Andor: Sagrona Teema

 "I feel... undervalued."

The "A" story here, of many plot threads, is the one featuring Cassian himself, and a lot of action, as he uses both manipulation and opportunism to finally escape with the TIE fighter, free... but very, very late.

But the other story threads are, interestingly, far deeper, with the more action-based "A" plot freeing the other threads to be a lot more about world building and subtext. So, yes, everyone is worried about what the Imperial audit will uncover... but the way this develops, at least initially, is with a seemingly jovial Imperial lieutenant trying it on with Bix, being "nice" about it but expecting to get his own way sexually. Brr!

Dedra resents her new job with the Ghorman project, but she's told it's a real opportunity... although, in this context, an opportunity is a double edged sword. And she's also plotting things with Syril, who is as intense as ever- Kyle Soller is excellent here.

Then there's the wedding, and Mon Mothma slowly realising that Tay, falling apart after his divorce, is coming back to the well for more money, and likely won't ever stop. Even worse than that, though, is Perrin's speech at his daughter's arranged marriage, which is bleak as Hell. Forget love, expect discord, find happiness where you can...

As ever with Andor, it's not simple and you have to pay attention. There's a lot going on. But this is a very bleakly real world of compromise and suffering under a background of real tyranny. And it's utterly gripping.

Better Call Saul: Breaking Bad

 "It's a simple up and down motion, like you're used to..."

Yes, I know: we get THAT scene with cameos from admittedly slightly older looking Bryan Cranston And Aaron Paul, as we see further details of Saul's first meeting with them. And their appearance matters. Because "Gene's" identity is now starting to dissolve into Saul and, ultimately, Slippin' Jimmy. Because Jimmy could never stand his dull, monochrome, Nebraska life, especially after last episode's heist shenanigans. He has to scam. It's who and what he is. And he will, inevitably, ultimately get caught and, I'm sure, face his downfall. The person who is "breaking bad" is him, not our guest star. And yes, there's a parallel between the two that's made very obvious here.

The beginning is fascinating as Saul, in the present day, has a call with Francesca. Yet she's living a very straight life, first being seen showing disdain to some druggie tenants and very much having the upper hand with Jimmy.

And then there's the mention of Kim, whom he's lost forever, hardening his heart. The past is gone. So he relives it, with the biggest scams yet, with massive and life-destroying identity thefts. And all this is contrasted by little vignettes from the Breaking Bad days, as Saul makes what we in hindsight know to be bad decision after bad decision.

And the bad decisions continue until what, surely, has to be the moment where hubris finds the genesis of its nemesis- the latest mark has cancer, Jimmy's accomplices have cold feet, but he decides to steam ahead. It's morally reprehensible of him. Almost as if the writers want us to remember just how much of a terrible person he is as he faces his downfall...

Truly gripping stuff.

Doctor Who: The Well

 "It's not appropriate to call me 'Babes'!"

This episode was, of course, absolutely brilliant, if not quite up there with its prequel, and I suspect that it will be rather well-received by fandom. I should emphasise that I thought it was brilliant. yet, despite that, it also felt like a variation on things we've seen before, and I mean that in more than the sense that this is a follow-on from Midnight- although, yes, there certainly are an awful lot of references to stuff that happened many years ago in the current era. Fine for people like me but might this put off newer viewers? Every now and then, yes, but this often? This is something that RTD used to carefully avoid explicitly doing the first time around, after all. 

This in many ways feels like an old-fashioned Troughton base under siege, albeit with it being the deputy and not the base commander who takes a dislike to the Doctor. The antagonist- something that hides behind you and can only be seen out of the corner of your eye, that kills anyone behind it, and will go behind your back if you kill its host- is sublimely creepy and clever. Yet the combination of the concept and the episode's look gives off vibes that are more The Satan Pit than Midnight. And, while a bloody good bit of telly, it falls into a pre-existing story type, it feels to me. Are we, er... going back to the well a bit too often...?

Ahem. Sorry...

There's so much to like, though, right from the start with Belinda's fear that something has happened to earth, and her parents. And here we have the Doctor, again, making rash promises about things being fine that he may not be able to keep- perhaps setting up a future clash? And I love the pre-titles bit: the two of them land, are given helmets, and... out of the airlock and into space.

I also like Rose Ayling-Ellis as Alice and, while some of the social commentary this season has been a bit too unsubtle and ineffective here, I think the emphasis here on how "Signing still makes some people paranoid" is justified. Interesting, too, how these people have never heard of Earth, or of humans- we're clearly meant to wonder if this means that Earth ceased to exist in May 2025. But surely, 500,000 years from now, if humanity has colonised the Galaxy, would Earth be seen as any more than one of many, many inhabited worlds, its place as the cradle of humanity forgotten?

It's interesting how the Doctor perhaps learns what the entity is, but we don't. But the ending is clever, satisfying and nicely tragic. Although that Mrs Flood... blimey, she gets everywhere. But, well, I liked this episode a lot. But I liked it for reasons that perhaps feel a bit too familiar?

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

 "I felt pretty good... like an amputated leg."

I really ought to see far more classic film noirs. All the ones I've seen so far have been uniformly excellent, and this one is no exception.

I have, of course, read the Raymond Chandler novel, along with several others of his, but it's been decades. His novels and the films based on them (The Big Sleep may be a little better than this, purely because of its leads, but let this stand on its own) tend to blur into each other with their similar plots based on femme fatales, men with guns, world weariness, interlinked multiple clients for Philip Marlowe, poetic narration, and doing the right thing, disguised as cynicism, in a harsh yet redeemable world.

This film, with its truly exquisite and mournfully witty script, catches that mood to perfection, and the cast may not quite be top tier but they do their jobs well. What impresses most, though, are the little directorial touches as Marlowe is knocked unconscious with that "black pool" effect.

Telling the story as a flashback works very well, not least because it allows for the possibility of narration, without which any Philip Marlowe story could scarcely be imagined. And the end, with Marlowe knowing damn well that Anne is following him, is a delight.

I've no idea whether this film is rated particularly highly for its genre- the relatively low wattage cast might in fact imply otherwise- but I'm distinctly impressed.

Andor: One Year Later

"If I die tonight, was it worth it?"

Before I praise this episode, a bit of a whinge: yet again, a streaming service has debuted a much-anticipated new season by dropping THREE episodes at once. Can we not do that, please? Many of us do have lives, and there's a certain pressure to watch the episodes quickly to avoid spoilers. it's a genuinely inconsifderate thing to do. So don't do it again, Disney Plus. Oh, and Amazon, I'm looking at you too. For this, in relation to The Boys, and also Jeff Bezos' recent behaviour in inserting his tongue up Trump's malodorous derriere. Because how one chooses to respond to the jackboot of fascism is very much Andor's threme, is it not? (The Boys too, come to think of it...).

Anyway, we begin right on theme, with Cassian on a mission to steal a new model of TIE fighter- or perhaps TIE fighters themselves are new? Either way, we first see Cassian through the eyes of his accomplice, already a legend of the Rebellion after just a year. She's in awe of him, but some wonderful, world-building dialogue shows us, as ever, the scrifice of resistance. She can never go back after this, even if she survives, and her sacrifice will never be rewarded.

Elsewhere, an imperial census promises trouble for Bix and the others. Mon Mothma's daughter's arranged marriage proceeds as there is much intrigue. Tay Korma- now separated from his wife- wants to discuss matters with Mon, which seems ominous. Luthen is there, waiting anxiously for news from Cassian but clearly up to something. So much going on... as we see, in a long scene that seems to be a single shot. The costumes and decor, too, very much seem to evoke the late Roman Republic, which is a very obvious historical paralle.

And then there's the top secret Imperial plot, known only to a small group convened by the Emperor himself, to undermine the planet Ghorman and claim it for the empire. Not for its spider farms producing fine twirl, no: for its minerals. And they care not that it seems very likely to destabilise the planrt itself. Such is totalitarian. Indeed, our gimpse into the methods of the "Ministry of Enlightenment" is chilling.

And this is where Dedra is now ensconced.

Much of the episode, nevertheless, concerns Cassian, and best laid plans gone agley. Yet it's not the action and excitement that makes this such bloody good telly. It's the themes. Fascism and resistance. For those the other side of the Atlantic- and also many this side- this is a timely thing.

Better Call Saul: Nippy

 "You want in the game?"

So this is an excellent heist episode. Perfectly executed, scripted, shot. The suspense is exquisite, as is the characterisation. Plus there's a hilarious scene showing how to masterfully join in a conversation about sports for those of us who find such things a total mystery.  

But... yeah, the elephant in the room.

It's quite a while, of course, before it dawns that the entire episode is going to be in monochrome, in Omaha, in the "present", and to star "Gene"... or is it Saul? Or is it Jimmy? The episode deliberately and deliberately blurs the lines. The scheme is so very Slippin' Jimmy, but with the scale of a Saul Goodman. And in the final, desperate distraction, "Gene" refers to his dead brother and the absence of his wife. Too many identities. 

No wonder he is drawn to those awful Saul Goodman clothes at the end. Oh, his scheme may have worked with the "mutually assured destruction". Jeffie may have money, now, but "Gene" will ensure he goes to jail if he spills the beans. "Gene" is safe, from that quarter, at least.

