- Published on
Sigh.
I think the downside to our new cultural norm of ‘blaming everyone for everything’ runs the risk of pinning screenwriters into some vary treacherous corners. For example, over the weekend I read a fairly long and fairly destructive Twitter thread blasting “Chapter 02: The Tribes Of Tatooine” from Walt Disney’s streaming entity The Book Of Boba Fett with the charge of cultural appropriation. The scuttlebutt – as best as this ol’ brain could understand it – was that writers Jon Favreau and Noah Kloor as well as the entirety of the Mouse House – should be drawn and quartered for stealing Native American Indian behaviors and assigning them to those dreaded Tusken Raiders in a galaxy far, far away. I’m thinking this was specifically meant to attack things like vision quests and ceremonial dancing as those were the only two associations I could see after viewing the episode (which, frankly, I loved).
From what little research I’ve done on the subject, it does appear that spiritual quests of a particular type can largely be traced back to Native American Indian tribes of North America, but the practice mostly involved a young male’s ascension into manhood … and that’s definitely not what was portrayed with Boba Fett. In fact, one could argue it’s almost the antithesis as this ceremony happened after the popular bounty hunter have proven his worth to the tribe. My interpretation is that the Raiders were rewarding him, acknowledging that they saw him ‘as an equal,’ and that’s why he was kinda/sorta inducted. Granted, I say this based entirely on limited reading as much as it is my own two cents, so please don’t attack me for – ahem – ‘whitesplaining.’ I’m merely trying to engage in a discussion of ideas as presented, not trying to soften what others might see as controversial.
And as for the fire dance in the episode’s final moments?
Well, again, there are many, many cultures – many of them indigenous – who have practiced rituals around campfires. It would be pure folly to try and ascribe these scenes to any single race or tribe, and – being perfectly frank – I’m not certain what the very simple movements were meant to symbolize. I’d suggest that it was a warrior’s two-step – gaffe sticks were flashing in precise movements – one meant to idolize the movements of close combat, but I think we’d need more information on that front if we wanted to fully convict anyone of appropriating a ritual within the proper context.
Taking the debate a step further, aren’t we forgetting that the Tusken Raiders have essentially been portrayed as Tatooine’s major indigenous species anyway? Is it so hard to believe that – much in the way that Earth’s various tribes bear similarities in their own practices and ceremonies to one another – perhaps a species on a distant world might evolve the same? Couldn’t this cinematic depiction, in fact, be a real conversation starter for those of us who might lack the knowledge of indigenous people; and maybe that’s all these smaller moments were meant to accomplish? Oughtn’t we use these opportunities to expand everyone’s horizons instead of berating storytellers for daring to tell a story?
Again, I’m no expert on anything other than my personal opinion, and – in that regard – I found all of “The Tribes Of Tatooine” to be a fascinating look into a world that may not be very different from our own after all as the Sandpeople were given more cultural screentime than they’ve ever enjoyed in all of the Star Wars universe. Audiences were taken behind the veil into their nomadic society, and we were shown a bit of history that made them less monsters and more relatable. As one who crafts his own fiction and one who loves learning, I thought these were some dynamic choices, ones I’d rather reward folks for taking as opposed to crucifying them for trying.
Fett’s world continues to unroll as a new enemy takes shape in the guise of familiar faces. While I’ll admit I’m surprised that these first two chapters have given the exceptional Ming-na Wen so little to do (she’s essentially been reduced to a sidekick), there’s still more mileage to cover before the season’s over. Hopefully, she’ll get some moments to call her own in the weeks ahead.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
I think the downside to our new cultural norm of ‘blaming everyone for everything’ runs the risk of pinning screenwriters into some vary treacherous corners. For example, over the weekend I read a fairly long and fairly destructive Twitter thread blasting “Chapter 02: The Tribes Of Tatooine” from Walt Disney’s streaming entity The Book Of Boba Fett with the charge of cultural appropriation. The scuttlebutt – as best as this ol’ brain could understand it – was that writers Jon Favreau and Noah Kloor as well as the entirety of the Mouse House – should be drawn and quartered for stealing Native American Indian behaviors and assigning them to those dreaded Tusken Raiders in a galaxy far, far away. I’m thinking this was specifically meant to attack things like vision quests and ceremonial dancing as those were the only two associations I could see after viewing the episode (which, frankly, I loved).
From what little research I’ve done on the subject, it does appear that spiritual quests of a particular type can largely be traced back to Native American Indian tribes of North America, but the practice mostly involved a young male’s ascension into manhood … and that’s definitely not what was portrayed with Boba Fett. In fact, one could argue it’s almost the antithesis as this ceremony happened after the popular bounty hunter have proven his worth to the tribe. My interpretation is that the Raiders were rewarding him, acknowledging that they saw him ‘as an equal,’ and that’s why he was kinda/sorta inducted. Granted, I say this based entirely on limited reading as much as it is my own two cents, so please don’t attack me for – ahem – ‘whitesplaining.’ I’m merely trying to engage in a discussion of ideas as presented, not trying to soften what others might see as controversial.
And as for the fire dance in the episode’s final moments?
Well, again, there are many, many cultures – many of them indigenous – who have practiced rituals around campfires. It would be pure folly to try and ascribe these scenes to any single race or tribe, and – being perfectly frank – I’m not certain what the very simple movements were meant to symbolize. I’d suggest that it was a warrior’s two-step – gaffe sticks were flashing in precise movements – one meant to idolize the movements of close combat, but I think we’d need more information on that front if we wanted to fully convict anyone of appropriating a ritual within the proper context.
Taking the debate a step further, aren’t we forgetting that the Tusken Raiders have essentially been portrayed as Tatooine’s major indigenous species anyway? Is it so hard to believe that – much in the way that Earth’s various tribes bear similarities in their own practices and ceremonies to one another – perhaps a species on a distant world might evolve the same? Couldn’t this cinematic depiction, in fact, be a real conversation starter for those of us who might lack the knowledge of indigenous people; and maybe that’s all these smaller moments were meant to accomplish? Oughtn’t we use these opportunities to expand everyone’s horizons instead of berating storytellers for daring to tell a story?
Again, I’m no expert on anything other than my personal opinion, and – in that regard – I found all of “The Tribes Of Tatooine” to be a fascinating look into a world that may not be very different from our own after all as the Sandpeople were given more cultural screentime than they’ve ever enjoyed in all of the Star Wars universe. Audiences were taken behind the veil into their nomadic society, and we were shown a bit of history that made them less monsters and more relatable. As one who crafts his own fiction and one who loves learning, I thought these were some dynamic choices, ones I’d rather reward folks for taking as opposed to crucifying them for trying.
Fett’s world continues to unroll as a new enemy takes shape in the guise of familiar faces. While I’ll admit I’m surprised that these first two chapters have given the exceptional Ming-na Wen so little to do (she’s essentially been reduced to a sidekick), there’s still more mileage to cover before the season’s over. Hopefully, she’ll get some moments to call her own in the weeks ahead.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
- Published on
Like so many who write about film at my ripe old age, I’ve probably forgotten more titles than I care to remember.
I discovered my love of film in high school where growing up in a small town pretty much meant that Friday and Saturday nights were spent under the glow of the silver screen. I didn’t drink (didn’t smoke, either), I didn’t do sports or many extracurricular activities, so the bulk of that free time was spent watching just about anything that came through our little city. Sure, it meant that I saw many of the films of my youth more than once – movies were cheap entertainment back in the day – and I like I do now I tried to find something worthy in damn near anything I watched.
I continued following film very closely in college and after graduating. For a time, I thought I could make a career for myself as a movie critic or perhaps some kind of film historian; but it wasn’t meant to be. I did get accepted to a fairly exclusive graduate school program that would’ve set me on a potential path to working in writing about film; however that opportunity never quite developed due to circumstances way beyond my control, and I instead found myself gainfully employed in the world of work.
I bring this up largely because I’ve done a bit of research into The Kindred, a 1987 Science Fiction and Horror release from Kindred Limited Partnership that’s celebrating its thirty-fifth anniversary on this day in filmdom. From what I’ve seen online, a handful of the pictures look familiar … but, for the life of me, I can’t seem to recollect if this is a flick I saw at the time or have stumbled across in my research or have tidbits tucked away somewhere in my vast reserve of films I’ve yet to explore in greater depth on SciFiHistory.Net.
In any event, it looks as though The Kindred was first released exclusively in New York City on this day in 1987 (Source: IMDB.com). Neither IMDB.com nor Wikipedia.org cite any full U.S. theatrical release, but Box Office Mojo does show a combined U.S. and Canada gross just under $2.5 million. It appears that the film benefitted from a directing team of Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow (who also scripted the feature with collaboration from John Penney). The film starred Rod Steiger, Amanda Pays, Kim Hunter, and David Allen Brooks in key roles. Lastly, it looks like there may have been multiple cuts – R-rated and the controversial ‘unrated’ – though I don’t see any indication that the film is currently available on DVD … a shame that’ll hopefully get corrected someday.
Here’s one of the plot summaries that’s listed for The Kindred on IMDB.com:
“Amanda’s deathbed request to her son, John, was for him to destroy all the lab notes etc. from her last experiment. She also blurts out he had a brother. At the funeral, John meets Melissa, who claims to be his mother’s biggest fan. Together with some of John’s friends, they go to Amanda’s house, but none are prepared for what they find there.”
I discovered my love of film in high school where growing up in a small town pretty much meant that Friday and Saturday nights were spent under the glow of the silver screen. I didn’t drink (didn’t smoke, either), I didn’t do sports or many extracurricular activities, so the bulk of that free time was spent watching just about anything that came through our little city. Sure, it meant that I saw many of the films of my youth more than once – movies were cheap entertainment back in the day – and I like I do now I tried to find something worthy in damn near anything I watched.
I continued following film very closely in college and after graduating. For a time, I thought I could make a career for myself as a movie critic or perhaps some kind of film historian; but it wasn’t meant to be. I did get accepted to a fairly exclusive graduate school program that would’ve set me on a potential path to working in writing about film; however that opportunity never quite developed due to circumstances way beyond my control, and I instead found myself gainfully employed in the world of work.
I bring this up largely because I’ve done a bit of research into The Kindred, a 1987 Science Fiction and Horror release from Kindred Limited Partnership that’s celebrating its thirty-fifth anniversary on this day in filmdom. From what I’ve seen online, a handful of the pictures look familiar … but, for the life of me, I can’t seem to recollect if this is a flick I saw at the time or have stumbled across in my research or have tidbits tucked away somewhere in my vast reserve of films I’ve yet to explore in greater depth on SciFiHistory.Net.
In any event, it looks as though The Kindred was first released exclusively in New York City on this day in 1987 (Source: IMDB.com). Neither IMDB.com nor Wikipedia.org cite any full U.S. theatrical release, but Box Office Mojo does show a combined U.S. and Canada gross just under $2.5 million. It appears that the film benefitted from a directing team of Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow (who also scripted the feature with collaboration from John Penney). The film starred Rod Steiger, Amanda Pays, Kim Hunter, and David Allen Brooks in key roles. Lastly, it looks like there may have been multiple cuts – R-rated and the controversial ‘unrated’ – though I don’t see any indication that the film is currently available on DVD … a shame that’ll hopefully get corrected someday.
Here’s one of the plot summaries that’s listed for The Kindred on IMDB.com:
“Amanda’s deathbed request to her son, John, was for him to destroy all the lab notes etc. from her last experiment. She also blurts out he had a brother. At the funeral, John meets Melissa, who claims to be his mother’s biggest fan. Together with some of John’s friends, they go to Amanda’s house, but none are prepared for what they find there.”
I have read some indications that The Kindred very well might appear on home video again via Synapse Films (I've been privileged to receive some complimentary releases of theirs from time-to-time); so I'll keep my eyes peeled. This definitely looks like something in my wheelhouse, though I don't recall (as I said above) if I've seen it previously.
Whatever the truth may be ... Happy birthday, The Kindred! You're 35 years young today!
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
Whatever the truth may be ... Happy birthday, The Kindred! You're 35 years young today!
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
- Published on
I've always had a particular fascination with the realm of Cult Films, mostly because so many of these features usually end up being made without the shackles and constraints of the wider studio system. As a result, these stories tend to be a bit rawer than something that's passed through an incredible number of hands, and sometimes the result is you get something vastly more relevent and meaningful than the latest blockbuster at the cineplex.
