Reviews

The idea that the four top sleuths in the world (Sherlock Holmes, Columbo, Jessica Fletcher and Dr. Sloan) should be brought together to solve the murder of Agatha Christie, is pure genius.

As each sleuth makes their way to the reading of Dame Christie's will, individually, they are all given a chance to shine.

Then, when they are all together, the chemistry kicks in and the personality of each sleuth is explored more fully.

The writing is sublime and shows the affection that the writers have for each character. There are more than enough 'nods-of-the-head' to keep the most diehard fans happy, with other series getting a mention, too.

The casting is perfect, with Brad Crooker and Danny Miller nailing their characters perfectly. Evan O'Hare and Kari Wishingrad give great performances, too, with Evan's Sherlock almost stealing the show.

The music is a perfect match to the pace of the film and isn't too overpowering or intrusive, so as to diminish the dialogue.

The direction is concise and smooth, which, along with the editing, makes for a comfortable watch.

Way back, in the 1990s, The X-Files was riding high. Fox wanted another hit show so they asked Chris Carter, creator of said X-Files, to develop another show. What he came up with was MillenniuM.

Set in the same universe as The X-Files, MillenniuM would be something completely different. Darker, scarier and unnerving.

The main protagonist, Frank Black, was an ex-FBI agent working as a consultant for a group of ex-law enforcement personnel, known as The MillenniuM Group, who tackled cases that the overstretched Police couldn't. Serial killers, cults, religious killings, stalkers etc.

Each episode was almost a mini-movie, with a budget that many small independent movies of the time would wish for. The pilot could quite easily have been a feature-length film.

Many found the series to be too dark and downbeat, which would eventually lead to its cancellation.

What many failed to realise was that MillenniuM was too far ahead of its time. Looking back, now, shows like Dexter, The Sopranos, The Shield, The Wire, Sons of Anarchy etc. took these dark themes and tones and made a success of them, because the audience was now ready. MillenniuM had primed them.

But, back in 1996, with shows like Frasier and The Simpsons being all cosy and happy, MillenniuM didn't stand a chance.

However, MillenniuM had, and still has, a strong and loyal fan base. That's where this documentary comes in.

Jason D. Morris has directed a documentary, with all of the major players providing candid interviews, interspersed with clips from MillenniuM and other shows that it influenced.

The opening titles hark back to the opening titles of MillenniuM, dark and foreboding, while the score does more than enough justice to Mark Snow's original score, to bring the whole documentary together quite nicely.

This finished documentary is a masterful production that does justice to MillenniuM, its cast and crew and, especially, its fans.

Running from 1996-1999, MillenniuM ran over three seasons before being cancelled before the millennium finally succeeded.

MillenniuM followed Frank Black, a former FBI forensic profiler with an uncanny ability to 'see' through the eyes of the killer. Sometimes this ability was almost a sixth sense, while at other times it was an almost psychic ability. Frank Black had been forced to retire, from the FBI, after receiving Polaroids of his family through the post. Moving his family to Seattle, for the safety of a normal life, Frank Black became a freelance profiler for the MillenniuM Group, helping the Police with murder cases. However, Frank Black is soon disturbed to find photographs of his family, in Seattle, posted through his door. To keep up the façade of everything being well, only Frank and the MillenniuM Group are aware of the images. The MillenniuM Group itself was made of former FBI, Police and various other specialists, all who were expert in their field, with Peter Watts (Terry O'Quinn) being Frank's main contact in the Group. Unlike many recent crime dramas, Frank Black wasn't just a profiler. Through Frank Black we were taken on a deep, and often dark, analysis of the evil that surrounds us.

Although the series was cancelled, many fans clamoured for more, or at least some form of closure for Frank Black. What they received was an episode of The X-Files, entitled MillenniuM, which did nothing for the MillenniuM, or Frank Black, storyline, in my opinion.

Series two had a different 'feel' to series one and three, due to Chris Carter handing over of the management of the show to Glen Morgan and James Wong, while he concentrated on season five of The X-Files and The X-Files movie. This absence cost the show, dearly, and made sure that MillenniuM didn't see in the new millennium, even though he back control for the third series.