And yet... we end the episode full of foreboding. The very fact that this episode exists makes it clear that the finale will include closure in the "present" too. The story of "Gene" is coming to some sort of resolution, and I think it's strongly foreshadowed that his own inability to give up Saul Goodman will lead to his final comeuppance... one perhaps less soul destroying than the humdrum, monochrome existence which he now endures.

Batman: The Animated Series- Eternal Youth

 "Oh my.They even speak in unison."

This may not be a stand-out episode, but it's a solid one nevertheless, further establishing Poison Ivy's modus operandi as an eco terrorist who punishes those who despoil nature... and, frankly, while her methods are of course extreme, and not to mention lacking any semblance of due process, I'm certainly in favour of a much harder line on those who slash and burn rainforests.

Of course, this is a rather fun Alfred episode, and I love his dynamic with Maggie: I'd certainly be disappointed if we don't see her again. But the philosphical discussion between Batman and Pamela Isley is excellent too. And yes, turning people into trees is bonkers, so is that massive great big tree that quickly sprouts at the end, but I'm absolutely here for such things.

There are a couple of niggles, not least the highly convenient way the process is "not yet irreversible", which is both clumsy from a plot perspective and implausible, but overall this is nothing special, perhaps, but solid. Poison Ivy is by nowa well-established character.

Theatre of Death (1967)

"But I didn't scream..."

I was expecting this to be a rollicking Hammer-style horror B Movie, with all the fun that implies. After all, it's a Grand Guignol-themed and horror-coded film in which Christopher Lee receives top billing. Instead... well, this is a deadly serious and rather clever Grand Guignol whodunit with a rather clever and impressive plot full of twists and turns. The direction is surprisingly ambitious with lots of hand held camerawork, and both Julian Glover and Christopher Lee really shine.

Lee, despite his billing, is not the star here. But he's a compelling, fascinating character, a genius. Philippe Darvas is the greatest of all duirectors of Grand Guignol, yet he's also a deeply controlling human being who can be as cruel as he is charismatic. Glover is the true leading man and carries the film throughout, with the two female leads being relative unknowns.

It is, perhaps, mildly disappointing that the film is set in Paris yet visually it doesn't feel like it. Yet the film is carried by the two main performances, the direction, and the devilishly clever plot, in which clues arew laid throughout and paid off satisfyingly, one by one, as the film reaches its climax.

This film may, I suspect, displease many as it isn't the type of film it appears to be. On its own terms, though, I found it most enjoyable and in no way deserving of the obscurity into which it seems to have fallen.

Doctor Who: Lux

 "You're Scooby Doo!"

"Honey, I'm Velma..."

I suppose you could, at points, criticise this episode for bits of plot sleight of hand- for example, why does Lux manifest himself in that particular time and place? What's the cause? Is Lux's defeat perhaps a little too neat. Also, there will be those who say that the whole Pantheon thing is tired and, although they can only do episodes with a new "god" so many times before coming to the big conclusion, at this point I think it's basically fine. I like the Pantheon. It's fun.

And yes, there will be those who criticise the meta stuff, the most violence done to the fourth wall in Doctor Who since The Mind Robber. But let us not jump ahead. 

The opening sequence is of course superb, quickly giving us impressions of time and place: what could be more early '50s America than a monochrome cinema newsreel about the atom bomb followed by a cartoon? It's the atomic age, it's Miami... and suddenly Mr Ring-a-Ding starts addressing the audience and comes out of the screen. Brilliant.

The relationship between the Doctor and Belinda develops nicely, too. She's still very firm about getting home but much more open to being "one of his adventures" after her experiences here. And RTD squares this plot circle rather well here, with a machine that needs them to visit several places so the Doctor can "triangulate" in order to get to May 2025.

This is Miami, Florida, in 1952: the story has to address the appalling reality of segregation, but this is well handled, with a subtlety much more effective and hard hitting than would have been the case otherwise. And this is also used as a character moment. So, indeed, is the deliciously fourth-wall breaking moment where the increasingly sinister Mr Ring-a-Ding turns the Doctor and Belinda into cartoons... and they manage to become live action again by acquiring character "depth" so as not to be two-dimensional. Clever.

Of course, the fact that they still find themselves within a frame of film is a whole other level of metatextual because, of course, this is television. if we handwave away the fact that everything is digital nowadays, then... well, non-diegetically the characters always have been trapped in a frame of film and always will be.

And then... Doctor Who fans, who've been following the season and insist that the Doctor and Belinda are TV characters. I love this, and no only for the cheerful acknowledgement that fandom will never, ever rate any other story above Blink. Because this is actually quite philosophical, and evokes an ancient Chinese point about dreams- "Was I Chuang Tzu dreaming I was a butterfly, or am I now really a butterfly dreaming that I am Chuang Tzu?"

The decision that, actually, the Doctor and Belinda are real and the fans are not certainly seems arbitrary, but I'm assuming that all this metatextual stuff is going somewhere. After all, we've seen it before, both with Mrs Flood, whose comments here are certainly interesting, and in The Devil's Chord ("There's always a twist at the end") which is, of course, another Pantheon episode. All very interesting Is Mrs Flood also of the pantheon, "goddess" of reality, or stories?  But I also like the human touch shown here, the real yet humble pathos as the fans imagine they're about to vanish out of existence. It's nice to see them again at the end... although no, RTD, this does not make up for the cat last week.

Overall, then, this episode is crazy and brilliant and right up my street with all the meta stuff, with great production values and superb characterisation. But there's a caveat, of course: this needs to be going somewhere and the payoff has to be worthwhile. I suspect the finale will be more meta still...

Update

 Just to say that updates will be sporadic to non-existent from now to Monday. This is just because of life stuff, nothing to worry about. After Easter I’ll be blogging as normal. 

Better Call Saul: Fun and Games

 "What you talk about is not justice. What you talk of is revenge. It never ends."

Thus speaks Nacho's grieving dad, and he speaks for decency. In a world where all the main characters- including Jimmy, Mike and now Kim-  are tainted by association with a morally reprehensible cartel, that destroys lives and exploits the hopeless, he speaks the truth. And a truth at the core of the show: Chuck and Howard, arrogant though they could be, were right. Because the law, despite its flaws, is everything. The alternative, as has been known ever since Aeschylus' Oresteia, is a never ending cycle of revenge.

And ironically this arises from Mike, with his code of ethics, trying to do the right thing. But there is ethics and there is ethics. This episode seems, for most of its length, to be about tidying up loose ends from last episode's momentous events. But it's so much more.

We see Gus defend himself, successfully, to Don Eladio from the accusations of Hector. It seems he's won, and is now master of all he surveys. Yet only now do we get a glimpse intoa different Gus, a wine snob, a sophisticate... and, secretly. I'm sure, from the probable bigotry of the cartel, gay. Of course he is. It never crossed my mind before, but of course he is. And it's fascinating that we see this further layer of the character now.

But we also see the consequences ogf Howard's humiliation and death. HHM is destroyed, the names of Hamlin and McGill both now discredited: Jimmy destroys all he touches. And yet, in an excruciating scene with Howard's wake, it is Kim who cruelly gaslights his widow.

But then... wow. It hits hard. Kim loves Jimmy (he thinks he loves her, I'm sure, but is he capable of feeling the real thing?), but she leaves him, as they're morally bad for each other. And she's no longer a lawyer. This is her penance, her redemptive sacrifice, her quest for atonement.

And these are things that Jimmy will never understand.

No.

Not Jimmy. Saul. All ties to Jimmy's past are now gone. We end the episede with the Saul we know from Breaking Bad. Wow. Things are moving fast. Television has seldom been better than this.

Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution

 "Apparently I'm the Queen of Outer Space. If you could tell the police..."

Well, that was rather good, I thought. One of the better season openers of recent years, certainly head and shoulders over Space Babies. It's a solid concept, a satisfying plot, a good introduction to new companion Belinda Chandra... and it's actually about something. Even better, while social commentary in Doctor Who can sometimes err on the unsubtle side, this time the balance is nicely judged.

So... yeah, fairly long blog post coming up. I'm in the mood. And it's Doctor Who, always the core of this blog, however much it's grown. 

So we begin seventeen years ago, with teenage Belinda and her boyfriend, with Belinda being given a certificatre naming a star after her, a cheerfully blatant example of Chekhov's gun. It's a cute little scene, with Alan's adorable nervousness about kissing her, so much s that we ignore the fact that Belinda blatantly looks Varada Sethu's actual age. But it's a nice, innocent start... or so it seems.

And then we move to Belinda's life in the present day, as a nurse, with all the overwork and dedication and stress and being lovely that is implied by that. We briefly see that, as well as the fact that she lives in straintened circumstances with housemates. Little does she know that things are about to get worse, and she's going to be desperate to get back to this life.

This is Doctor Who, so naturally a spaceship lands and some mech type robots kidnap her to be "queen" of the planet named after her, which is a hilatriously brilliant Doctor Who idea... and feels very Moffat in an RTD script.

