This was originally published in the Watch The Skies fanzine, September 2021 issue.
What If…
When I’ve worked on my recommendations for this little column each month I’ve tried to find things that are bent toward the (potential) interests of this group, but also slightly off the beaten path. These things might not be your preference, but should certainly be worthy of consideration. I’ve tried not to go for the obvious, splashy things out there.
This month is a break in that trend. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is pervasive in pop culture. The series of movies and shows that have the common, unifying thread of a group of comic book super heroes has been with us for a solid decade now. The story lines, the characters, the massive tent pole films that seep into all the nooks and crannies of the genre are familiar. Perhaps they are familiar to the point of apathy. The MCU could be running the very serious risk of over saturation with the sheer number of films and shows it’s dumping forth for mass consumption. The omnipresent super hero genre has kept me away, until now.
The house of mouse has an animated show based around the stories of these well known super heroes called “What If…” that gets directly to the heart of the science fiction and fantasy genre. The title of the show is the very essence of what makes SF/F great. The best stories always ask that question. What if? Can we go back and change things? How would that have worked out if one tiny thing changed (butterfly effect anyone)? It’s a terrific mental exercise. The MCU has now combined that concept with stunning artwork to make a series of short animations. These stories give us the characters we’ve come to know viewed in very different lights. Asking the simple question “What if…” and following through with things like having the Ravagers pick up T’Challa rather than Peter Quill or having a serial killer remove Avengers before they start their journey to being a hero.
Yes, viewing these episodes does actually work out better if you’ve seen and / or are familiar with the films that have been put out in the long series from Marvel. The stories are short (averaging about a half hour each) and only give us glimpses of what might have been. It’s those glimpses that make it work. The animation is at exactly the level you’d expect from a world leader. There’s a lot of great stuff in there. This series is definitely one you should be watching.
The Dungeons and Dragons movie has wrapped up filming. Now I suspect they’re moving on to the ‘zillions of special effects bits that need to be created in order to make a world of fantasy come to life. Got the news from this article: https://gizmodo.com/the-dungeons-and-dragons-film-has-wrapped-production-1847535005 I’ve written about this before, but I think the author of this article sums up my fears in a single phrase,
“…but with the caliber of people involved, maybe this one will turn out to be watchable.”
Why is it so difficult to make a fantasy story on film that is both a good story and NOT some variation of King Arthur (there are at least 15 variations / versions I can come up with)? There’s so much good material out there. Let’s hope for a real fantasy boom. Think Avengers quality. I’d love to see so much more variety. Give me a wizard that is NOT Gandalf or Merlin. Please.
This was originally published in Watch The Skies fanzine, August 2021 issue.
Nestflix
It’s the dog days of summer. The doldrums. Media is scattered far and wide but people aren’t focused on sitting down and watching whatever they can scrounge. Folks are squeezing in one more beach trip or working hard at getting ready for back to school time. Reruns and re-watching old movies is the kind of relaxing thing that can fill gaps between all this summer activity. But when you do the re-watching, do you notice the world inside the world? Do you catch the shows that are on the screens in the background?
This is not a true “what to watch” in the sense that these shows don’t actually exist, except in an alternate world. When you’re going back to an old Futurama episode, do you recall anything about “The Scary Door”? How could you miss a show with a description like this;
“You are entering the vicinity of an area adjacent to a location. The kind of place where there might be a monster, or some kind of weird mirror. These are just examples; it could also be something much better. Prepare to enter: The Scary Door.”
There is a fun site out there that lists more than four hundred of these magical shows inside shows. Have you noticed a show within a show? Do you have a favorite? When you get a few minutes head on over to the Nestflix site and check out this crazy collection.
This was originally published in Watch The Skies Fanzine, July 2021 issue.
The Vast of Night – Amazon
Pick a night. Pick a slow night. Wait until it’s quiet out. Turn out the lights. Get cozy and flip this movie on. The Vast of Night is a small film that’s big on catching you at just the right time. There are bright, glaring action movies and soft filtered romances beside the raucous comedies. This movie pulls you back to the fifties in the American southwest. The story follows two people from the little New Mexico town of Cayuga as they track down a mysterious noise and more mysterious radio station callers. It’s the kind of town where everyone knows everyone else… until they dig a little deeper.
From the Amazon description:
“In the twilight of the 1950s, on one fateful night in New Mexico, a young, winsome switchboard operator Fay (Sierra McCormick) and charismatic radio DJ Everett (Jake Horowitz) discover a strange audio frequency that could change their small town and the future forever. Dropped phone calls, AM radio signals, secret reels of tape forgotten in a library, switchboards, crossed patchlines and an anonymous phone call lead Fay and Everett on a scavenger hunt toward the unknown.”