Now, true, that isn't always the case, and I suspect it's rarely the intention of any filmmaker to start out from the get-go with the intention of securing a spot in cult filmdom. Many, many flicks that get branded under the label of cult wind up being just -- well, what's a nice word -- different, and it's that difference that draws folks to it. Lastly, there are cinema stories given that label by critics, academics, and scholars because -- quite frankly -- they know of no other way to signify an impact on audiences: I can't tell you the number of times I've argued online with people over what truly is and isn't a cult film.
In any event, for folks like myself and others who appreciate something a bit different in their entertainment diet, the folks at Kino Lorber have an answer: there's an APP streaming service out there just for us. It's called Kino Cult, and it's available across all of the major streaming platforms. Details will be provided below for those interested in checking it out ... and I'm also going to do some cut and paste from their latest press release to give readers an idea of what's available. It's an interesting assortment of high-definition oddities that just might tickle your respective fancies, and I encourage you to check it out.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
P.S.> A little afterthought for those of you reading closely: not all cult films fall within the realms of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror -- our usual stomping grounds -- but I occasionally share information on titles a bit beyond mostly because -- like so many of you -- I watch damn near anything that looks interesting to me personally. Some of these below might seem out of the norm from my usual reviews, announcements, and other. Take note.
Now, true, that isn't always the case, and I suspect it's rarely the intention of any filmmaker to start out from the get-go with the intention of securing a spot in cult filmdom. Many, many flicks that get branded under the label of cult wind up being just -- well, what's a nice word -- different, and it's that difference that draws folks to it. Lastly, there are cinema stories given that label by critics, academics, and scholars because -- quite frankly -- they know of no other way to signify an impact on audiences: I can't tell you the number of times I've argued online with people over what truly is and isn't a cult film.
In any event, for folks like myself and others who appreciate something a bit different in their entertainment diet, the folks at Kino Lorber have an answer: there's an APP streaming service out there just for us. It's called Kino Cult, and it's available across all of the major streaming platforms. Details will be provided below for those interested in checking it out ... and I'm also going to do some cut and paste from their latest press release to give readers an idea of what's available. It's an interesting assortment of high-definition oddities that just might tickle your respective fancies, and I encourage you to check it out.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
P.S.> A little afterthought for those of you reading closely: not all cult films fall within the realms of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror -- our usual stomping grounds -- but I occasionally share information on titles a bit beyond mostly because -- like so many of you -- I watch damn near anything that looks interesting to me personally. Some of these below might seem out of the norm from my usual reviews, announcements, and other. Take note.
KINO CULT ADDS NEW TITLES FOR JANUARY 2022
Unapologetically weird cinema.
Always free to stream.
Unapologetically weird cinema.
Always free to stream.
New York, NY – January 6, 2022 – Kino Lorber and Giant Pictures are excited to announce 20 new films now available to stream on Kino Cult, the free ad-supported streaming destination for lovers of horror and genre cinema. These films join a growing list of hundreds of new and rare, theatrically released cult hits, all presented in beautiful high definition. Additionally, Kino Cult is now offering an ad-free subscription plan for $4.99 per month.
A full list of new titles appears below. Images for all Kino Cult titles are available to download here.
CUB
dir. Jonas Govaerts, 85m, 2014, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/cub
Young Boy Scout Sam (Maurice Luijten) is the victim of bullying at the hands of the rest of his troupe and one of his pack leaders. On a camping trip Sam runs into a feral boy in the woods who suspiciously fits the description of an old folk legend called Kai. Sam tries to warn the others but is unaware the real danger comes from a crazed poacher instead.
dir. Jonas Govaerts, 85m, 2014, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/cub
Young Boy Scout Sam (Maurice Luijten) is the victim of bullying at the hands of the rest of his troupe and one of his pack leaders. On a camping trip Sam runs into a feral boy in the woods who suspiciously fits the description of an old folk legend called Kai. Sam tries to warn the others but is unaware the real danger comes from a crazed poacher instead.
THE DEAD ONES
dir. Jeremy Kasten, 72m, 2019, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/dead-ones
For four outcast teens, summer detention means being assigned to clean their high school after a horrific incident. But they are not alone; a macabre gang wearing guises of The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - Famine, Pestilence, War and Death - has locked them inside and is hunting them through the school's ravaged hallways. As the four students battle to survive, each must confront the supernatural echoes of past traumas they have struggled to forget - and may be condemned to relive.
dir. Jeremy Kasten, 72m, 2019, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/dead-ones
For four outcast teens, summer detention means being assigned to clean their high school after a horrific incident. But they are not alone; a macabre gang wearing guises of The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - Famine, Pestilence, War and Death - has locked them inside and is hunting them through the school's ravaged hallways. As the four students battle to survive, each must confront the supernatural echoes of past traumas they have struggled to forget - and may be condemned to relive.
DEMONIACS
dir. Jean Rollin, 100m, 1974, Horror/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/demoniacs
A Poe-like study of guilt and revenge, Demoniacs (Les Démoniaques) concerns a band of "wreckers" who rape and murder two young sisters, the survivors (Lieva Lone, Patricia Hermenier) of a ship they have lured into coastal rocks and plundered. The ghostly sisters haunt the Captain and obtain help from a mysterious clown (Mirielle d'Argent) who leads them to an impressive disused cathedral. There they meet a gnostic priest (Ben Zimet) standing guard over a cell that harbors the Devil himself (Miletic Zivomir), who empowers the angelic girls sexually with the evil necessary to exact their revenge.
dir. Jean Rollin, 100m, 1974, Horror/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/demoniacs
A Poe-like study of guilt and revenge, Demoniacs (Les Démoniaques) concerns a band of "wreckers" who rape and murder two young sisters, the survivors (Lieva Lone, Patricia Hermenier) of a ship they have lured into coastal rocks and plundered. The ghostly sisters haunt the Captain and obtain help from a mysterious clown (Mirielle d'Argent) who leads them to an impressive disused cathedral. There they meet a gnostic priest (Ben Zimet) standing guard over a cell that harbors the Devil himself (Miletic Zivomir), who empowers the angelic girls sexually with the evil necessary to exact their revenge.
DRACULA'S FIANCEE
dir. Jean Rollin, 95m, 2002, Horror/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/draculas-fiancee
As Euro-horror pioneer Jean Rollin (Requiem for a Vampire, The Iron Rose) approached the sunset of his career, he distilled the dreamlike images and themes of his work into films that were deeply personal and unapologetically cryptic. Dracula's Fiancee stars Jacques Regis as a vampire hunter whose pursuit of the descendants of Count Dracula leads him to a convent (The Order of the White Virgins), where supernatural beings of a parallel world are unleashed, including a bloodthirsty ogress (Magalie Aguado), a wolf-woman (Brigitte Lahaie, Fascination), and a young woman who is being prepared as Dracula's bride (Cyrille Iste).
dir. Jean Rollin, 95m, 2002, Horror/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/draculas-fiancee
As Euro-horror pioneer Jean Rollin (Requiem for a Vampire, The Iron Rose) approached the sunset of his career, he distilled the dreamlike images and themes of his work into films that were deeply personal and unapologetically cryptic. Dracula's Fiancee stars Jacques Regis as a vampire hunter whose pursuit of the descendants of Count Dracula leads him to a convent (The Order of the White Virgins), where supernatural beings of a parallel world are unleashed, including a bloodthirsty ogress (Magalie Aguado), a wolf-woman (Brigitte Lahaie, Fascination), and a young woman who is being prepared as Dracula's bride (Cyrille Iste).
THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW
dir. Pete Walker, 96m, 1972, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/flesh-and-blood-show
Billed as "An Appalling Amalgam of Carnage and Carnality," Pete Walker's The Flesh and Blood Show is an homage to the blood-splattered, sex-smeared theatre known as the Grand Guignol. Still haunted by an especially tragic production of Othello, a seaside theatre reopens its doors as a groovy musical revue, only to have several of its performers fall victim to the deadly curse.
dir. Pete Walker, 96m, 1972, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/flesh-and-blood-show
Billed as "An Appalling Amalgam of Carnage and Carnality," Pete Walker's The Flesh and Blood Show is an homage to the blood-splattered, sex-smeared theatre known as the Grand Guignol. Still haunted by an especially tragic production of Othello, a seaside theatre reopens its doors as a groovy musical revue, only to have several of its performers fall victim to the deadly curse.
FOR MEN ONLY
dir. Pete Walker, 40m, 1967, Comedy/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/men-only
A sophisticated London fashion columnist takes a job with a small-town publisher and "moral crusader," much to the dismay of her rich, jealous boyfriend. The "crusader," however, turns out to be not quite what he says he is...
dir. Pete Walker, 40m, 1967, Comedy/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/men-only
A sophisticated London fashion columnist takes a job with a small-town publisher and "moral crusader," much to the dismay of her rich, jealous boyfriend. The "crusader," however, turns out to be not quite what he says he is...
MARQUIS DE SADE'S JUSTINE
dir. Chris Boger, 99m, 1977, Drama/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/marquis-de-sades-justine
Without a family, penniless and separated from her sister, a beautiful chaste woman will have to cope with an endless parade of villains, perverts and degenerates who will claim not only her treasured virtue but also her life.
dir. Chris Boger, 99m, 1977, Drama/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/marquis-de-sades-justine
Without a family, penniless and separated from her sister, a beautiful chaste woman will have to cope with an endless parade of villains, perverts and degenerates who will claim not only her treasured virtue but also her life.
MERCY, THE MUMMY MUMBLED
dir. R.W. Phillips, 14m, 1918, Silent/Comedy
https://www.kinocult.com/short/mercy-mummy-mumbled
A professor of Egyptology seeks a mummy for experimentation. A young man devises a scheme to give the professor his desire in hopes of winning the hand in marriage of the teacher's daughter.
dir. R.W. Phillips, 14m, 1918, Silent/Comedy
https://www.kinocult.com/short/mercy-mummy-mumbled
A professor of Egyptology seeks a mummy for experimentation. A young man devises a scheme to give the professor his desire in hopes of winning the hand in marriage of the teacher's daughter.
PEEK-A-BOO
dir. Lillian Hunt, 69m, 1953, Comedy/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/peek-boo
Mastered from an original 35mm print and presented in cooperation with Something Weird, PEEK-A-BOO is a filmed record of a 1953 burlesque show, shot on location at the New Follies Theater in Los Angeles. A time capsule of live adult entertainment in the era of pasties-and-a-G-string, PEEK-A-BOO showcases performances by Venus, Patti Wagggin, the Duponts, and baggy-pants comedians Leon DeVoe and Billy Foster.
dir. Lillian Hunt, 69m, 1953, Comedy/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/peek-boo
Mastered from an original 35mm print and presented in cooperation with Something Weird, PEEK-A-BOO is a filmed record of a 1953 burlesque show, shot on location at the New Follies Theater in Los Angeles. A time capsule of live adult entertainment in the era of pasties-and-a-G-string, PEEK-A-BOO showcases performances by Venus, Patti Wagggin, the Duponts, and baggy-pants comedians Leon DeVoe and Billy Foster.
PERMISSIVE
dir. Lindsay Shonteff, 90m, 1970, Drama/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/permissive
Suzy arrives in London with nowhere to stay and meets Fiona, a groovy bird who has settled into a relationship with Lee, a singer/bassist in a rock band. Fiona is, in the parlance of the Swinging Sixties, a “groupie,” and she turns Suzy on to a secret world of pleasure, vice, and psychedelic music.
dir. Lindsay Shonteff, 90m, 1970, Drama/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/permissive
Suzy arrives in London with nowhere to stay and meets Fiona, a groovy bird who has settled into a relationship with Lee, a singer/bassist in a rock band. Fiona is, in the parlance of the Swinging Sixties, a “groupie,” and she turns Suzy on to a secret world of pleasure, vice, and psychedelic music.
RECKLESS
dir. Joram Larsen, 92m, 2014, Thriller/Drama
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/reckless
Two ex-cons kidnap a millionaire's daughter and hold her for ransom, only to see their scheme go awry when she proves herself to be more cunning than expected.
dir. Joram Larsen, 92m, 2014, Thriller/Drama
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/reckless
Two ex-cons kidnap a millionaire's daughter and hold her for ransom, only to see their scheme go awry when she proves herself to be more cunning than expected.
