I Married a "Crypto-Republican"

I picked today’s fractal, Ryngs, because it looked a bit like an abstraction of a pair of wedding rings. As you have no doubt seen by the title, this post involves me and my missus so the image seemed singularly apropos. Ah well--on with the rant!
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Every family has at least one shameful secret. Last week I discovered mine. Yes, I thought the love of my life was committed to “center-left” values--but no! I found out last week that I married a Crypto-Republican!
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How did I discover this, you ask? It happened like this…
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My nephew Glenn Keskey (whom I call “Glenn-Bob” for reasons unknown even to me) sent me an e-mail that provided a tool to help you select your presidential candidate. Yes, it’s very early to start thinking about who do vote for in 2008 (even though the California Primary is coming up in four months) so time marches ever onward. It’s not too early to start thinking about this: more than any election in the past 30 years, this one is particularly important.
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Check out this link to take the test. (http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460 ) You will be asked questions about your opinions on Iraq, immigration, the Republican-sponsored tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, Stem-Cell research, universal health care, abortion, the privatization of Social Security, the Line-Item Veto, alternate energy, same-sex marriage and the death penalty. You will also asked to assess the importance of each issue. When completed the computer will figure out which candidate most-closely matches your positions.
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I took the quiz and found, to my complete surprise that my candidate-of choice is Dennis Kucinich (with a score of 46), John Edwards (42) and Chris Dodd (39). Unfortunately, none of these candidates have a hope in hell of winning the Democratic Party nomination--much less the next election. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both come in at 36 and Rudy Guiliani with a score of 32. (Mitt Romney was next in line at 17.)
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Robyn took the same test and we discovered her candidate was John McCain! Of course, her match was only 32 (I assume out of a possible 100). The quiz we both took isn’t completely accurate: for example she found John McCain disagreed with her on many of the most important issues of this campaign. (I wish I’d gotten the rest of her scores but I didn’t think to do that).
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Later (10/27) Robyn re-took the test wit a lot of input from me: this time she came out with results much closer to what I had (Kucinich, Edwards and Dodd--although with much less emphasis.) Did I brow-beat her into changing her opinions or did I simply encourage her to really think about the questions rather than going with her gut instincts? I don’t know and, honestly I’m not sure Robyn really does either. I guess we’ll never really know.
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What I do know for certain is this: the 2008 Presidential election (now barely more than a year away) may well be the most important vote in my lifetime. I know a lot of voters aren’t as well-informed as they should be: they vote with their guts or are swayed by expensive advertising campaigns and don’t take the time to think what that vote means to them and the country.
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The President can’t make a lot of changes on his own--even if his party controls congress. However, the next President may be asked to appoint as many as five Supreme Court Justices. Right now the court is almost equally divided between “conservatives” and “moderates”. Continuing this would pretty much leave in tact a lot of laws we have been dealing with for thirty or more years. A shift to conservative Justices would dismantle a lot of laws we’ve been living with for thirty years or more--chief among them Roe-v-Wade. These decisions will affect us all directly so participating in the voting process is important.
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For all of our sakes I hope you make the right decision.

Scenes From a Smoky Day

Today’s post begins with a fractal image called Fire Flower. I picked it because it made me think about what I was writing. What follows are two scenes from what I experienced on a smoky Wednesday (October 24) . I am nowhere near any of the fires burning in Southern California but our neighborhood has been seeing the affects all day--the first time that has happened. I couldn’t photograph what I saw so I wanted to paint a word picture. I hope it works. . .
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SEEN ON A SMOKY MORNING
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I feel like I'm living on an alien planet right now or maybe I've somehow wandered into a "Plein Air" painting . . .
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White clouds are feathering the sky like the pinfeathers of an angel's wing against a steel-blue sky. Swirls of red-brown smoke dance in almost paisley-lke precision from horizon to horizon. The rising sun is a burnished brass ball throwing slate-colored shadows behind trees and buildings. Everything is lightly shrouded in mists--and for a moment I am walking through my own waking dream. Leaves on the many trees have taken on an almost metallic quality but the grass and shrubs shine almost like they are lit from within by neon. Yellows and greens shine hotly but oranges and browns look muddy and drab: shades of blue and purple have gone gray and flat. My nose picks up the scent of salt on the breeze: it is the smell of redemption and renewal. I want to cry : I want to sing a dirge but the misty silence enfolds me in a tender embrace so instead I send a prayer to the skies…
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APOCOLYPSE IN THE AFTERNOON
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The sky has become a pale iron-colored bowl overhead and the crimson sun burns feebly, trying to light the day. The still air is hot and thickly-most as it surrounds me in a close, overly-familiar yet still unwanted embrace. Again I walk through dream-created silence but my world is shattered by the sound of helicopters overhead: I cannot see them beneath the imagined shelter of the trees but I find myself imagining a flotilla of gigantic angry beetles.
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I move on down a street that has gone black and white: the pale colors are washed out and the dark ones can hardly be distinguished in the red light of advancing afternoon. Only a few bits of sun-lit new growth shine green and hot against the somber background. Again the peace of my world is shattered by a young man behind the wheel of a red sports car: it almost seems like it is on fire. The powerful engine growls like a feral jungle beast with the music providing a throbbing bass counterpart. Laughter from inside the vehicle echoes off the walls and the sound is hard and cruel. I turn for home glad of sheltering walls...

