncMoUVAmrhfX9mDaBhP6vUYfByOR6f8rQqMRpeN1DKVkkuZziR6yyXXpA5f53HDrCjfl9b3vzZNEMl0LeTzIN60NvBdbqw2rMGPCugfdtJBN-mk4gQtjOWg7mNhfV0e5VUrMxaGmeqYZSLgmeJfkAw=s500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz0JVqiTR8nyYwRQWTxxzp-VfYvj3UncMoUVAmrhfX9mDaBhP6vUYfByOR6f8rQqMRpeN1DKVkkuZziR6yyXXpA5f53HDrCjfl9b3vzZNEMl0LeTzIN60NvBdbqw2rMGPCugfdtJBN-mk4gQtjOWg7mNhfV0e5VUrMxaGmeqYZSLgmeJfkAw=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLya0nMevVzu1h83IYBRo3Erj-qb4UkAwPV5iPh24Go3a6lcD1J8cNyiIc0wUtY72o77-sx1_2dXKkaGRSjcWknloyCSIwKy06s0HUE1o5h7NEXbU867hLTr1HT7FK3Boj2PSxwOrFD9lpfm2FFRkwjus4v8Xlr75VWisgp5Cry0yLgYaxsQ=s500" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLya0nMevVzu1h83IYBRo3Erj-qb4UkAwPV5iPh24Go3a6lcD1J8cNyiIc0wUtY72o77-sx1_2dXKkaGRSjcWknloyCSIwKy06s0HUE1o5h7NEXbU867hLTr1HT7FK3Boj2PSxwOrFD9lpfm2FFRkwjus4v8Xlr75VWisgp5Cry0yLgYaxsQ=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Throwaway futurism in <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b>The
Red Wing</b></span> (2011), with art by Nick Pitarra, forms a stylish backdrop for
this bold time-travel mystery, of legacy in warfare where a century’s lost to
enemy forces instead of territory. Dizzy narrative is punctuated by many
surprising revelations and eight pages of blackout featuring one tiny image to
symbolise a pilot’s risky encounter with oblivion. Hickman’s range of themes
expands even when a focus upon novella-sized SF is offered. The potent design
of sudden death-scenes is visually compelling and emotionally devastating. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I haven’t read Hickman’s more recent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">East Of West</i> saga but <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b>The
Manhattan Projects</b></span> (six volumes, 2012-6, again with Pitarra) seems like his
very best weird genre work. A blistering array of ghastly nightmares by
mad-science anti-heroes (bizarro versions of Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman,
Fermi, and von Braun, dominate crazy plots), are perpetrated with transformative
glee, while the nuclear messiah Daghlian was clearly influenced by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2019/12/watchmen-ultimate-cut.html" target="_blank">Watchmen</a></i>’s Dr Manhattan, and first spaceman
Yuri Gagarin becomes a freshly iconic Flash Gordon/ Buck Rogers explorer with
talking super-dog Laika. If nothing else, this chaotic story develops into
arguably the greatest, most hilarious, SF satire - with Hickman’s brutally
unrelenting consistency of purpose faultlessly etched by sublime caricatures, since
Kubrick’s nuclear black-comedy classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dr
Strangelove</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCfl8QPQU_W8c4L1yLWZNc_R801frwQLimP0Xq9e_rTdSuEw8u9zGHMtnxecoTTsVKXlUChKm7HpHvqB_OS_-Fqm_SZSBVkwEu6KDoFRU0gYJS0hMUVnhsi3dnuFIZy6pkCtcvLe_-VLzwdEyDxEs72z4ld3Ti2XzDyFSLnj5xh4TQCLyJnw=s475" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCfl8QPQU_W8c4L1yLWZNc_R801frwQLimP0Xq9e_rTdSuEw8u9zGHMtnxecoTTsVKXlUChKm7HpHvqB_OS_-Fqm_SZSBVkwEu6KDoFRU0gYJS0hMUVnhsi3dnuFIZy6pkCtcvLe_-VLzwdEyDxEs72z4ld3Ti2XzDyFSLnj5xh4TQCLyJnw=w264-h400" width="264" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Co-created with Mike Costa, Hickman’s <i><b>God Is Dead</b></i><span><b><i> </i></b>(2013) is every meta-theological apocalypse gouged into
a crumbling world-scape, where Greek, Egyptian, Indian, and Mexican deities
face mythical competition from Norse and scientific gods for prayers. It’s a fatal
saga of beliefs where atheists are sacrificed first. Who wins the grisly fights
between Anubis and Quetzalcoatl, or Zeus and Thor? What happens after the
failures, by desperate secular genius, to salvage the planet by spawning a
Mammon incarnate? Is there any chance of salvation for humanity? In retrospect,
Hickman’s final answers are obvious, but his rather whimsical approach supports
plenty of blood and thunder.</span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In contrast to derivative TV show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Gods</i> (2017) adapted from Neil Gaiman’s novel, this is a
briskly forthright horror epic, that strives to avoid metaphors and euphemisms, with
gleeful confrontations between savage forces of darkness and the human misery
of giving up on ghosts. It never pretends we might have another Enlightenment
in the future. There’s only the grim realisation that Holocaust never ended in
WW2. In this, it’s a reminder that Ellis’ astonishing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Supergod</i> (2011) was the perfection of subgenre in comics. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hickman’s comics boast more than enough big SF ideas with
grandly composed genre plots to match the best of his rivals, but Ellis
demonstrates far greater skill at forming bold groups of well-rounded and
sympathetic (if not always likeable) characters while Hickman usually makes do
with (sometimes appealing) versions of heroic archetypes. It seems that Ellis
positions his people to drive story-telling vehicles, while Hickman’s briskly sketched
heroes merely populate his agenda-wise scenarios.</span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-76590878487653500192021-07-16T18:52:00.003+00:002023-05-08T05:06:27.803+00:00Top 15 Remakes of 1980s <div class="separator"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">COMPLEXITY & SOPHISTICATION:</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></b></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>15 Best Movie Remakes 1980 - 1989</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Commercial cinema maintains the industry and recycles past
winners, breathing new life into used plots and forgotten pictures, just like a
fresh coat of paint revives rooms and sprucing up homes for sale as houses.
It’s often a generational practice, of course, and changes of details or in
scope and scale are sometimes radical to match whatever gets attention.
Zeitgeist drives ambitions, but safe bets are normally the best choices.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tech advances are vitally important for cultural
developments, especially for cinema. The crucial difference between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metropolis</i>’ silent-film expressionism, and retro-futurism
in science fiction's masterpiece <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blade
Runner</i>, is 55 years, or half a century of progress. Typical reasons for
movie revisionism are cultural, and/ or usually artistic, especially when older
works from the B&W era get updated with colour, and other film-making tech.
Remakes usually keep traditional elements, particularly those of specific genres
yet frequently address modern concerns. An excellent example is William
Friedkin’s dynamic ‘road movie’, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sorcerer</i>
(1977), an American updating of Cluzot’s thriller <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wages Of Fear</i> (1953), that improves on the gritty French
original, not just in colour but adding the skills of Hollywood adventure cinema that
enhance many hair-raising stunts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1FDRuthXfdI/YPHQEFQglcI/AAAAAAAAGB4/CmPC8zdZuwgtHb6044nkqVk47E64YFLUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s503/remake01.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1FDRuthXfdI/YPHQEFQglcI/AAAAAAAAGB4/CmPC8zdZuwgtHb6044nkqVk47E64YFLUQCLcBGAsYHQ/w254-h320/remake01.jpg" width="254" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Another was Philip Kaufman’s definitive <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invasion Of The Body Snatchers</i> (1978), the paradigmatic movie that delivers
urban paranoia enough to beat its small-town 1956 original. A third case is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2021/06/murder-by-decree.html" target="_blank">Murder By Decree</a></i> (1979), arguably still
the greatest Sherlock Holmes movie, although its basic plot was borrowed by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Study In Terror</i> (1965). On the
continent, Werner Herzog’s exceptional <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nosferatu
The Vampyre</i> (1979), rang the changes on F.W. Murnau’s expressionist
original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror</i>
(1922), adding colour and sound to subtly enhance a phenomenal classic and perhaps
spark off ideas for many of these top 15 outstanding remakes, during the next
decade.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My listing’s in chronological order...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViCUHFKVu-o/YPHQZlOyYuI/AAAAAAAAGCA/q2AowravScoY4h7Kiu_Z9bLs-9EOmmDNACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViCUHFKVu-o/YPHQZlOyYuI/AAAAAAAAGCA/q2AowravScoY4h7Kiu_Z9bLs-9EOmmDNACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake02.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Flash Gordon</b>
(1980) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Created to rival the time-warped sci-fi astronaut Buck
Rogers, comic-strip space-hero Flash Gordon appeared in chaptered movie serials
(1936) that often seem unbearably creaky, today. After his critical success
with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Man Who Fell To Earth</i>
(1976), and then following the massive box-office influence of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> (1977), British director Nicolas
Roeg failed to make his Hollywood debut with a lavishly conceived, seriously biblical
SF drama that was, perhaps unfortunately, derived from intellectual readings of
Alex Raymond’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flash Gordon</i> comics.
Italian mogul Dino De Laurentiis produced Mike Hodges’ vaguely surreal adaptation,
FLASH GORDON, as a cheerful adventure, that begins with UFOlogy themed attacks
on planet Earth, evoking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This Island
Earth</i> (1955). After their plane crash, Flash (Sam Jones), and Dale (Melody
Anderson), are launched into deep space aboard a rocket by rogue NASA scientist
Dr Zarkov (Topol). What happens next is brightly coloured pulp sci-fi that’s
lavishly designed yet simply filmed, but its combination is often more than sum
of its fantastic parts, and so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flash
Gordon</i> is almost hallucinatory at times. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“What if it isn’t a dream?” Ming
proves he is a merciless psycho with a great performance by Max von Sydow, as
Emperor of shiny futurism, and quite intentionally cheesy glamour, in this
fascist utopia (fascistopia?). “Show us this loyalty. Fall on your sword.” Simplistic
visual effects are easy to forgive when a brisk pace with memorable set-pieces
and a quotable script ensure this ultra-stylised pantomime bazaar of the bizarre
has contrary standards to slicker, expensive visuals of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i>. Flash has courage and tenacity enough to survive a cruel
death, by execution, and every other unkind attempt on his life, so “flying
blind, on a rocket cycle?” sums up the heroic resistance to malevolent Ming. Re-enactment
of pulp-era sensations, with a knowingly extravagant flamboyance and
post-modern styling, this fabulous tribute movie celebrates its origins while
avoiding the epic hyper-realism of rival space operas by embracing its own preposterously
naff quality. Forty years later, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flash
Gordon</i>’s enduring appeal lies in its commitment to such colourfully
charming escapism and moments of witty humour, so it’s now called a ‘cult camp
kitsch classic’ by its makers.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cl9o2GWvap0/YPHRFSyMGSI/AAAAAAAAGCI/I2JkGQpPt7k41ovTc-iFBaYh7DbXrRMhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cl9o2GWvap0/YPHRFSyMGSI/AAAAAAAAGCI/I2JkGQpPt7k41ovTc-iFBaYh7DbXrRMhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake03.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Outland</b> (1981) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A fully updated revision of western heroism in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High Noon</i> (1950), OUTLAND appears to
have been inspired by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Battle Beyond The
Stars</i> (1980), an amusing sci-fi remake of classic Hollywood cowboys film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magnificent Seven</i> (1960), a
gunslingers version of Japan’s iconic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven
Samurai</i> (1954). To celebrate inter-world futurism, character-names are borrowed
from real people in science, industry, and SF... physicist O’Neil, astronaut Sheppard,
author Ballard, tycoon Hughes, astronomers Lowell and Sagan. At a mining colony
on Jupiter’s moon Io, trouble comes for Sean Connery’s marshal. His wife
leaves, taking his young son away to Earth, and corporate management (led by
Peter Boyle) hates police. Life is hard on this highest frontier, where only
drugs or death provide any hope of escape from greedy exploiters. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Outland</i> is gloomy SF, with<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>industrial rigour, set during a time of
Solar-system expansion, perhaps before Ridley Scott’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alien</i> (1979), where freedom just seems like a liberal myth. So,
it’s no wonder this space western feels like its thematic umbilical is
connected to new TV series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Expanse</i>
(2015-21). Is one man with a gun the only defence against capitalist power? The
lone lawman becomes a hero whether he wants his damned job, or not. Fighting
oppression when any individual is powerless to change the system is quite
pointless, but the marshal defeats the killers, and punches the villain,
anyway. Somebody’s got to do it, obviously. Finally, playing the cranky old Dr
Lazarus, Frances Sternhagen is effortlessly formidable, especially when she upstages
Connery.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0ZDgkLciWA/YPHRR5y8XNI/AAAAAAAAGCM/4Ukp8scG7_I1ixojqPdUmdPpX341_InZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0ZDgkLciWA/YPHRR5y8XNI/AAAAAAAAGCM/4Ukp8scG7_I1ixojqPdUmdPpX341_InZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake04.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cat People</b> (1982)
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Paul Schrader transformed the mystery noir <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cat People</i> (1942), from creepy suspense
into a grisly masterpiece of erotic horror. This version makes explicit what
could only be suggested 40 years earlier. Virginal orphan Irena (Nastassja
Kinski) finds long lost brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell) in New Orleans,
discovering a shared heritage and their family’s curse. If she has sex, Irena transforms
into a panther, a feline beast that must kill before she can become human
again. A lesser director might have made this 1980s version a sleazy exercise
in serial murder with wild-cat excuses for its werewolf styled violence. But
Schrader turns both magical affect and mythic tale into a psycho-drama of
abstinence, with an apparently incestuous relationship offering the haunted
Irena her only escape from alternatives of a lonely existence, or a nightmare
life-style. Working at a local zoo, she finds a kind of salvation with curator Oliver
(John Heard). After closing time, she stays behind, sketching animals,
especially the jaguar captured in a hotel room. Paul and Irena’s relationship soon
changes, from peculiarly awkward to dangerous. The mysterious black cat kills a
zoo keeper (Ed Bgeley Jr), then escapes while Oliver invites Irena to a bayou
cabin, where she rejects his attempted seduction. Police keep finding violent crime
scenes of terrible carnage. Irena expresses curiosity, frequently, but also
reveals her fears of sexuality, like an unhealthy mix of shame and fragility. Eventually,
feverish dreaming of her dreadful ancestry unmask a goddess of death knowing
that love means freedom. David Bowie’s theme song (“putting out the fire with
gasoline”) fits perfectly into this slow-burning shadowy movie’s twin moods.
Unlike the original, Schrader’s version shivers and seethes with brooding intensity
as its builds from an ominous beginning to erupt into electrifying supernatural
hostility. Cinematic visualisations of tribal mythology in CAT PEOPLE proved so
potent it was an obvious influence on after-life imagery in superhero movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> (2018).</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2P0DNin5lxI/YPHR8OTJU3I/AAAAAAAAGCY/Lcp78HODk4wWys-UpularCgI1JSSOFefwCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2P0DNin5lxI/YPHR8OTJU3I/AAAAAAAAGCY/Lcp78HODk4wWys-UpularCgI1JSSOFefwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake05.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Thing</b> (1982) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">John Carpenter’s masterwork THE THING succeeds where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Thing From Another World</i> (1951) failed.
Although the old B&W picture is not a bad sci-fi classic of its era, it
never evokes grim SF-horrors built in our minds from reading John W. Campbell’s
original story <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who Goes There?</i>
(1938). Carpenter’s darkly brooding version explores the unique blending of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alien</i> (1979), with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invasion Of The Body Snatchers</i> (1978), as identity crises merge
with alien monsters for a crucible of intense paranoia combined with the grotesque
and yet flamboyant shock of shape-shifting transformation scenes. Lovecraftian themes
explode into life-like menace when this ghastly monstrosity first appears.
Isolated by wilderness in their Antarctic research base, men working on this
frozen continent are confronted by howling sled dogs turning inside-out, so the
weird beast of deep space can escape from its cage of mewling flesh. It
develops strangeness enough to present viewers with something only imagined
before in baroque surrealist artwork. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Much more than just another live-action
cartoon-creature, the changeling of Otherness easily becomes whatever ‘it’ can
absorb. Proving human ID gets reduced to a crude test when blood samples evade
burning. Characters are skilfully written, and memorably performed by a varied
ensemble cast, staged as a microcosm of American culture. Kurt Russell as pilot
‘Mac’ MacReady, and the radio expert named Windows (Thomas Waites), forms a witty
yet thinly-veiled critique of human dependency upon computers, or machines in
general. The scenario puts strong individualism at its core but this body-horror
theme embraces a weird conformity, so diversity means nothing. I remember
seeing it first on a pan-and-scan (4:3) VHS release, only later discovering
that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Thing</i> seemed like an
entirely different picture in widescreen on DVD or Blu-ray. Prequel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Thing</i> (2011), was just a satisfactory
monster-movie, quite unable to mimic the ground-breaking intensity or cross-genre
impact of Carpenter’s version. At the end of 1951’s picture there’s an iconic
line about “keep watching the skies” but, for 2011’s drama, the star-gazing
heroine says (perhaps, in a comment about 1982’s film) “we’ll never look at
them the same again.” Insist on the best, accept no imitations.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Ob3PIfCiFA/YPHSHlEsaUI/AAAAAAAAGCc/BASao1jVRLYNBc21gqQm46oJ7L78ufz7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake06.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Ob3PIfCiFA/YPHSHlEsaUI/AAAAAAAAGCc/BASao1jVRLYNBc21gqQm46oJ7L78ufz7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake06.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Never Say Never Again</b>
(1983) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Updating 007 spy-fi, two decades after <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thunderball</i> (1965), this unofficial re-vision is quite dramatically
superior to Terence Young’s humdrum adaptation of Ian Fleming’s 1961 novel, later
co-credited to producer Kevin McClory who claimed film rights after a legal
battle. Origins aside, this movie’s linchpin was Sean Connery’s welcome return as
James Bond, bringing some much needed self-parody to a sprawling franchise
already in clear danger of descending into campy farce starring Roger Moore.
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN wins its place as second-best 1980s’ Bond movie (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Licence To Kill</i> gets my vote as #1 of
007’s decade), because of its astute casting and well-paced story.
Traditionally, the Bond girls are usually talented newcomers, but Kim
Basinger’s role, as the villain’s girlfriend, Domino, was just a break-through
that established her as an international star. However, Basinger is almost over-shadowed
by Barbara Carrera as the SPECTRE agent, Fatima Blush, whose attempts to
assassinate Connery’s hero are equally menacing and playful. As a violent psycho
that Bond cannot resist, she proves to be his perfect rival. Humour is an
essential part of all 20th century 007 movies and the character of ‘Q’
(Quartermaster of gadgets), played by Alec McCowen, delivers the ultimate
meta-fictional quip, a wry critique of how Roger Moore had made Bond soft: “Now
you’re on this, I hope we’re going to have some gratuitous sex and violence!”