SCARLET STREET
dir. Fritz Lang, 102m, 1945, Thriller/Drama
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/scarlet-street
A box-office hit (despite being banned in three states), Scarlet Street is one of legendary director Fritz Lang’s (M, Metropolis) finest American films. When middle-aged milquetoast Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson, Double Indemnity) rescues street-walking bad girl Kitty (Joan Bennett) from the rain-slicked gutters of an eerily artificial back-lot Greenwich Village, he plunges into a whirlpool of lust, larceny and revenge. As Chris’ obsession with the irresistibly vulgar Kitty grows, the meek cashier is seduced, corrupted, humiliated and transformed into an avenging monster before implacable fate and perverse justice triumph in the most satisfyingly downbeat denouement in the history of American film.
dir. Fritz Lang, 102m, 1945, Thriller/Drama
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/scarlet-street
A box-office hit (despite being banned in three states), Scarlet Street is one of legendary director Fritz Lang’s (M, Metropolis) finest American films. When middle-aged milquetoast Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson, Double Indemnity) rescues street-walking bad girl Kitty (Joan Bennett) from the rain-slicked gutters of an eerily artificial back-lot Greenwich Village, he plunges into a whirlpool of lust, larceny and revenge. As Chris’ obsession with the irresistibly vulgar Kitty grows, the meek cashier is seduced, corrupted, humiliated and transformed into an avenging monster before implacable fate and perverse justice triumph in the most satisfyingly downbeat denouement in the history of American film.
SCAVENGER HUNT
dir. Michael Schultz, 116m, 1979, Comedy/Drama
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/scavenger-hunt
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World meets The Cannonball Run, populated with 1970s TV stars whose popularity is on the wane. With a star-studded cast, bizarre cameos, and an absurd premise, Scavenger Hunt is an underrated camp comedy classic. After the sudden death of Milton Parker (Vincent Price) his large cast of quirky extended family members and houseworkers are sent on a wild goose chase of a scavenger hunt with the goal of inheriting his $200 million estate.
dir. Michael Schultz, 116m, 1979, Comedy/Drama
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/scavenger-hunt
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World meets The Cannonball Run, populated with 1970s TV stars whose popularity is on the wane. With a star-studded cast, bizarre cameos, and an absurd premise, Scavenger Hunt is an underrated camp comedy classic. After the sudden death of Milton Parker (Vincent Price) his large cast of quirky extended family members and houseworkers are sent on a wild goose chase of a scavenger hunt with the goal of inheriting his $200 million estate.
SCHOOL FOR SEX
dir. Pete Walker, 81m, 1969, Comedy/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/school-sex
British Sexploitation/Sex Comedy. Lord Wingate, acquitted after appearing in court for fraud, starts up a 'finishing school' to teach girls how to extract money from rich men, in return for a percentage of their gains. He enlists the help of the Duchess of Burwood (Alcoholic Aristocrat played by Rose Alba) as a teacher and Hector (Cockney Geezer played by Nosher Powell) as fitness instructor. A probation officer friend supplies the first batch of pupils fresh from Holloway prison via a clapped-out old minibus. Suspicious neighbors and police together with newspaper reports naming the prison girls now hobnobbing in high society results in a raid and a new court appearance for Lord Wingate. The Judge sentences him but plots to start up his own 'school for sex.'
dir. Pete Walker, 81m, 1969, Comedy/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/school-sex
British Sexploitation/Sex Comedy. Lord Wingate, acquitted after appearing in court for fraud, starts up a 'finishing school' to teach girls how to extract money from rich men, in return for a percentage of their gains. He enlists the help of the Duchess of Burwood (Alcoholic Aristocrat played by Rose Alba) as a teacher and Hector (Cockney Geezer played by Nosher Powell) as fitness instructor. A probation officer friend supplies the first batch of pupils fresh from Holloway prison via a clapped-out old minibus. Suspicious neighbors and police together with newspaper reports naming the prison girls now hobnobbing in high society results in a raid and a new court appearance for Lord Wingate. The Judge sentences him but plots to start up his own 'school for sex.'
THE STEWARDESSES
dir. Al Silliman Jr., 93m, 1969, Drama/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/stewardesses
A single eventful night in the lives of a crew of Los Angeles-based, trans-Pacific stewardesses, as they experiment with drugs and engage in various sexual encounters.
dir. Al Silliman Jr., 93m, 1969, Drama/Erotica
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/stewardesses
A single eventful night in the lives of a crew of Los Angeles-based, trans-Pacific stewardesses, as they experiment with drugs and engage in various sexual encounters.
SUSPENSE
dir. Lois Weber, 12m, 1913, Silent/Crime/Drama
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/suspense
Filmmaker Lois Weber mimicked the techniques of D.W. Griffith (and upped the ante with several visual innovations) in what is possibly the finest example of the race-to-the-rescue melodrama. When a hobo invades a secluded home occupied by mother and child, a frantic phone call summons the police to their aid.
dir. Lois Weber, 12m, 1913, Silent/Crime/Drama
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/suspense
Filmmaker Lois Weber mimicked the techniques of D.W. Griffith (and upped the ante with several visual innovations) in what is possibly the finest example of the race-to-the-rescue melodrama. When a hobo invades a secluded home occupied by mother and child, a frantic phone call summons the police to their aid.
TWO ORPHAN VAMPIRES
dir. Jean Rollin, 107m, 1997, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/two-orphan-vampires
Two Orphan Vampires (Les Deux Orphelines Vampires) follows Henriette and Louise (Isabelle Teboul and Alexandra Pic), two blind girls of unknown origin, raised in an orphanage by two adoring nuns. Little do the nuns know, each night as the sun goes down, their "little angels" acquire night vision (they "see blue"), as well as an appetite for blood and teenage mischief.
dir. Jean Rollin, 107m, 1997, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/two-orphan-vampires
Two Orphan Vampires (Les Deux Orphelines Vampires) follows Henriette and Louise (Isabelle Teboul and Alexandra Pic), two blind girls of unknown origin, raised in an orphanage by two adoring nuns. Little do the nuns know, each night as the sun goes down, their "little angels" acquire night vision (they "see blue"), as well as an appetite for blood and teenage mischief.
WITHER
dirs. Sonny Laguna & Tommy Wiklund, 96m, 2012, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/wither
A group of naive young people has their carefree weekend in an isolated country house thrown into turmoil when one of them accidentally unleashes a mysterious and murderous creature trapped in the basement. As the demon begins to attack the couples, the blood-drenched body count mounts and, with it, more creatures with a taste for human flesh. The dazed young men and women soon mount their own desperate counter-attack, an attack that includes decapitations, dismemberment, spurting blood, flailing axes, and the kind of gore not normally associated with Swedish cinema!
dirs. Sonny Laguna & Tommy Wiklund, 96m, 2012, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/wither
A group of naive young people has their carefree weekend in an isolated country house thrown into turmoil when one of them accidentally unleashes a mysterious and murderous creature trapped in the basement. As the demon begins to attack the couples, the blood-drenched body count mounts and, with it, more creatures with a taste for human flesh. The dazed young men and women soon mount their own desperate counter-attack, an attack that includes decapitations, dismemberment, spurting blood, flailing axes, and the kind of gore not normally associated with Swedish cinema!
ZOMBIE LAKE
dir. Jean Rollin, 87m, 1981, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/zombie-lake
Conceived by one master of erotic horror (Jess Franco) and pseudonymously directed by another (Jean Rollin), Zombie Lake weaves the tale of a contemporary French village haunted by water-logged Nazis slain by the Resistance. With little regard for narrative subtlety, the film veers from the shamelessly exploitive (as when a women's volleyball team skinny-dips in zombie-infested waters) to the tearfully sentimental (depicting a young orphan girl's psychic connection to one of the walking dead). Beneath its garish surface, however, Zombie Lake embraces several themes that run throughout Rollin's body of work, showing that this eclectic artist could not help investing even a playful film such as this with his personal sensibilities.
dir. Jean Rollin, 87m, 1981, Horror/Thriller
https://www.kinocult.com/feature/zombie-lake
Conceived by one master of erotic horror (Jess Franco) and pseudonymously directed by another (Jean Rollin), Zombie Lake weaves the tale of a contemporary French village haunted by water-logged Nazis slain by the Resistance. With little regard for narrative subtlety, the film veers from the shamelessly exploitive (as when a women's volleyball team skinny-dips in zombie-infested waters) to the tearfully sentimental (depicting a young orphan girl's psychic connection to one of the walking dead). Beneath its garish surface, however, Zombie Lake embraces several themes that run throughout Rollin's body of work, showing that this eclectic artist could not help investing even a playful film such as this with his personal sensibilities.
About Kino Cult
Featuring hundreds of hours of curated, theatrically released films all in High Definition, with new titles added monthly, Kino Cult is available widely in the U.S. and Canada across web, mobile devices and connected TVs, with VOD apps on all major devices such as Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google TV, iOS, Android, and more. From the art house to the haunted house, the channel dives deep into unapologetically weird genre cinema, blending recent art house discoveries fresh from cinemas with high quality restorations of notorious grindhouse gems. Download the Kino Cult app in the U.S. and Canada and watch free on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google TV, iOS, Android and at kinocult.com.
About Kino Lorber
With a library of over 4,000 titles, Kino Lorber has been a leader in independent art house distribution for 35 years, releasing 30 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Repertory and Alive Mind Cinema banners, garnering seven Academy Award® nominations in nine years. In addition, the company brings over 350 titles yearly to the home entertainment and educational markets through physical and digital media releases. With an expanding family of distributed labels, Kino Lorber handles releases in ancillary media for Zeitgeist Films, Milestone Films, Cohen Media Group, Greenwich Entertainment, Artsploitation, Palisades Tartan, Menemsha Films, Raro Video, and others, placing physical titles through all wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer channels, as well as direct digital distribution through over 40 OTT services including all major TVOD and SVOD platforms. In 2019, the company launched its new art house digital channel Kino Now which features over 1300 titles from the acclaimed Kino Lorber library. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kino Marquee initiative was launched pioneering "virtual cinema" releases of art house films with revenue shares that allow audiences to support almost 500 local independent theaters. Kino Lorber was honored with a Special Award from the New York Film Critics Circle for this effort. In 2021, the company launched Kino Cult, an AVOD channel specializing in new and rare, acclaimed genre films.
About Giant Pictures
Giant Pictures is a digital distributor based in New York City and Los Angeles that works directly with filmmakers and rights owners to distribute movies and TV shows to VOD and streaming platforms around the world. A division of Giant Interactive, an award-winning digital media and technology services company, Giant Pictures has licensing and distribution agreements with more than 45 of the top movie and TV streaming services, including Tubi, Apple TV, Netflix, Roku, Peacock, Prime Video, IMDb TV, Pluto TV and Kanopy. Visit us at www.giant.pictures.
Featuring hundreds of hours of curated, theatrically released films all in High Definition, with new titles added monthly, Kino Cult is available widely in the U.S. and Canada across web, mobile devices and connected TVs, with VOD apps on all major devices such as Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google TV, iOS, Android, and more. From the art house to the haunted house, the channel dives deep into unapologetically weird genre cinema, blending recent art house discoveries fresh from cinemas with high quality restorations of notorious grindhouse gems. Download the Kino Cult app in the U.S. and Canada and watch free on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google TV, iOS, Android and at kinocult.com.
About Kino Lorber
With a library of over 4,000 titles, Kino Lorber has been a leader in independent art house distribution for 35 years, releasing 30 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Repertory and Alive Mind Cinema banners, garnering seven Academy Award® nominations in nine years. In addition, the company brings over 350 titles yearly to the home entertainment and educational markets through physical and digital media releases. With an expanding family of distributed labels, Kino Lorber handles releases in ancillary media for Zeitgeist Films, Milestone Films, Cohen Media Group, Greenwich Entertainment, Artsploitation, Palisades Tartan, Menemsha Films, Raro Video, and others, placing physical titles through all wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer channels, as well as direct digital distribution through over 40 OTT services including all major TVOD and SVOD platforms. In 2019, the company launched its new art house digital channel Kino Now which features over 1300 titles from the acclaimed Kino Lorber library. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kino Marquee initiative was launched pioneering "virtual cinema" releases of art house films with revenue shares that allow audiences to support almost 500 local independent theaters. Kino Lorber was honored with a Special Award from the New York Film Critics Circle for this effort. In 2021, the company launched Kino Cult, an AVOD channel specializing in new and rare, acclaimed genre films.
About Giant Pictures
Giant Pictures is a digital distributor based in New York City and Los Angeles that works directly with filmmakers and rights owners to distribute movies and TV shows to VOD and streaming platforms around the world. A division of Giant Interactive, an award-winning digital media and technology services company, Giant Pictures has licensing and distribution agreements with more than 45 of the top movie and TV streaming services, including Tubi, Apple TV, Netflix, Roku, Peacock, Prime Video, IMDb TV, Pluto TV and Kanopy. Visit us at www.giant.pictures.