Craziness in the News: the Perils of Pet Rescue

Today’s post begins with a fractal called JESTER. I picked it because this story is just crazy.
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There has been a lot of news over the past week about Ellen DeGeneres and her problems with the “Mutts and Moms” pet rescue organization. She and gal-pal Portia de Rossi entered to an adoption agreement with the organization to get a puppy. A provision of the contract the two signed required them to return the dog should they decide not to keep the animal for any reason. (I can speak with some authority to tell you that this happens with almost every dog rescue group as a matter of course.) In this case the placement didn’t work out but rather than return the dog DeGeneres and de Rossi passed the animal on to someone else. Three weeks later the rescue agency found out and decided to exercise their legal right to reclaim the dog. A three hour standoff (including a call to the Police) ended with the adoption agency taking the dog.
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That story is sad enough but there’s more: Ellen was clearly distraught when she told the nation about it on Tuesday October 16 on her daytime talk show: she begged the agency to return Iggy the dog to the distraught family. Mutts and Moms, however, had already placed the dog with someone else--and said they wouldn’t have placed Iggy with the family in any case. (They have a policy of not pacing small dogs with any family with children under the age of 14: the family had two girls aged twelve and ten.) Mutts and Moms have since chosen to shut down their web site because of the vast numbers of negative mail from angry Ellen fans. (Some fans have gone so far as to make death threats according to Mutts and Moms co-owner Marina Batkis.)
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Let me just say ther’s a whole Parade of Stupid going on here: Ellen DeGeneres (and I have to assume Portia de Rossi) have had enough experience with animal rescue agencies so surely they knew about the provision in the contract. (Animal Rescue groups are always very up front about their return policies.) Mutts and Moms is completely within their rights to do what they did--but from what I’ve seen Batkis and her associates went about it in the worst possible way for everyone involved. Iggy got a new placement in under 48 hours (which I found a bit suspicious). Getting the publicists involved (and I’m not saying whether Ellen did it or some over-zealous employee decided to take that on themselves) is another unit in the Parade of Stupidity. Sadly, I've learned through personal experience that those involved with animal rescue can often be arbitrary and capricious--but that tends to happens with fanatics. Lastly, I find it horrifying that fans get so exorcised as to make death threats against someone who is trying to do the right thing--even if it is in a misguided way.
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DeGeneres and de Rossi did a dumb thing but honestly I think their heart was in the right place. Marina Batkis compounded the dumbness when she decided to strictly enforce her organization’s policies: she could have examined them home where Iggy was placed to make a determination whether or not it was suitable. I think she decided to play Quien es mas macho with the DeGeneres camp and everyone lost. All the parties involved (with the possible exception of the family who took Iggy from DeGeneres) should be ashamed of themselves. This tawdry affair has made it worse for every animal rescue group out there.
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And as for you crazed fans--lighten up people!

