Good morning, gentle readers, and welcome to ... FRIDAY!
(Cue your favorite party-dancing track)
Well, another week is on the cusp of being done and gone, putting up squarely in the mindset to celebrate another weekend. It feels good, doesn't it? It feels grand to know that all you need is a couple days off, and they're here? (Well, those of you who don't work weekends, that is.) Whatever the case and wherever you may be, here's hoping that life is well on-the-path to giving you everything you've ever wanted and everything you deserve.
HAPPY FRIDAY!
I'm puttering away this morning on a review or two. I did manage to squeeze up one of my 'recovered reviews' from my days at Amazon.com for a flick called Sleep Dealer. Honestly, my review is a bit light on the substance on the film, and that's mostly because I recall being mildly put off by its somewhat obvious and somewhat lazy politics. I enjoyed it -- don't make any mistake on that front -- but I did have to set aside my own persuasions in order to truly do that. It's still definitely worth a watch -- that's strongly encouraged for folks who enjoy independent Science Fiction because this one was reasonably low budget -- and it gets a thumbs up from me. Maybe I'll pull it out some day in the future and revisit it for more depth. We'll see.
(Cue your favorite party-dancing track)
Well, another week is on the cusp of being done and gone, putting up squarely in the mindset to celebrate another weekend. It feels good, doesn't it? It feels grand to know that all you need is a couple days off, and they're here? (Well, those of you who don't work weekends, that is.) Whatever the case and wherever you may be, here's hoping that life is well on-the-path to giving you everything you've ever wanted and everything you deserve.
HAPPY FRIDAY!
I'm puttering away this morning on a review or two. I did manage to squeeze up one of my 'recovered reviews' from my days at Amazon.com for a flick called Sleep Dealer. Honestly, my review is a bit light on the substance on the film, and that's mostly because I recall being mildly put off by its somewhat obvious and somewhat lazy politics. I enjoyed it -- don't make any mistake on that front -- but I did have to set aside my own persuasions in order to truly do that. It's still definitely worth a watch -- that's strongly encouraged for folks who enjoy independent Science Fiction because this one was reasonably low budget -- and it gets a thumbs up from me. Maybe I'll pull it out some day in the future and revisit it for more depth. We'll see.
Not all that long back, I traded words with a fellow on Twitter (now called X for some reason) who was insisting that there was no such thing as a 'perfect film.'
Ahem.
While I certainly understand where the gentleman was coming from (basically, he was trying to come to the defense of a film but could've probably taken a less controversial approach), I strongly -- very strongly -- disagree with him, so much so that I even offered up a short list of perfect films that I could think of just off the top of my head. Today, I'm surprised that I failed to mention 1990's Tremors amongst one of the big screens shots of perfection because that film was and remains a work of pure theatrical art.
Yes, yes, and yes: I can hear you arguing otherwise, much like a thousand voices crying out suddenly going silent, but -- apologies -- you're wrong. Tremors is as perfect as any genre film can get. It resonates on a level with audiences that few flicks do; and decades later the audiences who find it continue to wonder why they've either never heard about it more often or never found it until now. Its script works efficiently. Its characters are authentic. Its pacing is not to be trifled with. In fact, there's absolutely nothing about the motion picture that would ever need to be changed. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward were silver screen magic -- along with a cast of assorted victims and survivors, alike -- and it remains one of the industry's crowning achievements on every conceivable level.
Well ...
The truth about Tremors is that it wasn't exactly a box office sensation. (FYI: neither was the highly regarded Citizen Kane from 1941, often cited as the highwater mark for all of filmdom.) While there are a handful of arguments as to how and why it escaped so much praise in that first theatrical run, the truth is it's a picture that defies formula -- it's part Comedy, part Science Fiction, part Fantasy, part Horror, etc. -- so advertisers and critics perhaps didn't quite know what to make of it at the time. Still, I've always said that this kinda/sorta wacky assemblage of parts made it a bit of a mutt -- a little bit of everything possible -- much in the same way its two heroes don't exactly have heroic pedigrees in any regard. Thematically and textually, it's perfectly balanced ... and if you haven't seen it then watch it today on its anniversary.
Ahem.
