“You have discovered the wonders of your own penis, my friend...”
A new season dawns, so we have a first episode with a lot of exposition, that necessarily feels as though it exists to move the pieces into place. So yes, we have a sex advice client who is falsely accused of spreading chlamydia, and a hysterical STD scare with everyone running around in masks and worried about a plague- in a programme released in January 2020, which is creepy. We also have the usual wit, humour and character, not least with a hilarious opening sequence with Otis having learned to masturbate successfully and now doing it all the time like, well, a teenage boy. And there’s a hilarious conversation with Jean.
But there’s a lot of change to the status quo. Jean and Jakob are now an item- a fact accidentally revealed to their respective children. Ola is now at the school. Adam is not. Maeve isn’t, then she is, due to her cleverness and her favourite English teacher, Shabnam from EastEnders. There’s a new, handsome boy who is probably gay. And we meet the new Chair of the Board of Governors, a familiar face if you saw the excellent Years and Years.
Most tragically, it’s clear that Jackson is only working his arse off at swimming to stop his parents arguing. His self-inflicted injury is a cry for help, and should be seen for what it is: self harm.
Oh, and Jean is going to be teaching sex education at the school. I’m sure Otis will love that. And Ola has just found out about the sex clinic. Then there’s the love triangle with Maeve..
It’s all looking promising. It’s fair to say this first episode still managed to be fun even with all that exposition to do, but I’m glad the pieces are in lace.
Friday, 31 July 2020
Maps to the Stars (2014)
“She’s a Scientologist.”
“I was thinking of converting. Kind of a career move.”
I know I've blogged a lot of Cronenberg fils lately, but he fascinates me. He's known for his body horror, but his work (especially in recent decades) is so much more than that- philosophical, dreamlike, with clear themes but a very adult ambiguity of meaning. So here's another.
This film is, of course, a blatant denunciation, from far to the north, of Hollywood and it's vacuous culture where everyone is an aspiring actor/writer/second gaffer. And Hollywood royalty is as horrible and exploitative as anything in the Ancien Regime- arrogant, entitled, obsessed with new age mumbo jumbo, and full of nasty casual prejudices beneath the surface liberalism. They are empty leeches who both feed off and discard ordinary people, from whose lives they are so very far removed. Havana (an excellent Julianne Moore) is as much a monster as anyone in the creepily incstuous and cursed Weiss family, and the relationship between her and Agatha is, I suppose, the fairly straightforward thematic core of the film.
But we also have the weird, incestuous and similarly loathsome Weiss family, seen being generally empty and horrible until prodgal daughter Agatha returns to "make amends". The plot unfolds at the perfect pace as the full, repetitive, abusive horror of the family's curse slowly unwinds. This is, I think, a film that will reward repetitive viewings. While critics are, I know, divided on ths, still Cronenberg's latest, I personally find it utterly compelling.
“I was thinking of converting. Kind of a career move.”
This film is, of course, a blatant denunciation, from far to the north, of Hollywood and it's vacuous culture where everyone is an aspiring actor/writer/second gaffer. And Hollywood royalty is as horrible and exploitative as anything in the Ancien Regime- arrogant, entitled, obsessed with new age mumbo jumbo, and full of nasty casual prejudices beneath the surface liberalism. They are empty leeches who both feed off and discard ordinary people, from whose lives they are so very far removed. Havana (an excellent Julianne Moore) is as much a monster as anyone in the creepily incstuous and cursed Weiss family, and the relationship between her and Agatha is, I suppose, the fairly straightforward thematic core of the film.
But we also have the weird, incestuous and similarly loathsome Weiss family, seen being generally empty and horrible until prodgal daughter Agatha returns to "make amends". The plot unfolds at the perfect pace as the full, repetitive, abusive horror of the family's curse slowly unwinds. This is, I think, a film that will reward repetitive viewings. While critics are, I know, divided on ths, still Cronenberg's latest, I personally find it utterly compelling.
Wednesday, 29 July 2020
The Haunting of Hill House: Steven Sees a Ghost
"Nellie's in the red room!"
It’s hard to judge first episodes, with all the exposition they have to do on top of hooking you. This one manages rather well, I think.
I’m not so done who watches horror to be scared: to me it’s a splendidly artificial genre where the point is precisely that I’m very much aware of how the camera, music and script create a mood. Of course, horror works best- as here- where there’s also good drama and solid character work, but I suppose I love the genre precisely because I find it intrinsically cheesy. That said, the last minute twist- where Steven finally sees his first ever ghost at the end- made me jump. And is an enormously clever narrative gambit. Especially as we have an extended early scene establishing his relative scepticism, and that he closed his eyes during a certain childhood episode.
The episode is very Stephen King, existing in two time zones- the children’s childhoods and the adult present. There’s a very gothic and nebulous ghostly evil from the past, in this case a creepy old house (a hundred years is old over there; I’ve owned somewhere older, though much less grand) and, just to double down on the Stephen King-ness, the central character is a horror writer called Steven.
The siblings are well drawn though, from serious Shirley and commitment-phobic Theo(dora) to the damaged Nell (she who sees the “bent necked lady” and Luke, of the creepy childhood drawings. There’s a lot here to make me want to see more. A good start.
It’s hard to judge first episodes, with all the exposition they have to do on top of hooking you. This one manages rather well, I think.
I’m not so done who watches horror to be scared: to me it’s a splendidly artificial genre where the point is precisely that I’m very much aware of how the camera, music and script create a mood. Of course, horror works best- as here- where there’s also good drama and solid character work, but I suppose I love the genre precisely because I find it intrinsically cheesy. That said, the last minute twist- where Steven finally sees his first ever ghost at the end- made me jump. And is an enormously clever narrative gambit. Especially as we have an extended early scene establishing his relative scepticism, and that he closed his eyes during a certain childhood episode.
The episode is very Stephen King, existing in two time zones- the children’s childhoods and the adult present. There’s a very gothic and nebulous ghostly evil from the past, in this case a creepy old house (a hundred years is old over there; I’ve owned somewhere older, though much less grand) and, just to double down on the Stephen King-ness, the central character is a horror writer called Steven.
The siblings are well drawn though, from serious Shirley and commitment-phobic Theo(dora) to the damaged Nell (she who sees the “bent necked lady” and Luke, of the creepy childhood drawings. There’s a lot here to make me want to see more. A good start.
Tuesday, 28 July 2020
Batman: Nora Clavicle and the Ladies’ Crime Club
“This is torture... at its most bizarre and terrible.
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. One must always be careful not to treat television programmes from fifty years ago in the same way as something made today; social mores have changed, and one must make allowances. But, having made said allowances... this is (mostly) unfunny sexist claptrap that is simply jaw-dropping to watch. Batman does second wave feminism. In 1968. And it’s every bit as squirmingly awful as you might fear.
Feminism can be the subject of humour, of course, like anything can. But here we have a feminist activist (later shown to have purely venal motives) who seems to fire all male police officers for no other reason but one-up(wo)manship. And their female replacements turn out to be rubbsh at their jobs because they're too busy doing lipstick, discussing recipes and shopping. Yes, really. And all this only happens because Mayor Linseed's wife forces his hand by refusing to cook or wash his clothes, which all of us real men routinely do for ourselves (and our wives). This is bad, cringeworthy and frankly alienating stuff. And it's a nasty, very lazy, knee jerk stye of "humour", weaponising the patriarchy to mock those who point at its existence.
It's a pity, as there are a couple of gloriously silly moments with the "Siamese human knot" and the slendidly absurd Pied Piper ending. But this doesn't wash away the nasty, punching down, sexism of the episode. Given how few episodes there are left of Batman, I suspect this will end up as my least favourite of the lot.
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. One must always be careful not to treat television programmes from fifty years ago in the same way as something made today; social mores have changed, and one must make allowances. But, having made said allowances... this is (mostly) unfunny sexist claptrap that is simply jaw-dropping to watch. Batman does second wave feminism. In 1968. And it’s every bit as squirmingly awful as you might fear.
