The Gathering Storm

 "He promised to cut down to three bottles of champagne in the evening."

It's good to see this again, twenty-three years after I saw it first being broadcast. This TV film is an exemplar of something that exists, yes, as a nice little historical drama, but primarily as the vehicle for an actor to show us a real, incredible tour de force in a truly seminal role. For here, Albert Finney simply is Winston Churchill, in all the nuances of that very complicated human being. We often speak, when actors play real historical figures of whom footage exists, of the distinction between acting and impression. But here... well, the distinction simply doesn't exist. It's a truly extraordinary performance from a first rate actor.

The script, of course, deserves credit too, for this is Churchill- blinkered, irascible, deeply emotional, loving, exasperating. His views are nicely shown- of course, history remembers him for being very, very right about the most important thing- the urgent necessity of utterly crushing Nazism without mercy. But the script doesn't shy away from other things, such as his strong support of British rule over India, often using problematic language. Nuance, again. Yet, despite his flaws... he can't help but inspire loyalty and affection, something shown very well here.

The narrative is nicely done, beginning with Winston's career in the doldrums and ending with him being First Lord again, although much of this is due to Ralph and his deep sacrifice. But there's more- how he was so problematic yet loving as a husband and father. As a salutary reminder that one can, and bloody well should, have absolutely no truck with any of this "fourteen units of alcohol a week" nonsense.

And with that... I'm posting this and uncorking the wine. Happy Friday.

Masters of the Universe: Revelations- Comes with Everything You See Here

 "We have the power!"

And so it ends, and brilliantly, the perfect deconstruction of Masters of the Universe yet with plenty of heart, plenty of nicely existentialist themes and plenty of character. Kevin Smith has done good.

We get Ram Man. We get Teela rejecting the need to stay tethered to the castle as Sorceress, preferring to share the power with all Eternia. And even He-Man, whose return is a massive and greatle earned event followed by much joyful kicking of arse, notes to Skeletor that "It's not about us" because too much hoarding of agency by "heroes" is not a good thing. It's a pity it doesn't extend to getting rid of Randor because kings are not a good thing either but, you know.

We get Orko back, for a little while, this time being awesome. We get Lyn being a well-rounded and empathetic baddie again, but best of all we get Teela basically saving the universe by putting the case for existentialism instead of nihilism. God is dead, perhaps, but one can see a universe without purpose as bleakness or as freedom. Let's choose freedom, and live the life we want.

And then we get the sequel-hunting end, with thre Motherboard taking Skeletor, and the symbol of Hordak. This is amazing. I hope we get more.

Master of the Universe: Revelations- Hope, for a Destination

 I witnessed the death of God at the beginning of time!"

This is basically, in its concluding episodes, a study in Evil Lyn as nihilist, seeing no purpose and thus no point in the existence of the universe, and so wanting to destroy it. Alas, Eternia has no Jean-Paul Sartre to put her right with existentialism. Yes, perhaps God is dead (as alluded to in Lyn's dream) and the universe has no plan for us, but does that not set us free to live for ourselves, decide our own purpose and meaning, and do good because it's the right thing and not from a selfish desire for heavenly reward? Perhaps Lyn did the right thing in destroying heaven, but the actual universe matters precisely because it has and needs no meaning.

And yet Lyn remains a sympathetic character. Her nuhilism comes, as is nailed home in her hard-hitting monologue to Skeletor, from a lifetime of psychological and physucal abuse, gaslighting, and coercive control. She speaks with the justified rage of an abused woman who has found freedom from her abusers control- including the parts of the control based inside her own mind. I suspect the conclusion will see some sort of healing catharsis for her. I hope so.

Meanwhile we also see Teela come to terms with her power, which she wields better than she thinks, and a conversation with her late mother about how being the Sorceress means abandoning all human attachments- including to one's child, which Teela's mum seems to get away with here a little too likely. I suspect Teela will make a better choice, in the end, than her mother.

But it's all looking very epic, excited as we are by the brief appearance of Blade from the movie and the Adam/Skeletor double act. This is truly excellent telly.

Masters of the Universe: Revelations- The Gutter Rat

 "Nobody around here fears you, Evil Lyn. We all pity you."

