Moon

Korean drama THE MOON (2023) presents a rescue mission that blends Apollo 13 realism with Ridley Scott’s imaginative The Martian. Crazily exciting action scenes (such as Lunar-rover stunt- driving), are heightened by quite hysterical acting. But, honestly, this is no more outrageously cranked-up to subgenre max than Hoffman’s entertaining Red Planet (2000). It shares that space adventure’s enthusiastic pulp sci-fi thrills about heroic problem-solving, and survival because of sheer hopeful determination after all conventional solutions fail. If you liked director Kim’s two fantasy pictures, Along With The Gods, this is certainly a better effort with great production values.

  

Blu-ray, 24 June.

Nell TV

I find British genre-TV is often dismal stuff, that’s pathetic at best, but RENEGADE NELL is good fun. Its confident scenario offers a quirky blend of superhero-mystery and comedy-adventure, where a failed soldier gets dangerous pixie powers to avenge a murder, commit Robin Hood robbery, and fight against landowners’ corruption. A scheming Earl (Adrian Lester) conjures up a version of devilish ‘Herne the Hunter’, for a spectacular mythic action sequence, while the heroine’s own family struggle to survive pursuit by mercenary types. 

Despite a climactic Jacobite plot to oust Queen Anne (Jodhi May), jokey anachronisms are all part of this drama’s witty appeal, so forget about historical or cultural accuracy, also happily opposed by top news-maker Lady Moggerhanger (a splendid Joely Richardson). Louisa Harland carries the show as the feminist vigilante, but it’s rather a shame that the creators supply a supporting cast with campy characters (especially a boringly pantomime highwayman), on both sides of the law, too. I think this could have been even better, as home-grown fantasy, with only Nell as a source of amusement. 

Nick Cave's theme song -

Watching the detectives 4

After Southern Comfort, The Right Stuff, Remo Williams, and Tremors, Fred Ward was the blokeyest of bloke actors. His various bids for Hollywood actioner stardom didn't really work out (as they did for Bruce Willis), but he made some very cult-worthy attempts. Martin Campbell’s neglected classic, CAST A DEADLY SPELL (1991), sees Fred portray H.P. Lovecraft as a private eye in a post-noir fantasy L.A. Tough, savvy ex-cop Phil Lovecraft firmly rejects all magic, but the city witches teach dancing, a blonde heiress hunts a unicorn, there’s blood rain at sunset, and the Dunwich club singer is played by Julianne Moore. Lovecraft is hired by a wealthy widower (David Warner) to find a rare book. His sleuthing search for the Necronomicon finds slapstick zombies everywhere. Giving ‘runes’ conjures up a monster from a cooking pot. Our heroic shamus is attacked by a stony gargoyle but saved by the femme fatale. Clancy Brown plays a slickly nasty gangster intending human sacrifice: “Any idea how hard it is to find a virgin in Hollywood?” Great slimy Old Ones return with a genre-breaking burst of midnight earthquakes. An enjoyable TV-movie that's great to see again, CADS creates a solidly witty blend of Chinatown and Ghostbusters that pre-dates popular Buffy spin-off Angel, and might have influenced The Dresden Files (2007). The Spanish DVD has English sound.