Feminism can be the subject of humour, of course, like anything can. But here we have a feminist activist (later shown to have purely venal motives) who seems to fire all male police officers for no other reason but one-up(wo)manship. And their female replacements turn out to be rubbsh at their jobs because they're too busy doing lipstick, discussing recipes and shopping. Yes, really. And all this only happens because Mayor Linseed's wife forces his hand by refusing to cook or wash his clothes, which all of us real men routinely do for ourselves (and our wives). This is bad, cringeworthy and frankly alienating stuff. And it's a nasty, very lazy, knee jerk stye of "humour", weaponising the patriarchy to mock those who point at its existence.
It's a pity, as there are a couple of gloriously silly moments with the "Siamese human knot" and the slendidly absurd Pied Piper ending. But this doesn't wash away the nasty, punching down, sexism of the episode. Given how few episodes there are left of Batman, I suspect this will end up as my least favourite of the lot.
Sunday, 26 July 2020
Edgar Allan Poe (1909)
Firstly, this is 1909, exactly sixty years since Poe’s untimely death. This film is no further away from that event than we are from the deaths of, say, Eddie Cochran, or Buddy Holly. One of the actresses in the film (Clara T Bracy) was born in 1848, when Poe was very much alive. The past, though superficially unfamiliar, is not so far away as we may think.
Secondly, of course, this is D.W. Griffith. I’ve blogged a fair number of silent films by now but, yes, I’ve been avoiding him. The thing is, I realise he’s famous for being an innovator in film techniques. But he’s also well known for being incredibly racist in ways which caused real harm. And we’re not discussing his work being racist in the way we’d criticise something like, say, the brownface in Short Circuit. No: Birth of a Nation isn’t merely a racist film but actually caused the revival of the then-defunct Ku Klux Klan, causing decades of unspeakable terrorist violence. Arguably no film ever made has done more damage to the world and it’s unlikely I will ever choose to blog it. Even Triumph of the Will can at least claim not to be the direct cause of the evils it was documenting.
So Griffith is a problem, and a figure I regard with some wariness. I’m conscious I’ve chosen to watch a film of his with “safe” subject matter, meaning it doesn’t feature or mention anyone who doesn’t happen to be white. So I can say that, yes, the acting style is big, stages and melodramatic and yes, it’s just cameras pointed at a theatrical set. But the story is told with admirable clarity and there are some nice touches- the bored writer in the foreground at the publisher while Poe is rejected in the background is a delightful way of showing us how unappreciated he was.
This is, yes, a superior example of cinema for its time. But, I’m afraid, the name of its director carries a stench that infects all it touches.
Sex Education: Season 1, Episode 8
"My vagina has betrayed me!"
Wow. After last episode seemed to raise the bar we have an extraordinarily accomplished finale, which brings a satisfactory closure of sorts to a lot of threads while using the characters in a satisfying way. And, as ever, the way it’s all structured is a marvel and a complex plot is made easy to follow- this is a show with very good writing.
So we have Lily’s fury sexual experience ruined by her sex slamming shut, making her an unofficial client of the week, but her fear of losing control and enjoying sexual pleasure is a direct parallel of Otis’ own issues, and ultimately they help each other to get over them- and it’s all rather cute. Lit is a wonderful character, wonderfully portrayed.
But we also have Goff getting a stupidly wrong end of the stick and accusing Maeve of dealing illegal drugs, leading her to take the fall for her brother and to be at serious risk of expulsion- something which, despite Jackson’s protestations, is very much up in the air, and not looking good, as the episode ends.
More positively, Eric and Adam end up in detention- and, after a little of the usual bullying, Adam throws himself on Eric and they have sex. Wow. The thing is, Mrs Llamastrangler predicted this, and I pooh poohed her. She always thought Adam’s bullying looked suspiciously as though he fancied Eric- and he does. But he goes straight into denial mode, and the closet, afterwards. That last sight of them sitting awkwardly together in the science lesson, not holding hands, is so very sad. And Adam, it seems, is off to some horrible military school. I hope Goff gets his comeuppance: he’s a baddie you love to hate, and Alistair Petrie has been consistently superb.
We end with apologies to Otis, and a kind of wisdom, from Jean, who has admitted to Jakob that she wants more than sex. And, in another elegant parallel, he makes up with Ola and they kiss... which leads to a splendidly and necessarily figurative final shot of Otis’ first ever masturbatory orgasm.... to the sounds of Sigurd Sigue Sputnik.
This finale, and in hindsight the whole season, has been superb.
Wow. After last episode seemed to raise the bar we have an extraordinarily accomplished finale, which brings a satisfactory closure of sorts to a lot of threads while using the characters in a satisfying way. And, as ever, the way it’s all structured is a marvel and a complex plot is made easy to follow- this is a show with very good writing.
So we have Lily’s fury sexual experience ruined by her sex slamming shut, making her an unofficial client of the week, but her fear of losing control and enjoying sexual pleasure is a direct parallel of Otis’ own issues, and ultimately they help each other to get over them- and it’s all rather cute. Lit is a wonderful character, wonderfully portrayed.
But we also have Goff getting a stupidly wrong end of the stick and accusing Maeve of dealing illegal drugs, leading her to take the fall for her brother and to be at serious risk of expulsion- something which, despite Jackson’s protestations, is very much up in the air, and not looking good, as the episode ends.
More positively, Eric and Adam end up in detention- and, after a little of the usual bullying, Adam throws himself on Eric and they have sex. Wow. The thing is, Mrs Llamastrangler predicted this, and I pooh poohed her. She always thought Adam’s bullying looked suspiciously as though he fancied Eric- and he does. But he goes straight into denial mode, and the closet, afterwards. That last sight of them sitting awkwardly together in the science lesson, not holding hands, is so very sad. And Adam, it seems, is off to some horrible military school. I hope Goff gets his comeuppance: he’s a baddie you love to hate, and Alistair Petrie has been consistently superb.
We end with apologies to Otis, and a kind of wisdom, from Jean, who has admitted to Jakob that she wants more than sex. And, in another elegant parallel, he makes up with Ola and they kiss... which leads to a splendidly and necessarily figurative final shot of Otis’ first ever masturbatory orgasm.... to the sounds of Sigurd Sigue Sputnik.
This finale, and in hindsight the whole season, has been superb.
Sex Education: Season 1: Episode 7
"Sometimes the people we like don't like us back, and it's painful, but there's nothing we can do about it."
This penultimate episode is extraordinary- full of depth in terms of both theme and character. It seems to have shifted gear into something more serious and philosophical. The comedy hasn't gone, but by this point it's just a natural part of the drama.
And the drama is about very deep feelings and passionate longing, beginning with Liam, client of the week, who is being a bit creepy about unrequited love- and quite rightly gets the "no means no, so back off" talk from Otis. Interestingly, though, we get a lot of ironic banter about the innate stupidity and sexism of the upcoming school prom- very much an American import and not so big a thing in this country: I never went to mine in '95 and nor did many of my friends. But a reluctant Maeve is persuaded by Jackson, and a similarly reluctant Otis is persuaded by Ola, in both cases rather sweetly.
Also sweet is how Jean and Jakob are falling for each other, with Jean teaching for ever more transparent excuses to see him... but, when they stop shagging and start talking, the sex therapist proves to be utterly like insight. She tells him she thinks of him as divorced and bored of monogamy. But she is describing herself; Jakob is a widower, Jean is the first person he’s slept with since the bereavement, and he wants more than just the physical.
But the ball is awkward; Maeve isn’t fully happy with Jackson, and there are in resolved and mutual feelings between her and Otis that are very much lampshaded by the case of the week- Otis’s speech to a suicidal Liam at the end is very much heard by Maeve. It seems our two leads may get together.
But, of course, it is not to be, as Maeve is disgusted when a drunken Jackson reveals the confidential advice Otis gave him. And Jackson himself is far from a bad bloke, with one of his parents living her dreams of sporting glory through him. It's a terrible burden for one far too young. And, to complete our triptych of things going wrong, Oris stupidly upsets Ola, seeming to lose her. This is nicely structured storytelling. And throughout the episode we have Sean, Maeve's very human but dodgy drug dealing brother, as a worryingly damaging catalyst.