Fall TV: Reviews and Predictions

Today’s post begins with a fractal image called Monster Eye. I picked it because I will be reviewing the “Fall 07” TV Season and television is often referred to as the “one-eyed monster.” Unlike many of my image choices, this one actually works! Ah well--on with the reviews!
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I review everything else I watch so it occurred to me, why not review the new TV season as well? (Fall brings new programs to watch after all.) That being said, I decided to do my own reviews (since everyone else weighs in with their own opinions). I’ll also include my predictions for which shows will make it and which are doomed to failure. I haven’t seen everything but I made an effort to watch one episode of everything: I’ll also be including comments on a returning programs. SO--on with the reviews (in alphabetical order even)!
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ALIENS IN AMERICA (CW) : maybe the most original TV Comedy since Arrested Development and I feel it’ll be watched about as much as that show was. It is the story of a Wisconsin family who takes in a foreign exchange student. The older son is hoping for a girl from Sweden but they get a devout Muslim from Pakistan instead. The humor comes from the tension of clashing cultures and the general oddness of the American host family. The show is interesting if not laugh-out-loud funny and frankly I doubt the viewing public will embrace the idea. PREDICTION: won’t see a second season.
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BACK TO YOU (FOX) : Kelsey Grammar and Patricia Heaton had major sitcom success with Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond but they won’t repeat it with the turkey. Yes, the leads are talented but neither of the characters are particularly likeable. The supporting cast doesn’t help and neither do scripts that are lacking in both humor and any sense of originality. PREDICTION: should die a quick death but Grammar and Heaton’s contracts will probably keep the show on the air.
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BIG BANG THEORY (CBS): Beauty and the Geek becomes an unfunny sitcom. At least Kaily Croco is pretty to look at but that’s about the best thing you can say about the show. I’m a "crypto-geek" and this show still managed to embarrass me--that’s going some! PREDICTION: “Big Bang” is a big bust. It should die a quick death.
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BIG SHOTS (ABC): a male version of Desperate Housewives (which isn‘t all that surprising since the Creator is Mark Cherry) is an over-the-top soap about the trials and tribulations of four men trying to make their way in the minefield of modern love and work. Good scripts, lush sets and pretty boy Michael Vartan help send this show into the stratosphere. PREDICTION: I thought it couldn’t miss but the show isn‘t holding the audience from Grey‘s Anatomy and that doesn‘t bode for the future.
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BIONIC WOMAN (NBC): re-imagined for the 21st Century, the new version is darker and at least tries for some half-way reasonable science. Too bad the show isn’t any better. PREDICTION: nostalgia won’t keep the fan boys watching so this new version won’t last.
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CANE (CBS): give CBS credit for trying to increase cultural diversity on television and for spending tons of money promoting this show in a number of creative ways. Cane has some big name Latino stars (Jimmy Smits, Hector Elizando and Rita Moreno) but this tropical, rum-soaked sudser doesn’t have a lot to raise it above mediocrity. Its going to need something more to make it work. PREDICTION: unknown but I‘m guessing CBS isn‘t getting the numbers to justify the expense of producing the show so I don‘t see it lasting. Still, CBS has ordered additional scripts so that indicates the network has faith in the show.
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CARPOOLERS (ABC): a weird (and not in a good way) tale of four sad sacks brought together by their car pool. You have to give the creators “props” for trying something unique but this show just isn’t funny! PREDICTION: permanantly parked before 2008.
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CAVEMEN (ABC): remember how annoying those Geico “caveman” were? Guess what! This half hour “comedy” is even moreso! You could forgive the show for being insulting and insensitive if it were funny--but it isn’t even that. PREDICTION: this evolutionary “dead end” is doomed to extinction. Hopefully it will come sooner rather than later.
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CHUCK (NBC): another “nerd chic” offering, this one mixing spy stories with physical overtones. Engaging performances are sometimes marred by uneven writing and I find myself wondering how long the produces can keep up the story. PREDICTION: initial good ratings are eroding making the future of this show doubtful. Hopefully this show can survive Dancing With The Stars to see a second season.
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DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC): America’s second-favorite “reality competition is back for a fifth go-round with better talent than ever. As expected, better dancers are being booted in favor of those with bigger fan bases but that is only to be expected: eventually the true talents will rise to the top. PREDICTION: still one of the top “water cooler” shows on television it will guarantee multiple seasons to come.
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DIRTY SEXY MONEY (ABC): I love the title but a lot of people don’t. Luckily they enjoy this over-the-top sudsier about the trials and tribulations of good guy Nick George (Peter Krause) as he deals with the uber-rich Darling family. A lot of stars, and a good story help this show soar. PREDICTION: another big hit for ABC.
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GOSSIP GIRL (CW): Dawson’s Creek (and every other WB sudser) takes a Cruel Intentions turn. This show isn’t designed for people like me so maybe I’m not the best person to review it. I found most of the characters unlikable and I really didn’t care about the problems of these annoying little rich kids. PREDICTION: the network has already picked up the show for a full season so prospects are good. Still, the CW has canceled better shows so I don’t know if this one will hang around more than a year.