In the field, Bond meets Foreign Office rep. Nigel Small-Fawcett, a blatantly
comic-relief role for Rowan Atkinson, who later won his own brand of stardom in
the obvious 007 parody, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Johnny English</i>
(2003), and its two franchised sequels.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZY_uU7A5-dY/YPHSP8VqWnI/AAAAAAAAGCg/hncfcg_l1wEapPjy926JzrZbruvFVnulACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake07.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZY_uU7A5-dY/YPHSP8VqWnI/AAAAAAAAGCg/hncfcg_l1wEapPjy926JzrZbruvFVnulACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake07.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Twilight Zone: The
Movie</b> (1983) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Wanna see something really scary?” It’s the Midnight
Special and you’ve just crossed over into the TWILIGHT ZONE. Transforming the
greatest TV anthology series into a portmanteau movie was not easy. What makes
it work is the producers decision to get four genre directors to contribute,
with remakes of episodes chosen for their balanced diversity of socio-political
themes. One strange night, ranting racist Bill (Vic Morrow) suddenly finds he’s
living under Nazi occupation, and hunted by the Ku Klux Klan, so he gets his
comeuppance, repeatedly. John Landis’ quite vividly composed shocker, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Quality Of Mercy</i>, was eclipsed by
real-life tragedy after a helicopter crash during the filming of its Vietnam
sequence. Starring Scatman Crothers as Mr Bloom, Spielberg’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kick The Can</i> should have been a lively
and compassionate drama of reminiscence, in a retirement home, but the
director’s tendency here drowns elderly sorrows in grossly absurd
sentimentalism. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">KTC</i> is most
entertaining for its young cast playing amusingly juvenile versions of their
adult characters. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This movie improves with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It’s
A Good Life</i>. Joe Dante directs Kathleen Quinlan as teacher Helen, who meets
a bizarrely eccentric ‘family’ cringingly tormented by wishes of magical boy
Anthony. Whimsy turns nasty for their creepy cartoon lifestyle where
“everything’s okay” at home, or else. Monster-effects are prompted by exploring
the crazily violent horrors that underlie all childish fantasy and slapstick
mayhem. George Miller’s revision of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightmare
At 20,000 Feet</i> is the best segment and it improves on the TV original
starring William Shatner. John Lithgow is the ultimate paranoid passenger on a
jet-plane caught in a stormy sky, as a gremlin on the wing smashes an engine. A
white-knuckle ride, with fears of flying that become sweaty panic, this flits
along a knife-edge between extreme psycho-terror and black comedy. Of course,
it’s always the safest way to travel... but never in the movies. This
exploration of that artistic realm where imagination meets anxiety remains,
very much, a classic of its format, despite some flaws. If only they’d got
Carpenter, instead of Spielberg to direct a remake (of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street</i> perhaps?), this could have
been the greatest genre anthology movie of them all.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KrBQJBJX6ho/YPHSYh5CjeI/AAAAAAAAGCo/AdtzPzpNci8r62vdpSBzcrCeBeCLYpSrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake08.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KrBQJBJX6ho/YPHSYh5CjeI/AAAAAAAAGCo/AdtzPzpNci8r62vdpSBzcrCeBeCLYpSrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake08.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Enemy Mine</b> (1985)
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although it’s based on Barry Longyear’s novella (1979), this
sci-fi adventure has most of the development criteria for viewing as a genre
switched remake of war-movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hell In The
Pacific</i> (1968), John Boorman’s drama of American and Japanese servicemen,
stuck together on a remote island. It’s a co-operate or die story that
perfectly suits SF themes of isolationism and Otherness. ENEMY MINE has spacer
pilots crashing on a planet, where they are forced to abandon hostility,
overcome mutual intolerance, and share to just survive. Dennis Quaid plays
human, Will Davidge, well enough, but here it’s Louis Gossett Jr, as the weird alien
Jeriba ‘Jerry’ Shigan, who steals the show. His amazing performance as
reptilian ‘Drac’ is one of the finest in all 1980s’ SF movies or TV. Besieged
by environment, misfortunes, and misinterpretation, the desperate duo
eventually learn that willing co-operation instead of hate and opposition is
their only chance to live, for them as individuals, and for rival species to
exist in our indifferent universe. Their hard lessons mean questioning all
political propaganda, and personal prejudices, and it’s most difficult for the
blinkered human to understand Drac culture and philosophy, and never mind
comprehending the alien’s hermaphrodite life-cycle. Moving away from their
antagonisms, with taunts of ‘toadface’ and ‘irkman’, the foes wholly unlikely
friendship wins an unearthly peace, after their meeting of minds, and this
movie evades the blatantly racist overtones of Byron Haskin’s flawed space
opera <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Robinson Crusoe On Mars</i> (1964).
When its castaway story avoids<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>sentimentality, or melodrama, with an approach to sci-fi adopted by
later <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Trek</i> TV shows and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> sequels, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Enemy Mine</i> is extraordinary for masterly designs and stunningly
rich images, that together create the fabulous milieu for an engaging and
compelling tale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iz7juBtwadc/YPHSg5sFfiI/AAAAAAAAGCw/a_w3lNHnvucAA5fpXVI-LLKE6C7Q66e4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake09.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iz7juBtwadc/YPHSg5sFfiI/AAAAAAAAGCw/a_w3lNHnvucAA5fpXVI-LLKE6C7Q66e4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake09.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Fly</b> (1986) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“I’m working on something that’ll change the world... and
human life, as we know it.” D</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">avid Cronenberg updated 1958's sci-fi
monster-movie with explicitly modern body-horror tropes and all the shocking impact of
genre drama, including a cancer allegory. As the original B&W cult film was
set in Montreal it seemed appropriate for Canadian auteur Cronenberg to write
(with Charles Edward Pogue), and direct, a new visionary intelligent-SF adaptation
of this cautionary tale. Cronenberg’s THE FLY has superior qualities, dropping
the flashback structure of Kurt Neumann’s likeably cheesy original, and opting for
a linear approach to George Langelaan’s story. It’s also a weird romantic
triangle, that can only end in tragic death, with an extraordinary star performance
by Jeff Goldblum as reclusive scientist Seth Brundle. He’s involved with
journalist Veronica (Geena Davis) after she agrees to document his work. Instead
of the silly effects seen in previous </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Fly</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
movies, the new script is focused on Cronenberg’s familiar themes of biological
mutation, so the transformation here of man into monster (Brundle-fly) is accomplished
slowly, mimicking the grotesque symptoms of a grimly leprous disease, later explained
as changes made at genetic-hybrid levels during a teleportation procedure. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
instantaneous jump from one ‘tele-pod’ to another has spliced human DNA with
that of a housefly. At first, Seth appears to have been improved by his human experiment,
but, soon enough, his newfound athleticism is found to be only the initial
stage of his disturbing mental and physical degeneration. Cronenberg also
explores the stages of a psychosis that frightens poor Veronica, especially after
discovering her pregnancy. Apart from addressing pro-choice issues for
abortion, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Fly</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> also tackles irrational
fears about HIV, in a memorably poignant scene where sympathetic heroine Ronnie
unhesitatingly embraces Seth’s decaying body and comforts him. Goldblum
delivers his tour-de-force monologue on the hitherto unexplored subject of
insect politics, as Brundle’s conscience and compassion slip away, and it’s
powerfully affecting because he knows what’s happening to him. It’s a stunning
sequence of psychological horror, that ranks highly among the best genre movie roles
of all time and yet Goldblum was shamefully overlooked at the Oscars. Despite
some impressive effects, and seemingly higher production values, Chris Wallas’ </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Fly 2</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1989) simply lacks the impressive
imagination of Cronenberg’s remake.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn5x-4NQ5Nc/YPHSpBKOVVI/AAAAAAAAGC4/Ggs2E2wVNDcJpqwxCaCVdkxATO7rj63FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn5x-4NQ5Nc/YPHSpBKOVVI/AAAAAAAAGC4/Ggs2E2wVNDcJpqwxCaCVdkxATO7rj63FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake10.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Invaders From Mars</b>
(1986) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tobe Hooper’s take on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">War
Of The Worlds</i> derivative, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invaders
From Mars</i> (1953), a movie for “scientists of all ages”, has aliens arrive,
like nocturnal thieves, with remote control of humans and the very ground that
people walk on. Designer turned director William Cameron Menzies presented his
picture’s core message as - ‘always question authority’, even if it means
breaking any rules, and it seems likely to have a profound effect upon young SF
fans. But what if a dream was a premonition? This mad remake delivers an epic
nightmare of impressive set-pieces with a magnificent upgrade of the special effects.
Hooper’s genius for INVADERS FROM MARS offers cult-worthy pulp sci-fi
revivalism, with a full-scale cosmic-horror story all wrapped up in 100
minutes. The 1953 version appeared between Heinlein’s novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Puppet Masters</i> (1951), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Body Snatchers</i> (1954) by Jack
Finney. Clearly, all this SF about UFOs and aliens inspired Larry Cohen’s TV
series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Invaders</i> (1967-8), so
Hooper’s remake had plenty of genre influences drawn from SF themes already toyed
with, and practically exhausted.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Everything is fine, now,” assures nodding dad George, but
his anxious son knows it’s a lie. Louise Fletcher plays an evil biology teacher.
Karen Black makes a great heroine as the school nurse Linda while the actress’
own son Hunter Carson plays 10-year-old radical David. As in the original, blank-faced
people stroll around like puppet-drones. However, now the back of that wicked teacher’s
van resembles the serial killer’s house in </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The
Texas Chain Saw Massacre</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1974). Indeed, witty in-jokes are everywhere,
like any Joe Dante adventure. The mega-brain of the Martian supreme
intelligence is only one image from a kid’s worst dreamscape. “Hope you know
what we’re doing,” says a US marine to a SETI scientist. When troops enter the
tunnels under the sand-pit, this scary mystery wholly becomes a black-comedy, and
bonkers menace appears at every twist. During a military evacuation, the slot-machine
ray-gun is hilarious. Finally, the plot switches to, oh no, not again! If
nothing else, this grisly amusement is a far better boy-meets-alien thriller
than Spielberg’s corny fairy-tale </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">E.T. -
The Extra-Terrestrial</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1982). Ray Garton’s witty novelisation revels in taking
some literary inspiration from </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Wizard
Of Oz</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Alice In Wonderland</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">. Amusingly,
21 years later, Hooper’s </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">IFM </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">was a
clear influence on </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Body Snatchers</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> remake
and zombie nightmare </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Invasion</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
(2007).</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__KYeKrHYDQ/YPHSwFxu3dI/AAAAAAAAGC8/7avYXFnvb2QQX65gP2DqEOFLuPszfCIMACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__KYeKrHYDQ/YPHSwFxu3dI/AAAAAAAAGC8/7avYXFnvb2QQX65gP2DqEOFLuPszfCIMACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake11.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dead Of Winter</b>
(1987) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The original version for this mystery-thriller was melodrama
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Name Is Julia Ross</i> (1945), based
on Anthony Gilbert’s crime novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Woman In Red</i> (1941). That B&W gothic starred Nina Foch as a
secretary kidnapped from London to Cornwall. She is cruelly treated for
hysteria, but escapes from her captors in the cliff-top mansion, discovers<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an unsolved murder, and turns the tables after
a showdown on the beach. This remake benefits from North American settings (but
filmed in Canada), where an opening cloak-and-dagger sequence has fatal
results. Struggling NYC actress Katie (Mary Steenburgen) is invited to video
auditions for a mysterious director. Roddy McDowell plays Murray, a
talent-scout (actually a kidnap accomplice) for a ‘leading lady’ as look-alike
replacement for movie star Julie Rose in a supposed thriller script.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Trapped in an isolated house where her resident host is
creepy wheelchair-bound Dr Lewis, unwary Katie soon learns that there is no acting
role, and Murray’s deception covers up a blackmail plot. After losing a finger,
Katie - as Julie - discovers the house has a secret passage hidden behind her
bedroom’s mirror. Suffering through drug-induced hallucinations, she switches from
morbid submission to frantic desperation when local cops arrive. Another woman
appears, Julie’s sister Evelyn (also portrayed by Steenburgen), and the resourceful
actress fights her double. Arthur Penn (Euro actioner <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Target</i>) directs with Kubrickian precision and Carpenterish scares,
and so DEAD OF WINTER offers a witty blend of subgenre themes on identity
crisis with clever twists, a frozen landscape as metaphorical claustrophobia,
and black comedy from various moral panics. Climactic violence is a clearly
decisive action that re-sets disturbances in this distorted reality in favour
of our tragic heroine, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DOW</i> has no
happy ending. It’s only the case of a survivor of psycho horrors and physical trauma.</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUV7-uq7DjM/YPHS9Dq9ckI/AAAAAAAAGDI/Z8la6dTtlhYYvxRvQfpZRKgcDzb_Wpk2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUV7-uq7DjM/YPHS9Dq9ckI/AAAAAAAAGDI/Z8la6dTtlhYYvxRvQfpZRKgcDzb_Wpk2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake12.jpg" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">No Way Out</b> (1987)
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Originally filmed as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Big Clock</i> (1948), then a French version, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Police Python 357</i> (1976), both based on a post-war novel, NO WAY
OUT is a Pentagon spy-thriller that begins as a romantic drama before it becomes
a criminal conspiracy about the secret manhunt for suspected KGB agent code-named
‘Yuri’. Roger Donaldson directs, with escalating tensions, while US navy
officer Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) is “trying to be subtle”, when the target of
an investigation is actually himself. The real villain here is US Defence
Secretary David Price (Gene Hackman) whose mistress, cynical party-girl Susan
Atwell (Sean Young), is killed in a jealous rage. With the help of a slimy lawyer,
Pritchard (Will Patton), the increasingly desperate Price manages to circumvent
CIA and FBI inquires with a political cover-up. “You have no idea what men of
power can do!” Crucial to generating the pressure of suspense, in developments
of this neo-noir plot, is an image-enhancement program that works (oh so slowly!)
on photo evidence that’s expected to identify the killer. A clever Cold War twist-ending
is also very witty. Not only was this movie a career milestone for actor
Costner, boosting the Hollywood high-flyer into a superstar orbit, but its themes
and unusual setting proved influential enough to kick-start the modern subgenre
of ‘military justice’ - when it was followed by Peter Hyams’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Presidio</i> (1988), legal drama <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Few Good Men</i> (1992), murder mystery <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The General’s Daughter</i> (1999), popular TV
series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JAG</i> (1995 - 2005), and a
spin-off <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NCIS</i> franchise.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pF4tEFYASeg/YPHTF4CpOhI/AAAAAAAAGDQ/AQ3N-UzLRLQa7pINJ_QVHAVcz7_ugDrjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pF4tEFYASeg/YPHTF4CpOhI/AAAAAAAAGDQ/AQ3N-UzLRLQa7pINJ_QVHAVcz7_ugDrjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake13.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Adventures Of
Baron Munchausen</b> (1988) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Terry Gilliam’s lavishly staged production remains one of
the top five greatest fantasy movies of all time. Its earlier versions include
Josef von Baky’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Munchhausen</i> (1948),
intended as German propaganda, and Karel Zeman’s partly-animated Czech film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Fabulous Baron Munchausen</i> (1962).
This updated tale is quite suitably Pythonesque and features Eric Idle, playing
a supporting role, one of the powerful characters in the Baron’s own motley
super-team of comic-book heroes wearing period costumes. This remake isn’t,
however, a typical superhero movie, despite adventures that resemble a mission
where success is rarely in doubt. The unstoppable Baron routinely defeats an
army of invading Turks, saves a besieged kingdom, and magically defies ‘Death’
itself. Oliver Reed and Uma Thurman are great fun as the Roman deities Vulcan
and Venus. What makes this especially notable is how easily it forms Gilliam’s
auteur trilogy after the seemingly-unrelated genre adventures of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time Bandits</i> (1981), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brazil</i> (1985). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">THE ADVENTURES OF BARON
MUNCHAUSEN is an emboldened fairytale of sorts, about a crazy hero who’s
boastful enough to outrage historians or any logical thinkers with his archly
conceited claims of possessing a convincing superiority over mundane reality. To
reiterate and clarify, the Baron (winningly played by John Neville) is never an
offensive rebel, because his formidably absurd dreaming simply challenges formal
authority and entirely rational thought. His charming antagonism just rejects
the Age of Reason completely, and in favour of imagination... “You do believe
me, don’t you?” asks the Baron. “I’m doing my best” replies the confused little
stowaway Sally (Sarah Polley). Each time his wishing triumphs over trouble,
deadly adversity, or failure, the geriatric Baron regains his youthful
appearance, with a sparkling, renewed vigour, as if his life-force is magically
refuelled by hope. This expression of whimsy as creativity forms the heart of
Gilliam’s artistry, and here the director achieves his most fantastic level of
inventive novelty. The sing-along chorus (as commentary) “What will become of
the Baron? Surely this time, he will not escape” just prompts bigger unruly
evasion tactics so that a surprisingly indomitable willpower avoids undesirable
consequences. “Those were the days, eh?” Inspirational storytelling with a pair
of by-his-boot-straps twist-endings, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baron
Munchausen</i> is the essence of what ‘legendary’ really means.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dkg1UP_tAM/YPHTQEQaJiI/AAAAAAAAGDY/XE2Jpd-OT743pTC5Zo6mvFHckhM9mOkBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dkg1UP_tAM/YPHTQEQaJiI/AAAAAAAAGDY/XE2Jpd-OT743pTC5Zo6mvFHckhM9mOkBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake14.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Blob</b> (1988) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jim Wynorski’s trashy 1988 remake of Roger Corman’s
space-vampire movie, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Not Of This Earth</i>
(1957), is a typical example of how to update venerable B&W sci-fi without
adding even a moment of modern genre creativity, yet displaying witless
contempt for Corman’s fans. Yet another ‘first contact’ scenario, Chuck
Russell’s horror movie THE BLOB marks a genuine progression from its 1958 original,
directed by Irvin Yeaworth as an obviously cheesy B-movie, and best remembered
as the star debut of Hollywood legend Steve McQueen. Thirty years on, it’s local
bad-boy Brian (Kevin Dillon) who is the first to comprehend the big scale of new
danger for his town and the unsuspecting world. To nobody’s surprise he acts
irresponsibly, and only turns all heroically selfless just before the end. Before
his change of heart, Shawnee Smith makes a gutsy heroine as sensible
cheerleader Meg, clearly framing this remake as a ‘rebel youth’ adventure. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Much
like Carpenter’s shape-shifter <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Thing</i>
(1982), and Larry Cohen’s sci-fi satire <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Stuff</i> (1985), this alien-invader thriller has an element of Lovecraftian mythos
in its comedy make-up. Superbly designed and performed, various special effects
for the gloopy creature spread rapidly, with results often copied from typical
slasher shocks, but featuring an unstoppable killer that’s obviously... not
from around here. With its blend of popular trends, the rampaging space-monster
emerges from a cosmos where the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightmare
On Elm Street</i> franchise meets <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aliens</i>
(1986), for small-town mayhem and some <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight
Zone</i> weirdness, including a loony preacher who easily believes its appearance
on Earth is a sign of the Rapture. Eventually, the uncannily pink-plasmic
people-eater expands so quickly, along with busy dimensions of this shrewd remake’s
conspiracy plot, that it bursts up from street drains like a volcanic eruption
during the climactic sequence. Considered as a form of living pollution, the
Blob owes something to Hedorah from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Godzilla
vs. The Smog Monster</i> (1971), and it pre-empts <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Godzilla vs. Biollante</i> (1989), where a plant mutation threatens
Japan. Metamorphic menace here lacks any obvious intelligence but its giant
amoebic form exhibits a ferocious brutality that’s compelling as grotesque
horror, if not always credible as SF.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uX6a_8vOlOE/YPHTZ972-yI/AAAAAAAAGDg/q-RBn7qoDY0VaGGbRiZSE6px9Y-l_uoKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uX6a_8vOlOE/YPHTZ972-yI/AAAAAAAAGDg/q-RBn7qoDY0VaGGbRiZSE6px9Y-l_uoKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake15.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">D.O.A.</b> (1988) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A man walks into a police station and reports a murder... his
own. This crime-story of 1950 unfolds in flashback. After he’s poisoned in some
booze at a San Francisco night club, the doomed protagonist runs for his life.
There’s a luminous toxin (iridium) that glows in darkness, during the
briskly-paced B&W mystery with a sadly melodramatic finale. Updated for
modern noir by Charles Edward Pogue (also writer of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psycho III</i>, and Cronenberg’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Fly</i>), an impressive remake was directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel,
best known as creators of cyberpunk TV icon <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Max
Headroom</i> (1985). A</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">fter an Xmas suicide on campus, Professor Dex Cornell
(Dennis Quaid) is caught off balance, especially after he’s unjustly suspected
of murdering of his wife. The toxicity of radium chloride displays luminous in a
blood sample, and his doctor explains Dex has 24 hours to live. Filmed in
sweaty Texas, locations add layers of cultural stress to already fraught
narrative complications, bolstered by a fine supporting cast. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mystery is linked
to a tragedy of literary ambitions and crime scandals concerning rich widow
Fitzwaring (Charlotte Rampling). On his way to justice, or oblivion, Dex gets
himself super-glued to student Sydney (Meg Ryan) in her Freudian slip. Running
from cops, Dex finds Syd’s crush on him turning into a one-night fling. Witty
ideas and startling images abound in this fascinating whodunit, where the victim
investigates his death, lurching from psychological trauma and moral crisis to violent
danger as he confronts mortality like an “ever darkening dream”. Although people
keep dying all around him Dex manages to expose an earlier crime. There’s the first
use of a nail-gun as a deadly weapon in this non-horror movie, a mainstream match
for </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Miracle Mile</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> with scenes of tar-pits
on a location, featured here as a historical time-sink metaphor. In the end, it’s
all about the graded ‘A’ homework of an unread novel manuscript. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">D.O.A.</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> was not this era’s final remake
of a classic noir. These upgrades continued with Peter Hyams’ witness-protection
thriller, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Narrow Margin</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1990), the
super-charged version of 1952’s train drama. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-evh0zHw_fA8/YPHTt6ngTuI/AAAAAAAAGDw/flKls4gIvvkS1EOLuFjCWv2CBveFjIszgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/remake16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-evh0zHw_fA8/YPHTt6ngTuI/AAAAAAAAGDw/flKls4gIvvkS1EOLuFjCWv2CBveFjIszgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/remake16.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Always</b> (1989) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">An updated version of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Guy Named Joe</i> (1943), Steven Spielberg’s ALWAYS is about fire-fighting
pilots, who drop water bombs and foam on forest fires. Hot-shot air-man Pete
(Richard Dreyfuss) is reckless to impress fellow flyers but upsets feisty
girlfriend Dorinda (Holly Hunter). Pete saves pilot buddy Al (a garrulous John
Goodman) from a burning plane but then he dies in a mid-air explosion.
