Torture Garden (1967)

 "Did you know that there are ways to raise the dead...?"

This is, I believe, the only one of the Amicus horror anthologies that I still had to blog until now- do let me know if I'm wrong. The format is much as we'd come to expect, though- four lurid tales of grand guignol with an overarching narrative.

What separates this film from the norm is its more than usually transatlantic cast, with Burgess Meredith chewing the scenery in the best possible way as the delightfully devilish(!) Dr Diabolo. Even the opening titles, with the background of a creepy old amusement park at night, set the scenes superbly, and the framing device does its job to perfection.

Not all the tales are equally good, but all are entertaining. The third, in which a lady's pursuit of a desirable man leads to her death at the, er, hands(?) of a jealous piano, is hilarious. The first two, concerning a black cat and the secret reason why Hollywood stars never seem to age, are nicely and evilly gothic and lurid.

Yet it's the final story, with the unusual pairing of Jack Palance and Peter Cushing, that lingers in the mind, as two men bond over a shared enthusiasm for Edgar Allan Poe. This is a delightfully effective warning of the dangers of the more toxic sides of fandom,with deliciously absurd revelations leading to a perfectly melodramatic ending.

This is grand guignol at its best.

The Sweeney: Golden Boy

 "You're nicked, and I'm not authorised or insured to drive this car!"

I know: all this current telly, especially, means The Sweeney has taken a bit of a back seat lately. But fear not: I'll carry on until the end of the first series,and return after a break to blog the rest.

Anyway, this is another damn good episode, about a heist to nick some gold bullion and haul it to Beirut, and involving some particularly clever jiggery pokery with security cameras. Yet it's also about the personalities involved, the complezities of keeping such a blag secret, and how Regan and George manage to nab them in the end. As ever, it's not a whodunit- we're privy to everything that happens- but it's fun following how the Flying Squad get their men, sometimes by detective work but often by other means.

Plus, of course, there's the usual fun of seeing the UK of fifty years ago. Playing Pong in a pub. Time and motion studies. Everybody always smoking. Half pennies.But it's becoming particularly noticeable how good and how natural John Thaw is as a gruff, laddish, vaguely cynical yet nevertheless likeable Regan.

Squid Game: Friend or Foe

 "We surrender...!"

Well, we weren'rt exactly expecting a happy ending, were we...?

I'm in two minds about this finale. 

One problem is that, while I've no issues with a finale leaving plot threads to be resolved in the following season or even ending on a cliffhanger, we get no sense of closure at all here. The boat captain is a traitor! Young-Il is a traitor! All those who joined in the rebellion against the guards and came close to destroying the whole operatioin are shot... except Ji-hun, who is taunted by Front Man. And then it ends with the promise of Season Three. This feels more like a mid-season "finale" before a short break than a proper finale. As a finale, it fails.

Then there's the fact that so much of the running time is just people shooting each other. a LOT. And it gets very repetitive and dull.

And yet... there's lots of good stuff. The earlier scenes, as the players work out how to survive a night of blatantly licenced free for all killing, are gripping. The announcement of those players who died in the gents' toilet, and the extra money added to the prize total, is a clever psychological moment. But I'm not sure I find it realistic that so many would have agreed to Gi-hun's plan to attack the guards, take their guns and storm the control room because, well, it's completely insane, isn't it...?

And yet... it certainly works very well thematically. The "games" are a blatant metaphor for red-in-tooth-and-claw, unrestrained, free market capitalism with its winners, its losers, its brutality, and its harsh unfairness in such an unequal world. So it feels grimly fitting that there should be the illusion of hope, but only an illusion. And that the enemy should be masked, faceless and limitless.

One thing is truly brilliant, though: the shot from above of the gunfight in that M. C. Escher set...

Batman: The Animated Series- Heart of Ice

 "Think of it, Batman. To never again walk on a summer's day with the hot wind in your face and a warm hand to hold."

Mr Freeze has always, it seemed to me, been a little of an oddity within Batman's usual rogues' galleryt. He first appeared in 1959, as a one off, in the guise of Mr Zero, during a period whan Batman (and Robin) would typically be involved in such science fiction shenanigans. He next appeared, with the name of Mr Freeze, in the 1960s camp TV series, forcing his return to the comics, where the character had always been an awkward fit with the tone of the comics after Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams began a more serious and grimmer tone in 1970 that has more or less remained ever since.

And yet... this episode is an extraordinary, tragic triumph, reinventing the character as a man whose only wish is to avenge his wife. He's a paradox: cold, emotionless, uncaring of his underlings and collateral damage, yet ultimately driven by love. He can never again, in any sense, know warmth. He is, in a sense, dead. Flawed though he is- Ferris Boyle is correct that he's used millions of company equipment illicitly- he is nonetheless genuinely sinned against: it would have cost nothing for Boyle to wait for Fries to hopefully cure his wife before putting a stopo to everything. Batman is right to expose him.

Every beat of this heartrending tragedy is perfect. And yet again I'm enjoying the sardonic dynamic betwen Alfred and Batman and the deliberate ambiguity between whether this is the 1940s or the present day. Yet the tale of this "villain" remains with me in a way few previous episodes have done.

Carry On Doctor (1967)

 "Matron doesn't approve of banging in the ward..."

Agh. I hadn't seen this film for decades, but then last night I watched it... and suddenly it felt very familiar indeed. I suspect I've seen this Carry On more times than any other, albeit early in my life. And that probably shouldn't be surprising- it's one of the most highly regarded. But I probably enjoyed the film less than I should have done because of the memories flooding back as I watched it.

It's strange seeing this while watching all the films in order. After several films set in historical times and other places, here we are again in a contemporary British hospital, in a 1967 of the middle aged, rather different to the Summer of Love that was happening for a few rich young people. This is a time of strict matrons, the trope of the nagging wife, innuendo, "sex maniacs" and cold baths.

Indeed, this feels much like the earlier films in the series, including the style of the opening titles, which allude to Carry On Nurse. Yet we're much firmly into the more innuendo-based humour, with Barbara Windsor's, er, assets playing a large role.

The farcical, very silly plot, as well as some nicely witty lines, make this one of the better Carry Ons. I loved the Invisible Man gag. Frankie Howerd, in his Carry On debut, is excellent in a very prominent role, although the fact that the usual cast is very much present and correct means that some of the regulars are stretched quite thin. Charles Hawtrey, yet again, has a surprisingly small role- off-screen problems?

Excellent film. Although it has me wondering- at what point did we stop referring to "the National Health" and start calling it the NHS, colloquially?

Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

 "Ghost in the machine..."

Let's admit it: this isn't exactly the greatest film ever made. But it's a fascinating one. 

This is the most cyberpunk film I've ever seen, from a time when cyberpunk was, at a stretch, still pretty much a thing in its original form, and it's helmed by a director best known for making the music videos for R.E.M, which in itself is pleasingly '90s. Even better, it's an adaptation of a William Gibson short story (I've read it, but we're talking thirty odd years...) with a screenplay by Gibson himself.

It's not exactly great, despite all that- it lacks a certain sparkle in dialogue, direction and performance (although Henry Rollins is great) and, given the cast, I suspect that last flaw is down to the director. Yet this isn't by any means a bad film either, simply promising but flawed. And it shows, perhaps, that the script is by a novelist who isn't used to writing for the screen.

Yet it's fascinating to see this imagined cyberpunk future of 2021 (there's a pandemic!), with corporate rule enforced by Yakuza, intelligent savant dolphins (shades of Halo Jones there), and, er, VCRs! The internet is shown with trippy visuals and imagined in such a quaint, 90s, virtual reality way. It's all so... cyberpunk.

Yet the ideas are often great. Uploading extra memory capacity to one's brain. An electronic virus. A cyborg preacher. This is a flawed film, but I'm glad it exists: a film that is the cinematic epitome of cyberpunk itself.

Squid Game: O X

 "Your money, your girl, your life, they're all mine..."

And with this, the most brutal episode yet, the stakes are even higher.

Next episode is the finale, so naturally Jun-ho and his undeerlings, with the help of a drone, seem to find the island, albeit explosively. But, among the players, there's so much drama and so much anguish.The game of Mingle, which lasts for several rounds, is the most evil yet and, for the first time, we see the death of a non-redshirt. We also see, with this being a game that rewards such things, unexpected moments of weakness and... yes, ruthlessness. We won't see In-ho in the same way again, likeable as he claims to be.

This game evokes cliques and tribes, as in school, and the dynamic is very much that- popularity, ruthlessness and, in the horrifying final round where there's intense competition for a limited number of rooms, ruthlessness. But perhaps the intended metaphor, as ever, is the free market.

Things are no less intense during the vote on whether to continue. After much drama and tension, it's revealed that there will be another vote in the morning... and, as soon as Ji-hun sees they've all been provided with metal forks, he sees the horrifying implication: they need to survive the night. And so arguments turn to violence, leading to atruly shocking final shot...

Inspector Morse: Driven to Distraction

 "I think our friend Chief Inspector Morse could prove to be something of a major pain in the rectum area."