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HEROES (NBC): a lot of changes have taken place in the four months since the finale of Season One but the pot is boiling merrily away. We’re four episodes in and I’m excited to see where the series is going--even though I could really do with the time trip Hiro has taken back to Japan. (I’ll reserve judgment until they finish that arc though.) This is my only absolute “must see” show of the year. PREDICTION: if last year’s ratings are any indication this show will be doing fine.
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JOURNEYMAN (NBC): the last of NBC’s “Sci Fi Monday (my name not theirs) show, this one is an edgier, more personal Quantum Leap. Kevin McKidd is an unknowing and unwilling time traveler bouncing around 30 years of San Francisco (sometimes encountering his younger self). The stories have been good so far but I can’t help wonder when the whole thing will implode. (Vanishing for hours or days at a time can take a real toll on the personal and professional life.) PREDICTION: I have no clue: I’d like for the show to succeed but I have no idea whether it will.
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KID NATION (CBS): this show caused much controversy before it even aired with speculation that the child “stars” were being exploited. Personally, I don’t believe they were being exploited: it was an interesting experience for those involved that I doubt will scar them for life. For the viewing public it’s just another reality show, albeit better done than most. PREDICTION: will make its full run of episodes but I don’t expect to see a KID NATION 2.
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KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (FOX): haven’t seen it and I don’t want to. Personally, I wish Gordon Ramsey would leave television once and for all.
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K-VILLE (FOX): comedian Anthony Anderson stars as an off-the-wall cop in post-Katrina New Orleans. It’s not getting good ratings and has been moved several times since debuting in August. PREDICTION: yet another Katrina casualty.
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LIFE (NBC): haven’t seen this one and haven’t heard anything about it. PREDICTION: no buzz is a good indicator this show won’t be a hit.
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LIFE IS WILD (CW): a “family drama” with wild animals. There’s nothing new here and life is dull on the Veldt. PREDICTION: like much of the African wildlife Life is Wild is doomed to extinction.
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MOONLIGHT (CBS): this show tries to inject some “fresh blood” into the vampire mythos with limited success. I thought the way the creators handled various aspects of being a vampire but the first episode wasn’t very involving, (Too much exposition, too little development of the characters.) PREDICTION: CBS will drive a stake through this show’s heart before the end of the Season.
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NASHVILLE (Fox): a dull "Reality" show on a really bad night that didn't survive two episodes.
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ON-LINE NATION (CW): the internet "clip show" got clipped after only two episodes.
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PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC): Kate Walsh gets a spin-off from Grey’s Anatomy. In my view both shows are weaker but if numbers hold up it doesn’t matter what I think. PREDICTION: a major hit at least as big as its parent.
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PUSHING DAISIES (ABC): an artsy, candy-colored fairy tale that is chock-full of enough strangeness and word play to satisfy the most jaded TV viewer. It’s an allegory of love and death with a dash of murder mystery thrown in. I worry that this show might be, dare I say it? too original for network television. The premise and execution are first rate but I don’t think this is the right day and time for a show like this. PREDICTION: too unique to survive--which is sad since this is one of my favorites.
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REAPER (CW): you gotta worry about a show when the best character is the Devil. Most of the characters are way too sad sack and whyine for me. PREDICTION: the “Buffy” and “Supernatural set aren’t taking to the show so I expect Reaper to be sent to purgatory by the end of the season.
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SAMANTHA WHO? (ABC): I didn’t watch this when it was broadcast and couldn’t see it on the ABC web site thanks to a Media Player that doesn’t work with my computer. PREDICTION: the show did well in it’s debut but I wonder how well it will continue to do after Dancing With The Stars wraps up in late November. We’ll see eventually.
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SURVIVOR CHINA (CBS): the show that started the “reality show” craze is definitely beginning to show its age. This latest go round suffers from a dull cast and the viewers have pretty much seen everything the show has to offers. PREDICTION: “survives”--for a few more cycles.
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THE PRICE IS RIGHT (CBS): Drew Carey takes over the show after the million-year (relatively) run of Bob Barker and seems to be doing very well. Carey gives the show a new vibe that viewers seem to like. PREDICTION: Carey's run won't last 3o+ years but the show will continue to be a ratings winner for CBS.
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VIVA LAUGHLIN (CBS) Hugh Jackman ventures into series television with a watered-down version of a British cult hit. It’s a crime murder mystery/ musical where the principals occasionally break into song and dance. (They sing along with famous songs.) Can anyone say Cop Rock? Looks like the CBS Programmers got into the cocaine again. PREDICTION: bet on a quick death for this show.
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WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB (ABC): a Police Detective, Coroner, Assistant DA and report (all surprisingly hot and incredibly stylish for women in those professions) get together to solve crimes. The pilot episode was well crafted and had a good mystery for the men and enough suds to entrance any woman. PREDICTION: early results are very good for ABC but I feel the show won’t be a major hit because of the time slot. Look for it to move to a better time slot.