Eric has a better time this episode, however, starting to reconcile his very Christian, African family background (let's hope it doesn't remain just generically African, which would be dodgy) with his sexuality- and there's a lovely conversation with his concerned but caring dad. He arrives at the party looking fabulous, and gets cheered (yay!), finally accepting Otis' frank apology. But we can't have a happy ending to a penultimate episode; Otis sees the book his mother has been writing is... about him.
This is superb; it's extraordinary that a short series in its first season should develop it's characters so well by this point.
This penultimate episode is extraordinary- full of depth in terms of both theme and character. It seems to have shifted gear into something more serious and philosophical. The comedy hasn't gone, but by this point it's just a natural part of the drama.
And the drama is about very deep feelings and passionate longing, beginning with Liam, client of the week, who is being a bit creepy about unrequited love- and quite rightly gets the "no means no, so back off" talk from Otis. Interestingly, though, we get a lot of ironic banter about the innate stupidity and sexism of the upcoming school prom- very much an American import and not so big a thing in this country: I never went to mine in '95 and nor did many of my friends. But a reluctant Maeve is persuaded by Jackson, and a similarly reluctant Otis is persuaded by Ola, in both cases rather sweetly.
Also sweet is how Jean and Jakob are falling for each other, with Jean teaching for ever more transparent excuses to see him... but, when they stop shagging and start talking, the sex therapist proves to be utterly like insight. She tells him she thinks of him as divorced and bored of monogamy. But she is describing herself; Jakob is a widower, Jean is the first person he’s slept with since the bereavement, and he wants more than just the physical.
But the ball is awkward; Maeve isn’t fully happy with Jackson, and there are in resolved and mutual feelings between her and Otis that are very much lampshaded by the case of the week- Otis’s speech to a suicidal Liam at the end is very much heard by Maeve. It seems our two leads may get together.
But, of course, it is not to be, as Maeve is disgusted when a drunken Jackson reveals the confidential advice Otis gave him. And Jackson himself is far from a bad bloke, with one of his parents living her dreams of sporting glory through him. It's a terrible burden for one far too young. And, to complete our triptych of things going wrong, Oris stupidly upsets Ola, seeming to lose her. This is nicely structured storytelling. And throughout the episode we have Sean, Maeve's very human but dodgy drug dealing brother, as a worryingly damaging catalyst.
Eric has a better time this episode, however, starting to reconcile his very Christian, African family background (let's hope it doesn't remain just generically African, which would be dodgy) with his sexuality- and there's a lovely conversation with his concerned but caring dad. He arrives at the party looking fabulous, and gets cheered (yay!), finally accepting Otis' frank apology. But we can't have a happy ending to a penultimate episode; Otis sees the book his mother has been writing is... about him.
This is superb; it's extraordinary that a short series in its first season should develop it's characters so well by this point.
Saturday, 25 July 2020
Batgirl: 1967 Pilot
"You are no longer alone, Caped Crusaders!"
I should really have blogged this before I started Season Three of Batman, but it’s only since I started that I became aware of the existence of this interesting little seven minute pilot. It seems the second season of Batman had been shedding viewers and that Batgirl was the proffered solution to its ills- and this was made to highlight the undoubtable awesomeness of Yvonne Craig.
It’s only a quick little vignette, really, and made for a very specific purpose; I’m not going to review it as such. The plot is simply to introduce us to Barbara Gordon and have her assist the Caped Crusaders in dealing with a crime taking place in the library which doesn’t overly stretch the budget.
Yvonne Craig’s performance is fully-formed, as is the character. The secret costume changing room is in the library, though, rather than in Barbara’s apartment, and her mask looks different, and rather less comfortable.
The only thing worth mentioning, of course, is the fairly rubbish villain: Killer Moth. The format doesn’t exactly allow this briefly seen baddie to shine, but there’s one more baddie from the comics to have appeared on television, sort of, although we don’t get to see his modus operandi as a kind of Batman for criminals.
This is a very interesting little novelty if you can hunt it down, and takes only seven and a bit minutes to watch.
I should really have blogged this before I started Season Three of Batman, but it’s only since I started that I became aware of the existence of this interesting little seven minute pilot. It seems the second season of Batman had been shedding viewers and that Batgirl was the proffered solution to its ills- and this was made to highlight the undoubtable awesomeness of Yvonne Craig.
It’s only a quick little vignette, really, and made for a very specific purpose; I’m not going to review it as such. The plot is simply to introduce us to Barbara Gordon and have her assist the Caped Crusaders in dealing with a crime taking place in the library which doesn’t overly stretch the budget.
Yvonne Craig’s performance is fully-formed, as is the character. The secret costume changing room is in the library, though, rather than in Barbara’s apartment, and her mask looks different, and rather less comfortable.
The only thing worth mentioning, of course, is the fairly rubbish villain: Killer Moth. The format doesn’t exactly allow this briefly seen baddie to shine, but there’s one more baddie from the comics to have appeared on television, sort of, although we don’t get to see his modus operandi as a kind of Batman for criminals.
This is a very interesting little novelty if you can hunt it down, and takes only seven and a bit minutes to watch.
Friday, 24 July 2020
Sex Education: Season 1, Episode 6
“I’ll bring the condoms. You bring the lube...”
A lot happens in this episode, and it happens to a lot of characters. And yet, by this point in the season, we know the characters and are invested. It’s complicated, but it doesn’t feel it. That’s good writing.
We start with a flashback as a very young Otis sees his father have sex with someone else- and it was him, as a little boy, who innocently told his mother and caused so many arguments and so much drama. It’s not hard to see him blaming himself. Especially when, desperate to lose his virginity, he agrees to shag Lily (Tanya Reynolds is both brilliant and perfectly cast)... and a flashback to that moment prevents him doing it. There are issues there, which are without a doubt going to be explored. This is all paralleled, of course, with his mother’s curiously cute and old fashioned courtship of the handyman.
Eric is in a dark place, alienated not just from Otis but from everyone. It’s a superb bit of acting from Ncuti Gatwa here as a very different and suddenly much angrier Eric- culminating in a pinch at Anwar. And he and Otis are absolutely no closer to reconciling. Yet Eric’s relationship with his traditionally African yet well-meaning father is interesting. I like the nuance here; the father may not be from a background where being gay is easily accepted, but he’s nevertheless trying to do right by his son, and obviously cares.
Maeve, meanwhile, has issues of her own as her unreliable and mercurial brother is back, no doubt up to something, while Jackson is feeling real conflict between the demands of swim training and the demands of having a girlfriend. You feel for her as a young swimming widow, but you feel for the lad too. And, of course, Maeve’s essay written for Adam wins a prize, leading to undeserved praise for someone who blatantly didn’t write it. And yet, interestingly, Mr Goff seems determined to ignore all signs of this and pretend his son wrote the thing. There are seeds of real conflict here, and corruption. I suspect this will develop.
This week’s sex therapy case is interesting- Aimee, in a nice little microcosm for how she always lets herself be walked on, has never orgasmed and is struggling to accept the idea that sex should be about her pleasure, as her nice new boyfriend exists. And after discovering the pleasures of wanking she’s a a very satisfied customer.
But we end, interestingly, with the intriguing Ola asking Otis out on a date, but he continues to show real chemistry with Maeve, and we end with her smelling his jumper, showing she does have feelings...
A lot happens in this episode, and it happens to a lot of characters. And yet, by this point in the season, we know the characters and are invested. It’s complicated, but it doesn’t feel it. That’s good writing.
We start with a flashback as a very young Otis sees his father have sex with someone else- and it was him, as a little boy, who innocently told his mother and caused so many arguments and so much drama. It’s not hard to see him blaming himself. Especially when, desperate to lose his virginity, he agrees to shag Lily (Tanya Reynolds is both brilliant and perfectly cast)... and a flashback to that moment prevents him doing it. There are issues there, which are without a doubt going to be explored. This is all paralleled, of course, with his mother’s curiously cute and old fashioned courtship of the handyman.
Eric is in a dark place, alienated not just from Otis but from everyone. It’s a superb bit of acting from Ncuti Gatwa here as a very different and suddenly much angrier Eric- culminating in a pinch at Anwar. And he and Otis are absolutely no closer to reconciling. Yet Eric’s relationship with his traditionally African yet well-meaning father is interesting. I like the nuance here; the father may not be from a background where being gay is easily accepted, but he’s nevertheless trying to do right by his son, and obviously cares.