This one is.. well, different. it's the first episode that doesn't feel as though it fits the format. Morse essentially bodges the whole thing, single-mindedly pursuing a suspect on a hunch. There were moments here when I genuinely wondered whether I was watching a Columbo-style "howdunit" where the killer is known but our protagonist just has to prove it... but mostly it was clear that Jeremy Boynton was just the very obvious red herring.

And yes, the reveal of the actual murderer ewas well done, but as a whodunit this episode is much less well- constructed than we'd usually expect from Inspector Morse. And yet... this is still a good piece of television precisely because Morse gets it so wrong, leading to real clashes with both Lewis and Superintendent Strange. At last his unorthodox methods lead him to come a cropper.

Yet he bonds with the rather clever Sergeant Maitland, a true kindred spirit played superbly by Mary Jo Randle- I suspect, sadly, we won't be seeing her again. Indeed, this episode breaks the usual format in nodding towards actual police procedure. Morse doesn't just have Lewis here, but others. There's even an incident room.

So the format has been broken, and it's worked. Could it happern again...?

Squid Game: One More Game

"Only 110 people died? Is that all?"

We begin with the tense resolution of the second game, in which the characters we're following get toshow their character, and loads of redshirts get gunned down, all with so much tension. And we end with the beginning of the third game. But so much happens in=-between in what is yet another extraordinary episode of Squid Game.

Plot threads advance- the search for the island continues, while No-eul is assaulted and threatened by other guards. We get to know some of the characters better- Young-mi, the desperate pregnant girl, and Hyun-ju, the poor trans woman whose life has been destroyed by scum and their vile bigotry. Everyone playing the game has a backstory, a reason to be desperate, and a reason to keep playing. Some have only themselves to blame, but others have been through real tragedy.

Which is what makes the central scene of the episode sopowerful as the players vote again, and more decisevely, to continue, with much tension and must impassionned debate. One more game. For many, the prize money accumulated this far is simply not enough to save them from destruction. And so the brutal, deathly competition needs to continue, despite the horrible risks.

The subtext is powerful: the games stand, I suppose, for the free market. And yes, people vote, so they have a choice, on the surface. But is a choice made from desperation truly a free choice...?

Inspector Morse: The Sins of the Fathers

 "He didn't think Mr Trevor could organise a proverbial. Even in his own brewery."

Last episode was, especially on reflection, utterly superb. And so is this one, full of cleverly interwoven plot threads and nuanced characters played by first rate guest stars... until it isn't. The ending, with its sudden reveal of events back in history which motivated the murderer, doesn't feel earned and, although it doesn't exactly breal Father Knox's traditional rules of detective fiction, it isn't really in the spirit. None of this historical Knox stuff was forewarned to the viewer.

And yet the drama is excellent. Betty Marsden's racist mother, and Lionel Jeffries and Isabel Dean as the horribly snobbish family of the victim, all particularly excel, although we do find ourselves with that age old problem of detective telly, that the most famous guest actors are likely to be the ones whodunit.

The young Alex Jennings, though... wow. I realise he's been ubiquitous on television these last few years, but as a young actor he could exude such nuance and, yes, menace.

A flawed but impressive instalment, though. And, yet again, a remindwr that the world of my early youth is long gone. No more posh old people of that generation, and no more typewriters. But we have real ale still, and long may it persist.

Batman: The Animated Series- I've Got Batman in My Basement

 "Befouled by a couple of fledglings!"

Well, they can't all be good, can they? 

Positives first, though: I like what they've done with the Penguin. The character was, perhaps, looking uncomfortably old fashioned and silly by the early '90s, particularly after Batman Returns where the character was radically re-evaluated. The comics would soon subtly revamp the character as a mob boss, de-emphasising tbe unbrellas and so forth. The Penguin we have here is a fascinating snapshot along that period of transition. Visually, he looks traditional, with only a slight visual nod to Danny Devito's look in trhe darker colours. The unbrellas and the Burgess Meredith mannerisms are subtly different but more or less there. And yet... this is a cultured, snobbish, patronising Penguin, whiuch is interesting. I look forwardto seeing the character in a better episode.

But... well, Batman can encompass all sorts of story styles and there's nothing wrong with telling a story from the point of view of a kid. But an unconscious Batman, a vulture, the kids trying to solve the crime and a Home Alone situation in Sherman's massive basement? Oh dear. The tone here is all wrong.

And... the Batcave is apparently common knowledge. Oh dear. Hopefully this will be a one off dud.

Squid Game: Six Legs

 "I pressed the O button because of you..."

It's a fascinating dynamc as we await the second game, and the paradoxical implications are discussed. Everyone wants Ji-hun to help them through the games and he wants to do so... but if he does, no one is eliminated, and so things just continue. No wonder they end up changing the second game to one where this can't happen. But I get ahead of myself.

There are other sub-plots, of course. In shooting wounded players dead, Noi-eul is deliberately sabotaging the trade in body parts as happened last season. Jun-ho is still wanting to fing the island and the clock is ticking now the games have begun, but he still has his team. And we begin to know more and more about the various plsyers, from the rather nice trans character to several more crypto victims and, indeed, marines. There's a pregnant woman. And... there are a lot of redshirts.

The second game is complex, brutal and unforgiving, as indeed is the process of choosing the teams of five, a nice little character scene. But we see the first two teams panic, fail and get gunned down before the episode ends with it being the turn of some characters we actually care about...

Once again, though, this is a story of inequality, greed, prejudice and morality with a lot going on. Jun-ho has his ethics, but his ethics are meaningfully questioned throughout, not least by himself. Superb telly, as ever.

Mind you, this is episode four of seven, with Jun-ho and his team waiting in the wings, and we're only at the start of the second games. I suspect things will go rather differently this season...

Inspector Morse: The Infernal Serpent

 "It's too warm for lentil soup.

SPOILERS. Be warned....

It's the '90ds now, or it has been for a few days, although, of course, this would have been filmed in 1989, and decades are an artificial thing, amnyway. Not much instantly changes when the year suddenly ends with a zero instead of a nine. This still feels very much the late '80s- a time of payphones, typewriters, nobody under 40 in a t-shirt, and environmentalist only having truly broken through a few years earlier.

And it feels a subtly different time. The open accent snobbery. The fact that environmentalism is not yet particularly about the climate emergency. And yet... the ending packs an enormous punch. Becauseyes, there's a bit of an environmental scandal. And a cover-up, all of which suddenly feels much modern. But throughout, amongst the Copley-Barnes family, there's the constant sense of some hidden secret, something very, very wrong.

The big reveal, at the end, is both effective and devastating. The attitudes to historic child sexual abuse are surprisingly modern, the message right. The Master is able to get away with his crimes because of his social status and Phil, a mere gardener, would never have been believed about his daughter.

Because of snobbery, of class prejudice. I suppose class snobbery always, in its power structures, colludes with paedophilia, which is certainly something to think on.

A superb, well-written bit of telly, this, with a brilliant pay-off. John Thaw, again, is superb in showing both Morse's moral indignation and how bloody difficult he can be. One of the finest episodes yet.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

 I know: it's been a while since I blogged my last novel. And there's a reason for that, albeit slightly embarrassing... I neft the part finished novel in a guest house two hundred miles away, but the landlady kept it for me and even saved my page. Phew.

Anyway, I love a good novel of ideas, and this one throews ideas at you like few other novels. It's my first experience of Neil Stephenson, who I found to be devilishly clever in how he constructs his mindblowing conceits which include, among your usual post-William Gibson riffing on a Cyberpunk future, the concept of language itsewlf as a vrus, the same thing as both biological and computer viruses, with ideas themselves working as a kind of computer program.

You have to pay attention: the concepts are deliciously complex and ingenious, and we aren't spoon fed. The narrative is economical to the point that the novel seems to end rather abruptly, with part of me wishing for an epilogue but the greater of me appreciating the curt narrative structure.

While there's a certain line of absurdity that isn't crossed, the novel is dryly humorous and has a delightfully heretical view of religion as existing in relatiion to its viruses. It's a novel of ideas, not characters, but the book is chock full of entertaining grotesques and our heroes, YT and Hiro Protagonist(!) are nicely drawn.

It's worth awarning: there one icky scene where YT, aged fifteen, has sex with an older man. But, this aside, I enjoyed this very weird and very clever novel very much.

Zodiac (2007)

 "I think he's watching us."

"Well, we're very good looking."

This is an interesting film, to say the least. I suppose I was expecting something more sensational, more focused on the gory details, but instead far more of the run time is dedicated to the puzzle of who the Zodiac was, with all the many little clues, details and complicating factors, not least of which is which crimes, other than the main ones, were genuinely committed by the Zodiac himself.

The whole thing looks beautiful and the directorial style from David Fincher is exquisite. The California of the late '60s up to the early '80s is recreated in convincing and fascinating detail. Indeed, the actual social mores of this time- in which hippes and the like did not loom anything like as large as popular culture may make us imagine- are as fascinating as anything else, not least the detail that Arthur Leigh Allen seems to be let off appallingly lightly for his disgusting child molestation. And the cast is pretty much perfect, although Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo stand out in particular.

I'm not convinced that Allen was the Zodiac- indeed, I'm not sure any of the usually touted suspects were. But I don't think we can say, despite appearances, that the film does either. It leans into the ambiguity at times, especially with the extraordinary tense scenes where Robert begins to suspect that Bob Vaughn may be the Zodiac, and the two of them are alone in Vaughn's basement.