- Published on
Regular readers of SciFiHistory.Net know that from time-to-time I receive press releases from studios and distributors highlighting some of their forthcoming wares; and yesterday I received a notice from Well Go USA regarding South Korean writer/director Lee Yong-ju's latest and greatest, Seobok: Project Clone (2021).
Performing a modest bit of research, it does appear that Seobok has a solid reputation amongst fans and critics. As of today's date, the film retains a 6.2 rating (of 10) on the reliable IMDB.com; and it has a 78% Tomatometer (from 9 professional reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes. Indeed, that's a none too shabby existence for what looks to be a healthy blend of Science Fiction and Action.
As is my custom, I'll be putting the trailer below, and that'll follow up with the relevent press release materials. You folks know what to do.
-- EZ
Performing a modest bit of research, it does appear that Seobok has a solid reputation amongst fans and critics. As of today's date, the film retains a 6.2 rating (of 10) on the reliable IMDB.com; and it has a 78% Tomatometer (from 9 professional reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes. Indeed, that's a none too shabby existence for what looks to be a healthy blend of Science Fiction and Action.
As is my custom, I'll be putting the trailer below, and that'll follow up with the relevent press release materials. You folks know what to do.
-- EZ
PLANO, TEXAS (January 5, 2022) – A former intelligence agent is assigned to transport the first ever human clone to a new safe location in the spectacular, action-packed thriller SEOBOK: PROJECT CLONE, hitting Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD February 15 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Because the robotic clone holds the secret to immortality, evil organizations are bent on kidnapping him to extract the dark secret. “Watching Seobok, a superbeing with powers of telekinesis, go all Dark Phoenix on his enemies is right up there with any X-Men movie” (Jeanmarie Tan, THE NEW PAPER). Directed by LEE Yong Zoo (Possessed), SEOBOK: PROJECT CLONE stars GONG Yoo (Train to Busan, Squid Game), PARK Bo Gum (Love in the Moonlight, Hello Monster), and JO Woo Jin (Steel Rain, The Book of Fish), plus popular television series stars JANG Young Nam (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, My Country: The New Age, Find Me in Your Memory) and PARK Byung Eun (Arthdal Chronicles, Mystery Queen, Your Honor). The bonus features include an English dub.
Synopsis:
A former special agent (GONG Yoo) is called in for a secret mission: safely escort the world’s first human clone (PARK Bo Gum), whose body may hold the key to defeating death itself. But as the enemy closes in, the pair is forced to make an impossible choice.
Country of Origin: South Korea
SEOBOK: PROJECT CLONE has a runtime of approximately 114 minutes and is not rated.
ABOUT WELL GO USA ENTERTAINMENT
Well Go USA Entertainment (www.wellgousa.com) is a theatrical and home entertainment distribution label that specializes in bringing the best in action, genre and independent films from the U.S. and around the world to North America. Well Go titles can be seen across a variety of platforms, including in theaters, on-demand, via DVD and Blu-ray and on television, as well as on mobile and connected devices through martial arts movie app Hi-YAH! (www.hiyahtv.com). Well Go USA Entertainment’s corporate headquarters is in Plano, Texas, with an additional office in Taiwan. Well Go is an Oscar®-nominated distribution company.
Synopsis:
A former special agent (GONG Yoo) is called in for a secret mission: safely escort the world’s first human clone (PARK Bo Gum), whose body may hold the key to defeating death itself. But as the enemy closes in, the pair is forced to make an impossible choice.
Country of Origin: South Korea
SEOBOK: PROJECT CLONE has a runtime of approximately 114 minutes and is not rated.
ABOUT WELL GO USA ENTERTAINMENT
Well Go USA Entertainment (www.wellgousa.com) is a theatrical and home entertainment distribution label that specializes in bringing the best in action, genre and independent films from the U.S. and around the world to North America. Well Go titles can be seen across a variety of platforms, including in theaters, on-demand, via DVD and Blu-ray and on television, as well as on mobile and connected devices through martial arts movie app Hi-YAH! (www.hiyahtv.com). Well Go USA Entertainment’s corporate headquarters is in Plano, Texas, with an additional office in Taiwan. Well Go is an Oscar®-nominated distribution company.
- Published on
Like so many on this side of the pond, I first discovered Doctor Who when his shoes were filled by the legendary Tom Baker. The series played on the Chicagoland PBS station, which we were lucky enough to receive in the days of antennae television not all that far downstate from the Windy City. It seems to me that the good Doctor’s broadcast schedule may’ve jumped around a bit because I don’t always recall getting the full serials at the same time and same place in subsequent weeks, but I saw enough of it to have my eyes opened to the world of possibilities the British SciFi enterprise explored.
When I went away to college, Who was vastly harder to find. Back in those days, the little cowtown private institution I attended was in the middle of nowhere; and TV fodder was increasingly difficult to both find and make time for while studying. Having watched a few arcs from those years, I’ve no problem saying I don’t feel I missed all that much: the Doctor grew a bit more whimsical for my tastes, and the late 1980’s really saw a revolution in Fantasy storytelling that focused on darker and more adult fare.
Still, I was thrilled when the franchise experienced a rebirth. I didn’t see much of Christopher Eccleston’s run as the Time Lord until 2006, but I found it an impressive return to form for a character who’d already been around for four decades and eight regenerations. If anything, those new episodes proven that there were still stories to tell for an audience hungry to find them; and I’ve stayed with the program through some narrative highs and lows ever since.
This brings me to today. Just the other night, I binged the Doctor’s Flux storyline, and I wanted to pen a few thoughts, this being Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall’s swan song season with the franchise. This won’t be anything deep, meaningful, or comprehensive, as I think that there are other websites who provided that kind of episode-by-episode commentary far better than I ever could. I did attempt a go at it during some of Peter Capaldi’s tenure; but the requirements of a life lived pulled me in other directions at the time, and here we are.
Because this isn’t my first rodeo and I’m well aware of how the Information Superhighway works, I want to be perfectly clear about this: I’m not a hater of Jodie Whittaker. While I’ll admit I really wasn’t all that comfortable with the gender-swapping phenomenon with respect to the wider Whoniverse, I’m mature enough to have a wait-and-see attitude about things like this (generally speaking); and I think the actress has done an admirable job with the material she’s been given. Therein lies the rub: it’s incumbent upon any artist to have good writing provided to her, and – at best – the entirety of the Chibnall era has been very uneven. Truly inspired stories have been hard to find, it would seem, but hats off to a cast that stayed focused and did what they could with it.
For all its hype, the Flux story really didn’t go anywhere, at least not anywhere of substance for regular viewers. Sure, it pushed a bit further Chibnall’s expansion of the greater Who mythology, bringing into question not so much who the good Doctor is but more where s/he’s from; but dare I say that those narrative twists have just never interested me all that much. For example, I don’t need to know who, say, John F. Kennedy was or where he came from to appreciate what he did as an American President; and I’ve always approached fictional characters much the same. It’s what they do that matters. I’ve seen the Doctor be a healer, a teacher, a surrogate father, a philosopher, a savior, an insurrectionist, a guide, a fibber, a gracious host, an angry neighbor, a romantic, and the greatest source for good and decency in the galaxy … and I witnessed all of this within giving a tinker’s damn about where s/he was from … so what’s all this about anyway? Much ado about nothing (or very little), if you ask me.
Putting aside the quibbles with the focus on origins, Flux is even less of an achievement mostly because it’s a dire set of circumstances the show has already presented.
There’s a truly sad and insufferable trend in Fantasy program that kinda/sorta goes like this. Season One? Let’s save our hero. Season Two? Let’s save his planet. Season Three? Let’s save his universe. Season Four? Let’s save our hero, his planet, and the universe all at the same time. Season Five? Let’s save life itself, for everyone. Season Six? Let’s save life itself and our hero, his planet, and the universe. Writers and writing teams are constantly seeking to ‘raise the stakes,’ as it were, and they do this thinking it’s what audiences are expecting. While there may be a nugget of truth out there, I’ve tried to give audiences a bit more credit, especially in the intelligence department, and I’ve insisted that, basically, we all just want to be entertained with a damn good story.
When I went away to college, Who was vastly harder to find. Back in those days, the little cowtown private institution I attended was in the middle of nowhere; and TV fodder was increasingly difficult to both find and make time for while studying. Having watched a few arcs from those years, I’ve no problem saying I don’t feel I missed all that much: the Doctor grew a bit more whimsical for my tastes, and the late 1980’s really saw a revolution in Fantasy storytelling that focused on darker and more adult fare.
Still, I was thrilled when the franchise experienced a rebirth. I didn’t see much of Christopher Eccleston’s run as the Time Lord until 2006, but I found it an impressive return to form for a character who’d already been around for four decades and eight regenerations. If anything, those new episodes proven that there were still stories to tell for an audience hungry to find them; and I’ve stayed with the program through some narrative highs and lows ever since.
This brings me to today. Just the other night, I binged the Doctor’s Flux storyline, and I wanted to pen a few thoughts, this being Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall’s swan song season with the franchise. This won’t be anything deep, meaningful, or comprehensive, as I think that there are other websites who provided that kind of episode-by-episode commentary far better than I ever could. I did attempt a go at it during some of Peter Capaldi’s tenure; but the requirements of a life lived pulled me in other directions at the time, and here we are.
Because this isn’t my first rodeo and I’m well aware of how the Information Superhighway works, I want to be perfectly clear about this: I’m not a hater of Jodie Whittaker. While I’ll admit I really wasn’t all that comfortable with the gender-swapping phenomenon with respect to the wider Whoniverse, I’m mature enough to have a wait-and-see attitude about things like this (generally speaking); and I think the actress has done an admirable job with the material she’s been given. Therein lies the rub: it’s incumbent upon any artist to have good writing provided to her, and – at best – the entirety of the Chibnall era has been very uneven. Truly inspired stories have been hard to find, it would seem, but hats off to a cast that stayed focused and did what they could with it.
For all its hype, the Flux story really didn’t go anywhere, at least not anywhere of substance for regular viewers. Sure, it pushed a bit further Chibnall’s expansion of the greater Who mythology, bringing into question not so much who the good Doctor is but more where s/he’s from; but dare I say that those narrative twists have just never interested me all that much. For example, I don’t need to know who, say, John F. Kennedy was or where he came from to appreciate what he did as an American President; and I’ve always approached fictional characters much the same. It’s what they do that matters. I’ve seen the Doctor be a healer, a teacher, a surrogate father, a philosopher, a savior, an insurrectionist, a guide, a fibber, a gracious host, an angry neighbor, a romantic, and the greatest source for good and decency in the galaxy … and I witnessed all of this within giving a tinker’s damn about where s/he was from … so what’s all this about anyway? Much ado about nothing (or very little), if you ask me.
Putting aside the quibbles with the focus on origins, Flux is even less of an achievement mostly because it’s a dire set of circumstances the show has already presented.
There’s a truly sad and insufferable trend in Fantasy program that kinda/sorta goes like this. Season One? Let’s save our hero. Season Two? Let’s save his planet. Season Three? Let’s save his universe. Season Four? Let’s save our hero, his planet, and the universe all at the same time. Season Five? Let’s save life itself, for everyone. Season Six? Let’s save life itself and our hero, his planet, and the universe. Writers and writing teams are constantly seeking to ‘raise the stakes,’ as it were, and they do this thinking it’s what audiences are expecting. While there may be a nugget of truth out there, I’ve tried to give audiences a bit more credit, especially in the intelligence department, and I’ve insisted that, basically, we all just want to be entertained with a damn good story.
Ignoring the fact that the Whoniverse has been around for more than half a century, the franchise clearly runs the constant risk of repeating itself in any number of ways. (Think of the trend I just explained, and now imagine where the storytellers feel they have to go with Season 50!) Amping up the dangers can’t always be the answer – thankfully the recent “Eve Of The Daleks” proves that, but that’s a review for another day – but, in comparison, the full Flux arc felt more like a ‘greatest hits’ of what’s come before than it really did anything fresh, vibrant, and challenging.
For all intents and purposes – and I could be wrong (that is my right) – Flux reached too hard for fan service.
You want an all-new villain? Fine, we’ll give you just that with “Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse,” an installment that tried to bring something a bit new by way of the total destruction of everything (sigh), a new race of dog/people, and the new face of evil, Swarm. The adventure’s greatest asset was that it was chocked full of new stuff – always grand to see – but perhaps there was too much as it all felt a bit rushed.
