new review at 100 Films

Runaway Train (1985)

The focus on a high concept, emphasis on exciting action sequences, the way the plot is structured, the faintly pantomime villains, comical supporting characters, and occasional slips into fantasy — none of these elements suggest your typical Oscar nominee.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 15 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, not to mention two shorts, a film I've previously seen, and an alternate cut. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Cracker
2x04 The Big Crunch Part 1
Ah, Evil Christians -- a brilliant episode! Can't wait 'til Fitz gets his hands on them, it should be priceless.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Articles

The Finished/Theatrical Version Of Wolverine Has Been Seen!! Just How Different Is It From That Workprint?? by Merrick
(from Ain't It Cool News)
Answer: it's exactly the same (apart from effects and sound fixes), apparently. Oops.

For him by Andrew Collins
(from Never Knowingly Underwhelmed)
A hilarious perspective on Crank 2. One of my favourite reviews ever.

Robert Rodriguez's Predators officially confirmed today! by Quint
(from Ain't It Cool News)
And just after I watched them all too!

Poem of the Week: Gateway to the Atlantic

by Roger McGough

While I was generally quite down on Slapstick when I covered it yesterday, it still has a decent number of worthwhile poems. Here's one of my early favourites because of its nice rhyme and rhythm, as well as a fairly clear topic and theme.

I am the warm hello and the sad farewell

I am the path to glory and the road to hell

I am the gull on the wing and the salt in the air

I am the night patrol and the morning prayer

I am the port register, read the names with pride

I am the thickening fog and the quickening tide

I am the ferryboat, the slaver, the man-o'-war

I am the keeper of the quays, welcome ashore

I am the starstruck, eternal romantic

I am the gateway to the Atlantic.

As mentioned above, Gateway to the Atlantic is taken from Slapstick (aka Slapstick Poems), McGough's 2008 collection published by Puffin.

TV

The Mentalist
1x04 Ladies in Red
1x05 Redwood
[Watch Ladies in Red and Redwood again on Demand Five.]

The Wire
1x13 Sentencing [season finale]
Look here for my thoughts on this episode, and the season as a whole.

Poetry

Slapstick (aka Slapstick Poems) by Roger McGough
McGough is a well-respected poet for good reason, though that's not always evident in this collection. That's not because it's aimed at kids -- I love poetry for kids -- but because some of it falls down on issues of rhythm, pace, or the be-all-and-end-all of poetry, sounding good.
Others are great (and destined for Poem of the Week) and others still depend -- not just "benefit from", but depend -- on the illustrations of Adam Stower... yet he doesn't get a credit on the cover. In fact, he's only mentioned once, on page three. Poor Adam Stower. His excellent illustrations are to be found accompanying every poem and he deserves more mention, I feel -- I frequently enjoyed his art more than the piece it was attached to.

Articles

Quite a lot of articles today (10, in fact), so here they are split into three groups. First, the most articley of articles...

Outlander Vs State Of Play or, The Premise Vs Plot Dilemma by Helen O'Hara
(from the Empire Blog)
A very thoughtful and thought-provoking article on the amount of hype drummed up by some movies, and their consequent box office success, and the lack of chatter on others, and their consequent box office failure -- essentially, "woah, cool" movies for the former and more intelligent movies for the latter. Recommended reading for all, I say.

The Play’s The Thing - An Easy Guide To Liking Shakespeare Onscreen by Helen O'Hara
(from the Empire Blog)
Does more or less what it says on the tin, and does it well I think.

Articles: Lists

10 Greatest Movie Posters Ever Made by Sam Ashurst
and
10 Worst Movie Posters Ever Made by Andy Lowe
(from Total Film)
Some odd choices on both sides, but worth pondering. Personally, I love the "Some Thing Has Found Us" tagline -- that's a very cleverly placed space.

10 Incredibly Strange Movie Trailers by Andy Lowe
(from Total Film)
I do love a good trailer, and some of these are just that. And some are unmitigated drivel. Follow the advice on #2, the clips it points you toward are utterly hilarious.

If Movie Posters Were Honest
(from Holy Taco)
As with all of these Photoshop-based comedy poster/advert efforts, there's a mix of very funny and "oh how I wish I were funny" efforts here. The Indy 4 spoof is unoriginal and, to be honest, a tired and fairly untrue complaint, but the too truthful The Happening spoof singlehandedly makes up for all the bad ones.

If TV Shows Had Truthful Titles
(from Holy Taco)
Yup, it's the exact same thing, only with TV show titles. Intriguingly, this article came first -- I'd've thought the ease and familiarity of movie posters (as opposed to having to find posters/DVD covers/cast photos with some words on for TV shows) made them a more obvious choice. Anyway, it's again a mixed bag, but the Heroes one makes it all worth it.

Articles: News

Sony Wants You To Pay More Money To See Spider-Man 4 by Devin Faraci
(from CHUD.com)
The headline sounds sensationalist, but is fairly accurate. It also supports some of my previously-expressed thoughts on this new love for 3D.