Maeve, meanwhile, has issues of her own as her unreliable and mercurial brother is back, no doubt up to something, while Jackson is feeling real conflict between the demands of swim training and the demands of having a girlfriend. You feel for her as a young swimming widow, but you feel for the lad too. And, of course, Maeve’s essay written for Adam wins a prize, leading to undeserved praise for someone who blatantly didn’t write it. And yet, interestingly, Mr Goff seems determined to ignore all signs of this and pretend his son wrote the thing. There are seeds of real conflict here, and corruption. I suspect this will develop.
This week’s sex therapy case is interesting- Aimee, in a nice little microcosm for how she always lets herself be walked on, has never orgasmed and is struggling to accept the idea that sex should be about her pleasure, as her nice new boyfriend exists. And after discovering the pleasures of wanking she’s a a very satisfied customer.
But we end, interestingly, with the intriguing Ola asking Otis out on a date, but he continues to show real chemistry with Maeve, and we end with her smelling his jumper, showing she does have feelings...
Wednesday, 22 July 2020
Batman: Louie’s Lethal Lilac Time
“Tell me something, Batgirl. How did you get out of that cat?”
“With my Batgirl vat-opener.”
Louie the Lilac gets a second appearance, which is surprising- I assume both episodes were filmed back to back? He’s an odd one; a relatively ho-hum character that is elevated by a nicely menacing little turn from Milton Berle.
They may be running out of ideas already- after trying to corner the flower market, he’s now doing the same with perfume. But the episode nevertheless manages to be funny and entertaining- I love how Louie needs a whole menagerie of animals kidnapped from the zoo, all of which are just off camera whenever they are nearby. We also get parallel pieces of farcical fun as Barbara Gordon nearly seems the Batphone flashing, while her own secret passage in her flat is nearly found by a random workman sent by neighbours complaining about the noise of the revolving wall.
The episode revolves around the conceit if Bruce and Dick being captured and the Caped Crusaders therefore being unavailable, until of course they get to use their special pills which contain full Bat costumes. This is wonderfully bonkers. Much like the episode itself. This third season, I think I can say by now, is looking a little tired. But it’s still got it a surprising amount of the time.
“With my Batgirl vat-opener.”
Louie the Lilac gets a second appearance, which is surprising- I assume both episodes were filmed back to back? He’s an odd one; a relatively ho-hum character that is elevated by a nicely menacing little turn from Milton Berle.
They may be running out of ideas already- after trying to corner the flower market, he’s now doing the same with perfume. But the episode nevertheless manages to be funny and entertaining- I love how Louie needs a whole menagerie of animals kidnapped from the zoo, all of which are just off camera whenever they are nearby. We also get parallel pieces of farcical fun as Barbara Gordon nearly seems the Batphone flashing, while her own secret passage in her flat is nearly found by a random workman sent by neighbours complaining about the noise of the revolving wall.
The episode revolves around the conceit if Bruce and Dick being captured and the Caped Crusaders therefore being unavailable, until of course they get to use their special pills which contain full Bat costumes. This is wonderfully bonkers. Much like the episode itself. This third season, I think I can say by now, is looking a little tired. But it’s still got it a surprising amount of the time.
Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Batman: The Joke’s on Catwoman
“That’s the first time I ever
It’s our first episode of 1968- a less idealistic and more cynical year than ‘67, with rioting and body bags from Vietnam starting to edge out peace and love. And, right on cue, we have a cynical episode on corrupt justice as our heroes capture Catwoman and Joker halfway through and we spend the rest of the episode with a trial in front of a corrupt jury.
It is, of course, absurd to see Batman- not a lawyer- handling the prosecution, but this is Batman. The courtroom antics of Lucky Pierre are delightfully entertaining, and Batman even states at the end that he would have done well in politics. And, of course, on Pierre’s desk in his first scene is a prominent photo of Richard Nixon. A newer, more cynical and conservative age is coming. And perhaps that age will have no place for high camp fun.
And high camp fun aplenty there is here, much as the Joker is again playing second fiddle to Catwoman. There’s more fun flirting between Batgirl and the Caped Crusaders, and a hilariously quick usage of a French dictionary- although a genuine 18th century treasure map certainly wouldn’t be in metres...
Again we get some delightfully eccentric characters, from a pair of lighthouse keepers to a judge who joins in the final fight. This episode, and this two parter, is utterly bonkers. And wonderful.
It’s our first episode of 1968- a less idealistic and more cynical year than ‘67, with rioting and body bags from Vietnam starting to edge out peace and love. And, right on cue, we have a cynical episode on corrupt justice as our heroes capture Catwoman and Joker halfway through and we spend the rest of the episode with a trial in front of a corrupt jury.
It is, of course, absurd to see Batman- not a lawyer- handling the prosecution, but this is Batman. The courtroom antics of Lucky Pierre are delightfully entertaining, and Batman even states at the end that he would have done well in politics. And, of course, on Pierre’s desk in his first scene is a prominent photo of Richard Nixon. A newer, more cynical and conservative age is coming. And perhaps that age will have no place for high camp fun.
And high camp fun aplenty there is here, much as the Joker is again playing second fiddle to Catwoman. There’s more fun flirting between Batgirl and the Caped Crusaders, and a hilariously quick usage of a French dictionary- although a genuine 18th century treasure map certainly wouldn’t be in metres...
Again we get some delightfully eccentric characters, from a pair of lighthouse keepers to a judge who joins in the final fight. This episode, and this two parter, is utterly bonkers. And wonderful.
Monday, 20 July 2020
Deadwood: Season 1, Episode 8- Suffer the Little Children
"You might, Dan, want to learn how to indicate interest in a girl other than murdering another person."
Another dense, complex yet warchable, well-shot and well-acted episode doesn't surprise me at this point. It's 200's HBO, its a literary novel in the medium of television, it's bloody good. You're expecting me to say this.
Even so, I can't help but admire the structuring of the storyteling here. The main plotline here is probably young sublings Flora and Miles, who turn out to be cleverly manipulative thieves, and are both caught and killed, after much roughing up, by Cy. It's a hard word. And that Anna from Frozen has quite the potty mouth.
And yet there's so much more. Al's relationship with Trixie (attempting suicide, much to the gult of Alma after last episode) is shown at full force complexity here, very much mirrored by Joanie and Cy, whose own relationship clearly has many layers. More generally, the smallpox vaccine finally reaches camp, as well as rumours of a possible treaty with the Sioux. Could law and civilisation be coming?
Yet the mot fascnating thread is that of Alma, persuaded by Bullock to stay after he discovers her claim has promise. And above it all is the fascinating Al Swearengen, forever playing a prticularly potty-mouthed type of three dimensional chess, leaving E.B. struggling to keep up. He's an utterly fascinating character.
Another dense, complex yet warchable, well-shot and well-acted episode doesn't surprise me at this point. It's 200's HBO, its a literary novel in the medium of television, it's bloody good. You're expecting me to say this.
Even so, I can't help but admire the structuring of the storyteling here. The main plotline here is probably young sublings Flora and Miles, who turn out to be cleverly manipulative thieves, and are both caught and killed, after much roughing up, by Cy. It's a hard word. And that Anna from Frozen has quite the potty mouth.
And yet there's so much more. Al's relationship with Trixie (attempting suicide, much to the gult of Alma after last episode) is shown at full force complexity here, very much mirrored by Joanie and Cy, whose own relationship clearly has many layers. More generally, the smallpox vaccine finally reaches camp, as well as rumours of a possible treaty with the Sioux. Could law and civilisation be coming?
Yet the mot fascnating thread is that of Alma, persuaded by Bullock to stay after he discovers her claim has promise. And above it all is the fascinating Al Swearengen, forever playing a prticularly potty-mouthed type of three dimensional chess, leaving E.B. struggling to keep up. He's an utterly fascinating character.
Sunday, 19 July 2020
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974)
“Who are you?”
“Commander first conquest of Earth, from the third planet of the black hole, outer space.”