This series gets better and better, really making the most of the opportunity to use this setting without a reset button. So we have Adam's parents both overjoyed to see him alive- but they've grown apart in his absence, and Adam feels guit over that, as he does with how his secret hurt Teela. The other thread of the episode is, of course, the edgy subject of Skeletor's domestic abuse of Evil Lyn, and her depressingly typical downplaying of it, until the worm turns after some hard-hitting words from Duncan.

There's some joy in that Andra finds belonging in Eternos, yet we also hear of Lyn's tragic upbringing, and how appalled she is at the cold, impersonal emptiness of the universe and Skeletor's lack of ambition. In the end it's almost easy how she usurps the power of Skeletor, who has always been her inferior. And she does have ambitions... first with a very literal deconscruction of the concept of heaven. Wow.

Then, just when it looks as though there can be no suprrises left to spring, bloody Skeletor turns up wanting to help our friends...

Masters of the Universe: Revelations- Reason and Blood

 "Isn't this usually the bit where you start cackling?"

And so we have another fascinating episode which expands the mythos while also developing characters. Adam has called forth the power without the sword and, well, turned into the Hulk. But the original, pre-cartoon conception of He-Man was as a barbarian, appropriately with the exact same axe that barbarian Adam uses.

There's a poerfully emotive climax as the Hulk is turned back to Bruce Ban... er, Prince Adam by the loving words of a father who admits what a fool he's been to be so disappointed over all these years. And yet there's something else, too. It's impressed on us, again and again, that Adam used the power only to help others, and relinquised it when finished, while Skeletor hoards the power greedily. And both Skeletor and Evil Lyn are interested in the wheres and wherefores of relinquishing the power as we already see rifts growing between Skeletor and his new Sorceress.

Teela, too, has growing magical powers, inherited from her mother, while her father Duncan continues to be the gruff hero even in such adversity as this. For a twenty-odd minute episode there's a lot going on. I continue to be impressed.

Masters of the Universe: Revelations- Cleaved in Twain

 "I'd sure like to fist him!"

Yeah, there was only going to be one possibility for this episode's quote.

This is, of course, an outstanding episode, and not only because Kevin Smith totally leaned in to our childish jokes about Fisto there. It seemed almost impossible to top the cliffhanger at the end of last episode before this agonising break, but the episode pretty much managed it.

The extended scenes of the now-godlike Skeletor gloating over his enemies are eletrifying, and a triumph for Mark Hamill. The Sorceress- after a moving flashback showing her having to leave her baby daughter with Duncan- gets a heroic death. But all seems bleak as our heroes escape, with Skeletor now seeming both all-powerful and genuinely terrifying, proceeding to turn the entire population of King Randor's city into an Army of the Dead.

Cruelly, this includes (ahem) Fisto and Clamp-Champ, who get heroic deaths... only for their souls to be unjustly damned by Skeletor. Ouch. That's bleak.

And yet, after an episode of increasing bleakness, we end on a note of hope, and a brilliant conceptual leap- Adam calls upon the Power of Grayskull without the sword. And, er, seems to turn into some kind of Incredible Hulk. Which is sort of appropriate, because in 1982 or so, when I was five, the series of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ended on Children's ITV ad was replaced with the then-new cartoon of The Incredible Hulk.

I'm already addicted. This is awesome.

Masters of the Universe: Revelations- The Forge at the Forest of Forever

 "We saved the world... didn't we."

Oh my. It's weird that this is (for now) only five episodes long, but this is a proper season finale and no mistake.

So much happens. The quest narrative moves to Preternia, a kind of good place Eternians go when they die. But this is more of a Valhalla than a Heaven, full of hunts and machismo and old heroes like He-Ro and wise old King Grayskull. But Adam stands out- of all the legendary heroes, only he chooses his weaker form. 

There are good character scenes between Teela and Adam, but we have no clue until the end how dramatic things are going to be. Roboto's death is a very big, very emotional scene. Adam's decision to return to Earth to help his friend, knowing he will sacrifice all chance of returning to afterlife, is moving. 

But it seems as though all is well. Adam speaks the words we know so well, and magic returns to Eternia.. and then it happens: Skeletor, unsuspectedly hiding in Lyn's staff, returns, and fatally stabs Adam mid-transformation. All is lost, and it's a bloody good cliffhanger.

More please. How long do we have to wait?

Masters of the Universe: Revelations- Land of the Dead

 "Oh, bollocks..."