Wandering from his Afterlife, the reluctantly deceased Pete meets guiding angel
Hap, played by Audrey Hepburn in her last role. Although unfairly dismissed as
another silly romantic-fantasy, produced in Hollywood’s matinee mode, this
aerial action movie is considerably more than just strange adventures in
daredevil flying with archly feminist, albeit largely stereotyped, aspects
mostly centred on Hunter’s spirited transformation from tomboy to princess.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A seemingly awkward style of theatrical unreality is wholly
appropriate as time-worn tropes are explored in charmingly unfashionable circumstances.
Wittily, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Always</i> flits between rom-com
and aviation thriller, but Spielberg’s direction elevates the original film’s wartime
melodrama to superior mystery-movie with a quiet-ghost story (rarely depending
on special effects) for affecting episodes of tragedy and weighty mourning.
Dorinda’s dreaming opens communication with Pete, who learns to act as a
guardian angel for handsome Ted (Brad Johnson) and so, eventually, heroine
Dorinda falls for this new bloke at the flight school. A climactic mission is
coached by Pete but actually piloted by Dorinda, complete with the mysticism of
night flying. Like Warren Beatty’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heaven
Can Wait</i> (1978), a remake of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Here
Comes Mr Jordan</i> (1941), this examines a mixed-bag of supernatural themes,
focused on dead people not ready to cry ‘goodbye’. In its sentimentality, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Always</i> adopts the Capra-esque manner of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It’s A Wonderful Life</i> (1946), but playing
with opposites, when farewell means freedom. Peppering comedy with quirky
slapstick scenes among telepathic encounters, where love’s persistence in grief
enables a psychic link with the ghost, even if dancing alone. Certainly, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Always</i> is one of Spielberg’s most under-rated
efforts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Runners-up</b>...</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">AIRPLANE! (1980)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Excluded from the top 15 because it’s just a parody, not a
proper remake, this comedy about disaster movies nevertheless owes a
substantial debt to the story of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zero
Hour!</i> (1957). Oddly enough, the follow-up to this spoofy success, sci-fi
comedy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Airplane II: The Sequel</i>
(1982), is much funnier, to me, partly because it features William Shatner.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN (1981) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Another spoof, this colourful sit-com and critique of
American consumerism lacks the moral values and genre sincerity that ensured
Jack Arnold’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Incredible Shrinking
Man</i> (1957) became such a classic of B&W sci-fi horror.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2019/11/scarface.html" target="_blank">SCARFACE</a> (1983) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With his update of Howard Hawks’ original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scarface</i> (1932), Brian De Palma proves that
nothing succeeds quite like bloody excess, offering gangster violence that’s
now so hysterically sensationalist, it has long since lapsed into hyper-violent
caricature.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">THE BOUNTY</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(1984)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Roger Donaldson’s re-telling of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mutiny On The Bounty</i> (1935, remade 1962) is glossy and stylish, but
hardly a great improvement as sea-faring entertainment, or historical drama,
despite a good cast led by Anthony Hopkins, and Mel Gibson.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYhqmIrESH8/YPHT4m3dVKI/AAAAAAAAGD4/qWdZIsXKBQsysakLMoit_ISZ2s4PxeEUACLcBGAsYHQ/s399/remake17.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYhqmIrESH8/YPHT4m3dVKI/AAAAAAAAGD4/qWdZIsXKBQsysakLMoit_ISZ2s4PxeEUACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/remake17.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986) </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Roger Corman’s horror comedy (1960) was adapted into a 1982
stage musical, before Frank Oz directed a movie version. It’s a peculiar
combination that never appealed to me, partly because I dislike any traditional
screen musicals, except for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Singin’ In
The Rain</i> (1952).</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">AND GOD CREATED WOMAN (1988)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s a rarity in new versions when a director recycles their
own movie. Roger Vadim’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And God Created
Woman</i> (1956), was a French showcase for Brigitte Bardot, baiting censors
with liberated sexuality, then considered indecent. Vadim’s American remake had
a new storyline, a sexy comedy that stars Rebecca De Mornay as escaped convict
Robin, a flighty jailbird with ambitious designs on a state politician (Frank
Langella).</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And finally... <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In franchised media, some productions avoid easy
identification as remakes - and yet the label ‘reboot’ might seem appropriate.
Partly, if not mostly, this applies to various new versions of serial-films and
early TV shows about superheroes, fitting very neatly into the retroactive
continuity (ret-con) frameworks of comic-book alternative worlds and so Richard
Donner’s epic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman: The Movie</i>
(1978), is mirrored by TV-movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain
America</i> (1979), as great examples of more imaginative adventures linked to
earlier screen adaptations without being just updated and obviously refreshed
origin-stories. Cleverly directed by Tim Burton, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman</i> (1989), never feels like a remake, so it’s not on my list,
but it deserves a mention here. Hugh Hudson’s magnificent picture <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The
Apes</i> (1984) is another visionary film adaptation that was developed so differently
than any previous screen adventures it’s evolved far beyond any ‘remake’
status.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>See also: </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span><a href="http://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/2020/12/top-20-supers.html " target="_blank">Top 20 Live-Action Superhero Movies</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Top 15 remakes</b> in
alphabetical order - </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (1988) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Always (1989) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Blob (1988) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cat People (1982) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dead Of Winter (1987) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">D.O.A. (1988) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enemy Mine (1985) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Flash Gordon (1980) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Fly (1986) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Invaders From Mars (1986) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Never Say Never Again (1983) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">No Way Out (1987) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Outland (1981) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Thing (1982) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)</span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-52078031778051151922020-12-16T16:30:00.010+00:002023-04-14T12:52:14.043+00:00Top 20 Supers<p><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Top 20 Live-Action Superhero Movies</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Superhero cinema
in the 21st century was enabled by advanced filmmaking technologies developed
with varying degrees of creativity and triumph by the Wachowskis’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Matrix</i> (1999), Peter Jackson’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lord Of The Rings</i> trilogy (2001-3),
and Michael Bay’s robot-series launched by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Transformers</i>
(2007). On the genre spectrum, superhero movies have elements of science
fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery, so this assorted content blends many
kinds of comedy-drama, including odd satire and spoofs, weirdness and
surrealism. What’s a superhero? If not a costume or special powers, it must be
thoughts and actions. T</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ime and space
are unlimited in these narratives and all of history folds with imagination. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I considered
including John Boorman’s </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">greatest masterpiece, of Arthurian legends,</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">
Excalibur</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1981),</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and
auteur Terry Gilliam’s remake </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1988)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> which ends his </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">informal genre trilogy - after </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Time Bandits</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1981), and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Brazil</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1985) - </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">but soon decided that they belong to screen traditions still unrecognisable
as superhero pictures.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-63xtyCc2ezQ/X9or9UUILXI/AAAAAAAAFe4/BXlXOti0fUMRnGuXcsqjWbE4theYiAB7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-63xtyCc2ezQ/X9or9UUILXI/AAAAAAAAFe4/BXlXOti0fUMRnGuXcsqjWbE4theYiAB7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero01.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the last 20
years, dozens of movie-makers jumped on the Marvel & DC bandwagon for success,
and their seemingly unrelated efforts established links to this ‘tent-pole’
genre,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so that, for example, Darren
Aronofsky’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Noah</i> (2014) can be seen
as a superhero movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> H</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">owever
post-millennial cinema cycles, adapted from various comic-books are viewed,
some of the current trends for colourful adventure have influential predecessors
in 1980s’ productions, not all of which are immediately obvious, or considered
relevant. But, I hope this piece might change a few, rather limiting, judgements
of what’s genuinely significant in this field. For my overview, this A-Z listing
of genre diversity collects cult originals, Art house, and mainstream blockbusters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X39Fj9fUqc4/X9osKuzT6kI/AAAAAAAAFe8/7yFPp1mgI-4y-NTT4l5tF6WJ20TEqIXPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X39Fj9fUqc4/X9osKuzT6kI/AAAAAAAAFe8/7yFPp1mgI-4y-NTT4l5tF6WJ20TEqIXPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero02.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Adventures Of
Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension</b> (1984) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Looking back at W.D. Richter’s directing debut again,
it’s clear this master-class of pulpy sci-fi action shifts like stormy weather,
and its bizarre inter-dimensional invasion plotting makes overlong epics such
as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Endgame</i> (2019) seem
plodding by comparison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> E</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ven though Richter steals, most blatantly, from </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Doc Savage: Man Of Bronze</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1975), this
boasts impressively quirky ensemble casting (Peter Weller, Jeff Goldblum,
Clancy Brown) who mesh so imperfectly, for Team Banzai, that any playfully
confusing distinctions gives this jigsaw of characters an electrifying bravado,
unmatched in mainstream cinema, until - again featuring versatile Goldblum -
Wes Anderson’s </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Life Aquatic With
Steve Zissou</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2004). Ellen Barkin plays the hero’s suicidal
romantic-interest, but John Lithgow almost out-acts everybody, delivering a
comically-demented portrayal of quasi-alien villainy that not even Christopher
Lloyd can match for memorably hilarious one-liners. In too many of comic-books’
key works, the strange power of grotesque absurdity is neglected, in favour of
a conventionally malevolent antagonism. Lithgow’s maniacal Dr Lizardo, later
revealed as Lord Whorfin, enthusiastically promotes an awesomely funny
insanity, so dangerously unpredictable he is always mesmerising. Comics fans
might consider that the Joker is #1 for crazy, but measured against the
obsessive rages of psycho Lizardo, he’s just a clown.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qjkJUqEZCww/X9osfa7-IXI/AAAAAAAAFfI/uueE3EK8bdgtuyHmgtNtVk95faevmH6cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qjkJUqEZCww/X9osfa7-IXI/AAAAAAAAFfI/uueE3EK8bdgtuyHmgtNtVk95faevmH6cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero03.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Avengers: Age Of
Ultron</b> (2015) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Joss Whedon’s sequel gets my vote as the best <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> movie, primarily for introducing
one of my favourite Marvel characters, the Vision. Unlike the comic-books’
origin stories, this first screen appearance for Marvel’s android hero adds
complexity and happenstance for a primal scene, where the baseline program from
robot Ultron, and Stark’s A.I. butler, J.A.R.V.I.S, combines with the cosmic ‘Mind’
stone, for implanting in artificial ‘flesh’ bonded to vibranium metal (from
Wakanda). Gifted with new life by a jolt of Asgardian lightning, the Vision has
an explosive ‘birth’ that mimics Frankenstein movies. This is esoteric and
quasi-mythical in the manner of Promethean meta-physics. The Vision proves to
be too ‘perfect’ a creation for service to antagonistic Ultron, and a
super-being of wise but naive intelligence and logical morality, proving worthy
enough to handle Thor’s magic hammer. The brisk pace means there is no time for
indulging non-fans to explain versatile powers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">This revisionist beginning for the ‘synthezoid’ superhero
is much better devised than any of the comics’ variations. SF action scenes with
a keen sense-of-wonder, out-performing the source material, are a fundamental
part of all great superhero cinema. Several changes are welcome alternatives to
existing lore, re-wiring Marvel ultra-universe circuitry for a post-cyberpunk
currency to emerge, evolved from much less intellectually challenging material, but
with emotional charge preserved in fantastically imaginative content (we are
not alone!) that always made </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Avengers</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
canon such good fun in comics. Yesteryear’s fantasy reforms into today’s
hyper-reality, so narrative development of this exploding franchise revels in
exploring sci-fi genre variants of mythological archetypes and telling allusions to
modern history.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDIVkJjrLNw/X9otEfUa8DI/AAAAAAAAFfU/M6oQsqoVucUKCCsZ53pzCTxX0DpZJ0T9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDIVkJjrLNw/X9otEfUa8DI/AAAAAAAAFfU/M6oQsqoVucUKCCsZ53pzCTxX0DpZJ0T9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero04.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Batman v Superman:
Dawn Of Justice</b> (2016) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although it’s a </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">stylish</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">update, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Man Of Steel</i> (2013) was, basically, a fantastical remake of</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman The Movie</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1978), and </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman II</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1980). Zack Snyder
established a unique trademark on DC movies with </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">MOS</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, but this sequel offers something new in a franchised universe; an intensely dramatic super-team saga that rivals the spectacular genre impact
of Snyder’s previous comic-book movie </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Watchmen</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">.
Whereas earlier efforts from DC's arch-rivals Marvel, like </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers Assemble</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2012), </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic
Four</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2005), and </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2000),
had to formally introduce most of their characters to audiences unaware of the
heroes’ history in their decades of comics, BATMAN v SUPERMAN included Wonder Woman
for its peerless trinity of icons, already easily identifiable in popular
culture, following a variety of incarnations in cinema and TV. Snyder’s weighty
approach, to childish source-material, is extraordinarily serious, with media-commentary
and subplots about political corruption, for analysing these living legends driven
to suicidal heroics. Confronting villainy shaped without a conscience, this
super trio battle quasi-mythic weirdness formed like a cosmic Frankenstein’s
monster after shocking mutation and re-animation by unknowable power. 'Doomsday' marks a fresh start for team-ups, and </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BVS</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
is a welcome addition to DC’s rapidly expanding multi-verse. While four </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> movies are usually leavened
with too many inappropriate jokes, Snyder’s efforts turn sincerity to his
advantage. By avoiding melodramatic farce, </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BVS</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
concentrates on honesty and so delivers authentic SF plus fantasy that’s never
trite or inconsequential. I hope that the 2021 director’s cut of </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice League</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2017) finally
consolidates the genre leadership role of Zack Snyder as the greatest artistic mastermind
in comicbook movies.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdUkEljerNk/X9otUk3UbAI/AAAAAAAAFfc/bwvM0O-Z-xQL5HxMc5YI6vWteKp8G7fLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdUkEljerNk/X9otUk3UbAI/AAAAAAAAFfc/bwvM0O-Z-xQL5HxMc5YI6vWteKp8G7fLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero05.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Big Trouble In
Little China</b> (1986) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am certainly not against humour and jokes being used in
superhero movies, but it only works, for me, when the funny scenes also display
some intelligence. John Carpenter is a craftsman of genre cinema, so his BIG
TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA delivers farce and larking-about with a grinning charm.
It is never blithely inane, like Marvel’s wholly disappointing spoof <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/2018/03/thor-3.html" target="_blank">Thor: Ragnarok</a></i> (2017), or dismally
vulgar like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deadpool</i> (2016). Kurt
Russell plays blundering lorry-driver Jack Burton as the best amusing parody of
John Wayne, although Jack is really a sidekick to the story’s actual Asian hero,
Wang (Dennis Dun, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Year Of The Dragon</i>).
So, buddy-movie racial stereotypes are pointedly subverted with dry witticism,
and many traditional elements of Hong Kong fantasy-comedy are disrupted, in
favour of role-reversals and refreshing interpretations. In this world’s
hyper-reality, magical tricks and psychodrama seem interchangeable, just as magic metaphors
become dangerous truth. In the villainous and guru roles, James Hong and Victor
Wong play westernised versions of iconic eastern mystics. The result is a rock
‘n’ roll party with circus clowns and monsters. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BTILC</i> didn’t win enough popularity to match <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghostbusters</i> (1984), but it's much greater genre entertainment. Carpenter
adapted Burton’s adventures into comic-books (2014-7), for a series that includes
the sequel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Old Man Jack</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-053J9ulUrA4/X9otg0Gse8I/AAAAAAAAFfg/U8q6MT1RSL8bNEfSbum6ectCL7BNgI1rgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero06.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-053J9ulUrA4/X9otg0Gse8I/AAAAAAAAFfg/U8q6MT1RSL8bNEfSbum6ectCL7BNgI1rgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero06.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Birdman</b> (2014)
</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s not often that a superhero movie wins big at the
Oscars (although <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> was at
least nominated for ‘best film’), but this delightful comedy-drama scooped four
awards including ‘best screenplay’ and ‘best director’. Michael Keaton stars in
Alejandro Inarritu’s genre satire BIRDMAN or (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF
IGNORANCE), a picture with off-beat stage work, filmed mostly in very long takes.
While quietly exercising levitation and telekinetic powers, washed-up movie-star
Riggan risks everything by doing his Broadway play based upon Raymond Carver
talking about love. Still haunted by his costumed alter-ego, Riggan roams about
backstage and ruminates while his theatre troupe are exploring the meaning of
mass-media celebrity, and exposing a seemingly fraudulent existence for
professional actors. “Popularity is the slutty little cousin of prestige.” Edward
Norton (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Incredible Hulk</i>, 2008)
plays the super-annoying replacement star Mike. Naomi Watts and Emma Stone form
a cadre of supporting players here, but Andrea Riseborough easily out-acts them
both, and Lindsay Duncan is outstanding as scathing critic Tabitha. Preparation
meets humiliation during rehearsals, but previews are saved by resolute
Riggan’s quirks of improv showmanship, flitting between ego-frenzy and Zen-styled calm.
An ultimate kind of genre comeback movie, BIRDMAN has Keaton soaring above city
streets like a daredevil Icarus, to indulge in retro wish-fulfilment of
starring role-play as Bruce Wayne in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman</i>
(1989). So, yeah, let’s break a leg, and blow many Art-snobs' minds, before shooting
off the hero’s nose (to spite his face?) for an uplifting twist of wryly
philosophical self-determinism. You might never believe a man can fly, but
Keaton’s commitment here proves he can dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S0XXfgis3mY/X9ot4ss5m6I/AAAAAAAAFfs/fu_hYIufv04kA9GdbO1T-ri5MaDISTJRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero07.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S0XXfgis3mY/X9ot4ss5m6I/AAAAAAAAFfs/fu_hYIufv04kA9GdbO1T-ri5MaDISTJRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero07.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Captain America:
Civil War</b> (2016) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although it’s loosely based on Marvel comics’ popular event-series,
this movie drastically reduces the epic scale of its source material, to focus
on a dozen heroes. Iron Man heads a U.N. group - supporters of ‘registration’
for Avengers, while Steve Rogers leads a rogue team, escaping from Euro custody to
uncover terrorism by vengeful soldier Zemo. Although it lacks Thor and Hulk,
CIVIL WAR launched ‘Phase Three’ of MCU’s franchise and, basically, it’s now ‘Avengers 2.5’ charted on the Marvel timeline. Directing two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain America</i> sequels, the Russo
brothers took inspiration from spy-fi movies, continuing links to Soviet
plotting about Bucky Barnes, alias Winter Soldier. After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D,
trails of destruction by Avengers spread from New York (see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers Assemble</i>, 2012), and Washington
DC, to Sokovia (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Age Of Ultron</i>),
and now Lagos. Bombing a U.N. building in Vienna does a rascally job of
building upon this continuity of spectacular property-damage, and also introduces
African prince Black Panther. There’s a new version of Spider-Man appearing for
the centre-piece appeal of this movie’s 23-minute combat sequence, at a German
airport, that starts with Hawkeye’s arrival at Avengers’ base, and ends with
the flying-suited War Machine shot down by Vision. Happily for Cap’s team,
the android Avenger takes only a minor part in the battle, but superb combinations
of stunts and effects, especially when Ant-Man becomes Giant Man, who tips the fight’s
balance, make this one of the very best super-team rumbles. Encounters between
such different powers means their conflict only results in catastrophe. The coda,
of course, is that revenge turns all sides into victims, or failures. Tony and
Steve both get an ethical message. There’s no winner in this scenario.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5RcKehOKOo4/X9ouRqMIdrI/AAAAAAAAFf4/A7R5cAY2ElQ2lIhFdGknQuCayor7QT6NwCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero08.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5RcKehOKOo4/X9ouRqMIdrI/AAAAAAAAFf4/A7R5cAY2ElQ2lIhFdGknQuCayor7QT6NwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero08.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Captain Marvel</b>
(2019)</span> </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
A tricky balancing act, performing strongly as an immediate prequel to the MCU
franchise of 21st century adventures, this mixes a UFO-abduction mystery and
space-opera action, with spy-movie details about shape-shifters. Kree heroine
amnesiac Vers, alias MIA USAF test-pilot Carol Danvers, becomes immersed in a
galactic war, and several identity-crises involving enemy Skrulls. Genre
in-jokes (ET phones home, OK?), are to be expected here, but CAPTAIN MARVEL
almost perfectly blends a variety of comicbook-style comedy thrills, set in
1995, during the cultural heyday of popular genre TV show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>. Delivering origin-story intrigues, ensures a narrative
complexity, and cool escapism with witty asides in the recovery of Carol’s lost
memory. Elements previously explored in DC movies <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Green Lantern</i> (2011), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonder
Woman</i> (2017), are combined for this Marvel production but with better
coherence and a more balanced tone, so that comics traditions are respected,
without compromising a dedication to modernity. This results in a hugely enjoyable,
often exhilaratingly hectic, and - retrospectively - an expansively
influential movie on Marvel’s timeline. Juggling its vastly cosmic and broadly comical
themes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> maintains MCU brand
quality while adding layers of feminism to its male-dominated field. </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8x5zpbgoTQw/X9oupIhyg5I/AAAAAAAAFgA/HkjJ91frW2I7RHpOGWZfch3cz0PQggk1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero09.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8x5zpbgoTQw/X9oupIhyg5I/AAAAAAAAFgA/HkjJ91frW2I7RHpOGWZfch3cz0PQggk1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero09.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Conan The
Barbarian</b> (1982) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">John Milius was very lucky to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger
for this adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian hero. Austrian Arnold was
the perfect choice to play Conan. He simply looks the part, talks with a
suitably foreign accent, and his limited ability as a Hollywood actor was
actually a bonus here, not a liability. In retrospect, it’s as if body-builder Arnie
was born to star as savage Conan in the world’s greatest swords ‘n’ sorcery movie.
