Perhaps inevitably lacks the magic of season 1 - the kids have grown, are a little less cuter; the journey of the adults is less intense; I got the kid who went missing, Will, mixed up with his friend a lot. They introduce a girl, Max, who has a great initial look but her character doesn't go anywhere - and the blonde villain doesn't really do anything bad. I felt it lacked a real human villain. And I get why Ep 7 has been so divisive.
But it remains very well done, production values are high, and has a satisfactory ending (even if they do start setting up all these plots towards the end of the run). Also one scene knocked my socks off - when the kids dressed up as Ghosbusters, just like I used to do.
Friday, December 08, 2017
Thursday, December 07, 2017
Book review - "The General Danced at Dawn" (1971)
George MacDonald Fraser is best known for his Flashman novels but he did another series - a collection of short stories about the adventures of army lieutenant Dand McNeill serving in a Highland Regiment in North Africa after World War Two. More obviously autobiographical than Flashman, but still funny and evocative and worth reading.
This was the first two stories are adequate - "Monsoon Selection Board", where McNeill talks about being selected for officer school, and "Silence in the Ranks", about McNeill meeting his platoon.
Then the stories improve - there's "Play Up, Play Up and Get Tore In" an excellent account of the regiment's football team; there's a memorable character in the dodgy ship's captain and some very exciting football games - Fraser, a former news reporter, was very good at describing matches.
"Wee Wullie" is another strong entry, with the memorable characters of Wullie and the provost marshall; it's a moving tale of bravery.
"The General Danced at Dawn" is great fun - a story I would've liked to have seen filmed (you could film these stories in a Doctor in the House kind of way).
"Night Run to Palestine" feels different to the others because it changes location, being about McNeill's adventures on a night train from Cairo to Palestine - which sounds like a B movie and there are elements of that here, but it is interesting.
"The Whisky and the Music" centers around the legend of a highland regiment. It's not much of a story but is interesting in its depiction of the importance of bag pipes and pipers in highland regiments.
This series is famous for McAuslan but he actually doesn't have much of a role to play until "Guard at the Castle" which is about him doing the guard at Edinburgh Castle (the stories switch location to Scotland, which Fraser must've done). It has a sequel, "McAuslan's Court Martial" where McAuslan almost gets the boot for being dirty; it features a trial, another Fraser area of expertise - he did good trials in Flash for Freedom and Flashman and the Tiger.
It's a good collection of short stories. I wondered how you'd adapt it for a screenplay? Do it like Doctor in the House, I think... string it into some sort of narrative but keep it episodic. Add a romance.
Maybe structure it like this
Sequence 1 - Silence in the Ranks
Sequence 2 - Guard at the Castle - only keep this set in Libya
Sequence 3 - The General Danced at Dawn
Sequence 4 - McAuslan's Court Martial
Sequence 5 - the climactic game in Play Up, Play Up and Get Tore In - I'd make McAuslan and McNeill part of the team
This was the first two stories are adequate - "Monsoon Selection Board", where McNeill talks about being selected for officer school, and "Silence in the Ranks", about McNeill meeting his platoon.
Then the stories improve - there's "Play Up, Play Up and Get Tore In" an excellent account of the regiment's football team; there's a memorable character in the dodgy ship's captain and some very exciting football games - Fraser, a former news reporter, was very good at describing matches.
"Wee Wullie" is another strong entry, with the memorable characters of Wullie and the provost marshall; it's a moving tale of bravery.
"The General Danced at Dawn" is great fun - a story I would've liked to have seen filmed (you could film these stories in a Doctor in the House kind of way).
"Night Run to Palestine" feels different to the others because it changes location, being about McNeill's adventures on a night train from Cairo to Palestine - which sounds like a B movie and there are elements of that here, but it is interesting.
"The Whisky and the Music" centers around the legend of a highland regiment. It's not much of a story but is interesting in its depiction of the importance of bag pipes and pipers in highland regiments.
This series is famous for McAuslan but he actually doesn't have much of a role to play until "Guard at the Castle" which is about him doing the guard at Edinburgh Castle (the stories switch location to Scotland, which Fraser must've done). It has a sequel, "McAuslan's Court Martial" where McAuslan almost gets the boot for being dirty; it features a trial, another Fraser area of expertise - he did good trials in Flash for Freedom and Flashman and the Tiger.
It's a good collection of short stories. I wondered how you'd adapt it for a screenplay? Do it like Doctor in the House, I think... string it into some sort of narrative but keep it episodic. Add a romance.