You want the return of a series’ favorite? Fine, we’ll give you just that with “Chapter Two: War Of The Sontarans” which introduced yet one more new race (the Mouri) while bringing back those big-headed potato people, the Sontarans, for another attempt at subverting the Earth. We’ll even flesh out a new character or two in the midst of rewriting Earth history and hope you remember who they are the next time you see them.
Still not interested and want more? Fine. We’ll give you yet one more new character to follow in “Chapter Three: Once, Upon Time,” and we’ll throw all of our series’ regulars into various bits and pieces of their past, banish the Doctor to a kind of temporal limbo, and we’ll challenge you to keep up by saying ‘Time’ isn’t only a force in the universe, but it’s also a place! And … Weeping Angels! There’ll be Weeping Angels! How’s that for excitement?
OK, I can see that you’re not overwhelmed enough at this point, so let’s see what more we can throw on this pile. In “Chapter Four: Village Of The Angels,” we’ll add yet one more nebulous organization to the Whoniverse with ‘Division,’ we’ll split the crew up with some of those Weeping Angels’ shenanigans, and we’ll try to wrap it all up with an even greater threat: the turning of our dear Doctor into Angel stone!
See what I mean?
Flux’s ‘greatest hits’ tour crammed an awful lot of mileage into its six episodes, so much so that Chapters Five and Six were (for me) barely even chronologically coherent. I’ll concede that the pacing of the first four episodes wasn’t all that bad – they even had some solid character moments and used their material to great effect, creating some palpable tension for participants new and old. (Sorry, folks, but John Bishop can’t act.) However, “Chapter Five: Survivors Of The Flux” and “Chapter Six: The Vanquishers” were little more than – ahem – hot garbage, cramming way too much substance with so little time and bloated expository passages to make it all palatable. I’d go so far as to suggest that the last two episodes killed whatever good marks Chibnall and company earned in the first four; they were that untidy. Why, in Episode Six alone, over a span of a few seconds the audience learns that Time itself is not only a force, a place, but also … it’s a being! All of this was revealed with absolutely no explanation … and that, my friends, is the definition of bad writing.
I could go on, but I don’t feel the need. Think what you will of the Chibnall run, I’ll give the man credit for trying to do something a bit different with his first season of episodes. Though I didn’t find them all that interesting or memorable, at the very least he attempted something different. This season started out well, picked up speed, and then crashed headfirst into a creative wall erected by the man himself, so he’s no one else to blame.
-- EZ
For all intents and purposes – and I could be wrong (that is my right) – Flux reached too hard for fan service.
You want an all-new villain? Fine, we’ll give you just that with “Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse,” an installment that tried to bring something a bit new by way of the total destruction of everything (sigh), a new race of dog/people, and the new face of evil, Swarm. The adventure’s greatest asset was that it was chocked full of new stuff – always grand to see – but perhaps there was too much as it all felt a bit rushed.
You want the return of a series’ favorite? Fine, we’ll give you just that with “Chapter Two: War Of The Sontarans” which introduced yet one more new race (the Mouri) while bringing back those big-headed potato people, the Sontarans, for another attempt at subverting the Earth. We’ll even flesh out a new character or two in the midst of rewriting Earth history and hope you remember who they are the next time you see them.
Still not interested and want more? Fine. We’ll give you yet one more new character to follow in “Chapter Three: Once, Upon Time,” and we’ll throw all of our series’ regulars into various bits and pieces of their past, banish the Doctor to a kind of temporal limbo, and we’ll challenge you to keep up by saying ‘Time’ isn’t only a force in the universe, but it’s also a place! And … Weeping Angels! There’ll be Weeping Angels! How’s that for excitement?
OK, I can see that you’re not overwhelmed enough at this point, so let’s see what more we can throw on this pile. In “Chapter Four: Village Of The Angels,” we’ll add yet one more nebulous organization to the Whoniverse with ‘Division,’ we’ll split the crew up with some of those Weeping Angels’ shenanigans, and we’ll try to wrap it all up with an even greater threat: the turning of our dear Doctor into Angel stone!
See what I mean?
Flux’s ‘greatest hits’ tour crammed an awful lot of mileage into its six episodes, so much so that Chapters Five and Six were (for me) barely even chronologically coherent. I’ll concede that the pacing of the first four episodes wasn’t all that bad – they even had some solid character moments and used their material to great effect, creating some palpable tension for participants new and old. (Sorry, folks, but John Bishop can’t act.) However, “Chapter Five: Survivors Of The Flux” and “Chapter Six: The Vanquishers” were little more than – ahem – hot garbage, cramming way too much substance with so little time and bloated expository passages to make it all palatable. I’d go so far as to suggest that the last two episodes killed whatever good marks Chibnall and company earned in the first four; they were that untidy. Why, in Episode Six alone, over a span of a few seconds the audience learns that Time itself is not only a force, a place, but also … it’s a being! All of this was revealed with absolutely no explanation … and that, my friends, is the definition of bad writing.
I could go on, but I don’t feel the need. Think what you will of the Chibnall run, I’ll give the man credit for trying to do something a bit different with his first season of episodes. Though I didn’t find them all that interesting or memorable, at the very least he attempted something different. This season started out well, picked up speed, and then crashed headfirst into a creative wall erected by the man himself, so he’s no one else to blame.
-- EZ
- Published on
Sometimes the struggles of real life infringe upon the process of completing a film, especially when you’re talking about independent filmmaking wherein production often requires the storyteller wear many hats. Such is the case for Zachary Snygg – one-half of the team better known as The Snygg Brothers – when a five-story condo fire destroyed much of the work they had already completed on their latest effort, Monsters In The Closet (2021).
(For those watching closely, Monsters released for streaming on January 4th, and interested readers can check out SciFiHistory.Net’s review of the anthology flick right here.)
“The ‘Home Improvement’ film (one part of the interconnected five-part collection) was saved from a fire in 2018,” the director says, perhaps not quite realizing the irony of the circumstances. “Everything else had to be reshot or redone or rethought, and we restructured the whole thing. Then, when we were almost done, our last section was the Frankenstein film … and then COVID hit.”
The duo have worked in the entertainment business over a few decades in a variety of roles behind the camera. Finding the time to put together projects of their own is always an uphill struggle. “This is kind of a hobby or vacation away from our regular jobs. I used to do a lot of B-Movies back in the 1990’s. I also shoot commercials. As far as doing a joint movie? This is the second with my brother.”
When asked about if he have any favorite segment of Monsters, Snygg immediately defers.
“Everything’s subjective,” he insists. “It’s interesting because, when you complete a film, you give it to the public and it’s no longer yours. Some people? They hate ‘The One Percenters’ (one chapter within the feature). Some people like it. Some people hate the Frankenstein film, and some people love it. Some people hate Spencer’s zombie film. Some love it. I can say that, when I sold it to the studio, the one they liked the most was the wraparound story – the thing that brought all of these films together. I think, if anything, you go out and try to make something by having the best intentions in mind that best service the story.”
Reflecting upon his time in the industry, Snygg grew reflective about how he’s watched the business evolve.
“I think there was a time when Horror was pretty bad – back in the 80’s when all you had was Jason slasher films – but I think now it’s opened the door for all different types of films and filmmaking. I think it’s gone political, so now you have things like Black Mirror (the BBC/Netflix anthology show) and Get Out (Universal Pictures, 2017). You can tell a political or a social story within a Horror context. If you look at a lot of independent films out there, you can see they’re going in that vein. It’s an interesting genre where you can play with these issues on a pop culture platform.”
“And there’s so much content out there,” he continues. “At a certain point, people get bored with a certain style. The 80’s – the Schwarzenegger films and the Stallone films – those evolved, too, as far as now we’re going to hire people like Nicolas Cage and make it more character-based. I think that’s true for the Horror movies, too. Because so many people make it, now there are more avenues for things to be different.”
Snygg has watched the trends – both good and bad – make their way through our culture largely from the standpoint of a businessman. Clearly, he’s witnessed the highs and lows of an industry that hinges upon giving audiences a good reason to put out their own hard-earned money to watch a feature that meets their expectations and perhaps not necessarily the storyteller’s desire.
“As a person that used to deal with independent distribution, the problem was getting peoples’ interest to watch a film about, say, a person on a farm struggling to get the farm together. We would put films in venues like Tower Records, Virgin Records, and Blockbuster. It would be a film that played at Sundance Film Festival or maybe Slamdance. Even if it had great reviews, people wouldn’t really grab it. But if it was some type of exploitation filmmaking, people would rent it. These genre-based action or horror have more of an audience. That’s just the nature of the business.”
He even compares that reality – meeting the demands of the audience – to the current trend in superhero filmmaking, for which Marvel and Walt Disney have largely cornered the market. “People will come out of their houses – even during the pandemic – to watch them. The market dictates whether you have something people will watch or not.”
Circling back around to Monsters, Snygg speaks as if he understands all too well the challenges of bringing an audience to these smaller films. While studios can put big bucks behind advertising campaigns, his challenge remains recruiting those viewers truly interested in finding a ‘diamond in the rough’ experience. SciFiHistory.Net would argue that folks might be surprised with the thrills, chills, and spills his film achieves with beating hearts, homicidal rich girls, and marital fidelity on overkill.
“If you’re interested in seeing a low-budget – a kind of at-your-pants filmmaking – on a sort of Robert Rodriguez budget,” he concludes, “then check it out.”
-- EZ
(For those watching closely, Monsters released for streaming on January 4th, and interested readers can check out SciFiHistory.Net’s review of the anthology flick right here.)
“The ‘Home Improvement’ film (one part of the interconnected five-part collection) was saved from a fire in 2018,” the director says, perhaps not quite realizing the irony of the circumstances. “Everything else had to be reshot or redone or rethought, and we restructured the whole thing. Then, when we were almost done, our last section was the Frankenstein film … and then COVID hit.”
The duo have worked in the entertainment business over a few decades in a variety of roles behind the camera. Finding the time to put together projects of their own is always an uphill struggle. “This is kind of a hobby or vacation away from our regular jobs. I used to do a lot of B-Movies back in the 1990’s. I also shoot commercials. As far as doing a joint movie? This is the second with my brother.”
When asked about if he have any favorite segment of Monsters, Snygg immediately defers.
“Everything’s subjective,” he insists. “It’s interesting because, when you complete a film, you give it to the public and it’s no longer yours. Some people? They hate ‘The One Percenters’ (one chapter within the feature). Some people like it. Some people hate the Frankenstein film, and some people love it. Some people hate Spencer’s zombie film. Some love it. I can say that, when I sold it to the studio, the one they liked the most was the wraparound story – the thing that brought all of these films together. I think, if anything, you go out and try to make something by having the best intentions in mind that best service the story.”
Reflecting upon his time in the industry, Snygg grew reflective about how he’s watched the business evolve.
“I think there was a time when Horror was pretty bad – back in the 80’s when all you had was Jason slasher films – but I think now it’s opened the door for all different types of films and filmmaking. I think it’s gone political, so now you have things like Black Mirror (the BBC/Netflix anthology show) and Get Out (Universal Pictures, 2017). You can tell a political or a social story within a Horror context. If you look at a lot of independent films out there, you can see they’re going in that vein. It’s an interesting genre where you can play with these issues on a pop culture platform.”
“And there’s so much content out there,” he continues. “At a certain point, people get bored with a certain style. The 80’s – the Schwarzenegger films and the Stallone films – those evolved, too, as far as now we’re going to hire people like Nicolas Cage and make it more character-based. I think that’s true for the Horror movies, too. Because so many people make it, now there are more avenues for things to be different.”
Snygg has watched the trends – both good and bad – make their way through our culture largely from the standpoint of a businessman. Clearly, he’s witnessed the highs and lows of an industry that hinges upon giving audiences a good reason to put out their own hard-earned money to watch a feature that meets their expectations and perhaps not necessarily the storyteller’s desire.
“As a person that used to deal with independent distribution, the problem was getting peoples’ interest to watch a film about, say, a person on a farm struggling to get the farm together. We would put films in venues like Tower Records, Virgin Records, and Blockbuster. It would be a film that played at Sundance Film Festival or maybe Slamdance. Even if it had great reviews, people wouldn’t really grab it. But if it was some type of exploitation filmmaking, people would rent it. These genre-based action or horror have more of an audience. That’s just the nature of the business.”
He even compares that reality – meeting the demands of the audience – to the current trend in superhero filmmaking, for which Marvel and Walt Disney have largely cornered the market. “People will come out of their houses – even during the pandemic – to watch them. The market dictates whether you have something people will watch or not.”
