Chasing Amy (1997)

 "Since you like chicks, right, do you just look at yourself naked in the mirror all the time?"

Time for another View Askewniverse film in my meandering marathon... and this one is not only bloody good, but beneathe the humour it explores some rather serious themes. Don't get me wrong, I like good films of any genre, but I tend not to seek out many romantic comedies because, well, I'm a bloke. Sometimes, I feel, even the good ones can have a very superficial, greetings card view of love and relatiobships. Yes, Richard Curtis, I'm looking at you.

This film is not like that. This is real.

I've seen this film before, at uni, but that was, ahem, a couple of years ago. I've lived a lot and loved a lot since then. And, well, 1997 was a long time ago. At least, I hope fewer men today are as much of a dick as Holden.

It's interesting looking back into an age when acceptance of LGBT issues (although the T wasn't thought about much back then) was evolving. The twentysomething characters here don't approve of bigotry, the word "homophobia" exists, although quite new, and, as illustrated by Banky, we have that by now dated trope that men who are bigoted about gay men are in denial about their own sexuality.

But the crux of it all is the sexual politics between women and men. Because Alyssa is completely wonderful- witty, funny, kind, fun and basically an amazing person. Holden is very lucky that she loves him.And she does. She gives up her friendships to be with him. She gives him everything.

He doesn't deserve her. He goes all wobbly because... she dares to have a sexual past while being female. Yep, double standards again. And very immature attitudes to threesomes, ployamory and sex in general, skewered brilliantly by Kevin Smith. He destroys both his relationship with the love of his life and his relationship with his best friend. His heart is broken. Good. Serves him right. But breaking Alyssa's heart is unforgiveable. We get an ambiguous ending... Holden doesn't deserve a happy one.

This film is mature, devastating, superbly acted and written, and has some very nice directorial touches. There's also some bloody good humour, as we'd expect, and a great character in Hooper. Silent Bob, of course, steals the show.

This is, overall, a far more serious film than its two predecessors. It will break your heart. But it's very, very good indeed.

Inspector Morse: The Last Enemy

 "Dr. Kerridge! We are trying to master the Veleta!"

Nearly a year and a half seem to have gone by since the last time I blogged Inspector Morse. I won't be blogging them that often, but I ought to be getting through the series at a faster pace than that. Ahsoka tomorrow, probably. 

Anyway, good episode as ever, again not from a novel but from an idea by Colin Dexter. This is almost the Platonic ideal of an Inspector Morse episode, I suppose. It's all about arrogant, ambitious Oxford academics sceming against each other while being well-read, rather snobbish and drinking spirits at all times of the day.

Ah, the 1980s. 1989 doesn't feel that long ago- I was twelve- but, as I've remarked before, we have desks without computers, people in the streets wearing suits in away that doesn't happen today, and Morse whingeing about the word processor beginning to challenge the almighty typewriter... while pining for a proper fountain pen with a bottle of ink. Everyone is "Mr", "Mrs" or "Miss", where first names would be used today. It was a long time ago, yet in many respects it wasn't.

There are some splendid turns from the guest cast, and both Kevin Whateley and Amanda Hillwood impress. Yet John Thaw once again excels as the complex man that is Morse, a man who is only slightly older than I am now...

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

 "Evil! Pure and simple from the Eighth Dimension! Grab them!"

Um, what did I just watch?

This is one of those films I've heard things about over the years but never seen. I knew it was sci-fi, I knew it ewas comedy, but... this is literally the sort of B movie I love to watch, except with a proper Hollywood budget and stars. How on Earth did that happen?

I love how straight the whole thing is played, as this sort of comedy should be. Peter Weller, years before RoboCop, is superb here, almost Leslie Nielsen-esque in playing a square-jawed character who may be a top neurosurgeon, quantum physicist, martial artist and rock musician but has no idea he's in a comedy.

None of this applies to John Lithgow, of course, who quite rightly hams it up with aplomb. This is, it's fair to say, not the sort of part he usually plays.

I love how this leans into the absurdity. The Johns! An otherdimensional Planet 10 where the good Letroids are all somehow Rastas and the bad Lectroids are racist white people! The medically challenged President of the USA! Buckaroo randomly findng love with the long-lost twin sister of his late wife! Yep, this is bonkers. I wish they'd actually made the sequel. I also wish I'd started drinking this wine before I started watching, but never mind.

There is, incidentally, lots of actor-spotting to be had. An unrecognisable Christopher Lloyd. A very young Jonathan Banks, decades before Breaking Bad.

Ahsoka: Part Six- Far, Far Away

 "Something stirs here..."

This episode is, it's fair to say, an exhilarating ride.