Drawing upon samurai traditions, and Wagner’s epic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ring</i> cycle, varied design elements for CONAN THE BARBARIAN ensure
this is one of cinema’s best realised fantasy realms. It’s a tale of sorrows.
Surviving his tribe’s massacre, growing into slavery and a gladiatorial pit,
young Conan is tempered like steel for swords. Schwarzenegger’s first speech as
Conan is: “Crush your enemies...” After killing a witch and a monstrous serpent,
warrior Conan is crucified, but resurrected by a wizard. Arnold is most ably
supported by dancer Sandahl Bergman, excellent as Amazonian heroine Valeria.
Top thespians Max von Sydow, and James Earl Jones, bring heavyweight appeal to
roles as a troubled king, and cult-leader Thulsa Doom. Conan beheads the cruel baddie
in a finale recalling the bleak ending of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apocalypse
Now</i> (1979). A magnificent score by Basil Poledouris super-charges operatic
violence in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CONAN</i> to shine through
its gruesome scenario, for success despite studio censorship and critical
indifference. Richard Fleischer’s enjoyable sequel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Conan The Destroyer</i> (1984) is more of a fun adventure than Milius’ more sombre saga. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CONAN</i> was the finest
picture in its subgenre, until Jackson’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Lord Of The Rings</i> trilogy (2001-3). The remake <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/2016/07/conan.html" target="_blank">Conan The Barbarian</a> </i>(2011), starring Jason Momoa, with a huge
budget and some good visuals, turned out OK. But it’s a poor cousin to Milius’
masterpiece.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZjDnQLJLYY/X9ovXi0lG_I/AAAAAAAAFgI/UEMglx0ceIU_8vN5wywZqm4UAVPyRverACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZjDnQLJLYY/X9ovXi0lG_I/AAAAAAAAFgI/UEMglx0ceIU_8vN5wywZqm4UAVPyRverACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero10.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-dark-knight-trilogy.html" target="_blank">The Dark Knight</a></b>
(2008) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">From its first action sequence, where the Joker un-masks
himself, explaining: “I believe, whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you
stranger,” this second movie of Christopher Nolan’s epic trilogy blends urban
sci-fi and crime thriller into a stylish drama that quickly and easily banishes
Adam West’s 1960s’ TV show, and Tim Burton’s 1989 movie, into the genre-history
dustbin of obviously weaker efforts. Following Nolan’s reinvention of DC media
canon, for Gotham’s hero in </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-dark-knight-trilogy.html" target="_blank">Batman Begins</a></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
(2005), this outstanding version of the caped crusader sheds its mythic and dumb comedic influences for a supremely insightful perfection of the shadowy
champion. He becomes a fearsome protagonist who provokes utterly psychopathic mayhem
from his worst enemies. The Batman is always a stunt-man’s dream-job, while
Christian Bale portrayal of Bruce Wayne is nuanced with social awareness and acute physical
agony of his moralistic failures and human limitations. Because even a city-superhero with dual lives and a secret identity cannot be in two places at
once, injustice wins in the end. Turning Batman into a tragic figure and the victim
of cruel fate makes Nolan’s ambitious production a groundbreaking example of
superhero cinema, that eventually became one of the century’s most popular entertainments
so far. Unerring use of noise in a rumbling soundtrack that soon cranks up tensions
for electrifying drama ensures a hyper-realistic tone. The siege-thriller
sequel </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-dark-knight-trilogy.html" target="_blank">The Dark Knight Rises</a></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2012)
adds plenty of equally astonishing action scenes, boosting THE DARK KNIGHT’s
appeal with a double-bill worth re-watching. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LC4LKqkXqAQ/X9ov6JxPl6I/AAAAAAAAFgU/K2fjU2p9pK4cd10ENwGSvsbczmiaPNPpACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LC4LKqkXqAQ/X9ov6JxPl6I/AAAAAAAAFgU/K2fjU2p9pK4cd10ENwGSvsbczmiaPNPpACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero11.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/02/doctor-strange.html" target="_blank">Doctor Strange</a></b>
(2016) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">TV movie </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Dr Strange</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
(1978) introduced comics’ superhero magician to media audiences, following
shows like </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Amazing Spider-Man</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
(1977-9), and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Incredible Hulk</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
(1977-82), but no series about Marvel’s sorcerer supreme was produced. Other
attempts failed until British TV actor Benedict Cumberbatch was signed up, with
Scott Derrickson directing. It resulted in a major expansion of genre themes
for the MCU franchise, not just in magical wonders and impressive visual
effects, but a breakthrough for blending sci-fi and fantasy in ways that impose
the reality of miracles, and mysterious dimensions, on the core bio-tech and
super-science of Marvel’s wholly improbable worlds. DOCTOR STRANGE enables the
esoteric and impossible with such ease that quirky gestures shatter even open
minds. As master of the mystic arts, Stephen Strange bends space-time with
sheer imagination, so dreaming and thinking become more powerful than typical
superhero attributes, such as futurism or muscles. Wizardry turns monsters and
even gods into pawns. Psychedelic illusions or distortions of reality are possible
in cinema today because of several radical developments in visual effects. The
process began with CGI, and became PRA (photo-real animation), where anything
imaginable could be put on screen with a new verisimilitude. Stunning battles
of wit fought in twilight zones of cosmic fantasy, where logic is laughable
raise the magnificent scope of tragic events, and high-stakes conflict seems
hallucinatory when death is irrelevant, while counter-clockwise reasoning
presents weirdness as only a new normal. What it lacks in horror, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Doctor Strange</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> makes up for with its many edgy surprises, and with Dr Strange’s involvement in </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Avengers: Infinity War</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2018), his miracles of sorcery helped to make
that super-team saga a climactic addition to Marvel’s grandest franchise. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lcj10illSms/X9owK8uTUCI/AAAAAAAAFgg/Kh0GABBn36gWG8blS_x2KLna0bril1vlACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lcj10illSms/X9owK8uTUCI/AAAAAAAAFgg/Kh0GABBn36gWG8blS_x2KLna0bril1vlACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero12.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dredd</b> (2017) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the wake of Marvel’s homicidal vigilante, the Punisher,
British comic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2000 AD</i> published a
futuristic satire where Judge Dredd is a killer with a badge, on streets of
black-comedy gold. Created by John Wagner, this comic-strip about fascistic anti-heroes was developed by various writers for decades, before its screen
adaptation, spawned a franchise of industrial scale. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I enjoyed Danny Cannon’s spectacular sci-fi actioner </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Judge Dredd</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1995), and thought it was quite unfairly criticised just because of Sly Stallone, but this lower-budget remake
simply gets the soiled Mega-City of Cursed Earth solidly realised with conspicuous dystopian style. Pete Travis directs Karl Urban who, just like Dredd in
the comics, never takes his crash-helmet off. Although Stallone played Judge
Dredd as very much a larger-than-life super-cop, Urban’s version is a far more
down-to-earth character, partnered with a mutant recruit, Anderson (Olivia
Thirlby), for a ‘drugs bust’. Dredd and his resourceful psychic rookie, are
opposed by a vicious gang, led by nasty Ma-Ma (scar-faced Lena Headey). Action
heroics are stylised by cinematic enhancements, linked to a ‘slo-mo’ drug stretching
a user’s perception of time. Perhaps inevitably, DREDD was compared to Gareth
Evans’ martial-arts thriller </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Raid</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
(2011), and also steals imagery of long falling scenes from Jodorowsky and Moebius’
</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Incal</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1980) comics, but director
Travis and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Dredd</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> screen-writer Alex
Garland, do justice to such copycat examples, so their obvious borrowings are
suitably blended into superior and relevant narrative concerns. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Dredd</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> lacks the satirical asides of its comics
source, but filming on South African locations helps to generate the essential
atmosphere of terminal wasteland, most appropriate for the hideously over-populated
sprawl of Mega-City One.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbrtFBF7ZdY/X9ownF146bI/AAAAAAAAFgs/JK9sSBY4G9AQ1jIFXPJ_MGMS8p3tEBPpACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbrtFBF7ZdY/X9ownF146bI/AAAAAAAAFgs/JK9sSBY4G9AQ1jIFXPJ_MGMS8p3tEBPpACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero13.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ghost In The Shell</b>
(2017) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Casting white American actress Scarlett Johansson as Japanese
super-heroine Mira Killian prompted an outcry about cultural appropriation, but
any $100 million movie might never have been made without a bankable Hollywood
star for its marquee value. Even following so many animated movies and TV serials,
based on manga comics, this cyberpunk franchise only became a live-action picture
directed by Rupert Sanders, because of Johansson, with Takeshi Kitano and
Juliette Binoche as main supporting players. GHOST IN THE SHELL is set in the dystopian
Asian megalopolis, where the mostly-robotic super-cop Major Killian
investigates terrorists, while also uncovering dark secrets purged from her own
memory. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Johansson turns in a good performance as the stoic Major,
a coolly violent operator in an urban jungle of hacked tech, broken minds, and
ubiquitous corporate criminality. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">GITS</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
is a sometimes chilling but spectacular thriller, where human virtues
struggle for survival in wholly intrusive systems of omnipotent control and brutal corporate exploitation. With its brisk character development, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">GITS</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> adapts its sci-fi horror comics-source
into a cinematic milieu that’s every bit as polished and stylish as </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Blade Runner 2047</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, but also manages to
avoid the overly slow pace that makes Denis Villeneuve’s movie a leisurely experience
of cyber-futurism compared to Ridley Scott’s SF-masterwork </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Blade Runner</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1982). Exhilarating on every level of its astonishing
visuals, intriguing plot, and several fascinating characters, here’s a exceptional
superhero movie that finds a heart and soul hidden inside the body electric.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yw_gUS86Dew/X9oxgBXhi3I/AAAAAAAAFg0/Wuk7G2c0gmAD6OWWn0Yd0eBIGzk3dYxTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yw_gUS86Dew/X9oxgBXhi3I/AAAAAAAAFg0/Wuk7G2c0gmAD6OWWn0Yd0eBIGzk3dYxTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero14.jpg" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Greystoke: The
Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes</b> (1984) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Created in 1912 by Edgar Rice Burroughs, jungle survivor
Tarzan was tragically orphaned but became a superhero 25 years before Superman
and Batman. Hugh Hudson’s grandly revisionist adventure GREYSTOKE is a colonial
mystery drama of surprising maturity and exquisite hyper-realism. Older fans might well remember Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tarzan</i> movies, or Ron Ely on TV in the 1960s, but this classic
picture stars Christopher Lambert as John Clayton II, and the name Tarzan is
never mentioned except in the film's title, although he is still presented as proto-conservationist,
and something of an eco-warrior. Newcomer Lambert gets admirable support from
Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, and James Fox. For her pivotal role as Jane, US model
Andie MacDowell was dubbed by Glenn Close. Peter Elliott, now Hollywood’s celebrated
‘primary primate’, and special make-up effects wizard Rick Baker, both worked
on realising a group of great apes. With roots in classic SF, like Wells’<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Island Of Dr Moreau</i> (1896), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Greystoke</i> presents a dramatic version of
‘uplift’, delivering a superb character-study of the archetypal noble savage.
Raised from infancy by apes, he adapts quickly, but remains untamed by man’s
world. Confronting, and then dismissing, blasphemy, it’s amusing that Lord
John’s first decisive act against civilisation is burning a British flag.
Learning English from a Belgian officer, who guides John towards accepting
another family-life in Scotland, Lambert has a brooding stare, and a tremendous
charisma in this role as the deeply troubled outsider with an uncanny talent for
mimicry. He struggles with the absurd etiquette of social grace, but has no
difficulty expressing basic humanity, with a fearless love, and a feral grief. Of
course, after inheriting the Clayton title and vast estates, the new Earl of
Greystoke returns to the jungle, because that’s his adoptive family’s home. For
its visual style in early sequences, David Yates’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Legend Of Tarzan</i> (2016), owes much to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Greystoke</i>, but that remake soon develops into a more typical superhero adventure, despite a finale packed with tree-top stunts and the disaster-effects of stampeding animals.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q9cARIS5BQU/X9ox4hlxY_I/AAAAAAAAFg8/K10qSZYqTMwbUqxuNDG1BTVyw5O3Igw7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q9cARIS5BQU/X9ox4hlxY_I/AAAAAAAAFg8/K10qSZYqTMwbUqxuNDG1BTVyw5O3Igw7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero15.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hellboy</b> (2004)
</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Establishing that superhero comics are the finest
medium for combining elements of science fiction and fantasy, Guillermo del
Toro’s magnificently inventive movie HELLBOY offers a startling verification for masterwork cinema, like only a very few distinctive screen adaptations (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hulk</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Knight</i> are
others). It offers grander entertainment value than similar genre pictures, of impressively
scaled verisimilitude, resulting in a dimensionally supreme version of esoteric
narrative concerns that arguably improves upon the comicbook source material. Much
as I really admire del Toro’s Spanish fantasy productions - like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Devil’s Backbone</i> (2001), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pan’s Labyrinth</i> (2006), I do prefer the
accomplished mix of quirky humour, and uncanny action sequences, that distinguish
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy</i> from the rest of recently
produced superhero-cinema, although Timur Bekmambetov’s appealing and
imaginatively conjured Russian offerings, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Night
Watch</i> (2004), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Day Watch</i>
(2007), explore similarly horrific territory. For <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy</i>, the director continues the good work that he put into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blade II</i> (2002), adds a doomed romance
to existing B.P.R.D. secret agency relationships, and weirdly composed Otherness, so
this adventure fields more levels of madcap fairytale fun, stylish chills, and
winning pathos, than either of those equally light-hearted, but less
interesting, SF super-team movies about<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Fantastic Four</i> (2005/ 2007). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/2016/03/hellboy-2.html" target="_blank">HellboyII: The Golden Army</a></i> (2008) is also very good, and last year’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2019/08/hellboy.html" target="_blank">Hellboy</a></i> remake has its own fair share of
strange tropes and gory horrors.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3BO8YaYA5Q/X9oyR8KRxCI/AAAAAAAAFhE/Kfa4ri0NF9AXVZzqsA_wCfDh1GoRuhAOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3BO8YaYA5Q/X9oyR8KRxCI/AAAAAAAAFhE/Kfa4ri0NF9AXVZzqsA_wCfDh1GoRuhAOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero16.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hulk</b> (2003) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Watching interior-monologues by Gollum in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lord Of The Rings</i> trilogy made it so
perfectly clear to me that photo-real animation was now developing from
motion-capture technology, so it could match a live-action performer to create a
genuine character. But what about a non-speaking role? Ang Lee’s true masterpiece HULK
remains the greatest superhero epic. Getting a film director who’s best known
for Art-house dramas, to helm such a highly commercial blockbuster, was a
daring approach, and yet all the risks paid off, handsomely, resulting in the
best picture of its year, and of that decade. What Lee did was the very first
serious drama of its type, rich in mutated genre themes, and supremely iconic
images, derived in part from the same influential mythic sources and literary classics
that had most inspired the original comic-book Hulk’s creators, Stan Lee and
Jack Kirby, back in 1962. Ang Lee’s singular tour de force blends sci-fi
adventures, monster-movie traditions, and miraculous wonders of modern heroism with
bravura visuals. It remains far superior in every way to its unnecessary
sequel/ unfortunate remake, or needless franchise-reboot, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Incredible Hulk</i> (2008), which I did enjoy, but still think is
rather unexciting and formulaic, when it’s compared to this instant classic. For
a lot more comments by me, explaining why HULK is the very best 21st century
superhero movie, so far, please read my book (<a href="https://telos.co.uk/shop/film/hulk-telos-movie-classics-no-1/" target="_blank">HULK</a> by Tony Lee). </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rdlk_iU-bPA/X9oyyOJjr-I/AAAAAAAAFhQ/nNm4sA5JLCojAIobfD4e1w2WjHRZjdb9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero17.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rdlk_iU-bPA/X9oyyOJjr-I/AAAAAAAAFhQ/nNm4sA5JLCojAIobfD4e1w2WjHRZjdb9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero17.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/07/logan.html" target="_blank">Logan</a></b> (2017) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Blending western themes into a superhero’s finale, this </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">X-Men</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> movie was based on comic-book </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Old Man Logan</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2008) about Wolverine, an
iconic rebel mutant whose longevity and popularity spearheads Marvel’s genetic
outcasts from Lefty school to revolutionary action. Easily the finest of this weaponised
character’s movies, James Mangold’s LOGAN eclipses </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">X-Men Origins: Wolverine</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2009), and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Wolverine</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2013), with its study of the retired and doomed hero,
suffering melancholic failings before a fateful atonement. This is also a
road-movie with skilfully plotted tributes expanding the range of richly thematic
references that superhero cinema is fond of circling, not simply tick-box
listing details but also encompassing sublime allusions to reinvigorate this golden age
of superhero cinema, now over-exploited by Hollywood. A significant cycle of
cross-genre adaptations began with Akira Kurosawa’s </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Seven Samurai</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1954). John Sturges’ </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Magnificent Seven</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1960) was the gunslingers version. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Battle Beyond The Stars</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1980) has a
super-team gather in outer space. Recent additions include Tsui Hark’s wuxia tribute
</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Seven Swords</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2005) bringing the
process full circle. Another strand of movies relevant here is the 'weird
western', some of which should be re-interpreted to find links to superhero
cinema. A few, like bounty-hunter, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Jonah
Hex</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2010), comedy steampunk remake </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Wild
Wild West</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1999), and that most iconic masked cowboy </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Lone Ranger</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2013) challenge
or blur the existing lore, between lawmen and outlaws. However, making a modern-styled
western that so fully respects cowboy tropes pledged to be something very special,
and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Logan</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> is exactly that. Remixing
elements from the influential </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Shane</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1953),
cited on-screen, and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">True Grit</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1969,
Coens’ remake 2010), ensures that horrific violence, permitted here by </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Logan</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">’s genre revisionism, never loses sight
of moralistic borrowings from earlier adventures in frontier heroism.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CZ0G7GGFjDw/X9ozXFQfHCI/AAAAAAAAFhY/fo0SsKhgtRATkloObMhljcYdbflwEq5UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero18.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CZ0G7GGFjDw/X9ozXFQfHCI/AAAAAAAAFhY/fo0SsKhgtRATkloObMhljcYdbflwEq5UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero18.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Right Stuff</b>
(1983) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What seems more obvious now, than during the 20th
century, is how THE RIGHT STUFF was the first great modernist superheroes movie.