But the film, I think, is not about solving the mystery: it's about the dangers of obsession with endless if fascinatingrabbit holes such as this, which ruins Robert Graysmith's marriage, Paul Avery's health and career and David Toschi's reputation. Mysteries are fascinating, but they are not more important than our relationships, our children, our lives. And that's a very compelling point from a seriously impressive film.

Follow That Camel (1967)

 "The pill? What do you think they used that for?"

"I can't conceive."

Another Carry On film today, albeit the second of two instalments without the title... and, well, we're in the middle of the peak period here, and this one may possibly be the best yet. 

We have to wince a little at the portrayal of the Algerian characters and the use of brownface in particular, good though Bernard Bresslaw is as antagonist Abdul Abulbul, and all the dodgy Arab stereotypes are out in force. One of the funniest jokes is about suicide. As for the jokes about what happens to Jane when alone with various men, well...

It was 1967, a very different time. But crikey.

Yet this Carry On treatment of Beau Geste and the French Foreign Legion works well. Sid James is absent, but the one-off appearance of the very American and very funny Phil Silvers in this very British comedy franchise works triumphantly. Silvers is magnificent here, as are Jim Dale and especially Angela Douglas. Kenneth Williams is also worthy of particular praise; he's very good and very funny without necessarily being camp here. He has far more range as a comic actor than even his admirers tend to acknowledge.

Yet what elevates this film to top tier status is the script. Yes, Talbot Rothwell gives us a very Carry On text, as he should, but this one is unusually witty as well as being ribald.

Here's hoping for a couple more of this quality before things apparently start to go downhill...

American Greed: James McGill

 "Right from the start he was the kind of lawyer guilty people hire."

Tonight, something a little unusual. I've been assured that, from my perspective, there are no spoilers.

This is, I understand, an episode of a documentary series that usually deals with real life criminals and fraudsters- I had a look and recognised a few names from other episodes, Allen Stanford for one. But this episode deals with our very own Jimmy McGill aka Saul Goodman. And it's a rather good laugh.

The style of the visuals and narration is somewhat overblown, reminding me of The Day Today. But, as one watches this, it becomes clear just how clever it is. Actors from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul appear, most hilariously the Kettlemans, deluded and annoying as ever. It's all played so very straight, which is exactly why it's such fun.

See for yourself... https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DC4yenXwx7ao&ved=2ahUKEwjU_t28r_2KAxUAQ0EAHRlJGh8QtwJ6BAgPEAI&usg=AOvVaw01PuO0QN1Lqhn1UxyeKHWl

What If... What If?

 "But... what is the point of just watching?"

This is, in terms of how it's constructed, a masterfjul finale. I'm just not sure it's about anything other than itself, philosophical though it may seem on the surface.

It's vert good though. Lots of pleasing moments. We begin with a flashback to Uatu's accession as a Watcher by the Eminence, but the master ultimately becomes the pupil. Peggy gets a meaningful death, very characteristic of her. Ultron's sacrifice, of course, had to happen. The powers of the Watchers are shown to be truly incredible, able even to erase a given person from ever having existed... in all realities.

And the end being a slightly altered version of the opening monologue, this time by Uatu again, is a particularly nice touch.

Yet the core of it all is the ongoing debate between Uatu and the Eminence... to watch, or also to intervene? To remain neutral, or to nurture the garden that is reality? To watch, or to see? And yes, it's all very philosophical on the surface... but is it really meaningful? This is a purely abstract debate with doubtful relevance to the real world. I suppose one could take it asa plea not to try to be "apolitical", as this just means a passive kind of conservatism. But even that's a stretch.

That said, though, this is very good.

Squid Game: 001

 "Can I just have what you're wearing instead? I like pink."

Wow. And with this the season lights on fire. This is devilishly clever telly in a number of ways.

To begin with, we have twoi narratives- Gi-hun adjust to the fact that he's on the islans again, while in the B plot Jun-ho and the others follow the tracker in his teeth in order to find him. But, in a smart bit of misdirection, it's suddenly revealred that the two sets of scenes don't take place at the same time... and that Gi-hun removed the tracker, that he'd gone to such lengths to get, in advance of the first game. Why?! I'm sure this will be revisited.

We see all the sights and dynamics once again. The Escher staircase; the striking costumes of the guards; another set of interesting characters. We have a mother and son both playing to clear the son's debts- I strongly suspect they'll ultimately be pitted against each other. Then we have a trans character, an old friens of Gi-hun's, an unscrupulous rapper called Thanos(!), and a crypto scammer (all crypto is a scam, people; don't do it) whose justifications for his behaviour suspiciously echo those of Front Man. People have a "choice"...

But the truly delicious bit is the effect of Gi-hun, with his experience, as a catalyst. He wants to help people, but people will be people. He and another lady risk their lives to save number 444... but No-eul shoots him nonetheless. And his warning people, duiring this year'sgame of Red Light, Green Light, that those whio do not remain still will be shot, is met only with mockery. And afterwards he is met with suspicion by many. We liuve in a greedy and conspiracy-addled world today, alas.

It's by one vote, of course: this is television drama. But, although the players will always be free to vote after every game whether to keepplaying or not, the result of the vote is inevitable.

Again, wow.

What If... the Watcher Disappeared?

 "It's definitely a risk."

"But it's to save a friend, and that's worth taking."

So it's nearly all over.

I know I'm always saying this for the episode of any serial (for this season is just that, albeit loosely for most of its run) that comes before the finale, but this episode functions as baasically set-up. What impresses here is how entertainingly the episode does its job of basically exposition and setting up of a cast of heroes to take us through the finale.

The Watcher has been arrrsted and tried by his own people for the crime of, you know, getting of his arse and doing something on occasion. And so, in a brilliant touch, the usual opening monologue is from not the Watcher but his erstwhile boss... and not just the delivery but the wording is more suercilious than we're used to.From the off, we don't like this bloke.

And then we're introduced to our team of desperate heroes who will hopefully save the day... and they all happen to be female, which will annoy all the far right culture warriors. We have the continuing story across realities of Captain Carter; the returning Kahhori; the now grown-up daughter of Darcy and Howard the Duck; and Storm, brilliantly shown as goddess of thunder (isn't this homaging an old limited series from the late '80s with the X-Men visiting Asgard?), yet again gradually pushing the mutants into the MCU.

There characters are introduced with skill, getting us to know and like them. And then there's the concept of Ultron, centuries after destroying all life in his universe, realidsing the enormity of what he did... and there can be "no redemption" for him. Wow.

Sometimes a set-up episode, which has to do so much, can be even more impressive than the actual finale. We'll soon see thether or not that's the case here.

Better Call Saul: Carrot and Stick

 "Lalo Salamanca lives!"

We don't see Lalo in this episode at all. But his influence is seen everywhere. 

We begin with... domino rally! Mike, again, has his moral code, and is trying to protect Nacho's dependents. But for Nacho things look much bleaker. His hiding place is discovered and, in sloooow scenes, we feel the tension deeply on his behalf as he realises his likely fate. In the end, he only just survives in an incredibly tense and dramatic sequence as the Salamancas (including those terrifying twins) arrive looking for him.

It's all devilishly complex: Gus talks to Don Hector who, of course, knows that Lalo is alive... and Gus sees, from Hector's expression, that this is the case. Giancarlo Esposito is exquisite here: he communicates this through facial expression alone.

And sothe way lies open for Mike to point out, according to his principles but also correctly, to Gus that he must lookafter Nacho. Because if thre Salamancas get to him, and get him to talk as they undoubtedly would... Gus is surely finished. Mike is bravely defiant on this: if Nacho hadn't rung, and asked to speak to Gus, I'm not sure what would have happened... but I suspect, in the longer term, Mike is earning even more of Gus' respect.

The other thread of the episode, with Jimmy and Kim putting their plot against Howard into operation, is similarly complex. It not clear what's going on yet, or meant to be, but it's fun to see this unfold, much as it was with the scams of old... much as it's also fun to see the entitled and arrogant Kettlemans get their comeuppance.

But this seems to be a turning point: Kim is turning very dark here, thoroughly corrupted by Jimmy. It's subtly and brilliantly done, and very much feels earned.

Better Call Saul was already exquisite. But we seem, crazy though it sounds, to be moving to another level altogether.

The Delta Force (1986)

 "You don't need beds. You're gonna die tomorrow..."

I seem to be very much in the mood for cheesy '80s action films and this very much seemed to fit the fill- by Cannon, themasters of the genre, and starring Chuck Norris yet featuring a rather impressive-looking cast.

And it is, indeed, a fun watch, slowly going through the events of a hijack based loosely on one from real life the previous year. While there's plenty of action towards the end, there's plenty of tension throughout and the decision to take us through the mechanics of the hijack is in itself highly engrossing.

It helps, too, that we spend time getting to know and like the passengers and crew, many of whom are played by rather high profile character actors. It's very odd indeed to see a young Robert Forster, who I know from Jackie Brown and Mulholland Drive, as the chief hijacker... but he's very good indeed.

