Movie review - "One Way Ticket" (1997) **

 Aussie TV movie - seemingly shot on video tape - about a prison guard, Rachel Blakely, who has an affair with a prisoner Peter Phelps. Blakely is very good. So too is Phelps although how much you enjoy the film will depend on how much you enjoy their chemistry Phelps was a little too believable as a hardened crim for me and when he boogied to her along to 'Hold Me in Your Arms' it seemed silly. Casting someone like, say, a young Hugh Jackman would've changed the tone. The scenes between Phelps and Blakely were a little rapey - when he dances with her it's not entirely sexy. Maybe that's just me but their complete lack of sexual chemistry was the biggest flaw in the movie.

I've got to say Phelps completely commits - with his tatts and later shaved head. Blakely goes for it too - it's surprising to see her topless. Chris Haywood offers strong support and there's a bunch of familiar faces.

It's a solid story though curiously lacking in excitement. Richard Franklin's direction is competent rather than outstanding.

TV review - "Flatland Ep 1 Mists of Time" (2002) *

 Pilot for TV series set in China. Shot on video, it seems. Looks terrible. Confusing. People involved in something in the 4th dimension. Some fighting, multi national casst including Dennis Hopper. I couldn't follow it. There's some hot Chinese girl in a bikini, a black American guy, some random white guy, a hot blonde American babe, some British guy, plus Steven Grieves.

There's some karate and running up walls. An ancient warrior.

Richard Franklin apparently directed the pilot. Al Ruddy produced. It was just awful.

TV review - "The Beauty and the Beast Ep 1 Once Upon a Time in the City of New York" (1987) ***1/2

 Well made take on fairytales, skillfully updated to New York City, done with conviction. I mostly watched this pilot because Richard Franklin directed it. Beautifully photographed and it gave Linda Hamilton a chance to do something glam, and Ron Perlman a romantic leading man part.

It's fantasy but done with commitment and conviction. I enjoyed it. The series wound up lasting three seasons which isn't bad for something centered around a key central relationship - and Hamilton leaving after season two.

TV review - "The Lost World: The Journey Begins and Stranded" (1999) **1/2

 Pilot for the adventure series shot on the Gold Coast - there were a bunch of them made there around that time including Beastmaster, Tales of the South Seas and so on. It's silly tongue in cheek fun, played with conviction. The cast is fine - the standouts are the two women: feisty heiress Rachel Blakely (who has urst with the hunky hunter Will Snow) and the fur bikini wearing cavewoman. Variable effects, a sense of fun.

The director was Richard Franklin, who did a number of episodes, and the executive producer was John Landis.

Book review - "The Chill" by Ross MacDonald

 A lew Archer book that was adapted into a (as yet unfilmed) script by William Goldman. There's a lot of plot. A lot. I got distracted. Competently done. I wasn't into it, I'll admit that. I think the script was different, and better.

Book review - "Solid Ivory" by James Ivory

 Not a straight up memoir more a collection of pieces - essays on people Ivory has known (Lillian Ross, Raquel Welch, George Cukor plus of course Ruth and Ismail) and places (Venice, India), plus a long memoir section of growing up with a lot of gay content in it. Not a lot on the films though there are bits - a far wack on Shakespeare Wallah, getting Vanessa Redgrave on The Bostonians (it was almost Glenn Close), the development of Call Me By Your Name, working with Raquel Welch on The Wild Party. I would've liked more on the movies - the Weinstein dramas on The Golden Bowl, and the high points of Howards End and so on. The best bits are the chapters on Ruth and Ismail Merchant. I would've liked a different book, more film orientated, but this was interesting.

Book review - "Close-Up On Sunset Boulevard: Billy Wilder, Norma Desmond, And The Dark Hollywood Dream" by Sam Staggs (2002)

 Not as good as Staggs' book on All About Eve because that had the X factor of finding the Girl. This one he's done his research, especially on the musical versions (including Swanson's attempts in the 50s and 60s to do one), the original script, chatting to Nancy Olson as well as others...  I loved the opening scene of Wilder meeting a drunk DW Griffith at a party. I maybe would've liked more on the silent era stuff and Brackett (he gets points though for bothering to read Brackett's novels). A lot of it did feel like padding and I felt Staggs was unnecessarily mean about much of Wilder's non Brackett output.

After reading this I went back to Brackett's published diaries and those entries, short as they were, are far superior to what's on here.