Dancing the "Morality Mambo"

Today’s post begins with a fractal called Mambo Magnifico It seemed appropriate since I’ll be commenting on the exploits of Senator Larry Craig of Idaho and David Vitter the senior Senator from Louisiana. Both men have recently found themselves mixed up in sex scandals and I think it’s interesting to see how their respective situations were handled by the Republican Party.
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I don’t know why it took me so long to write anything about the “plight” of Idaho Senator Larry Craig. Mainly I think it’s because I really don’t respect the man: I don’t agree with his politics (he's about as far Right Wing as you can get without being a Nazi) but I found it laughable that a man who was so notoriously against any Gay Rights legislation gets busted for soliciting sex in a men’s restroom at the Minneapolis Airport. I don’t know if he really is gay (but he wouldn‘t be the first self-loathing homosexual who campaigned against gay rights) or if he is a sexual addict needing a quick “fix”. Hey, who knows? Maybe the poor guy was just the victim of a staggering series of unfortunate events. (No, I don’t remotely believe that--but I suppose almost anything is possible.)
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Larry’s story takes a turn for the truly bizarre though when one gets a few extra details: FIRST the incident happened in June but didn’t gain national attention until August. SECOND: Craig pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and paid his fine but never bothered to tell anyone what happened until the story broke. (Maybe it's just me but I think he should have at least metnioned it to his wife.) Once the story broke Craig’s Republican colleagues couldn’t distance themselves from the man fast enough and all but drummed him out of the party. Craig then announced he would step down from his Senator Seat by September 30. He later changed his mind (even though he was getting little support from his fellow Republicans) and decided to go back to court to “retract” his guilty plea. (Not surprisingly a judge told him “NO‘.) Still, Larry plans to appeal claiming he was “coerced" into making the plea and he didn't fully understand what he was agreeing to. (Mind you, this is a man who has been making laws on the national level for over 30 years--and he doesn't understand the legal process??? That's a good one.)
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The funny thing is that should Craig manage to convince a judge to set aside his plea he’ll probably win his case. (“Entrapment” cases seldom stick--especially against the rich and/or famous.) Still, most of his friends in the Republican Party don’t want anything to do with him. They, like every other reasonable individual, just wish he’d go away quietly. Only time will tell.
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But then we have the case of Senator David Vitter: his name showed up in the address book of a notorious Washing DC Madam Debra Jean Palfry and he admitted using her services. Even though prostitution is illegal (whether you provide the service or simply use it.) Vitter (another super moral Republican champion of "Family Values") was not charged. Other than a little public embarrassment the Senior Senator from Louisiana walked away free and clear without even a censure from the Senate Ethics Committee.
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Now--could someone please explain to me how this makes sense? Larry Craig was convicted of a misdemeanor and he looses everything. David Vitter admits to something that could be a crime (but at the very least is in extreme bad taste) but walks away with nary a slap on the wrist. Personally, I think it has a lot to do with the nature of the accusations: when Bill Clinton was President is infidelity was a national crisis but David Vitter’s infidelity is simply a case of “boys will be boys.” Larry Craig has the bad taste to be convicted of something involving another man and most Republicans refuse to accept anything “gay” in any form.
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Is either situation right? In my opinion the answer is an easy and obvious NO. Larry Craig should have been intelligent enough to realize that his actions would have consequences--and said consequences aren’t always good. It’s time he start respecting the law and take his medicine like a big boy. David Vitter needs to be punished as well. He needs to be held accountable by his fellow Republicans. Frankly, I think it’s both funny and sad that Republicans paint themselves as the “moral” and “family values” party but their leadership seems to be above such things. And I think it’s particularly sad that Republicans as a whole don’t hold their leadership accountable.