This is most certainly one of the best films the franchise has given us. I don't care how Mechagodzilla is disguised as Godzilla only in the early scenes so we get to see some old-fashioned distruction by our old friend but appears only as a robot (described as a "cyborg") thereafter. Nor do I care about the Ptofessor's suspiciously accurate guesses early on, nor that his pipe is the most obvious example of Chekhov's Gun in cinematic history.
No; this is B movie heaven, with lots of action, interesting locations and a fast-moving plot- set partly, interestingly, in Okinawa, which is culturally and linguistically not quite Japanese, and certainly gets othered here. Mechagodzilla looks awesome and, while one sinister bloke indeed turns out to be the alien leader, others turn out to be cool and friendly Interpol agents in a nice bit of misdirection. Even the true form of the aliens looks quite impressive.
As for the corny sci-fi dialogue and hilariously 70s alien spacecraft, well, those are the reasons we watch these sorts of films. We even get an appearance from Angilas, and a cool new monster in the form of King Seesar. 70s Godzilla is really on form by now. And what’s pleasing is that each film is interestingly different.
“Commander first conquest of Earth, from the third planet of the black hole, outer space.”
No; this is B movie heaven, with lots of action, interesting locations and a fast-moving plot- set partly, interestingly, in Okinawa, which is culturally and linguistically not quite Japanese, and certainly gets othered here. Mechagodzilla looks awesome and, while one sinister bloke indeed turns out to be the alien leader, others turn out to be cool and friendly Interpol agents in a nice bit of misdirection. Even the true form of the aliens looks quite impressive.
As for the corny sci-fi dialogue and hilariously 70s alien spacecraft, well, those are the reasons we watch these sorts of films. We even get an appearance from Angilas, and a cool new monster in the form of King Seesar. 70s Godzilla is really on form by now. And what’s pleasing is that each film is interestingly different.
Saturday, 18 July 2020
Being John Malkovich (1999)
“I’m sorry, I have no time for piddling suggestions from mumbling job applicants.”
This is the weirdest, and perhaps the best, film I've ever seen. David
Lynch: that there thing on the floor looks like a gauntlet.
This is magnificently, yet confidently weird. It’s not only surreal: it’s philosophical, cultured, Pythonesque, a morality tale and more. The very concept is delightfully mad, and the way things play out is inspired in how staid narrative conventions are adroitly avoided, yet by the end of the film, miraculously, it all actually makes narrative sense on its own terms, even if one’s mind has been screwed with splendidly. This is a dense, layered film, full of clever literary allusions, yet never anything other than lightly playful.
The cast are, without exception, superb- Cusack especially, and of course Malkovich, but Catherine Keener is a revelation as the cooly amoral Maxine, while Orson Bean gives the perfect comic performance.
You can, of course, expect to see many more Charlie Kaufman films in this blog within a very short space of time. Why oh why did I not see this film until I was forty-three?
This is magnificently, yet confidently weird. It’s not only surreal: it’s philosophical, cultured, Pythonesque, a morality tale and more. The very concept is delightfully mad, and the way things play out is inspired in how staid narrative conventions are adroitly avoided, yet by the end of the film, miraculously, it all actually makes narrative sense on its own terms, even if one’s mind has been screwed with splendidly. This is a dense, layered film, full of clever literary allusions, yet never anything other than lightly playful.
The cast are, without exception, superb- Cusack especially, and of course Malkovich, but Catherine Keener is a revelation as the cooly amoral Maxine, while Orson Bean gives the perfect comic performance.
You can, of course, expect to see many more Charlie Kaufman films in this blog within a very short space of time. Why oh why did I not see this film until I was forty-three?
Thursday, 16 July 2020
Batman: The Funny Feline Felonies
"Karate isn't effective unless accompanied by yelling...!"
Now this is a good one and no mistake. And yes, it’s another Catwoman script from Stanley Ralph Ross, invariably a sign of quality. Without impugning Julie’s definitive status Earths Kitt is again superb, and while the Joker is very much playing second fiddle here he gets loads of great set pieces to balance it all out.
The show’s traditional fourth wall baiting humour is very much in evidence, with the first scene being Warden Crichton and Bruce confidently pronouncing the Joker a reformed man and fit for (very) early release. This goes as well as can be expected, with a hilarious “kidnapping” and a winning double act of villainy- Romero and Kitt have superb chemistry.
The plot- an old Seven Years War riddle leaving clues to a load of gunpowder to use for robbing a bank- is silly, of course. So is Batgirl’s rivalry with the Dynamic Duo, just to “outsmart men”. And our two victims here- a twentysomething music cartoon and a fashion designer from “Londinium”- are delightful grotesques. You can’t not love a script in which the Jokeg critiques an old riddle for its iambic pentameter. And, of course, Batgirl is late to the rescue because she’s obeyed the speed limits.
This is wonderful. More please.
Now this is a good one and no mistake. And yes, it’s another Catwoman script from Stanley Ralph Ross, invariably a sign of quality. Without impugning Julie’s definitive status Earths Kitt is again superb, and while the Joker is very much playing second fiddle here he gets loads of great set pieces to balance it all out.
The show’s traditional fourth wall baiting humour is very much in evidence, with the first scene being Warden Crichton and Bruce confidently pronouncing the Joker a reformed man and fit for (very) early release. This goes as well as can be expected, with a hilarious “kidnapping” and a winning double act of villainy- Romero and Kitt have superb chemistry.
The plot- an old Seven Years War riddle leaving clues to a load of gunpowder to use for robbing a bank- is silly, of course. So is Batgirl’s rivalry with the Dynamic Duo, just to “outsmart men”. And our two victims here- a twentysomething music cartoon and a fashion designer from “Londinium”- are delightful grotesques. You can’t not love a script in which the Jokeg critiques an old riddle for its iambic pentameter. And, of course, Batgirl is late to the rescue because she’s obeyed the speed limits.
This is wonderful. More please.
Sex Education: Season 1, Episode 5
“It’s my vagina!”
Another interesting and multi-layered episode here, about friendships and reputations.
It’s a mid-season eventful episode as Otis is forced by the plot to choose between Eric’s birthday tradition and a sex therapy linked to Maeve who, a month later, he still fancies. But is he choosing her needs for the right reasons? Complicating the choice is the fact the therapy job consists of working out who send round a naked pic of school bitch Ruby (young Cindy off of EastEnders) and that this echoes for Maeve, whose own reputation was stained years ago by similar childishness. She l owe this sort of thing sticks, and it’s personal. And yes, for the parent of a daughter, this is terrifying.
A nice twist I’d that the culprit is Ruby’s friend Olivia, and that she sort of redeems herself at the end in a heartwarming scene of genital “I’m Spartacus”. But less heartwarming is the position of Eric- robbed and beaten up by homophobes as a result of Otis’ negligence. Interestingly, though, his old-fashioned dad is portrayed as uncomfortable with his son’s sexuality but nevertheless caring and not an outright bigot. That’s nicely nuanced. Also nuanced is Aimee’s continued exploitation by her friends, although she seems to have a handsome, clean cut love interest.
Maeve has a bit of a disaster meeting Jackson’s two very middle class mothers, but all is not as it seems: when she later invited him back to her caravan, though, he’s nice- and reveals that he takes medication for anxiety, and is not as perfect as he seems. It’s an interesting writing choice here: Jackson is nice, vulnerable and likeable, but he’s the love rival to the protagonist. It’ll be interesting to see where this plot line goes.
There is, perhaps, a bit of uncalled-for mocking of nerds (the wargamer kid is called Tom Baker, incidentally!), and the character arcs are perhaps a little obviously subject to the plot, but this is very good stuff.
Another interesting and multi-layered episode here, about friendships and reputations.
It’s a mid-season eventful episode as Otis is forced by the plot to choose between Eric’s birthday tradition and a sex therapy linked to Maeve who, a month later, he still fancies. But is he choosing her needs for the right reasons? Complicating the choice is the fact the therapy job consists of working out who send round a naked pic of school bitch Ruby (young Cindy off of EastEnders) and that this echoes for Maeve, whose own reputation was stained years ago by similar childishness. She l owe this sort of thing sticks, and it’s personal. And yes, for the parent of a daughter, this is terrifying.
