Day Three Hundred and Forty-one - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Episode 4, "Anarchy, Incest, and Intrigue."

Hmmm... I feel a bit weird about this one. Generally, I've really liked Phryne and her dalliances with both crime and free love in 1920's Australia. She's the epitome of a take charge, modern woman who knows whom and what she wants. Still, it wears a bit thin this episode as she takes on the dual task of searching for a missing schoolgirl and investigating the murder of an anarchist.

Charged with discreetly inquiring into the disappearance of a schoolmate of Jane's (nice to see Jane back, by the way, after disappearing, herself, for an episode), Phryne happens to be witness to a falling out between anarchist revolutionaries in which one of them is fatally shot. He dies in her arms, but not before giving her the engagement ring he was saving for his ladylove with the task of delivering it.

All is not as it seems, though, in either case as it's difficult for Phryne to gain the trust of the anarchists who weren't involved in the shooting since she's an unknown and their compatriots would never murder a member (or would they?). Add to that the fact that the missing school girl may have fallen prey to religious madness and you've got both your A and B plots delivered with a nice little bow.

Upon reflection, I think I have two major problems with this episode.

First is the chemistry issue between Phryne and her lover-of-the-week, the former anarchist Peter "the Painter." I like to consider myself a fairly sex positive person and consumer, so Phryne's love life doesn't bother me... except when there's no real tension to speak of. While it's been obvious enough in past episodes, here it feels forced and trite.

My other major problem is that neither of the episode's mysteries is all that compelling. Be it inserting herself haphazardly into the revolutionary circles of Melbourne or going from manor to nunnery to asylum looking for the girl, there was nothing particularly striking in the way of drama or daring or thought puzzles. Everything was too easy to figure out and the motivations were too simplistic to be engaging. I mean, honestly, if you're going to have an incest plot, it needs to be framed better than a diary and a simple gesture. Where are the swelling soundtracks or dramatic shots? Whoever edited this episode needed a lesson or two in melodrama.

There are still good points, though. It's cool to see Jane again and I hope she becomes a regular fixture. Having Phryne hold rein over her aunt, Dot, and Jane makes for an interesting matriarchy with lots of fun back and forth. It gets a little stale when she only has Jack and Constable Collins to play off of.

So far, the series is still worth it, even if it seems to be wallowing in this subtle boredom. I'll stick with it, I think... and, if you like period mysteries like Foyle, Poirot, and Marple, you should, too.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Three Hundred and Thirty-five - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Episode 3, "Blackmail, Miscegenation, Sodomy... and, of course, Murder."

You know, I think I'm sensing a pattern concerning Miss Fisher's investigations... they all seem to revolve around several societal ills or injustices of her era.

The pilot dealt with drugs, communism, and upstairs/downstairs philandering. Episode two (which I didn't blog about) was a case of more philandering, child abuse, and classism. This particular episode worries about interracial marriage, homosexuality, and the divide between Protestants and Catholics. Not that it isn't all interesting, it just seems a bit too hammy to have all these different themes crammed in together in such a short time span.

Not that I should be complaining, as Phryne's misadventures in Melbourne's seedy underbelly are fun, if not exactly straining when it comes to the mysteries, themselves. It's just that I've grown so used to tackling pretty much one social issue at a time in the likes of PBS/BBC/ITV coproductions like MYSTERY (which include Cadfael, Poirot, Sherlock, etc.).

Anyways, this particular episode revolves around the death of a dastardly blackmailer and the young gentleman who becomes the prime suspect thanks to the fact that he was seen arguing with the victim just prior, fled the scene just after, and is (unfortunately, for the time) a homosexual. This fact comes out only after his lover is caught red-handed trying to retrieve the photos of the two that the victim was holding over their heads, but it's still an awful reminder of just how far we've come and how much further we still have to go.