"Elizabeth: the Golden Age" is a Tarnished Epic

Today’s post begins with a fractal called A Regal Image. It is particularly apropos because I will be reviewing Elizabeth: the Golden Age.
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Elizabeth: the Golden Age continues the saga begun in the 1998 movie Elizabeth. The director and many of the stars are back continuing the stories of Queen Elizabeth 1st's middle years. It is an epic, sprawling mess--gorgeous to look at and filled with sound and furry that jerks along telling the story of Elizabeth and England’s battle with Spain which ended in the defeat of the Spanish Armada The story is told in snippets that give us glimpses of the Queen, the plot to murder her, King Philip of Spain and his righteous wrath and the exploits (romantic and otherwise) of Sir Walter Raleigh.
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Queen Elizabeth is ably played by Cate Blanchett (continuing the part she played in the first movie) looks amazing but she is hampered by a script that makes her look manic-depressive. Geoffrey Rush reprises his role as spy master Sir Francis Walsingham. Clive Owen is suitably roguish and broodingly romantic as Walter Raleigh. Abbie Corniesh looks beautiful as Lady in Waiting Elizabeth “Bess” Throckmorton--a favorite of the Queen’s who falls for Raleigh’s charms. Samantha Morton plays doomed Mary Queen of Scots.
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The sets and costumes are beautiful beyond compare and the soundtrack is suitably epic (although none too medieval). I loved the battle sequences but the movie jumped so quickly from place to place that I found I often had trouble telling the players without a score card. The movie tries to cover too much ground so oftentimes Elizabeth’s motivations and actions leave you going “say what?” Still, this is a “must see” for fans of historical epics and bio-pics.
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FINAL GRADE: B-

"Seeker" Fails To Find An Audience

Today’s post begins with a fractal called Star Power. It doesn’t really have all that much to do with the movie I will be reviewing (although if you should go you mi8ght see why it brought this image to mind.
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THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING is the latest popular children’s book to be turned into a movie. (I haven’t even heard of the book before so I didn’t go in with any expectations.) The book is the first of the series and the movie was intended to be the first of a franchise: sadly, lack of an audience will derail that plan. And that is really too bad: this is a decent family movie.
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THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING has a plot you’ve seen before (hundreds of times). Young Will Stanton (charmingly played by Alexander Ludwig) is a young boy lost in the shuffle at school and home. Of course he is a “special” boy--the “Seeker” who is given the task of retrieving six signs scattered through time. He will use these signs to build strength to battle the “Dark Rider” (TVs new “Doctor Who“ Christopher Eccleston). He is assisted by four “Old Ones” who guide and stand by him. Does he succeed? You should already know the answer…
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There isn’t a single surprise in the plot but the movie is so well crafted you can almost forgive that lack. Everyone turns in a first rate performance and the FX are mostly low-tech but appropriate and they work well for the story. There are some mild scares (that might be too much for small children) but they help to highlight the fun One major plot point disappointed me (but I won’t spoil it here for those who might want to see the movie) but most of the movie hangs together pretty well.
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THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING is excellent for the whole family. Kids will enjoy the story and parents will be swept along for the ride. Is it great? Not hardly. But the movie is a perfectly-crafted little gem. Its too bad that it didn’t do better at the box office. If there is any justice the movie will have a long life on DVD.
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FINAL GRADE: B-

10 (OKay 13) Overlooked Classic SF and Fantasy Movies

Today's post begins with an image called Atomblast 2. I picked it because so much science fiction is concerned with atomic power: other than that it has little relevance--but I think the image is cool in any case. Ah well--on with the post!