A nice twist I’d that the culprit is Ruby’s friend Olivia, and that she sort of redeems herself at the end in a heartwarming scene of genital “I’m Spartacus”. But less heartwarming is the position of Eric- robbed and beaten up by homophobes as a result of Otis’ negligence. Interestingly, though, his old-fashioned dad is portrayed as uncomfortable with his son’s sexuality but nevertheless caring and not an outright bigot. That’s nicely nuanced. Also nuanced is Aimee’s continued exploitation by her friends, although she seems to have a handsome, clean cut love interest.
Maeve has a bit of a disaster meeting Jackson’s two very middle class mothers, but all is not as it seems: when she later invited him back to her caravan, though, he’s nice- and reveals that he takes medication for anxiety, and is not as perfect as he seems. It’s an interesting writing choice here: Jackson is nice, vulnerable and likeable, but he’s the love rival to the protagonist. It’ll be interesting to see where this plot line goes.
There is, perhaps, a bit of uncalled-for mocking of nerds (the wargamer kid is called Tom Baker, incidentally!), and the character arcs are perhaps a little obviously subject to the plot, but this is very good stuff.
Sunday, 12 July 2020
Sex Education: Season 1, Episode 4
“Why don’t you start by telling me your earliest memory of your scrotum.”
Another fascinatingly well-structured episode here, which hints at the likelihood that this series won’t be taking a “case of the week” format but with have much more of an emphasis on season arcs, but also seems to be still setting up the pieces. We meet two new characters here- an unnamed Swedish builder who seems to be set up as a possible love interest for Jean and his daughter, who will have some connection (romantic?) with Otis.
The A plot is very well done, of course- Otis really likes Maeve, but I adverts it ends up giving advice to Jackson which ends up with her agreeing, against her general principles, to be her boyfriend. But Jackson isn’t a bad guy, and is genuinely in love. And it’s not much consolation to Otis to get a random proposal of mutual cherry- popping from the quirkily likeable Lily.
Incidentally, these teenagers are young enough to be my kids. So why do they all like the same bands as me? We get Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Joy Division and others all name checked- even Bikini Kill. It’s interesting that there seems to be no clear cut generation gap.
Meanwhile Adam gets even more desperate because of his authoritarian wanker of a father. And Eric seems to have similar problems, if both less clear and apparently less intense. There’s a lot going on, but it feels natural and easy. This may not be top drawer, but it’s very, very good.
Another fascinatingly well-structured episode here, which hints at the likelihood that this series won’t be taking a “case of the week” format but with have much more of an emphasis on season arcs, but also seems to be still setting up the pieces. We meet two new characters here- an unnamed Swedish builder who seems to be set up as a possible love interest for Jean and his daughter, who will have some connection (romantic?) with Otis.
The A plot is very well done, of course- Otis really likes Maeve, but I adverts it ends up giving advice to Jackson which ends up with her agreeing, against her general principles, to be her boyfriend. But Jackson isn’t a bad guy, and is genuinely in love. And it’s not much consolation to Otis to get a random proposal of mutual cherry- popping from the quirkily likeable Lily.
Incidentally, these teenagers are young enough to be my kids. So why do they all like the same bands as me? We get Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Joy Division and others all name checked- even Bikini Kill. It’s interesting that there seems to be no clear cut generation gap.
Meanwhile Adam gets even more desperate because of his authoritarian wanker of a father. And Eric seems to have similar problems, if both less clear and apparently less intense. There’s a lot going on, but it feels natural and easy. This may not be top drawer, but it’s very, very good.
The Deep Blue Sea (National Theatre, 2016)
"When you're between any kind of devil and the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea sometimes looks very inviting."
I haven't managed to keep up with these wonderful lockdown gifts from the National Theatre, what with life being so very hectic these days, but they really are so kind to us, and really do need all the support they can get right now. Culture matters.
I’ve never seen this play before and nor, I’m afraid to say, have I seen any Terence Rattigan before. It may be terribly upper middle class, but this play is wonderful in how it deals with such deep, overwhelming emotion through the medium of deliberately awkward, very British dialogue. Perhaps our distance from the play helps us to see it more clearly; certainly 1952 is made to seem a long time ago. Restrictive divorce laws; suicide being a crime for which one can be imprisoned; the same for homosexuality, particularly resonant for the author and (it’s implied) for poor Dr Miller, who may perhaps be seen as the authorial voice. We are fortunate to live in the wake of the 1960s when these wrongs where righted.
Helen McRory is simply outrageously good here in the meatiest of female roles. As much of a revelation to me, though, is the play itself. The style may be old-fashioned, and the treatment of the themes may jar with our mores of today, although it’s fascinating to see how subtly subversive the play is. Rattigan is a writer I shall have to explore.
I’ve never seen this play before and nor, I’m afraid to say, have I seen any Terence Rattigan before. It may be terribly upper middle class, but this play is wonderful in how it deals with such deep, overwhelming emotion through the medium of deliberately awkward, very British dialogue. Perhaps our distance from the play helps us to see it more clearly; certainly 1952 is made to seem a long time ago. Restrictive divorce laws; suicide being a crime for which one can be imprisoned; the same for homosexuality, particularly resonant for the author and (it’s implied) for poor Dr Miller, who may perhaps be seen as the authorial voice. We are fortunate to live in the wake of the 1960s when these wrongs where righted.
Helen McRory is simply outrageously good here in the meatiest of female roles. As much of a revelation to me, though, is the play itself. The style may be old-fashioned, and the treatment of the themes may jar with our mores of today, although it’s fascinating to see how subtly subversive the play is. Rattigan is a writer I shall have to explore.
Saturday, 11 July 2020
Sex Education: Season 1, Episode 3
“It’s better not being a mum at all than being a bad one.”
Interestingly, this episode doesn’t take the formulaic, “case of the week” approach that might be expected: perhaps that’s not the sort of series this is. Instead we get a focus on the fascinating Maeve, whose life is tinged with sadness and deprivation that belie her intelligence, her cut-glass vowels and (as we see here from a very ITV television quiz) that she is well read and cultured.
Bravely, the episode focuses on Maeve having an abortion following the events of the previous episode. The whole process is shown with realism, including the horrible nutters shouting inhuman abuse outside at women who really don’t need it. We get to know her, and Otis even tries to dispense some sex advice, but they’re not nice people and they shouldn’t be allowed to do that.
Emma Mackey is superb at showing us both Maeve’s tough exterior and the vulnerability that lies beneath. And there’s a brief moment of joy when she realises that Otis actually came through and waited for her. She seems to trust him, and even shows him the caravan park where she lives- and that her absent mother is an addict. We last see her staring at childhood photos. This is all wonderful character stuff.
We also meet Otis’s father for the first time, and and get to laugh at his guilt that his first wet dream should be about Maeve and that he’s “objectifying” her. I think it’s clear that the two of them are going to get together.
But there’s more, too: we see Jackson swimming, and how his pushy mum is urging him to train further. Meanwhile we see how the headmaster is seemingly more fond of this successful substitute son than he is of his own. And we see Eric’s large family, with real homophobic undercurrents, as he makes a rather touching friendship with the delightfully eccentric Lily.
This is all quite gripping.
Interestingly, this episode doesn’t take the formulaic, “case of the week” approach that might be expected: perhaps that’s not the sort of series this is. Instead we get a focus on the fascinating Maeve, whose life is tinged with sadness and deprivation that belie her intelligence, her cut-glass vowels and (as we see here from a very ITV television quiz) that she is well read and cultured.
Bravely, the episode focuses on Maeve having an abortion following the events of the previous episode. The whole process is shown with realism, including the horrible nutters shouting inhuman abuse outside at women who really don’t need it. We get to know her, and Otis even tries to dispense some sex advice, but they’re not nice people and they shouldn’t be allowed to do that.
Emma Mackey is superb at showing us both Maeve’s tough exterior and the vulnerability that lies beneath. And there’s a brief moment of joy when she realises that Otis actually came through and waited for her. She seems to trust him, and even shows him the caravan park where she lives- and that her absent mother is an addict. We last see her staring at childhood photos. This is all wonderful character stuff.