This episode is, perhaps, a little more formulaic than its predecessors in that it has our prtagonists on a quest in Hell- more of a Hades really. Here they are tested by Scare Glow, played by the great Tony Todd and, I've just discovered, one of the last classic toys released, at the same time as the movie characters. And it's all, really, about Teela facing her fear, namely that Adam never really trusted her.

There's some good stuff here, not least Orko's background and the revelation that his self-esteem issues stem from his upbringing. He has an increasingly nice bond with Evil Lyn, perhaps the wisest of all the characters. It's good to see Trollia. And the ending is, of course, splendidly shocking. But this felt more like a space-filling middle episode than most.

Still, that's only a relative criticism in an impressive series, and the characterisation continues to impress.

Masters of the Universe: Revelations- The Most Dangerous Man in Eternia

"I don't know why I thought the lady named Evil-Lyn would be nice..."

Another rushed evening, so blogging this.

I've never read any Joseph Campbell, and probably never will: I tend to take a dim view of overly reductive classification of mythical narratives into quests, hero's journey or any of that. Taken too far it shrinks the world of story to be smaller than it should be. This episode, however, is blatantly part of an overall quest narrative and also features a reconciliation, of sorts, between father and daughter.

Kevin Smith, of course, is far too clever not to be meta about this. Theres rather a lot going on, and not just the witty dialogue ("He-Man had the sense of humour of a teenager who didn't get out much"). There's Man-at-Arms being the typical old ex-hero who refuses to get back in the saddle, nicely subverted by Roboto. There's the splendid Evil-Lyn's gloriously cynical advice to Andra and Teela as she regrets wasting her life with Skeletor and, more broadly, a realigning of allegiances across the board. The conveniently easy definitions of good and evil are gone.

This is good stuff- well-written and acted. I'm enjoying the He-Man vs Skeletor flashbacks at the start of each episode, too.

Masters of the Universe: Revelations- The Poisoned Chalice

 "Cry havoc and let slip these cogs of war!"

I was going to blog The Boys tonight, as I like to alternate. Alas, I'm pushed for time, so the shorter alternative it is.

This is another brilliant episode, shattering the staus quo of an old early '80s filmastion cartoon by removing the reset button and introducing an arc, an ever-changing status quo and a milieu in which any character can die- as Tri-Klops (Henry Rollins!) says, we are no longer in an era of Skeletor's repeated absurd and moribund plans. We're all fortysomethings now, after all.

At firt, it seems as though we have a story of the week to introduce a new staus quo as Teela and her new friend, some time having passed, work as mercenaries. We get a whiff of Stinkor, played by Jay of "and Silent Bob" fame.

We also get a fascinating elaboration of the backstory. Magic is dying, as in Visionaries. Tri-Klops is leading a cult of cyborg technology, complete with body horror transformations. Eternia was the first planet, and both it will rot without magic. A newly cynical Teela, and Andra, must quest for the two halves of the sword of power, in Heaven and Hell. With Evil Lyn. 

The plot thickens, deepens and becomes more interesting. This is such a fresh take. I love it.

Masters of the Universe: Revelations- The Power of Grayskull

 "You can't tend a garden without pulling a few weeds..."

Obviously I was never going to blog the original '80s cartoon. Xennial that I am, and as important Masters of the Universe was to my primary school days as well as those of ever other little boy born in 1977 or thereabouts, I prefer to leave such never-ending cartoons with their big red reset buttons out of the blog. There wouldn't be anything of substance to write about, and I'm no druggie.

This, however, is quite another prospect. For some reason, after blogging more that 750 films, I've never got round to  doing any by Kevin Smith, but in my twenties I was a massive fan of Jay and Silent Bob. His involvement makes this a must-blog.

And it doesn't disappoint. We begin by leaning into the nostalgia, with the introductory art even deliberately homaging the art style of those little comic books  you used to get with the toys. It shows us all our favourite characters being themselves, wallowing in nostalgia, although having a bit of metatextual fun with the catchphrases.

And then, magnificently, it punctures everything as surely as Adam punctures Orko's semi-metaphorical bubble.We learn the secrets of Castle Grayskull- and the whole edifice is a massive exercise in misdirection, to distract Skeletor from what lies beneath- the lair of the Elders, and the Orb that is the source of Eternia's magic and, apprarently, creation itself. At last, as reflected in the dialogue, Skeletor's endless failures are over. At last, as Skeletor sardonically remarks, He-Man finally uses his famous sword to seemingly kill his nemesis. The narrative rules are ended, and that big red reset button is destroyed, never to be pressed again.

