Films

A Few Good Men (1992)
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
Can I handle the truth? I don't know yet, the damn iTunes rental went screwy 35 minutes before the end. (Currently trying to get hold of another copy to finish it off.)

Articles

Aliens, Actresses and Their Likenesses
(from Sideshow Collectibles)
"For the Sideshow Design and Development Team, the Queen Alien and Power Loader Dioramas were a labor of love and a long time coming... Some of you may have noticed that the woman behind the wheel looks a bit less like Sigourney Weaver than you may have expected, and well, here’s the scoop... Due to licensing issues with Sigourney Weaver’s likeness rights, we were unable to use Weaver’s portrait for Ripley in the Power Loader Diorama."
You've got to appreciate their honesty. It's also to their benefit, of course, because if buyers thought it was meant to look like Weaver then it would look like a poor sculpt. You can see pictures of the new face and whole diorama at the link.

EastEnders films Michael Jackson reference by Kris Green
(from Digital Spy)
"EastEnders has filmed a last-minute scene to be edited into tonight's episode referencing Michael Jackson's death... The three other major UK soaps - Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks - all confirmed that no last-minute editing will be made to tonight's episodes."
Says more about EastEnders than anything else.

Gaiman 'won’t write new Sandman comic' by Tim Parks
(from Digital Spy)
Neil Gaiman: "I wanted to do a 20th anniversary story, and it broke mostly because DC Comics would have loved me to do a 20th anniversary story at the same terms that were agreed upon in 1987, when I was a 26-year-old unknown... And my thought was, 'You know what, guys, it really doesn't work like that'. I wasn't going to do a deal at the same terms we had in 1987, and they were not willing to do any better than that."

Inglourious Basterds prequel still on? by James White
(from Total Film)
Lots of interesting bits & bobs about Tarantino's latest and its possible sequel/prequel from an interview with producer Harvey Weinstein. Did You Know fact of the day: for a while, it was going to be a Band of Brothers-esque TV series. That would've been... interesting...

Russell Davies Q&A on Doctor Who and Torchwood by Alan Sepinwall
(from What's Alan Watching?)
A rather good interview with outgoing Who supremo Russell T Davies about the forthcoming Who specials, forthcoming Torchwood miniseries Children of Earth, and his time on the series. Inevitably fans will have heard much of it before, but it's always nice to be reminded of the show's literally phenomenal success.

Torchwood: Children of Earth - BBC One Trailer

The highly atmospheric BBC One trail
for Torchwood: Children of Earth.

Poem of the Week: Thriller

by Rod Temperton

With the world caught up in a fairly understandable frenzy about the death of Michael Jackson, let's have a look at the lyrics of one of his most famous songs in a semi-poetic context.

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes
You're paralyzed

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight

You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl!
But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behind
You're out of time

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain't no second chance against the thing with forty eyes, girl
Thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight

Night creatures calling, the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time
(They're open wide)
This is the end of your life

They're out to get you, there's demons closing in on every side
They will possess you unless you change that number on your dial
Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together, yeah
All through the night I'll save you from the terror on the screen
I'll make you see

That this is thriller, thriller night
'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a
Killer, diller, chiller, thriller here tonight

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, ow!

(I'm gonna thrill ya tonight)
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'alls neighborhood

I'm gonna thrill ya tonight, ooh baby
I'm gonna thrill ya tonight, oh darlin'
Thriller night, baby, ooh!

The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom

And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller.

Thriller was released in 1984, sung by Michael Jackson with a soliloquy read by Vincent Price. Despite the success of the album of the same title and other successful tracks from it, Thriller the song only reached number four on the US Billboard singles chart and number ten on the UK singles chart. It's probably most famous for its 14-minute short film-like music video.

The lyrics are as close as I could find them on the Internet. (Yes, this is a fairly silly idea for Poem of the Week.)

TV

The Mentalist
1x14 Crimson Casanova
Ah, Cho! He's beyond brilliant.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Films

The Box Trailer
This looks like it could be fantastic. Hopefully a return to form for Richard Kelly after the mess that was Southland Tales.

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #410
Freshly-cast companion Karen Gillan makes the cover, but more intriguing is the news that the first Matt Smith/Steven Moffat series (beginning in 2010) will officially be produced as Series One, not Series Five (or Series Six, or Series Thirty-One).
Surely this will be a DVD-naming nightmare? Will they ignore it and just go with The Complete Series Five regardless, to follow the Eccleston/Tennant/Davies years? Or will it be something like The Complete First Eleventh Doctor Series? (Probably they won't care one jot and just go with the former, but it's nice to wonder.)