The theme music was written by Mark Snow, who also wrote the theme for The X-Files, and was a haunting violin piece, set to bizarre and disturbing images. On many episodes the titles were followed by a quotation from the likes of Plato, Jean-Paul Sartre, W.H. Auden, Biblical quotes and many more.

Chris Carter (creator), Lance Henriksen (Frank Black) and Frank Spotnitz (co-executive producer) have all stated 'On The Record' of their hope and desire to bring Frank Black back to the screen, whether on TV or through a motion picture.

For myself, I think MillenniuM was a fascinating and sometimes extraordinary series, that was greatly overlooked. For its time it was quite graphic and had a lot of gore, which did put some people off, but this wasn't for shock value, but to show how evil the world can be. But, no matter how desperate Frank Black got, he still had the focus and mindset to overcome, sometimes at great risk to himself or others. Unlike other shows, Chris Carter wasn't averse to having his hero beaten up, arrested or shot. Frank Black went through all manner of misfortune through the entire series, but somehow managed to keep sight of what was right. Throughout the show it is Frank's family, especially his daughter Jordan, who may also have his ability, that keep his course true. The writing was, for the most part, natural and wasn't dumbed down, making it more of an intellectual feast than your typical run of the mill crime shows. Even now I still enjoy watching the DVDs and find that they are just as good now as they were nearly two decades ago.

REVIEW

This has to be one of the most spectacular, non-stop, adrenaline-fuelled sci-fi movies... ever!

However, it is could also be classed as a remake of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

JJ Abrams had a lot to live up to after his 2009 reboot and I think that he kept the pace up but just lacked an original story. There is nothing in this film to keep the purists happy and there is no need to have seen any of the series or previous films to understand this movie, for the new audience, as he has changed things so much that it could just be an ordinary sci-fi film, rather than Star Trek. Chris Pine made Kirk his own in the first movie, but seems to have lost his way, here. Zachary Quinto has become Spock and appears to understand his role in the franchise. Karl Urban, who was brilliant in the 2009 movie, is sadly just cast to rehash the original McCoy and is woefully underused. Simon Pegg, as Scotty, appears to be there just to bring humour to the crew. On the plus side, the effects are top-notch and the 3D actually works for this film. There's enough dialogue quoted from the original films and series to keep fans happy, but this does not a good movie make.

My main issue with this film is the complete disregard for continuity. John Harrison has developed a transporter that came beam him anywhere, including to other planets. This, therefore, negates the need for Starships. But Kirk still needs his ship to get to Qo'nos. On the approach to Qo'nos there is a semi-destroyed moon, presumably Praxis (The Klingon moon that exploded in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), which should still be in one piece, at this time. The Klingons, obviously, make their first appearance in the series (having been cut from the 2009 film) and are different from what we have come to know. They are almost hybrids of every type of screen Klingon, ever seen. Plus, the Klingons are overwhelmed and beaten far too easily, by Kirk and company. The revelation that John Harrison, woodenly played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is in fact none other than Khan Noonien Singh, is nonsensical as Khan has suddenly been changed from an Indian to an Englishman. Some scenes were directly lifted from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but were given a JJ Abrams twist. And, to make matters worse, Spock contacts Spock Prime to find out how to beat Khan, rather than finding the answer himself. This, to me, seemed like a bit of a cop-out, as now he can just contact Spock Prime at the first sign of trouble.

The story concerns a young farmer, Shad (Richard Thomas), from the peaceful planet Akir (named for Akira Kurosawa), that is under threat from the warlord Sador (John Saxon), of the Malmori. Being a peace- loving people they have no way to defend themselves, so Shad takes an old spacecraft and goes looking for some mercenaries to help defend his planet. These include, Nanelia (Darlanne Fluegel); Space Cowboy (George Peppard); Nestor (Five Alien clones, who share a group consciousness); Gelt (Robert Vaughn); Saint-Exmin (Sybil Danning); Cayman (Morgan Woodward) and The Kelvin (Larry Meyers & Lara Cody).