The suspects are many and colorful, but the ultimate reveal comes straight out of a dime novel, I'm sad to say. Kudos for imagination, but a bit of a stretch to believablity and a bit slow in coming. I did like the jailhouse serenade at the end, leaving things on a much more romantic note than the inevitable conclusion (murderers swing in 20's era Australia), but the overall payoff was just 'eh.'

Still, there are plenty of things to like... particularly when it comes to Dot and Hugh's fumbling courtship, even if I find their nerves over differing religions to be stuff and nonsense, but there are plenty of people still today who take such matters with the utmost seriousness, so... who am I to begrudge playing it up for laughs in a mystery series? I like how Phryne and the Detective Inspector's friendship has developed over the past couple of episodes, going from chill professionalism to warm trust, but I was a little disappointed that the orphan that Phryne saddled herself with in the unblogged second episode has apparently disappeared for episode three.

The period goodness continues as most everything looks and feels right, save for the laughable dancing during the nightclub bits, but that's just personal opinion. Much props for actually working in a few biplane flights over the countryside.

While there are definite signs of overindulgence when it comes to themes and things are becoming a little stale as time wears on for the series, I'm still very much enjoying myself with it. Hats off to Phryne and her crew of misfits solving crime one murder at a time!

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Three Hundred and Nineteen - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Episode 1, "Charming, Clever, Independent, Sexy Women... Uh, yes please?"

Period murder mysteries generally flip my switch to begin with, there's something about detective work before the age of CSI-style Enhance-O-MacGuffins, where forensics were as primitive as it gets and true investigation comes from the minds of frank deduction and legwork that infinitely pleases me. Add to that the style and panache of yesteryear and you've sold me.

Throw a compelling lead in the pot and I'm pretty much yours to do with as thou wilt.

Really, only the worst of writing and direction could tear me away from the like of Poirot, Foyle, Sherlock... and, now, Miss Fisher. From the looks of this first episode, I'll be very happy for quite some time.

Set in the age of the flapper, but in Australia instead of America or Europe, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries takes the eponymous character from inciting incident through perilous twists and turns and on to a quite satisfying denouement with a twist that, while a little cliche, is still satisfying that's due to both the journey that got us there and the side characters that populate the background.

Phryne Fisher (Essie Davies), a titled heiress with plenty of time and money on her hands, returns to Melbourne after a lengthy absence to make sure her relative's murderer gets his just desserts, but that's the season subplot running in small scenes around the main episode plot, the murder of a shipping magnate whose wife is an old friend of Phryne... and the series of events that endanger several persons, including herself, as well as illegal abortion, the cocaine trade, and murder most foul.

While all that is well and good, what really strikes me about the series is how it is utterly dominated by strong women of every sort. There's Phryne, of course, but also her doctor best friend, several different black hats (don't want to spoil), and Phryne's maid and prim aunt, each wonderfully fleshed out in their own way and decidedly complex.

That's not to say that there aren't interesting male characters, but they most certainly take a back seat to their opposite gender here and I love it.

Additionally, it's nice to see a female lead who is decidedly sexual and confident about it (this is the 20's after all, full of women asserting themselves), but not just a piece of meat to be objectified. Sure, her name is a little on the nose in origins (honestly, what parent would do that). In spite of that, though, the presentation teeters on the edge of racy for the era, but never showing more than a tasteful tease. From tangos to Turkish baths, sex is present, but not titillating. A rather classy feat in an age of television where most prosaic procedurals and mysteries are more concerned with having their female leads parading about with their top 3-4 buttons undone for no reason other than ratings.

On the whole, I really dig the style and wit of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, even if the mysteries themselves are a bit lacking. Despite that one flaw, there are just too many other, very compelling reasons to watch the show to give it up.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-eight - Land Girls, Episode 1, "Classism, racism, upstairs, downstairs, blimey... what a mess."

It appears, due to the fact that I have watched and enjoyed Call the Midwife, that I'm to be suggested every period BBC series in existence. There's Foyle's War, Bomb Girls, and now... Land Girls.