Produced in the gap between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman: The
Movie</i> (1978), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman</i> (1989),
its witty episodes, and chaptering of big adventures that span decades, cleverly
deconstructs the legendary exploits of pioneering test-pilots (‘flyboy’, etc),
and navy aviators. It humanises America’s astronauts as space-men with
character-flaws, then rebuilds their mythology as demon-slayers and
sky-breakers for a soaring finale, after forging their super-team: the Mercury
seven, solo voyagers into the unknown. These spacers became famous as real-life
equivalents of comics’ superheroes, like Buck Rogers (cited twice in the movie), and Flash Gordon, although astronauts were celebrities even before they had
done anything important. Archive B&W news-reel clips, and contemporary
footage by NASA, enhances the documentary style of this drama in many sequences,
while recreations using an artistic licence guarantee that events deliver heavy wallops
of emotional impact, despite certain historical inaccuracies. The flyers of
Project Mercury (1958-63), were succeeded by the two-man missions of Project
Gemini (1961-6). Marvel first published <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Fantastic Four</i> in 1961, about a super-team adventure that began with their own experimental rocket-ship, action clearly inspired by America’s burgeoning space
programme. Five names of the Mercury astronauts - Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon,
and John - became pilots of International Rescue in TV puppet-show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thunderbirds</i> (1964-8), a classic example
of unique machines cast in superhero roles. Adapting Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Right Stuff</i> movie, this
race-into-space saga now cements the clear influence of 1950s' science and
technology on popular sci-fi in 1960s’ media, specifically helping to
kick-start superhero fantasy trends. Going boldly where no director had been
before, Philip Kaufman’s movie did all of this even before Alan Moore’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Watchmen</i> was published.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NNl_-Xe9-OM/X9ozrXj9NKI/AAAAAAAAFhg/mE39BBmcCEc4Y0ZU534L7W3Nc_HG8cVxACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero19.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NNl_-Xe9-OM/X9ozrXj9NKI/AAAAAAAAFhg/mE39BBmcCEc4Y0ZU534L7W3Nc_HG8cVxACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero19.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RoboCop</b> (1987)
</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Partly inspired by the anti-hero Judge Dredd (created for
British comics in 1977), director Paul Verhoeven’s queasily prophetic satire
ROBOCOP, established the Dutch filmmaker in Hollywood, leading to a loose
thematic trilogy of SF-horrors, with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Total
Recall</i> (1990) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Starship Troopers</i>
(1997), exploring an escalating wave of dark futurism, even as studios
exploited the iconic character of lawman Murphy portrayed by Peter Weller for
increasingly comic-book styled sequels, plus franchising spin-offs. The long
history of mechanical characters on screen, ranges from Fritz Lang’s silent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metropolis</i> (1927), to Robert Wise’s
classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Day The Earth Stood Still</i>
(1951), and George Lucas’ debut <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">THX-1138</i>
(1971). The cyborg hero in TV-movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Six Million Dollar Man</i> (1973), led to a popular series, before <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Future Cop</i> (1976-7) put its android in
uniform, and sitcom <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Holmes & Yoyo</i>
(1976-7) reduced SF formula to farce. Ridley Scott’s genius in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blade Runner</i> (1982) only suggested the anti-hero was a robot, but hits
like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Thunder</i> (1983), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Terminator</i> (1984), most clearly
promoted the blending of intelligent SF and grisly humour, that forged <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">RoboCop</i> into an urban western. Its media
satire in a cultural dystopia with unashamedly grotesque set-pieces, included a
‘product violation’ program, a plot harking back to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Golem</i> (1920), that awarded executives the corporate insurance
of ‘Directive 4’, stopping the Robocop from arresting yuppie villains. Splashy
critiques of consumer society and jaded futurism, overcome the pulpy limitations
of low-budget origins, so that its man-against-machine themes ultimately transcend
the rather silly title. Frankensteinian science and Christian resurrection allegory are
background sources of influence, within the subgenre of robot-man movies, but
it’s an uncanny re-emergence of human identity and sense of morality that drives this narrative
through agonising ordeals of bitter grief and betrayals to win an emotionally
satisfying conclusion. “They made this to honour him” forgives Irvin Kershner’s
actioner <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">RoboCop 2</i> (1990). Its social
commentary on corruption extends Murphy’s humanity, but this fades most of Verhoeven’s
astutely cynical attitudes about the USA. Fred Dekker’s funny <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">RoboCop 3</i> (1993) delivers amusing hokum with a jet-pack that now
(restored, uncut on Blu-ray), reminds us this trilogy pre-dates <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iron Man</i> (2008). J</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ose Padilha’s slick remake <i>RoboCop</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i> </i>(2014) is a worthwhile update.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-neeZKqIOLWE/X9o0Yk7IyII/AAAAAAAAFho/9pY-GiTFOcc5ZaOiGWKhq1allTCPGSH8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-neeZKqIOLWE/X9o0Yk7IyII/AAAAAAAAFho/9pY-GiTFOcc5ZaOiGWKhq1allTCPGSH8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero20.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2019/12/watchmen-ultimate-cut.html" target="_blank">Watchmen</a></b>
(2009) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Zack Snyder’s director’s cut, boasting 24 minutes of
extra footage, enhances the cinema version with its subtle character moments and
the interplay of dystopian themes. Alongside this movie’s adaptation of Alan
Moore’s seminal comics, WATCHMEN reaches beyond the scope of purely artistic
creativity or intellectual enlightenment, becoming a witty statement of socio-political philosophy about humanity’s gross limitations, confronting a
universe that maintains a terrifying indifference to any such fictional
concerns. There can be no doubt, the use of surrealist montages here enjoys
links to inventive pop-video streams, while its cultural significance varies,
depending upon audience education standards, or generational heritage. What seems
undeniable now is how, ten years later, this picture has become a foundational tale
in the overall jigsaw-puzzle scheme of superhero cinema’s golden age. Its
distinction from notable contemporaries, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Assemble</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice League</i>, or Josh Trank’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Four</i> (aka: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">FANT4STIC</i>, 2015) remake, are so
pronounced that most if its movie rivals appear trivial, in comparison.
Weighty issues of immortality, technological ascension, and the unavoidable
corruption resulting from authoritarianism, converge in sinister mastermind
plotting that exposes the essentially frivolous nature of mankind’s morality. Throughout a comprehensive future-history that’s packed with chills and
thrills, incidental jokes and ultimate horror, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Watchmen</i> combines its literary and visual genius, and professes a deeper
understanding of what 'superhero' means, like nothing else on this list. Damon
Lindelof’s TV series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Watchmen</i> (2019)
is a sequel that begins strongly with a dark futurism in an alternative world,
and its nine-episode run concludes with plenty of spectacular action scenes.
However, its fractured tale of racism sags quite horribly, in the middle, with
a weakly contrived B&W episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASXL4h3_0vc/X9o0lqGzppI/AAAAAAAAFhs/c1F5_nYP-SwJ0Y-y3CpBe9sTSXSeQjnUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero21.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASXL4h3_0vc/X9o0lqGzppI/AAAAAAAAFhs/c1F5_nYP-SwJ0Y-y3CpBe9sTSXSeQjnUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero21.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">X-Men: Days Of
Future Past</b> (2014) </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In marked contrast to the usual heroic-actioner themes of
‘one man can make a difference’, team-work is actually the core message of
all modern cinema about superheroes. It’s crucial to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice League</i>,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Watchmen</i> movies but its
philosophical depth is simply too often ignored by critics and viewers unable
to see, or look, beyond the surface of colourful costumes, endless punch-ups, and
property-damage spectacle. Condescending attitudes are frequently offered by
snobs as if sneering is a legit critique, especially with dismissive comments
about ‘men in tights’, forever mistaking the shameless TV parody of Adam West’s
archly camp Batman as part of DC's canon (it isn’t, really). Using
time-travel to change the world for everybody, in order to erase a history with
50 years of catastrophic warfare is, perhaps, the ultimate example of a socially benevolent dictatorship. In more ways than one, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is also about man versus machinery, where humans and militant or peaceful mutants must all face mutual destruction by fearful mankind’s runaway ideology for weaponry systems, here
geared to exterminate further development of life on Earth. The good fight
means ending history’s cycle of repetition, turning back from the march to
genocide. This movie promotes co-operation instead of competition to a point of
acceptance that nobody is indispensible, but everyone who is still sane should be
involved, so its plot hinges on imitations by Mystique, and (in the extended
‘Rogue Cut’), Kitty is replaced by Marie as facilitator of projecting Wolverine’s
consciousness back to 1973. There are clever interactions between various
super-powers, especially in the case of Xavier’s telepathy as mental projection
or tele-presence, and Blink opening portals with imaginative choreography for
extraordinary combat scenes.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>10</b> Runners-up (<u>honourable mentions</u>)... </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Unbreakable</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> (2000) - followed by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Split</i> (2016), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glass</i>
(2019), this ‘Eastrail’ trilogy by M. Night Shyamalan, explores the most
realistic of superhero dramas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Superman Returns </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">(2006) - Bryan Singer’s essentially
revisionist version of <i>Superman The Movie</i>
(1978) is a wholly under-rated tribute. </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2007) - overcomes blandness of F4 playing
to a family audience, with its cosmic menace in good attempts to depict
Galactus, and his spacer herald.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Ghost Rider</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2007) - paired with its overlooked sequel <i>Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance</i> (2011), this stylised cult movie
imperfectly captures an essence of zombie weirdness that <i>Deadpool</i> lacks. </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Clash Of The Titans</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2010) - this remake of 1981’s adventure offers
excellent spectacle and it’s a great improvement on the original.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Immortals</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2011) - before <i>Man Of Steel</i>,
Henry Cavill played Greek superhero Theseus, slayer of a mythic Minotaur, in
this stunningly designed, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ancient-world </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">movie directed by Tarsem Singh.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7Nke4N6rbY/X9o1Dux6slI/AAAAAAAAFh4/hjF-7cFu4zU3lpyyKC5mnRcLsbX04GZrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Top20hero22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7Nke4N6rbY/X9o1Dux6slI/AAAAAAAAFh4/hjF-7cFu4zU3lpyyKC5mnRcLsbX04GZrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Top20hero22.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Avengers Assemble</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> (2012) - most notably, this landmark movie is
one that I waited 40 years to see. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Wrath Of The Titans</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2012) - this apocalyptic sequel is exactly
the kind of epic fantasy that <i>Thor:
Ragnarok</i> should have been, but they decided to make a super-spoof instead.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Gods Of Egypt</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2016) - very </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">best of the recent
Nile-side superhero movies, this fantasy plays its game of thrones for keeps.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2019/10/godzilla-king-of-monsters.html" target="_blank">Godzilla: King Of The Monsters</a></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (2019) - a magnificent spectacle, blending
mythology into rousing sci-fi adventure, this escapes from its pulpy origins
and implausible scenario to become a new classic about gigantic creatures, saving
humans from conquering aliens.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"> * * * * * <br /></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My top 20 list in chronological order...</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Conan The Barbarian (1982) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Right Stuff (1983) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes (1984) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Big Trouble In Little China (1986) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">RoboCop (1987) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hulk (2003) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hellboy (2004) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Dark Knight (2008) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Watchmen (2009) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Birdman (2014) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Captain America: Civil War (2016) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Doctor Strange (2016) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dredd (2017) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ghost In The Shell (2017) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Logan (2017) </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Captain Marvel (2019) </span></p>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-91772472248372580632020-12-03T12:11:00.002+00:002020-12-05T09:07:46.587+00:00Top TV<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Top 25 TV Shows: 2000 - 2020 </span></span></h1><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Listed in A-Z order<span style="font-weight: normal;">... </span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eCX9d1rVIec/X8jVQ41WkCI/AAAAAAAAFcU/NBioqf0nCkYPdQh8yv3HrfrbCrTfNDNJACLcBGAsYHQ/s746/TVshows5.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="318" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eCX9d1rVIec/X8jVQ41WkCI/AAAAAAAAFcU/NBioqf0nCkYPdQh8yv3HrfrbCrTfNDNJACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/TVshows5.jpg" /></a></h3></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Agent Carter </span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Alphas </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Blacklist</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">C.S.I. </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Damages </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Da Vinci’s Demons</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dead Like Me</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Elementary</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Expanse</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Fringe </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Game Of Thrones </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Grimm </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Legends Of Tomorrow </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Legion</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Magicians</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Masters Of Horror</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mr Robot</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Orphan Black</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Penny Dreadful </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Person Of Interest </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">ReGenesis </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rizzoli & Isles </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tru Calling </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">24</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Utopia</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">Honourable mentions (from short-list) ...</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">ASHES TO ASHES</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (remake)</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">BONES</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">DOLLHOUSE</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">JOHN FROM CINCINNATI</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">LIE TO ME</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">MEDIUM</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">SMALLVILLE</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">SPOOKS</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; white-space: normal;">SUPERGIRL</div></span></div></div>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-59427386028920635542020-07-02T11:04:00.002+00:002020-07-02T11:06:27.932+00:00Millennial Bond<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Pierce Brosnan </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>was</u></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> </b><i>Bond, James Bond</i>, 007</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although I always
liked some of Roger Moore’s adventures (especially: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Live And Let Die</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Spy Who
Loved Me</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moonraker</i>) as James
Bond, my favourite of all the 007 movies remains <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Licence To Kill</i> (1989), starring Timothy Dalton. It was the
prototype for later evolutionary change to a basic Bond-movie template, switching
from the self-parodying quips (of Moore), and the action-adventures of Dalton’s
two pictures, to a spy-thriller format that proved to be such a revival formula for Daniel
Craig, particularly in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Skyfall</i>
(2012), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spectre</i> (2015).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XL6m_TzHMII/Xv26mtQgBSI/AAAAAAAAFMk/KeNlGT9cKSA70iU0YYNAtW5BKoHu72nXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bond007a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XL6m_TzHMII/Xv26mtQgBSI/AAAAAAAAFMk/KeNlGT9cKSA70iU0YYNAtW5BKoHu72nXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bond007a.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I bought a 007 on
Blu-ray box-set, to re-watch this franchise, but soon realised my views about
these movies have not changed much. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You
Only Live Twice</i> (1967) stands out from 1960s’ Bonds, especially for its international
scope, and aerial action spectacle - including the gyrocopter Little Nellie,
the first new superhero machine of its kind, probably inspired by a modified helicopter
appearing in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman: The Movie</i>
(1966). Another aspect I found unchanged by seeing all of these movies again is
traditional Bond theme-songs. '<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Live And
Let Die'</i> (by Paul McCartney & Wings) has the strongest and most
effective tune, by far. I still think it works best as one of the very few 007
lyrics that sounds great as standalone recording, distinct from its connection
to the movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The next decade
saw Bond producers EON (‘everything or nothing’) re-mix an established cinematic
blueprint, while including some broadly comic-book tropes of 007 super-villainy
into repetitive pro-west espionage plots and flag-waving export scenarios. Moore’s
efforts as increasingly-campy Bond reached sci-fi zenith with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moonraker</i> (1979), most watchable for its
obvious <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> influences, eagerly
adopting high-frontier imagery for its classic space-marines finale. In
addition to keeping pace with many technological developments, Bond movies
always followed popular cultural trends, so blaxploitation pictures prompted <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Live And Let Die</i> (1973), just like late 1980s’
box-office hits <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lethal Weapon</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Die Hard</i> shaped the approach to 007 for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Licence To Kill</i>, which broke many Bond
rules, and so got the first ‘15’ certificate in this usually PG-rated
franchise. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lLI934HL-50/Xv27VVL1uNI/AAAAAAAAFOA/qaRELOROENs0I0xxJ1XxYUW4hTaboplHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bond007c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lLI934HL-50/Xv27VVL1uNI/AAAAAAAAFOA/qaRELOROENs0I0xxJ1XxYUW4hTaboplHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bond007c.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When budgets were
increased, creativity flourished with greater possibilities, and so unofficial
remake <i>Never Say Never Again</i> (1983)
proved a superior entertainment than <i>Thunderball</i>
(1965). P</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">romoted from within the producers’ regular crew, film-editor
John Glen became the record-setting director of all five official Bond movies
during the 1980s. His work may well be lacking much great visual style beyond
simple refinement of several recognisable elements, but his unfussy approach,
and vast experience gained on previous adventures, mean that Glen remains the
most accomplished individual on the standards of this whole franchise. Even if
he is viewed as just a creative journeyman, Glen is the closest there is to a
genuine 007 auteur, a director who, after nearly two decades of variable
efforts - by Terence Young, Guy Hamilton, and Lewis Gilbert (making three Bond
films each), clearly redefined the main approach, moods, and themes of what
makes a Bond movie so easily recognisable a signature in cinematic terms.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pierce Brosnan’s quartet
of movies in this variable franchise include the favourable usage of sci-fi
gadgets with better integration into story-telling, so that any hi-tech tools
of spy-craft might be more than just gimmicks in the manner of ‘Chekov’s gun’
style plot-points. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pre-credits
sequences of witty stunts also show much improvement, instead of a fall-back
dependence upon fairly juvenile action. This greater sophistication of the typical
007 wow factor builds overtly modern cross-genre content into scenarios for a Bond
of today’s era. B</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">lockbuster
cinema quickly evolved through many global cultural changes (Cold War and Space
Age), supporting characterisations from Sean Connery to Roger Moore, so shifting
political emphases of Brosnan’s outings kept sci-fi gadgetry and a broad sense
of humour aboard while also trying to adapt Bond’s crude ‘dinosaur’ persona for
survival in a society where multicultural growth, mega-corporate competition,
and inspirational feminism, had practically crushed his renowned masculine
prowess. With four pictures, by four different directors, Brosnan now became the
main focus for any sense of creative continuity.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8TIHrb3yVOA/Xv27lpXZ2II/AAAAAAAAFOM/MUbY0Zh9lc0X8-7A9fyI_qj4lhTMjqnXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bond007d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="501" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8TIHrb3yVOA/Xv27lpXZ2II/AAAAAAAAFOM/MUbY0Zh9lc0X8-7A9fyI_qj4lhTMjqnXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bond007d.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Gaining a
significant upgrade in production values, with its near-doubling of budget,
after a six-year break since Dalton appeared in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">LTK</i>, Martin Campbell’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GoldenEye</b>
(1995) was cause for celebrations in 007 fandom, despite this franchise finally
abandoning any direct narrative links to Ian Fleming’s books. Addressing
political concerns about global stability in the post-USSR era, Brosnan’s debut
as Bond cleverly bridges Gorbachev’s ‘Perestroika’ years, with its prologue set
in 1986, before picking up threads of its story a decade later. J</span>udi
Dench brings an amusingly maternal authority but wholly matriarchal instincts
to her vital role as the new M. No glib remarks or pithy comebacks are
warranted here when the hero faces a betrayal of trust. Tightly edited and
better polished, and considerably slicker than many previous 007 movies, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GoldenEye</i> shares a few aspects with
several early Bond movies, although on-going modernisation is roundly
characterised in Bond himself as less of a maverick talent, except for his
impulsive reactions to mortal threats, and far more of a dedicated team-player.