Tom Hanks On Toy Story 3 by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire)
And also The Pacific, a "spiritual sequel" to Band of Brothers. BoB is amazing, one of the greatest miniseries ever, so hopefully The Pacific can live up to it.

Turtles Origins Set For Live Action by Emily Phillips
(from Empire)
So, essentially, a remake.

The Wire 1x13: Sentencing

An excellent concluding episode to The Wire's first season. One suspects they weren't banking on having any more, considering how this wraps things up.

It's all handled in a believable, real-world style, in-keeping with the rest of the series -- which final episodes aren't necessarily, often finding some semi-plausible final piece of evidence that sees all the bad guys locked up and all the good guys exalted with amazing levels of praise. Not so here -- there are consequences for all involved, to one degree or another, and thankfully no magic final revelation that allows all the bad guys to be locked up for a respectable amount of time.

It also succeeds in rewarding the viewer in a way only The Wire does. They're tiny moments played to perfection, such as my personal favourite, the juxtaposition of freshly-promoted mole Carver and Pryzbylewski in the wake of a speech about what kind of police officer you should be -- subtly, and referencing earlier events, it shows the complete difference between the two officers, and how they've subverted our early expectations of them. Similarly, the episode pays off apparently minor scenes -- and even just lines -- from all the way back to episode one. But, importantly, it does this without battering you round the head with flashbacks or "remember when..." dialogue. That's why this is a "novel for TV", and has become so beloved.

And, like most of the very best stories, its full quality can't be appreciated until you've seen it through to the end. This perhaps explains the minor critical (and audience, in some cases) backlash, where some 'don't get it' after only one or two sample episodes. (I'm happy to admit that I shared this view, to an extent, and expressed it here, but I think I remained aware that The Wire was the sort of programme you couldn't adequately judge without seeing it all).

The announcer confirmed that the second season would begin in a few weeks. Considering each tells such a different story (or so I've heard) this seems a wise decision... but I'm looking forward to it already. The Wire hasn't become my Favourite TV Series Ever, but I can now see why it's so praised. Consider me a fan -- and a convert.

TV

The Omid Djalili Show
2x01 Episode 1
Not certain it lived up to claims of being massively funnier than the first series, but it kept me amused. Favourite bit was possibly the Tudors-spoofing Henry VIII credits.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Speaker
1x06 Episode 6
How in God's name did they vote for Duncan?! Poor Haroon.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Force is strong for Jedi police
(from BBC News)
"Eight police officers serving with Scotland's largest force listed their official religion as Jedi in voluntary diversity forms... Strathclyde Police said the officers [plus] two of its civilian staff claimed to follow the faith, which features in the Star Wars movies."
I suppose as they're meant to be the 'Police Service' these days a headline of "May the (Police) Force Be With You" would've been considered politically incorrect.

Internet-Age Writing Syllabus and Course Overview by Robert Lanham
(from Timothy McSweeney)
"As print takes its place alongside smoke signals, cuneiform, and hollering, there has emerged a new literary age, one in which writers no longer need to feel encumbered by the paper cuts, reading, and excessive use of words traditionally associated with the writing trade. Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era focuses on the creation of short-form prose that is not intended to be reproduced on pulp fibers. Instant messaging. Twittering. Facebook updates... 21st-century literary genres"
Mmm, satire. (Long satire.)

TV

Argumental
2x04 (20/4/09 edition)
Blues was robbed.

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
1x01 The Big Bonanza
Perfect Sunday night viewing -- gentle, funny, but mercifully not dull (as some examples of "perfect Sunday night viewing" are). Shame I didn't get round to this sooner; on the other hand, it means I'll watch the last two episodes in HD thanks to BBC HD being added to iPlayer. (Sadly only the last two are available there though.)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Speaker
1x05 Episode 5
My God, get rid of Duncan! Please!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Music

War Child: Heroes
War Child is an admirable enterprise (producing compilation albums of original music by well-known artists for charity) and their much-publicised latest effort, Heroes, sounds right up my street -- I love covers and this is billed as "The Ultimate Covers Album". It's certainly a fantastic concept: renowned artists choose their favourite track and a modern act they'd like to cover it.

Sadly, its execution is lacking. There are some combinations that come out as the concept would imply -- Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die covered by Duffy, Blondie's Call Me covered by Franz Ferdinand, Stevie Wonder's Superstition covered by Estelle -- and all the "original legends", as the booklet bills them, are suitably well-known. But their song choices often aren't, and neither are some of "today's biggest acts" -- again, the booklet's words -- who are covering them. So we have the likes of Lily Allen, Scissor Sisters and the Kooks rubbing shoulders with Peaches, the Hold Steady and the Like -- acts that just provoke a collective, "who?"

Maybe some of the covered songs are more recognisable when heard than from their titles, and I suppose no one said they had to be famous songs chosen... but, to me, the very idea of an "Ultimate Covers Album" with such a setup implies songs and artists you know.