It's not so bad, really, the suggestions or the show, but the former can get tiresome when you're looking for variety and the latter? Well, let's just say that Land Girls doesn't exactly start with a quality flourish. About the only thing that seems to sit well are the music and the costumes.

For one thing, there's the forced conflict over the racism angle as one of the leads almost instantly befriends some African-American soldiers only to constantly get them in trouble with the racist sergeant who dutifully enforces the segregation codes... even though they're in rural England and it's horribly wrong, no matter how historically accurate. It just feels like it's played for cheap points.

Then there's the same girl who manages to get sweet-talked into dropping her knickers to the very GI who ratted out her black friends to the MPs... and only comes to realize his duplicity when she sees him snogging another pretty young thing.

Moving onto another annoying character, there's the sophisticated priss who not only complains about every single aspect of farm life in the Women's Land Army, but manages to begin tempting the Lord of the Manor into possible wickedness, much to the dismay of the prim and proper Lady Hoxley.

Oiy ve... save me from forced melodrama.

I think what bothers me the most is the sheer obvious ploy that the lusty GI throws in the path of young Bea and the sweet nothings he whispers to have his way with her... and how she's instantly preggers because of it.

On the whole, Land Girls is nowhere near the quality of Call the Midwife... be it in story, dialogue, character, or structure. I mean, seriously, they end on a cliffhanger that isn't even resolved on the next episode (I watched the first five minutes), but don't mind the showrunners as they charge right into another cheap crisis.

I think I'll give it one more episode to shape up, but I can't rightly say that I'm happy with the series so far... aside from the wonderful soundtrack that has me wishing I was playing Fallout 3 or New Vegas instead of watching four vulnerable stereotypes be taken advantage of by the Gentry, the Americans, and each other.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Two Hundred and Twenty-one - The Last of the Mohicans, "We will winter in Ken-Tuck-Ee!"

My sister loves Last of the Mohicans... and so do I, albeit for differing reasons.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel that, were I to ask her, she'd say that her primary delight in the film comes from the stirring romance between Madeleine Stowe's Cora and Daniel Day-Lewis' Hawkeye... the kind of romance that comes from several days of smoky stares across crowded rooms and not-so-crowded wilderness.

My own love for LotM, though, comes more from how lovingly crafted Colonial America was recreated. From the effete and arrogant British and French to the quaint and rustic Colonials to the Mohawk and Huron tribesmen. Tons of detail, dirt, and respect is embedded all throughout this film.

Set during the French and Indian War, Last of the Mohicans follows Hawkeye and his adopted father and brother (played by Russell Means and Eric Schweig, respectively) as they rescue a British officer and the two young ladies he was escorting from a Huron ambush. The three scouts take the "Yengeese" to their destination only to find that it is under siege from the French.

Eventually the fort surrenders, but not until after a steamy (but relatively chaste) love scene between Hawkeye and Cora, and the English retreat... only to be massacred by the Huron and leading to a canoe chase and the eventual capture of the remaining Brits: Cora, her sister Alice (Johdi May), and Major Hayward (Steven Waddington).

Cue dramatic rescue (including some significant deaths) and roll credits.

While I do think the romance is more than a little rushed and stress dependent, it's still a more sensual and effective courtship than most love stories in film. I do enjoy how Cora and Hawkeye's connection is so very often unspoken, underscored by those long, fiery looks between them. In that, I think my sister may be quite correct.

I think the true gem of the story, though, is the tragedy of Uncas.

He and his father are the last true Mohicans and very early on in the film it is lampshaded that he should have long since settled and continued the line of his people. It seems he takes that criticism to heart over the course of the events of the trip to Fort William Henry as he, too, begins to share longing looks... with Alice.

Uncas even goes so far as to charge after Magua (Wes Studi) to free Alice after she's taken as a slave by the judgement of the Huron Sachem. This, of course, leads to a cliffside confrontation between the two which leaves Uncas dead at the bottom of the mountain... and Alice taking the lover's leap when Magua tries to bring her back from the brink even though he has Uncas' blood quite literally on his hands.

Best freaking shot of the movie in that scene.