Maybe structure it like this
Sequence 1 - Silence in the Ranks
Sequence 2 - Guard at the Castle - only keep this set in Libya
Sequence 3 - The General Danced at Dawn
Sequence 4 - McAuslan's Court Martial
Sequence 5 - the climactic game in Play Up, Play Up and Get Tore In - I'd make McAuslan and McNeill part of the team
Movie review - "The Million Eyes of Sumuru" (1968) **
Harry Alan Towers had success with some Fu Manchi movies made in the late 60s - looking for a follow up his eyes lit on another super villain created by Sax Rohmer, Sumuru. While Fu Manchu was the yellow peril Sumuru was the female peril - created by Rohmer when publishers started finding his work just too racist.
The film is sexist - Sumuru is determined to rule the world but is undermined by females who can't help resisting men - but the impact of that is limited by the film's sloppiness and stupidity.
The camp factor is extremely, extremely high here. George Nader, a famous Hollywood gay, is the he-man hero who women find irresistible. George was getting on a bit - he takes his shirt off a lot and is in good shape but the years were starting to tell. And I don't mean to be the sort of person who reads in gay things into films because of an actor's sexual orientation but it honestly does seem like Nader is sending it up and mocking heterosexuality in his performance.
Shirley Eaton from Goldfinger is fun as Sumuru, having a great old time. I have affection for Frankie Avalon with his helmet hair and goofy nature - the sexist nature of some of his character's comments are unfortunate. Wilfred Hyde White dodders through and Klaus Kinski has a high old time as a prince.
There's some very attractive women in the film as well as location shooting in Hong Kong (Terry Bourke, Australian director, was production manager). The film is a mess - you can't say it's a good movie, it's confusing - but it has fun things.
The film is sexist - Sumuru is determined to rule the world but is undermined by females who can't help resisting men - but the impact of that is limited by the film's sloppiness and stupidity.
The camp factor is extremely, extremely high here. George Nader, a famous Hollywood gay, is the he-man hero who women find irresistible. George was getting on a bit - he takes his shirt off a lot and is in good shape but the years were starting to tell. And I don't mean to be the sort of person who reads in gay things into films because of an actor's sexual orientation but it honestly does seem like Nader is sending it up and mocking heterosexuality in his performance.
Shirley Eaton from Goldfinger is fun as Sumuru, having a great old time. I have affection for Frankie Avalon with his helmet hair and goofy nature - the sexist nature of some of his character's comments are unfortunate. Wilfred Hyde White dodders through and Klaus Kinski has a high old time as a prince.
There's some very attractive women in the film as well as location shooting in Hong Kong (Terry Bourke, Australian director, was production manager). The film is a mess - you can't say it's a good movie, it's confusing - but it has fun things.
Monday, December 04, 2017
Movie review - "Johnny Angel" (1945) *** (warning spoilers)
I always assumed George Raft's career went into freefall after he left Warners, a studio which made films that he was so ideal for, but actually he hung on as a decent star for a few years freelancing. This in particular was a big hit, making over a million dollars in profit - true, it was at a time when Hollywood was doing gangbusters business, but not every film did that well, so audiences must have still liked Raft.
It's a pretty good little film - a programmer in many ways, but a decent mystery with some beautiful black and white photography and decent direction from Ed Marin. Raft at first seems odd as a sea captain but it's nice to see him in uniform - anyway he doesn't spend much time on a boat, but more poking around night clubs and docks investigating what happened to his father's boat, which has turned up empty and bobbing in the sea Marie Celeste style.
Signe Hasso isn't very good as the mystery girl but Claire Trevor is enjoyable as a gold digging woman. I liked Hoagy Carmichael popping up as an enigmatic cab driver and there's excellent performances from Marvin Miller as a sad sack in love with Trevor (great final scene) and Lowell Gilmore as a suave red herring. I really loved the ending with Miller blubbering his confession and then Margaret Wycherly stepping in to blow him away. It was also fun how Raft uses his sex appeal on Trevor to solve the case (he wasn't able to get away with that much longer.)
I don't want to over praise this - there's too many scenes set in the sunlight when it really all should've been at night or on cramped ships, the romance between Raft and Hasso is so undercooked that when they get together at the end its a surprise, I wish there had been more creepy boat stuff.
But Raft is solid, the film is entertaining. It's easily one of his best later movies and I can see why he persisted on working with Marin.