Torchwood: The Official Magazine #16
Torchwood Magazine always has a very spacious design -- lots of gaps, big fonts, and its comic strip is light on detail. It smacks of a magazine designed to be printed smaller and then blown up to average mag size for some unknown reason. Which is odd, but also makes it feel lightweight and under-thought.

Websites

twitter trend: Micheal Jackson
This evening, twitter went mad reporting Michael Jackson had died, based solely on this report from TMZ. While we wait for confirmation from a better source, it's worth noting that the official trend title spelt his name wrong.

Edit: In case you somehow missed it, BBC News 24 finally confirmed it around the time this post went live.

new review at 100 Films

The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

From the off it’s clear that The Man in the Iron Mask is not going to go well. It’s an adaptation of a tale of the Three Musketeers, so naturally is set in historical Paris… where everyone has a different accent and very few of them are French. It is, to be blunt, a horrid mishmash — much like the whole film.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 16 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

Articles

BOMBSHELL: Oscars Best Picture Race Expands to 10 Nominees by Seth Abramovitch
and
Who Stands to Gain the Most From Oscar's Best Picture Bombshell? by S.T. Vanairsdale
(from Movie|Line)
I believe some people call things like this a "game changer", but that sounds silly. Instead of the traditional five (and it's not all that traditional, actually) there will be ten films competing for the big prize at next year's Oscars. Will everyone else follow suit in the bid to retain Oscar-predictor status? Or will this go down as a bad experiment by the Academy and it'll be back to five in 2011? Only time will tell...
(The first article is the news and press release, the second some analysis.)

Avatar - Footage of James Cameron's sci-fi 3D film has been seen and it is stunning
(from Live For Films)
"The first footage from James Cameron's Avatar has been screened to the public for the first time in Amsterdam at the Cinema Expo International. It looks as if everyone who saw it was stunned."
Read the article for what they had to say. I'm beginning to wonder if this can possibly live up to its hype -- it's going to have to look genuinely 100% real throughout to match the boundless praise being heaped upon it, and that's a tall order for anything. A more moderated response and flaws would be more forgivable, but at this rate, no flaw will be accepted.
And, in all honesty, part of me hopes it fails miserably and takes the equally-over-hyped 3D revolution with it.

BBC denies Doctor Who reunion reports by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
To be honest, they didn't really deny it at all -- so little, in fact, that the article doesn't even quote their comment til the final paragraph! Still, rumours of an all-Doctors Children in Need special have been doing the rounds for years, so there's no good reason to assume it's any more likely this year than before. Even if it does happen, I seriously doubt it'll be the first appearance of the 11th Doctor... though that might be quite cool.

Johnny Depp discusses Pirates 4 by Lara Martin
(from Digital Spy)
...and doesn't say much. Still, it's on its way.

Magazines

What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision: Ultimate Guide to Television

My quest for the best setup in my new lounge continues with this What Hi-Fi?, which basically covers everything in one handy magazine. No, I don't need to know about projectors or £160 all-in-one remote controls, but there's plenty of very useful information elsewhere.

I'm virtually set on my telly, for example, but the range covered led for some pauses to think. The same can't be said for Blu-ray, where my choice of player is almost dictated by the need to have it region-free (luckily it's also the best budget player around; though for an extra £80 the slightly snazzier one is available region-free too), but the comparisons are undoubtedly worthwhile to anyone who hadn't already decided.

Even more useful for me were the reviews of various TV services (like Sky+ HD and V+HD, which gave me some decent food for thought. Plus, lots of information on sound systems -- I'm not intending to buy a new one, but I finally have answers about some concerns with my current one. Mainly, it should be possible to connect it up and have it work fine with surround sound from both Blu-ray and Sky HD.

The section games consoles was somewhat laughable though, picking them apart for their film & TV content and seeming almost baffled that the Wii has been such a success. It's because (it would seem) all most people want is a well-made fun-to-play games machine, not a multimedia behemoth, and the Wii is admirable in sticking by its notion that, as it's a games machine, a games machine is what it is.

Bloody PS3 giving people ideas about games consoles rising above their station, etc.

Articles

Review of Public Enemies by Ian Nathan
(from Empire)
A glowing review for the new Michael Mann film, which has a rather surprisingly summer release date.