Moving on, I think a lot of people give Russell Means crap for his political and activist past, particularly his involvement with AIM and connection to Wounded Knee. Here in LotM, I think he did a fine job portraying Chingachgook.

I love the way the writing and pacing of the film shows him as a fine tracker but a man who is aging and definitely losing a few steps in comparison to his two sons who are in the prime of their lives and in peak physical condition. It also serves to contrast with his elder wisdom during the climax scene where Magua kills Uncas.

Even enraged, it's obvious that Chingachgook is the superior fighter as, what his son couldn't do in three separate rounds, he manages in one without taking a single wound. In fact, he deftly dodges Magua and cripples him in a single blow, but goes on to punish him with several more bone breaks before finishing the villain off.

And Wes Studi does a great job as the Huron villain Magua. Tormented by the deaths of his family, he embraces the treachery and butchery of his enemies and becomes that which he hated. I love his subtitled insults to Major Waddington before the ambush and his conversations with General Montcalm (Patrice Chéreau) reveal much about the character. His final scene (with Alica, Uncas, and Chingachgook is probably the best I've even seen him... and there's nary a single word of dialogue. It's tremendous what he can do with a single look and a blood-soaked gesture.

Quick shoutout to Steve Waddington for his portrayal and prim and jealous Major Heyward. He hasn't been in much that I've scene, as I only remember him being in this and Sleepy Hollow, but I think he did a great job balancing the arrogance and honor of an officer in His Majesty's Army and his ultimate sacrifice is a nice bit of redemption during the climax.

A second quick shoutout to Peter Postlethwaite who has a small role as a British captain at Fort William Henry under Cora's father.

Finally, I want to mention the soundtrack by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman. A lot of the character and dramatic tension in the film is highlighted by the score, particularly to repeated fiddle reels and rising crescendos at key moments. Whenever I get chills at movies, it's usually due to the music cues and this is a prime example... so much so that it's probably one of the few orchestra soundtracks that I could listen to over and over again entirely separate from the movie.

Last of the Mohicans, in my opinion, was one of the best films of the 90's and should be in everyone's queue. Sure, the history isn't quite right and its romance is a bit melodramatic, but it's very balanced and Native positive and an interesting look at both frontier life and the early wars in the Americas. It and The Mission are examples of this that I hold in high regard.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Two Hundred and Eight - The Mask of Zorro, "It's hard enough to get Mexican-American heros on the Silver Screen..."

...without two of them being British.

I say that, but it's still a good thing to have Antonio Banderas, still a rising and bankable star in the 90's, bringing forth the old Californian pulp hero, Zorro... a Latino hero who has almost always been played by Anglos.

For the most part, my favorite memories of Zorro don't center around the Disney adventure series or the Douglas Fairbanks films, but on George Hamilton and Zorro, The Gay Blade... which is, sadly, not available on Instant Stream.

Still, Martin Campbell managed to produce a gritty, oddly realistic portrayal of Spanish and Mexican-America that still had a lovely tinge of romance and panache.

I especially liked Banderas' transformation from the filthy thief to the elite and cultured swordsman needed to inherit the mantle of The Fox, not to mention the wild exuberance and physicality of Catherine Zeta-Jones' Elena Montero/De La Vega. They both portray their characters with grace and heated sensuality.

Pulpy goodness that it is, though, The Mask of Zorro leads you by the nose from plot point to plot point, with there never being any real mystery or suspense. You never get the feeling that the good guys won't prevail or that the leads won't fall in love. It's all very much rote and predictable.

It's hard to argue, however, with the fun (and practical!) action sequences and just the right amount of comedic beats to keep the non-vengeance related fight scenes light-hearted and the actual vengeance fight scenes serious.

There just needed to be more intrigue!

I think I would've much preferred if they'd made it into a mini-series or full season prime-time soap opera with the same level of production value so as to draw at the suspense and make the romance between Alejandro and Elena out to be more that just a few short sequences of lusty passion.