We also meet Otis’s father for the first time, and and get to laugh at his guilt that his first wet dream should be about Maeve and that he’s “objectifying” her. I think it’s clear that the two of them are going to get together.
But there’s more, too: we see Jackson swimming, and how his pushy mum is urging him to train further. Meanwhile we see how the headmaster is seemingly more fond of this successful substitute son than he is of his own. And we see Eric’s large family, with real homophobic undercurrents, as he makes a rather touching friendship with the delightfully eccentric Lily.
This is all quite gripping.
Friday, 10 July 2020
Sex Education: Season 1, Episode 2
“Is it weird that I always think about the Queen when I cum?”
Perhaps this episode, a little more obviously than the first, blatantly exists to fulfil a plot function- to create the demand for Otis as an informal sex therapist for the school as he helps a couple with their problems at a party he attends in the very hope of doing so. This plot function is fulfilled rather neatly. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t another fifty-odd minutes of good characterisation and laugh-out-loud lines.
I like the way that the gloriously eccentric Jean and Otis are realistically made to clash without either of them seeming unreasonable or unlikeable: they’re both shown as nice, if flawed, characters. The contrast with Adam and his authoritarian dick of a dad is clear. Aimee, too, is interesting: a superficially popular girl who is paddling rather frantically, and being exploited somewhat by her friends, in order to remain so.
More urgently, the mysterious and fascinating Maeve appears to be pregnant by Jackson- whom she hadn’t told but is continuing to shag. And she appears, despite her cut glass vowels, to live in desperate trailer park poverty. No wonder she’s keen to make money. And poor Eric may be the comic relief character, but the humiliation he is constantly made to suffer by bullies is dark indeed.
This is excellent. But hopefully by now the set-up is over and we can actually see the format in action.
Perhaps this episode, a little more obviously than the first, blatantly exists to fulfil a plot function- to create the demand for Otis as an informal sex therapist for the school as he helps a couple with their problems at a party he attends in the very hope of doing so. This plot function is fulfilled rather neatly. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t another fifty-odd minutes of good characterisation and laugh-out-loud lines.
I like the way that the gloriously eccentric Jean and Otis are realistically made to clash without either of them seeming unreasonable or unlikeable: they’re both shown as nice, if flawed, characters. The contrast with Adam and his authoritarian dick of a dad is clear. Aimee, too, is interesting: a superficially popular girl who is paddling rather frantically, and being exploited somewhat by her friends, in order to remain so.
More urgently, the mysterious and fascinating Maeve appears to be pregnant by Jackson- whom she hadn’t told but is continuing to shag. And she appears, despite her cut glass vowels, to live in desperate trailer park poverty. No wonder she’s keen to make money. And poor Eric may be the comic relief character, but the humiliation he is constantly made to suffer by bullies is dark indeed.
This is excellent. But hopefully by now the set-up is over and we can actually see the format in action.
Wednesday, 8 July 2020
Sex Education: Season 1, Episode 1
“Ejaculation. Jizz. Spunk. Man milk.”
Mrs Llamastrangler and I have settled on this as our new Netflix series to binge after a glimpse of the promising trailer. We’re rather glad we did.
A good first episode is always an impressive thing, as it has to do double duty in being a good piece of telly AND introducing the premise, characters and tone. This episode does both very well indeed.
So we have Otis, a teenage boy who is having trouble masturbating- and his highly amusing and extremely cool sex therapist mother Jean, a superb and unrecognisable Gillian Anderson in a truly amazing and charismatic performance. Otis’ best friend Eric is witty, gay and unpopular- and played by an impressive young actor with superb comic timing.
Eric is being bullied by Adam, who is in turn being tyrannised by his total bastard of a father, who happens to be the headmaster and should know better. He in turn is having trouble climaxing with his girlfriend Aimee, who is herself being more subtly bullied. Meanwhile we have outcast Maeve, ostracised as women and girls seen to enjoy sex do often are. All these characters are clearly established and interesting and it is plausible how, at the end, Otis sets up an unofficial sex therapy business with the rather interesting Maeve, who is clearly far more intelligent and interesting than her stereotype.
This is, indeed, a wonderful bit of telly. It’s gloriously quotable (“Marjorie, how are you getting on with your penis?”) and fun. It’s also refreshing to see a TV drama that treats sex as a real, nuanced part of our lives rather than just titillation- and it’s particularly refreshing to see women and girls who are shown as actively sexual in individual ways, as in real life, instead of all that whore/virgin dichotomy bollocks.
This is very promising indeed. Here goes the binge...
Mrs Llamastrangler and I have settled on this as our new Netflix series to binge after a glimpse of the promising trailer. We’re rather glad we did.
A good first episode is always an impressive thing, as it has to do double duty in being a good piece of telly AND introducing the premise, characters and tone. This episode does both very well indeed.
So we have Otis, a teenage boy who is having trouble masturbating- and his highly amusing and extremely cool sex therapist mother Jean, a superb and unrecognisable Gillian Anderson in a truly amazing and charismatic performance. Otis’ best friend Eric is witty, gay and unpopular- and played by an impressive young actor with superb comic timing.
Eric is being bullied by Adam, who is in turn being tyrannised by his total bastard of a father, who happens to be the headmaster and should know better. He in turn is having trouble climaxing with his girlfriend Aimee, who is herself being more subtly bullied. Meanwhile we have outcast Maeve, ostracised as women and girls seen to enjoy sex do often are. All these characters are clearly established and interesting and it is plausible how, at the end, Otis sets up an unofficial sex therapy business with the rather interesting Maeve, who is clearly far more intelligent and interesting than her stereotype.
This is, indeed, a wonderful bit of telly. It’s gloriously quotable (“Marjorie, how are you getting on with your penis?”) and fun. It’s also refreshing to see a TV drama that treats sex as a real, nuanced part of our lives rather than just titillation- and it’s particularly refreshing to see women and girls who are shown as actively sexual in individual ways, as in real life, instead of all that whore/virgin dichotomy bollocks.
This is very promising indeed. Here goes the binge...
Tuesday, 7 July 2020
Batman: The Ogg Couple
"But this isn't exactly woman's work."
This episode is a very odd beast here, at this point of the season. I suspect it was made at the same time as the earlier two parter; it’s certainly odd to see Egghead with Olga but, by this point, the two of them have outworn their welcome.
It doesn’t help that Egghead, the more established of the two and played by no less a figure than Vincent Price, is so emasculated. He’s reduced to riding a donkey as the Cossacks ride horses, always one step behind, and always playing second fiddle. Worse, it’s one thing playing the coward to ensnare Batgirl into a trap, but the episode ends with him showing real cowardice. And he does nothing cool, has no agency and is nothing but a sidekick for the whole episode. As for Olga, Anne Baxter plays her well, but the character is just a tiresome cipher. I’m glad she won’t be back. It’s just a shame the once cool character of Egghead has been utterly ruined. Such a sad exit.
As for the episode itself, it’s a fairly standard third season single episode. Attempts at high camp are perfunctory and the whole thing feels superfluous after the earlier two parter.
An eminently skippable episode. Was it originally supposed to be a three parter with the other two?
This episode is a very odd beast here, at this point of the season. I suspect it was made at the same time as the earlier two parter; it’s certainly odd to see Egghead with Olga but, by this point, the two of them have outworn their welcome.
It doesn’t help that Egghead, the more established of the two and played by no less a figure than Vincent Price, is so emasculated. He’s reduced to riding a donkey as the Cossacks ride horses, always one step behind, and always playing second fiddle. Worse, it’s one thing playing the coward to ensnare Batgirl into a trap, but the episode ends with him showing real cowardice. And he does nothing cool, has no agency and is nothing but a sidekick for the whole episode. As for Olga, Anne Baxter plays her well, but the character is just a tiresome cipher. I’m glad she won’t be back. It’s just a shame the once cool character of Egghead has been utterly ruined. Such a sad exit.
As for the episode itself, it’s a fairly standard third season single episode. Attempts at high camp are perfunctory and the whole thing feels superfluous after the earlier two parter.
An eminently skippable episode. Was it originally supposed to be a three parter with the other two?