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Several friends and I were having one of our periodic "fangeek" discussions: Robyn and I, had just seen STARDUST and we decided it was destined to be one of classics of Fantasy and Science Fiction films. (Y'all should see it if you get the chance: check your video stores and look for it on DVD.) ANYway, this sort of got us wondering how many other "overlooked classics" of F&SF film we could think of.
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"Overlooked classic" is defined as a good movie that didn't make a lot of money in theaters, didn't get press and the fan attention it deserves. My list is entirely subjective but I deliberately left off movies that were cult classics (DEATHRACE 2000), spectacularly bad (PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE), and of course movies that didn’t get their due when they were released but have since become classics (like THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and FORBIDDEN PLANET). “Artsy movies (like A SCANNER DARKLY) and most foreign flicks got left off the list simply because I haven’t seen them.
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Here's my “Top Ten” list in no particular order…
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RETURN TO OZ: this movie got crucified because it wasn't a redux of the 1939 Wizard Of Oz musical (which was adapted from the stage play not the book). Instead the movie went back to the source material (mostly) combing the second and third "Oz" book by L. Frank Baum (though the movie has a bit of a darker and scarier turn than the books). It's the first movie starring “indie” film darling Fairuza Balk (when she was just ten years old). The FX are primitive by today's standards but the film is still excellent.
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TREASURE PLANET: this should have been huge! It was a Disney animated feature (which should have guaranteed a huge box office), had a "can't miss" story (an adaptation of Robert Louis Stephenson‘s Treasure Island--a rip-roaring adventure) and spectacular animation (effortlessly mixing hand-drawn and CG) and a first-rate voice cast. But it was a victim of a bad advertising campaign and a huge holiday movie season so it got lost at the Box Office (in spite of excellent reviews). Luckily, the movie has done well on DVD.
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TINE AFTER TIME: probably the best “time travel” movie ever made, it tells the story of H. G. Wells (played to nerdy perfection by Malcolm McDowell) who comes to present-day San Francisco in pursuit of Jack the Ripper. It’s a rip-roaring good mystery that holds up as well now as it did when it was shot in 1979. Somehow it even manages to avoid the clichés that affect so many, many time-travel stories! It deserves mention for that alone.
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THE LAST STARFIGHTER: a nice little story about an kid from Earth who is recruited by aliens to be their last hope in a desperate war: they found him through a video game of all things! Stories unfold on Earth and in deep space without being a bit confusing--no mean feat. It is notable for being one of the first movies to feature heavy use of CGI. It starred Robert Preston (in one of this last movie roles) and a bunch of people I’ve never heard of before or since.
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SOMEWHERE IN TIME: based on a novel by Richard Matheson, this perfectly-crafted love story starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour as lovers separated by almost a hundred years. Often overlooked because of the lushly romantic elements it is still so beautifully written, shot and acted that it earns a place on this list because of the time-travel theme.
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DREAMSCAPE: I'm a sucker for this one because it's about telepaths doing battle in dreams. It's the source of "catch phrase" and inside joke among our local group of friends. "Oh no! Not you too Fukuda!" (We say this whenever we're feeling piled on by the world.) Dennis Quaid, Max von Sydow and Christopher Plummer lend some star power and I loved Eddie Albert as the dream-troubled President of the United States. Loved the dream imagery here.
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HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE: a Japanese anime film based on the book by British author Diana Wynne Jones. The film doesn’t much relate to the book but the story it tells is a good one (that’s accessible to American audiences). It sneaked into theaters briefly in August of 2006 then vanished and I don’t think its available on DVD, despite being released by Disney.
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GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN: IMHO the best "Tarzan" movie ever made--by far. Dare I say it, it’s the most “realistic” version of the classic hero ever to appear on screen. French actor Christopher Lambert in his first (and probably best) American role was perfect as Tarzan and it was the truest to the Edgar Rice Burroughs books.
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This movie wouldn’t be complete without mentioning a couple of overlooked “cheesetastic” classics from the 80s. THE BEASTMASTER features super hunky Marc Singer (with bad 80s hair in full effect) wears a lioncloth for virtually the whole movie. Special effects are woefully limited (even by 80s standards) and the dye-job on the tiger is nothing short of laughable--still, you find yourself enjoying this movie because of Singer‘s performance: he brings a warmth and sincerity even to the stupidest moments (of which this movie has many).
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And we can’t close out this post without mentioning BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS--a movie that was so bad is was great! It was 90 minutes of cheesy fabulousness that you just couldn’t take your eyes off of! (And, believe me, no movie with leather-clad bodacious “B Movie” queen Sybil Danning is all bad). Second-tier stars (Richard Thomas, George Peppard, John Saxon, Robert Vaughn and Sam Jaffe gobbled up much of the budget for their salaries but they tear through the material with verve and gusto. The FX are minimal and low tech (even by that period’s standards) but it doesn’t matter. You just keep watching…
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So--any more that I may have missed?
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I also feel I need to add a couple of “honorable mentions” that didn’t quite make the list. DEAD AGAIN is an excellent movie that I’m not sure quite fits into the category of fantasy or science fiction film. Then married Brits Kenneth Brannagh and Emma Thompson are a married couple troubled by dreams of a long-ago murder that may or may not have taken place. The truth (which I won‘t reveal here) is brought to light with the help of psychiatrist Andy Garcia. The movie is a well-acted, perfectly directed, taut thrill and it’s a classic in its own right.
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And who can forget the nearly-classic FLASH GORDON--a rock and roll re-do of the classic movie serial? It was a movie with a split personality that couldn‘t decide if it was high adventure or high camp. A mixed cast of unknowns and major talents didn’t help as some went for deadly earnestness while others went for high camp with gusto. All the sets and costumes were lavish and excellently done as were many of the effects. Still, some of the FX were kept deliberately low-tech (to enhance the “campy“ aspects of the film). In the end it was a big budget mess that never quite jelled and audiences stayed away in droves. Thanks to the new Flash Gordon series on th eSciFi Channel the movie is getting some attention but I doubt it will fare well with the current generation of movie fans (science fiction or otherwise.)
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I can’t finish this report without mentioning CLASH OF THE TITANS. Critics loved this movie--especially the retro style of Ray Harryhousen’s stop-motion FX and the whole 50s and 60s vibe of the film. Audiences, though, had gotten used to movies like STAR WARS so they never embraced the film. It’s a pretty decent retelling of the “Perseus” myth (with a few other stories thrown in for good measure), A few big-name actors appear briefly (Laurence Oliver as Zeus, for example) but head actor Harry Hamlin has the looks (and acting ability) of a “Ken” doll and never quite seems to get it through the whole movie. Fans revere the old classics like Jason and the Argonauts but this one never connected.
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So that’s my list of ten overlooked classics. Feel free to come up with your own list--and happy viewing!