The first to die is obscure (and smelly!) goodie Moss Man, but He-Man and Skeletor soon die and, in a dramatic- and perhaps too sudden- final scene, it all collapses as the King and Queen learn simulaneusly that their son was He-Man and that he is dead. Randor's, er, rancour, his banishing of Duncan and Teela's own outburst are perhaps a little too much to accept, even with this stellar cast, bt it all feels so fresh, and Masters of the Universe is at last unpredictable. Hooray.

If one must wallow in nistalgia, one must at least do something new and interesting with it, and upset all the right people. So far Kevn smith certainly seems to be doing that.

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 2 ("The Kingsroad")

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone."

I blogged the first episode of Game of Thrones on 18th September 2015 so... yeah. There won't be quite as long before episode three. Promise.

I'm still getting a handle on the setting; this is a fantasy world with only light fantasy elements- so far we've seen dragon eggs but dragons appear to be semi-mythical, and dire wolves seem not to be overtly supernatural. It's a gritty, realistic mediaeval world which is obviously going to focus on the power games surrounding the eponymous throne, and I've heard that this is based on both the Wars of the Roses and the Anarchy of the twelfth century. But Robert Baratheon is certainly no Henry VI; I'm not sure how strong a king he is but he appears laddish yet weighed down by kingship. I suspect he's not all that long for this world, given the apparent premise of the series.

Daenerys is interesting in the sense that she's getting a lot of screen time and her situation- marital rape in the context of semi-forced marriage- is horrific and surely would not be depicted so prominently if she were not eventually to end up powerful and fortunate in spite of it. Her brother claims Robert's throne. Hmm.

Meanwhile, Robert's only son Joffrey is a right little sod, as his behaviour towards Arya and her poor friend illustrates. Sansa is happy enough to marry him, but then she'll be queen. She's so motivated towards this that she's ready to lie under oath about her sister. But I suppose that being queen- a glorified womb- is the best a woman can hope for in this society. Certainly Arya's tomboyish ways are a fascinating way to explore the theme of what we can't really call feminism.

And then there's Tyrion. He's still a sot and a shagger, but there's a more intellectual side, too; he may be a semi-outcast just because he's a dwarf but, crude and direct though he is, he isn't shallow. And his relationship with the literal bastard Jon Snow (not yet a Channel 4 newsreader) is interesting. Jon, a very naive bastard, is off to devote his entire life to guarding the northern walls from whatever lies beyond, which none of his legitimately born relatives would presumably stoop to. Ned is proud but, when he says That "When we next meet, I'll tell you about your mother" I'm left suspecting that, one way or another, they won't ever meet again. Let's see if I'm right.

Meanwhile Catelyn Stark is keeping watch over the thankfully not-dead Bran but, after being attacked, she's off to tell her husband about her suspicions regarding the Lannisters. And, while she's away, Bran wakes- and he knows too much. Why do I get the feeling that the immediate future of the Stark family is not set to be a happy one?

Absolutely superb telly, this.

Dredd (2012)

"Life without parole? That's a deal you're offering?"

This film, unfortunately, exists in the shadow of a much bigger and distinctly awful film made in 1995 and starring Sylvester Stallone who (shock horror) removes his helmet. This film, on the other hand, tells a tale on a much smaller scale and, in Karl Urban, has an actor good enough to entirely subsume his ego beneath the helmet. He's sublime.

There's a monologue at the start establishing judges, Mega City One and the Cursed Earth, but this is essentially set entirely in one tower block controlled by one criminal gang. Dredd is the Dredd we know, hardly a character with depth or development potential, so he's paired with rookie Judge Anderson, a pysychic who is put through a baptism of fire before finally (and understatedly; no sentiment here!) passing her assessment. Olivia Thirley is essential in a much-needed past to add character and drama, not to mention oestrogen. Lena Headey is similarly excellent as Ma-ma, the big bad.

The world of the comics has been thoughtfully recreated for cinema. Given the grotesques and slightly cartoonish artistic style of the comics, a slavish recreation would not have worked, but its spirit remains even though there has been a necessary injection of realism. The grotesquerie and dark satire is all present and correct, and Dredd even gets a kick-ass speech. The effect of the slo-mo drug is achieved with particular creative brilliance in what is an extremely well-directed film. Dredd is nothing less than a triumph, with the decision to go small-scale completely vindicated.