The film is, however, of its time. Very gung-ho, and the main flashpoint of the world is of course Beirut. The presentation of Arab characters- not just the hijackers but air traffic control and so forth- is, let us not mince words, quite shockingly racist. And there's a very prominent pro-Israeli subtext throughout the film. It's not crudely overdone, but it's ever-present.

However, there's no denying that, if you're in the mood to switch your brain off and enjoy a proper '80s action film, this very much does the trick.

Trancers (1984)

 "Hey Mom, they shot Santa Claus!"

This is now my favourite Christmas film, and I will die on this hill. Eat your heart out, Die Hard.

This is one of the finest of that splendid genre that is cheekily obvious rip-offs of much bigger action flicks that were so prevalent back in the '80s. In this case we're ripping off... er, homaging Terminator. Oh, the Trancers are sort of zombies, not robots, and the time travel is via a "time drug" that implants your consciousness into the body of an ancestor... but it's very, very blatant. And I for one have zero problem with it, because this film is quite simply awesome.

The ideas are silly but great- the "long second", "Lost Angeles". Jack Deth (I love how every character points out what a ridiculous name this is) is the perfect protagonist played to Adam West-like perfection by Tim Thomerson. Gruff, cynical, but heroic and with a heart of gold- with every line delivered absolutely straight, as camp humour requires.

This film knows damn well how silly it is and there are nice clever touches- Deth may be middle aged, but he's from the far future, so he dances happily to a punk band which, to him, would sound quite old fashioned.

It would be churlish to point out the plot holes- if Jack stays in 1985, what happens to Phil? Why can't the Council just send him another syringe?- because the film is just so damn enjoyable. I may even watch the sequels. Here's hoping they're the right kind of bad.

What If... 1872?

 "In this universe, Ultron was actually programmed for show tunes..." 

Here we reach the wilder shores of What If?, where we move veyond a simple point of divergence from an event we know to the truly wild and wonderful... which, rather nicely, includes a nice little cameo from Frog Thor from the Walt Simonson days. So we go back in time to the OldWest, to the 1872 of the Marvel Universe. I'm not really au fait with much that happened in the comics after about 1993, but perhaps I was expecting at least some reference to the Two Gun Kid or Rawhide Kid or, indeed, the original Ghost Rider.

Instead we get a decent little tale of Shang-Chi and Kate Bishop looking int the mass kidnapping of Chinese immigrant rail workers by the mysterious "Hood". I appreciate the political subtext here, especially as we await the swearing in of Trump, that doddering old fool, and his many moronic policies including mass deportations.

But... well, the climax with the twist and emotional twists and turns with Xialing doesn't quite do it for me, although once again it's fascinating to see such a Shang-Chi heavy episode. But I was entertained, there were some nice ideas, Easter eggs despite a relatively small cast, some fun with Western tropes, and a nice little cameo from John Walker.

It's all about the ending though, as the Watcher is finally in trouble for interfering. About bloody time...

Squid Game: Halloween Party

 "Put me back in the game..."

After an exciting first episiode, this one is quite blatantly about putting the pieces into place and getting Gi-hun back in the game as we knew would happen. It does the job, and is still good television, but it's somewhat functional and hardly up there with the last episode. And the way Choi and Jun-ho are recruitred, alongside a massive paramilitary force, feels a bit too awkwardly easy.

Still, there's good stuff here. It's heartbreaking how Jun-ho's mum feels her other son has deliberately cut her out, but Jun-ho can't tell her the truth. There's a little girl with cancer and a reminder, as per last season, and indeed Breaking Bad, that for a country not to have a public healthcare system is as evil as anything Front Man does, if not more so.

Intriguinly, too, we have another North Korean defector, No-eul, homeless and desperate, who is looking for her daughter and agrees to accept the usual card and meet in the usualplace... but the twist is that she's a guard, not a contestant. Nice twist. I assume we'll be following her throughout the season. The guards are as manipulated as the players.

But the heart of the episode, as Gi-hun (and I don't care about the phone call; he's still a terrible father) and Front Man verbally spar, Gi-hun calling out Front Man's right-wing crap about how the players have a free choice. Of course they don't; inequality exists, and people don't beome desperate and out of options because they enjoy it. And that's Squid Game to a tee: at its root, it's deeply political.

Still, I'm hoping for a return to the usual form next time.

What If... the Emergence Destroyed the Earth?

 "He has broken his oath. Again..."

Interesting episode, this. For a start, the baddie (derspite the lack of Jake Gyllenhaal) is Mysterio, our first Spider-Man villain to appear in any non-Sony related MCU thing. Also interesting is that, although the main character is Riri "Ironheart" Williams, a character from well after my time in the comics whom I don't know well, we're leaning heavily into concepts from Shang-Chi and The Eternals. This season does that a lot, which is interesting.It woukd be rather nice if those films woukld turn out to actually lead to something.

The main conceit is that the Dreaming Celestial has destroyed the Earth early, it's split into little inhanbited fragments that somehow survive, and Mysterio has taken over the Earth using illusions, his control of Stark Industries, and the while version of the Vision. Much as I love Valkyrie, Wong and Ying Nan (yes, that obscure)... yeah, the villains here are B listers. The plot is ok, based around Riri's stubborn determination, but despite a sound if bonkers central premise this is pretty average.

That predictable ending, though... yes, I know it's a cliche from the comics that the Watcher does nothing but interfere. But they're really leaning into it here.The final season, then, surely?

Squid Game: Bread and Lottery

 "Let's play a game..."

At last Squid Game is back... and wow. That was quite the first episode, brilliantly shot and fullof perffectly paced tdension and intrigue. This time both Gi-hun and Jun-ho are searching for the island, the game and the invitation, at first fruitlessly and then with deep drama.

Jun-ho, now being a humble trafficcop and not particularly rich, struggles stoically in his quest to painstakingly locate the island. Gi-hun... well, let us pause firstly to observe what a rubbish dad he is: let ius not forget that. Yet, while his search for the mysterious man at the subway stations seems similarly fruitless, Gi-hun now has resources. And blimey, he's changed: determined, basass and, as we later see, with nerves of steel.

The episode is devilishly clever as it intertwines the two linked quests, although admittedly it's an awfully convenient coincidence that the speeding Ji-hun should be stopped by Jun-ho's colleauge.

When we find the man wigth the suit, though.... wow. First, we see his little trick, offering the desperate a choine of bread (sensible: a certain hope of food) and lottery scratchcard, mocking the irrational yet perhaps inspiring hope of the desperate. But when he catches Gi-hun's two underlings, later Ji-hun himself, and plays those riveting games of Russian roulette... this is gripping television, although of the two musical accompaniments I rather preferred Puccini.

The end confrontation is utterly perfect, with the man losing, yes, but in playing by the rules of the game regardless of the consequences he wins a victory of sorts.

The perfect start. More please.

Better Call Saul: Wine and Roses

"Sounds like the day from Hell."

"It was one of the best days of my life."

And so begins the final season. It seems, at the start of episode one of thirteen, that we're a long way from the events of Breaking Bad. But there can't be far to go. And the pre-toitles is a slow, lingering scene with Saul Goodman's opulent and disgustingly tateless office being examined by the Feds. In the present day, with Saul in Nebraska, the net is closing in. And the episode really lingers on that fact.

And we move directly to the contrast with Nacho, also hunted, desperate, and possibly doomed, with a price from Don Eladio on his head. All the scenes with him are impossibly tense, with us feeling fear on his behalf. Yet he's a pawn. Lalo, wanting everyone to think him dead (although Gus suspects) is out to get him, and plotting with Hector. Mike tries to speak up to Gus about him, but Gus is playing his own inscrutable game. And Lalo has seldom been scarier.

Meanwhile, Kim and Jimmy are the usual contrast- Kim doing good work for the vulnerable and loving it while Jimmy remains a "friend of the cartel". Yet they're both tainted, and Kim is the driving force in their fascinating plot to do over Howard. We're not privy to the details, so it's fun to see the early stages of the scheme play out, reminding us of the scams from earlier seasons... but the stakes are higher. The golf club scene is fascinatingly layered. The golf club stands for the snobbery againstwhich Jimmy has alwayds genuinely struggled... yet Kevin is right to blackball him for being the bounder and the cad that he is. And to play the antisemitism card ("only following orders", ouch!) when he's about as Jewish as my cat... wow.

And plot threads abound. Is Jimmy going to get rumbled in court for the stints he played to get Lalo bail? Is Mike suddenly now not the person on the phone to Nacho? What is Lalo planning? What are Jimmy and Kim planning? And what of that sphinx, Gus? This is a superb start.

Death on the Nile (1978)

 "Mon dieu, how she makes enemies of them all!"

I've read the novel, but it would have been around 1990-ish, so I wasn't expecting to remember much of the plot, and surely enough I didn't. So I was genuinely unspoiled for the big reveal. Nevertheless, I'll try and review this as a film rather than as Agatha Christie's original plot.

It's a very cinematic adaptation, shot on location at all the sights in Egypt as well as in rural England. The whole thing is exquisitely shot- particularly impressive is the first tracking shot of the dramatis personae all at dinner for the first time.