I almost admire that, not for the first occasion in a Disney Star Wars show, the titular character is hardly in the episode. Indeed, Ahsoka and Huyang appear only in the opening scene, inside the whale(!) as, yes, Ahsoka reveals to Huyang that Sabine went with the baddies willingly, but all they really do is discuss philosophy and break the fourth wall while foreshadowing the upcoming themes. I love how Huyang's stories are named History of the Galaxy 1, 2 and 3, with 1 being the best, of course.The subtext here is... yeah, not very sub.

However, in a galaxy further, further away, bloody loads happens. The planet is Peridea, where space whales go to die, and it's home to some rather cool space witches, known of the old to the Jedi, who ride space whales... and Morgan is descended from them. Thrawn's grand entrance is teased, of course, until we finally see the battered Star Destroyer, some battered old Stormtroopers, an intriguind figure (a droid?) called Enoch... and Thrawn. Lars Mikkelsen certainly imbues him with presence and charisma.

As promised, Sabine is allowed to seek Ezra, riding a rather cute wolf thing, but she's on a long leash, intended to lead the baddies to Ezra so they can kill them both. The scene of her riding out of the camp feels to me, if I may mix my pop culture references, as though Sabine is leaving Mega City One to take the walk into the Cursed Earth.

But the baddies, being baddies, have multiple agendas of their own. Morgan is quite happy to abandon Baylan and Shin on this extra-galactic world forever. Yet Baylan, in a fasxcinating philosophical conversation with Shin which seems to echo that between Ahsoka and Huyang, has other ideas. He seeks something deeper than power, to restore the Empire which will in turn be defeated by the Jedi only for the Empire to emerge again, and on it goes. The wheel turns. Baylan seems to want to stop the wheel spinning; intriguing.

Sabine, via some adorable creatures camouflaged as rocks, finally finds Ezra... but it is bittersweet. For she knows, and so do we, how disappointed he will soon be when he finds out the circumstances of how Sabine came to find him.

Awesome stuff. Wow.

The Defenders: Mean Right Hook

 "We just go and find another team to join? An army?"

Oh boy. This is quite the episode. Our heroes are all investigating what seems to be a big, multifaceted conspiracy involving the hands from different directions, in what seems to be a well-constructed plot. There's so much going on, but the story is easy to follow, not an easy combination. I'm enjoying this very much.

Sigourney Weaver's dying Alexandra continues to fascinate, and not only because she can order around Madame Gao like an underling. Is she hinting, after her private performance by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, that she may be considerably older than she looks? Is this why Jessica traces the shell companies back to 1820 and finds it doesn't stop there?

I like the handling of the characters. Jessica is her irrepressible, irreverent self. Luke may be all loved up with Claire, but nothing will stop him doing the right thing. Matt, complete with an intervention by Foggy to give him work to be "another type of hero", is struggling with not being Darevevil: heroism as addiction. Danny is a right mardyarse: I fail to see what Colleen sees in him. Oh, and Misty is awesome.

At the end, excitingly, our protagonists meet. There's a hero vs. hero fight between Luke and Danny, in which we get to see what happens when the unstoppable force that is the Iron Fist meets the immovable object which is Luke. And Jessica's attorney is... Matt.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

Ahsoka: Part Five- Shadow Warrior

 "I'm here to finish your training."

Yeah. It's fair to say a few things happened in this episode. I suspect it's one of those "event" episodes that may not much reward repeat viewings, but it packs quite a punch.

So, Anakin. I'm not sure where that otherworldly plane is supposed to be: clearly, in the "real world", Ahsoka is in the water, and needs to choose to live to be rescued. But the "training" scenes with Anakin, most of them flashbacks to the Clone Wars, are utterly absorbing. I won't pretend to have the answers, but I think we're being shown that Ahsoka is being held back by her worriesabout in some ways becoming what Anakin became. 

Then there's the extraordinary ending, as Ahsoka uses the awesome (and I mean that in the old-fashioned sense) Purrgil to jump across galaxies... hopefully to the right place.

Justas good as any of this is a nice little character moment, though: Huyang tells Hera that she takes these big risks because she cares, which is why people like her. Indeed. She is now going to face the music with the Senate while Ahsoka goes gallivanting about in other galaxies. Ahsoka has big moments, but doesn't forget the small character stuff. This is getting very good indeed.

Robin of Sherwood: The Witch of Elsdon

 "If she wanted to bewitch me, I'd be inclined to let her."

Given the intensity of the first two-parter, it's fascinating to see an "episode of the week". The plot is simple enough, and quite appalling... poor Jennet is accused of witchcraft for not submitting to rape by a Norman piece of ****, has to make impossible compromises because of her husband being in the Sheriff's power and being under threat of death by torture... but she's a good woman.

One small problem: it wasn't until much later in mediaeval England that beliefvin witchcraft was a thing amongst the educated, which in those days meant the Church. Witchcraft was superstition. St Augustine said so. But anyway...

I like the very '80s opening, the dream, very New Age, with Gisburne featuring prominently. It feels at once of its time and very 11th century, that semi-pagan age of Norman apartheid and English distress of a kind we would one day inflict on others. 

