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Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Star Wars ends with a fizzle
There are inherent problems with this latest incarnation of Star Wars that are pretty obvious from the reaction of the fan base and that simply cant be ignored. Its not a good movie in terms of what story it is trying to tell and how it will finish off 42 years of Star Wars. The idea that the "Skywalker Saga" had to end is just advertising executives trying to sell you the idea that THIS will be the final time these heroes will be referenced by a Star Wars movie.
Sets, costumes, Effects and cast put in a great effort to deliver the best they can with the convoluted and overpopulated story they are trying to portray, but it all comes down to the strength of the story, and sadly, the Rise Of Skywalker finishes off a 3 movie attempt to retcon extended universe material back into the Canonical world of Star Wars because it was better than what they had to begin with.
Most of the plot of this movie can be found in the pages of the Dark Empire comics that were released after the original trilogy, but the lacklustre exposition, new characters that have no real effect on the story and zero effort to establish important plot points in previous films makes this a mish mash of ideas that come from nowhere, go nowhere and weren't that important anyway.
Having the plot that is a treasure hunt could have been interesting and entertaining. Relying on a McGuffin that was pretty much straight out of the movie "The Goonies" to set up finding another McGuffin to allow the movie to move on meant 30 minutes of set up for the final confrontation that was just a much shorter do over of the last third of Return Of the Jedi, but came off more like it was intended to be in the style of a Roger Corman exploitation B movie.
Nothing really works in the plot of this film. Even the final confrontation seemed to rely on fan service to bring it to a close because "that's the best we could do this late in the day", and its a commonly used "Wrapping up the loose ends because we don't want to do this anymore" ending that ruined the final season of Game Of Thrones.
A throw away plot that has more holes than a sieve, no real weight to the consequences of the outcome, throw away characters and whole plot lines that were just left on the cutting room floor and a rush to just get over the finish line meant that this was never going to be great. JJ Abrams could have directed a great movie if they had taken some time to craft a meaningful arc for the characters, but as we have seen many times, when film companies start meddling in the affairs of crafting a movie, you end up with a diluted product that fails to achieve anything.
...and so it is that the latest Star Wars movie fails to deliver. Where do you put the blame? When all the shouting and vitriol is done, its probably best to just let it slide under the ocean of disappointments and let those who can re-craft something special for its next incarnation get on with coming up with something original.
Its sad to see Star Wars end up like this.
The Witcher (2019)
Toss a coin to your Witcher and jump on board!
In a word, the show is fabulous. As a fan of the games and books, I was cautiously hopeful that the showrunners would pull this off, but it looked like it was against the grain as the cast was announced. Certain changes from the books was expected but made me worry that it would just be another "Britannia"
Thankfully, this show has a couple of secret weapons in its arsenal. The most prominent one being Henry Cavill. Hes a fan of the books and games and wanted to do justice to the character, and he has gone on record to defend the opinions of fans even if they don't like him in that certain other role he plays. In this role however, he exudes confidence. physically capable of doing the hard graft and with a unique understanding of the world and character, he slips into the role and by episode 3, Cavill WAS Geralt Of Rivia through and through.
Cast wise, Anya Chalotra as Yennifer was a gamble that has paid off! because she is fairly unknown, it was always going to be hard to picture her in the role of the firey sorceress, but lo and behold, shes become quite a driving force in the role and her scenes with Cavill are exactly as imagined in book and game (though no unicorn has appeared yet) additionally, Joey Batey as Jaskier brings comedy relief to the show but as with the books, its his storytelling that earns Geralt his fame. His ability to portray the wannabe rock star bard grounds Geralt's tale in the world of the series well and the musical interludes add depth to the events from the books.
but the biggest weapon the series has is the way it has translated the stories from the books to screen. its perfect! This isn't a game of thrones-esque cash in and its not some kids show that you need background knowledge to understand. This is the real deal and its easy to see why Sapkowski's books have sold 50 Million copies, not least because video gamer's discovered the Witcher through one of the last decades greatest game experiences in Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (if you haven't played this, you haven't lived!) Sapkowski himself doesn't believe the books need the games, but its more than fair to day that they have helped bring the world of the Witcher to grim life in the minds of so many people, and I think its going to be the strength of the series appeal to these people that makes of breaks this show. this audience will either jump on board willingly or reject it utterly.
