October 31st, 2006
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Ian W |
Rants & Raves |
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In August 1975, BBC2 started showing late night horror movie double bills; these ran for a couple of months every year until 1981. Some of the fondest memories of my childhood are watching these with my Dad. He wasn’t a big horror fan but seeing these films with him was how my fascination with the genre started.
That year I was ten and Saturday not being a school night, I was allowed to stay up a little later than normal, much to my younger brother’s annoyance. The movies usually started somewhere between ten and eleven; the first was a ’30s or ’40s classic while the second was of a more recent vintage and was considered too adult for my tender years. This probably had more to do with sex and nudity than violence and gore.
The only film I remember seeing from that first season was The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) and while I remember it having a very creepy atmosphere it is most memorable for introducing me to Peter Lorre. His twitchy, nervous performance is easily the highlight and I’ve been a fan ever since.
October 29th, 2006
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Ian W |
Music Reviews |
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On the opening track of his new album Lindsey Buckingham sings about reading a review in a newspaper - “said I was a visionary but nobody knew/and that’s been a problem/feeling unseen.” The man has a point. When I told my brother Tony, I was going to review this album his response was “Lindsey who?” and he’s not exactly a musical philistine, just not a Fleetwood Mac fan.
Buckingham is Mac’s best kept secret and that’s not just a crime it’s a sin. While Peter Green is an instantly recognisable name (I’m sure Tony would have known him) the man who replaced him in the band and who’s probably had an even bigger influence on their sound and certainly their success is virtually unknown outside the bands fanbase.
One of the reasons for this of course is the fact that he’s not exactly prolific. This collection of 11 songs is his first solo release since Out of the Cradle in 1992. That makes this something of an event, at least for fans. Being one of them, my expectations were high but my initial feeling was one of disappointment. Stripped down to just acoustic guitar and vocals but with his usual over the top production style it just didn’t seem to gel. The hooks didn’t hook, where were the catchy tunes of old?
October 20th, 2006
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Ian W |
Music Reviews |
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What should one’s expectations be for a new album from a bunch of rock dinosaurs who started making music back in the Jurassic era? A work that manages to catch a faint glimpse of past glories? Given that this is now only really half The Who, perhaps even that is too much to hope for. Imagine my surprise then, when, after a few listens, I fell in love with this new album from Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, the two surviving members of this legendary rock band.
The album breaks down into two halves - the first nine songs stand on their own while the final ten make up the mini-opera “Wire & Glass”.
The first track, “Fragments” starts with a repeated keyboard refrain before that distinctive Townshend guitar breaks in along with drums from Zak Starkey and bass from master session player Pino Paladino. They’re soon joined by the unmistakable voice of Roger Daltrey. The song itself deals with man’s individuality and the possibility of unity through music. It’s a good way to start but things get better.
“Man In a Purple Dress” was inspired by the film The Passion of the Christ and sees Townshend railing against the pomposity of organised religion, where men need to play dress up in order to commune with god. The arrangement is simple, just acoustic guitar and vocals and it’s very country in style. It’s one of Roger Daltrey’s finest moments, not just singing the words but feeling them as well.
October 19th, 2006
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Ian W |
TV Reviews |
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This episode of Extras is definitely one for the British fans and being one of them, I loved every minute of it.
What makes this such a joy for the home crowd is the wealth of celebrity guests on offer. Richard Briers, Ronnie Corbett and Stephen Fry are practically household names in the UK. I can’t say for sure but my guess is that most American audiences won’t have a clue who any of them are.
One guest who will be known to viewers on the other side of the Atlantic is Coldplay’s Chris Martin. I’m not a fan of Coldplay, Martin’s mournful vocals on EVERY song put me off. I mean he’s a million selling rock star, you’d think he’d have something to smile about. But as a person he’s won me over after his appearance here. He sends up the charitable rock star type brilliantly. He’s even good when he makes a guest appearance on Andy’s sitcom When the Whistle Blows…at least until he starts to sing.
With Martin’s guest spot over with, the rest of the episode concentrates on Andy’s BAFTA nomination for Best Comedy Performance.
When Maggie is treated rudely in a designer clothes store while shopping for a dress to wear to the awards dinner, Andy decides to use his celebrity status to play the hero. Gervais is brilliant here, it would be so easy to overdo things and by doing so kill the scene but he lets the situation bring out the laughs rather than try to play it funny.
October 17th, 2006
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Ian W |
TV Reviews |
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Picking up right where last week’s episode left off the show continues to explore the ramifications that their mysterious powers have on our heroes’ lives while still finding time to further the overall plot and introduce some new characters.
Mohinder Suresh meets a friend of his father’s and finds that the cockroach isn’t the only bug in his apartment. He also makes a discovery that may lead him to what his father referred to as “patient zero.” Suresh may not have any superpowers but Sendhil Ramamurthy manages to make him interesting enough that we’re never bored when he’s onscreen. He also has the perfect voice for delivering the philosophical opening and closing narration each episode.
Single mother and internet stripper Niki heads out of town with her kid, along with a couple of dead guys in the trunk. How did they get there? And what’s at the destination marked on the map she finds in the shiny new convertible? It seems her blackouts hold the answer. Ali Larter was one of the more recognizable members of the ensemble cast having had a major role in the first two Final Destination films and made a memorable appearance in Kevin Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. As mom on the run Niki Sanders she conveys the scared intensity of the character perfectly and I can’t wait to see where her story leads next.
October 13th, 2006
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Ian W |
TV Reviews |
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With this, the third episode in the series, we’re treated to the opening credits from When the Whistle Blows. Once again, I’m left hoping for a return of the wonderful movie send-ups we saw at the start of the original series and the first episode of this one. It’s not that When the Whistle Blows doesn’t hit the mark; it’s just that it’s getting further away from the “extras” part of Extras.