It's instructive to see how tax collectors were viewed in the age of feaudalism. No welfare state here, monasteries aside. Just Norman racist greed. The English, subject to such racism, resolved never again to be so, um...

I like the character stuff between Robin and Marian, echoed by Ennet's experiences: Marian is nit a precious jewel. She has agency. She is a person. The Sheriff, meanwhile, expels all Jews from Nottingham as he twirls his moustache.

This is, I suppose, our first "normal" episode. But it succeeds, being both fun and disturbing.

Robin of Sherwood: Robin Hood and the Sorcerer, Part 2

 "If I should fail, one of you shall take my place, and Herne shall choose him."

A confession, dear readers: I watched the wrong bloody episode. I saw the first episode a couple of months ago, ahem, somewhere, but stopped there as the second episode didn't have subtitles. Now Robin of Sherwood is on Britbox, though. I can carry on. Hooray. But I forgot I hadn't seen this second part so yesterday I watched the episode after this. Today I've finally seen this second part and I can blog them both in order. Bloody annoying, though. Grr.

Anyway, there's so much to fascinate here. I'm loving the direction, the lived-in mediaeval look, yet contrasting with a very '80s mystical paganism that goes beyong the Clannad soundtrack. Herne the Hunter is fascinating. The legend isn't as old as you think, with no evidence beyond Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. But here he champions the English against the Normans, their ancient protector, his muythical arrow kept by Robin's father. Ironically, the Normans mention Gildas. Gildas, of course, was no friend of Angles or Saxons.

The vaguely pagan/devil-worshipping baron is fascinating; it doesn't feel as though this series is going to be heavily fantasy-based, but this is a world where dark magic exists. Yet so does hope, humanity and a genuinely Robin Hood feel, this time including that famous and almost cliched archery contest.

Nazir is interesting, too- a friend? He is, I believe, the accidental beginning of a new tradition of including a Muslim man from the Levant among the Merry Men. The romance between Robin and Marian is already going at full pelt, and the chemistry is great. Interestingly, Michael Praed is far from a conventional hero, but it works.

This is a strong start and, it seems so far, a strong foundation.

Sonic Youth- Sister (1987)

 I was in the mood for some Sonic Youth, so Sister it is. This, oddly enough, is arguably one of their more well-known and liked long players, yet it doesn't boast many, possibly any, well-known singles. It is, of course, excellent.

Perhaps it's the fact that I listened to this album not long after hearing Marquee Moon again, but Sonic Youth are very New York, aren't they? We think of them as '80s-90s American indie rock or alternative and badge them alongside the Butthole Surfers, R.E.M, the Replacements. Yet their sound owes an awful lot to Television, doesn't it? You could even look forward and say that the sound, if not so strongly the songwriting, of the Strokes has that same ineffably New York sound too.

Yet Sonic Youth are more than just that. They are a seminal part of that New York tradition while also feeding into so many other traditions. There's so much going on with Sonic Youth. They have perfect pop sensibilities, yet every album is a soundscape. Hence the fact that I never pay much attention to the lyrics. I'm aware this album is largely about both Philip K. Dick and Thiurston Moore's dead twin sister, but these things don't really register while listening.

Regardless, this is Sonic Youth at their peak and a superb album.

Carry On Cabby (1963)

 "She's taking a man's job."

Some Carry On films I've seen in my slow marathon through the lot of them, in order, have been better than others. But none of them have been actively bad. Until now.

The film is notable, I suppose, for the Carry On debut of Jim Dale in a fairly small but very noticeable role. Kenneth Williams is missed, but this isn't the first time he's been absent. No: what's fundamentally wrong is the script or, more fundamentally, the concept.

Sid James' character Charlie is a workaholic who works such long hours he badly neglects his wife Peg, played with aplomb by Hattie Jacques. So she sets up her own all-female cab firm in competition to teach him a lesson. There's comedy here... but there's also a lot of very real emotion. The tone is all over the place and the very real marital tension at the heart of the film both stops this feeling like a Carry On film. The mood just isn't right, however amusing the set pieces may be.

Also, Charles Hawtrey is shown lusting after women and even says "phwoooar" at one point. Er, this just doesn't work.

Some of the social attitudes shown are... interesting. The sexual politics, obviously. An odd undercurrent of almost prudery from the characters at times. The trade union stuff. The attitudes to sexual harassment. And the concluding scenes where Charlie is shown drunk but then gets into his taxi to save the day. Yeah. It was a different time. 

The film, however, just isn't any good. Unless you're making a point of watching the whole series, as I am, this one is eminently skippable.

Ahsoka: Part Four- Fallen Jedi

 "You know how it is. Once a rebel, aslways a rebel."

SPOILERS. Unless you've seen the episode, read on at your peril. You have been warned.+

Nice title. Has there ever been a pun that works on so many levels? Let us count them. Sod it, let's give this blog post an unorthodox structure, shall we?