Circling back around to Monsters, Snygg speaks as if he understands all too well the challenges of bringing an audience to these smaller films. While studios can put big bucks behind advertising campaigns, his challenge remains recruiting those viewers truly interested in finding a ‘diamond in the rough’ experience. SciFiHistory.Net would argue that folks might be surprised with the thrills, chills, and spills his film achieves with beating hearts, homicidal rich girls, and marital fidelity on overkill.
“If you’re interested in seeing a low-budget – a kind of at-your-pants filmmaking – on a sort of Robert Rodriguez budget,” he concludes, “then check it out.”
-- EZ
- Published on
Before anyone asks again, let me just clarify this again: “No, I do not work in film, nor have I ever.”
However, I’ve always been a storyteller, and I wrote my first novella in the sixth grade. In fact, that work got me sent to the principal’s office. Oh, it wasn’t for what you might be thinking; rather, the seasoned administrator wanted to offer me some words of encouragement over my Science Fiction tale. It’s not the kind of work one would necessarily do anything with – having looked back at it years later, there’s an awful lot of naivety in there – but I mention this because from time-to-time I get asked my career since I’ve written so much about film. My position is that, as a storyteller, it’s the story that matters most to me, and I love it when a new flick tickles my fancy.
Performances? They come and go.
Directors? They have hits and misses.
But great stories e-n-d-u-r-e because they resonate as art with those who find them. Stories have an implacable ability to seep into the mind, heart, and soul of the audience. They lift us up. They inspire us to attempt things we formerly wouldn’t. They encourage us to think about ourselves, our place in the world and even the wider universe; and it’s for these reasons that we go back to them – time and time again – to revisit their charm, their magic, and their lessons that have been lost in the day-to-day drudgery that can be so much of our daily lives.
If you let it, then you might find that Double Walker has just that potential. Directed and co-written by Colin West, it’s an inspired look at the afterlife that ends in such a way that you might question what you just saw. Like seeing a ghost, you wonder if it really happened … or did you imagine it? Alas, as an independent feature, fewer folks will likely seek it out. Some of this is (sadly) owed to the explosion of content available across today’s entertainment spectrum, but methinks three decades ago this innocent chiller may’ve been an arthouse sensation for audiences who love stories that make you think.
However, I’ve always been a storyteller, and I wrote my first novella in the sixth grade. In fact, that work got me sent to the principal’s office. Oh, it wasn’t for what you might be thinking; rather, the seasoned administrator wanted to offer me some words of encouragement over my Science Fiction tale. It’s not the kind of work one would necessarily do anything with – having looked back at it years later, there’s an awful lot of naivety in there – but I mention this because from time-to-time I get asked my career since I’ve written so much about film. My position is that, as a storyteller, it’s the story that matters most to me, and I love it when a new flick tickles my fancy.
Performances? They come and go.
Directors? They have hits and misses.
But great stories e-n-d-u-r-e because they resonate as art with those who find them. Stories have an implacable ability to seep into the mind, heart, and soul of the audience. They lift us up. They inspire us to attempt things we formerly wouldn’t. They encourage us to think about ourselves, our place in the world and even the wider universe; and it’s for these reasons that we go back to them – time and time again – to revisit their charm, their magic, and their lessons that have been lost in the day-to-day drudgery that can be so much of our daily lives.
If you let it, then you might find that Double Walker has just that potential. Directed and co-written by Colin West, it’s an inspired look at the afterlife that ends in such a way that you might question what you just saw. Like seeing a ghost, you wonder if it really happened … or did you imagine it? Alas, as an independent feature, fewer folks will likely seek it out. Some of this is (sadly) owed to the explosion of content available across today’s entertainment spectrum, but methinks three decades ago this innocent chiller may’ve been an arthouse sensation for audiences who love stories that make you think.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the product packaging:
“A young Ghost haunts her Midwestern hometown, trying to piece together the horrific flashes of memories from her past. One by one she kills the men she believes were responsible for her death, though her plan is derailed when she meets Jack, a kind movie theater usher who inadvertently intercedes as she’s stalking her next victim. While Jack takes her in and offers her a glimpse at a normal life, her desire to avenge her own murder lingers on.”
Undoubtedly, ghosts occupy a special place in our culture.
While some see them as benign spirits in transition somehow between this world and the next, still others insist these specters are bound to remain here until they’ve accomplished a task of greater import than perhaps even the life they led. I’ve read articles which suggest over fifty percent of us believe in ghosts, though the statistics do vary widely when researchers try to dip deep into questions of their purpose. Ghosts have been the subject of books, movies, and television shows; and I suspect our collective fascination with them will outlive practically anything else that goes bump in the night.
Though tales involving ghosts can explore any theme imaginable, it’s commonly accepted that their roles in fiction serve one of two purposes: either they’re here to steer us toward redemption, or they’re hellbent on extracting revenge.
From the product packaging:
“A young Ghost haunts her Midwestern hometown, trying to piece together the horrific flashes of memories from her past. One by one she kills the men she believes were responsible for her death, though her plan is derailed when she meets Jack, a kind movie theater usher who inadvertently intercedes as she’s stalking her next victim. While Jack takes her in and offers her a glimpse at a normal life, her desire to avenge her own murder lingers on.”
Undoubtedly, ghosts occupy a special place in our culture.
While some see them as benign spirits in transition somehow between this world and the next, still others insist these specters are bound to remain here until they’ve accomplished a task of greater import than perhaps even the life they led. I’ve read articles which suggest over fifty percent of us believe in ghosts, though the statistics do vary widely when researchers try to dip deep into questions of their purpose. Ghosts have been the subject of books, movies, and television shows; and I suspect our collective fascination with them will outlive practically anything else that goes bump in the night.
Though tales involving ghosts can explore any theme imaginable, it’s commonly accepted that their roles in fiction serve one of two purposes: either they’re here to steer us toward redemption, or they’re hellbent on extracting revenge.
Lo and behold, Double Walker manages to squeeze both into its incredibly economical seventy-one minutes as our Ghost (played by producer and co-writer Sylvie Mix) at first approaches her second life (as it were) with only the limited perception of her first. (She passes away as a young child but reincarnates spectrally a bit older so that she can do what she believes must be done.) She firmly believes she was murdered, and – though she’s not entirely certain – she believes it involved a nefarious band of men linked to her possibly complicit father. There are hints that perhaps he abandoned her one night or maybe he engaged in some illegal sex trade (perhaps even trafficking?), and these events unfold in flashbacks in such a way as her conclusion seems plausible. It isn’t until her thirst for vengeance pushes her to make a fatal mistake that she goes to uncover the whole truth (and nothing but the truth), leading to a spiritual awakening of just how off the beaten path her troubled spirit has unfortunately strayed.
It’s a dynamite journey that’s delivered with somewhat stoical conviction by Mix. As Ghost, she can go anywhere, see anyone, and do anything she wants, but those somewhat magical things do not interest her. In death, she only comes alive – as it were – when she’s headed down the course she’s chosen, that of retaliation. Otherwise, she strolls casually, unimpressed, unaffected, and still almost angelically through her bizarre afterlife once she learns that there are those who can – somehow – still see, touch, and communicate with her. Though this apathy finally breaks once she develops a friendship with Jack (Jacob Rice) and she begins to experience a life she never had, her soul has already been tainted by the evil she’s committed, forcing her to change her ways before it’s really too late.
There is one thing that’s universal when you’re dealing with stories about ghosts: they’re always about ‘endings.’ One ending – death – leads the living to places where they contemplate the life they’ve led; but what happens when the dearly departed gets that same chance? To contemplate the life she’s living after she’s died? That’s the kind of cerebral exercise that opens doors to places where even angels fear to tread, and I suspect our Ghost never expected she’d find her broken spirit seeking redemption from the revenge she originally chose when her Maker gave her the chance.
It’s a dynamite journey that’s delivered with somewhat stoical conviction by Mix. As Ghost, she can go anywhere, see anyone, and do anything she wants, but those somewhat magical things do not interest her. In death, she only comes alive – as it were – when she’s headed down the course she’s chosen, that of retaliation. Otherwise, she strolls casually, unimpressed, unaffected, and still almost angelically through her bizarre afterlife once she learns that there are those who can – somehow – still see, touch, and communicate with her. Though this apathy finally breaks once she develops a friendship with Jack (Jacob Rice) and she begins to experience a life she never had, her soul has already been tainted by the evil she’s committed, forcing her to change her ways before it’s really too late.
There is one thing that’s universal when you’re dealing with stories about ghosts: they’re always about ‘endings.’ One ending – death – leads the living to places where they contemplate the life they’ve led; but what happens when the dearly departed gets that same chance? To contemplate the life she’s living after she’s died? That’s the kind of cerebral exercise that opens doors to places where even angels fear to tread, and I suspect our Ghost never expected she’d find her broken spirit seeking redemption from the revenge she originally chose when her Maker gave her the chance.
Double Walker (2021) was produced by Sub_Sequential Pictures. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being coordinated by Kino Lorber. As for the technical specifications? Love it. The sights and sounds are spectacular, and Colin West’s cinematography here feels almost poetic given the subject matter. As for the special features? Dang-it-all, there isn’t a single one, and I would’ve loved to have heard a bit more about this one.
Highly recommended.
Because this is an independent feature, it’s not going to please everyone, but Double Walker should not be taken lightly. A bit melancholy and more than a bit reflective, it’s a powerful testament to indie flicks done well, following in the tradition (but not necessarily thematically) of Mike Flangan’s Absentia (2011) or Adam Stovall’s A Ghost Waits (2020). Who knows? Its Dickensian influence might even have viewers wondering if they’ve somehow been visited by three ghosts: the experience of watching this might have some rethinking their own respective trajectories. After all, just because it’s a small feature doesn’t its message need be.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Kino Lorber and Cranked Up provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Double Walker (2021) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Highly recommended.
Because this is an independent feature, it’s not going to please everyone, but Double Walker should not be taken lightly. A bit melancholy and more than a bit reflective, it’s a powerful testament to indie flicks done well, following in the tradition (but not necessarily thematically) of Mike Flangan’s Absentia (2011) or Adam Stovall’s A Ghost Waits (2020). Who knows? Its Dickensian influence might even have viewers wondering if they’ve somehow been visited by three ghosts: the experience of watching this might have some rethinking their own respective trajectories. After all, just because it’s a small feature doesn’t its message need be.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Kino Lorber and Cranked Up provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Double Walker (2021) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
- Published on
At a Science Fiction convention one time, someone told me that I came from the generation that should love Irwin Allen’s Lost In Space.
Sure, I’m a bit older than most. I don’t take statements like that as an insult. (Challenge my personal preferences, though, and you’d better watch out!) If my memory serves, the person was simply observing that for my age group the Allen show was a signature space program. I’d seen the show – it was the kind of fodder than aired healthily in syndication (after school and on weekends) – and while I’ll admit to being smitten with a few of its hours (as a youngling) the overall expanse wasn’t that impressive. Coming from the era it does, Lost gets compared to Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek constantly; and despite some minor similarities they’re really two different entities. Lost In Space told its adventures truly in the ‘monster of the week’ formula whereas Star Trek was more of an ‘idea of the moment’ kind of thing, monsters be damned. Yeah, they both had actors in prosthetics. True, it was the mid-to-late 1960’s. Both sent audiences into the wild Final Frontier, but the commonalities really stop there.
Though the franchise wasn’t a personal favorite, I hung out with it whenever I found it on the Tube; and I paid attention to its re-imaginings over the years. The 1998 movie had potential to put the property back on the map. Its talented cast included William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Gary Oldman, and Heather Graham. Produced by Irwin Allen Productions and New Line Cinema, this version of Space had big money thrown at it with an estimated $80M production budget; and I’ve read that all principal actors were contracted for a three-picture deal. Alas, when it failed to recoup its budget in the U.S. alone, the studio shuttered the prospects for any follow-ups. A few years later (in 2004), Irwin Allen Productions tried again, this time with a telefilm written by Douglas Petrie and directed by the great John Woo; but The Robinsons: Lost In Space lives on in legend (mostly) only as an unaired pilot intending to bring the space family into the modern age. Danger, Will Robinson: getting a hit series is a tricky thing.