Bad stuff? because the adaptation is taking short stories that don't happen in chronological order, its sometimes hard to follow, and some of the underlying themes from the books have yet to develop to drive the story forward, mainly the turmoil felt by Geralt being torn between being a Witcher and being hated for what he is even though he had no choice and doing what destiny expects of him when he doesn't believe in destiny. It also has to be said that the last episode is just set up for season 2 and didnt really do much apart from the magical battle between the rag tag members of the magical brotherhood and the rogue Fringella Vigo who's blind ambition has been consumed by the power of the Nilfgaardian army and their manifest destiny (Fringella is Brilliantly played by Mimi Ndiweni as well!)
Overall, Excellent swordplay and physical acting, firey relationships,
political intrigue, monsters (both supernatural and human) and through it all a story about Geralt protecting a young girl who is destined to save (or destroy) the world. Roll on Season 2!
A Christmas Carol (2019)
We need to talk about the BBC Drama department
Honestly... we need to discuss the BBC's recent output of Drama. It all started with His Dark Materials (A show I couldn't see through to the end) and the terrible War Of the Worlds adaptation that ran in parallel to it. Now this, a "somewhat faithful... but not really" adaptation of the best known Christmas ghost story of our time.
While the crew have put in a stellar job in producing something that feels like its from the period... and the extremely talented cast portray the roles with absolute confidence and deliver their roles extremely well, the entire problem with this rendition of the story is that it loses its way early on and cant get back on track to land the ending at all.
While the added exposition of Scrooge's life at boarding school and the betrayal of his father add weight to the reasons Scrooge is such a odious human, there is no miracle in his arc that redeems him. He REFUSES to repent or take responsibility for his actions, but at the same time he is racked with guilt over the possible death of a child he has already saved, albeit to the satisfaction of his nefarious predilections. the entire point of the Christmas Carol is that he is a changed man through and through, not just to change the life of Bob Cratchet's child.
This change derails the story. Also, the Ghost of Christmas Future should have been utterly terrifying, and it would have made more sense that his sisters spirit was the ghost of christmas past leaving Andy Serkis to be able to really dig into the role and play out the grim ghost of Christmas Present instead of him spending a whole episode doing the christmas past thing.
Peoples familiarity with this story may not be from the original source material, but I'm willing to guess the many versions of this story that have come and gone over the years didn't mess with this through respect for the source material.
Which brings me back to the original point. What is going on at the BBC drama department? Is the fact that they are co-producing these drama's with other companies (in this case, FX) diluting their creativity? who decided to change the story? Scott Free are a capable production company, but are notoriously unable to write stories effectively.
I like the fact it was Dark and made for an older audience, but even with additional exposition and a more than capable cast, this is not an adaptation I will be returning to in future. Id rather watch the Muppet version to be honest!
Alien (1979)
The mother of Sci Fi Horror
Its 40 years old and still terrifying. It was ground breaking in its day and has'nt lost any of its potency. It was a moment in cinema that will never be repeated. Alien is the brainchild of Dan O'Bannon filtered through the fertile minds of Brandywine productions and artistically captured by Ridley Scott with the most terrifying space monster of them all courtesy of H.R Giger. What is left to say?
I don't need to go into detail in this review, but the fact that decades after its release that it has yet to be bettered goes to show how unique and powerful this movie is.
The Beastmaster (1982)
1980s Fantasy Romp that still entertains
I have a massive soft spot for this movie. Unlike a lot of people, I actually saw the original UK Theatrical release in glorious 35mm, and seeing movies like this on the big screen during a period that gave birth to my love of cinema, it remains one of my favorite from my childhood.
In a time when film studios were going mad for Star Wars rip offs, The Beastmaster was a welcome and overlooked gem amongst a pile of old stones. A very young Marc Singer (who would go on to international fame in the series "V" and Dynasty) stars in the title role and, I feel, carries if off successfully. The Addition of Rip Torn as mega bad guy, Mayax, brings gravitas to the antagonist in this.
The movie is darker in tone than most others of the era, and the fact that Don Coscarelli (of Phantasm fame) was involved in this is no surprise. Here, his work is far more polished and well produced than the classic of 70s horror, and technically, the movie is a smörgåsbord of up to date film-making (for the period). 35mm film, some nifty special effects and more dead things than you can shake a stick at.