But, when you know, you know, I suppose... when your soul mate arrives.

The Mask of Zorro definitely holds up as an adventure flick and has very few faults to contrast its plucky swordfighting and fiery romance. If you haven't yet checked it out, I can certainly recommend it... especially if you're a fan of pulp adventure.

I just wish The Gay Blade was streaming.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Eighty-seven - Mona Lisa Smile, "What is it with me and inspirational coming-of-age stories lately?"

I mean, honestly, you'd think I was depressed.

...

Wait, maybe that's it.

I'm down... so I've started picking feel good, rite of passage movies to assuage the guilt I have for spinning my wheels the last decade or so. I've soured my promise enough such that I feel the need to vicariously steal from the Gyllenhaal family... Jake, yesterday, and Maggie, today.

Mona Lisa Smile stars Julia Roberts as the main lead, but I feel the film is more about Maggie, Julia (Stiles) , Kirsten, and Ginnifer (who play Giselle, Joan, Betty, and Connie, respectively) than their mentor. All prime examples of the WASPy elite of Wellesly College, their prime concern at the start and for the majority of the movie is to land the right husband. Enter Julia (Roberts) as Katherine Ann Watson... a west coast liberal who wants to impart a little art appreciation and a fair amount of feminism.

The film definitely leads you by the nose when it comes to its politics and message. Be it the lesbian nurse who is dismissed for providing Giselle contraception or the snooty alumni board and their opinions on Picasso and Jackson Pollack, there are very clear lines between the "us" and "them" in this film.

I do like that, while many of the hypocrisies and prejudices of pretty much everyone are laid bare, for the most part there are no villains. Sure, Wellesley's president takes a hard line at the direction of the alumni board and Betty's mother is a relic of regressive matrimony, most folks in Mona Lisa Smile are examples of both flaws and facets.

I particularly was fond of Marcia Gay Harden's sedate charm instructor, even if her choices and preferences would make me want to harm myself were they mine... and the same goes for Betty.

Playing a spiteful, elitist... well, bitch, for lack of a better term, for the majority of the film, you cannot help but feel for her as she suffers her own trials and tribulations living out a loveless marriage.

Much props to both Kirsten Dunst for being the on-again/off-again foil for the film and Maggie Gyllenhaal for playing the supportive friend to the very end. That third act blowup between the two was a simple, yet profound, display of pent up rage on both their parts... so much so that I was expecting Giselle to throw everything in Betty's face. When that didn't happen, I wanted to cry in frustration. When I saw what did, I needed to sob all the same.

Yes, the film is heavy-handed with its message and, yes, it's a bit too on the nose all throughout, but it's still pretty decent.

It just lacks the emotional oomph, in much a similar fashion as yesterday's October Sky, that would've made it great. Especially in that last scene where the girls chase after their mentor's departing cab on bicycles, in tears that their favorite teacher is leaving them.

Neither of these films were anywhere close to Dead Poets Society (at least, as I recall, as it's been probably twenty years since I saw that one)... but they give it the old college try. A for effort, C for execution.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Eighty-six - October Sky, "I'm just shocked that it was Jake instead of Tobey."

Alright, let's make an "Inspirational Coming of Age Movie" checklist for October Sky:

• Misfit Blue Collar Teen? Check.
• Stern and Stoic Father Figure? Check.
• Supportive Female Mentor? Check.
• Superfluous Love Interest Who is Totally Wrong For Male Lead? Check.
• Superfluous Love Interest Who is Totally Right, But Not His First Choice? Check.
• Climax Father/Son Bonding Gestures? Double Check.

Seems like everything is in order here... carry on, movie.

Set during the Space Race with Russia in the middle of the Cold War, October Sky follows Jake Gyllenhaal as young Homer Hickam who is the son of the local coal mine foreman and dreams of something better than a life underground. To that end, and inspired by Sputnik high overhead, he and his friends elect to start building rockets.