This isn't quite an all-star cast, but the star wattage is nevertheless relatively high, with no less a personage as Bette Davis in a middling sized role. David Niven is solid as the Watson figure, with Colonel Race giving some hilariously off colour views on those characters who deign to speak in a language other than English. Maggie Smith excels as a bitter woman in reduced circumstances, while Angela Lansbury is every bit as good as an amusingly sozzled romance novelist.

However... I'm not sure about Peter Ustinov as Poirot. It's not that there's anything wrong with his performance, he just feels miscast. He doesn't visually convince as Poirot, however well he may play the part. However, the overall performances are strong, and the film works superbly, helped by its awesome locations, in letting events play out dramatically, even if we do spend far too long on Poirot's explanation of how pretty much every character could have seen Jacqui shoot Simon through the window.

There are some fascinating moments here- a brief mention is made to a previous case involving a "decapitated clergyman". There's an unfortunate Indian stereotype. But overall this is a fine adaptation which plays the source material with a straight bat.

What If... Howard the Duck Got Hitched?

 "Captain Mohawk stole our baby!"

Just to be clear, I quite like a lot of KISS. But "I Was Made for Loving You" is a disco-tinged abomination. Just to be clear.

That said... otherwise, I like this episode. Yes, it's very silly having the concept. of Howard the Duck and Dacy (Mr and Mrs "the Duck"...) have a hybrid kid together, absolutely leaning into the interspecies sexz fun of 1986's Howard The Duck (nice touch, the reference to "Mrs Switzler"). And naturally this egg is the most important child ever, whose coming has been foretold and who is therefore fougfht over by allthe cosmic entities of the MCU, from Zeus to the Grandmaster to Dormannu to Thanos to SHIELD.

Only for it to turn out that it's the parents who should raise the child after all, as that's how childrearing works. This child is special... but aren't they all? This episode, broadcast on a day which commemorates the birth of a child, is a rather nice and fun metaphor for all the things we parents go through, and it's lovely.

But also fun. And with a surprisingly high amount of star wattage.

I'm left wondering, though... yes, this works as just a meaphor. We don't need to take the meaphor literally and see what this little girl becomes... but will we?

What If... the Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier?

 "Horseradish! I am no fool!"

This week the blog will be a little different as Little Miss Llamastrangler is with me. I don't usually blog the same show night after night, but I'll be blogging What If? between now and Friday as the episodes are short and it works logistically. 

After that I'll try and get back to some sort of "normal" schedule. And somehow fit in Squid Game Season Two...

Anywayy, this is a nice, light-hearted little romp, and a real joy. Yes, the "What If" is straightforward... but the episode is really about showcasing the Red Guardian as the truly fun character than he is- a bit of a blowhard, yes, but straightforward and honest. And while he's a communist, at least he has a genuine ethical system, although surely he's the only true, non-cynical Soviet communist left by 1991.

Of course, it helps that he's played by David Harbour, a rather prominent actor these days, hence the prominence for the character. But this episode, by giving him a real bond with the brainwashed Bucky, really humanises him. And it's great that the other main hero here is Bill Foster, or Goliath, another obscure hero even if Laurence Fishburne is hardly an obscure actotr.

This kind of thing, exploring small scale eventualities with underused characters, is exactly what this series ought to be doing more of.

An Ideal Husband (1947)

 "I don't know that women are always rewarded for being charming. I think they are usually punished for it."

I thought I knew An Ideal Husband, having read the play several times when I was younger. Let us say that it feels very different, and much less of a straightforward comedy, in my middle age. But perhaps that's also a result of seeing the film rather than reading it.

There are, of course, many witty lines, several of which I remembered. But this is, at its heart, a serious tale of blackmail and integrity. Indeed, we are reminded that, despite the milieu of balls, "society", the "season" and the London of the upper classes centred on Grosvenor Square that are the focus of this and other plays, Oscar Wilde was himself, despite his aestheticism, rather left wing in his views.

The focus of the film is Sir Robert's dark secret, an act of financial impropriety done in his youth. Yet, as he tells Lord Goring, who has never wanted for anything, poverty- even the genteel type- is crushing, overwhelming. Without wealth, there can be no freedom. The script notably takes a forgiving view of Sir Robert, who ultimately goes unpunished. Mrs Cheveley, whose sins do not have the excuse of poverty, does not get such understanding, although it is notable that the film ends with her free to prey on others.

The film is mostly a straightforward and well-acted version of the play, allowing the performances and Wilde's words to carry the film. Michael Wilding is particularly good. A very young Glynis Johns also impresses. Yet I was intrigued to see the opening narration, introducing the world of 1895 and "society", only fifty years before the film was made- as the 1970s are to us- but a world away from an existence of rationing, Indian independence and the setting up of the Welfare State.

This may be a straightforward telling of the play, for the most part. But, with Wilde, that's no bad thing.

The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

 "Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years."

Oscar Wilde is awesome. I've read everything he ever published at one time or another. And, of all his plays, The Importance of Being Earnest is the most fun, just edging out An Ideal Husband. So I should enjoy this film, right?

Well... obviously the script is faultless, as it's Wilde with only minor, functional changes. And the cast is broadly excellent- especially Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett. There are some creative visual touches behind the basic dialogue and scenes- Cecily's fantasies, the revelation that Aunt Augusta was a chorus girl before meeting Lord Bracknell, and that Jack, at the end, is telling a bit ofa porky about being called Ernest. I can see why these were done.

But... well, there's a rather brilliant 1952 film of this play, one that looms over this version like an intimidating mountain. It's quite plausible that I'd have enjoyed this version more if I hadn't seen and enjoyed its magnificent predecessor. We'll never know. But... it just isn't as good, and isn't really different enough or quirky enough to make upfor that.

Plus, although I can understand the desire to expand the settings and locations and to try and make this film not look like a static,filmed stage play... that's what the play is. It's people standing in rooms talking. Pretending otherwise doesn't work.

And finally... a production of The Importance of Being Earnest always stands or falls on its Lady Bracknell. And Edith Evan's languidly witty version of the character is quite definitive. Judi Dench is very good here, but her inevitably sterner interpretation simply cannot compare with her truly great predecessor.

Still, taking this film on its own terms, there are things to like here. it's good to see a more modern cast speaking these lines. But, if it's not too late, I'd recommend watching this first and the 1952 version second.

Woman of Stone

 "They come to punish..."

Mark Gatiss' annual Ghost Stories for Christmas are, it seems, quite firmly an annual fixture now, something which pleases me very much. This year we have an adaptation of E. Nesbit's Man-Size in Marble; it seems that, aside from her more well-known children's stories such as The Railway Children and Five Children and It, she was also wont to write the odd ghost story for her fellow adults.

Delightfully, the episode is book-ended by two rather witty little metatextual sequences with Celia Imrie as E. Nisbit herself, on her deathbed, telling the story to her doctor ad cheerfully chain-smoking as the lung cancer goes through the final stages of killing her- in themselves these scenres are at once a grim memento mori and a cheerful reminder that the only response to mortality is to live life to the full.

And yet this tale isdark. A newleywed couple, newly married, and all sorts of subtle indications of domestic abuse- the physical kind, yes, but also the cotrolling behaviour that lies behind it. And, with this being the 1880s, poor Laura has no recourse to justice, hope, or even dvorce. Awfil though it is, perhaps her end is a mercy of sorts.

And, of course, the ghostly (if very, very solid) force from the deep dark past echoes all this, the violent jealousy of me who, of course, apply that tired old double standard as they unthinkingly abuse their wives.

I saw the twist coming, yes, but it worked nevertheless. Capital punishment may be barbarous, Jack may be innocent of the specific crime for which he hangs... but I have no sympathy for him.

There is not, it has to be said, much to find scary in this episode. But it was excellent nonetheless.

Doctor Who: Joy to the World

 "I don't usually live like this- one day, after another, in the right order..."

I love blogging Doctor Who.As far as this blog is concerned... well, that's how it all started with this blog. I was doing a Doctor Who marathon with a group of people on Outpost Gallifrey between 2008 and 2010, from An Unearthly Child to The Pandorica Opens, uploaded all my entries to this blog, and then... kept on going with new Doctor Who, along with soooo much other stuff. This blog has now been going for so long that Doctor Who comprises only a small part of it, but it will always be the beating heart of this blog.

This time I'm doing something different, though. Because yes, I watched this yesterday; yesI paid attention; but... I didn't take notes, as I almost always do, because I was with my family for Christmas. Also, while by no means further in that a couple of glasses of wine, I'd started on the booze. So this blog post is more of a memory test than usual, especially as I'm deliberately basing it on the one viewing and haven't read or seen any other reviews.

So... with one reservation, which I'll come too... i liked this a lot. It has all the wit we might by now expect from Steven Moffat, but also the brilliant concepts (the Time Hotel; using time and a suitcase to birth a star) and the very clever way it all fits together. It's standalone, funny, and the complexity is well explained and accessible for a slightly sozzled Christmas Day audience.There's Villengard, and a character who just simply happens to be a Silurian, but continuity does not loom large.

There's a heart tothis, though. Joy may seem in the surface to be nice and unthreatening, but her story is truly heartbreaking, and I loved Moffat's anger at the "one rule for me and one for thee" aspect of the lockdown parties. No doubt culture warring lockdown sceptics will decry this as "woke", whatever that is, but no one cares hat they think.