Interesting that she knows Mrs Flood, though: Ruby must be a neighbour too, and they may even know each other too. That's as much of a coincidence as the stuff the Doctor later pontificates about regarding her 51st century descendent. But she really is in a rather entertaining pickle. And it's very admirable indeed how RTD manages to make the exposition itself highly entertaining- at first it seems these people welcome their new robot overlords, but all this stuff about every ninth word is clever and highly entertaining. And yes, if you feel like questioning why words should matter to a machine instead of syllables and, indeed, you feel that this makes no sense... ah, actually that's a clue, and after the reveal at the end it makes perfect sense. Nicely done.

Also nicely done is a little subversion of the trope of aliens that look exactly like humans- with Belinda being a nurse we learn that these people's internal organs are very slightly different from ours. And then there's the timey-wimey stuff, with the two star certificates from different time zones and the Doctor lightly lampshading that the two objects must never, ever touch, or else. Yes, Chekhov has a fair few firearms in this story, but I'm fine with that.

I'm also fine with the Doctor's emotions- Ncuti Gatwa's tears show us just how much the loss of Sasha 55 (his partner?) meant to him. He's such a bloody good actor, best since Capaldi and possibly even Eccleston.

And then... Belinda betrays them all, shock horror. Except she does it in order to sacrifice herself in order to save all these people, whom she's only just met and who haven't, on the whole, been particulartly nice to her. This tells us a fair bit about her- she's brave, selfless, a good person, but not one for just blindly doing what she's told. 

And so we have the reveal... it's not AI, it's Alan, and the "planet of the incels". This is brilliantly done, with Alan's coercive control of Belinda given a much bigger canvas in the shape of an entire planet. It's clever. Mind you, I hate planet-wide robot tyranny as much as anyone, but could we still just send that imbecile Andrew Tate into space anyway? Please?

And then the really clever bit. I'll confess I'm a bit worried aboiut Belinda being "important"- why do companions always have to come complete with a pre-existing mystery these days?- but it's delightful how the Doctor isbeing his usual self with a new companion but Belinda calls him out on his behaviour, including scanning her DNA without permission, as crossing a line into being controlling. This is brilliant, reminding us that all pf us, even the "good guys", need to watch ourselves for this kind of behaviour.

So we have Earth of 2025 repelling the TARDIS, meaning that Belinda who, like Ian and Barbara all those decades ago, just wants to go home, is unable to do so. I like her. She has depth, and doesn't just defer to the Doctor.

So yes, not really sure we need that much mystery, but this episode is an excellent start to the season. Let's keep this level of quality, if we can...

Groundhog Day (1993)

 "Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."

This film is probably the chief reason we Brits know what a groundhog is- it's the first time I've had cause to see one on screen that I've noticed. And, of course, it's probably the only reason most of ushave heard of the institution of Groundhog Day. Actually, I'm curious... do you chaps do St Swithin's Day, the summer equivalent...? 

This film, though, is surprisingly excellent and surprisingly deep. It's a comedy, I suppose, shot and co-written by the late Harold Ramis, and it certainly has a great many witty lines. And yet it's more than that, and only superficially reprresents that Hollywood comedy cliche that flawed comic protaginists need to redeem themselves in a heartwarming way. This film is far too good to be reduced to that tired old cliche.

So yes: Phil is a total git of a weatherman, arrogant entitled, snobbish, simultaneously thinking that country people are "hicks" and that education for culture's sake, such as the poetry of Baudelaire, is a"waste" compared to humdrum vocational dullness. And only reliving one day again and again, enough times to learn French, the piano, ice sculpting and the art of seducing one Rita- does he gradually go through phases of apathy, deep depression, and eventual catharsis, realising that a life well lived is one of altruism.

It sounds trite. But it isn't. The film wrestles with some deep philosophical questions- ethics, existentialism, all sorts- yet is not didactic, and insists on no one philosphical lens, which shows admirable restraint.

Fundamentally, though, this film has a brilliant script, the two stars are superb and it works both as comedy and as a concept. A true classic.

Twin Peaks: Demons

 "I find the adherence to fantasy troubling and unreasaonable."

Just when you think Twin Peaks can't get any more delightfully bonkers, it does. I mean, a guest role by David Lynch himself playing Agent Cooper's boss (how very meta) complete with comedy hearing aids...? Yes please.

Lots happens, of course, but it'sall so delightfully weird mixed with real feeling. Harold Smith generally is devastated at Donna's betrayal and what that says about human nature. The scenes between a recovering Audrey, who knows everything, and her slimy father are enormous fun. Yet again we have mutual respect between Cooper and Harry, despite their being pretty much total opposites. And we have the mutual blackmail between Josie and Ben, very nicely done, and Harry's desperate confession of love before Josie seemingly moves to Hong Kong. It's weird, but the characters feel real, even if the events quite pointedly don't.

Then there's the taunting of Leo, who deserves all he gets, and Ben's business dealings- he's essentially a properly moustache-twirling villain at this point. But things only get to maximum weirdness at the end, when the One Armed Man reveals that vhe has an inhabiting spirit called "Mike"... and "Bob" is another such spirit who can onky be seen by "the gifted and the damned".

Brr. That's creepy as hell. And gripping. Twin Peaks is now making what seems to be a more overt shift towards the fantastic. I love it.

Batman: The Animated Series- Dreams in Darkness

 "Why won't you believe me...?"

I know: the premise is pretty much a cliche- the central protagonist, straitjacketed, in a padded cell and surrounded by disbelieving psychiatristswho think said psychiatrist is mad. It seems almost a tradition that every television serial has to feature an episode like that, always commencing in media res, with the protagonist already in said cell.

Yet it works particularly well here. Partly it'ds doewn to the meticulous plotting. Partly it's because of the fact that the Batman backstory alreadsy featyures Arkham Asylum, which gets a little more depth here, and partly because, at long last, we finally get a bloody good Scarecrow story, one in which the villain comes across well, and in which his nightmarish visage has a genuinely chilling effect, given the cleverly evoked sense of unreality that pervades throughout.

Still, that's quite a few Scarecrow episodes now. Batman hallucinates his rogues gallery, although several of them, not least Penguin, haven't really appeared much as of this point. This aside, though, we have a pretty much flawless episode.

Twin Peaks: The Orchid's Curse

 "I'm a whole damn town!"

Pretty much a bog standard episode here, with plot threads progressing and mysteries unfolding amidst a cornucopia of suspense, humour and pathos, but this is Twin Peaks and that's no bad thing. 

There's so much going on, The Judge does some pre-hearing stuff, granting Leland bail and deciding not to try Leo on account of his being a vegetable. There's some slapstic about installing the hoist for Leo as Shelley and Bobby make out, as no doubt they'll take pleasure in doing in front of Leo. Lucy is away for a bit. Andy's sperm count is suddenly back up... but is an abortion on the cards? 

But there are two particular areas of focus here. There's Donna and Maddy with their attempts to steal Laura's secret diary from Harold, despite the fact that Donna like him, weird though he is. There's this delightfully symbolic and highly sexual scene between the two of them with the orchids... "Too much moisture is an invitation to disease"? Well, that sentence is doing a lot of work, to put it mildly. But that ending... ouch.

Then there's Harry and Agent Cooper on theor weird but seemingly successful mission to rescue Audrey. During which we see some owls... are they what they seem? Why is the Judge emphasising the local forest to Agent Cooper? Who is Diane? We asak the questions but, well, the answers are not really the point, are they?

Better Call Saul: Point and Shoot

 "He is NOT coming back.

And I thought last episode was superlative... soon I'll have no superlatives left. This is simply an extaordinary piece of television- directed, of course, by Vince Gilligan personally.

This is a tale of two levels of existence- that of the cartel, which is full of a huge scale and huge dangers, empire building and ten dimensional chess by powerful warlords. And then we have the level of Jimmy and, especially, Kim, who will nly ever be helpless and highly vulnerable pawns in this world. Hence the opening shot, which turns out to be a flash forward to Mike's faking of Howard's "suicide" but where the symbolism is obvious- a mere shoe is helpless against the relentless force of the tide.

Lalo's orders to Jimmy and, after Jimmy insists, Kim, are brutal. Someone like this, a civilian who is unused to violence, forced to be an assassin.  In this world, Kim and Jimmy (but "Saul" perhaps less so?) will never have any agency. They are pawns in the denoument of the epic clash between Lalo and Gus, ultimately won by the cleverer of the two, as we knew it would, having seen Breaking Bad.

And we end with Mike, the show's grown up, fixing things and authoritatively laying down the law to Jimmy and Kim, making clear his disdain for their childish games with Howard, another victim of Jimmy's behaviour.

And then both Howard and Lalo are buried in the meth lab. They are of the past... what of the future?

The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It

 "The unexpected but accurate bisecting of the Belgian foreign minister; the Royal College of Needlework massacre; the strange affair of the seven boiled bishops; and the man-eating poodle of Lambeth Palace enigma?"

This is, shall we say, somewhat obscure. A one-off ITV comedy thing, co-scripted by and starring John Cleese, and with his signature absurdist verbal humour all over it. It's not available anywhere officially, as far as I know, and will certainly never be seen on television again- it was 1977, and there's a little light racism on show here. But let's just say that YouTube happens to exist, shall we?