1. We begin with Ahsoka and Sabine having literally fallen from the sky, their starshift lost in the woods.

2. Sabine, who has only just become Ahsoka's padawan again, gets a test of her mettle in combat, seems to decide not to try and use the force... but betrays her master to Baylan for the promise of meeting Ezra Bridger again, putting her feelings before the greater good. This is not the Jedi way. She falls at the first hurdle.

3. Ahsoka literally falls off a cliff, to what may or may not be an afterlife- I'm a little confused of the chronology, and I've not seen either Clone Wars or Rebels. Looks like I need to. Anyway, what's he doing there? Hayden Christiansen playing him again, no less.

I've no idea where this is going, but I suspect Sabine is not destined to be a Jedi. I loved Here's rebellion, general or not, with all her mates. And I love that the baddies have actually made the jump into this other galaxy. Big revelations can probably be expected not the series has taken such a massive change of direction.

I'm also loving Rosario Dawson's assured performance, and the superb comic turn from David Tennant as Huyang. What was already a dam good series is now, er, even damn gooder.

The Defenders: The H Word

 "People call me Foggy."

"And you let them?"

It's so good to see so many of these characters for the first time in ages. Danny and Collen I've only just seen, of course, and Darevevil was in She-Hulk, but I've missed the others.

As a first episode, of course, this just establishes where the characters are and develops them a bit. So Luke is freed from prison due to the sterling work of Foggy... and finally gets a room with Claire. About bloody time. Jessica is... drinking lots of bourbon, until she's drawn into a case by sheer stubbornness. Matt lis laying off the old vigilianteeism and realising he's in love with Karen, and the love triangle stuff with Elektra was unwise, despite his real feelings for her. Danny and Collen are back in New York in search of the Hand... the only possible Big Bad.

We meet an intriguing new character played by Sigourney Weaver who is told, in her very first scene, that she hasn't long to live; a fascinating writing choice. And we then find out that Madame Gao, no less, takes orders from her. That's quite a surprise.

For now it's slow, with the heroes not yet meeting. But that's fine; lots of characters to share screen time and be developed. So far I'm very much enjoying this.

Ahsoka: Part Three- Time to Fly

 "We almost died."

"Multiple times."

"Ah yes. Standard operating procedure."

This is a somewhat short episode but, yet again, it's a bloody good one, in terms of both plot and character. It is, though, centred on an utterly superb dogfight set piece that rivals anything in the films for drama. This series has the potential to be every bit as good as The Mandalorian.

There's a lot of fascinating plot development here. Despite what I assume are Mon Mothma's best efforts (she's Chancellor; is she head of state of the New Republic?), Hera meets with politocal scepticism that Thrawn is indeed out there, and is refused resources. Ahsoka and Sabine are on their own. Yet, atthe end, they discover that the baddies have nearly finished constructing a big artifact hanging in space: how very Star Wars. In this case it's a hyperspace ring which, it seems, is capable of travelling to another galaxy, using the intergalactic migration paths of Purrgil, intergalactic space whales. And, if the concept isn't cool enough, they actually bloody appear.

Even better, though, is the focus on training between Ahsoka and Sabine, with an extended scene with one of thosesightless hemets as worn by Luke in Star Wars. I loved everything about this training scene, which reminded me very much of a Shaw Brothers style '70s style kung fu movie from Hong Kong. The dynamic between them is great, as is Huyang's traditionalist pessimism.

I'm loving this. I'll do my best to blog the next episode a bit sooner.

Better Call Saul: Expenses

 "Come on. Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple."

"Oh, Another Brick in the Wall."

"I weep for the future."

Oh my. There's so much to break down here. This is, as I'm fond of occasionally stating, an episode of developmemnt and set-up of plotlines and characters. In a sense, not much happens. In another sense, a lot does.

For Jimmy, he's hit with a new, brutal reality. This con man, who sees rules as being for other peoople, has no choice but to follow the rules on community service. There's no refund for his insurance despite his disbarment as a lawyer. His TV commercial business is failing. He's maxing out his credit cards. He stares in the face of ruin. He's cornered, desperate, dangerous... and so deliberately sets out to ruin Chuck. Behind the nice guy act, Jimmy is not nice at all.

Yet poor Kim can't see this, despite everything. She's besotted. Yet her conscience about Chuck, which is really troubling her, contrasts with Jimmy's latest casual betrayal. And it's revealing that their night out is spent looking at potential marls to con. She's horrified when Jimmy seems to be suggesting it for real, but soon falls back under his spell. Oh, Kim...

Then there's Mike, using drug money to work on a church playground, and... am I reading too much into things, but does he meet a potential love interest?

Nacho, too, is a desperate man. To save his father, he must destroy Hector. So he turns to baseball card man, who will never escape from him. Yet Mike, being Mike, takes control of the situation. So many spinning plates, but Mike spins them with aplomb.