Emerging from a career of dark lies and deceptions, he remains a smooth
individualist, yet now the hero’s politically-incorrect shortcomings are
identified and examined, and skewered by critique as never before.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZUlPiRuOLY/Xv28NP2_sHI/AAAAAAAAFOY/AEEuhg-FK1glCaOx1wzgkniyOaLUinxjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bond007e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="501" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZUlPiRuOLY/Xv28NP2_sHI/AAAAAAAAFOY/AEEuhg-FK1glCaOx1wzgkniyOaLUinxjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bond007e.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Roger
Spottiswoode’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tomorrow Never Dies</b>
(1997) has media baron Carver (Jonathan Pryce) launching his info war, using
truth as a super-weapon for attacks upon democracy while his ‘edifice complex’
means being a successful celebrity influencer to provoke WW3. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a back-seat
driver in a remote-controlled BMW getaway vehicle, Bond’s gadget-phone adds tremendous
fun to a combat and chase sequence in a German car park. Following a precedent,
set 20 years previously, in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Spy Who
Loved Me</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, Bond is forced into team-work with Chinese agent Colonel Wai Lin
(Michelle Yeoh). The dynamic duo are especially effective when they’re handcuffed
together for a motorbike escape, pursued by an enemy helicopter, through
Saigon. Playful and yet physically quite formidable, Lin is 007’s equal, not
just another Bond girl. She’s definitely the first proper action-heroine in this
franchise and it’s about time, too. With its crucial elements of mass-media
exploitation, 'Big Data' manipulation, and fake-news campaigns, the techno-terrorism plotting
in </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>TND </i>now</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> seems remarkably
prescient.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox89QjVTVRM/Xv28XSNR1ZI/AAAAAAAAFOc/gPHQRaoBlY82ti3VzUuL_VdoNi2A-z78wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bond007f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox89QjVTVRM/Xv28XSNR1ZI/AAAAAAAAFOc/gPHQRaoBlY82ti3VzUuL_VdoNi2A-z78wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bond007f.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The World Is Not Enough</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> (1999) features the best Bond tune of two
decades. Scottish singer Shirley Manson and her rock band Garbage here produce
a somewhat melancholy ballad. Unusually, there’s also a superbly designed promo
video for the song. As leading lady, Sophie Marceau plays heiress Elektra King
as a twisted schemer, using Bond’s own nagging conscience against him. Robert
Carlyle makes a suitably deranged henchman as anarchist villain Renard, a
romanticised bogeyman of sorts. A US physicist, Dr Christmas Jones (Denise
Richards), is amusingly cast as the most blatant Bond girl, who’s certainly
more effective as welcome comedy-relief than John Cleese is as veteran Q’s
understudy. Nuclear terrorism holds no mystery for Bond, of course, but a criminal
conspiracy and an atypical use of supporting characters manages to redeem this
movie’s re-deployment of several 007 clichés. Putting Bond’s lady-boss M into
distress and danger was an inspired move by the screen-writers. Michael Apted’s
direction of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">TWINE</i> is sincerely respectful
of Bond conventions, but not afraid to break away from traditional 007
jokiness, so that all the patented innuendo here is grimly sarcastic, or ironic,
instead of cheerful and cheesy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zGGfjF1Dguc/Xv28eizgFII/AAAAAAAAFOg/c1CuIj_KDz4JOSq9q082dcT2cTKgY28kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bond007g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="501" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zGGfjF1Dguc/Xv28eizgFII/AAAAAAAAFOg/c1CuIj_KDz4JOSq9q082dcT2cTKgY28kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bond007g.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With its
dreadfully inapt theme song by Madonna, who also gets a pointless cameo, and a
role for talentless Halle Berry, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Die
Another Day</b> (2002), loudly signals its artistic failures with unfortunate surrender
to celebrity dictates for the sake of marketing. Only its glossy style and Brosnan’s
routinely sterling professionalism save this from becoming a creative disaster.
Decadence and snobbery is customary in this wacky worldview of paranoid 007, where
one man’s tourist is another’s terrorist. Typically topical, Bond faces North Korean
aggro here, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DAD</i> struggles to cope
with some very wrong women chosen for its cast. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Madonna seems to
have imagined a Bond movie would look good on her CV, even though she can’t act
and never even tries here. With her wet-bikini walk-up, as a low-rent Ursula
Andress, charmless Berry appears so full of herself with a laughable
over-confidence that there’s no room at all for anything resembling a
character. Throughout Jinx’s competitive co-operation with Bond, she indulges
her childish fantasy about winning a spin-off action-franchise, yet it’s
impossible to take Berry seriously as a disposable starlet, never mind a
genuine actress. Ambitious ‘entrepreneur’ Graves (Toby Stephens) is a bland
antagonist, but, at least, Rosamund Pike is good value as double-agent Miranda
Frost, and Rick Yune makes a suitably psycho henchman. Easily the weakest of
Brosnan’s Bonds, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">DAD</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> benefits from
classy production spending and some worthwhile effects, adding enough spectacular
explosions to brighten Brosnan’s efforts in his final 007 adventure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P8RU1N1J2MY/Xv27-ywNLnI/AAAAAAAAFOU/bZ6r7m6Lz-ECm7lPKXUXHTNWZEmKO2SDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bond007b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P8RU1N1J2MY/Xv27-ywNLnI/AAAAAAAAFOU/bZ6r7m6Lz-ECm7lPKXUXHTNWZEmKO2SDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bond007b.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite a few minor
hiccups in characterisation and performance qualities, Brosnan is the very best
Bond. He has looks and charm, sharp humour and a measure of sheer coolness that
no other actor has ever quite managed, consistently. Most vitally, he demonstrates
a profound calmness, and a wholly unique super-heroic ability for playing 007
with a streak of ruthless efficiency. Brosnan was Bond, perfected. His motivated
portrayal just delivers the goods without stooping to Connery’s gruffly smirking
machismo. There is not even an ounce of spoofy Moore’s smarmy Lothario, and
he’s certainly nothing at all like empty ex-model George Lazenby’s place-holder.
All the while he’s trying, with grace under pressure to avoid matching up to
Dalton’s bleeding-over stunt-furniture approach. Brosnan’s Bond simply revels
in the widescreen magic of boldly suave antics.</span></span></div>
Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-20492142128674475112020-05-30T19:04:00.003+00:002020-06-01T13:55:30.388+00:00DC TV Crisis<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_on_Infinite_Earths_(Arrowverse)"><span style="font-size: large;">Crisis On Infinite Earths</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (2019)</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C1oS_Zy_bfU/XtKtk3nSjRI/AAAAAAAAFL4/AUtT0FnimyADt3auOEltjIOKnyPcnenhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Crisis%2BOn%2BInfinite%2BEarths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="501" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C1oS_Zy_bfU/XtKtk3nSjRI/AAAAAAAAFL4/AUtT0FnimyADt3auOEltjIOKnyPcnenhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Crisis%2BOn%2BInfinite%2BEarths.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Following the
parallel-world cross-over TV shows <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crisis
On Earth-X</i> (2017) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elseworlds</i>
(2018), now it’s multi-verse apocalypse time, from Big Bang to an ultimate
cosmological annihilation by anti-matter. Defence of DCEU depends on seven
Paragons. Core TV series cleverly mixed together include variably-powered fighters and capes in - <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Arrow <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Flash <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Legends Of Tomorrow <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Supergirl <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Black Lightning <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Batwoman<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But that’s not
all, of course. This comprehensive story-line also draws in - <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Flash</i> (1990) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Smallville
</i>(2001-11) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Birds Of Prey</i>
(2002) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Constantine
</i>(2014) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Lucifer </i>(2015) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Titans </i>(2018) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Swamp Thing</i>
(2019) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Doom Patrol</i>
(2019) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Stargirl </i>(2020)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Movies cited for
key scenes, then often sourced (some more than others) for themes re-visited and re-mixed into clever riffs - <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Batman </i>(1966) </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Superman III</i> (1983)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Batman </i>(1989)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Superman Return</i>s
(2006) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-dark-knight-trilogy.html">The Dark Knight</a></i> (2008)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Jonah Hex</i> (2010)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Green Lantern</i> (2011)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Batman v
Superman: Dawn Of Justice</i> (2016)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although some of
these links and references only amount to little more than in-jokes, or cameo
appearances, the sheer wealth of material here adds up to the greatest TV
cross-over event, about genre comic-books and franchise shows, while folding
its truly epic sci-fi and fantasy narrative into many-worlds theory. This
story is big enough for amusing Easter eggs leading to a ret-con finale.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, although TV
event-series <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crisis</b>... obviously
lacks production values of mega-budget movies like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Infinity War</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Endgame</i>,
this DC effort manages to catch up and overtake Marvel’s grandest
nightmare with the wish-fulfilment of even greater utopian fan-fiction dreams, emerging
from a chaos of corporate media (competitive studios, TV networks) plus episodic adventures within multi-verse complexity. Doing its best with a hectic pace and tightly-corralled repertory-style cast, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">COIE</b> brings cumulative mythology (that includes iconic images<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from DC book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kingdom Come</i>), fused with a pure comicbook joy, creating this new
Age of Heroes.</span></span></div>
Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-65511025615980836752020-04-09T16:27:00.003+00:002020-09-04T03:47:35.202+00:00Prophets of SF<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mo6iw855_zo/Xo9LMMNw7YI/AAAAAAAAFGg/Sef2_K_gGusIKGuw60AM3wIytlnNaARQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Prophets%2Bof%2BSF.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mo6iw855_zo/Xo9LMMNw7YI/AAAAAAAAFGg/Sef2_K_gGusIKGuw60AM3wIytlnNaARQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Prophets%2Bof%2BSF.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Ridley
Scott’s TV documentary series <b>Prophets
Of Science Fiction</b> (2011-2) starts with <b>Mary Shelley</b> and shows how medical science has advanced since her era.
Mary Shelley was haunted by spectres of death and yet such progressive
morbidity fed into her classic novel, a book arguably best made into a movie as
Kenneth Branagh’s epic <i>Frankenstein</i>
(1994). Shelley’s impact on morality and SF literature, and global culture in
general, is explained by scientists (such as Michio Kaku), genre authors
(including Kim Stanley Robinson), and Shelley biographers who provide meaty
insights linked by presenter Scott’s own philosophical musings. With its
frequent use of dramatic reconstructions, plus animated visuals with narration,
this recalls classic TV programmes like Carl Sagan’s <i>Cosmos</i> (1980). Many authoritative interview clips ensure that a
variety of viewpoints are presented, alongside promotional material from today’s
innovators.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Second episode <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">H.G. Wells </b>charts
wholesale creativity with iconic titles including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The War Of The Worlds </i>(filmed 1953, remade 2005), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Time Machine</i> (filmed in 1960, and
curiously remade, by Simon Wells, in 2002). There’s also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Invisible Man</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Island Of Dr Moreau</i>, with details here showing how new tech follows the
notions lifted from Wells’ work. Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven and American author
David Brin are most notable as commentators. The truly prophetic imagery for
Wells’ movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Things To Come</i> (1936)
gave dramatic optimism to social criticism but Wells’ predictive legacy is
often ignored when politics meddles with possibilities of scientific progress. Time
for a pause... during this TV show’s six episodes, I re-watched Wells’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time Machine</i> remake, and found it quite
reasonably entertaining with enough quality special effects and generic
tensions to reverse my previous thinking that, at best, it was mediocre sci-fi
or wholly derivative escapism partly inspired by some bleak Darwinian
futurism.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""><span style="color: black;">Stanley Kubrick’s co-creator of supreme movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i> (1968), author <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arthur C. Clarke</b>, obviously deserves his own episode here, and this
chapter brings together his practical invention of telecom satellites and
theoretical space elevators in his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Fountains Of Paradise</i> (1979). Another of Clarke’s co-writers, Gentry Lee, offers
enthusiastic insider commentary. Few other SF writers can possibly match Clarke’s
importance to modern literary and media fields of genre speculation. And so
this potted biography and focus on the maturation of hard-SF themes throughout
the 1960s and 1970s. After this episode, I re-watched Christopher Nolan’s
<i>Interstellar </i>(2014), deciding to try harder to like it more this time. And so I
did, because it makes better sense </span></span><span face="">today, especially for its glowing optimism, that ends (well, sort
of..?) where Clarke’s hugely under-rated book, </span><i>3001: The Final Odyssey</i><span face=""> (1997) starts, with a cleverly witty
tribute to pulp sci-fi’s own time-warped hero, Buck Rogers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">George Lucas</span></b><span style="color: black;"> seems
a decidedly odd choice for this TV series, but his creation of sci-fi adventure
franchise <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> (1977), exploded
SF from cult novels and niche cinema, into mainstream popularity. His genius
was to make intellectual imagination into big-screen fun. Amusingly, this
episode mostly explores how cutting-edge tech is inspired by hardware in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> media - as if Lucas was the
first to imagine cyborgs, robots, levitation, and mental super-powers; despite
acknowledging its exactly what everyone wants for Xmas.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face="" style="font-family: verdana;">For a genre timeline accuracy, <b>Jules Verne</b> should really have been
the subject of this TV series’ second episode, but as its fifth this does gain
a fittingly ‘retro’ feel, and slippage from optimistic adventure novels to
gloomy themes in its study of Verne’s later dark works of dystopian worlds.
Literary scholar George Slusser and comics writer Matt Fraction provide interesting
comments. Verne’s best loved, and perhaps most influential’ novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">20,000 Leagues Under The Sea</i> (1870) was
adapted several times for the screen, and its versions include these four...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X6sZOZRUhRs/Xo9L26Qg9YI/AAAAAAAAFGo/30orTN1Ypp4wuHc6EX85gYIFaF8eLt4GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20KLeagues1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="332" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X6sZOZRUhRs/Xo9L26Qg9YI/AAAAAAAAFGo/30orTN1Ypp4wuHc6EX85gYIFaF8eLt4GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20KLeagues1.jpg" width="297" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""><span style="color: black;">Stuart Paton’s epic silent movie </span></span><i>20,000 Leagues Under The Sea </i><span face="">(1916) is the first submarine
spectacular, partly using Verne’s sequel novel </span><i>The Mysterious Island</i><span face=""> (1874) as its source material. This is a tale
about maritime disasters, pirates, shipwrecks, and castaways, with underwater
photography, and some rather eerie scenes of divers hunting sharks on the
seabed. Rendered in full scale, the super-sub Nautilus is wholly convincing but
Captain Nemo, a former prince of India, is costumed rather like Santa Claus
with a bandana.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">With big
advantages of sound and colour, Disney’s engagingly cinematic 1954 production
has escapades to spare, with Kirk Douglas as harpooner Ned Land facing down
James Mason’s memorable Nemo aboard his Nautilus - here an engineering
masterpiece of steam-punk designs, three decades before the cyberpunk movement
was itself quite fashionable enough for easy recognition as a distinctive
sub-genre. A giant squid provides the monster action. Although brooding Nemo’s
organ-music suits the movie’s darker theme of vengeance, I always felt that
director Richard Fleischer’s ocean adventure would have worked far better
without its awful songs.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face="" style="font-family: verdana;">Hallmark’s
TV movie, briskly directed by Michael Anderson, stars Richard Crenna as
Aronnax, Ben Cross as stern Nemo, and Paul Gross (from TV cop show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Due South</i>) as Ned. Whereas Disney’s
adaptation lacked a strong female lead, this version casts Julie Cox as
professor’s daughter Sophie, a scientist in her own right, when she’s not an
obvious romantic interest for class conflict and cultural rivals Ned and Nemo.
Sleek, powerful, and modernist, but with stylish interiors, set designs for
this Nautilus compare well to Disney’s with better special effects in some
sequences, except for the computer animation of a deep-sea monster that only
works as surrealism of dragon-slaying, not convincing sci-fi.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffPpdLXew2g/Xo9MbAE1ukI/AAAAAAAAFG0/u8EFiI6KQ_AM8rbL7ZyRiKJ0Xl_sYMO5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20KLeagues3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="280" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffPpdLXew2g/Xo9MbAE1ukI/AAAAAAAAFG0/u8EFiI6KQ_AM8rbL7ZyRiKJ0Xl_sYMO5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20KLeagues3.jpg" width="280" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Also released in 1997, director Rod Hardy’s two-part TV serial
benefits from casting of Bryan Brown as Ned Land, but its real star is Michael
Caine as Captain Nemo, while Mia Sara plays his daughter Mara. When a warship
hunts a mysterious behemoth, the young heroes are lost at sea. Soon
taken as POWs aboard the Nautilus, French marine biologist Arronax (Patrick Dempsey),
with Ned, and black companion Cabe (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), explore the
baroque submarine, before they join a sea- hunting party. They manage to adjust
to captivity, without hope of escape, especially from cut-priced undercooked
visual effects of seabed volcanoes. An ordeal of survival, trapped beneath
Arctic ice, develops a new solidarity with Nemo’s agenda, despite legal,
ethical, and moral, differences. Verne is written into this narrative as a
famous author inspired by others’ adventures. Arronax is haunted by nightmares
of drowning, and contends with losing a hand, but Dempsey makes for a rather
bland hero, whether in pursuit of knowledge, or freedom.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TWDzh5m_GB4/Xo9MqlUiW8I/AAAAAAAAFG4/1HG-4obxxNYc8_8X-XJq5yR-ftNAQm23ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Capt%2BNemo%2B%2526%2BUnderwater%2BCity.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="268" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TWDzh5m_GB4/Xo9MqlUiW8I/AAAAAAAAFG4/1HG-4obxxNYc8_8X-XJq5yR-ftNAQm23ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Capt%2BNemo%2B%2526%2BUnderwater%2BCity.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Also inspired by Verne, British movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Nemo And The Underwater City</i> (1969) begins with a
disaster when passengers from a sinking ship are rescued by frogmen from the
Nautilus. Senator Fraser (Chuck Connors) meets Nemo (Robert Ryan) who takes
them to safety in the domed city Templemer. James Hill directs this family
adventure with an eye for spectacle, including golden sets, and a scuba-diving
tour with shark-attack action, but there is rather too much slapstick from
comic-relief characters. A Theremin recital adds to other-worldly charms. One
meddling escapee risks destruction but only the saboteur dies. Oceanic drama
continues when a giant mutant manta-ray menaces the Nautilus. Ryan’s
grandfatherly Nemo breaks clear from Verne’s traditional dark genius, but it’s
quite expected in this colourful fantastique, with Nanette Newman as a
Victorian single-mother bringing up her only son to respect peaceful authority,
as she considers the possibilities of staying to live in a utopian realm.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WojK0KyLue8/Xo9MxedW0kI/AAAAAAAAFHA/_m0KBNRk4bc8ijPljT0mMkUXvuuyZdktgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Amazing%2BCapt%2BNemo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="283" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WojK0KyLue8/Xo9MxedW0kI/AAAAAAAAFHA/_m0KBNRk4bc8ijPljT0mMkUXvuuyZdktgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Amazing%2BCapt%2BNemo.jpg" width="282" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">The Amazing Captain Nemo</span></i><span style="color: black;"> (aka: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Return Of Captain Nemo</i>, 1978),
updates Verne for a present-day TV revival when US navy divers find the sunken
Nautilus to awaken greybeard Nemo (Jose Ferrer), soon recruited to combat the
super-terrorist (Burgess Meredith), blackmailing America for a billion bullion
ransom in a world where Verne’s biography of Nemo was clearly mistaken for
fiction. Only three episodes of this failed series were made, and later edited
into this 102-minute movie, now released onto DVD, from Warner’s archive. After
he saves Washington, DC. from a doomsday rocket, superhero Nemo accepts another
mission for atomic-powered Nautilus, but with nuclear advisor Kate (Lynda
Day George), and a saboteur (Mel Ferrer, no relation to Jose), aboard. In their
final adventure, Nemo discovers lost Atlantis.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Alan Moore’s millennial graphic novel and following comic-book
series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen</i> was adapted for sci-fi cinema as Stephen Norrington’s blockbuster
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">LXG</i> (2003), about steampunk
superheroes assembled to save the British Empire and stop WW1. The team
includes Allan Quatermain, an invisible man, vampire Mina Harker, immortal
Dorian Gray, and Indian pirate Captain Nemo. His ‘Sword of the Ocean’, Nautilus,
gets the heroes across the English Channel to Paris, to recruit hulking brute
Mr Hyde, and then Nemo’s super-submarine sails into Venice, continuing its
mission, despite being damaged by enemy bombs, all the way to a finale in
Mongolia.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Ex-military and politically-minded, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Robert Heinlein</b> wrote SF that, intentional or not, courted
controversy, particularly with books like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Starship
Troopers</i> (1959), winningly filmed by Paul Verhoeven in 1997. But then Heinlein
created <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stranger In A Strange Land</i>,
to become a play-book for hippies in counter-culture America. So, whereas
previous big-time SF authors covered in this TV series actually formed the
nascent genre, Heinlein helped to shape basic tropes into explosive or
exploitative new material of competent heroes. Stories in an existing
frame-work of ideas, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moon Is A
Harsh Mistress</i> (1966), about the rebellion of a Lunar colony, prompt
discussion about humans in space. Harlan Ellison appears, yet only briefly.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">A cult writer whose fiction created an extraordinary density of
intellectual meanings and emotional interpretation, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Philip K. Dick</b> was influenced by his own paranoia and use of drugs.