Sunday, 5 July 2020
Batman: Catwoman’s Dressed to Kill
“You better leave the crime fighting to the men!”
There is, of course, no doubt that the much-missed Julie Newmar is the definitive Catwoman. Bt that isn't to say I can't admire other portrayals, and Eartha Kitt's more aggressive version of the character here is excellent. If we can't have Julie, it's good to have an actress who has put her own stamp on the role. Sadly, though, I suspect the dropping of the sexual tension between Catwoman and batman is due to the pthetic racial politics of the time. Black lives, in 1967, were seen to matter very little.
Once again, though, a Catwoman episode is written by a Stanley Ralph Ross, and this is a good 'un. The programme's splendid high camp flavour is much in evidence, with much gentle skewering of sexist attitudes both within the fashion industry and beyond- the above quote is joined by many other over-the-top lines, and we have a delightful scene in which the Dynamic Duo refuse to enter a ladies' dressing room after Catwoman and her henchmen flee inside, and when forced to enter because Batgirl is in peril they close their eyes- all played dead straight by West and Ward. This is delightful.
We even have the main threat of the episode being Catwoman's plot to steal the priceless relic of a tiny European kingdom which could lead to war, and America therefore having to support said microstate for years; I rather suspect our scribe has seen The Mouse That Roared.
All this, and we get hippie Alfred. One of the finer recent episodes.
There is, of course, no doubt that the much-missed Julie Newmar is the definitive Catwoman. Bt that isn't to say I can't admire other portrayals, and Eartha Kitt's more aggressive version of the character here is excellent. If we can't have Julie, it's good to have an actress who has put her own stamp on the role. Sadly, though, I suspect the dropping of the sexual tension between Catwoman and batman is due to the pthetic racial politics of the time. Black lives, in 1967, were seen to matter very little.
Once again, though, a Catwoman episode is written by a Stanley Ralph Ross, and this is a good 'un. The programme's splendid high camp flavour is much in evidence, with much gentle skewering of sexist attitudes both within the fashion industry and beyond- the above quote is joined by many other over-the-top lines, and we have a delightful scene in which the Dynamic Duo refuse to enter a ladies' dressing room after Catwoman and her henchmen flee inside, and when forced to enter because Batgirl is in peril they close their eyes- all played dead straight by West and Ward. This is delightful.
We even have the main threat of the episode being Catwoman's plot to steal the priceless relic of a tiny European kingdom which could lead to war, and America therefore having to support said microstate for years; I rather suspect our scribe has seen The Mouse That Roared.
All this, and we get hippie Alfred. One of the finer recent episodes.
Saturday, 4 July 2020
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
“What happened to them?"
"They became too civilised and destroyed each other."
I suppose I should start by noting the recycling of plot elements from previous Sinbad films produced by Charles H. Schneer and with effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen- the malevolent spell cast on a Caliph (let us not pry as the historical accuracy of the use of that title) whose kinswomen is a love interest for Sinbad; the two stop motion monsters at the end; pretty much the entire plot. But I don't care. This film is wonderful.
Nor do I insist on po-faced criticism of Muslims drinking wine (the history of that religion is not so uniformly Puritan as commonly supposed; I'm happy to raise a glass with any Muslim, as did the Ottomnn Sultans to Hajj pilgrims), or on the historical absurditu of Melanthius, a Greek pagan who was supposedly friendly with Archimedes interacting with Muslims from several centuries afterwards.
No; what matters is the sheer fun of the film. It may run to a time-honoured formula, but it works. One would have thought that, in that Star Wars watershed year of 1977, this kind of stop motion film would be thought old fashioned. Yet this is still the age of Doug McClure, and not yet the age of computer effects... much.
Most effusively, beyond the wonderful Harryhausen himself, the cast is superb.John Wayne's lad is perfectly fine but he is, I'm afraid, utterly blown away and usurped by the wily alchemist played by the great Patrick Troughton, patron saint of character actors. Troughton, in Doctor Who, is compelling whole being deliberately restrained, playing an intelligent but modest hero who allows others to shine. Here, Troughton utterly owns his every scene, showing that this was an acting choice.
This is, quite blatantly, the best of these three Sinbad films.
"They became too civilised and destroyed each other."
Nor do I insist on po-faced criticism of Muslims drinking wine (the history of that religion is not so uniformly Puritan as commonly supposed; I'm happy to raise a glass with any Muslim, as did the Ottomnn Sultans to Hajj pilgrims), or on the historical absurditu of Melanthius, a Greek pagan who was supposedly friendly with Archimedes interacting with Muslims from several centuries afterwards.
No; what matters is the sheer fun of the film. It may run to a time-honoured formula, but it works. One would have thought that, in that Star Wars watershed year of 1977, this kind of stop motion film would be thought old fashioned. Yet this is still the age of Doug McClure, and not yet the age of computer effects... much.
Most effusively, beyond the wonderful Harryhausen himself, the cast is superb.John Wayne's lad is perfectly fine but he is, I'm afraid, utterly blown away and usurped by the wily alchemist played by the great Patrick Troughton, patron saint of character actors. Troughton, in Doctor Who, is compelling whole being deliberately restrained, playing an intelligent but modest hero who allows others to shine. Here, Troughton utterly owns his every scene, showing that this was an acting choice.
This is, quite blatantly, the best of these three Sinbad films.
Thursday, 2 July 2020
Deadwood: Season 1, Episode 7- Bullock Returns to the Camp
"We understand each other..."
This episode introduces a teenage brother and sister arriving in camp (interesting that word is used instead of "town", given the settlement's ambiguous and provisional status), both forlornly looking for a missing father and, of course, for work. The girl, courtesy of Cy and under Joanie's tutelage, is starting out as a prostitute. And she's played by the actress who would later go on to voice Anna in Frozen, Little Miss Llamastrangler's favourite Disney film...
Anyway, more splendid character and world building is in evidence here. Bullock and Utter have bonded, and together they take a drunken Jack McCall- to face justice, interestingly, and not revenge. Deadwood may be lawless, but I think this is a harbinger of the inevitable; law and order is coming. Revenge must be tempered by justice, a viewpoint as old as Aeschylus.
There is much drama surrounding Alma's claim- E.B., brave enough to confront Al Swearengen here, is still working for him, and pressing Alma hard. But the honourable Bullock has her interests at heart, and clashes with Al- the struggle between these two will, I expect, form the spine of the series.
Just as interesting is Al's complex relationship with Trixie, veering between mistrust and a curious trust born of a long hstory. Alma suddenly offends Trixie enormously when she clumsily asserts her class background. And the Reverend's seizures continue.Could his religious visions have a medical cause? Jane, too, continues to be compelling.
All this is masterfully woven, with such subtlety of character, such clear themes and with a real historical sense. I can't believe the season is more than halfway through. This is top telly.
This episode introduces a teenage brother and sister arriving in camp (interesting that word is used instead of "town", given the settlement's ambiguous and provisional status), both forlornly looking for a missing father and, of course, for work. The girl, courtesy of Cy and under Joanie's tutelage, is starting out as a prostitute. And she's played by the actress who would later go on to voice Anna in Frozen, Little Miss Llamastrangler's favourite Disney film...
Anyway, more splendid character and world building is in evidence here. Bullock and Utter have bonded, and together they take a drunken Jack McCall- to face justice, interestingly, and not revenge. Deadwood may be lawless, but I think this is a harbinger of the inevitable; law and order is coming. Revenge must be tempered by justice, a viewpoint as old as Aeschylus.
There is much drama surrounding Alma's claim- E.B., brave enough to confront Al Swearengen here, is still working for him, and pressing Alma hard. But the honourable Bullock has her interests at heart, and clashes with Al- the struggle between these two will, I expect, form the spine of the series.
Just as interesting is Al's complex relationship with Trixie, veering between mistrust and a curious trust born of a long hstory. Alma suddenly offends Trixie enormously when she clumsily asserts her class background. And the Reverend's seizures continue.Could his religious visions have a medical cause? Jane, too, continues to be compelling.
All this is masterfully woven, with such subtlety of character, such clear themes and with a real historical sense. I can't believe the season is more than halfway through. This is top telly.