This is definitely a movie that is all about the mood. It is quiet. It moves a little slow at the start. Give it a chance. As the story rolls, the speed and the tension build. If you take your time you will get to a place where you’ll be out staring up into the night. There are small things, inconsequential to the success of the story if you allow yourself to go along for the ride. Coming in at an hour and a half it’s definitely worth the time to catch up with the folks in this small town.
I watched the trailer for this movie as soon as it came out. It reminded me of Independence Day with Will Smith. A big budget blowing up aliens show for the fourth of July holiday. I was down with this plan – in principle. Then I watched the trailer again. From the trailer alone, I started to have doubts. Nevermind I thought, I’ll just wait and see. I put it out of my mind and forged ahead with the other things in my life.
Then, suddenly, it was the July fourth holiday weekend. I was crazy busy doing all sorts of things. I had an odd window of time and started just scrolling the screen to see what was out there and saw the big splashy things for this movie.
“OH! That’s right!” and I dove right in. No hesitation, no selection paralysis for me. Aliens and blowing stuff up. I’m IN! I really wanted to be super into this. I wanted to be excited. I was hoping there’d be this new alien action thing that would be a new go to. I watched. I waited to be moved. I wanted to just get into it and somehow it didn’t happen. This movie was no Independence Day. It wanted to be, but it missed the mark.
I still watch Independence Day from time to time. It actually holds up well enough considering that it’s 25 years old. There’s something to the movie that is just fun to watch. There’s an odd combination of crazy global scale mashed together with these smaller, human scale stories. People just getting together and working toward solving a problem because that’s what we would do ~ at least in a more positive time.
Tomorrow Warsays it’s a global scale conflict but it doesn’t show us a global scale conflict. The only city we actually see is Miami, or more correctly what is left of Miami. The people in this movie don’t band together for the good of the human race, they’re drafted. Literally forced to fight. No options, here’s a meager selection of gear, no training and GO!
The characters don’t have a chance to gel. There should be relationships, there should be bonding there should be… something. Our protagonist spends part of the movie actively working against one of his relationships. Secondary characters that should be given the chance to rise up and have a greater role are relegated to smaller parts that round out the “we need more people” bit, but don’t develop. I often complain about movie studios feeling like they need to force romance into movies. There is certainly no forced romance in this film. The problem is that the relationship they want us to focus on… just gets weird. I won’t spoil it, but I didn’t get it. When I was supposed to be feeling things I was bored.
I wanted more of something and got very little of anything. I may watch it again, just to try to catch stuff I missed? I don’t know. Maybe if we watch it enough they’ll fund another alien movie? Sigh. It could have been more. Maybe I’ll watch Independence Day again instead.
IF you’re into huge spoilers and want a break down of ALL the things that don’t make sense, check out the Pitch Meeting:
This was originally published in Watch The Skies Fanzine, June 2021
Oxygen
Oxygen is an intense little movie about a woman who wakes up with no memory of who she is or why she’s locked inside an automated pod. It wouldn’t be such a dilemma, except the level of oxygen in her single, tiny room is slowly running out. She needs to solve the puzzle of who she is, why she’s there and what she can do to fix her situation before she runs out of air to breathe.
This is a tense movie. The actress (Melanie Laurent) plays the main character. She’s stuck in this tiny pod. She doesn’t remember why. She doesn’t remember who she is. She’s got no place to go. This leaves all our focus on her as she runs through a monumental list of emotions. It’s a testament to this actor’s abilities that she can carry the whole thing off. There’s no scenery other than the pod. There’s barely any space for movement. You feel for her. You breathe with her.
Slowly, over the course of the movie memories and flashbacks give us tidbits. We rebuild all the various parts of a memory right along with the character. This is a smart lady. She figures out various ways to come at the problem even when one avenue or another runs up against a wall. She shifts and wiggles and carries the whole movie.
Were there things that didn’t work? Yes. There were one or two very small, very nit-picky things that I caught while I was along for the ride. I could very easily chalk them up to suspension of disbelief. This is a well done film that I don’t think is getting the attention it should. A locked room mystery that fits in the science fiction category. It’s a rare thing, but when it’s done well it’s a wonderful, terrible, memorable thing. This is definitely a film you should be watching!
Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s good. I’ve had that thought rolling around among the remaining marbles in my head lately. Doesn’t help that I had another birthday, pushing ME into the “just because he’s old…” category.