Nicola Coughlan is excellent.Yet, as ever, Ncuti Gatwa is simply superb. This is a very lonely Doctor who has just said goodbye to his companion and could do with a reminder that he needs a friend to travel with. Yes, I know; we've seen this before. But it's well handled here, with the Doctor taking the "slow path", as Reinette would have said, spending a year working in a hotel and making a good friend. and more than that... he learns again what friendship truly means. And the importance of chairs. That especially.

All this and a Mr Benn reference.

That said... the big reveal at the end that Joy and the others had become the Star of Bethlehem wasa bit much, one step too far. But it's Christmas, dammit. And this sort of episode is exactly what we need in this increasingly worrying world.

What If... Agatha Went to Hollywood?

 "Wow! That chemistry was hotter than the Hindenburg!"

I love the style of this, all late '30s Hollywood with opening titles to match, a massive contemporary musical number, pop culture references like the above and the Hollywoodland sign (not Hoyywood, yet) as a nice touch. And it's interesting to mix up Agatha Harkness with the world of Eternals and Celestials and the rapport between Howard Stark and Jarvis that we know so well from Agent Carter.

I'll be honest, though: I've only seen The Eternals once and there hasn't since been much follow-up. I just about remembered the Dreaming Celestial and Arishem's secret agenda to treat Earth as expendable. And if I'm a little vague on this stuff, surely many others, even those who try to keep up with the MCU, like myself, willbe in a similar situation?

Still, this works. I wouldn't say it's an absolute triumph, but it works. Kathryn Hahn can elevate anything just by being herself, and the script has lots of fun and clever touches- I love the bit where Howard casually and cheerfully reveals that he's well aware that Agatha is using real magic and Kingo is a powerful alien robot thingy, but it fine with it as it saves him money on special effects.

Overall, then, a nice little curiosity. And heavy hints that other Celestials will be back for a sequel. I wonder... is this a hint that the Eternals and Celestials will be used again in the MCU at some point?

The Ice House

 "But there is only ice in the ice house..."

This is the last of the BBC's original run of A Ghost Story for Christmas, screened just before Christmas, 1978. Like the previous year's instalment, this is an original story, set in the present day, which may well be counted against it. Worse, this instalment departs even further from its predecessors in not being directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. And there isn't even any suggestion of a ghost.  I understand it was rather panned at the time.

Personally, though, I rather like it.

Our protagonist is Paul, played by John Bowen who looks significently older than my forty-seven year old self does today, despite being five years younger- which is rather appropriate. Paul has separated from his wife (join the club...!), yet seems to have no spark for life, with no appetite for competition in playing croquet and seeing life as somnething to be "got through". He seems to have very little zest for ligfe to begin with.

And so he visits a very peculiar health farm, whose peculiarity is so very gradually revealed. The farm is run by a sinister, pansexual and incestuous brother and sister who seem to be symbolically (or literally) echoed by the flowers of a mysterious and sinister vine that covers a creeply ice house within the grounds... and holes appear in the windows of Paul's room which are the shape of the flowers of the vine... and rather phallic.

Paul's path to his inevitable doom, echoing those of the other zombified guests, is very well done. Yes, the performances are very mannered, but this works well in showing us a world where stultified middle class convention is a substitute for a life truly lived.

Definitely worth seeing.

What If... the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?

 "Of course, issues left unresolved rarely stay buried for long."

One episode a day over the Christmas period, is it? With Mark Gatiss dropping a new Ghost Story for Christmas tomorrow and Doctor Who the day after? I'm so going to fall behind with this...

It's a fun way to start, though. Mechs and "Gamma Beasts" that owe a lot to Japanese tropes that I suspect I'd understand more if I was more deeply into Manga and the like as opposed to just the retro Godzilla films and of course Transformers with its Japanese roots. But we all know what mechs are and this is a fun take on the tropes from the MCU, exactly the sort of thing that What If? should be doing. I rather enjoyed this.

And yes, there's a very obvious subtext- the whole thing is a giant metaphor, a macrocosm, for what's going on inside Bruce Banner's head.

But there's something else going on too, I think. I've long seen the constant talk of the MCU's decline as overblown, but that's not to say there's nothing to the criticisms. Individual films and series have usually been good, but there's no denying that there's less of a feelof a cohesive gang of heroes as used to be the case, with the MCU spread much more thinly.

So is this episode trying to push a viable team of new "main" protagonists, including Sam Wilson's Cap, Monica Rambeau, Shang-Chi, Bucky and Moon Knight? If so, this could be interesting...

Better Call Saul: Something Unforgivable

 "Am I bad for you...?"

For tne record, Kim, the answer is YES. Sigh....

This is, of course, a superb finale. Script and acting top notch as we've come to expect, as well as some very nice directorial touches.

But I must confess: it got me. I was convinced, perhaps through deliberate misdirection, that Kim was going to die this episode. So many of what seemed to he hints. She's "in the game" as of last episode. She and Jimmy are on the run in a hotel, looking over their shoulders. She's making plans for a pro bono future. She breezily ignores a dire warning from Howard about what Jimmy is like. She and Jimmy spend what seemed like possibly a last night together.

But no. And nor does Lalo die. There's lots of tension for him, of course... and for Nacho, who gets out alive, as arranged, before the hit. But the hit going south leaves Nacho in a dangerous position. But then, something had to give.We spend time here with Don Eladio- menacing as ever- by THAT swimming pool. All this tension as Eladio sizes him up, but the life of a double agent is always an impossible one, expendable to both sides.

But the events with Kim and Jimmy are just as dramatic in their eway.Jimmy opens up about the events in the desert and his PTSD, although not about the context. And their bond, if anything, only deepens. Yes, even when Jimmy confesses that the bowling ball and prostitute incidents actually happens. And, even more scary, she's the driving force- the Jimmy- in a plot to get rich by screwing over Howard, a decent man, in a deeply ethical way. Indeed, even Jimmy is shocked. She may not die this episode but, well, is this where she finally turns to the dark side...?

One season to go. Damn.

Don't Lose Your Head (1967)

 "That's all very well, but that would never have happened under a Royalist government."

We're entering a stretch that represents the absolute pinnacle of Carry On. This, and the next couple of films or so, are the peak. It is, or so we're led to believe, all downhill, starting very soon. I'll keep an open mind, naturally, but let''s enjoy this purple patch while it lasts. And let's appreciate the irony that two of the films in this period, starting with this one, strictly speaking didn't have the "Carry On" prefix.

This film is bloody good, though. I've seenit many times over the years, but not for a while. And it didn't disappoint either this time or before. It's a simple premise: just riff off The Scarlet Pimpernel and pit Sid James' Sir Rodney Ffing ("Effing, with two f's") against Kenneth Williams as the inevitably named citizen camembert. Add in Charles Hawtrey as the Dic de Pomme Frities, and you have a filmthat cannot fail.

Add in a couple of contemporary references "It's the one thing the English are good at, striking", but otherwise just let the cast be themselves as we know the formula right now... and we end up with a film that never gets stale.

The deliberately, cheerfully crap jokes are a joy too. The Duc and Duchesse de la Plume de ma Tante. "I'm Camembert. I'm the big cheese". "But then, you've always had magnificent balls, and I wouldn't miss one of them". In fact, these gloriously awful puns are indubitably the best bit.

This is easily the best instalment up to this point. Can they top this one?

Futureworld (1976)

 "Nothing can go wrong..."

Sequels are rarely better than the original, right? I mean, I tend to think this statement olds even with The Godfather. But this... well, it may be an exception.

Yes, the plot is simple- the same corporarion from Westworld have regrouped and now seem to be set on world conquest via duplicating world leaders, the implication being that robot duplicates have already taken over the company. It a solid premise, if not exactly original... although the point that humans will despoil the planet if left unchecked is certainly well made.

But it's not the premise but the execution that makes this sequel not only an underappreciated gem but a much better film than its predecessor. The direction is a triumph,with lots of arty touches but not too many for this type of film. Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner (especially) are absolutely superb as Chuck and Tracy. Not only do the characters come across as both likeable and very real, their romantic chemistry is perfect.

And the whole thing sizzles with wit and character, which add an extra dimension of both depth and fun to every scene, from Harry playing poker with "Clark" to the many amused jokes at how many of the park's guests just basically want to have sex with robots, which we all know is what would actually happen. But the film doesn't shine away from the philosophical implications of its premise either.

It is, perhaps, a little cheeky to make such a big deal of Yul Brynner for what is essentially just a cameo, but that is literally the only criticism I can make. And the entire dream sequence is superb. As is the film.

Stigma

 "It's the old religion. I read about it in a book."

Hmm. It has its moments but... I'm not sure about this one.

It's 1977. The year I was born. Up to now the BBC's Ghost Stories for Christmas strand had focused on adaptations of old ghost stories, chiefly those of M.R. James. This time, we get a contemporary take.

It's eerie that the first contemporary ghost story should showcase the year of my birth so powerfully.The cars, the fashions, the sound of an old rotary phone ringing, news of the Voyager missions on the radio... and, of course, contemporary 1970s horror tropes- folk horror, complete with stone circle, and the poltergeist trope, complete with creepy teenage girl.

