TV show - "Battlestar Galactica - Saga of a Star World" (1978) ***

I had been waiting for the DVD of this series to go on special and finally found a copy for $30! Saw the first three episodes last night - the ones that were later cut into a feature film. I know this is partly influenced by nostalgia, but I thought it holds up really well. At his best Glenn A Larson was a very good writer, and this three part pilot has a very strong structure - I mean Act I begins with the near annihiliation of the human race! Act II with the crew and humans fleeing is a bit choppier, but Act III on the creepy weird planet is strong. Yes there are cringy and laughable moments - the expression on that guy's face as Caprica is being destroyed, Boxey (Noah Hathaway) telling his mum "I wish he were my daddy", the scene between a near naked Athena and Starbuck (this is cut in a lot of the movie versions), the unexciting mine field scene, the repetive nature of a lot of the action. But a lot of it is very good - Apollo's brother getting wasted ("that, Mr President, was my son"), Lew Ayres as the weak president, Ray Milland as a villainous politician, the beauty of Jane Seymour, solid performances from the regulars (Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict and Lorne Greene), the scene where Terry Carter as uptight Col Tigh is busted robbing uniforms and says the Commander is "gonna go crazy" - watch Carter suddenly go blaxploitation for that line, the humour of much of the film (a lot of it involving Benedict). Not all the subsequent episodes were of this quality but for me it still holds up today.

Movie review - "Son of Mask" (2002) *

Hideous film. It starts promisingly enough with a funny sequence involving Alan Cumming, who provides the film with the right tone, but then disintegrates. Jamie Kennedy is a capable performer in other movies but here seems tired and unsure. The plot is awful, dragged out over a long period of time. You don't care, the action is unexciting. The film is a mess.

Movie review - "The Pentagon Papers" (2003) ***

Solid account of the defense guy (James Spader) who leaked papers on the Vietnam War to the press and helped cause Nixon no end of grief. Quite gripping and all the more effective because it is clear at times Spader is a bit of a fanatic who to some degree has merely switched sides.

Moview review - "Man on Fire" (2003) ***

Tony Scott returns to Mexico for another Revenge type film about, well, revenge. Denzell Washington is a boozy former special ops soldier who becomes bodyguard for Dakota Fanning, then goes on to kick serious arse when she's kidnapped. The first half is bonding with Fanning, the second half is arse kicking. Tough guys, lots of smoking, interesting visuals, some nuns. Denzel isn't entirely well cast but Chris Walken and Mickey Rourke are in the support cast and they are spot on. 

There is always a worrying sort of aspect to these sort of films, with its superhuman hero who can bring down organised crime, but an undeniably appealing aspect to the myth as well. You know I didn't quite believe Denzel as an alkie (there's always something inherently decent about him as an actor). Tony Scott's flashy directing suits the story. I always find his films majorly flawed in some way but they always stick with me for along time afterwards. 

NB Apparently a romance sub plot between Denzel and Radha Mitchell was cut because audiences didn't like Denzel kissing a white woman - but I think the cut was a good one more on the grounds the real love story is between Denzel and Fanning, and throwing mom into the mix confuses it.

Movie review - "Ray" (2004) ***

I grew up knowing Ray Charles mostly as that cuddly very talented blind black man who would made cameos in movies and on tv - no one was more beloved - so it came as a bit of a shock to see this bio which highlights a long heroin addiction and constant infidelity. It doesn't deify him, but you do have sympathy because of the blind thing and because Jaime Foxx is so good in the lead role. Also good is the period detail and the acting. It is well done.

Movie review - "I Walk the Line" (2005) ***

Solid, entertaining bio which I made the mistake seeing the day after I saw Ray on video - both have singers from poor backgrounds, both had brothers who died, both suffered drug addictions, both only found fame after finding their own voice, both rooted aroud on the road. This one is more of a love story, between Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon - the film could have started with their characters meeting or be told from her point of view. 

Phoenix impresses in the most flashy role; he really looks like Cash at times. Witherspoon is OK as the chirpy southern gal - we don't really get to know her as well. Some good scenes like the opening one at Folsom prison. Like all bios it includes a few "you're mad to try it" scenes.

Movie review - "Alfred the Great" (1969) **1/2

One of a series of expensive flops that helped bring MGM to the brink of bankruptcy (others included The Appointment and Goodbye Mr Chips), this is a decent attempt at a "serious" epic, which execs no doubt thought would appeal to the then-attractive youth market, with its idealistic, "I'm-not-sure-if-I-want-to-be-king" hero. Alfred the Great deserved an epic film, the first official king of England, I guess, who placed a lot of emphasis on education and war. His life was film friendly, as it involved fighting off the Danes, having a spell in the wilderness (well, marshlands) then making a comeback. 

 David Hemmings has the lead - he was a film star for a short while in the late 60s, was Hemmings, before a series of flops reduced his box office standing. He was perfect casting and is quite good as the king, worried about the violent side of his nature.

There are plenty of battles and action and some interesting touches (emphasising all the soldiers puffing at the end of a battle, which is something most war films don't do) but the film doesn't quite work: it badly lacks humour and has way too many rapes in it. The Danes rape nuns then Alfred rapes his own wife (the beautiful Prunella Ransome), who then is taken as a hostage by the Danish kind (Michael York, in good form) who then is about to rape her but then she becomes willing, then she goes back to Alfred and... actually that whole plot is just off and the film would have been better without it. 

They hint at another love relationship between Alfred and the wife (Vivien Merchant) of one of his allies in the marshes (hubby is played by a very young Ian McKellen) but nothing seems to come of this. Actually come to think of it the film is a bit of a mess - Alfred's life could still produce a better film, though since he was a 9th century guy he is becoming less and less known.