When Sador returns he is met by Shad, leading seven ships in a bid to safe his planet from destruction.

The film is a remake of The Magnificent Seven (1960), which was a remake of Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai (1954), so there is no time wasted on in-depth character development or storytelling, as the story should be familiar. Everything we need to know about each character we learn in our first meeting with them. Space Cowboy is a space trucker, from Earth, looking for adventure. Saint-Exmin is from a female warrior race, who has a very fast ship, and wishes to have a glorious death. Gelt is the best assassin in the galaxy, but is alone and paranoid, only joining Shad for the reward of a safe and peaceful place to live.

The effects aren't the best, but are by no means poor. This could be down to a number of reasons;

While Star Wars (1977) had an estimated budget of $11 million, Battle Beyond the Stars had an estimated budget of just $2 million.

The man who was in charge of the miniature design and construction, special photographic effects and was also the additional director of photography was none other than James Cameron. (It was while working on Battle Beyond the Stars that James Cameron met Gale Ann Hurd, the films assistant production manager, who he would team up with to make his 1984 classic, The Terminator.)

Battle Beyond the Stars was filmed in just five weeks.

The score was composed by James Horner and is very upbeat and full of brass instruments, fanfare and goes very well with the pace of the film. James Horner also scored the soundtracks to Star Trek II (1982) and Star Trek III (1984), the latter of which has pieces of score that sound as if they were simply 'lifted' from the Battle Beyond the Stars score.

Each of the characters appears to have been given the same amount of screen time, which works in the movie's favour. John Saxon plays Sador with a particular ruthlessness, while George Peppard is almost playful as the Space Truckin' Cowboy. Meanwhile, Robert Vaughn's, Gelt, is so closely based on the character of Lee, from The Magnificent Seven (1960), that some of Gelt's dialogue is almost identical, to that of Lee's.

Tie two birds together. Even though they have four wings they cannot fly. - The Blind Man

SYNOPSIS

Set in a land of the past, or a possible future, a Martial Arts tournament is held to find a champion. This champion, will become The Seeker and will undertake a journey to find Zetan and the Book of Enlightenment. Along the way The Seeker will encounter three trials, which he must solve, or defeat, before he can reach the book.

THE CAST

The Silent Flute boasts an impressive cast, that include ;David Carradine, Jeff Cooper, Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach, Anthony De Longis and Earl Maynard.

VERDICT

As it is damn near impossible to locate an original script, for this movie, it is hard to tell what has been removed and added. Therefore, the film has to be seen as only having Bruce Lee's name on it, not his influence.

Having said that, there is still a lot of philosophy and teachings from the scriptures, to stop this from being your typical martial arts movie. But, is The Silent Flute a martial arts movie? It certainly has some martial arts in it, but it is more of an adventure about the search for the Book of Enlightenment, than a typical beat-em- up movie. Maybe that is why it was misunderstood and panned so violently by the critics. Even some of Brice Lee's fans hated the movie, thereby missing the point of the entire story.

There are no stand-out performances, in the movie, possibly down to the director being Richard Moore, in his one and only directorial role. Richard Moore was best known as a cinematographer, which can be seen quite clearly in The Silent Flute.

There are many problems with this movie, but the good parts far outweigh the bad. Also, the backdrop of Israel, with its Roman ruins and landscapes, really help this movie, adding a mystical element to this fantasy story.

The film is based on the 1966 novel, Colossus: The Forbin Project, by British author Dennis Feltham Jones, and was released in 1970 with a screenplay by James Bridges (The Hitchcock Hour, The China Syndrome, White Hunter Black Heart, among others.)

It starred Eric Braeden as Dr. Charles Forbin, Susan Clark as Dr. Cleo Markham and Gordon Pinsent as The President.