On the other hand, most of it does sound good -- I mean, you can't complain at that. The recognisable songs are largely among the best bits, though Duffy's Live and Let Die is risibly dull, choosing to abandon the original's defining hard-soft juxtaposition in favour of just the soft. Fortunately it's a rare misstep on this otherwise entertaining CD.

Articles

A message from our Guest Editor-In-Chief... by Steven Spielberg
(from Empire: 20 at Empire)
Steven Spielberg introduces Empire's 20th anniversary issue, which he's guest edited. It's a lovely piece and the magazine sounds great too. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

Ashes drama draws in 7m audience
(from BBC News)
Last night's season premiere of Ashes to Ashes managed to get exactly the same viewing figures as season one's opener. What're the chances, eh?

Fox Source Responds to Claim of Wolverine Lie by Kyle Buchanan
(from Movie|Line)
"Remember when Tom Rothman swore up and down that the final version of the film would be ten minutes longer? Apparently that was a lie. The bootleg apparently ran 107 minutes with credits. The official running time listed in the AMC and Arclight websites lists the film as running… drum roll… 107 minutes."
Of course, Fox had the common sense to suggest that "cuts had been made to the leaked workprint before the additional footage was added, which resulted in a similar running time". Obviously.
And so, the saga continues...

Spanish Life On Mars

Some people are very down on the idea of the brilliant British series Life On Mars being remade. Personally, I think it's ripe for remakes -- while it's unlikely they can top the original in terms of overall quality, the thematic idea of comparing '00s policing to '70s policing will differ in every country and so warrants differing explorations.

This Spanish version is especially intriguing, as it aims to contrast modern-day Spain with a post-Franco 1978. Courtesy of Jack Yan on Vox, here's a trailer and a few photos (even more content at this link). Obviously it's in Spanish so relatively undecipherable if you don't speak the language, but it doesn't look too bad. Fingers crossed that BBC Four will show it (subtitled, of course) at some point.

It's been retitled La chica de ayer in Spain, incidentally, the title of a 2002 song which translates as The Girl From Yesterday. You can also see some behind-the-scenes videos here. Again in Spanish, I'm afraid.

first image of Russell Crowe as Robin Hood

As he'll be seen in Ridley Scott's forthcoming variably-titled Robin Hood-based film (though they may've settled on plain Robin Hood now).

Based on the script changes implied in the Wikipedia article, I feel quite sorry for the guys who wrote the original Nottingham screenplay -- it was widely praised and provoked a bit of a bidding war, as I recall. Scott's thrown it all out, it would seem, and I bet he's not handed it back to them to actually get it made. Sounded far more interesting than just another straightforward version of the story.

But I digress. Here's the new photo. Though, it looks like it could quite conceivably have been taken 9 years ago...

"My name is Robin Hood, son of Locksley, Early of Huntingdon, loyal servant to the true King Richard. Father to my band of merry men, lover of Maid Marian. And I will have my vengeance."

Again.

TV

Ashes to Ashes
2x01 Episode One
Hurrah for the return of Ashes, the underrated Life On Mars sequel. Always a joy to have Gene Hunt on our screens and lots of intriguing mysteries to mull over for the next 8 weeks -- and, hopefully, an intended third (and final) season beyond that.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Graham Norton Show
5x06 (16/4/09 edition, uncut repeat)
Robot Graham = Best. Thing. Ever. Gillian Anderson's accent = tad odd, it must be said, but surprisingly British-sounding.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Primeval
3x04 Episode 4
Oft-predictable tosh, again, but rather spectacular tosh this week with a Great Big Dinosaur and chases around an airport and a helicopter and Nigel Marven getting eaten -- it's exactly what Primeval should be like.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Articles

Ashes To Ashes returns! by Nick Setchfield
(from SFX)
"SFX is celebrating the return of Ashes To Ashes to BBC One with a week of thug-slapping, Quattro-spinning exclusives." Hurrah! Today, it's a very good interview with co-creator Matthew Graham that covers all sorts of topics related to the series.

BBC iPlayer goes HD, adds higher quality streams, releases iPlayer Desktop out of Labs by Anthony Rose
(from BBC Internet Blog)
Yes, yes, yes yes yes! Seriously considering giving up watching programmes that are also shown on BBC HD on my TV (which is small and non-HD) and just watching them on my Mac via iPlayer Desktop (which is HD!) Lots more info in the article, naturally, including that they've improved the SD stream to bring it closer to TV quality. Yummy.

Simon Pegg talks Trek by Nick Setchfield
(from SFX)
The second part of SFX's interview with the Geekdom God (I mentioned the first half here). Worth a look just for the amusingly subtle dig at Heroes if nothing else.

new review at 100 Films

State of Play (2009)

the real focus of this screen-to-bigger-screen translation is the complex six-hour story of the original series, condensed from 340 minutes to just 127. This three-fold reduction has been well handled, and perhaps their most noteworthy achievement is crafting a film that feels entirely like its own entity without sacrificing anything significant from the primary conspiracy plot.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 16 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, not to mention two shorts, a film I've previously seen, and an alternate cut. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.