The only other movie of this era like this was Conan the Barbarian, which already had a bigger budget and star attraction of the rising legend that is Arnold Swartzenegger, but in direct comparison, Beastmaster still manages to entertain far more than Conan could manage, mostly down to the fact that its editing is competent and never dwells on one situation for too long.
Add to that the brilliant soundtrack and you have a movie that does everything it sets out to do in a neat 2 hour package. it may seem like B movie fodder to todays audiences, but its still worth a watch in my estimation, mainly due to the fact that it still stands up as one of the best fantasy movies of the time.
If I had to complain about anything, it would be the lack of information and background on the world that this film inhabits as well as the almost silent first 30 minutes that depends more on visual queues and ambiance than dialog. Some of the sword work in this in woefully inadequate to today's standards, but for the time, it was impressive, especially to a 12 year old me.
Its upsetting to discover that the Tiger who player Ruuh died 2 years later following skin problems brought on by the black dye used in this movie. It still remains one of my favorite childhood memories and unlike the American audience that had constant re-runs on cable TV, we have had to rely on VHS and TV showings of this movie in the UK. Definitely worth watching and reliving memories of the 1980s
Continuum (2012)
Canadian Sci-Fi is just so far ahead of the competition!
I've always been amazed at Canada's TV output. Cult show ReGenesis was a hidden jewel in the pile of dull rocks at a time when people were going mad for shows that were slow burners and metered out plot one painful bit at a time.
While on the face of it, Continuum seems like a less adventurous stab at the domain of a show like "Fringe", it soon becomes apparent that such a comparison is meaningless and that this heavily character driven detective sci-fi drama soap opera covers all bases.
The characters grow on you quickly and you learn to care about their arc with no effort. As the situation shifts from a straight forward yarn about time traveling fugitives to investigating serial killers, terror plots to alter the fabric of history and an unknown enemy that adds menace to an already interesting story, it becomes clear that the sheer scope of this work is in a league of its own.
...But hold on! On a whole other level is the depth of the relationships between the heroine and the supporting cast that earns the show some much needed diversity early on in the first season and builds continuously to a massive cliff hanger ending at the end of season 2 that will have you desperate for more. Emotionally driven, the heroine faces the possibility that she may never see her family again 65 years in the future while she battles the fugitives who want to change history, and set in a familiar yet dystopian version of our own world, the show manages to engage you on multiple levels and offers something for just about everyone.
Fast moving, classy editing and production and enough twists and turns to keep you happy. Continuum is a highly recommended and entertaining multi genre sci-fi show that will have you hooked from the first episode.
Billed as "the best show you aren't watching", Continuum is all this and more. I cant wait for season 3! Jump on board now before the world discovers what they've been missing!
__________________ Season 3 Addendum:
Season 3 has introduced a new arc. Production values are slightly less engaging than before, however, the realisation that the future is not set throws a spanner in the works for the writers who have tried to turn this into a Matrix-esque plot that struts its way through the series like a hybrid of Timecop and back to the future, but without the quirky likible characters. The show loses much of its impact because of this. The change of the timeline in this show is a double edged sword and whilest its an easy reboot device, there is no longer any real imputus to want the heroine to make it back to her family, and the introduction of new major characters half way through this season seems completely random and leaves the show on a disjointed note. Quite simply, this season has been trying too hard to breathe new life into what was an already good original show, but sadly comes across like a lesser version of itself. Lets hope Season 4 can pull this back to its groundbreaking path
A Field in England (2013)
Bleak and miserable, but engaging
I haven't seen a movie like this. I'm pretty sure you haven't either. its all like one of those awful radio 4 plays that makes no sense, but you listen to the end just to find out how it ends. likewise, this Ben Wheatley movie (my first) promises much and delivers several brilliant one liners, the occasional black humour, beautiful camera and editing work and characters that seem much larger than they are, but overall its a let down that fails to deliver any real substance except the visual tomfoolery of the much advertised mushroom-induced psychedelic trip.
The story however is pointless and direction-less abandon. Like watching the TV series "Lost", the point of this film is not the resolution, but the way the story is told, however, the abrupt end and character arcs and the ultra confusing meaning behind it all will be a point of debate for months if not years to come.
Watch with an open mind but don't expect any great revelations or satisfactory resolution. it will entertain you if you can stand to watch it, but it wont leave you feeling satisfied