REVIEW

Although the film begins slowly, and isn't your typical all-action movie, that people expect today, it still a suspenseful and unnerving film, which builds in intensity until one of the greatest climaxes in cinema history. The casting of the unknown Eric Braeden, in his first leading actor role, adds much to the power of the story. The acting is solid and the dialogue is concise, so that there is nothing said that didn't need saying. Eric Braeden is convincing as Dr. Forbin and it his story that we follow and it is his character that has the most depth. His struggle to believe that his creation has become more than he imagined, and his even bigger battle to try to defeat it, are what really makes the film that much more believable. Susan Clark gives subtleness to the character of Dr. Cleo Markham. A woman who is as intelligent as any of her male colleagues, if not smarter, but who also has the emotional aptitude to help Dr. Forbin, as his World begins to collapse around him. Gordon Pinsent portrayal of The President is very well executed. At the beginning of the film he is the supremely confident and affable Commander-in-Chief, but, as the story unfolds, he becomes far less controlled as his power to control anything is gradually taken from him. It is the relationship between these three that keeps the suspense building, to one of the greatest climaxes in movie history.

The 'voice' of Colossus is provided by Paul Frees, and it is this voice that although chilling, also has a certain intelligence and, possibly, emotion. There are many supporting characters, such as Dr. Kuprin, the creator of Guardian, played by Alex Rodine, who is ultimately betrayed by his own creation. C.I.A. Director Grauber is wonderfully played by William Schallert, who gives a performance that has now become synonymous with inept C.I.A. Directors.

When the film was released in 1970, Universal found that they had a surprise hit on their hands, as everyone clamoured to see it.

Many of the Artificial Intelligence / supercomputer films, that have been released in the last thirty years have borrowed, if not downright stolen, their ideas from what Colossus set out. Gene Roddenberry used the idea in the 1968 Star Trek episode, 'The Ultimate Computer', while James Cameron cites Colossus as his inspiration for Skynet, in his 1984 movie 'The Terminator'.

Journey to the Far Side of the Sun aka Doppelgänger was the first live- action film to be made by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, who also wrote the screenplay. It was directed by Robert Parrish.

SYNOPSIS

A planet is discovered in the same orbit as the Earth, but on the far side of the sun. The European Space Exploration Council (EuroSEC) decide to send American astronaut Colonel Glenn Ross and British scientist John Kane to investigate. After a crash-landing, Ross discovers that Kane is near death and that they have returned to Earth. Unfortunately, things are not at all as they appear.

REVIEW

This is one of the best Science Fiction films ever made. To start with, it comes from the people who made their name bringing us the future, when the future was still a long way away; 'Fireball XL5', 'Stingray', 'Thunderbirds' and 'Captain Scarlet', to name a few. If you keep that in mind then you will see where I am coming from, with this review. Set in 2069 the story, although now completely absurd, concerns the discovery of an Earth-like planet in our Solar System, in our orbit, but on the opposite side of the Sun. From the moment after launch, you have to pay real attention, otherwise you will miss important moments, because there is a subtlety used in the film that means that not all of the clues are 'shoved in your face', like many of the movies nowadays. This leads you to see the film through Colonel Ross' eyes, meaning you discover things as he discovers them. Roy Thinnes, who plays Colonel Glenn Ross, gives an enigmatic performance as his character goes through various changes. From being the confident American astronaut, to the shaken post crash- landed broken man to the paranoid, but not paranoid, family man trying to get home. It is this character that we follow and, in some ways, feel more for than any other. Ian Hendry, who portrays the ill-fated British scientist John Kane, plays the perfect foil to the character of Ross. At times the two actors play the roles as if they are in a buddy-movie, like 'Lethal Weapon'. Other supporting actors, who deserve a mention, are Patrick Wymark, George Sewell and Lynn Loring. Herbot Lom makes a sinister appearance as Doctor Hassler, a character that I felt absolutely no connection to, or understood what he added to the story. The effects are exactly what you expect from a Gerry Anderson production. Some fantastic models that could quite easily fit into any of his 'puppet' programmes. In fact, many of the models, sets and costumes, from this film, ended up being reused in Gerry Anderson's 'UFO', as did many of the cast members. The computers are dated, as they are in most movies of this era, including '2001: A Space Odyssey', but this is a film that was, in some ways, dated the moment it was released. Remember, when this movie was released on August 27 1969, man had only set foot on the moon, one month before, on July 20 1969. There are a few other problems with the movie, like continuity, plot-holes and editing errors, the latter of which is surprising as the film's director, Robert Parrish, won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing on the 1947 film, 'Body and Soul'. Another, often overlooked, part of this film is the soundtrack. Sometimes a score can spoil a movie, because it isn't matched to the tone. Other films suffer because the composer uses a score that he originally wrote for a different movie. Here, Barry Gray's score works in such a way that the film and soundtrack become one perfect piece of sight and sound.