But damn, this is funny. Don't get me wrong, it's uneven, and it would be absurd to expect the plot to make sense. But there are some delightfully clever touches and, despite the fact it all looks extremely cheap, the performances are excellent. Atrthur Lowe steals the show as the most bumbling Watson ever, but Connie Booth is also hilarious as Mrs Hudson. And Denholm Elliott is, of course, his usual superb self.

It's also illuminating as to the world of 1977- the Chinese delegate to the Police of five continents meeting has Mao's Little Red Book; there's a hilarious spoof of both Henry Kissinger and Gerald Ford; and there's a rather funny scene with a very 1970s computer. Oh, and there's a nicely casual skewering of all sorts of pop culture detectives.

This is not, by any means, one of the best things John Cleese has ever done. Some bits are funnier than others. But this is just so much fun to watch.

Batman: The Animated Series- Mad as a Hatter

 "Gotta do what Mr Hat says!"

Yet another strong episode this time around as another member of the Batman's traditional rogues gallery is introduced in animated form. And, as with Mr Freeze and Clayface, this is done with considerable nuance and sensitivity. Not only that, but it's a nice little guest starring role for Roddy McDowall... and indeed for Kimmy Robertson, Lucy in Twin Peaks!

As ever when I discuss incels, I must emphasise that there's nothing inherently bad or creepy about lonely men who find it difficult to approach or attract women, whether from shyness or something else. Such men are perfectly capable of being decent, of not choosing the path of bigotry and poisonous Andrew Tate- style ungentlemanly behaviour. 

Jervis Tetch, though, is not one of those decent men: he is, in modern parlance, an incel. Yes, his beloved Alice has friend zoned him, but she has the right to her own free choice. None of us has the right to demand the attentions of another, let alone the creepy mind control that Tetch employs, even after earlier deciding that it would be wrong. And Alice's boyfriend, Billy, may be a "jock", but he gives every sign of being a decent sort. Men and boys like Tetch- and alas, there are many of them- need to seek better role models and start behaving like gentlemen. Because, bound up with misogynistic assumptions though it is, the concept of a "gentleman" is perhaps not something to be discarded in this imperfect world.

This is a short but nuanced treatment of a theme that is, if anythung, even more relevant today. Plus it has loads of Lewis Carroll references. What's not to love?

Twin Peaks: Laura's Secret Diary

 "He never exercises. He never washes his car. And he doesn't even own a sports coat!"

By Twin Peaks standards, this is a fairly par episode, despite the fascinatingly surreal opening. And yet there's so much happening.

Oh, there's plot. Harold Smith openly tells Donna about Laura's secret diary... and Donna confides in love rival Maddy of all people. Ben Horne persuades Agent Cooper to handle the ransom for poor Audrey, luring him to his death. We meet a delightfully eccentric judge. Josie is up to something with her cousin from Hong Kong. And then there's Hank abd the bizarre fight at the end.

But there's also pathos. Leland feeling such unbearable grief that he killed Jacques Renault, who wasn't even Laura's killer. There's weirdness, with Audrey's only scene being shot very trippily, with Jean shooting his colleague suddenly. Jean is quite the character, to put it mildly.

Yet what lingers in the mind is the humour, the subtlety of it. Lucy's love troubles with Andy and Dick, our twoabsurd comedy characters, are quietly hilarious. And then there's the little sub-plot of the secret restaurant critic. 

I very much suspect we're not exactly going to see all the threads drawn together. But I'm still loving this.

Batman: The Animated Series- Appointment in Crime Alley

 "Good people still live in Crime Alley..."

Another excellent episode this time, if more low key than some. Yes, the plot is basically a race against time to stop a bomb. But there's a lot more going on than that, and I don't just mean "corner of Finger and Broome"- see what they did there? I love the way this series names its streets after writers and artists who've worked on Batman and Detective Comics.

I kniw I say this a lot, but I'm very impressed aty how the Animated Series continues to build nuances into its world buildfing. Here we're introduced to Dr Lesley Thompkins, a figure from Batman's origins, and of course to Crime Alley. And once again we see one of the regular less colourful criminals, in this case Roland Dagget, who naturally ends the episode slithering away, his murderous schemes defeated but wioth no evidence to link them to him.

And that final scene, humanising Batman as a character, is a fascinating choice. But one that works. I'm so glad the series has time for episodes like this.

Better Call Saul: Plan and Execution

 "Is this how these usually go?"

Wow. SPOILERS, obviously.

This was a perfectly crafted mid-season finale, with all the pieces fitting together prefectly. I'm still reeling.

It was clear from the start that sonething big was about to happen. The word "Execution" in the title made me nervous from the start."D-Day", Kim and Jimmy's plot to do over Howard is one plan, but there's also Lalo's plan to do over Gus, with Lalo and Mike between themselves playing three dimensional chess. Perhaps not quite as well  as Jimmy and Kim do in manipulating Howard, but, well...

It's constantly emphasised how decent Howard is. Kind to junior employees, with a real sense of perspective and wisom, optimistic even at the end. And this decent man has been going through "debt, depression, my marriage falling apart". So yes, as ever, it'ds fun watching him get done over, all ther littler reveals as one of Jimmy's biggest schemes comes to fruition. He's going to get his share of the Sandpiper money quickly, and he's done over Howard. And yet- the script is at pains to emphasise Howard's decency. Should we be feeling entertained...?

And this is why the ending is so devastating, as Lalo suddenly shoots a Howard who has no idea what is going on. A decent man, dead, the last day of his life one of suffering and humiliation. And all for such childishness. Not just Jimmy this time, but also Kim, as Howard correctly states, are irredeemable after this.

Because the games played by the likes of Lalo and Gus are of an entirely different level of seriousness. Jimmy and Kim, now utterly fallen, seem to be about to learn that hard lesson.

Good.

Carry On Camping (1969)

 "Do you know, she's been showing me how to stick the pole up!"

It's back to the contemporary world of 1969 after all of the recent historical action, and another one of the best Carry Ons here- much though the setting really does give us a proper little time capsule anda reminder of how different we were as a country backin 1969.

It can't be denied, though- the humour is great here. The gag with Mr Fiddler and the sign at the entrance to the campis simply inspired. And all the regulars are in fine form here, with the addition of the wonderful Betty Marsden, who is hilarious (as a character called Harriet Potter!) and has superb comic chemistry with Terry Scott. The dynamic from Carry On Doctor between Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques is revived here... even revealing that this is the exact same Matron, in a nice little breaking of the fourth wall.

But my God... it was such a different time. Wearing a suit to the cinema. The older generation still insisting on no sex before marriage despite the fact that, now that it's the '60s and the pill exists, this shows a rather irresponsible and cavalier attitude to getting married. City gents with bowler hats. Hippies!

Most of all, though, the blokes' perving attitude to sex now... aspecially the eponymous Sid and Bernie, both clearly midde aged, lusting after presumably teenage pupils of a finishing school, which is rather icky, to say the least. Then there's Peter, the hen pecked husband, who discovers at the end that the answer to his problems is to give Harriet a damn good seeing to, after which he seems to be in charge. Yep. It was a very different time.

No denying it, though- this film is very, very funny.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Clock King

 "I'm here to clean ypur clock, Fugate."

Last episode may have been a little below the usual standard, but this one is as good as ever. The quality of this series is consistently high.

And Temple Fugit (see what they did there?) is an excellent villain with a nice gimmick, well handled, as well as a compelling backstory and a quirky character. The use of Hamilton Hill continues the world building, with the series continuing to stlowly develop a surprisingly large supporting cast. Oh, and I like what they did with the roads, all named after a prominent Batman or Detective Comics artist. There's also a nice reference to Harold Lloyd's Safety Last.

Perhaps the best sequence, though,is where the Clock King hasb Batman locked in a bank vault with only five minutes' worth of oxygen, and he uses his extreme cleverness to survive... although it'sfortunate this sequence occurs in a pre-digital age, dependent though it is on reels of tape.

I've no idea whether we'll see the Clock King agsin, despite his apparent escape. But I certainly hope so.

Twin Peaks: The Man Behind the Glass

 "I love you, Sheriff Truman."

Less weirdness this week, possibly not unconnected to the fact that David Lynch doesn't direct.  Instead we have a series of events, clues and plot developments. However, it's amusing to see Agent Cooper matter-og-factly tell both the bluthely accepting Harry Truman and the ever-cynical Albert about the giant. And the confrontation between the Sheriff and Albert may itself count as weird.

Elsewhere, a song raises Nadine from her coma, but she thinks she's eighteen.because this is the Twin Peaks definition of "not weird". There's a bizarre triangle developing between Donna, James and Maddy. We meet Harold Smith, much younger than expected although asweird aswe might expect... and his house is full of orchids, symbolising beauty and fertility so, yeah, "not weird"...

In other developments, Leland is arrested for Jacques' murder. Audrey is being filmed in a plot to blackmail Ben... and kill Cooper. Lucy has a very pretentious and odd boyfriend, Ben, who seems to be the father of the child growing in her belly. And Harold seems to have known Laura well, we (and Donna) think at first... until we see that he has her diary in his possession...!