It'a very simple, straighforward half hour, with few twists and turns until the very end, and even that could be predicted. Yes, the atmosphere is there- it's Lawrence Gordon Clark, after all- and the relatively unknown case is very good, Kate Binchy in particular. But it's all a bit... by the numbers, if well made.

Oh, and if you're scared of blood... give this one a miss. You couldn't make this today.

Wolf Hall- The Mirror and the Light: Light

 "The King of France gave me gloves. He didn't want to marry me..."

Wow. And with that... I'm broken.

The genius of this real piece of televisual splendour is that... well, wew know what happens. This is documented histoiry. We know how and when Thomas Cromwell dies. There's no suspense here, but suspense is not the point. There is only character, and emotion.

There is Cromnwell's true stoicism, as he runs rings round his interlocutors while knowing he is nevertheless doomed. Oh, he's accused of arrogance, getting above himself, wanting to marry Mary, othersuch absurdities... and heresy, of which he is guilty by the standards of the age, rejecting the Pope only for a very Enflish Catholicism. Yet above all, I think, it's his impatience for the grinding of due process, his manipulation of events, that he is damned. And so, as he says, he will be followed by slower men, and England will suffer.]

He is clear-minded, cautioning his friends to stay apart and not seem to be plotting. He insists that Gregory denounce him for his own safety, as would any father in his position. Yet his calm does not mean absence of feeling, as Mark Rylance shows us with sublime subtlety. Some peoople are vlatile, but those of us whonare calm and composed have feelings too, and Cromwell has his demons... and yet one, at least, is healed. He feels himself reconciled with Wolsey's ghost, and his final plrea for forgiveness before his beheading, are clearly aimed at his former master, a lovely touch. And, as a parallel, his own protege Rafe has the most love for his own master.

And so it ends, and so does he. The ending is devatating. Liuke Anne Boleyn, he finds dignity before the blade takes his life, all as the king prepares to wed yet again...

Sublime television.

The Signalman

 "You! Down below!"

By 1976, it seems, the BBC had decided to move the focus of their Ghost Stories for Christmas annual tradition away from the tales of M.R. James, this time adapting a short story from the later career of Charles Dickens. The visual style and atmosphere, nevertheless, are just as eerie and just as full of foreboding. The change of authorial style is, oddly enough, not strongly felt as the visual tropes of Lawrence Gordon Clark's direction encompass us... eerie silences, creepy yet subtle use of sound, light, voice and facial expressions to evoke unease within these liminal spaces.

I won't repeat the plot, but the whole things is a subtle yet very rreal building up of tension as we are ledft in no doubt, albeit quietly, that dread approaches and that this world, in the depths of the night, is no place for reason. The twist at the end, and the horrifying supernatural sight, are well and truly earned. And the unease has an interestingly philosophical timbre to it- this Victorian signalman is thoughtful and nuanced.

Denholm Elliott, as though it needs saying, is superb. This is as good as any of its immediate predecessors and, indeed, one of the best such stories made by the BBC. M.R. James does not have a monopoly...

Better Call Saul: Bad Choice Road

 "How about a day without drama?"

Oh boy. What an episode.

Kim is, of course, the focus of our sense of mounting dread and, naturally, the episode itself. But let's do a tour of the other plates that are spinning during this penultimate episode of the season...

Jimmy and Mike finally get out of the desert and can begin to recover... but Jimmy is not so battle hardened as Mike, who can afford to be philosophical, true stoic that he literally is. Jimmy is physically worse for wear (although he has Kim, ooooh he has Kim...) but more; he hobviously has PTSD following his experiences.

Gus, chilling as ever, is debriefed by Mike, works out exactly what's going on, and gets back to his usual chillingly amoral ten-dimensional chess, played with typical cold intensity by the sublime Giancarlo Esposito. Mike may sympathise with Nacho's wish to get out of this cartel life, but to Gus, Nacho is just another pawn. Once you become a "friend of the cartel", you don't get out... are you listening, Kim?

But Kim... oh, so many bad decisions. Shockingly, she gives up her job so she can focus on her pro bono workm much less well paid. This is... unwise, and ties her even more to Jimmy's criminally adjacent, "friend of the cartel" life. The final scene, with Lalo demanding andswers from Jimmy, is a masterpiece of tension, with Kim very much present, involved... and showing real guts in resolving the situation.

But she's in, now, irrevocably. Her decision to quit her main job wasd, ironically, so she could focus on work with which she feels much more ethically comfortable rsather than driving old men off their land... but she's driven into the hands of Jimmy, who may not like getting his hands dirty but has zero morals as long as he isn't personally close to the bloodshed.

Oh Kim. I'm now certain. Her downfall will not just be the ruin of a genuinely good person. The moment has come: I'm certain that we're going to see her die. Itr's her only possible trajectory.

Better Call Saul is not Jimmy's tragedy. It's Kim's.

Erik the Viking (1989)

 "Stay calm. This is not happening."

Oh dear. What went wrong here? We begin with a moderately well-scripted Pythonesque little scene about, er, rape (yes, quite), and then we seem to descend into quite the mess.

And yet... it's written and directed by Terry Jones, he of Monty Python fame, certainly someone with comic talent, many glimpses of which are seen here- it's a bad film, yes, and don't get me started on the dragon, but there are funny concepts and funny lines. Jones, of course, knows his mediaeval history, and there are references and in-jokes aplenty, many of which go over my head. There's a theme of belief that runs throughout- Harald the Missionary refuses to believe in the aspects of Norse myth that surround him, and cannot see them. The King of High Brazil and his subjects refuse to believe that their land is sinking beneath the waves. And Erik falsely believed that he is wearing an invisible cloak.

There are other little bits of cleverness. The Norse gods are played by children. And yet... overall, it falls flat. There's a clear plot, pretty much, but it all falls flat. This tries to be a Monty Python and the Holy Grail or a Time Bandits but... it isn't.

Then there's the performances. Jones himself is excellent, as is John Cleese as the delightfully evil Halfdan the Black. But so many of the cast fail to shine. And I suspect this offers us a clue: Terry Jones is a damn good writer and performer, and I don't think the script is at all the problem here... but he's just not a good enough director to helm a big blockbuster, at least on his own.

An interesting failure, then, and with nuggets to be found. But a failure nonetheless.

The Pink Panther (1963)

 "You do the walking and I'll do the drinking."

Yes, I know, forty-seven and have only just seen this... 

Anyway, it's fascinating to see the actual film behind the Pink Panther cartoon and that seminal Henry Mancini tune that we all know so well; these things in themselves are a seminal achievement, as is the opening titles. It's all very well shot. But... well, asa comedy, it's a curate's egg.

Of course, as with the original curate's egg, parts of it are excellent. This isn't a comedy of verbal jokes, exactly, but the script is particularly witty in its sexually charged conversations between David Niven's Sir Charles (and his nephew George to some extent) and both Simone Clouseau and the Princess. This is top quality flirting and there's a lot of it.

Plus the setting- the Swiss Alps and Rome- is visually arresting, and the plot is enormous fun. But, well... we need to talk about Inspector Clouseau. I mean, Peter Sellers plays the part very well, and it's not that I don't enjoy slapstick comedy or farce. But the character isn't that funny. Oh, I do enjoy the extended sequence in the hotel room with Simon where both Sir Charles and George hide from him. But all the falling over and bumping into things just gets tired very quickly.

Still, a film doesn't have to be the greatest ever example of its genre to be good. This is no Life of Brian, but it is, at least, quite funny, and the flirting scenes are genuinely brilliant. Iwasn't blown away... but I enjoyed the film. And that's what matters.

Wolf Hall- The Mirror and the Light: The Mirror

 "You have few friends, Cromwell..."

This episode, as are so many others, is a materpiece in how it shows us the slow bursting of Cromwell's bubble, power and favour slipping away from him. Yes, the final couple of minutes are enormously shocking, even if you know your history, but the whole thing is masterfully structured.

There are, of course, big events swirling outside of Cromwell's control. The events of Henry meeting, and didliking, Anne of Cleves are just as we know from history, but the wider European context is emphasised, with its ironies. An alliance with the German princes is necessary precisely because the alliance between France and Charles V threatens England- yet, as soon as the king is married, England's ambassador to Spain (none other than Sir Thomas Wyatt, whose greatest poem is, of course, about Henry's terrifying, bloody and murderous capricioiusness) drives a wedge between them. The German alliance, and Henry's unhappy marriage, is no longer needed.

Worse, Cromwell's feud with the Duke of Norfolk is deepened, as the chancery which prays for Norfolk's ancestors is dissolved. And Norfolk, it seems, has been hiding conciliatory messages from France. And then there are the ongoing rumours about Cromwell and Mary, Cromwell yet again preventing her marriage...

And the king grows ever colder. And ever closer to Norfolk's niece.

There's so much nuance here. Cromwell's demons appear in flashback, and he now speaks to Wolsey's absent ghost. This is an episode of wonder. We really shouldn't be shocked by the ending, which really should be predictable. It says so much that we are.

Number 13

 "Well, I'm sure I don't intend to disappear..."