And so his predictive novels and idea-driven short-stories would be readily
adapted to modern cinema where virtual reality, alternative worlds, and
unreliability of memory form intriguing narratives of Orwellian surveillance
and precognition that undermine lifestyles and fracture societies. Mankind
crumbles into its own imaginary plots, sinister culture, and questions of truth
between science and human experience. This episode is probably the most
fascinating in the whole series, and ends when Ridley Scott ponders: “Aren’t
most prophets troubled souls?”</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face="" style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Isaac Asimov</span></b><span style="color: black;">
formalised robot stories with a new complexity of relationships between machines
and their human creators, as far more sophisticated than rampaging monsters in
pulp-SF. His work suggests that progress from industrial robots - used on
assembly lines in factories, to developing advanced tools - for spinal and
cranial surgery, is totally inevitable. Later, Asimov became the world’s
greatest SF author of non-fiction about science.</span></span></div>
Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-24531672353740841552020-01-14T11:03:00.001+00:002020-01-14T11:04:40.011+00:00Manhattan Projects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--opVpEuIKAo/Xh2e7w2-0nI/AAAAAAAAE7c/vqagDuYsGMc3mUUO9-0qiCgOHOZ_esrrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MP1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--opVpEuIKAo/Xh2e7w2-0nI/AAAAAAAAE7c/vqagDuYsGMc3mUUO9-0qiCgOHOZ_esrrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MP1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not sure whether I actually like the covers of the MANHATTAN PROJECTS but this minimalist design is quite strikingly distinctive from typical comic-book series. <br /><br />Jonathan Hickman's frequently absurdist creation is a magnificent genre satire of alternative history, where evil twins mix with alien drones, as amusingly twisted versions of progressive scientists Oppenheimer, Einstein, Feynman, and Fermi, are prompted into confrontations with Roosevelt reborn as A.I., while President Truman leads his masonic Illuminati gang into White House decadence. <br /><br />Wernher von Braun is a cyborg in a team-up with Russian hero Yuri Gagarin and his talking space-dog Laika. MP is hilarious, perverse, crazily inventive stuff with far more loony ideas and pithy one-liners packed into every page than any dozen other 21st century sci-fi books. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As international cooperation, not global competition, makes for radical futurism, MP (six volumes) is essential reading for sci-fi comics fans.</span></span>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-77491910248972321502020-01-10T14:50:00.000+00:002020-01-14T22:02:00.086+00:002020 Visions<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Year’s
Best SF Movies 2000-19</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is my listing of the 20 best SF movies of this
century, one from each year, so far... I might have seen a few better pictures
in the last two decades, but some of these choices have been re-watched several
times, so they deserve higher scores. Not all of these films are identifiable
as obvious genre classics because, occasionally, I chose a sci-fi adventure
with simply the least faults. However, this top 20 was selected with due
consideration for a balance of subgenre exemplars and a variety of themes,
while trying to avoid too many franchised sequels and remakes (like endless <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> and recycled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Trek</i>, etc), but also recognising
that, in Hollywood, at least, 21st century movies are clearly represented by
the Golden Age of Superhero Cinema - something that fully deserves to be
celebrated, and not just admitted with sneering reluctance by snooty critics.
Runners-up are listed in alphabetical order. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">X-MEN</b> (2000)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FCEUvm4Wj7M/XhiLgpw1llI/AAAAAAAAE6k/_KUHmICsKKQsZQsNv3xhWoKyb0E44AFpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20SFm01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FCEUvm4Wj7M/XhiLgpw1llI/AAAAAAAAE6k/_KUHmICsKKQsZQsNv3xhWoKyb0E44AFpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20SFm01.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bryan Singer’s mutants super-team adventure arrived just
in time for counter-acting the doom and gloom scenarios of chilling
millennial movies, and it boasted a fantastic summer blockbuster affect with a
mostly excellent, yet imperfect, cast, portraying various Marvel meta-humans
that remain popular in comics. Here we get keen examinations of prejudice and
intolerance filtered through a light-weight, yet boldly philosophical, vision
of a future populated by sceptics and believers with special abilities. Every
sequence of this confrontation has tightly focused interplay between the mutant
characters, who mainly avoid becoming stereotypes - espousing different
opinions about solutions to stubborn cultural and social problems. After a
paranoid US senator (Bruce Davison) - opposed by egotistical anarchist Magneto
(Ian McKellan) and peaceable educator Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) - dies,
the criminals of Magneto’s rebellious brotherhood head for inevitably violent
collision with uniformed responders from a ‘school for gifted youngsters’, clashing
with their dark rivals over what’s acceptable as morally-appropriate reaction
to oppression by the government. It really kick-started the superhero-cinema
boom, and so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men</i> deserves full
recognition for its successful adaptation of Marvel comics in a live-action
movie about teamwork.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2000: </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Paul Verhoeven’s <b>HOLLOW MAN </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">David Twohy’s <b>PITCH BLACK </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Antony Hoffman’s <b>RED PLANET </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A.I. - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE</b> (2001)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R5BdztkjDsQ/XhiLTmxHuRI/AAAAAAAAE6s/rO_hUA-38Q0BKDxMaN-W_NItF5yJ5_n_gCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R5BdztkjDsQ/XhiLTmxHuRI/AAAAAAAAE6s/rO_hUA-38Q0BKDxMaN-W_NItF5yJ5_n_gCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm02.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the wake of Asimovian robot biography for Chris
Columbus’ charming <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bicentennial Man</i>
(1999), Steven Spielberg delivered a different style of epic SF (derived from
Stanley Kubrick’s project to adapt a story by Brian Aldiss), infused with
typically playful fairy-tale elements often favoured by the director’s other genre
productions like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Close Encounters Of The
Third Kind</i> (1977), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial</i>
(1982). After the android boy David (Haley Joel Osment), is adopted by kindly
parents as a surrogate son, he discovers he’s unwelcome at home when the human that
he has replaced awakens from cryogenic sleep. The noisy reverb of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pinocchio</i> riffs often disturb this
movie’s sci-fi orchestrations, but it’s fascinating nevertheless to watch the
‘super-toy’ notions of Aldiss’ fiction turned into colourful visual effects,
including a nightmarish circus of mecha destruction. David is a suitably creepy
kid even after his programmed imprinting for ‘mommy’. The droid-bear minder
Teddy is the pivotal focus in domestic strife. It’s game over when David is
cruelly abandoned but campy toy-boy Gigolo Joe (Jude Law) befriends him and
there’s some 3D-style animation for Einstein-faced oracle Dr Know (voiced by
Robin Williams). Spielberg’s dramatic morality play is about loss of innocence,
a unique being yearning to be ‘normal’, and the anticipation of immortality for
sentient machines. Several mirrors, and distorted reflections, emphasise
Otherness while exploring human impulses to destroy whatever is artificial, in
violent reactions to the uncanny valley that only promise doomsday. With its
‘blue fairy’ messiah, the post-extinction closure, borrowing alien salvation
from Kubrick’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/p/2001-space-odyssey.html">2001: A Space Odyssey</a></i>
(1968), is strangely comforting, albeit merely as a fatal lullaby. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2001: </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mamoru Oshii’s <b>AVALON </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">James Wong’s <b>THE ONE </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s <b><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/07/pulse.html">PULSE</a> </b>(aka: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kairo</i>) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SIMONE</b> (aka:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">S1mOne</i>, 2002)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tiaw53qe2EQ/XhiLTjaLhoI/AAAAAAAAE6s/Ue7fia4aA-ch9TBvICWaYpwza3i-1GQaQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tiaw53qe2EQ/XhiLTjaLhoI/AAAAAAAAE6s/Ue7fia4aA-ch9TBvICWaYpwza3i-1GQaQCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm03.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Andrew Niccol’s satirical comedy about Hollywood stardom pre-empts
Kerry Conran’s cult creativity in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sky
Captain And The World Of Tomorrow</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (2004), a retro styled movie where
digital-animation work dominates live-action scenes. That interaction, between
virtuality and physical reality, is flipped when Simone - </span><u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sim</u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ulation </span><u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One</u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
- concocts various sit-com routines around the creation of an entirely
fictional VR actress, programmed to achieve a unique stardom in movies without
ever actually being seen in public. Victor Taransky (Al Pacino) regrets
offending and losing his leading lady Nicola (Winona Ryder), but directing a
more compliant synthetic actress Simone (Rachel Roberts) salvages his career. Shades
of William Gibson’s novel, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Idoru</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
(1996), haunt this media-celebrity scenario, while Niccol is analysing a
phenomenal status of open adulation found at the junction between human fame
and manufactured personality. A post-modern </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pygmalion</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">,
this anticipates the state of cinema today, where older performers are
magically rejuvenated by digital visuals and many live-action superhero movies
are only possible as convincing characters because of <a href="https://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/2017/04/captain-actor-vs-cgiron-man.html">photo-real animation</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2002:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ellory Elkayem’s <b>EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Steven Spielberg’s <b>MINORITY REPORT</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Steven Soderbergh’s <b>SOLARIS</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">HULK</b> (2003)</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5jt3cb72p9o/XhiLT1NnbYI/AAAAAAAAE7A/BVZJ9yzWR5w5sOSalzX0gpA7_nS7P2QvwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5jt3cb72p9o/XhiLT1NnbYI/AAAAAAAAE7A/BVZJ9yzWR5w5sOSalzX0gpA7_nS7P2QvwCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm04.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ang Lee’s masterpiece remains the greatest superhero
epic. Yes, seriously! Getting a film director who’s best known for art-house
dramas to helm a highly commercial blockbuster was a daring approach, but all the
risks paid off, handsomely; resulting in the best film of the year, and its
decade. What Lee created was the first serious drama of its type, rich in
mutated genre themes and supremely iconic images, derived in part from the very
same influential mythological and literary sources which had obviously inspired
the comic-book original Hulk’s creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, back in 1962.
The singular tour de force blends sci-fi adventures, monster-movie traditions,
and miraculous wonders with bravura visuals. It remains far superior in every
way to unnecessary sequel/ unfortunate remake, or needless franchise-reboot <i>The Incredible Hulk</i> (2008), which I did
enjoy, but still think is rather unexciting, when it’s compared to Lee’s
instant classic. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For a lot more comment, by me, explaining why HULK </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">is the very best 21st century superhero
movie, so far, please read my book (<a href="https://telos.co.uk/shop/film/hulk-telos-movie-classics-no-1/">HULK by Tony Lee</a>).</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2003:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jon Amiel’s <b>THE CORE</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Wachowskis’ <b>THE MATRIX RELOADED</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bryan Singer’s <b>X-MEN 2</b> (aka: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X2</i>)</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">HELLBOY</b>
(2004)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RrbLIbicAXU/XhiLUsfFjvI/AAAAAAAAE7A/V34WoJx6i6ce5tWWySG2CEIwHj_dBgVRwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RrbLIbicAXU/XhiLUsfFjvI/AAAAAAAAE7A/V34WoJx6i6ce5tWWySG2CEIwHj_dBgVRwCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm05.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Superhero comics are the very best medium for combining
elements of science fiction and fantasy. Guillermo del Toro’s magnificently inventive
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy</i> offers startling proof, and,
like only a distinctive few big-screen adaptations (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hulk</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Knight</i>
are others), it delivers grander entertainment value and impressively scaled
verisimilitude, resulting in a dimensionally supreme version of established
narrative concerns that is arguably better than any source material. Much as I
admire del Toro’s Spanish fantasy productions like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Devil’s Backbone</i> (2001), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pan’s Labyrinth</i> (2006), I prefer the accomplished mix of quirky
humour and uncanny action that distinguishes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy</i> from the rest of recent superhero cinema, although Timur
Bekmambetov’s hugely appealing and imaginative Russian offerings, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Night Watch</i> (2004), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Day Watch</i> (2007), explore similarly horrific
territories. For <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy</i>, the
director continues the good work that he put into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blade II</i> (2002), adds a doomed romance to the existing B.P.R.D. secret
agency, and darkly weird Otherness tropes, so this adventure delivers more levels
of madcap fun and winning pathos than either of those equally light-hearted,
but less interesting, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Four</i>
(2005/ 2007) super-team movies. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/2016/03/hellboy-2.html">Hellboy II: The Golden Army</a></i> (2008) is also very good, and last year’s <a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2019/08/hellboy.html"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy</i> </a>remake delivers its fair share
of strange and gory horrors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2004:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Timur Bekmambetov’s <b>NIGHT WATCH</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kerry Conran’s <b>SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sam Raimi’s <b>SPIDER-MAN 2</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">V FOR VENDETTA</b>
(2005)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZKSZzux5_w/XhiLUgN2SeI/AAAAAAAAE68/WSOyTYgvnY0WXVYpg607D2xElOkqolYwACEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZKSZzux5_w/XhiLUgN2SeI/AAAAAAAAE68/WSOyTYgvnY0WXVYpg607D2xElOkqolYwACEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm06.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Wachowski siblings, creators of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Matrix</i> (1999), adapted Alan Moore’s comic serial of anarchist
rebellion for this Orwellian thriller, very capably directed by James McTeigue,
so that it skilfully transcends merely political drama to find refreshing
shades of humanity in this destructive revolt against an oppressive British
state. Natalie Portman excels as an unlikely heroine, Hugo Weaving’s compelling
voice provides a focal point, while veteran John Hurt turns in a suitably electrifying
performance as the grotesque tyrant Sutter on TV screens. Skating through
grey-area minefields between terrorist and freedom-fighter, enigmatic V shifts
from romanticised kidnapping to anti-heroic mentorship, while captive Evey
follows his philosophical musings. Pulling together a mythical ‘Gunpowder Plot’
with references to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Phantom Of The
Opera</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Count Of Monte Cristo</i>, this movie parallels - without much subtlety - various political and social criticisms
of 21st century government surveillance and inherent corruption, for shattering cultural effect, before a rousing
and spectacular climax that destroys the Parliament building in one of modern genre cinema’s
most violently cathartic set-pieces. Like a rallying cry designed to ward off any
encroaching menace of totalitarianism, this picture’s use of the iconic Guy
Fawkes mask has since become a symbol of protests everywhere. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2005:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Karyn Kusama’s <b>AEON FLUX</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tim Story’s <b>FANTASTIC FOUR</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Steven Spielberg’s <b>WAR OF THE WORLDS</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE PRESTIGE</b>
(2006)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3narYHeqCRg/XhiLU-vON3I/AAAAAAAAE60/tPlELVdMymkimhaXh7E1CgmVVr_7IOkaQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3narYHeqCRg/XhiLU-vON3I/AAAAAAAAE60/tPlELVdMymkimhaXh7E1CgmVVr_7IOkaQCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm07.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Apart from the singular exception of the last ‘Wolverine’
movie, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Logan</i> (2017), I’m not a fan of
Hugh Jackman. However, in this costume drama about stage magicians, he’s quite
tolerable, while basking in the glowing performances from genuinely brilliant
actors like Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson. Perhaps the
finest of this cast is David Bowie, as inventor Tesla, astonishing in a role
that improves with repeat viewings. As this period mystery’s plot, based on a
novel by Christopher Priest, unfolds gradually, and the damning secrets of a
miraculously theatrical illusion is revealed, tension builds up to an eerie finale
of ultimate horror. Watch closely and trust nobody, as every trick’s ‘pledge’ means
pretence, and turns for cheating death offer the what, when, where, and how, of
a whodunit, disguised by unlucky encounters and the judgement of obsessively
deceitful rivals for unwavering commitment. Subverting truth, whatever the tragic
cost may be, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Prestige</i> is a foolproof
entertainment, whether you choose to believe in the magic of movies, or not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2006:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alfonso Cuaron’s <b>CHILDREN OF MEN</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bryan Singer’s <b>SUPERMAN RETURNS </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brett Ratner’s <b>X-MEN: THE LAST STAND</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SUNSHINE</b>
(2007)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bMfp4hfVNs/XhiLVm5gE9I/AAAAAAAAE6s/ZpbnPHelD_ofqTKAJhkVayiPaFYuI_RNgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bMfp4hfVNs/XhiLVm5gE9I/AAAAAAAAE6s/ZpbnPHelD_ofqTKAJhkVayiPaFYuI_RNgCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm08.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Giant spaceship Icarus II is on a vital mission: to
launch a nuclear payload into the faded Sun, and revive it. Danny Boyle directs
a uniformly excellent international cast, including Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne,
Chris Evans, and Michelle Yeoh, with a concern for veracity in details of
astronomy and physics. Despite its borrowings from John Carpenter’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Star</i> (1974), Ridley Scott’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alien</i> (1979), and Peter Hyams’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2010</i> (1984), this stylish offering is undeniably
spectacular with space-suit scenes for its urgent repairs to radiation
shielding, but fires still damage the ship and the sunlight, in such close
proximity, is just as deadly. Metaphorically, it’s a descent into hell, with
all of the psychological dissonance and chaos that such a fall from grace might
provoke. Considering this interpretation, aspects of the movie’s absurdly dramatic
conclusion, when its plot slides off-beam as a slasher in space, to reference
gothic horror in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Event Horizon</i> (1997),
and Walter Hill’s disowned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Supernova</i>
(2000), actually make good sense; so it’s killing spree is not a totally
inappropriate twist. Everything that could possibly go wrong here does so,
crazily, and with maximum shocks for a climactic impact, especially when
maniacal villain Pinbacker (Mark Strong) claims he has spoken to his god, as if
he really means the devil. Curiously, almost all of this British production’s
stars later appeared in superhero movies, as if SF provides the credibility of ‘previous
experience’ that is formally required to play comic-book characters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2007:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hitoshi Matsumoto’s <b>BIG MAN JAPAN</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tim Story’s <b>FANTASTIC 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nacho Vigalondo’s <b>TIMECRIMES</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE DARK KNIGHT</b>
(2008)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drD-IZ2kH3Y/XhiLVthABkI/AAAAAAAAE64/1U6pyH3IO1MF1nyY_AoUuKLe7Tk1GK6bQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drD-IZ2kH3Y/XhiLVthABkI/AAAAAAAAE64/1U6pyH3IO1MF1nyY_AoUuKLe7Tk1GK6bQCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm09.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman Begins</i> (2005), astonishingly re-works
the familiar caped vigilante from DC comics and movies, and finally banishes
the 1960s’ TV legacy of Adam West’s camp crusader that’s held back this
variable franchise from any serious attempts at delivering crime drama or urban
action. Basically, it is the creative difference between comedy-adventure and
realistic thriller. For me, superhero movies are always at their best when the
film-makers treat the original material quite seriously. </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-dark-knight-trilogy.html">The Dark Knight</a></i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
delivers a blend of superbly performed characters and livewire practical
confrontations between terrorist-psycho the Joker (Heath Ledger, achieving a
legendary status), and Christian Bale’s masked thuggish champion. Its dynamic action
eclipses all from recent James Bond, or Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer, put
together, and it presents fans with a new benchmark in big-screen heroism,
intended for a mature audience.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies for 2008:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Scott Derrickson’s <b>THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Louis Leterrier’s <b>THE INCREDIBLE HULK </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jon Favreau’s <b>IRON MAN</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WATCHMEN</b>
(2009)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MSfUbHe6ZHU/XhiLV1qaTqI/AAAAAAAAE7A/ocStrFE4cSwkrwQvQPZGbELjYYzGNaztgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MSfUbHe6ZHU/XhiLV1qaTqI/AAAAAAAAE7A/ocStrFE4cSwkrwQvQPZGbELjYYzGNaztgCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm10.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Before its dazzling title sequence, this movie about
conflicts between superheroes begins with a brutal murder. This marks a serious
approach to its material, based on the comics by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Watchmen</i> is virtuoso film-making
as Zack Snyder continued to hone creative techniques, blending graphic realism
with stylised artistry, as he’d done on remake, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dawn Of The Dead</i> (2004), and Spartan epic, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">300</i> (2006). As each of the main characters are introduced there are
shifts in tone, from urban crime drama to weird sci-fi and back again, and so
the movie’s narrative spans various genres, just as its generational story
pulls together the compelling and concise alternative history that sets this movie’s
milieu apart from all the imaginary cities of DCEU, presages developments of
the convoluted timeline for the MCU, and also foreshadows those unexpected prequels
of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men</i> franchise. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2019/12/watchmen-ultimate-cut.html">Watchmen</a></i>’s most important role, today,
as a pivotal picture in this century’s superhero-cinema boom is unquestionable.