REMAKE

This film was remade as a TV Movie, in 1973, as the pilot for a TV show. The series was never made.

The Keep is based on the 1981 horror novel, of the same name, by American author F. Paul Wilson. The Keep was the first of six novels, called 'The Adversary Cycle'

TAGLINE

They were all drawn to the Keep.

The soldiers who brought death.

The father and daughter fighting for life.

The people who have always feared it.

And the one man who knows its secret...

Tonight, they will all face the evil.

SYNOPSIS

Set in April 1941, Nazi soldiers are using the Keep of a castle, which is set high in the Romanian Carpathian mountains, as a base. Unfortunately, the soldiers are being killed off one-by-one by a mysterious entity. The Nazi commander asks for help and an SS extermination squad is sent to remedy the problem. Soon the SS soldiers are dying, too, so the SS officer has a Professor and his daughter, from Bucharest, brought to the Keep, in order to find out what is killing his men. The Professor, an expert in old Slovanic and Romanian dialects, is charged with deciphering a cryptic message that has been left on the walls of the Keep, in blood. The entity turns out to be an old evil, from an age of sorcerers, that has been imprisoned beneath the Keep for millennia. Seeing a use in the Professor, who is wheelchair bound, the entity promises him his health and youth back in return for his help. Soon after, an immortal who built the Keep as a prison arrives and, with the help of the Professors daughter, fights the evil.

REVIEW

Although not full of action or the blood-and-guts horror of recent times, this is a classic of the genre. Boasting a cast that includes Ian McKellen, Scott Glenn, Jurgen Prochnow, Gabriel Byrne, Alberta Waton & William Morgan Sheppard, this should have been an instant hit. The screenplay, written by Michael Mann, is short and concise with the actors 'becoming' their characters, to add power to the story. Filmed with hardly any colour and with very few sets, the film can come across as slightly claustrophobic, which only adds to the heightening terror. The soundtrack, by Tangerine Dream, gives the film an almost dreamlike quality, which is at total odds with the 1941 setting of Nazi occupied Romania. But, somehow, it all works. When it was released, it became an instant 'cult' hit but was a critical and financial disaster for Paramount.

LATEST NEWS

In July 2006, F. Paul Wilson made 'The Keep' into a graphic novel. His reason for this was to visualise what his version of the film would have been like.

After watching Ray Bradbury's 'The Martian Chronicles, part 1' last night, I was up early this morning to watch parts 2 & 3.

Considering I hadn't watched them since I was a kid, there was quite a lot I remembered. There was also a lot more that I understood, now.

Granted the effects are a very dated, but the storyline still holds true today.

The theme of whether it is right for us to go to Mars, even as explorers, gives rise to many questions. Would the Martians take our arrival as us trying to colonise or conquer their world? Would we soon destroy their planet as we did ours? Would we be able to co-exist with the Martians or would we resort to genocide?

Each part is, in itself, a separate Chronicle of the colonisation of Mars.

Part 1 begins in 1976 with the first unmanned landing on the Red Planet, followed by the first two expeditions, the first in 1979, which end in tragedy for both the Human crew members and the Native Martians. The third expedition shows one crew member, Spender, trying to save the Martian ideals while also trying to stop the his own crew members from disrespecting and polluting the Martian world.

Part 2 follows on with many Human colonists spread out in small colonies over Mars. The underlying story in part 2, is what is going on back on Earth. With the last superpowers escalating hostilities toward each other, it soon becomes clear that War is inevitable. On Mars, the colonists have to decide whether to return home, to maybe die with their families and friends or stay on Mars and hope for a better future. Unfortunately, War does come and both sides annihilate each other, leading the Earth burned and dying.