Even without the direct Lynchian stuff, this is gripping, and just weird enough. I don't know where it's going... but that's not the point at all. I'm loving this.

Batman: The Animated Series- Fear of Victory

 "There's enough powder in that helmet to panic a pachyderm!"

After a run of very good episodes, we finally hit one that's... well, certainly ok, but no more. The Scarecrow, in the light of strong introductions toother well-known baddies, is perhaps coming across so farcas a little, well pedestrian? 

I mean, he's scaring sportsmen in a scheme to... win bets at an illegal bookie. Hardly the most dastardly evil scheme of all time. It all plays out well enough, and I like the scenes of Robin being courageous despiter his artificial fear, all good character stuff. I also enjoyed the Arkham cameos of Poison Ivy, Two-Face and especially the Joker, who gets a nice little cameo. But overall the episode is simply... good enough.

And what of Robin? Why is he in some episodes but not in most? It is because (he has a roommate, Brian, potentially a recurring character) he's in college? Either way, why not make it clear? Perhaps they will.

Still, I suppose there's nothing wrong with a given episode just being ok: it just speaks to how high the quality has been of late.

Twin Peaks: Coma

 "I do not introduce the log..."

A lot of plot stuff happens here, pertaining to what happened witrh Lauraand all the many plot threads. Leo is in a coma and may be brain damaged. Audrey, it seems, is in lots of trouble. But, well the surrealness quotient has just increased here, hasn't it. And i'm so here for it. I strongly suspect that it's about symbolism rather than things that will literally be explained, but it's all so wonderfully... Lynchian.

So Donna does her meals on wheels thing and finds a decidedly weird old lady with a tuxedo clad grandson who can do magic, and the magnificent weirdness is all in the direction, the acting, and most of all the slow, lingering pace, all deliberately made to feel a bit "off". And so we, and Donna, learn of the mysterious Mr Smith. 

Then there's the reactions of various people tothe figure in the wanted poster. The paradoxical reasoning of Ben and Jerry as they ponder whether to burn the real ledger for the mill or the forged one. And, indeed, the somewhat kinky circumstances in which Audrey finds out the full extent of what her old man has been up to.

But the stuff with Major briggs tops everything. The Log Lady delivers a message from the log, which of course he immediately understands. So he tells Agent Cooper a snippet of what he knows from his top secret job... a message from another galaxy, that "the owls are not what they seem"....

This is utterly, utterly mad. And magnificent.

Better Call Saul: Axe and Grind

 "Pop Pop, it's not that kind of gas!"

Quickly checking the cast list on iMDb made me realise why Gus isn't in this- Giancarlo Esposito directs, shortly after Rhea Seehorn did the same! 

Anyway... it's getting very obvious that next episode, the mid-season finale, is going to be somewhat eventful. We know that it's "D Day", we've seen many glimpses of elements of what Jimmy and Kim are planning, but we haven't seen the big picture of what they're planning... although it's likely to do over Howard in some way. And the fact that the judge in questiion has an arm in a cast threatens to derail things... or does it?

We begin with an interesting flashback to kim's childhood: her mother was a scammer too, a direct parallel to Jimmy. This is significant- part of the attraction for her? I note she grew up in Nebraska, too: the same state where Jimmy lives in the show's present day. Coincidence? Perhaps.

It's interesting to see how much Cliff obviously admires Kim as both a brilliany lawyer and an ethical one- the polar opposite of Jimmy, although very much in the process of being corrupted. And hereby lies another tragedy- Cliff makes an offer that could help her struggling career, which it looks as though she's just going to throw away, for "D Day". What could be that important...?

Elsewhere, Francesca realises the ethical dodginess of working for "Saul". Lalo is still in Germany, violently trying to work out exactly what Gus was building underground. Howard's marriage is looking a little shaky, nothing overtyly wrong but with he and his wife gradually drifting apart. Mike is a good grandad...

It's all excellent television, as ever. But oh, next episode...

 

Hawk the Slayer (1980)

"I'd sooner eat cow dung.

Oh my. What did I just watch? 

I absolutely adored this movie. I mean, yet again, I make no bones about the fact that it is, let's face it, very much in the "so bad it's good" category. No camp humour here; the hilarity is not intentional.

And yet, as is often said, there's bad films and bad films. Some bad films can be highly entertaining: the real crime is to be boring, ad boring this is not. The action, melodrama and excitement never stops.

And yes, the acting is... shall we say, very B movie.But, yet again, it's hugely entertaining. I always enjoy a proper scenery chewing baddie, and Jack Palance really does chew the scenery with aplomb here as Voltan. Given the woodenness of John Terry as Hawk, he quite rightly gets top billing. 

But there's so much else to amuse and divert. There's Patricia Quinn's cyclopean sorceress, who is always rescuing our motley crew from their silly little escapades and is blatantly the only one of the goodies with any brains, yet is always addressed casually as "Woman"! There's the comic scenes between Bernard Bresslaw's giant and the dwarf. There's the actor spotting fun with all the many British character actors that briefly appear. There's the music, which falls slap bang in the middle of a genre that can only be described as "'80s sword and sorcery soundtrack". And, of course, there's the effects.

This film is a load of old tosh. It's also great.

The Blob (1958)

 "Excuse us, we were just looking for a monster..."

You know how you can sort of cheerfully accept that a film is flawed in many ways but still love it? Yep. This is yet another example. All the same, though, a lot here is genuinely good. This is far more than just another '50s science fiction B movie...

Yes, Steve McQueen- although he's very good- is far too old to be a teenager. Yes, it's blatantly obvious that they are (quite wisely) relying on suspense and keeping the Blob out of sight as much as possible. And yes, worst of all, too much of the film's run time consists of Steve and Jane trying fruitlessly to get the police to believe that the Blob exists, and being disbelieved. This sort of thing is never fun to watch.

And yet... the plot makes good sense. The characters may be very flat indeed but they all have clear roles. And it all looks very impressive, with a strong climax and a satisfying conclusion.

And the central conceit may be simple, but it works. The Blob as a parasite that falls to Earth inside a meteorite- very Quatermass II-  and the slow realisation that it will, if unchecked, continue to absorb people and grow bigger until it's absorbed all of humanity. 

If it wasn't for Steve... it would surely have absorbed the whole town. And then...?

A flawed film, yes. But still quite good overall.... actually, no. I've changed my mind. Because that song over the opening titles really is that awesome. With a song like that, how can the film be merely "quite" good?

Batman: The Animated Series- Vendetta

 "I've had cats that made more noise than you...!"

Another good episode here. Oh, we introduce Killer Croc, whosew portrayal is fine but qho was never one of the more meaningful members of Batman's rogues gallery. No: this episode is noteworthy for how it fleshes out the broader supporting cast.

The conceit is very clever- Harvey Bullock is framed by Killer Croc for the murder of a prospective informer, with Boss Rupert Thorne in the mix. Right awayt it adds nuance to Bullock's character- a cop who cuts corners and not a pleasant individual, certainly, but not corrupt. The moment between him and Batman at the end, too, is nice and nuanced.

So are Batman's respective rapports with Gordon and Alfred, of course, but at this stage that comes as no surprise. But it's satisfying to feel this sense  of so many characters by now familiar- not just Bullock and Boss Thorne but also news reporter Summer Gleeson, Officer Montoya- this is an increasingly impressive aspect of the Animated Series.

And, by this point, we're on a solid run of really rather a lot of solid episodes in a row.

Twin Peaks: May the Giant Be with You

 "There are things in life that exist, yet our eyes cannot see them.

I finished blogging the first season in... April 2024. Wow. No wonder I'm finding it tricky to reacquaint myself with the sheer multitude of characters and the even greater multitude of plot threads... but this, of course, is the now sadly departed David Lynch (he directs personally here). Best not to try to keep track to closely, but rather to just let it wash over you. And this first episode is a long one. In a very long season...

So again there's the log lady and the wonderful look of the show, with the limited palette of colours focusing on browns and oranges, and the unique texture. And yes, there's the weirdness. We begin with an unsettlingly long scene with the recently shot Agent Cooper. Yes, obviously the giant gives us lots of dreamlike weirdness alongside cryptic clues, most strokingly "The owls are not what they seem". And he's back for more weirdness and clues at the end.

But even more weird, for me, are the deliberately lingering moments with the incredibly old room service man. Everything about this sequence is designed to be a little unsettling, a little off. 

And yet... the weirdness co-exists with himour (Albert's humour), lots of melodrama, and lots of real feeling. Yes, Leland's behaviour is weird, albeit changing, but we feel the reality of unbearable grief. The Major's dream, recounted to Bobby, may be weird and surreal, but it's the only way this emotionally constipated man can express his love for his son.

And yes, Audrey, investigating at One Eyed Jack's, has to use a very theatrical type mask (imagery again) to hide from her own father and avoid a very creeply act of almost incest. But she's in way over her head. It's moving, at the end, to see her admit this, but face her face with courage.