No matter which edition you might see - theatrical, director’s cut, or ultimate
version - it’s a genuine classic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2009:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">James Cameron’s <b>AVATAR</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ivan Engler and Ralph Etter’s <b>CARGO</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Neill Blomkamp’s <b>DISTRICT 9</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">INCEPTION</b>
(2010)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h_VN1QEu7mQ/XhiLWjjDGMI/AAAAAAAAE6w/3VKYRzlkmZEHWHLgGOWDT3x7R_-HXSmawCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h_VN1QEu7mQ/XhiLWjjDGMI/AAAAAAAAE6w/3VKYRzlkmZEHWHLgGOWDT3x7R_-HXSmawCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm11.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Writers might often be asked: ‘Where do you get your
ideas?’ A poem by Edgar Allan Poe suggested “All that we see or seem/ Is but a
dream within a dream.” Perhaps the dream-dimension of imagination is the
primary source of everything. Rightly acclaimed as one of this century’s best science
fiction creations from Hollywood’s dream factory, Christopher Nolan’s superbly
intricate action-thriller follows its extra-legal characters ‘down’ through stream-of-consciousness
narrative episodes into various levels of lucid dreaming to steal information
or implant ideas. With generic virtual-reality links back to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Matrix</i> (1999), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dreamscape</i> (1984), node-spotting, plus the
illusions of sensory experiences etched into popular cyberpunk imaginations
ever since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brainstorm</i> (1983), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Strange Days </i>(1995), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2018/05/existenz.html">Existenz</a></i> (aka: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eXistenZ</i>, 1999), this compelling psycho-mystery noir mines a variety
of surrealist influences, including Cocteau’s avant-garde <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orpheus</i> (1950), amidst a range of sources and for exhilarating
visuals, whose impact was re-deployed for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/02/doctor-strange.html">Doctor Strange</a></i> (2016). Following the advent of virtuality movie-production techniques, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Inception</i> might also be appreciated as a
witty metaphor about many potential cinematic head-space entertainments to come, not
to mention cyber-lifestyles of the near future.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2010:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jon Favreau’s <b>IRON MAN 2</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nimrod Antal’s <b><a href="http://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/2016/05/predators.html">PREDATORS</a></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Strause brothers’ <b>SKYLINE</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU</b> (2011)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQ8pVux-uMs/XhiLW6uUV6I/AAAAAAAAE60/-W34tmZArA4MdeVMNPrt_89oA2Rox0uVQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQ8pVux-uMs/XhiLW6uUV6I/AAAAAAAAE60/-W34tmZArA4MdeVMNPrt_89oA2Rox0uVQCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm12.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">‘Opposites attract’ is a characteristic plot in rom-com
pictures. For any sci-fi romance, it becomes absolute certainty, whether story
conclusions mean ‘true love conquers all’, or not. Based upon a short story by
Philip K. Dick, George Nolfi’s commercially savvy, but nonetheless engaging,
New York thriller stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Mysterious agents of
planned destiny struggle to keep sincere politician Norris from encounters with
a wonderful dream-girl, but even threats of psychic lobotomy by meddling
adjusters fail to deter his pursuit of Elise. When sinister fate collides with
free will, generating ripples that affect hidden structures in human reality,
obsession vies with ambition for impulse control. Secret knowledge is a core
trope in sci-fi drama (“..he’s got a hat. He’s in the substrate!”), yet even
Alex Proyas’ apocalyptic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Knowing</i>
(2009), never captured all the uniquely challenging defiance of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-adjustment-bureau.html">TAB</a></i>, a metaphor for interventionism and
recalibration practiced by uncanny micro-management, who aren’t like restorative
fixers Sapphire & Steel. Instead, they represent the fallacy of a
benevolent dictatorship. Although quasi-religious overtones are, thankfully, minimised,
faint echoes of cult-movies like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark
City</i> (1998), witty <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight Zone</i> TV
episode <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Matter Of Minutes</i> (1986),
and, of course, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Matrix</i> trilogy,
are present like tick-box accreditations in cosmological background noise. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2011:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Joe Johnston’s <b>CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kenneth Branagh’s <b>THOR </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Matthew Vaughn’s <b>X-MEN: FIRST CLASS</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">AVENGERS ASSEMBLE</b> (aka: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Avengers</i>, 2012) </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L7NWjzDoOH0/XhiLXA_dkjI/AAAAAAAAE60/LrGM_9Zr9tgUnT3lbjxFD0SERM3eh0fhACEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L7NWjzDoOH0/XhiLXA_dkjI/AAAAAAAAE60/LrGM_9Zr9tgUnT3lbjxFD0SERM3eh0fhACEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm13.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">‘And there came a day, unlike any other...’ Despite its
episodic tale of super-villainy and extraterrestrial invasion, Joss Whedon
tackles this grandiose franchise project seriously, but makes it fun. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers Assemble</i> suffers only mildly
from the impositions of blatant check-list filmmaking, with iconographies of
cheesy political simplifications to fantastical combat spectacle manipulated
into self-reflexive coherence by philosophical determinism. There is a
concerted effort to blend together various canonical elements, originated by a
host of comicbook writers (from Stan Lee, and Roy Thomas, to Mark Millar), although
not all decades of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i> lore,
mined for this compressed take on their classic origin story, are served well
by Whedon’s insistence upon irreverent references. Packed with highbrow versus
lowbrow dialogues, while generalised culture-clash motifs, of past/ future,
human/ alien, politics/ morality, are extended even into its eclectic
soundtrack, where Schubert is rudely interrupted by AC/DC, this astutely confident
melting-pot builds up a considerable narrative momentum when it aimed to be the
greatest team-up event in screen history. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2012:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pete Travis’ <b>DREDD</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Andrew Stanton’s <b>JOHN CARTER</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ridley Scott’s <b>PROMETHEUS</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GRAVITY</b>
(2013)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7uMg9HW9GX0/XhiLXVE0A0I/AAAAAAAAE68/68-_jXpYy0EK_LYAgEF-Kgj6OMPFffBvQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7uMg9HW9GX0/XhiLXVE0A0I/AAAAAAAAE68/68-_jXpYy0EK_LYAgEF-Kgj6OMPFffBvQCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm14.jpg" width="322" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Previously, Alfonso Cuaron directed grimly dystopian
actioner, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Children Of Men</i> (2006), but
this frequently astonishing space thriller looks even better. Sandra Bullock
gives a stand-out performance as the astronaut trying to get back home after
disaster in orbit. With visual effects never less than utterly convincing, this
offers extraordinary spectacle like a NASA documentary gone horribly wrong, so
edge-of-seat, nail-biting tensions are guaranteed. Unless you care nothing for
people, and the world where we all live, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gravity</i>
is a richly composed story of survival against crushing odds, with danger and
misfortune at every twist and turn, and enough heroic intelligence and great
courage, in a terrifying adversity, to overcome any problem. Scary but
inventive and inspiring, this benefits from making rapidly-ageing George
Clooney its sideshow attraction, with a staunchly feminist appeal that is never
once annoying - as Bullock can sometimes be in weaker movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shane Black’s <b>IRON MAN 3</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zack Snyder’s <b>MAN OF STEEL</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Guillermo del Toro’s <b>PACIFIC RIM</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST</b> (2014)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-20BAX1YXsso/XhiLX_K91MI/AAAAAAAAE60/SAg-dQYwR_UKZZ3ZURI0W-VGaHhqypZPwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-20BAX1YXsso/XhiLX_K91MI/AAAAAAAAE60/SAg-dQYwR_UKZZ3ZURI0W-VGaHhqypZPwCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm15.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Splicing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Terminator </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trancers</i> into Marvel’s mutant lore,
Bryan Singer returns to this franchise he started in 2000, almost effortlessly
folding up Matthew Vaughn’s enjoyable prequel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men: First Class</i> (2011), into sync with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men 2</i> (aka: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X2</i>, 2003), while combining mature and
young versions of reckless Magneto and competent Prof. X, into canon-shattering
ret-con, where the established timeline of devolutionary tragedy in Brett
Ratner’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men: The Last Stand</i> (2006),
is briskly shunted aside in favour of bright hopes, eventually presented here as
utopian futurism. While speedster Quicksilver’s raid on the Pentagon, and
Magneto’s levitation of a stadium to blockade the corrupted White House,
deserve first and second prizes for set-piece spectaculars, the complicated,
never confusing, plot flashes through acid-testing eras, for a climactic
leveraging by moralistic influencers that changes X-chronology for the better.
Following rebooted <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spider-Man</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman</i> movies, here’s a multi-layered
treatment specially formulated for comics fans who revel in diversity, playing
chicken-and-egg with its character-building moments, and recursive imagery.
Does time-travel really heal wounds of the psyche? Will this epilogue’s resurrections
withstand closer scrutiny, or is any generic paradox-clause acceptable, as a simplistic
hand-waving excuse for feel-good closure, because it offers a fuzzy deliverance
from intolerance so anything-is-permitted results are welcome after so much
persecution angst? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2014:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anthony and Joe Russo’s <b>CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER
SOLDIER </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Doug Liman’s <b>EDGE OF TOMORROW </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Luc Besson’s <b>LUCY </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE MARTIAN</b>
(2015)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x17DAkyJ7yM/XhiLX_sRKMI/AAAAAAAAE64/fniljEIQV_Ift7MQp1DuhJqDreTLSgZRgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x17DAkyJ7yM/XhiLX_sRKMI/AAAAAAAAE64/fniljEIQV_Ift7MQp1DuhJqDreTLSgZRgCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm16.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Without any aliens or sinister elemental forces, Ridley
Scott’s spacesuit movie is a kind of revisionist <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Robinson Crusoe On Mars</i> (1964), mixed with Ron Howard’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apollo 13</i> (1995). An enthralling story
of survival and endurance, it’s about the Right Stuff, and reckless yet sanely innovative
rocket science. Stranded on Mars alone, Mark Watney (Matt Damon), is believed
dead by his crewmates, evacuated to avoid a storm. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Martian</i> is a fascinating hard-SF drama of laudable optimism, yet
just as confrontational in its sombre aspects of loneliness and mortality as it
is an escapist adventure. Notwithstanding its NASA and JPL recruiting-poster
traits, here’s a visionary director’s presentation of problem-solving by a superb
ensemble cast, that includes Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Sean Bean,
Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Kate Mara, who all exude professionalism, and/ or
enthusiasm, in key roles, while the movie’s routinely spectacular planet-scapes,
of magnificent scale, conjure up a sense of wonder, despite the title character’s
isolation and potentially deadly troubles on a daily basis. Against the grain
of today’s genre cinema, where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Trek</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> movies form the nominal
model for space opera, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Martian</i> is
exemplary, with happily unobtrusive tributes to sci-fi milestones: Kubrick’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i>, Scott’s own <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alien</i>, Robert Zemeckis’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Contact</i> (1997), and Hollywood’s version
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Solaris</i> (2002). What shines
through even brighter is hopeful Clarkean futurism mixed with the can-do
attitude of Heinlein’s archetypal ‘competent man’ for an admirably
peak-performance protagonist, a man who seemingly believes that ‘specialisation
is for insects’. Watney embodies ‘true grit’ and lacks sentimentality while
revelling in humorous asides boosting an impressively heroic story of
determination, fighting against despair. With thrills and in-jokes outdoing even
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gravity</i>, it’s the best space movie,
in our familiar Solar system, since Peter Hyams’ classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2010</i> (1984). If only the real world were as glorious as science
fictional creations! The extended edition adds ten minutes, and every moment of
this movie is something to be treasured.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2015:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Joss Whedon’s <b>AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alex Garland’s <b>EX MACHINA</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">George Miller’s <b>MAD MAX: FURY ROAD</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE</b> (2016) </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qStw0Fl_phU/XhiLYAsQoEI/AAAAAAAAE64/vz7sjRm_JUkauCumDoz1sigQFVDB5vokACEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qStw0Fl_phU/XhiLYAsQoEI/AAAAAAAAE64/vz7sjRm_JUkauCumDoz1sigQFVDB5vokACEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm17.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zack Snyder’s follow-up to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Man Of Steel</i> (2013) is an outstanding example of how taking
comic-book superheroes very seriously can result in screen-entertainment
breakthroughs that establish new benchmarks for this often maligned subgenre of
SF-fantasy movies. It boasts action inspired by Frank Miller’s seminal <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Knight Returns</i> (1986), but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BvS</i> is far greater than just one comic
series, and its extraordinary commentary on vigilantes, heroism, meta-human politics,
and corporate corruption - as represented by Lex Luthor - in a showdown with social
conscience, makes for interpersonal and inter-city conflict that becomes darkly
weird before a conclusion of mythical proportions. Introducing Gal Godot as
DCEU’s imperfect Wonder Woman, is this project’s finest achievement in a
challenging scenario of scathing character-based humour, suicidal tragedy, and
electrifying thrills for the final act’s heroes-versus-monster spectacle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2016:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Denis Villeneuve’s <b>ARRIVAL</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anthony and Joe Russo’s <b>CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bryan Singer’s <b><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2016/11/x-men-apocalypse.html">X-MEN: APOCALYPSE</a></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GHOST IN THE SHELL</b> (2017) </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4njYzrvqOA/XhiLY-Nw9QI/AAAAAAAAE64/VYxlNU3wFGoeOwaSkww4fSmpzvzawkKCQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4njYzrvqOA/XhiLY-Nw9QI/AAAAAAAAE64/VYxlNU3wFGoeOwaSkww4fSmpzvzawkKCQCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm18.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After several animated movies and TV serials based on
Japanese comics, this cyberpunk franchise was adapted into a live-action movie
starring Scarlett Johansson, with Takeshi Kitano and Juliette Binoche as top
supporting players, directed by Rupert Sanders. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GITS</i> is set in the Asian megalopolis, a dystopian realm where
mostly-robotic super-cop Major Killian investigates terrorists while also
uncovering the dark secrets of her own forgotten past. Johansson turns in a good
performance as the stoic Major, a coolly violent operator in an urban jungle of
hacked tech, broken minds, and ubiquitous corporate criminality. It offers a
truly chilling alternative to Denis Villeneuve’s sadly overlong sequel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blade Runner 2049</i>, where human virtues
struggle to maintain their survival alongside the omnipresent wholly intrusive
systems of control and exploitation. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GITS</i>
also benefits from much better action sequences than its genre rival and,
unlike <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BR 2049</i>, it doesn’t wallow in
trivial sci-fi minutiae. With brisk character development, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GITS</i> hauls the elements of its comic-book SF-horror source into a
milieu every bit as polished and stylish, but manages to avoid the
too-leisurely pace that makes Villeneuve’s movie feel like a sadly numbing
experience of cyber-futurism when compared to Ridley Scott’s masterwork.
Admittedly, the differences in quality between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GITS</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BR 2047</i> are only
slight, and this movie wears its influences (that include Scott’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BR</i>) somewhat openly - but it has sharper
pitch and vigorous tempo, which feels like intelligent rock ‘n’ roll weighed up
against strait-laced classical music. My choice is a preference for movies
without pretension, not the result of a song contest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2017:</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Denis Villeneuve’s <b><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2018/02/blade-runner-2049.html">BLADE RUNNER 2049</a></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zack Snyder’s <b>JUSTICE LEAGUE</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">James Mangold’s <b><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/07/logan.html">LOGAN</a></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR</b> (2018)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLTb9-qHOt8/XhiLYgRjMKI/AAAAAAAAE60/YA0jGVDGuQkSAU1BHX300U_x0jPUlpRqwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLTb9-qHOt8/XhiLYgRjMKI/AAAAAAAAE60/YA0jGVDGuQkSAU1BHX300U_x0jPUlpRqwCEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm19.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dread him, run from him... Thanos arrives, at last... The
Russo brothers draw together most MCU threads, from cosmic to earth-bound,
developing these disparate strands of science / magic (Iron Man, Doctor
Strange), human / alien (Black Widow, Groot), meta-human / android (Captain
America, Vision), and youth / immortal (Spider-Man, Thor), for fighting the
space tyrant’s quest for six gems of ultimate power. With cosmic
adventures,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>unlikely team-ups,
battlefield heroics, fugitives and romantics, surprise attacks and siege prep,
here the Avengers’ milieu explodes from international to interstellar, when
invaders strike at heart-lands and boggle minds in locations from Knowhere to
Wakanda. Although sometimes troubled by random quips or jokey attitudes by
actors falling out-of-character for gratuitous improv, this glorious
culmination of Marvel’s decade-long assemblage of an extended cast serves up
impressively staged, yet often winningly informal, set-pieces on monumental
scales. For its grim finale, there’s a fearlessly heavy and brutally emotional
knockout blow of such intensity that this movie’s closing twist really makes the
downbeat ending of Irvin Kershner’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Empire Strikes Back</i> (1980) feel like
a summer holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2018:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alex Garland’s <b>ANNIHILATION</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Peyton Reed’s <b>ANT-MAN AND THE WASP</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Steven Spielberg’s <b><a href="http://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2018/08/ready-player-one.html">READY PLAYER ONE</a></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CAPTAIN MARVEL</b>
(2019)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RsrDclXgXXI/XhiLZE20_JI/AAAAAAAAE68/vap0HNS4mDIxJn2MmUosWBeY0MeXQm8pACEwYBhgL/s1600/20SFm20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RsrDclXgXXI/XhiLZE20_JI/AAAAAAAAE68/vap0HNS4mDIxJn2MmUosWBeY0MeXQm8pACEwYBhgL/s400/20SFm20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This sci-fi actioner repackages everything that was good about
superhero movies <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Green Lantern</i> (2011),
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://videovista-uk.blogspot.com/2017/10/wonder-woman.html">Wonder Woman</a></i> (2019), but lacks any
of their worst faults. Written by co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, this
origin tale about space warrior Captain Marvel is derived from various elements
of comics by Roy Thomas. Brie Larson is great fun as test-pilot Carol Danvers,
who gains cosmic powers and saves the world from war between alien races. Set in
the 1990s, it’s a cleverly effective prequel to several movies in the MCU
franchise, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers Assemble</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Endgame</i>. Telling its
own tale of secret history, hidden agendas, unforgiveable betrayals, and
explorations of genre themes from UFOlogy to star cops, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> offers feminist perspectives on superhero cinema that
blends its socio-political relevance of Kree military hunting Skrull refugees
with a tragicomic style. It’s clearly influenced by far weaker MCU pictures,
like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/2014/12/gotg.html">Guardians Of The Galaxy</a></i> (2014),
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/2018/03/thor-3.html">Thor: Ragnarok</a></i> (2017), but
without sacrificing its human drama in favour of the blithely absurd farce
adopted by those previous attempts at generating a successful formula in this
franchise of comic-book adaptations. Larson’s mindful portrayal is a super-heroine
with a human heart. She’s not a killer, a monster, a demi-god, or a genius. The
MCU looks much safer in Carol’s hands.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Runner-up SF movies of 2019:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Robert Rodriguez’s <b>ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anthony and Joe Russo’s <b>AVENGERS: ENDGAME </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Simon Kinberg’s <b>X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX</b></span></div>
Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26783085.post-13329690019882877302019-03-13T02:29:00.004+00:002019-03-13T08:57:52.342+00:0030th Anniversary<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This month, 30 years ago, we published 'zine <b>STRANGE ADVENTURES</b> for local fan-club 'Fantasy Island'. That fanzine of fantastic media was the beginning of Pigasus Press. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />I don't have a scanned cover image of that (very basic) 4-page issue #1, but here's a later logo, created by Alan Hunter. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nsiXXqlZF6E/XIhj3RClNRI/AAAAAAAAELo/Ndw5TV2pO4cOOzOR1R4nThqTo-3IDmDIgCLcBGAs/s1600/pigbyah.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nsiXXqlZF6E/XIhj3RClNRI/AAAAAAAAELo/Ndw5TV2pO4cOOzOR1R4nThqTo-3IDmDIgCLcBGAs/s1600/pigbyah.gif" width="312" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070206153958im_/http://freespace.virgin.net/pigasus.press/graphics/sablade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20070206153958im_/http://freespace.virgin.net/pigasus.press/graphics/sablade.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Probably the best-selling issue of S.A. was the special about <b>Blade Runner</b>. The wrap-around cover art was by Kevin Cullen, who also drew a robot version of Pigasus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Only a few copies of the <b><a href="http://pigasuspress.blogspot.com/p/2001-space-odyssey.html">2001: A Space Odyssey</a></b> special issue are left in stock.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Later, the flying pig logo appeared in various forms and styles courtesy of several different artists. In this year of Brexit (end of a an era?), the Pigasus picture below seems especially relevant. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060623032409im_/http://freespace.virgin.net/pigasus.press/graphics/flypigteds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="448" height="302" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060623032409im_/http://freespace.virgin.net/pigasus.press/graphics/flypigteds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Tony Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02781999386013672559noreply@blogger.com0