Thank you, Gerry. RIP Gerry Anderson

A sad day indeed for fans of 60's and 70's space television, as pioneering filmmaker and TV producer Gerry Anderson has passed away at the age of 83. Anderson was a cult hero, having created a series of children's action programs in 1960's Britain that became global sensations. Joe 90, Captain Scartlet, Stingray, Fireball XL5 and of course, Thunderbirds. Rather than feature human actors, Anderson used marionettes in "Supermarionation," an elaborate series of miniature sets and vehicles with colossal special effects. His main designer, Derek Meddings, would go on to work in the James Bond and Superman film franchises, among others. 

In the Seventies, Anderson made the leap to working with actors, transferring his astonishing special effects to a bigger adult canvas, with shows such as Space: 1999 and your humble correspondent's favorite show as a boy, UFO. 

I essentially grew up on these shows and they had an enormous influence on me. To this day I have a lot of Anderson pieces in my toy collection - here are a few...

One of the hallmarks of any Anderson show was the dazzlingly designed vehicles (that and enormous explosions). Here are a few from Space: 1999 and UFO...

Unless you grew up with a British connection, you might never have seen or heard of Gerry Anderson. Much  of America only discovered him with the release of Team America - World Police, which poked fun at the save the world heroics of fearless puppets. 

Gerry, you had a wonderful imagination. If not for your creations, I might never have met one of my dearest friends, through our mutual fan mania. Your shows shaped a generation - and more - across the globe. Thanks for all the FABulous inventions and for firing up a lot of young dreamers. 

I can think of no better way to close, than with this - volume, please...

"There is more in you of good than you know..." The Hobbit

As I closed the gate behind me, settling into The Shire, I was prepared to be disappointed.

There have been all sorts of rumblings about the many failings of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Too often these days, the bigger a film’s expectations, the more critical arrows are drawn back, just waiting to be let fly.

What an incredible relief to discover that The Hobbit is a wonderful, sure-footed adventure – and if you have a fondness for Peter Jackson’s previous landmark Lord of the Rings trilogy, you should absolutely love it. The Hobbit is a very different book in tone from Rings – on the surface, it’s a children’s fable – a cracking yarn. Yet J.R.R. Tolkien also included the seeds of what would lead to a darker adventure that threatens all of Middle Earth – as anyone who’s seen Rings already knows, it’s where Bilbo Baggins comes to find The One Ring. Peter Jackson has endeavored to serve two masters with The Hobbit – on the one hand, the film is much more outlandish in places than anything in the previous trilogy. On the other, he’s daring to expand this lighter yarn into another trilogy, by spending more time showing us how the evil we saw in Rings came to power. It’s a risky prospect.

As Martin Freeman’s Bilbo finds his peaceful domicile under siege by an unexpected hoard of Dwarves, we’re right back in the beloved Shire of the previous films. The arrival sequence is a long one, but I remained fascinated throughout. If you know these chapters, you’ll find they were nicely serviced here and I found the Dwarves to be a delight. We witness an epic prologue of how the Dwarves lost their ancestral home to the mother of all dragons, the woeful Smaug. Richard Armitage takes center stage as a much more smoldering heartthrob Dwarf then I think Tolkien ever dared imagine – but as Thorin, he takes on the central heroic role that makes him cousin to Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn. As leader, Thorin has the task of reclaiming Israel for his people – with a truly nightmarish foe from his past determined to stop him. All I can say is, “Toy company, where is my Azog the Defiler action figure?!?”

Many of the Goblins and design elements of The Hobbit have the look of Guillermo del Toro’s influence – it does appear his involvement during the initial design phase is showing through. The Goblins and beasts on display are fantastic.

The cast is uniformly outstanding, particularly Freeman. Bilbo’s scenes with Gollum have been widely reported, but don’t think that’s the only showstopper in the film. There’s plenty to admire here, especially for Gandalf fans. Scenes with Elrond, Galadriel and the great Christopher Lee are fascinating.