I see this in my day job. In architectural design we are frequently called on to save work that is 50 or more years old. It’s important to retain a sense of history, but often times there simply isn’t anything worth saving. I have seen entire walls on the verge of collapse due to shoddy workmanship from the past that has finally pushed that final limit and begun the process of failing. Blocks crack, steel rusts away, bricks bulge, forming something that looks more like a wave than a wall. We can’t ‘save’ it. Maybe we can remake it and allow it to blend in with the other remaining parts. It takes study and careful consideration.
Nostalgia can dominate rational thought in this process. If the building in question has “always been there” from your point of view, there is an attachment formed by familiarity. The same is true of the written word. There have been some older genre books I’ve gone back to. I devoured them when I was a kid. I have these hazy visions and half baked plot memories that fill me with feelings of adventure and inspiration. Then I go back, dig out the old paperbacks and start to read. Nostalgia is often best if allowed to remain as that fuzzy picture. Most of the stories I’ve gone back to based strictly on warm feelings from my youth have been… less than the memory that brought me back to them. A couple of books have been absolute stinkers that lead me to wonder what I was thinking. Of course I was probably a preteen when reading them for the first time and had a… less discriminating palette. I think that’s a good way to phrase it (as opposed to, it didn’t matter if it was shitty, I grabbed every one I could get my grubby little hands on). Sometimes context of when books were written matters, sometimes it doesn’t. I found there are some who agree with the assessment that old isn’t necessarily good as well. I have a copy of this book, and based on this review I won’t be picking it up again soon. I love the cover art… I’ll let that story fade away on the back of the shelf.
Movies fit this category more than anything else. I’ve been trying to formulate a way to describe the feeling of not seeing new things in movies in such a way to still allow space for various media pieces to become my “new favorite”. It’s easy to throw haymakers at Hollywierd for never making anything new. We’re scheduled to get a 5th Indiana Jones movie! Indiana Jones and the quest for prune juice? We’re getting another Dune movie… that looks exactly the same as the last one with updated special effects. We’re getting sequels and “movie universe continuations” and all sorts of things that just don’t excite me. Theaters have lots of issues, but I think the single biggest one is making people excited enough about an actual film (without giving the entire thing away in the trailer ~ but that’s another rant) to balance against the terribleness of actually going and being forced to deal with an increasingly rotten set of theater goers. Another remake? Unlikely.
That brings me to the movie remake – or reboot? – that I really want to talk about. Highlander. The original movie from 1986 evokes that sense of nostalgia. There are so many aspects of this movie worthy of discussion. The concept is fascinating, but limited. An unknown number of immortal men that can only die if they are decapitated. These men battle through time attempting to become the final, remaining immortal that will claim some ultimate prize. I suspect the part film makers hate is that has a built in end point. Eventually, “there can be only one”, and that’s the best place for the film to stop. It didn’t stop them before of course. They welded on or cobbled together an additional four sequels and two television series. I will carry forth the belief that as far as Highlander films, there can be only one and not discuss the others.
The concept works. There are also the characters. Over the top, wildly costumed and speaking forth with accents that absolutely do NOT match anything of where they’re supposed to be from. These men know the goal, learn ways to survive and form bonds that pass beyond normal human life spans. Those who are prone to evil deeds do not hold back – in particular the Kurgan is a monster (and one of my favorite villains). The action works. Sword fights, car chases (sort of) and training montages. The score of the film by Queen has become legendary. It is this mashed together thing that somehow becomes more than any single part of it described on its own. Some minor aspects are showing their age, but given that the movie is 35 years old now that’s to be expected.
Do I want to see another version of this film?
It’s a difficult question. I love the original. I remember (and can quote) almost all of the main characters clearly. I’d hate if they did to this movie what they did to that movie series they called “The Hobbit”. Hate. Lots of hate for that hobbit mess.
I’d be willing to watch the movie. I’m not saying I’m enthusiastic about the idea, but I’d be willing to watch the movie. There are some important things that need to be addressed if this new version is going to happen.
The concept has a limit in terms of film. Unless it’s going to attempt to become something like the MCU (and everyone seems to want to cash in on the Marvel concept). Winning the main goal at the end of the first film is NOT the way to build a franchise. Does the film need to be a franchise? Is there any such thing as a stand alone film anymore? I don’t see many stand alone films in the land of genre these days. If it’s going to be more than one, give us enough of an ending that it can be thought of as a film, but don’t give us the ultimate prize only to try to backpedal on that later.