I wasn’t a Netflix subscriber back in 2018 when the Allen property was dusted off and given another iteration, but I did pick up Season 01 when it came out on home video. From what I’ve read, this version picks up some of the ideas originally floated in the 2004 pilot, though I’d imagine it suitably fleshed out the material across the 10 episodes. I binged it over a weekend, and – while I wasn’t all that enamored – something sparked my interest enough to give the second season a go late in 2021 (once I finally plunked down some scratch to the streaming giant). To my delight, Season 02 was vastly improved: once the band got back together (there were some conflicts from Season 01 that, to my recollection, frayed the family dynamic), Lost In Space finally seemed like something deserving my attention.
Alas, all good things must end: late in 2021, Netflix released the third and final collection of episodes … and I’m sad to see the family Robinson go. Right when I was starting to love them, the show is bowing out of its original broadcast existence.
But …
Sure, I’m a bit older than most. I don’t take statements like that as an insult. (Challenge my personal preferences, though, and you’d better watch out!) If my memory serves, the person was simply observing that for my age group the Allen show was a signature space program. I’d seen the show – it was the kind of fodder than aired healthily in syndication (after school and on weekends) – and while I’ll admit to being smitten with a few of its hours (as a youngling) the overall expanse wasn’t that impressive. Coming from the era it does, Lost gets compared to Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek constantly; and despite some minor similarities they’re really two different entities. Lost In Space told its adventures truly in the ‘monster of the week’ formula whereas Star Trek was more of an ‘idea of the moment’ kind of thing, monsters be damned. Yeah, they both had actors in prosthetics. True, it was the mid-to-late 1960’s. Both sent audiences into the wild Final Frontier, but the commonalities really stop there.
Though the franchise wasn’t a personal favorite, I hung out with it whenever I found it on the Tube; and I paid attention to its re-imaginings over the years. The 1998 movie had potential to put the property back on the map. Its talented cast included William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Gary Oldman, and Heather Graham. Produced by Irwin Allen Productions and New Line Cinema, this version of Space had big money thrown at it with an estimated $80M production budget; and I’ve read that all principal actors were contracted for a three-picture deal. Alas, when it failed to recoup its budget in the U.S. alone, the studio shuttered the prospects for any follow-ups. A few years later (in 2004), Irwin Allen Productions tried again, this time with a telefilm written by Douglas Petrie and directed by the great John Woo; but The Robinsons: Lost In Space lives on in legend (mostly) only as an unaired pilot intending to bring the space family into the modern age. Danger, Will Robinson: getting a hit series is a tricky thing.
I wasn’t a Netflix subscriber back in 2018 when the Allen property was dusted off and given another iteration, but I did pick up Season 01 when it came out on home video. From what I’ve read, this version picks up some of the ideas originally floated in the 2004 pilot, though I’d imagine it suitably fleshed out the material across the 10 episodes. I binged it over a weekend, and – while I wasn’t all that enamored – something sparked my interest enough to give the second season a go late in 2021 (once I finally plunked down some scratch to the streaming giant). To my delight, Season 02 was vastly improved: once the band got back together (there were some conflicts from Season 01 that, to my recollection, frayed the family dynamic), Lost In Space finally seemed like something deserving my attention.
Alas, all good things must end: late in 2021, Netflix released the third and final collection of episodes … and I’m sad to see the family Robinson go. Right when I was starting to love them, the show is bowing out of its original broadcast existence.
But …
Season 03 is, arguably, the best one yet, and maybe there’s something to be said for going out on such a creative high. All of the characters are back – even one whose apparent demise in Season 02 could’ve used a better explanation about just how she survived – and the talent are all comfortable in these shoes. The stakes on getting (finally) to Alpha Centauri have never been greater, the series’ central villains have never been more menacing, and the desire to cheer for the Robinsons when they show up to save the day has never been more pronounced.
If I’ve any gripe about just how, why, and where it all wraps up, then I’d probably point out I was never all that thrilled with the show’s Robot – clearly one of its most inspired creations in the beginning and through the redux – being part of a sentient alien race. While there’s no way to tell this story the way it unfolds without that tie-in, I guess I just kinda/sorta missed that bond between a boy and his machine, even though there’s a connection built between these modern editions. Still, as it turns out, anybody can have this rapport – I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it – and methinks that makes what young Will and his Robot have a little less special than in those old days of the 1960’s. I’m thrilled that the two of them are poised to carry on the Robinson legacy (even though it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see that show come to life), but I’d still argue that what they have is a diversion from what once was … ah, these times … they are a’changin’ …
In retrospect, it’s hard to highlight any individual performances for additional praise as this show always was, always is, and always will be an ensemble piece – it’s derived from Swiss Family Robinson, after all – but I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout some kind words toward a few of its players.
Maxwell Jenkins – as Will Robinson – was a revelation, even all the way back to Season 01. He had that kinda/sorta Spielbergian glow about his potential here, so it was great to watch the actor mature both physically and with more taxing storylines. He grew as the centerpiece to the show, and I’m grateful for that. Ignacio Serricchio – as Don West – gave audiences a somewhat different incarnation, playing the officer as a bit of a noble conman supply specialist, very similar to what John D’Aquino did in the oft-forgotten mid-1990’s SciFi series SeaQuest DSV. Both were men you could trust, but you might question whether or not to turn your back before a handshake to seal the deal! Lastly, Mina Sundwall – as Penny Robinson – was an unexpected delight. As the middle Robinson child, she played it pitch perfect as the ‘lady in waiting,’ always pushing back against feeling left out by mustering up an almost gung-ho sarcasm to give everyone around her pause. The actress made it easy to cheer for her at every opportunity.
Though they may be gone now, the Robinsons will live on so long as streaming’s available … but would it be too much to ask Netflix to give ‘em a big screen follow-up? As a crew, they’ve proven their worth. As a family? They deserve our attention.
-- EZ
If I’ve any gripe about just how, why, and where it all wraps up, then I’d probably point out I was never all that thrilled with the show’s Robot – clearly one of its most inspired creations in the beginning and through the redux – being part of a sentient alien race. While there’s no way to tell this story the way it unfolds without that tie-in, I guess I just kinda/sorta missed that bond between a boy and his machine, even though there’s a connection built between these modern editions. Still, as it turns out, anybody can have this rapport – I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it – and methinks that makes what young Will and his Robot have a little less special than in those old days of the 1960’s. I’m thrilled that the two of them are poised to carry on the Robinson legacy (even though it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see that show come to life), but I’d still argue that what they have is a diversion from what once was … ah, these times … they are a’changin’ …
In retrospect, it’s hard to highlight any individual performances for additional praise as this show always was, always is, and always will be an ensemble piece – it’s derived from Swiss Family Robinson, after all – but I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout some kind words toward a few of its players.
Maxwell Jenkins – as Will Robinson – was a revelation, even all the way back to Season 01. He had that kinda/sorta Spielbergian glow about his potential here, so it was great to watch the actor mature both physically and with more taxing storylines. He grew as the centerpiece to the show, and I’m grateful for that. Ignacio Serricchio – as Don West – gave audiences a somewhat different incarnation, playing the officer as a bit of a noble conman supply specialist, very similar to what John D’Aquino did in the oft-forgotten mid-1990’s SciFi series SeaQuest DSV. Both were men you could trust, but you might question whether or not to turn your back before a handshake to seal the deal! Lastly, Mina Sundwall – as Penny Robinson – was an unexpected delight. As the middle Robinson child, she played it pitch perfect as the ‘lady in waiting,’ always pushing back against feeling left out by mustering up an almost gung-ho sarcasm to give everyone around her pause. The actress made it easy to cheer for her at every opportunity.
Though they may be gone now, the Robinsons will live on so long as streaming’s available … but would it be too much to ask Netflix to give ‘em a big screen follow-up? As a crew, they’ve proven their worth. As a family? They deserve our attention.
-- EZ
- Published on
One of the biggest opinions I have that distinguishes me from other fanboys my age is that when Boba Fett made his screen debut in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) I wasn’t slobbering over the bounty hunter.
Yes, yes, yes. He arguably had the coolest armor in the galaxy far, far away. Certainly, he was an inspired creation as it was great for audiences to get an albeit minor face-to-face introduction into the seedier side of that universe. (Younglings might argue that Jabba made an appearance in the first film, but that was an addition made when George Lucas tinkered with his Special Editions; the crime lord was only originally mentioned in name only. Greedo had a single scene, died pretty quickly, and Han shot first. There. I said it.) But from a narrative standpoint I was always thought Fett’s insertion really said more about Darth Vader than it did anything else: here was a guy second-in-command of the Galactic Empire, and he knew all too well that sometimes success requires thinking outside the box – to conscripting cold-blooded villains to achieve what a million soldiers swearing allegiance couldn’t do.
What those of us who followed Star Wars at that time knew about Boba Fett was largely manipulated by statements in the press that would’ve come from Lucasfilm. We were told that he was the deadliest gun in the galaxy, one who would stop at nothing to get a job done right. Sure, he was visualized (in animated fashion) in one segment of the Star Wars Holiday Special – shudder and gasp – but this was all advertising of a type: Lucas knew enough to hype up a character who would essentially have so little screen time that he might otherwise be forgettable. The buzz worked for most, but I wasn’t convinced: after all, Fett was given a pretty clean shot at Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back (the two meet briefly on Bespin) … and misses. That put him in basic Stormtrooper reputation so far as I was concerned.
Not buying it? Let me go one further.
After The Empire Strikes Back faded from silver screens, we waited three years for our heroes to return to prominence with Return Of The Jedi, and the dreaded Boba Fett came back with the opportunity to redeem himself and his much-ballyhooed reputation. Alas, the script gave the bounty hunter not so much as a single line of dialogue; and he ended up being dispatched on Tatooine so easily that it ends up not only getting a laugh (at Han Solo’s antics) but also goes out with a burp … from the Sarlacc. This was the best we could get from the most feared mercenary in the galaxy? Needless to say, I was not impressed, so I never quite ‘got’ fandom’s collective fascination.
Yes, yes, yes. He arguably had the coolest armor in the galaxy far, far away. Certainly, he was an inspired creation as it was great for audiences to get an albeit minor face-to-face introduction into the seedier side of that universe. (Younglings might argue that Jabba made an appearance in the first film, but that was an addition made when George Lucas tinkered with his Special Editions; the crime lord was only originally mentioned in name only. Greedo had a single scene, died pretty quickly, and Han shot first. There. I said it.) But from a narrative standpoint I was always thought Fett’s insertion really said more about Darth Vader than it did anything else: here was a guy second-in-command of the Galactic Empire, and he knew all too well that sometimes success requires thinking outside the box – to conscripting cold-blooded villains to achieve what a million soldiers swearing allegiance couldn’t do.
What those of us who followed Star Wars at that time knew about Boba Fett was largely manipulated by statements in the press that would’ve come from Lucasfilm. We were told that he was the deadliest gun in the galaxy, one who would stop at nothing to get a job done right. Sure, he was visualized (in animated fashion) in one segment of the Star Wars Holiday Special – shudder and gasp – but this was all advertising of a type: Lucas knew enough to hype up a character who would essentially have so little screen time that he might otherwise be forgettable. The buzz worked for most, but I wasn’t convinced: after all, Fett was given a pretty clean shot at Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back (the two meet briefly on Bespin) … and misses. That put him in basic Stormtrooper reputation so far as I was concerned.
Not buying it? Let me go one further.
After The Empire Strikes Back faded from silver screens, we waited three years for our heroes to return to prominence with Return Of The Jedi, and the dreaded Boba Fett came back with the opportunity to redeem himself and his much-ballyhooed reputation. Alas, the script gave the bounty hunter not so much as a single line of dialogue; and he ended up being dispatched on Tatooine so easily that it ends up not only getting a laugh (at Han Solo’s antics) but also goes out with a burp … from the Sarlacc. This was the best we could get from the most feared mercenary in the galaxy? Needless to say, I was not impressed, so I never quite ‘got’ fandom’s collective fascination.
Thankfully, characters never die in fiction, and Walt Disney was good enough to resurrect the singular sensation last year in the popular streaming series The Mandalorian and now in his own show, The Book Of Boba Fett. Sprung from the mind of Jon Favreau, Fett had its small screen launch on December 29th, and I thought I’d put up a few thoughts on the first episode now that I’ve had the time to digest it.
First episodes can be tricky, and they can be even trickier when trying to re-introduce an established property, which the bounty hunter certainly is. Favreau’s script straddles that line admirably: rather than go ‘all kick ass’ much in the way Fett’s insertion into The Mandalorian appeared in glorious, gratuitous fashion, audiences are given a bound and broken man. Here is the best in the galaxy fighting his way out of the Sarlacc pit only to find himself bested by Tatooine’s worst: unable to take a stand against even the mighty (snicker) Jawas, you just know the Tusken Raiders are gonna run circles around the cloned man. They do, and Fett is shackled and enslaved by the Sandpeople. By the episode’s end, he will have earned a small measure of their respect … but I won’t spoil what I thought to be the episode’s biggest moment in case you’re holding out to watch later.