Transform your TV with a mid-size flatscreen master, aka Supertest: 37in Televisions
(from What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision)
As well as choosing a TV package, I also need to choose a new TV, and guides like this are a very handy way to do it. The test winner, Sony's KDL-37W5500, does look like a good bet, but I'm very tempted by the Samsung LE37B650 -- it may score lower in almost every respect, but the key is in why.
Its sound may be weak, but I'm not much of an audiophile and I have a separate system for DVDs/Blu-ray anyhow, so it matters little; and it may be a bit poor for Freeview pictures but, obviously, I'm not going to be viewing those. What it does have is competing, perhaps even slightly better, image quality (yes please) and great connectivity -- being able to play downloaded Divx files from a USB device would be fantabulous. To top it off, it's about £50 cheaper online, which is always nice.

Technology

Spent most of today investigating TV/broadband/phone packages from the likes of Sky, Virgin and BT ahead of my move in the next couple of weeks. No one service is best unfortunately.

For example, Virgin has uncapped broadband at all levels, decent selection of TV channels and (possibly) a V+ box that lets you record two channels while watching a third; BBC iPlayer as well as other TV On Demand via the telly; plus BBC HD and HD movies on demand -- all for a price, of course.

Conversely, Sky only offers capped broadband unless you go for its highest level (which is nothing like as high as Virgin's), and I really can't be doing with just 10Gb of traffic a month; plus its Sky+ box can 'only' record one channel while watching another (or record two including the one being watched). However, it has a better selection of channels, and more customisable to boot, plus up to 33 HD channels -- again, for a price.

It all comes down to exactly what we're prepared to pay and exactly what we want and feel we need. We get a lot of use out of iPlayer on TV, but would we need it as much if we could just record stuff on a V+/Sky+ box? And is it worth sacrificing that wide selection of HD channels? Is it even worth the extra cost for HD? Yes I'll have a fancy new HDTV, but I'll also have Blu-ray to enjoy and an HD TV service adds to the price (£69 installation + £5 a month from Virgin (required for V+ too), or £49 + nearly £10 a month from Sky -- but you do get a lot more channels for that).

And there's always Freesat, of course, though in addition we'd have to find broadband and phone elsewhere, which can actually get so expensive it becomes worth adding TV for the discounts it brings. (The actual cost is more, naturally, but you get an awful lot more for your money too.)

It's all far too complicated in my opinion.

TV

Top Gear
13x01 (21/6/09 edition)
It's always nice to welcome Top Gear back onto our screens, and in these depressing times it is indeed welcome.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Film first-looks, anti-American websites, and a freakin' spaceport! Today is a good day...

Bay slams Transformers ad campaign by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
"Website TMZ has published an email (dated May 4) from Bay to executives, among them CEO Brad Grey and Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, in which the director blasts the studio for not spending enough money publicising the robot sequel's summer release." And there's details of what he said, if you want them.

Crazy Cancellations by Ben Rawson-Jones
(from Digital Spy)
Parts of this article about prematurely cancelled TV series are interesting, parts aren't. Primarily, it uses the modern misappropriated definition of "cult TV" -- i.e. "sci-fi/fantasy/unusual" -- rather than the appropriate origin of its meaning -- i.e. anything with a small but dedicated following, which most often happened to be SF/F. Fools.

Creator: New Scrubs not set in hospital by Lara Martin
(from Digital Spy)
A bold reinvention for the sitcom, making it part continuation, part spin-off and part reboot. Cunning.

First Look: Tim Burton's Trippy New Alice in Wonderland by Alex Billington
(from FirstShowing.net)
Stunning, but mad. Can't wait to see this.

question of the day: Are sites like Hulu and YouTube “anti-consumer, anti-media employees, and even anti-America”?
(from FlickFilosopher)
It always amuses me when someone trots out "anti-American" as if it's the be-all-and-end-all of what is good and right. Bless 'em. Still, that aside, this article has some good points about the future of all media.

Real life spaceport under construction
(from Live For Films)
So far beyond cool it hurts. A freakin' spaceport!

Wicker Man 2 - Holy Cowboys for Christ! Ewar WooWar indeed.
(from Live For Films)
They're making a sequel to the original Wicker Man. By all rights this should be appalling news, but it actually looks and sounds quite good...

TV

Stephen Tompkinson's African Balloon Adventure
Part 3 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Music

Back from the Dead by Spinal Tap

It's 25 years since This is Spinal Tap hit cinemas and a pop culture legend was born, and now they're back with this new double-disc release -- in the most ludicrous packaging you've ever seen.