Don’t try to copy the musical score. Queen was a magical choice that somehow worked. Trying to capture that same spirit and falling short (and you will fall short against the Queen soundtrack) will detract from the movie. Make the music different and unique to this story.
Keep the villain a villain. There are bad guys trying to win the prize. They can’t die. They will think long term and they will be completely willing to do awful things to people who aren’t immortal. They would have died soon anyway, right? Keep that. It’s not going to be easy to equal what has gone before. Please, for the love of all that is holy to anyone, DO NOT turn this into one of those weak ‘but they were just misunderstood’ lame ass bad guy bits. Those are the worst. I’ll walk out.
Update the action and the special effects – but don’t rely on the special effects. Computers can do amazing things, but aging well is not one of them ~ particularly in the realm of visual effects. It’s easy to see the old effects with a modern eye. Do as much of this in a practical way as possible. Don’t go over the top. Over the top doesn’t blend well with a good story.
In the end – keep a good story as the main goal. What would I love to see in a remake? Show me an immortal warrior who is able to fight, but also understands that the world continues to move and evolve. A man who is so alone, but remembers so deeply and so clearly that he drags us with him, willing or not. There’s a moment in the original that shows this off amazingly well. IF they can give me this feeling along with effective action, a believable villain and amazing sound and visuals I’ll love it. See if you agree here:
A man out of time
Do I think they’ll get there? I don’t know. Cautiously hopeful is all we get for right now. There’s only one way to find out. Let’s hope for the best on this one.
This was originally published in Watch The Skies Fanzine, May 2021 issue.
Space Sweepers – Netflix
In the year 2092 the Earth is suffering. The planet is distressed to the point that humans are looking for a way out. Some lucky (or chosen) few get to ascend and become UTS citizens living in orbiting homes around the planet. The UTS corporation sets strict controls and financial arrangements for citizens and non-citizens alike. This is the where the crew of the salvage ship Victory scrounges out a living.
This movie is filled with action, suspense, comedy and even heart. It clocks in around two hours and fifteen minutes but it really didn’t feel that long. Watching the crew of misfit scavengers attempt to make ends meet while dealing with their own issues would have been interesting enough, but then Dorothy gets thrown into the mix. Dorothy looks and acts like a child, but the UTS has declared her a weapon of mass destruction and has set off an all out hunt to get her back. The Victory crew just happen to pick her up as part of one of their salvage missions.
As a South Korean film, I was fully prepared to read subtitles the entire time I watched this movie. I did, but not in the way I expected. I found it wonderful that the film makers included a quick bit about universal translators and then proceeded to allow everyone to speak in whatever language was their own. Space, and all the humans from all over the planet could just speak their own language. Yes, there were subtitles, but there was as much in English as there was in any other language. I could identify five different languages through the course of the film. This is wonderful and we need more of this in our science fiction. People will find a way to communicate, then language and background become less of an issue.
Beyond the language aspect, this film had well done special effects. I’m not going to claim they’ve got some kind of mastery or that the effects shots disappeared in a seamless way. You could tell there were special effects in this movie, but they didn’t get in the way. I never had a moment when I thought, ‘well that wasn’t very well done’. I just sat and enjoyed the action. The action likely works out the way you’d expect, but even that didn’t hurt the enjoyment of this story. This was a movie that has less of a dystopian downer feel and something a little more refreshing and hopeful.
If you’ve got access to Netflix, grab your popcorn and go check this movie out.
Whenever I’m writing I try to give some focus to creating an antagonist that is particularly good at thwarting whatever it is the main character wants or needs to accomplish. Creating the best possible villain for any piece serves to make your hero that much better. I also love to study other bad guys to inform choices I make when creating my own. Movies tend to be an excellent place to find these examples. There are all sorts of villains out there trying to bring the plans of the hero to a grinding halt. The very best villain is a fantastic subject for debate.
Some time ago I saw this article claiming the top spot for cinematic villainy. It’s a difficult position to refute. I absolutely love the movie Highlander (for those of you that make claims that further movies existed I will simply say, ‘there can be only one’). The premise is great. One of the clearest examples of a man out of time happens in this movie when Connor talks about the year 1783 while opening brandy for his date. It’s a fantastic piece snuggled between sword fights. I’m not going to put the Kurgan at the top of my list though. There are better (or is it badder?) villains out there.
~Quick side note: I am sticking to fictional characters. There are far too many real world evil doers out there, and that’s just depressing. I prefer to stay with made up people.~
This list is my top five bad guys in cinema from five to one.