Elsewhere... well, I'm not going to even try and say anything about the progression of the plot. But even this is absurd, with a bit of slapstick involving Andy and a plank of wood. And I love Agent Cooper's little poirot moment in which she reveals that there was, yes, a third man on the night Laura died...

I'm loving this. Twin Peaks, I've missed you.

Batman: The Animated Series- Joker's Favour

 "You just toddle on back to your mundane, meaningless little life, and when I need you... I'll call..."

And there she is: Harley Quinn, for the very first time.

Not that she gets much depth here: she could easily have been a one-off character on the strength of this. But it'll be fascinating to see how she develops.

No: this is the tale of Charlie Collins, another one shot caharacter voiced by Ed Begley Jr, later to be known for Better Call Saul. Charlie at first seems like a bit of a Greek Chorus sort of character, commenting wryly on the action while having a bad day, but no; an impromptu act of road rage goes pear shaped as he realises the other driver is in fact the Joker, leading to a chase and the Charlie owing the Joker a favour... which will one day be called in... cut to two years later.

The whole sequence is very well done indeed, and the tale is highly satisfying overall. There's some nice stuff with Jim Gordon, and one of those moments where Batman comes out of the shadow, says something to the Commissioner, ad then vanishes.

Easily the best Joker episode thusfar. Mark Hamill is, by now, very good.

Dead of Night: A Woman Sobbing

 "I thought women's bladders were different?"

And so already we come to the last of the three surviving episodes of this rather interesting early '70s BBC 2 horror anthology series. Return Flight may have been... flawed. But I'm happy to report that this is a good 'un. Two out of three ain't bad. 

As I'm increasingly fond of remarking, the '70s was another age. Jane and Frank are a middle class couple in very eary middle afe, living in an enormous house in Sussex with their two young children, yet they are able to sustain this entirely via Frank's salary working in advertising (shades of Reginald Perrin here...) while Jane is a stay-at-home housewife and mother.

Oh, and the house can't be haunted, because it was built in 1910, and so is "no older than your mother", the equivalent of the early '60s today.

Yes, I know...

The main conceit is that Jane is being increasingly driven mad by hearing the sounds of a woman sobbing, with a nice little twist ending. As horror, it works well. Yet there's a deeper horror here, the Beddy Friedan awfulness of the existence of a housewife, with the ennui and the Valium and the au pairs and the awful children and the sexlessness.

It may not be a subtle subtext, but it hits hard. This episode works very well indeed, anchored by apowerful performance from the late Anna Massey.

Bank Shot (1974)

 "I'm learning how to swim, and I'm coming after you!"

This is... well, it may not be the greatest comedy ever made, but it's a lot of fun. Silly heist films always are, and this one is literally about not just robbing a bank but stealing the entire wheeled edifice. As a high concept basis for a heist film, that's pretty impressive.

And George C. Scott is simply superb as the mildly world-weary and deadpan Walter Ballantine, genius heist planner who gets involved despite his better judgement with this highly unreliable motley crew.

But the film is equally carried by Clifton James as Bulldog Streiger, Ballantine's prison governor nemesis. Oh, and Ballantine's main underling is played by none other than Boss Hogg from The Dukes of Hazzard... 

There are some genuinely laugh out loud moments. This is, essentially, a farce. It's not so much a comedy of one liners as one of circumstance, with Ballantine being very knowing about the sheer existential absurdities of life, as displayed to perfection by the ending. The prison break early on is also a delight. And there are some delightful little clever comedic set pieces towards the end, as the gang are on the run with, yes, the whole bank.

This may be a fairly anonymous little heist comedy, but not every film has to bev the greatest of all time. If a film is entertaining, as this one is, then that's enough.

Bicycle Thieves (1948)

 "You live, and you suffer."

I am, unsurprisingly, going to praise this film.It is, after all, a known classic of cinema. It's a masterpiece of Italian neo-realism, a meditation on both the despair and the suffering of truly grinding poverty and the uncaring nature of society.Yet, for a film with a run time of less than ninety minutes, the fact is that it's quite slow, uneventful and challenging.

I like arthouse films, including avant garde ones, and I don't routinely struggle to hold my attention as I did with this. Perhaps it's the realism, the lack of spectacle,of something weird or overtly artistic to stimulate the mind.... athough the visual of all those men on theitr bikes, carrying ladders, was certainly arresting.

And yet, I can't justly criticise the film for this. It's visual poetry, and the slow pace is the point. Antonio depends on his bicycle to keep his precarious job by which he can feed his wife and young children. The theft of this precious object destroys his world, and as the film unfolds we see both his desperation and the sheer impossibility of finding a stolen bicycle. There's no hope for him.

And yet the film is also about Antonio's relationship with his little son, Bruno. He's not a perfect father, none of us are, but he's a decent man under trying circumstances. And yes, the ending packs quite the punch. 

Not, perhaps, an entertaining film. But a most worthy one.

Dead of Night: Return Flight

 "He'll shut up soon, Skip. He's, er, got no legs left."

It's an amusing start as a plane descends to land at Heathrow and the stewardess requests the passengers to "Please extinguish your cigarettes". 1972 was a long time ago, even if it's only five years before yours truly was born...

This one promised to be good. Written by Robert Holmes, known to us Doctor Who fans as being bloody good. A premise that seems to have a fair bit of potential- a recently bereaved airline pilot with his little demons and greavances ishaunted by the subtle presence of the ghost of a Lancaster bomber, with inevitably grim results.

And the thing is... in some senses the  script is good. The characters, from Captain Rolfe to his friends to the surprisingly decent investigator are all well-rounded and believable. Peter Barkworth, too, is excellent. There's a level in which it works as drama.

And yet... there's just no tension. As horrow, it fails utterly. There's a surprising lack of emphasis on the supernatural here. And, well-written though the characters may be, the whole thing is so slow, uneventful and... well, dull.

Unusually for a Holmes script, I'm afraif this is a bit of a dud.

Batman: The Animated Series- Feat of Clay, Part II

 "There is no Hagen. It's only me now... Clayface!"

A strong conclusion, this, ramping up the tragedy for Hagen, who is now stuck as Clayface, a total shapechanger with scarily extensive powers... but the trade off is the sheer effort it takes. Clayface as a villain is one of those who forgoes the usual Batman realism (although there are others in the rogues gallery that do the same...), but this is counterbalanced by hisbackstory as someone mafdeaddicted to a harmful substance against his will, ruining his life.

His story goes as expected, with a particularly creative take on the "he's dead... or is he?" ending trope. I suppose, unlike last episode which fizzed with ideas and events (is Marv Wolfman less involved this time?), there wasa lot more focus on Batman v. Clayface here. Bruce Wayne gets cleared and released conveniently quickly, perhaps undermining the cliffhanger a little. 

This seems to be a running theme of the animated series so far... bringing out the pathos in the villains. First Two-Face, then Mr Freeze, now Clayface. I'm impressed.

Dead of Night: Exorcism

 "Just my husband frightening the life out of me- it's quite normal">

You may be wondering what is this new series I've started to blog, because it's somewhat obscure. Dead of Night was a horrow anthology series broadcast on BBC 2 in late 1972. This being British television of the early 1970s, only three episodes exist of the seven which were made. I'm going to blog all three of them. Let's just say that all three may just be possible on a certain online medium known for pronouns and tubing...

Anyway, this is simply a superb piece of horror and social commentary, once you get over the shoch of seeing Clive Swift looking so young, with a full head of ginger hair. It's Christmas, it's a remote thatched cottage which is rather charming, if renovated with all mod cons such as, er, a rotary telephone, a big wooden television that needs to warm up, and (gasp) a stereo. And two rather posh couples in their mid-thirties are looking forwards to a slap up Christmas dinner with lashings and lashings of booze.

It's the most early '70s dinner party of all time, with talk of the mind's hidden potential, the recent three days week and the recent miner's strike, as well as lapsed Marxist views, something which will become relevant later. These couples are privileges, and know they are.

I won't spoil things, but lets say that odd things increasingly happen, and the bleak and brutal conclusion has a very pointed subtext about rich, poor and the evils of living in luxury as others starve. It's all so very astoundingly political, yet as horror it's no less effective. Superb.

Batman: The Animated Series- Feat of Clay, Part I

 "Once they're hookred, they stay hooked..."

We get another first appearance here from another traditional member of Batman's rogues gallery, and on the strength of this two parter it certainly promises to be another good one. Matt Hagen is a sympathetic figure and the script (by Marv Wolfman, no less!) is clever, effective and surprisingly complex for a twenty-minute piece of television, but it works.

Particularly effective is the opening set piece, with "Bruce Wayne" apparently betraying Bruce Wayne, but the appearance of Batman showing us that all must not be as it seems. There are a number of different characters here, and the unfortunate Matt Hagen has become dependent on a substance which can remove his disfigurement for awhile.There's a clear subtext here, of substance abuse and addiction arising from tragic experiences.

The episode is interesting in otherways, though. Batman's use of the Batwing to interrogate Bell is...edgy, to say the least, and clearly earns the disapproval of Gotham's police. It all feels very dark, very noir.

So far I'm very impressed.

Night of the Hunter (1955)

"They abide and they endure!"