Clive Donner talks about the film here in side 17. Interesting account of making of the film - Donner was pursued by the producer for months, Donner disliked the original script and had it redone.

Movie review - "The Big Steal" (1949) ***

One of a series of jaunty, unpretentious films Robert Mitchum made while at RKO - a rare bright spot for RKO during the Howard Hughes regime. A simple story about a bunch of people chasing after a pile of stolen cash in Mexico. Fresh handing from director Don Siegel, a cast that includes Mitch, William Bendix and Patric Knowles, some location filming in Mexico, short running time, good dialogue.

The film throws you right into the story - by the time you've figured it out, you realise it isn't that complex, but by then the film is almost over!

Movie review - "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe" (2005) ***

Workman-like version of CS Lewis' famous novel which surprisingly has never been given big budget treatment before - in a way, probably just as well, since it allowed computer technology to create some impressive talking animals. It feels like the Harry Potter adaptations: solid rather than inspired, sticking close to the source but lacking the source's magic. Tilda Swinton is good as the witch; the kids playing Peter and Susan are bland pair of potential tween idols, looking as though they stepped off a cover of Girl Zone or some such magazine; the kids playing Edmond and Lucy are a little better - they can at least act - although it must be admitted they at least have characters to play. Liam Neeson is perhaps not totally right as Aslam. Will they make sequels? I'm guessing they will be direct to video ones.

Book review - "Bee Gees: tales of the brothers Gibb"

Exhaustive bio on the famous pop band, written by Melinda Bilyeu, Hector Cook, Andrew Môn Hughes, with Joseph Brennan and Mark Crohan. Covers the early years in England and the Isle of Man, the move to Australia, working in Brisbane and Sydney (where they became professional performers, though never really had a hit record until "Spicks and Specks" just before they left to go to England), moving to England and signing with Robert Stigwood and earning almost instant fame (pay off for all the hard work), the band breaks up they get back together, then a major slump, then disco and Saturday Night Fever and being a mega band, then a backlash in the early 80s but at the same time mass success writing songs for others (eg "Heartbreaker", "Guilty", "Islands in the Stream") then a revival in the late 80s, and then establishment band. A full on journey and this book tries to pack it all in - too much so, at times - it feels as though it would have been better as a reference book than a bio, with all the chatting about what songs have been released where and special German editions of albums. Engrossing.

The boys themselves seem quite normal - well, Maurice was an alcho for 25 years (the book I read only goes up to 2001 so doesn't cover his death), and Robin's wife seems to be bisexual, but no major eccentricities, just a lot of hard work: presumably because they put in such major hard yards in Australia. Compare with their poor brother Andy, better looking than any of them and just as talented, who became famous really quickly and got hooked on everything, rooting up his heart so he went to an early death.

The Bee Gees are sometimes claimed as Australian but really are more English, though the Australian experience seems to have really made them - indeed, Barry suggested Andy go to Australia to start his career as it would be a great place to learn, and Andy did just that (he even got married to an Aussie girl, who he later dumped). But there were many Aussie connections for the group: in the late 60s the Bee Gees were actually a five piece, with the brothers plus a drummer Colin Petersen (who was in the film Smiley) and a guitarist, both Aussies; Stigwood was of course an Aussie and they were involved in promoting Aussie acts like Ronnie Burns.

A very interesting read - but should have been an encyclopedia.

Movie review - "Son of Frankenstein" (1939) ***1/2

The film whose success prompted the third wave of horrors at Universal (after the Lon Chaney wave, then the Karloff-Lugosi wave). Karloff and Lugosi return in this one: Karloff as the monster of course and Lugosi as Ygor, the broken necked assistant who encourages Frankenstein's son (Basil Rathbone) to revive the monster. There is the inevitable rampage, Frankenstein realises he's done wrong and tries to kill it.

Once again, Frankenstein isn't very sympathetic - he starts off arrogant, doesn't take much persuading to bring the creature back from the dead, then goes into a sook and tries to kill it just because it chases his irritating curly haired son. Spectacular demise - Frankenstein swinging on a rope, kicking the monster into sulphur - I always remembered it from being a kid. I didn't remember Lugosi's performance, though it is very good - he's almost unrecognisable with a beard and gravelly voice and shows what he was capable of as an actor provided the director reigned him in - full of hatred and vengeance and determination. He's as much of a protagonist here as the Monster - it's a shame he doesn't get kicked into sulphur too but is rather tamely shot.

Apart from the performances of the lead three, the other highlights include: Leonard Atwill as the one armed police chief (spoofed in Young Frankenstein, which follows this film more closely than Frankenstein or Bride of Frankenstein), and the marvellous sets (love those massive rooms in Castle Frankenstein – there’s no furniture. No wonder Rathbone wants to spend time in the lab at least its cosy there.)

The script and direction are OK. It feels as though it goes on a bit long - although only 98 minutes that still makes it 30 mins longer than the first film. The Monster doesn't have as much to do in this one, though he does have a touching moment mourning Lugosi; most of the action involves Rathbone and Atwill, with Atwill going "what are you up to?" and Rathbone going "nothing, stop looking at me". I've got sympathy for the villagers here - they think Frankenstein would be up to no good and they're absolutely right; these films justify village lynchings.

Nonetheless this would be one of the best of the "third films" in a series, especially considering so much of what was once taken for granted (the actors, the sets, the mood) has now vanished and is impossible to recreate. Followed by Ghost of Frankenstein.