Across The Universe: an Epic Journey to Nowhere

Today’s post begins with a fractal called Hippie Cross. I picked it because it was one of the better images I could find to illustrate my review of Across The Universe.
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The Beatles have had a whole range of things happen to their music since they broke up back in 1970--from being the “inspiration” of any number of “tribute bands” to being used to sell sneakers. The Cirque Du Soleil has mounted Love to packed houses and much critical praise in Las Vegas. But they have met with little success on screen: way back in 1978 Robert Stigwood disastrously brought Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to the big screen. It starred Peter Frampton (who was a Farrah-haired pretty boy back then) and the BeeGees (just before their career imploded). It was a big budget, cocaine-fueled candy-colored catastrophe that stunk up the box office so badly that it took another 29 years before somebody got the idea to try again with Across The Universe.
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Both Sgt. Pepper and Across The Universe are essentially filmed “Jukebox Musicals". Both use Beatles songs to advance their stories and in both cases the spoken bits are little more than "set ups" for the next song. Both even have their characters drawn from Beatles lyrics. Sgt. Pepper was an over-the-top “Rock and Roll” fantasy but Across The Universe tries to tell a more “realistic” story.
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Across The Universe tells the story of “Jude” (played by newcomer Jim Sturgess), a young man from Liverpool who comes to Princeston to find the father he never knew. There he meets bad boy Max Carrigan (Joe Anderson) and Max’s pretty, sweet and innocent sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). When Max drops out of school he and Jude head off to Greenwich Village and Lucy follows after the death of her boyfriend as a soldier in Viet Nam. Once there they experience love, drugs, rock-and-roll fame, war, radicalism and the bad side of all of them. They encounter people clearly intended to portray Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Timothy Leary.
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The acting here is minimal at best (but, then again, the actors aren’t given that much to work with) but at least the cast can sing! (at least to some extent thanks to excellent sound engineers). Bono (playing “Dr. Robert“) gives a rock star rendition of I Am The Walrus which is the highlight of the movie. Eddie Izzard does a decidedly awful job as “Mr. Kite” (he doesn‘t even try to sing). Oldsters like me will enjoy the brief appearance by Joe Cocker (but you‘ll have to go to see the movie to find out where he pops up).
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The real star of the movie is director Julie Taymor (best known for her translation of Disney’s The Lion King from an animated feature to a live Broadway spectacular). She uses costumes, lighting, dance, puppets and camera effects to bring her visions to life. Some songs work better than others: many work spectacularly well (like I Am The Walrus and I Want You So Bad) while some songs get an interesting, if not always successful, re-working (I Want To Hold Your Hand is turned into a wistful ballad for example). A few songs simply don’t work (a literal interpretation of Strawberry Fields Forever that is frankly creepy is especially noteworthy).
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As a movie Across The Universe doesn’t work a lot of the time but the various “music videos” are often interesting to watch. I felt like I was “cruising” through the 60s--dipping my toe into various events without really being able to experience the events. The movie is best suited for fans of “art” films and those who truly devoted to Beatles music.
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FINAL GRADE: C-