This film is, I suppose, unique. Yes, it's a '50s film noir...but it feels like something else entirely. But it's a masterpiece, with Robert Mitchum's "preacher", Harry Powell, being surely one of the most fearsome villains of all time.

Incredibly, it was a flop upon its release, hence its being the one and only film that Charles Laughton ever directed. But I suppose one can see why it may not have been what an audience may have expected. It's fairly short, with a fairly simple plot. It shows a bleak and dark West Virginia of the Depression, suffused with poverty, hypocrisy and lurking evil. One mighy expect a film like this to be shot with gritty realism, but no- the camera angles, the framng and... well, the owls(!) owe far more to the German Expressionism of the silent era than anything of its own era.

Robert Mitchum is superb as a serial killer who hides behind the appearance of respectability, and the combination of his performance and the direction push the menace up to truly intense levels. The cellar scene...brr!

The other standout performance, though, is from Lilian Gish, another totem of the silent era, as Rachel, a surprisingly well-rounded, grizzled yet kindly character who feels very real, and stands for hope, decency, forgiveness and understanding. This is a film of grim beauty, of bleakness, a meditation on the suffering that is life... yet it has heart, too. One of the greatest films I've ever seen.

Daredevil: Born Again, and Future Plans

 I know; Daredevil: Born Again is streaming right now and I always blog the latest Disney series on Disney Plus reasonably quickly...

But, afyter a bit of tghinking, I'm going to wait. I know it's been designed so that you don't have to have seen all the Netflix stuff, but all of that is now officially canonical now. I sort of paused the Netflix shows because, essentrially, I was facing Punisher: Season One, and I don't like the character of the Punisher, who was often written as right wing authoritarian wish fulfilment in the '80s and '90s... but sod it, I'll watch the remaining Netflix shows in the slot currently occupied by Batman: The Animated Series once I finish the first season.

Meanwhile, The Sweeney Series One is over now In that slot I'll do sonething quick and quirky, and then probably return to Twin Peaks. The films (Night of the Hunter in the morning) and occasional novels will continue, as will Better Call Saul. And I'll carry on doing an Inspector Morse every now and then.

But always happy to take requests...

The Sweeney: Abduction

 "One by one they stopped inviting us. One by one the Christmas cards stopped coming. One by one I lost every friend I ever had."

Yes, there are the usual "look it's the '70s" moments here. A Wimpy. An old warm-up television set that I remember from my childhood at Regan's ex's house. Eight year old childsren walking to school alone. But damn... this episode knocks all of its predecessors into a cocked hat. This is a truly compelling bit of drama.

The conceit is simple: Rergan's daughter is kidnapped, and he's warned to take no action about an expected robbery if he wants her to go unharmed. But it's not really about the plot, which ends up being fairly straightforward. It's about character. And my God, Regan is such a nuanced, real character.

Once again we see how George's wife Alison is no fan of Regan's. But we also see that he's divorced, and he doesn't see his daughter as often as he should. And we get the astonishing scene in which his ex really lashes out at him, including the above quote. This, and the companion scene that ends the episode and shows them coming to a reconciliation of sorts, tells us exactly how the marriage unfolded, and how Regan's addiction to his job means he may never find happiness in his relationships.

The final confrontation with Haskins and the Inspector handling the investigation into the kidnapping is similarly dramatic, real... and, in the end, nuanced. The relationship between Regan and Haskins will never be smooth. Yet there's a genuine mutial respect, however grudging.

Extraordinary television. 

As we've come to theend of the first series, I'll be giving The Sweeney a rest for a while. But it'll be back...

Trancers III (1992)

 "Only squids can be tranced!"

Oh yes. Not long after seeing the first two, I'm back, blogging the gloriously awful, straight-to-video, next instalment in the increasingly questionable adventures of Jack Deth.

Mind you, the first two films, while they were silly and they damn well knew it, wewre by no means bad films, quite the contraries. They were just B movies, and of the very best kind. 

But this one... well, Tim Thomerson is good, but it's just basically a slow paced yawn fest. On paper it seems ok- it's 1992, Jack is divorcing Lena so the studio can limit the appearances of the increasingly expensive Helen Hunt, and Jack finds himself in a future with humanity almost overwhelmed by trancers. His only hope is to hop back in time to 2005(!) and the trancers' origins as a creepy military drug injection programme.

Oh, and there's a very rubbish robot that looks sort of like a fish and really does look and sound terrible... but, this being low budget, it's not on screen much. Both cast and setting are visibly very cheap indeed. And, well, naff all happens.

There are bright spots. Andrew Robinson, as the villainous Colonel Mutha, chews the scenery with aplomb. Thomerson is always watchable. But, well... I may have watched one Trancers sequel too far.

Batman: The Animated Series- Prophecy of Doom

 "We are but radios for the cosmic transmitter..."

So Heather Locklear plays Lisa! Wow. That's unexpected. And, indeed, possibly the only notable feature about this rather anonymous episode.

I mean, it's not bad, exactly. And it's good to see the animated seroers try to create its own new villains. Not every story can sustainable develop the characters or feature one of the traditional rogues gallery. Everything about this episode is... fine.

We have a fraud of a soothsayer... well, is there any other kind? This one's plot is totrick gullible rich people into giving him loads of money in order to in some way survive a massive economic collapse. Good use is made of Bruce here, and there's a nice little set piece with a lift. But the final set piece with a load of planets hanging on wires just doesn't work.

Filler, then. But necessary filler.

Better Call Saul: Black and Blue

 "You've mistaken my kindness for weakness."

This is, as if it needed to be said, a superb episode, but aren't they all? It feels like the calm before the storm, not least with the ever-present threat from Lalo: there's a certain tension pervading everything. 

The opening sequence is blurred to keep us guessing. It looks at first as though this isa chemistry lab. Could it be...? But no. I'm sure the teasing is deliberate, though.

Lalo hasn't been seen for a long time now, yet his presence pervades everything. Gus is positively paranoid... although Lalo genuinely is about to get him. But he seems to end up with some sort of plan...

Meanwhile, Howard realises what's been going on aftef Cliff confronts him... and he confronts Kimmy and goads him into a boxing match! This is unexpected, and leaves things in an interesting place. Howard, who isno fool, despite his decency, is now no longer just a passive victim but an active player, and he's taking steps to have Jimmy watched...

Another piece clicks into place as"Saul" starts business in his shell of a new office... and has to offer Francesca a lot of money to work for him again.She's visibly shocked by how much has changed over the last year or so, which should really give us pause. Jimmy, and even Kim despite her surface altruism (she's samoking more, which seems to represent her dark side, and indeed her poor choices), are moving to some dark places, and this won't end well.

Finally, we have Lalo, in Germany, turning on his psychopath charm to seduce Werner's widow and find out more about the future meth lab.. the same lab that seems to form part of Gus's own plans. 

Something is going to happen. Something huge. 

The Founder (2016)

 "You know,contracts are like hearts.They're made to be broken."

This is not, by any means, the sort of film I'd naturally gravitate to watching- the origin story of a major corporation. Yet, as a drama, this is quietly brilliant, both in terms of characterisation and what it has to say about business, morality, and the chimera that is the "American dream".

We're introduced to Ray Croc, a struggling salesman, viuaa straight to camera sales pitch, a device that, rather cleverly, gets us rooting for this underdog... only later pulling the rug out from under us and show that hehas, all this time, been not only a deeply driven go-getter but a callous dick with no morals or integrity, a terribe husband and utterly amoral. Michael Keaton, whose career seems to have had a real renaissance over the last decade, captures this superbly.

The contrast with the McDonald brothers is instructive. They are business geniuses, introducing thbe methods of Henry Ford to the burger bar, but still with a core of morals and integrity. And, while Kroc genuinely deserves credit for the success of the franchise model, he turns out to be an amoral parasite.

And there is, I think, something deeper here... the cruel concept of the American dream, that anyone can make it if they work hard enough. This is an ideology that crassly ignores the fact that we do not all start out from the same position- poverty, illness and discrimination exist as barriers for many. Capitalism goes hand in hand with a social safety net, making it safe to take risks. And ethics must be enforced by laws. Without such things... we won't have real, creative entrepreneurs like the McDonald brothers. We'll have the world of Ray Kroc.

Doctor Faustus (1967)

 "Why, this is Hell, nor am I out of it".

I fear that, much though I enjoy the deliciously irreverent work of Christopher Marlowe, I've only read two of his plays (The Jew of Malta and Edward II), and until now had never seen a performance of any kind. One may certainly say that this isan odd place to start- a mostly amateur production from students at Oxford University (including one Ian Marter!), directed by a don, and somehow not only starring Richard Burton but, oddly, featuring Elizabeth Taylor as second billing despite the fact she has no lines and hardly appears.

The play is witty, delicious, but also odd- theologically deep, reflecting an age of alchemy rather than science, where the nature of academia itself was utterly alien to the modern mind. Marlowe is riffing on an existing German tale here, where the eponymous doctor sellshis soul to Lucifer for a mere four and twenty years in return for knowledge and... well, not much else. Not love, power or happiness. This is a version shorn of the comedic scenes, but both the power and irreverence of the play will speak for themselves in any production.