It's a pretty good little film - a programmer in many ways, but a decent mystery with some beautiful black and white photography and decent direction from Ed Marin. Raft at first seems odd as a sea captain but it's nice to see him in uniform - anyway he doesn't spend much time on a boat, but more poking around night clubs and docks investigating what happened to his father's boat, which has turned up empty and bobbing in the sea Marie Celeste style.
Signe Hasso isn't very good as the mystery girl but Claire Trevor is enjoyable as a gold digging woman. I liked Hoagy Carmichael popping up as an enigmatic cab driver and there's excellent performances from Marvin Miller as a sad sack in love with Trevor (great final scene) and Lowell Gilmore as a suave red herring. I really loved the ending with Miller blubbering his confession and then Margaret Wycherly stepping in to blow him away. It was also fun how Raft uses his sex appeal on Trevor to solve the case (he wasn't able to get away with that much longer.)
I don't want to over praise this - there's too many scenes set in the sunlight when it really all should've been at night or on cramped ships, the romance between Raft and Hasso is so undercooked that when they get together at the end its a surprise, I wish there had been more creepy boat stuff.
But Raft is solid, the film is entertaining. It's easily one of his best later movies and I can see why he persisted on working with Marin.
Script review - "The Lady Vanishes" by Launder and Gilliat
This would have to be one of my favourite scripts of all time. It's so lovely and clever and fresh and funny. And the structure is to die for. Things are brought in and paid off beautifully, the characters are clearly delineated and warmly sketched. Yes I like it in part it's about cricket but also because of its cleverness and wit and excitement.
Irish is a cheerful young girl but that's all she has to be; Gilbert is given some real background (folk dancing, impoverished father) - though I do wish Iris had been given more of the nun's heroic stuff at the end (there you go, flaws). Miss Froy is the greatest secret agent of all time; the villains (Dr Hartz, the Baronness) may be evil foreigners but they are smart and gentlemanly (at the end Hartz says "good luck to them"); the subplot about the cheating couple is very adult and believable; the nun in high heels (who does a lot of heroic stuff at the end) is brilliant, going back to her country in the hour of need; Charters and Caldicott are splendid.
Break it down into sequences
A - meet all the characters in a comic, fun way - bewildered Britishers and flustered foreigners. End with the singer being murdered
B - get on the train, someone tries to kiss Miss Froy and Iris gets conked on the head, set up the passengers in the compartment and the tea and the name on the window, then go to sleep - wake up and Miss Froy is gone
C - Iris looks for Miss Froy, everyone denies her including the British (to avoid getting in trouble), Gilbert and Dr Hartz try to help, Irish sees Miss Froy's name, a woman gets on the train, Hartz persuades Iris that she imagined it but then Gilbert sees the tea and believes her - reveal that Hartz is in on it with the nun and the woman
D - Gilbert and Iris keep looking and get in a fight with the man in the compartment. Hartz reveals his plan to drug Gilbert and Iris to the nun and he drugs them...
E - But they wake up. Turns out the nun helped them. They rescue Miss Froy and try to put someone else in her place. They almost get away with it but Hartz figures out what's going on. And orders the train to be diverted.
F - The train is diverted but it's the dining room and the British are left. They manage to fight them off, especially Gilbert and the nun. Miss Froy reveals who she is and makes a run for it.
G -Gilbert and Irish get together and discover Miss Froy's still alive.
Wonderful stuff.
Irish is a cheerful young girl but that's all she has to be; Gilbert is given some real background (folk dancing, impoverished father) - though I do wish Iris had been given more of the nun's heroic stuff at the end (there you go, flaws). Miss Froy is the greatest secret agent of all time; the villains (Dr Hartz, the Baronness) may be evil foreigners but they are smart and gentlemanly (at the end Hartz says "good luck to them"); the subplot about the cheating couple is very adult and believable; the nun in high heels (who does a lot of heroic stuff at the end) is brilliant, going back to her country in the hour of need; Charters and Caldicott are splendid.
Break it down into sequences
A - meet all the characters in a comic, fun way - bewildered Britishers and flustered foreigners. End with the singer being murdered
B - get on the train, someone tries to kiss Miss Froy and Iris gets conked on the head, set up the passengers in the compartment and the tea and the name on the window, then go to sleep - wake up and Miss Froy is gone
C - Iris looks for Miss Froy, everyone denies her including the British (to avoid getting in trouble), Gilbert and Dr Hartz try to help, Irish sees Miss Froy's name, a woman gets on the train, Hartz persuades Iris that she imagined it but then Gilbert sees the tea and believes her - reveal that Hartz is in on it with the nun and the woman
D - Gilbert and Iris keep looking and get in a fight with the man in the compartment. Hartz reveals his plan to drug Gilbert and Iris to the nun and he drugs them...