At first just a fun hobby, their teacher Ms. Riley (Laura Dern) encourages them to enter their rockets in the state science fair with the aim of going to nationals and perhaps getting scholarships so they can leave their tiny coal town behind them.

This whole process doesn't sit well with Homer's father, who is played by gruff character actor Chris Cooper. He discourages and forbids Homer's lofty dreams often and only rarely helps out through discarded materials and the like. Of course this leads to a third act olive branch where the two bond over Union appeasement and de Laval nozzles, but hey... that's Hollywood for you.

Based on a true story, October Sky is your typical Coming of Age schmaltz... but it's still somewhat decent. While it stumbles horribly with it's weak subplots, like Homer's fruitless crush and Ms. Riley's cancer (which comes out of nowhere), the core of the story plays out pretty decently. Sure, it's full of your basic amounts of "Aw shucks" cheese and plucky sticktoitiveness, but they're at acceptably muted levels.

I would say that October Sky is a decent enough movie to show to kids on substitute days in Science Class, much like Clueless or 10 Things I Hate About You could be a good way to get English Class kids into Jane Austen or Shakespeare, but it doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to great cinema. It's good, but not superb in any way.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Eighty-five - Project A, "Not your typical Jackie Chan choreography, but s'alright."

While not as rough as a lot of Jackie Chan's early films (see Cub Tiger from Kwang Tung as an example), he definitely wasn't in the same groove that we came to expect from his late 80's/early 90's films like Police Story, Supercop, and Legend of the Drunken Master.

It's kind of a tradition for Jackie Chan films to have the weakest of plots and that's no different here. Playing a headstrong sergeant-major named Dragon in the Hong Kong Navy at the turn of the 20th century, Jackie is the lead in a series of skirmishes with the pirates harassing the seas, the gangsters on land, and the corrupt officials bogging everything down.

Storywise, Project A is an unmitigated disaster of loose threads and random characters. There are love interests that drop in and out, villains that do the same, and corrupt officials that never get their just desserts. It's totally off-putting the way the focus shifts from the well-dressed, Chicago-style gangster and his group of goons to this really rancid pirate crew that comes out of nowhere for the third act.

Then there's the title, which shows up in the actual plot for all of five seconds as a plan the good natured (but bumbling) admiral wants to put into effect but can't because the British governor rejects it and it's never heard from again... unless you make the extreme leap that the climax pirate base infiltration is the same plan.

Who knows, really?

But, to be honest, no one EVER comes to Jackie Chan films for the story. All we really care about are the fight scenes and there are quite a few... they just never reach the levels of awesomeness that Jackie would develop later in his career.

Be it the club fight, the clock tower scene, or the pirate base, the fights do satisfy the typical amount of chaos that Jackie's choreographers often employ for large set pieces, but the one-on-one fights (or "all on Jackie" ones) are rather bland. I do like the implementation of the clockworks into one of the scenes, but that's about it.

One thing of note, most Jackie Chan films have him taking on a half dozen or more and, even though he often takes a beating, he gives as much as he gets. In Project A there's a trope reversal where everyone gangs up on the villain who could probably beat them all in single combat. This oddly works for me.

I can't say that Project A ranks anywhere high on my list of favorite kung fu movies, but it's mildly entertaining for its semi-decent fight scenes. Definitely could've been better, but I've seen worse.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~ (and Happy 4th of July!)

Day One Hundred and Sixty - The Musketeer, "Wire-fu Swashbuckling with Mena Suvari? S'alright."

There have been so many sequels, remakes, and reimaginings of The Three Musketeers that they all kind of blur together after a while. Whether it's the Young Guns reunion helmed by Disney or the higher-brow get together featuring DiCaprio, Byrne, Irons, Malkovich, and Depardieu, odds are that if it's an adventure movie set in period France, there's a good chance the Musketeers are involved (the notable exceptions being Cyranno and the Pimpernel).

And, while this particular iteration does manage to be generic and really rather boring when it comes to intrigue and romance, The Musketeer is actually a better actioner than most thanks to its Chinese fight choreography.