I’ll admit that the top 4 were easy for me. The real challenge was filling the last spot in my top five. Should it be Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects? A man so scary that even other criminals fear him? Should it be Thanos or the Alien or the Terminator? What about Annie Wilkes from Misery. The hobbling scene haunts my nightmares still. None of those folks have the impact the ones that make my list do. It’s a flat out debate in my head between the two in spot five, so I’m going to call it a tie.
#5. The fifth spot is a split between Captain from Cool Hand Luke and Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate…” that captain. If you haven’t seen the film, go look it up. It’s an excellent film. I suspect that anyone who’s been around in the 2000s will recognize Delores (and likely have a seething reaction to her – sign of a great villain). These two are remarkably similar. They are mean; just downright nasty with people around them. They do what they do because they think they’re helping the people around them to fit in better and not make waves. They are desperately cruel while attempting to force conformity. That desperation pushed them toward making terrible choices and inflicting physical harm on others in the name of ‘betterment’. Punishment at the highest level without death. Torment, agony and trauma in the name of getting better definitely put these two on the list together.
#4. The Joker ~ The Dark Knight (2008) I put this one on here specifically for Heath Ledger’s masterful performance. There are a number of issues one could take with this film, but his performance in this part is an all time cinematic standout. The type of man that will do anything to get what he wants. Anything, including setting up various people to die just to see what choices they, or those who love them will make in order to save lives. What rules are you unwilling to break? What does it take to make you break them? Does he want the death of the hero? Absolutely not. Who would be his opposition without the hero? He lies, he intimidates, he kills… and he does completely terrifying magic with pencils.
#3. The Kurgan ~ Highlander (1986) We meet him with a glorious intro of the immortal wearing a bear skull. This wonderful portrayal of a madman shows what happens when the consequences are removed and the dark desires remain. Yes, there’s the sword fighting, the killing by beheading, and the blasphemy. The true nature of this guy’s evil shows forth when he steals a car. He has no fear of injury or death and he takes that with him as he screams along with his kidnap victim and runs over people on the sidewalk. It’s precisely what a remorseless killer would do.
#2. Thulsa Doom ~ Conan The Barbarian (1984) A warlord who gains power and becomes the head of a cult that challenges the authority of kings. A sorcerer. A cannibal. This is a man of power who make suggestions that become the orders that kill or enslave many. He has no qualms or hesitations about killing others. He calls a woman to her death just to demonstrate his power. He has one of the best quotes ever, “Now they will learn why they fear the night…”. That is a villain.
#1. The Operative ~ Serenity (2005) This guy tops the list based, at least partially, on his stoicism. The difference between his stoic nature and the nature of Doom in the second spot is the lack of ego. He has no name of his own. He has no rank, just authority. He will do anything to complete his work, without hesitation. He expects others to see, feel and understand his position. Violence is simply a tool among many. Death is useful. A good thing, without shame. His ruthless devotion, his absolute belief is the perfect foil to the hero of the film. IF by chance you’ve not seen the film, you should. It’s not terribly spoilerific if you go and check out his introduction here.
That’s my list. Who are your favorites? Do you have anyone that didn’t make it onto my list?
I lament the challenges I see with Hollyweird productions on here quite frequently. Last year I posted up a list of my top ten favorite fantasy movies. Number 9 on that list is a movie from 1984 called Sword of the Valiant starring Sean Connery (among many others of note). The movie is the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Today, I saw the trailer for the “Gorgeously Dark Fantasy Epic” Green Knight… about new movie about Sir Gawain and the Green knight… The trailer is available here:
This feels to me like yet another example of “Oh, that looks like it could be a cool movie but we’re going to make it really dark and moody and…”
And I’m so tired of hearing that sort of thing. It’s another Arthurian remake. Granted, it’s a lesser known one, but still a remake. I AM actually interested to see what they do with it. There’s a lot of potential in the story. I fear that it will get a treatment similar to what happened to the Hobbit, but perhaps there’s hope? Modern special effects will be fantastic for a lot of things that flatly didn’t hold up well over the years. A great deal of my love for Sword of the Valiant is nostalgic I think. I hope this new movie doesn’t over do it. The very best special effects are the ones you don’t notice. Practical effects really do look better when it’s a viable option. The trailer looks like the scenes are physically dark. I understand that could be part of the mood, but we really need to get past this aesthetic where you can’t actually see what’s happening on the screen in order to portray mood. Dark, we get it. Light the damn scene so we can see the actors at their work.
A remake. Arthurian legend. Again. I will go and see this one in the theater (probably). It’s fantasy and I want to encourage more of that. I don’t have a ton of hope, but I have a little. Let’s hope they really pull this one off.