While I certainly understand where the gentleman was coming from (basically, he was trying to come to the defense of a film but could've probably taken a less controversial approach), I strongly -- very strongly -- disagree with him, so much so that I even offered up a short list of perfect films that I could think of just off the top of my head. Today, I'm surprised that I failed to mention 1990's Tremors amongst one of the big screens shots of perfection because that film was and remains a work of pure theatrical art.
Yes, yes, and yes: I can hear you arguing otherwise, much like a thousand voices crying out suddenly going silent, but -- apologies -- you're wrong. Tremors is as perfect as any genre film can get. It resonates on a level with audiences that few flicks do; and decades later the audiences who find it continue to wonder why they've either never heard about it more often or never found it until now. Its script works efficiently. Its characters are authentic. Its pacing is not to be trifled with. In fact, there's absolutely nothing about the motion picture that would ever need to be changed. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward were silver screen magic -- along with a cast of assorted victims and survivors, alike -- and it remains one of the industry's crowning achievements on every conceivable level.
Well ...
The truth about Tremors is that it wasn't exactly a box office sensation. (FYI: neither was the highly regarded Citizen Kane from 1941, often cited as the highwater mark for all of filmdom.) While there are a handful of arguments as to how and why it escaped so much praise in that first theatrical run, the truth is it's a picture that defies formula -- it's part Comedy, part Science Fiction, part Fantasy, part Horror, etc. -- so advertisers and critics perhaps didn't quite know what to make of it at the time. Still, I've always said that this kinda/sorta wacky assemblage of parts made it a bit of a mutt -- a little bit of everything possible -- much in the same way its two heroes don't exactly have heroic pedigrees in any regard. Thematically and textually, it's perfectly balanced ... and if you haven't seen it then watch it today on its anniversary.
Also, it wasn't all that long ago that I penned a small observation about the highest regarded episodes of the television Science Fiction classic, Star Trek.
No, no, and no: I don't remember the context exactly, but I believe I was trying to point out how some of the original series' run had a solid handful of adventures that -- even though dated by today's standards -- still strike the right chord with viewers even decades later. One such installment was "Arena," and this hour first aired on this day all the way back in 1967.
Now ... ahem ... I'm not gonna suggest in any way that this alien creature -- the Gorn -- was delivered an endearingly as it could have been. You have to keep in mind that creature effects from the 1950's and 1960's were a bit of an acquired taste. These producers couldn't exactly run out to the nearest costume shop and purchase an alien warrior suit 'off the rack,' so there's something to be said for the level of ingenuity that did show up on the small screen. Even to this day, the Gorn remains one of Trek's signature species. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has kinda/sorta cheapened its legacy by taking it in a vastly different thematic direction, but -- for its place and time -- this lumbering lizard-like monster with its maw of pointed teeth was good enough for those who us who liked to go where no man had gone before.
Welcome to the International Day of the Gorn, fellow readers. Go on out and 'hug a Gorn' today because I said so.
No, no, and no: I don't remember the context exactly, but I believe I was trying to point out how some of the original series' run had a solid handful of adventures that -- even though dated by today's standards -- still strike the right chord with viewers even decades later. One such installment was "Arena," and this hour first aired on this day all the way back in 1967.
Now ... ahem ... I'm not gonna suggest in any way that this alien creature -- the Gorn -- was delivered an endearingly as it could have been. You have to keep in mind that creature effects from the 1950's and 1960's were a bit of an acquired taste. These producers couldn't exactly run out to the nearest costume shop and purchase an alien warrior suit 'off the rack,' so there's something to be said for the level of ingenuity that did show up on the small screen. Even to this day, the Gorn remains one of Trek's signature species. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has kinda/sorta cheapened its legacy by taking it in a vastly different thematic direction, but -- for its place and time -- this lumbering lizard-like monster with its maw of pointed teeth was good enough for those who us who liked to go where no man had gone before.
Welcome to the International Day of the Gorn, fellow readers. Go on out and 'hug a Gorn' today because I said so.
And ... par for the course? There's more. In fact, there's a lot more for you to explore on the Daily Citation Page from SciFiHistory.Net, and you're encouraged to do so at your leisure right now ...
Seriously, folks, as I always say: THANK YOU for reading ... THANK YOU for sharing ... THANK YOU for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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