Part 3 continues with the last handful of colonists each trying to survive on an almost deserted planet. The year is now 2007 and Colonel Wilder, whose story has tied the three parts together, returns from a trip to the now barren Earth and, goes on a search to find some living Martians. This ends with him taking his family to learn the Martian way of life and to hopefully learn how they survived for Millennia. And with the consent and understanding of his family, Colonel Wilder destroys the last Rocket, that could take them away from Mars.

After nearly five hours of classic sci-fi, I just had to write this synopsis / review of what has now become one of favourite sci-fi adventures, ever.

For a film that has been highly anticipated, for over 30 years, Prometheus doesn't quite live up to the hype. If you have never seen the original Alien, then this is an okay stand-alone movie, to fill that quiet rainy afternoon, but If you are a die-hard Alien fan, then I am sure you are going to be sorely disappointed. I am not entirely sure what Sir Ridley Scott was trying to achieve, or where he was trying to go, with the story, but I think that too many ideas led him away from what he was trying to do. The story itself seems to be 'borrowed' from other movies and there are many correlations to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Unfortunately, this doesn't help the movie, as it is never clear which storyline the film is trying to follow. The cast of characters are varied and many, too many in fact. as many of the characters are superfluous to the story and serve no real purpose, apart from to draw your attention away from how bad the script is. There is a scene where one of the missing crewmen returns and attacks the crew of the Prometheus, which does nothing for the storyline, except to keep the viewers awake. The actors themselves seem to do little to help this, with Idris Elba almost sleepwalking through his role as Janek, the Captain of the Prometheus. Guy Pearce is almost unrecognisable under some serious prosthetics, as the elderly Peter Weyland, which he is probably thankful for. Charlize Theron plays one of the coldest characters in the movie, but she isn't given the dialogue to complete the character of Meredith Vickers, the daughter of Peter Weyland. Michael Fassbender, on the other hand, steals the show as David, the android created by Peter Weyland to ensure the completion of the mission. His performance is strong but subtle with an almost sinister side always close to the surface. It is this character that leads us through the majority of the story. The set design is impressive and is based on the work of H.R.Giger, as in the original. The scares, in the movie, are few and not that scary, as there is no real sense of terror or suspense. The ending is bound to upset a few of the 'die-hard' Alien fans, too, as it raises more questions than it answers, leaving me to wonder was this the first of two or more prequels to Alien. The soundtrack, by Marc Streitenfeld, struggles to keep your attention, except when samples from the original Alien movie are stitched into the new score, as if to remind you that you are watching an Alien movie. Which was quite helpful as, about halfway through the movie, all I could think about was Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Of course, the CGI is excellent, as would be expected of a Ridley Scott Science Fiction movie, but even this can't save the film and, at 124 minutes, I couldn't wait for it to end.

All-in-all I would give this film 3/10.

I have just watched the Jason Statham remake of the 1972 classic, 'The Mechanic'. Wow. Everything was going so well. So much had been kept from the original that I thought that this could possibly be a good remake for todays moviegoers. As it turns out, the story was identical to the original but, unlike Mr Charles Bronson, Jason Statham obviously had a problem with playing a character that dies. What a mistake. By changing the ending, they changed the entire feel of the movie. It's not meant to end well for Statham's character, or anyone else for that matter. He is meant to die, like everybody else dies in the movie. If anyone had to live, it should have been Foster's character. All in all I give the movie a 6/10 and would urge you to watch the original, it's so much better!

I am a Trekker. I love Star Trek, in all its incarnations, and was excited when I heard that J.J. Abrams was taking on this franchise.

When it was released I was spellbound. Here was a brand new imagining! The crew were all well cast, especially Karl Urban, as 'Bones', and there were 'nods' to previous entries in the Star Trek canon mixed in, too.

However, it just isn't Star Trek.

For a sci-fi movie, aimed at a new audience, it is well worth a watch. But, for Star Trek fans, this movie, while delivering in scope and action, loses out to a story that is filled with plot holes. If more care had been taken with the script, rather than blinding everyone with effects and blowing things up, this could have been so good.