The rest of the episode sees a return to the style of the original, with Andy and Maggie working together on the same film, although, Andy does have a bigger part in the movie, thanks to his newfound TV fame.
The film the pair find themselves working on is a fantasy movie starring Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. Radcliffe enjoys himself, playing against his squeaky clean Potter image. He’s a sex obsessed teenager (so a normal kid then), who tries to use his star power to score with any female he finds on set, with disastrous (and hilarious) results.
Also working on the film is Warwick Davis, who has a scene with Andy’s agent that, in anyone else’s hands, could have been offensive (it’s full of small people jokes). But in Gervais’ hands, it works. We’re not laughing at Davis, but rather Millman’s imbecile of an agent. With friends like this, Andy doesn’t need enemies!
October 10th, 2006
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Ian W |
DVD Reviews |
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The Film
I love 50’s Sci Fi movies. Some of them are so good they transcend the genre and are considered classic films in their own right. The Day the Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Incredible Shrinking Man are four personal favourites from this type. Then you have the ‘so bad they’re good’ kind epitomised by Plan 9 from Outer Space. This Island Earth falls into neither bracket. It’s decent SF but lacking in enough areas to stop it reaching masterpiece status.
While it’s not unusual for films of the era to be preoccupied with the then relatively new concept of atomic power what sets this apart is it’s pro-atomic stance. Fear of the bomb and the effect of radiation was one of the top two topics for science fiction of the time (the other being the communist threat) but it usually manifested itself as a danger to nature in films like Them! or The Incredible Shrinking Man. Here it’s presented as a force for good.
Scientist Dr. Cal Meacham (Rex Reason) is looking into practical uses for atomic energy when he’s contacted by a secret organisation led by a man named Exeter (Jeff Morrow.) Having had a glimpse of the miraculous technology at their disposal, he can’t resist the offer to join them. Whisked away in a pilotless plane to a hidden location he finds himself working on a secret project with a group of top scientists. Before long, it becomes clear that they aren’t working for any earthbound government but rather an alien race from the planet Metaluna. After a foiled escape attempt, Meacham and fellow scientist Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue) are transported to the doomed planet in the hope they will become it’s saviours.
October 10th, 2006
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Ian W |
TV Reviews |
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A group of disparate individuals all begin to manifest strange abilities. It’s hardly an original idea. George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards series of books has a not dissimilar theme, as does The 4400. Marvel comics New Universe from the 80’s (shortly to be reborn as newuniversal) dealt with the emergence of super-powered humans on earth. Still, when a show is as entertaining as this one, who cares?
The opening onscreen text gives the show an epic feel, and the fact it’s billed as “Chapter One: Genesis” only enhances that.
The tale starts in India where Mohinder Suresh, a genetics professor, learns of his father’s death in New York. His father had been looking for the next step in human evolution and Suresh heads to the US not only to find out what happened to his father, but to continue his quest as well. He takes his father’s old apartment and gets a job driving a cab.
Also in New York are a male nurse, Peter Petrelli, who has a recurring dream of flying and his politician brother who is running for congress. Can Peter really fly? That’s a mystery the episode waits until the end to reveal. It’s an unexpected twist that nicely wrong foots the viewer’s expectations.
October 8th, 2006
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Ian W |
TV Reviews |
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Shark is a series built of clichés, from the title on down. I’m sure the producers probably wanted to name the lead character Sebastian Shark. Thankfully, they stopped short of that and went for Stark instead.
The show starts with Stark in court where he gets a client who’s accused of attempting to murder his wife off scot-free. Shortly thereafter, he is shocked to discover that the man has murdered his wife. He clearly has never watched L.A. Law or Boston Legal or … you get the idea. This makes me wonder why Mr Stark has such a high reputation. He’s defending a guy who’s accused of attempted murder and the supposed victim is on the side of the defence! Some hotshot lawyer, I could probably have got him off.
After spending a month of remorse at home, he’s contacted by the Mayor. He wants him to head up a new high profile prosecution team, under the D.A. played by Jeri Ryan.
Accepting the position, he finds he’s been burdened with the misfits of the District Attorney’s office. For their first case they will be prosecuting a wholesome pop star accused of murder. Early on he gives them his three rules of trial law -
1. Trial is war - second place is death.
2. Truth is relative - pick one that works.
3. In a jury trial, there are only 12 opinions that matter.
It’s soon clear that, while he may now be on the side of the angels, he hasn’t changed his methods.
October 3rd, 2006
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Ian W |
TV Reviews |
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What a wonderful place Jericho is, it’s like the idyllic small town. The perfect place to meet the apocalypse? Or perhaps the sort of place that would have you wishing you’d been incinerated instead?
Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) returns home after years away to claim his inheritance and try and put his life in order. Encountering old acquaintances who ask where he’s been he responds with a different answer each time, so it’s clear he has a secret past. After failing to get his money from his father, the town’s Mayor, he heads back to the big city. And that’s when things get a bit more interesting. But only a bit.
After the opening ten minutes of family squabbles and a soundtrack that suffers from a severe case of bland rock overkill, I was starting to lose interest. Thankfully, this is when a nuclear explosion goes off destroying Denver. Not that I have anything against Denver. It’s just that if that hadn’t happened, I think I might have fallen asleep.
After checking that the radiation is below danger levels, the Mayor organises a search party for his son and a missing school bus. He attempts to calm the concerned parents only to be told, “That’s easy for you to say, you don’t have a child out there.” Cue clichéd cut to Jake.