The CD part of the set firstly contains 11 re-recorded classic Tap songs (a cover sticker says 13, but they've done their maths wrong). This might sound a little pointless, but it turns out not so. Some songs have been re-interpreted -- (Funky) Sex Fam and (Listen to the) Flower People (Reggae Stylee), for example -- while those that are essentially the same have been beefed up, sounding much meatier than the versions on the original soundtrack CD -- Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight, Heavy Duty and Big Bottom all particularly benefit from this. All of these songs are taken from the original film soundtrack, completely ignoring 1992's Break Like the Wind. I guess someone thought (not necessarily incorrectly) that these wouldn't be familiar to casual fans and so weren't worth bothering with. Personally, I quite like that CD, and certainly miss Christmas With the Devil.

Additionally, the CD also holds 6 brand-new tracks. While the three-part Jazz Oddyssey (sic) and Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare may not immediately stick in your mind, the rest of the new stuff more than makes up for it. Title track Back from the Dead is a brilliant spoof of aging rock bands' "we're back!" songs, while Celtic Blues sets its sights on folksy music with Tap's typical accuracy. Short and Sweet primarily relies on the joke that it's the longest track on the album, while Warmer Than Hell is about the Devil visiting Earth in the midst of global warming. It begins with the instant-classic line "The Devil went to Devon" and doesn't let up.

The DVD portion is a 59-minute track-by-track interview with the band (in character, as always) that I haven't watched yet. Nor have I assembled the packaging, which is kind of neat but actually more awkward -- it doesn't look like you can easily take it down once put up, but it is clearly designed to be assembled as it's tricky to use in its default state.

The reason for Tap's enduring success may be that they do everything so well: not only are the lyrics highly amusing, but they have the musical ability to back them up in a way that is almost unnervingly convincing -- some of these tracks could be slipped on to certain genuine bands' albums and no one would notice the difference. If they weren't funny they'd just be a band; if they weren't good musicians they'd just be a comedy film. But they're both, and this set is easily the best available version of their music.

(Additionally, re-recordings in the original style for (Listen to the) Flower People and Sex Farm are available from Amazon MP3 and iTunes respectively. Apparently there was a third extra track available on their official site, though I'll be damned if I can find it.)

Articles

'Cheeky' Oasis fans demand refund
(from BBC News)
Oasis gig blighted by technical problems; on stage, Noel Gallagher tells fans they can have a refund; then when some actually try to claim it he criticises them for it. Think before you speak, eh Noel?

Marvel got “three-hour one-man show” from Thor director Kenneth Branagh by Liam
(from Filmonic)
Bodes well, methinks. I couldn't care less about a Thor movie before, and while I'm still far from straining at my leash to see it, Branagh's passioned involvement makes it massively more intriguing. Almost appealing, in fact.

Schools to rethink 'i before e'
(from BBC News)
What a silly plan. "But it's sometimes wrong!" Oh boo hoo.

This Year One Review Doesn’t Bode Well For Ghostbusters 3 by Dave
(from Filmonic)
The title offers commentary on their own review! Oh dear. Still, in amongst an awful lot of repetition and other ticks of poor writing, they make some good points... though the title really sums them all up.

Transfomers: Revenge Of The Fallen - Designed With 14-Year Old Boys In Mind by Owen Nicholls
(from The Projector at NME)
You've gotta love a review that contains the following quotes:
"the robots get as much characterisation as Megan Fox's cleavage."
"never have I seen a film that portrays anything with a vagina quite as insatiable for cock as the girls in this movie. As for Megan herself, I'm unsure whether Bay thinks he's her director or her gynaecologist."
"lets not get carried away thinking this is exploitation, it's just stupid. So forget the brain, switch off pain receptors and go and enjoy two-and-a-half hours of fun."
It has some intelligent points to make too (believe it or not), but while they're equally well-observed they're not half as funny.

new review at 100 Films

Lethal Weapon (1987)

the plot is full of holes, especially as it heads towards the climax. There’s also no mystery — the investigation is just an excuse to string together action set pieces and comedic buddy scenes, neither of which are much cop, and most of the story is conveyed in a couple of info-dumps that supporting characters volunteer for no reason.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 17 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
1x03 Birmingham
Including a brilliant bit on the stupidity of political correctness. And another excellent bit too, but I can't remember it at all now.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]