If you take that away, though, it's about as engaging as a 90's "Universal Action Pack" Saturday afternoon feature. You know you're in trouble during the opening credits which are done using this horrendous faux canvas style that makes it look like it was made in the seventies or eighties by a schlock renfest producer.

The conspiracy against the crown is a thin as can be, and Catherine Deneuve is the only shining grace there. Stephen Rea is a tremendous actor but is horribly underutilized here (look to V for Vendetta for a much more complex portrayal and character) and Tim Roth... lord, do I feel sorry for the man. He's given a pittance to work with and it shows. It definitely feels a paycheck movie for him and that's a shame.

I want to like Mena Suvari and Justin Chambers romance angle, but I never feel any real chemistry between them, and relegating the ACTUAL Three Musketeers to pithy sidekick roles is a complete and utter travesty. They're supposed to be D'artagnan's mentors, not his plucky comic relief.

Really, the fight scenes are all that hold this movie up... and they do so rather well. While, at times, they can be a little too chaotic, they are definitely dynamic and interesting, pulling off stunts that are occasionally ridiculous beyond belief but engaging and a bit thrilling.

My only harsh criticism on that front lies in the tower rope sequence where D'artagnan is rope-climbing upwards to save the Queen and his captive love and has to face not one, not two, but FOUR Cardinal's guards coming out after him on their own ropes. It's patently absurd after the second shows up and when more add their swords to the fight I was laughing in hysterics.

As far as popcorn movies go, it's palatable. I could certainly see watching this as a date movie where your main focus is on the sexual tension between you and the person seated next to you. Just the right amount of action to be thrilling, just the right amount of shallow romance to set the mood, The
Musketeer is a date night no-brainer with little value in other venues.

My final verdict is that it's worth a single viewing, especially when it's not the movie that you're really there for... wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Thirty-six - Von Ryan's Express, "TNT? AMC? History Channel? Saturday afternoon feel good war cinema."

Basic cable often relied on the movies of the past to fill their roster with generic, but watchable, pieces. AMC, TNT, and the like were known for showing WW2, Korean and Vietnam War movies weekend after weekend, month after month, sometimes as marathons.

Even now I remember endless watching and rewatching of titles like Kelly's Heroes, The Dirty Dozen, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, and episode after episode of MASH.

Von Ryan's Express was no exception. It was often shown in concert with The Dirty Dozen (if my memory serves), and had that sort of upbeat can-do attitude where scrappy American and British everymen defeated vaguely menacing, often incompetent, and occasionally comical Nazis.

I mean, Nazis are the go-to, easy villains for just about everything.

With Von Ryan's Express, it starts with the Italians and the stereotypically overblown camp commandant played by Italian B-movie star Adolfo Celi (whom MST3K fans might recognize from countless camp films like Diabolik and Operation Kid Brother).

I was actually rather surprised how slow the film starts, taking almost an hour or so before the train sequences begin. Maybe my memory isn't that great after all... or maybe I just flipped channels till the action started proper. Both then and now, I always feel bored with the "getting to know you" phase of most WW2 films, my exception being the war games sequence of The Dirty Dozen. Ernest Borgnine's smug grin always gets me.

Anyway, once the prisoner train get's underway and the action starts proper, it's a rather fun film.

While most probably remember him from Knight Rider (blech), I think this is my favorite role for Edward Mulhare, who plays the chaplain who has to impersonate a Nazi officer (as he's the only one who speaks German). And Trevor Howard is always grand as a thoroughly British codger.

I guess my main disappointment in the film is Frankie.

Sinatra is an okay actor, I guess, but it's hard to watch him in Von Ryan as he's always in Chairman of the Board mode. He's used to getting his way and it should be the perfect part for him, but Lee Marvin did it better and with much more humor and charisma. Still, can't have Lee doing it in every WW2 film (or 60's camp spy flick).

For the most part, there's little tension and the plot is ploddingly predictable, but that's pretty much what you want from this sort of film. The good guys generally win (with a few sacrifices) and the Nazis are thwarted somehow due to Allied ingenuity or their own incompetence/hubris... all to the tune of a jaunty pipe or upbeat march.