No action, then, but first class writing and action. And an awful lot is being set up. Superlative, as ever.

Predators (2010)

 "This planet is a game preserve. And we're the game."

So continues my ploddingly slow viewing of all the Predator and Alien films in release order, and this time... well, obviously this isn't going to be an all-time cinematic classic, but for a sequel of a sequel of a sequel of a sequel, sort of... it's actually not bad. 

It's not very well shot, admittedly. As one might expect from a music video director, it looks like a music video. Soulless CGI, boringly flat cinematography, texture and lighting. But despite this the script is pretty good, with very decent characterisation for this sort of film. The cast is good, too. Not exactly full of A listers but solid character actors. The likes of Walton Goggins and Mahershala Ali always add quality. And Laurence Fishburne's extended cameo is mesmerising.

The plot is simple enough: predators select and transport hand-picked humans to a planet they use as a game reserve to hunt and kill. Yet the characters are a gemuinely interesting bunch with real quirks, from the extremely disturbing Stans, taken from Death Row, to the stoic and dignified Mombasa. There are nice little twists and turns along the way in a film that manages to do more than simply carry out its high concept premise. And, I must not neglect to add, there's plenty of Predator action, although these are the moments where the CGI soullessness is at its most dismal.

What raises this film above its premise, though, is that it is about something bigger than action and IP. Our two main characters, Isabelle and Royce, are themselves hunters, who enjoy the thrill of the kill... and it is this, in the end, that counts. Yet can they use their hunting natures to survive while retaining their humanity? This question is examined quite excessively, a big part of why I was far more impressed with this film than I expected to be. Pretty good, in the end.

The Killing (1956)

 "It isn't fair!"

This early film by Stanley Kubrick has no stars- hardly the last of his films to fit this description- and I took the quote from a parrot. The narrative structure is cleverly non-linear but the use of narration to explain this feels a little awkward in 2023. Yet this is a stone cold classic, a truly great heist film.

Heist movies are more intrinsically philosophical than you might think. A heist consists of an intricate, precise plan where all the many moving parts must work perfectly.  Yet even the best laid plans must take place in our chaotic little universe. Even in successful heists, little things go wrong that create ripples. As hrere, it's after the apparently successful heist that things go horribly pear-shaped for most. I suppose one moral is that crime doesn't pay, but more fundamentally that we do not live in a clockwork universe and there are no happy-ever-after. This film articulates all of that beautifully, the heist as tragedy.

It does this all the more so because of the very real characters, already tragic before anything happens. We know from the beginning that Johnny Clay's promises to his sweetheart are doomed to fail. Only just out ofv a five year stretch, instead of marrying her he will be going back inside. Then there's the horribly real unhappy couple that is Sherry and George- she's far more intelligent, greedy and immoral than the wet drip she married. The two relationships are quite the contrast, but both equally doomed.

Even the little characters are well crafted. I like Nikki's comeuppance for his racism, and that Maurice, the thug whose role is to start a fight, is a chess-playing intellectual.

This film has depth. It has characterisation. It is a masterpiece.

Ahsoka: Part Two- Toil and Trouble

 "An ancient people from a different galaxy..."

I saw this episode while wondering whether I ought to have started watching Ahsoka at all. After all, it's the sequel to Rebels, an animation I haven't seen. But, I thought, I've started so I'll finish. I won't be the only viewer in this situation, to put it mildly.

And I'm glad I did. This episode has me hooked.

We begin with Sabine waking up receiving medical treatment. She lost the map to the attacking droid. Worse, she unlocked it, and it is now in the hands of their enemies... who use a sort of stone circle on the planet Seatos to reveal its pretty damn cool secrets: it details a path to another galaxy, where General Thrawn is said to reside. Yes, Thrawn, he who I know only from those Timothy Zahn novels from the '90s which I haven't read since John Major was prime minister. I suspect, while it may be the same character, that we're probably not looking at the same continuity. Nevertheless, this is conceptually awesome stuff.

So is the intrigue, as it becxomes clear there are imperial sympathisers on Coruscant, motivated by greed. There are ex-imperials involved in administrarion at every level... as there have to be. They were the only experienced officials when the revolution came. The same happened in the transition from Nazi Germany to the Federal Republic: it doesn't have to be a threat. One doesn't want something analogous to the de-Baathification debacle in Iraq. And yet... this threat seems serious, and clearly linked with the plot to bring back Thrawn.

If all this wasn't cool enough, I'm enjoying the tension between the worldly and wise Ahsoka and the rebellious Sabine as they are, at the encouragement of General Hera Syndulla, once again Jedi and Padawan... with the Padawan a Mandalorian, complete with helmet.

This is incredibly cool. I'm very much enjoying it.

Inception (2010)

 "The smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you."

I can't believe it's taken me until 2023 to watch this uniquely brilliant film. Better late than never, right?