So we here we have the second of the BBC's 2000s revival of their Ghost Stories for Christmas. For the second year in a row it's an M.R. James adaptation, and for the second year in a row it features Watson himself, David Burke, in a major role.

It's a very CGI'd Victorian cathedral town, and an Oxford don, a Professor Anderson, sets out to study some recently discovered manuscripts for the cathedral authorities. Hilariously, there's a lot of lampshading the fact that he seems doomed early on. He's just that little bit arrogant and aloof. He seeks for knowledge. He pooh poohs superstition. He scoffs at the mention that his predecessors have suddenly disappeared (without paying!) and utters the above quote.

And... as with many hotels, his place of abode has no Room 13, except... sometimes it does. And there are voices at night of confessions from the witch trials of 1647. It's all very ominous...

SPOILERS!

And yes, a twist... Professor Anderson's fate is (just!) averted, and the evil creature from the dark past seemingly destroyed by means of a humble axe. We have, for most of the story, a very textbook M.R. James structure, but subverted at the end.

All in all, then, a quality production, and all the more for the low budget and no-star cast.

Batman: The Animated Series- It's Never Too Late

 "All your power and money has bought you is an empire of misery."

Another excellent episode here. It's interesting once again how there's an ambiguity in the setting- the cars and clothes and tommy guns evoking the 1940s while the drugs evoke contemporary times. It's also good to see how the Animated Series follows not only Batman's usual rogues gallery bus also the same mob bosses- once again we see Boss Thorne.

And yet this is a touching and effective story about how one mob boss, with his empire of hard drugs, can yet be reformed. It's an episode full of flashbacks and clever twists and turns- most notably involving Father Michael- and superbly constructed in such a way that it earns its payoff. It's also fascinating to see Batman not just using his brute force and detective skills but also psychology.

I do wonder if or when we'll see Boss Thorne again- or whether Two-Face will ultimately get him...?

A View from a Hill

 "I can't explain it..."

I confess I've never read any M.R. James, just as I've never read and H.P. Lovecraft or Robert E. Howard- I suppose, like many people, and without thinking about it, I tend to gravitate towards novels without considering short stories. I really ought to correct that.

I mention this to excuse the fact that I've now seen a good half dozen or so of his stories as adaptred on the BBC as Ghost Stories for Christmas. And I'm beginning to detect a pattern to many of them- a distant, unholynevil from the past ensnares a curious scholar with temptations of knowledge, slowly luring him to his doom. It's a simple formula, and one that can be easily repeated without going stale.

This story fits the template exactly. Young and awkward academic Dr Fanshawe visits a friendly local squire, stoically philosophical about his financially straitened existence, in order to catalogue some archaeological relics. But what whe finds are some unusual binoculars which tempt him slowly, inexorably, gentle BBC jump scare by gentle BBC jump scare, to the gallows.

It's superb, of course. Well directed, with the entire cast excelling. It's fun to see David Burke as the sinister butler trope, but it's Mark Letheren who truly excels as the shy, solitary Dr Fanshawe.

Overall, good stuff. And yes- I will indeed be watching several such stories between now and Christmas Day.

Batman: The Animated Series- Two-Face, Part II

 "Chance is everything. Whether you're born or not. Whether you live or die. Whather you're good or bad. It's all arbitrary."

After our first "Previously On" moment, we skip forwardsix months and see Two-Facewell into his prgramme of harassing Boss Thorne. We get to see how he looks and behaves... and he's a fascinating, riveting character, far more so than anything I've read from the comics and at last giving us a worthy screen version of the character.

This is a fascinating character study of Harvey Dent, at the centre of which is a debate between and Grave, his former fiancee, on whether or not life is all down to chance. Yet this is also an episode about the guilt of Bruce Wayne, haunted by nightmares about his failure to save not only Dent but also his parents.The characterisation of this series is suddenly on another level.

And we end on a hopeful note. Two-Face is still very much presented as Harvey Dent here.

Incidentally, I continue to be fascinated on how the setting is deliberately a conflation of the '40s- card, fashions,tommy guns- and the contemporary, with beepersand female detectives. Episode after episode, it's a design choice that really works.

The Treasure of Abbot Thomas

 "Christianity isa ratiional system of belief, Peter."

Once again we have one of the BBC's once annual Christmas ghost stories based on various short stories by M.R. James, this one from 1974. And my God, it's superb. This is the BBC, so the early Victorian period with its bonnets and mutton chops is evoked to perfection. The deliberately slow pace gives us tension of a kind that the television of recent decades cannot provide.

And at the centre of it all is a masterfdul performance from Michael Bryant as the calm, rational, scientific Revd Dr. Justin Somerton, an Oxford don of the very old school, dismissive of superstition- he puts short shrift to a couple of seance mongers-

He is, at first, far too rational to be taken in by the enthusiastic young Peter'd enthusiasm for the buried treasure on a 15th century abbot, rumoured to be an alchemist carried away by the Devil. Yet events ptroceed fascinatingly and inexorably to his temptation and doom, the Abbot and all things supernatural seen only in yerrifying glimpses.

Of all the M'R. James adaptations of the '70s... this may well be the best I've seen so far.

Lot No. 249

 "Your filthy Egyptian tricks won't answer here in England!"

I must have missed this, last year's offering from the excellent Mark Gatiss in his highly impressive run of Christmas Ghost Stories on BBC 4. I'll be blogging his offering for this year closer to Christmas, as well as a number of older such stories, but watching this little gem tonight was an absolute joy.

I'd never read, or indeed heatd of, the original short story by Arthur Conan Doyle which seems to have been highly influential in shaping the Eyptian mummy subgenre of horror, but Gatiss really evokes the Victorian setting here, and has it oozing with atmosphere. Kit Harington is superb as Smith, our lead, but it's Freddie Fox, chewing the scenery with aplomb, who steals the show as the sinister and dastardly Bellingham.

Gatiss has a real ear for the dialogue of the time, which adds a great deal of verisimilitude. He can't, of course, resist the temptation of including a certain irresistible cameo but, well, the cameo is irresistible, after all. And I like the subtle dialogue link to the Elephant Man.

I suspect the budget for this was tiny, but it certainly doesn't look it. The BBC can do Victoriana with one arm tied behind its metaphorical back and darkness works wonders. But ultimately it's the script and the performances that make this a thing of beauty.

Wolf Hall- The Mirror and the Light: Jenneke

 "You're going to bring them down? The oldest and richest familes in the land?"

"Like skittles!"

It's redundant, by now, for me to point out that any given episode of Wolf Hall, this one most certainly included, is a televisual masterpiece. But I seem to have done so anyway. Yes, big things are happening- the birth of a son for the king, the tragic, negligent death of Jane, the peace between King Francis and Charles V and the dangers posed to England. And yet this series ais about Thomas Cromwell, and this is where his position starts to slip.

Oh, he finds happiness in Jenneke, the lovely daughter of whom he's just learned... yet he is loving, good, tender and fatherly, a good man. In stark contrast to the things which Dorothea said to him, things that have truly shaken to him and, as we often see, haunt his nightmares. He doubts himself, wonders if he betrayed Wolsey after all, knowingly or not, and confesses himself "undone".

Jane's death upsets him deeply, more so than his tyrant king, play-acting at mourning. And Stephen Gardiner is back, with the ear of the king, pushing him against "heresy". Cromwell, baring his soul to Archbishop Cranmer, begins to despair that all he's done to bring Protestantism to England may perhaps be for naught. And Gardiner (Alex Jennings a worthy successor to Mark Gatiss) is an insidious foe, one in the ascendant.

He is getting nowhere with the Poles. He clashes with the Duke of Norfolk, ironically in defence of Wolsey and the old ways. His influence with Mary is diminished. 

All hope rests in an alliance with the German princes, and a new bride from Cleves. We know the history here, of course. Yet this episode gives us a much deeper context in which Cromwell is already losing ground.

As Cromwell's vaunted ambassador to Charles V, Thomas Wyatt, would say... circa regna tonat.

Better Call Saul: Bagman

 "The alternator's shot. Literally."

Wow.

You kbow, when Vince Gilligan himself writes and directs that you're getting a treat, and probably an unusual one. And crikey, we did.

The plot is simple- Lalo gets Jimmy to be the bagman in discreetly collecting his $7,000,000 bail from a discreet desert rendezvous, but he's ambushed by ne'er-do-wells and nearly robbed and killed. But Mike, watching from afar, efficiently saves him, kills the baddies, and eventually leads a desperate, fish-out-f-water Jimmy, to safety.

But it's about the nuances. The directorial touches here are frequently magnificent. The suspense is frequently exquisite. Yet, as ever, it's all about the characters. Lalo manipulating Jimmy into doing the fateful job in the first place. Jimmy demanding a $100k fee, something he may regret. The power imbalance between Jimmy and the scarily calm Lalo.

Then there's Mike's little speech about how he keeps on doing all this- for his granddaughter. And the episode's main point- Kim is now irrevocably involved in Jimmy's underground stuff. She's also the wife we don't see in Breaking Bad. She's... going to die, isn't she? I'm certain. The show isn't even trying to hide it.

Saul is getting involved in things far beyond him. And it's not just him who will be hurt in the process. This is utterly gripping, suspenseful television, even by BCS standards, but it's Kim it leaves me thinking of.