Cut, print, feel-good war nostalgia movie.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Thirty-four - Samurai Champloo: Episode 1, "Hip Hop Samurai in Feudal Japan? Delicious!"

Alright, I'm going to be upfront about this... Samurai Champloo is probably the best English dubbed anime next to Cowboy Bebop. It's certainly the best on Netflix right now.

Is it me or is the sun just HUGE today?

Set in a fictionalized, stylistic re-imagining of feudal Japan where all of the art and architecture is period but heavily influenced by hip hop culture, Samurai Champloo as a series is an exploration both of the gritty samurai adventure drama and underground youth culture.

There's graffiti art and thug archetypes and mannerisms and even the wipes that transition between scenes are record scratches.

With tunes from Nujabes, Fat John, and Forces of Nature, featuring mostly Japanese rappers and DJs with a few Americans (like Fat John) joining to deepen the mix, Samurai Champloo has one of the best soundtracks out there. I still pop the discs in whenever I need something cool and mellow in the background, and am always pleased by the loops found within.

Alright... who wants some?

It's really no surprise that the editorial style, combat dynamics and choreography, and the carefully selected soundtrack gel into a crazy cool series like this. That would be because the writer/director/showrunner Shinichiro Watanabe (not to be confused with Nabeshin, Shinichi Watanabe, of Excel Saga fame) was responsible for probably the greatest anime series of all time... Cowboy Bebop.

It is such a shame that Cowboy Bebop isn't on Netflix, but Samurai Champloo is a decent enough substitute that has plenty of it's own style and doesn't have to adhere as tightly to the former's space-noir genre. Being a hip hop/period samurai adventure mashup does have its advantages.

In this, the introductory episode, all three main characters are introduced and, as far as pilots go, it does this well. There's plenty of action to establish their styles and mentality, and just enough mystery for the three leads to pique one's interest.

This little piggy went to market... *SNAP*

There's the wild man, Mugen, who is all attitude and crazy capoeira and is voiced by Steven Blum (who played Spike in Cowboy Bebop), Jin, the soft-spoken blade master, and Fuu, the quirky ringleader who saves the two fighters and hires them to help her find "the samurai who smells of sunflowers."

Like most period samurai dramas, the story is pretty much inconsequential as the focus is more on style, mood, and sword fighting. It's certainly the case that style is the overall purpose of Samurai Champloo. All the art, framing, and animation is there purely to please one's aesthetics.

Yeah, you can't say "no" to this face.

The standout for the series really is Mugen's capoeira. It's just so random and dynamic that it thoroughly outshines Jin's straightforward traditional kendo.

When it comes to Fuu, I feel a bit mislead by her behavior in this first episode. She's way too cute and straight-forward and not at all the spoiled brat she becomes as the series progresses... but I suppose I can save more on that for when I actually get to those episodes. Here, in the first, she's hip, competent, and just the right amount of assertive to inject her will into the narrative and really push the story. To be honest, without her tea accident and subsequent hiring of Mugen to be a temporary bodyguard, the series probably wouldn't even have gotten started. :)

I think my only beef with the pilot is the flying squirrel. Most anime have a semi-intelligent animal as a sidekick (if not an out-right talking one), so of course Samurai Champloo does. I could forgive the blatant pandering on the part Watanabe when it came to Ein in Cowbow Bebop since there was a believable explanation... but Momo is a completely superfluous character in my opinion, just inserted for the squee-factor.

If you're going to watch any anime on Netflix, Samurai Champloo should probably be at the top of the list. It's one of those series that has just about everything... fun stories, great action and acting, and a hellagood soundtrack. I could easily just put it on in the background and enjoy it for the tunes alone!

Quick shoutout to Kirk Thornton and Kari Wahlgren who voiced Jin and Fuu, respectively. They do a great job, though their voices aren't as recognizable as Blum's.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~