Though I’ve read some online compare the new adventure to The Mandalorian right out of the gate, I’m befuddled with that assessment. Din Djarin pretty much took no prisoners – well, except those with a price on their heads – in his early moments; and – as I said – Fett isn’t anywhere near prime shape in his outing. Sure, his big moment (mentioned above) might capture some of the same sentiment, but didn’t we all know and expect for the legendary bounty hunter to eventually come to life after being eaten, beaten, and chained? Who wants to watch a show set in the Star Wars universe wherein our main characters are perpetually downtrodden? That wouldn’t interest me, and think what you will about Kathleen Kennedy but I can’t see her greenlighting that.
My single greatest complaint with The Book Of Boba Fett’s premiere episode is a bit of a surprise to me: the effects work was more than a little underwhelming.
So much of these worlds’ presentation relies on CGI being state-of-the-art: it’s how they can be accomplished both on the small screen and within budget, but the renderings of Fett’s time in the Tatooine desert were wildly undercooked. Light balances were off in a few places, meaning that it was obvious that the actors were not anywhere near the same level as the terrain they were walking across; and I got the feeling that maybe the work was rushed to make a deadline. That’s something I never expected to say about a Star Wars show (of all things), and I’m hoping this doesn’t become the norm going forward. It was a stark surprise, especially after the stellar work on The Mandalorian, but we’ll see what develops in the episodes ahead.
Fett carries the weight of the criminal underworld on his shoulders. Let’s make sure he looks like he’s capable of doing just that, Favreau.
-- EZ
First episodes can be tricky, and they can be even trickier when trying to re-introduce an established property, which the bounty hunter certainly is. Favreau’s script straddles that line admirably: rather than go ‘all kick ass’ much in the way Fett’s insertion into The Mandalorian appeared in glorious, gratuitous fashion, audiences are given a bound and broken man. Here is the best in the galaxy fighting his way out of the Sarlacc pit only to find himself bested by Tatooine’s worst: unable to take a stand against even the mighty (snicker) Jawas, you just know the Tusken Raiders are gonna run circles around the cloned man. They do, and Fett is shackled and enslaved by the Sandpeople. By the episode’s end, he will have earned a small measure of their respect … but I won’t spoil what I thought to be the episode’s biggest moment in case you’re holding out to watch later.
Though I’ve read some online compare the new adventure to The Mandalorian right out of the gate, I’m befuddled with that assessment. Din Djarin pretty much took no prisoners – well, except those with a price on their heads – in his early moments; and – as I said – Fett isn’t anywhere near prime shape in his outing. Sure, his big moment (mentioned above) might capture some of the same sentiment, but didn’t we all know and expect for the legendary bounty hunter to eventually come to life after being eaten, beaten, and chained? Who wants to watch a show set in the Star Wars universe wherein our main characters are perpetually downtrodden? That wouldn’t interest me, and think what you will about Kathleen Kennedy but I can’t see her greenlighting that.
My single greatest complaint with The Book Of Boba Fett’s premiere episode is a bit of a surprise to me: the effects work was more than a little underwhelming.
So much of these worlds’ presentation relies on CGI being state-of-the-art: it’s how they can be accomplished both on the small screen and within budget, but the renderings of Fett’s time in the Tatooine desert were wildly undercooked. Light balances were off in a few places, meaning that it was obvious that the actors were not anywhere near the same level as the terrain they were walking across; and I got the feeling that maybe the work was rushed to make a deadline. That’s something I never expected to say about a Star Wars show (of all things), and I’m hoping this doesn’t become the norm going forward. It was a stark surprise, especially after the stellar work on The Mandalorian, but we’ll see what develops in the episodes ahead.
Fett carries the weight of the criminal underworld on his shoulders. Let’s make sure he looks like he’s capable of doing just that, Favreau.
-- EZ
- Published on
More Fantasy that Science Fiction, South Korea’s The Silent Sea premiered on the streaming giant Netflix this past December 24th, and the SciFi/Thriller immediately benefitted from strong audience reaction praising the show’s excellent production values and the narrative’s commitment to its central mystery: something went horribly wrong on Balhae Station (on the moon) five years ago, but we’ll be damned if the Korean government is going to tell us what they know!
Into this volatile mix heads a crew of various space specialists all under the command of Captain Han Yoon-jae (played by Gong Yoo) and Doctor Song Ji-an (Bae Doona). While Han’s tasked with keeping the astronauts in line on such a dangerous mission, Song’s responsibility is to recover samples of lunar water and get them back home. At this point in our history, Earth has succumbed to the ravages of climate change; as our oceans have dried up, water is in increasingly short supply, and whatever nation can replenish our planet will clearly be at the forefront of rebuilding our civilization. As fate would have it, there’s a dark, dark secret behind the lunar water that might spell our collective doom instead of being the salvation we need.
Like so many good streaming thrillers, it’s difficult to discuss much about Sea without spoiling a few of its mysteries. Essentially, the program is constructed in the classic ‘race against time’ format – the crew winds up marooned on our only satellite when a malfunction sends them crashing to the lunar surface – and the race for survival starts in the series’ opening moments. The tension never quite lets up – it’s all delivered at near breakneck pace – as each developing chapter (there are eight episodes) brings something new to the tale, be it the exposure of a new government conspiracy, the reveal of a secret double agent, or even the end result of science run amok on a moonbase that’s out of control in more ways one screenwriter can imagine. Alas, after eight episodes, I’m not sure every question raised was suitably answered (who originally tasked these traitors in our midst gets short shrift), but I’ve been unable to uncover whether or not this one will be continuing into a second season at this point. (Netflix occasionally plays its cards close to its chest.)
While the cast is quite good, the show clearly benefits from excellent set design: Halbae Station – entirely fictional – looks and feels like an authentic, expansive installation built both above and below the lunar surface. Its labyrinthian corridors and crawlspaces seem to stretch on forever, making it a rather delicious location to physically and psychologically hide both the show’s proposed state secrets and its rising body count. Sea is a land-based Star Trek if crafted by Agatha Christie – these explorers sent out into the unforgiving Final Frontier find themselves at odds with not only Mother Nature (in Space!) but also each other as secret allegiances threaten to tear the crew apart. Giving the sets and costumes an air of realism only further ratchets up the pressure of an increasingly volatile situation.
Into this volatile mix heads a crew of various space specialists all under the command of Captain Han Yoon-jae (played by Gong Yoo) and Doctor Song Ji-an (Bae Doona). While Han’s tasked with keeping the astronauts in line on such a dangerous mission, Song’s responsibility is to recover samples of lunar water and get them back home. At this point in our history, Earth has succumbed to the ravages of climate change; as our oceans have dried up, water is in increasingly short supply, and whatever nation can replenish our planet will clearly be at the forefront of rebuilding our civilization. As fate would have it, there’s a dark, dark secret behind the lunar water that might spell our collective doom instead of being the salvation we need.
Like so many good streaming thrillers, it’s difficult to discuss much about Sea without spoiling a few of its mysteries. Essentially, the program is constructed in the classic ‘race against time’ format – the crew winds up marooned on our only satellite when a malfunction sends them crashing to the lunar surface – and the race for survival starts in the series’ opening moments. The tension never quite lets up – it’s all delivered at near breakneck pace – as each developing chapter (there are eight episodes) brings something new to the tale, be it the exposure of a new government conspiracy, the reveal of a secret double agent, or even the end result of science run amok on a moonbase that’s out of control in more ways one screenwriter can imagine. Alas, after eight episodes, I’m not sure every question raised was suitably answered (who originally tasked these traitors in our midst gets short shrift), but I’ve been unable to uncover whether or not this one will be continuing into a second season at this point. (Netflix occasionally plays its cards close to its chest.)
While the cast is quite good, the show clearly benefits from excellent set design: Halbae Station – entirely fictional – looks and feels like an authentic, expansive installation built both above and below the lunar surface. Its labyrinthian corridors and crawlspaces seem to stretch on forever, making it a rather delicious location to physically and psychologically hide both the show’s proposed state secrets and its rising body count. Sea is a land-based Star Trek if crafted by Agatha Christie – these explorers sent out into the unforgiving Final Frontier find themselves at odds with not only Mother Nature (in Space!) but also each other as secret allegiances threaten to tear the crew apart. Giving the sets and costumes an air of realism only further ratchets up the pressure of an increasingly volatile situation.
As happens more and more these days, Sea benefits from comparison to some of what’s come before both cinematically and on the television set.
Mankind’s dire predicament – the fact that Earth appears to have lived through its best days – was front-and-center in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014), an award-winning endeavor that also saw a government commissioning a space crew to save our world from extinction. James Cameron’s signature Aliens (1986) made excellent use of dispatching a crew into what was suspected to be treacherous circumstances, and Sea certainly taps into that same sense of operational claustrophobia in its eight episodes. 2018’s Nightflyers (on Syfy) – an adaptation of the George RR Martin work – saw a team of astronauts slowly descending into the madness on their mission to the stars, and their sense of isolation and abandonment increased as the bodies began to pile up. Sea might even draw some comparisons to ABC TV’s popular serial Lost wherein flashbacks were required to ‘fill in the gaps’ for characters whose identities were never as easy as presented; indeed, Netflix’s audiences learned more about Han, Song, and several other prominent players as their drama unfolded in similar moments being filled in parenthetically.
What this means to me is that, in many respects, Sea finds itself in good company mechanically … but the story could’ve used a bit of attention with respect to tightening the screws on its infrastructure. The story spread across eight episodes felt a bit long in the tooth, as it were, and this one probably could’ve delivered stronger moments were it pared down an hour or two. In fact, the series’ last two hours felt a bit repetitive given all that the team had been through, slowing down the action with what I suspect might be the program’s most predictable moments. (Secret identity reveals and character sacrifices always run the risk of being a bit maudlin no matter how well they’re handled or how efficiently they’re delivered.) Loping off a plot twist here or there might’ve brought this one to closure with more panache, and it still could’ve had the hook for a second season that’s given here. (Yes, there is one, but as I said I’ve no idea if this one’ll get picked up.)
But as binges go, The Silent Sea makes the most of the material provided. Don’t look for all of the science to be fact-based, leave a bit of room for a modicum of hokum, and be prepared to forgive some of the forced feel-goods of its flawed finale. It’s the wild ride on this raging Sea that matters most, and I thought this one worth a single sailing.
-- EZ
Mankind’s dire predicament – the fact that Earth appears to have lived through its best days – was front-and-center in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014), an award-winning endeavor that also saw a government commissioning a space crew to save our world from extinction. James Cameron’s signature Aliens (1986) made excellent use of dispatching a crew into what was suspected to be treacherous circumstances, and Sea certainly taps into that same sense of operational claustrophobia in its eight episodes. 2018’s Nightflyers (on Syfy) – an adaptation of the George RR Martin work – saw a team of astronauts slowly descending into the madness on their mission to the stars, and their sense of isolation and abandonment increased as the bodies began to pile up. Sea might even draw some comparisons to ABC TV’s popular serial Lost wherein flashbacks were required to ‘fill in the gaps’ for characters whose identities were never as easy as presented; indeed, Netflix’s audiences learned more about Han, Song, and several other prominent players as their drama unfolded in similar moments being filled in parenthetically.
What this means to me is that, in many respects, Sea finds itself in good company mechanically … but the story could’ve used a bit of attention with respect to tightening the screws on its infrastructure. The story spread across eight episodes felt a bit long in the tooth, as it were, and this one probably could’ve delivered stronger moments were it pared down an hour or two. In fact, the series’ last two hours felt a bit repetitive given all that the team had been through, slowing down the action with what I suspect might be the program’s most predictable moments. (Secret identity reveals and character sacrifices always run the risk of being a bit maudlin no matter how well they’re handled or how efficiently they’re delivered.) Loping off a plot twist here or there might’ve brought this one to closure with more panache, and it still could’ve had the hook for a second season that’s given here. (Yes, there is one, but as I said I’ve no idea if this one’ll get picked up.)
But as binges go, The Silent Sea makes the most of the material provided. Don’t look for all of the science to be fact-based, leave a bit of room for a modicum of hokum, and be prepared to forgive some of the forced feel-goods of its flawed finale. It’s the wild ride on this raging Sea that matters most, and I thought this one worth a single sailing.
-- EZ