As you can imagine, this Christopher Nolan masterpiece (he has more than one of those, of course) has quite blown me away. It's not the conceit of entering people's dreams, or of dreams within me: that was spoiled for me by the episode of Rick and Morty that was riffing on Inception. Nor, really, is it the intricacies of the plot, brilliant though that is. 

No: it's the very human tragic romance between Cobb and Mal. My mind was blown by the revelation that, after exploring dreams within dreams and spending a subjective fifty years in a self-constructed dream paradise, Mal became convinced that it was the dream world that was the real one... so she demapped herself, as David Foster Wallace would put it, ensuring that Cobb would be framed for her death so he would be motivated to follow her into what she sincerely believed would be blissful, loving happiness. She died pointlessly, and made her husband's life a living hell with his children forever denied to him... out of love.

And then, later, we have bombshell number two. Yes, the main plot concerns a kind of reverse heist trying to plant an idea, an "inception" in the mind of a corporate heir in order to enrich Cobb's client so his life can be unruined, etc, blah blah. And that's all fascinating. But far more mind-blowing is the realisation that it was Cobb who planted the idea of the world not being real in his wife's mind so they could leave their dream world in the first place, by being run over by a train together. And the dialogue exactly parallels that in bombshell number one. It's all quite existentially jaw-dropping.

The ending, with the top still spinning, is nicely ambiguous: can Cobb finally have happiness with his children or is he still dreamimg? I would suggest that the answer to this question lies not in the spinning top, which may or may not fall, but in the fact that the two children have not seemingly aged since Cobb last saw them.

The impressions left in my mind, though, are certainly of admiration at the ideas and the plot, but of deep engagement with the very human emotions at the heart of this film. Cobb and Mal are both decent people, and a genuinely loving couple- indeed, no one in the film can be said to be "bad", just fundamentally decent people trying to do the right thing and sometimes making very human errors. That's quite profound. And both hopeful and horrifying in equal measure.

The Roaring Years (1962)

 "I'm teetotal, but I'll take a sip..."

This is, perhaps, a timely film to watch now that the current government of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, are literal fascists. It is sadly necessary to remind ourselves that such things, and such politicians, must not be tolerated. And satirical humour is a perfect way to do this. The fascist, after all, has no sense of humour. How else could they march around in such ridiculous ways?

We begin with footage of Mussolini, followed by a Nuremberg rally. It is 1937; Italian fascism is at its height. there then follows a farce, based on Gogol's "The Government Inspector", in which the notables of the town all mistakenly assume that a young, enthusiastically Fascist insurance salesman is an incognito inspector. The farce works perfectly, both as light comedy and a deeper, more excoriating examination of the kind of man who ends up in positions of authority in societies like this- corrupt, pathetic, with not one ounce of integrity or public spirit.

Nino Manfredi's... protagonist (a Fascist cannot be a hero, however honest) learns some hard truths about human nature, and perhaps there's hope for him: in the final scenes, he gives up the vice of teetotalism. Perhaps there's hope for him yet. And what drives him to this is the reality of the horrors of poverty while corrupt officials live it up. Alas, his honesty loses him the girl. She's not worth it. One must demand moral integrity in a life partner.

Made just seventeen years since the errant Duce was strung up on that lamp post, this film would have hit close to the bone. It depicts many of the absurdities of the era, not least the bachelor tax, or the October 28th tradition of commemorating the march on Rome by locking up dissidents for a day or two... while being really apologetic, civilised, and ensuring said dissidents were well supplied with good food and good wine. 

Knights of God: Episode 13

" The king had to be found within yourself.”

Sigh. This has been a pretty good series, but this final episode is profoundly disappointing.

I mean, it all falls into place so conveniently. The civil war, with Mordrin finally killing Hugo, is so convenient for the royalist rebels to take over. All the messy stuff of reestablishing power and democracy is just handwaved. And Mordrin is literally shot while crowning himself. Still, thd cliffhanger resolution, with Gervase and Julia both saved by their mutual love, is cute.

Not cute enough to save the episode, though. And there’s definitely a whiff of un-British flag shagging here. The national anthem is sung. The closing titles are changed to the Union Flag. None of these things are inherently bad, of course- national symbols do not and should not belong to the far right- but, within the world this series has so carefully built, this is just not realistic. Better to end with the Knights still in charge but with a sense of hope.

The episode is also rushed, leaving it all to the end, so it’s all plot with no focus on character. It’s sad that a series I was enjoying should end like this.

Ahsoka: Part One- Master and Apprentice

 "Sometimes even the right reasons have the wrong consequences."

I'm familiar with the Star Wars movies, all of them, plus all of the live action Disney Plus stuff. I've even seen thse two '80s Ewok TV movies. But I've never seen the Clone Wars animation, or at least not yet. This had a minor effect on The Mandalorian as I had no prior knowledge of Bo-Katan. For this series, I fear, my ignorance is likely to look larger. Fortunately, we have what appears to me to be exposition for those such as my poor self. I've no way of knowing how much I say below will be familiar to those of you who have seen Clone Wars.