The Hobbit may be a bit longer than it needs to be. I did not see the film in its controversial 48 frames-per-second format, but in RealD 3D. I found the 3D pointless, and as I experienced with Avatar, I found myself eager to fire this up on Blu-ray, as I suspect it’s going to look much sharper with more eye-popping detail in hi-def 2D blu. Some of the bigger action sequences get a bit cartoonish and drag a bit, veering close to Pirates of the Caribbean territory at times. The Goblin cavern is full of endless Rube Goldberg rope ladders and rocky chasms where characters tumble hundreds of feet down only to land with an “oomph” and scarcely a bruise. These are scenes where the film truly feels more like a kid’s movie – no offense meant. The action is just much less realistic in these scenes. There are other moments where the sweeping helicopter panoramas and subterranean goings-on feel like Rings redux. The Goblin chase feels very much like Moria, for example.

But these are fairly minor carps. At the end of the day you come away feeling something. The lesson Bilbo learns by the end of this first film is a very human one, and as the affection between the characters grows and we feel darkness beginning to threaten this world, we find ourselves caring very much. I felt like I’d sat down at a very sumptuous feast, and the film leaves you more than ready for the next chapter. If you’re a Tolkien fan, and you love Rings, you’re apt to find The Hobbit is a very welcome gift.

The Bay - we have been warned...

Of all the horror movies I've seen, The Bay, from director Barry Levinson, is the one I'm most hoping doesn't come true - unfortunately it's also way too easy to believe that the harrowing events depicted around Chesapeake Bay in this film actually could.

Whatever you do, don't dismiss The Bay as another "found footage" horror film, and lump it together with Apollo 18 or Paranormal Activity XX. While Levinson makes use of various "recovered" video sources, The Bay feels more like a documentary - an impossibly disturbing, throat-grabbing, make-it-stop documentary. It's been called an "eco-horror" film, due to the environmental underpinnings behind the horrific events depicted onscreen. DNA from Jaws and The Birds has been spliced together with that of Forks Over Knives. Given that the threat in The Bay is actually something real, with just the tiniest and all too believable sci-fi nudge, it's one of the most unsettling films I've seen in a while. If you've become jaded by bad horror and need a mainline jolt of the real McCoy, don't let yourself miss The Bay - but fair warning: you won't be able to get the toothpaste of anxiety back in the tube once it's been squeezed out.

Huge kudos to Barry Levinson, who's made a stunning career departure here with the vigor of a filmmaker a third his age. It's almost hard to fathom that this is the same director who shot Diner, The Natural and Rain Man. He's done some intense work before (TV's Homicide and Sleepers), but nothing like this. It's like he had a lifelong dream to run amok with a low budget and just scare the holy hell out of people. Levinson is a Maryland man through and through, and one can't help but feel that his disgust over what's happened to his beloved Chesapeake Bay is what got him so fired up to make this movie.

The Bay is available at home OnDemand - same day as theaters - and it's very, very much worth seeking out. It delivers the goods like crazy and no fan of the genre should miss it. But I'd label it with a strong warning - The Bay is one of the most disturbing films you'll see this year. Don't drink the water.

Old dog, new tricks...Skyfall

When you turn 50, are you done? Are you a quaint relic in the eyes of a younger world? Not on your life, Mr. Bond. With a smashing sense of purpose and invigorated storytelling, Skyfall gives us what is truly one of the best Bond pictures in ages, in all likelihood one of the top 5.

Director Sam Mendes is an inspired choice as director – combining his strength at working with actors (American Beauty) with his ability to juggle heart with gritty dynamics (Road to Perdition), Mendes also brings the enthusiasm and fastidious attention to detail of the lifelong fan – the combination works beautifully and he gives us one of the all-time best Bond films – as does Daniel Craig. Not only do we get a decent story that’s satisfying for adults, but we actually get to learn more about who Bond is – where he came from and how he came to be the man he is. It’s fascinating and incredibly satisfying.

Some impressive standouts include Naomie Harris (28 Days Later), sensational as a realistic and engaging MI6 agent – she’s a great accompaniment to a particularly bruised and payback-hungry Bond. Bond films practically invented the “opening action sequence” and Skyfall has you gripping the seats and in the thick of it like you won’t believe. Way to get our attention, gentlemen! It’s a great delight to discover that Adele delivers a theme-song that ranks among the very best. It’s modern, but does a fine job of echoing the character of all-time favorites from the Shirley Bassey era. It’s easily the best theme since Live and Let Die.

The way Skyfall evokes moments and grace-notes of the best vintage bond films while tipping the hat to them in a fresh new way reminds me of the similar savvy craftsmanship in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Like Rise, when the credits end, you’re ready for the next film to begin now!

Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes are splendid here and used to maximum effect – and Javier Bardem gives us a villain who’s a bit more twisted than the usual Bond adversary. He’s charming, perverse and maniacal and goes after the role full-tilt. Scenes on an abandoned island are particularly chilling. When Mendes strikes a more modern pose, there are moments in Skyfall that have the same intensity and fierce involvement as the best episodes of Luther – except we’re on a much bigger stage.

The stakes are more personal and haunting for Bond than we’ve ever been treated to before – Skyfall brings it all together in a deft and fitting salute to five decades of Britain’s most tenacious protector. It’s an incredibly satisfying meal that will leave you ravenous for the next course. Very highly recommended.

GALACTICA ALERT! New series THIS FRIDAY!

Okay, nuggets! Grab your helmets!!! The long rumored prequel Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome makes its debut this Friday courtesy of entertainment company Machinima's YouTube channel, Machinima Prime. Blood and Chrome is a prequel movie featuring a young William Adama during the first Cylon War and will be presented as 10 7-12-minute episodes beginning on Friday, November 9th - subsequent episodes airing over the next month.

Early next year, the two-hour version will broadcast on SyFy with a subsequent unrated release on home video. Quite the release strategy. Blood and Chrome will make extensive use of virtual set CGI technology, aiming for a more spectacular, epic canvas. Many BSG and Caprica vets including David Eick are involved. Check out the trailer and don't miss this sudden and most welcome return to the 12 Colonies!

So Say We All!

Happy Halloween, Friends!

Best costume ever! Happy Halloween!!!

20,000 Nemos Under the Sea, David Fincher...!

One of the many projects director David Fincher has been considering is a remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - and this week it came a lot closer to becoming his next film. Disney has a 3-month hold on Fincher (wonder what that cost?) to see if he can assemble a project that makes them confident enough to fund and green-light the film. Fincher’s first public salvo is the idea of frequent collaborator Brad Pitt as harpooner Ned Land, with an older A-list actor playing anti-hero Captain Nemo. Now 20,000 Leagues is my favorite film of all time. It had a colossal influence on me growing up, being the first live action drama I ever saw in a theater - no, not during its original release - I'm not THAT old... I’d normally be quick to pooh-pooh this kind of remake, but with Fincher involved, I can’t help but feel excited and curious. So if you were able to get Pitt to play the Kirk Douglas role…my immediate question was, who do you cast as James Mason?! 

That’s my question for today. You need someone capable of being imperious and brilliant – a visionary inventor whose belief in the future has been twisted by personal tragedy, having been warped into a cold-blooded vigilante, a haunted man full of grief and anger. He needs to be older, but capable of some action - of grabbing a harpoon and charging onto the deck to face the mother of all nightmares, face-to-face. I’ve reviewed my list of suspects, and here they are - along with my doubts and caveats - forgive me, gentlemen:

WAVE 1:

Anthony Hopkins - (possibly too old now, a somewhat tarnished rep)

Daniel Day-Lewis - (too highbrow for the role, though he’d be brilliant)

Jeremy Irons - (too old now? Possibly seems too detached)

Ian McKellen - (possibly too old now…?)

Geoffrey Rush - (intriguing choice, but maybe not dark enough)

Michael Fassbender - (might be too young)

No, not quite there - which lead me to...

WAVE 2: - (in increasing order of preference)

Bryan Cranston - (so has the acting chops – can we disassociate him from WW?)

Liam Neeson - (he’s the Taken persona now – too much an Irish Harrison Ford?)

Daniel Craig (can he convey the inventor – the visionary? Too action-oriented? He was great as Blomkvist for Fincher)

Hugh Jackman (phenomenal at anger and intelligence – but too heroic?)

Christian Bale (can do seemingly anything. A great choice to play the haunted genius)

…which finally led me to my #1 choice, with just the right balance of hope and anger...

Kenneth Branagh

I can see Branagh very clearly – older, bearded, tortured, judgmental – easy to believe as the once-starry-eyed inventor, full of hope for the future – turned cold avenger after the loss of his family, raging at fate and humanity.

And please - no Wild Wild West cracks. This is Wallander we're talking about here! He's aged, he's seasoned and he brings heft and humanity that would simply be letter perfect for Nemo. So, Mr. Fincher, if you're listening, one die-hard fan's plea to seal the deal and give Ned Land a worthy adversary.

What do you think, readers? I would love to hear!