E - But they wake up. Turns out the nun helped them. They rescue Miss Froy and try to put someone else in her place. They almost get away with it but Hartz figures out what's going on. And orders the train to be diverted.
F - The train is diverted but it's the dining room and the British are left. They manage to fight them off, especially Gilbert and the nun. Miss Froy reveals who she is and makes a run for it.
G -Gilbert and Irish get together and discover Miss Froy's still alive.
Wonderful stuff.
Sunday, December 03, 2017
Movie review - "Jason Bourne" (2016) **1/2 (warning: spoilers)
The Bourne films set the agenda for modern day spy movies with their sense of realism and fast pace, and the first four movies were strong, but this one is a disappointment despite the return of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass.
Technically it's fine - it looks polished, the action is solid. I think the biggest problem is the story - there's nothing new about it. So much of it feels familiar - the head baddy behind a headset following Bourne (Tommy Lee Jones instead of Chris Cooper, David Strathairn, Ed Norton) who clashes with a female (Alicia Vikander instead of Joan Allen), a girl who likes him being killed in the opening sequence (Julia Stiles instead of Fanka Potente), Bourne being chased by a super assassin (Victor Cassell instead of Clive Owen), Bourne forcing a woman to drive, a sequence where Bourne meets someone in London who winds up killed.
I was excited by the idea of Bourne learning more about his past but we just learn that his father started Treadstone and was killed... it just gives him an excuse to go an kill people). The stuff about government oversight into privacy on line is boring. Why do spy movies try to get political? I really wish they'd tied it in to events of the fourth movie - a Jeremy Renner/Matt Damon cross over would've been awesome.
It lacks emotion and boldness - there was really no reason to make this film except money. I know you could've said that about all of them, but the first three sequels all tried in places to be different and this doesn't.
Technically it's fine - it looks polished, the action is solid. I think the biggest problem is the story - there's nothing new about it. So much of it feels familiar - the head baddy behind a headset following Bourne (Tommy Lee Jones instead of Chris Cooper, David Strathairn, Ed Norton) who clashes with a female (Alicia Vikander instead of Joan Allen), a girl who likes him being killed in the opening sequence (Julia Stiles instead of Fanka Potente), Bourne being chased by a super assassin (Victor Cassell instead of Clive Owen), Bourne forcing a woman to drive, a sequence where Bourne meets someone in London who winds up killed.
I was excited by the idea of Bourne learning more about his past but we just learn that his father started Treadstone and was killed... it just gives him an excuse to go an kill people). The stuff about government oversight into privacy on line is boring. Why do spy movies try to get political? I really wish they'd tied it in to events of the fourth movie - a Jeremy Renner/Matt Damon cross over would've been awesome.
It lacks emotion and boldness - there was really no reason to make this film except money. I know you could've said that about all of them, but the first three sequels all tried in places to be different and this doesn't.
Friday, December 01, 2017
Movie review- "Jack the Giant Killer" (1961) **1/2
Edward Small saw the grosses for The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and thought "I'll have me some of that" so he hired that movie's star, head villain and director. He didn't hire Ray Harryhausen so the effects aren't as good but this is a sweet, fun movie, impossible to dislike if you've got a soft spot for this sort of film.
Kerwin Mathews is handsome and a bit bland but not bad as the hero; Judi Meredith has spunk and life as the heroine. Torin Thatcher plays the villain to the manor born and Anna Lee is great fun as a witch.
There's some repetition - Meredith is captured twice in the first half hour and some of the effects are wonky; but it hits a lot of the beats you want - there's a leprechaun who's a genie, and escapes and sword fighting and possession, and a surprisingly shocking moment where a boy's father is killed in front of the boy's eyes.
Cheerful and bright. Nathan Juran directed and co-wrote.
Kerwin Mathews is handsome and a bit bland but not bad as the hero; Judi Meredith has spunk and life as the heroine. Torin Thatcher plays the villain to the manor born and Anna Lee is great fun as a witch.
There's some repetition - Meredith is captured twice in the first half hour and some of the effects are wonky; but it hits a lot of the beats you want - there's a leprechaun who's a genie, and escapes and sword fighting and possession, and a surprisingly shocking moment where a boy's father is killed in front of the boy's eyes.
Cheerful and bright. Nathan Juran directed and co-wrote.
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