I'll admit this version is no classic. Burton is far too old to play the younger Faustus and his performance, while good, does not inspire. Yet the haunting music and the bizarre Hammer Horror style sort of actually work. The Seven Deadly Sins portion is well handed, with the masks echoing classical Greek theatre. And Andreas Teuber is a genuinely compelling Mephistopheles. This film isa bit mad, yes... but that's rather why I like it.

The Sweeney: Contract Breaker

 "They've made up their mind it was me...."

Once again it's fun to see the world of half a century ago. Prison scenes straight out of Porridge. A retirement presentation at work where the booze flowsfreely and the air is clogged with tobacco smoke. Stock car racing. The clothes. The cars. And yes, people seemily did look much older then.

But this isa genuinely impressive episode, penned by one Robert Bank Stewart, whose work for Doctor Who is well known to me. The conceit is simple: Danny Keever, on day release before his release from prision, is framed for a bank job and it's up to Regan to prove his innocence when everyone else has made their mind up. We know from the start that Danny must be innocent, but the way this plays out, and how it resolves, is nicely done and very clever.

I particularly like the way the sub-plot with the aggrieved member of the gang with his posh car marries up with the rest of the plot. But it's not just the cleverness. As ever, it's the gritty realism of the acting, the dialogue, the direction. You feel utterly immersed in this world.

And wow... Warren Clarke certainly looks young here.

 

Batman: The Animated Series- Beware the Grey Ghost

 "So it wasn't all for nothing..."

Yet another masterpiece this time, and an inspired idea. A pulp style hero, shown in the monochrome past of movie serials and pulp magazines, with a catchphrase ("May those with evil hearts beware") which seems to evoke, if I remember correctly, the Shadow.

Naturally, Bruce was a huge fan. It may be a little overly sentimental to shoew Bruceas being such a massive fanboy that the Batcave itself is modelled off the Grey Ghost's lair... but I don't care. The whole conceit is utterly exquisite, with an old episode of the movie serial being imitated in order to commit exactly the same crimes.... and that's not even taking into account that the aging actor who played the Grey Ghost is played by none other than Adam West. 

Yes, the baddie is a fan and collector, whose villainy stems from his obsession and geekery, a bit of a dodge stereotype... but the whole episode is a thing of great beauty yet. One of the finest episodes yet, a sentiment I appear to expressing rather often at the moment.

Black Sabbath- Paranoid (1970)

It's extraordinary, looking back, how Sabbath could have released this second album so soon after the first. I suppose it was an era where rock band worked, toured and wrote much more quiickly. Killing themselves to live, so to speak.

Paranoid is, of course, brilliant. It must surely be the band's most well-known and popular album and, in "War Pigs", "Iron Man" and the titular track, contains some of the band's most iconic songs. Yet there's zero filler here- even deep cuts such as "Hand of Doom" are magnificent. 

There's still a similarity in style from the album's predecessor with the band's signature heavy riffs that evoke unease and horror. Yet this album branches off into different directions and is less dependent on this feel. There's a variation of styles in thos collection of songs, with the band's signature longer track with their superb transitions, but also shorter songs. Bill Ward's jazz sensibilities are allowed freer rein, lot least with his far from pretentious drum solo in "Rat Salad". The band are, by this point, fully formed- heavy, with their own sound, but announcing that they are by no means limiting themselves and reserve the right to explore.

Carry On Up the Khyber (1968)

 "For the last time, stop calling it a dangler!"

Sometimes conventional opinion is conventional for a reason, and I strongly suspect that's the case here. This is widely regarded as the best Carry On film. I've seen it a number of times during my youth, and always casually thought of it as the best. Having seen it again, now, as part of my slow journey through the Carry On films in order, that opinion is very much confirmed. Carry On Up the Khyber is absolutely superb, easily the best so far. Is this peak Carry On, then? Is it all downhill from here?

I should mention, of course, that there are things in this film- the brownface, the Indian and Afghan stereotypes- that, shall we say, have not aged well, and that there are certainly moments that make the viewer wince in 2025. The world of fifty-seven years ago now looks startlingly alien to our own... although, compared to MAGA morons, they seem positively progressive.

Those issues acknowledged, then, what makes this film so good? Well, firstly, the script is superb. The central conceit- that the security of British rule of the North-West frontier depends on the continued belief that the Third Foot and Mouth wear nothing beneath their kilts is inspired. The scene, towards the end, as Sir Sidney and the other senior British wallahs calmly eat dinner as the residency is attacked, is rightly acknowledged as perhaps the finest Carry On scene ever. But it's more than that. There's a lot of innuendo, and it's so witty. But the film is full of brilliant jokes, such as when the Khazi of Kalabar expresses annoyance at the beating of a gong- "Rank stupidity", indeed.

We also have the full core cast on top form here. Sid James and Kenneth Williams impress, of course. But Charles Hawtrey, too- having seemed to be sidelined in recent films, he's back, on top form, in a prominent role. Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw also stand out. But guest stars Roy Castle and Terry Scott are also superb.

I hope I'll see a better Carry On film as my marathon continues... but perhaps I should just hope to get as close as possible.

Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

 "Let's say it's a kind of magic..."

I'm not saying this film is any good, you understand. I'm just saying that I love it. I mean, how can one not love a film in which Ramirez is on a plane, flying over the Atlantic fresh from a bizarre tailoring montage, and he watches an air safety video which starts with talk of masks dropping from above and ends with stop motion footsge of the plane crashing and fully bursting into flames.

This film is bonkers, and gleefully owns its bonkersness. In 1999, the Earth was almost doomed from the ozone layer (ah, how retro- it wasn't always climate emergency, kids), but McLeod and his mates were able to save humanity by, er, building a huge Dyson sphere thingy. So humanity has no sky and society and technology go backwards for some reason.

Oh, and the immortals are all aliens. But this isn't even the most bonkers thing. 

McLeod puts a Queen song on a jukebox... and it's that one. We have not one but two splendidly moustache-twirling baddies, one of them played by Dr Cox from Scrubs. And... we get quite the performance of Hamlet.

This film isn't a classic, no. It's very silly, with those two assassins from Zeist and all the comical beheadings. But this isn't so-bad-it's good stuff, it's camp humour. The script, co-written by Brian "The Avengers" Clemens, knows damn well how silly it is. 

Ignore the critics. Just watch and enjoy this, preferably with some booze. It's just so much fun.

The Sweeney: Big Spender

 "I found a way of getting a lot of bread for no graft at all."

Intriguing episode, this, where it takes time for the penny to drop about what mild-mannered Wardle is up to, why this harmless little accountant is associating with the notorious Smith brothers and spending so much money, including on his prostitute girlfriend. In the end  it works out satisfyingly enough, although this episode isn't up there withe the best.

There's a lot of good stuff, though, including a satisfyingly '70s car chase- Rolls Royce vs. Ford Cortina. We get a magnificent central performance from Warren Mitchell.. in drag, at one point. Wardle is a truly tragic figure. A respectable, mild-mannered accountant straight out of that Monty Python sketch, who makesa lot of money from a parking scam, gets blackmailed... and clearly knows from the beginning that he can only ride his luck so far.

Haskins, though... as Regan says, he's "on the turn". He's been quite an understanding boss of late- why is he suddenly being so harsh? Or is his Jekyll and Hyde nature just who he is...?

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)

 "Tell them I was murdered by my mathematics tutor!"

This is the first time I've ever seen this rather good film, but I did read Nicholas Meyer's splendid original novel, at least twice, during my youth. And, while much of the plot was familiar to me, albeit with some jogging of the memory, I din't recall the ending, with the uncomfortably Orientalist overtones: an Ottomas pasha, in 1891, would not, I suspect, of being in the habit of kidnapping European red-headed ladies for his harem as they remindeds him of Circassians he'd, er, known. Still, that aside(!), this is a bloody good film despite a moderately low wattage cast and a rather straightforward directorial style.

The sets are sumptuous, the location superb, and to cast a film entirely with character actors is no bad thing. Robert Duvall is a good Watson, Alan Arkin carries the film well as Sigmund Freud, And Nicol Williamson- excellent as Merlin in Excalibur- is a superb but necessarily different Holmes, still the deductive genius but coming to terms with his cocaise addiction and haunted by childhood trauma: untill the end, not recalling exact details from the novel, I was worried that he may have been sexually abused as a child by his maths tutor. Thankfully,and wisely, the story does not take this path.... I was a bit worried, after all that cold turkey montage stuff with that phallic snake from The Speckled Band being so very prominent, in a film featuring Sigmund Freud...

It's not all character stuff, though. It's fun to see Holmes and freud work together and learn from each other, much though it felt a little roo easy for Holmes to fall fr the initial ruse and show so little resentment. There's lots of adventure, a sword fight, a train chase,and lots of deduction. Even better, there are lots of nice little Sherlockian touches- and, in the brief mention of the orang-utan case, an oblique reference to a Poe short story starring Holmes' literary progenitor, Auguste Dupin.  

The hints of romance at the end, though? Very brave! Overall, then, a film which may lack a certain visual flair but has astrong enough story and cast to carry it through.