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Reviews
Gasman (1997)
I like it, but I'm like that
Gasman is a proper short film - little plot, none of it told explicitly, but a larger story going on around the camera. Like most of Lynne Ramsey's stuff (Ratcatcher being the best and most enjoyable example, because it isn't a short)it feels like and probably is 1970s/80s East-end Glasgow, the struggling classes and a fairly grim outlook, but you see the little sparks of interest in real lives, and being a small story told very much from a child's point of view, it's much more hopeful, interesting and happy than it could have been. The characters, so few, and so little seen in the short still have immense believability and completeness. Most people will find this dull, but if you're the kind of person who knows how to get hold of a copy, you're probably the type of person who'd enjoy it. Arty, but not impenetrable, simple but thought-provoking.
Farscape (1999)
Best original sci fi on TV now
Farscape started off OK, but it was hard to show to friends, as the sometimes flaky production values obscured the innovative stories. With the success of the first season though, more money was channelled into effects, titles and makeup, and now the stories aren't let down by their framing. The Pilot character makeup/animatronics has improved especially, with Pilot actually able to look mean now, and while I still find Rygel the dullest character, the rest of the characters channel good plots, not always predictable outcomes and frequent moments of fine Hensonian humour. With the Star Trek franchises getting more and more constrained and predictable, and other developments being redeveloped old stories (Stargate SG1, Dune Miniseries), I find Farscape the most rewarding new sci fi on TV now.
The Black Stallion (1979)
top shmaltz-free horse + kid action
The Black Stallion is definitley my favourite "horse film". That frequently means schmaltz, especially when you add tiny, cute like Kelly Reno into the picture, but like the book this film is adventure that just happens to be absolute art on screen as well. Locations in the Mediterranean are used magically, especially when you consider that none of them were actually islands! and Carrol Ballard's direction would have got the oscar if the film-editing hadn't. Cass Ole, the horsey star actually looks dangerous. This horse is a killer, and though the film doesn't dwell on that, and Alec's inner turmoil of whether to kill and eat it, to save it as much as the book does, the transformation from angry-beast to best-friend is actually believable. The last hour is a bit plainer, but stay tuned for more pure beauty behind the closing credits.