So Ahsoka trained as a Jedi, has a lightsabre and everything, and was once Anakin's apprentice until she walked away. She isn't quite a Jedi as such, although she has to work with her own former apprentice, the well-meaning but rebellious Sabine Wren. There was a Jedi called Ezra Bridger who went missing when the Empire fell, along with the mysterious General Thrawn, the big bad for whom all, goodies and baddies, are looking. Hopefully I have that right.

This is, however, a very promising beginning. This is very "trad" Star Wars, beginning with something very close to the scrolling texts from the films, the camera then panning to a large spaceship. We also have a lot of the movie serial homage stuff from the original Star Wars film- there's a secret map, we meet Ahsoka in a very Indiana Jones set piece- plus a nicely promising couple of Jedi baddies, Baylan Skoll and his young apprentice, whose name I didn't catch. The cliffhanger is superb, as the apprentice attacks Sabine and seems to stab her in the heart... surely they wouldn't kill her now? Also, David Tennant as a very Jedi-adjacent droid. Cool.

This is good stuff, purposefully avoiding characters from the films but absolutely evoking a very trad feel. More please. Oh, look. A second episode.

Good Omens: Every Day

 "You know as well as I do how badly understaffed Hell is right now."

Crikey, that was a busy final episode. And, in the end, it was very good indeed. I still maintain that this season started well, ended well but had a fair bit of filler in the middle, and perhaps one could criticise the pacing in that this last episode had an awful lot of work to do. But there’s no denying that it’s very good indeed.

It’s an episode about Armageddon and the desirability or not thereof, yes. But it’s also an episode about love and choice. We finally get to see what happened with Gabriel and… he stopped being such an arse and started to parallel Aziraphale. He lost his enthusiasm for Armageddon, started to plot with the other side to avoid it… and fell in love with Beelzebub. With whom he concocted a plan. 

All this, though, is riffing on the relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale, and their unspoken love, with heartbreaking results. The intervention of Maggie and Nina towards Crowley is mature and beautiful. They’re not rushing into their inevitable relationship, because this is reality, but it’s strongly hinted that happiness awaits them. Their own intervention, urging Crowley to tell Aziraphale how he feels, is far more grown-up than a Jane Austen ball full of shopkeepers.

But, despite Crowley pouring his heart out, and that kiss, happiness is not to be for Crowley and Aziraphale. Crowley is a realist, not cynical for the sake of it, and he is right to be equally wary of Heaven and Hell. After all, in the flashback, Metatron strongly hinted at “institutional problems”. But, alas, Aziraphale succumbs to temptation, not from a demon but from Metatron. A fancy title, a fancy office, a swanky job running a project known as “the Second Coming”… he’s learned nothing, in the end. Poor Crowley has no choice. In a sense, Aziraphale has become Gabriel, while Gabriel has become Aziraphale.

An extraordinary, courageous finale. Despite the high concepts, in the end, the point is that love needs principles. We can’t just give our hearts to those who turn out to be lacking in integrity. Crowley, in the end, is more moral.

Knights of God: Episode 12

 "Noooo!"

Well, that’s certainly a twist. SPOILER alert.

It’s now clear why we have the contrast between Gervase and  Mordrin, with his crown and delusions of kingship, which he’s now finally shared with his close friend Brother Simon, seemingly the only knight who doesn’t think he’s a nutter… yet.

We have a lot of tension around Gervase and Julia travelling to a little island to be told by a monk whom the king is. There’s a mystery: Arthur knows. So why did Arthur not just tell them? And, of course, Gervase is still conditioned to kill Mordrin’s enemy.

I saw the twist coming halfway through: Gervase is the king, smuggled out as an infant. It makes sense, given the early hints about his destiny. This twist is quite ingenious, and very Arthurian. One episode to wrap up, though…

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

 "We can mutate the whole world to metal. We can rust the world to the dust of the universe.”

This is a very weird film indeed. You knew that. It makes no real narrative sense and has only the barest plot- a “metal fetishist”, fond of grafting random bits of metal into his flesh, is run over by a typical salaryman, who then finds himself being haunted and mutated as revenge. But the plot isn’t really the point. Well, except when it is.

We have so many utterly bizarre and disturbing set pieces. Thd maggots. The weirdest and most unnerving sex scene I may ever have witnessed. The most erotic use of a fork in all cinema.  All to a highly fitting industrial soundtrack which is brilliant in its own right. This is pure body horror, yet the use of metal suggests industry. There can be all sorts of potential metaphors here for what technological civilisation has done and is doing to humanity.

This is really just a series of loosely linked set pieces, and I suppose it has something in common with Un Chien Andalou and its ilk, despite the very different mood which owes as much to alternative culture as it does to the traditional models of ary. As that, it is superb, largely because of the excellence of the cinematography and soundtrack… and the fact that grainy black and white makes it so much less challenging to be convincingly surreal. Yet, beneath all that, there seems to be a subtext. The Industrial revolution, agriculture, all that... is it leading us only to twisted horrors?

Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

 Yes, I know. It took me months to read Infinite Jest, rewarding experience though that was, and a couple of days to read this Isaac Asimov comfort food. I loved The Caves of Steel.

This novel may not be impenetrable in the slightest, but it’s full of ideas to stimulate the mind. On the surface it’s a murder mystery set in a future society, and a good one, but it’s the thrilling succession of concepts that linger in the mind. Especially for me, as this is the only one of Asimov’s earlier novels that I hadn’t read until now.

It is, of course, of its time. We are thousands of years in the future. Earth once had the drive to colonise other planets, but overpopulation now crams the citizenry into colossal domed cities which people never leave, all rural work being done by robots and, although the subtext . Meanwhile, the Spacers, on their fifty worlds live on other worlds, disease-free, controlling their population by infanticide. We have two fascinating types of decadence… yet the pill hasn’t yet been invented.

The Spacers live for centuries, yet life expectancy on Earth is… well, slightly less than it is in the 2020s. Also, of course, everybody smokes. All the police are men, as is everyone with a job. 

However, the ideas are superb, and this novel is a triumph. And that’s before we even get into its Asimovverse legacy.

Good Omens: The Ball

 "Well, it wouldn't be a Shopkeeper's Association without dancing, would it?"

This is another very good episode, with a delightful conceit, a witty script and typically superlative acting. It's still dragging out a rather thin amount of plot though. Only now do we discover that Gabriel, apparently, emptied his memories into a matchbox for some reason. What's going on? Next episode is the finale and there really doesn't appear to be all that much to finalise.

The central conceit really is brilliant, though: a Shopkeepers' Association made to be a ball from right out of Jane Austen, all for the purpose of bringing Nina and Maggie together. It's milked for all its worth, with a splendid collection of shopkeepers, especially the, er, seamstress. And the Doctor Who fan. Who dies, naturally. There are a number of characters here, though, whom I hope we shall be seeing again.

Muriel's clueless credulous is amusing too, as are the spelling deficiences of the hordes of Hell. Yet we also have several hints that Aziraphale and Crowley may well have... those sorts of feelings for each other. I suppose it says a lot that this can somehow manage to entertain so much with such a thin plot. Good stuff, but the further throiugh the season we get, the thinner the gruel.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Every now and again I set myself a bit of a literary challenge, and force myself to read a long, difficult bit of literary fiction. This is one of them. I've never read David Foster Wallace before or, indeed, anything that might be considered eidetic literature, which Infinite Jest may or may not be.

It is, indeed, a challenging novel: the first couple of hundred pages are difficult as one wends one's thinbking round the many characters and their foibles; the occasiionally non-linear narratives and the many absurdities- the Wheelchair Assassins and everything about them; the cross-dressing CIA agent; tennis; Alcoholics Anonymous; the PGOAT (prettiest girl of all time) who is improbably disfigured; suicide by microwave. Ostensibly, this novel is about a short film so perfect it kills you through pleasure, and this idea certainly features, but it's less central to the novel than one might imagine from plot summaries.

No: the novel is a meditation on addiction. Addiction to what it would call Substances, for which the film is an obvious metaphor. Addiction to absurd political causes. Addiction to competitive sport. Addiction to all that wtwelve step nonsense of the Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous cult, itself no less damaging than chemical addiction and responsible for spreading so many dangerous myths on the subject.

As for the novel's structure... yeah. Plot threads develop. Characters enter and leave. Literary style changes like a chameleon. One cannot glibly and neatly summarise the plot or shape of this novel. I won't claim to have understood it: does anyone? But perhaps that's not the point. This novel is, shall we say, an extremely rewarding ideal.

Expect my next novel to be rather more in my comfort zone- I've earned it- and not to take so damned long.

Knights of God: Episode 11

 "Not toys now. Real."

There's a distinct feeling, and an odd one, as this often briliant and very '80s dark dystopian thriller draws to a close. In many ways it feels radical- yet the tools of revolution are the monarchy and the established church. We even have the Archbishop's seat of Canterbury as a Vatican-style independent state. It's decidedly odd, and small-c conservative, but the overall feel is not reactionary.

There are contrasts. Mordrin is losing his grip on reality, a Cromwell or Caesar who decides to take the crown, an act which coincides with the Knights, spurred by Hugo, turning against him. Meanwhile, Owen Edwards' rebels are proving both successful and hubristic... to the fury of Edwards himself, who stops the killing of prisoners and is full of self-doubt... a clearly intentional contrast to Mordrin.

Suddenly there are lots of things happening and nothing feels stable. Julia's unsuspecting father is to be sentenced to death. Hogo sends assassins after Julia and Gervase, who are about to be told by the archbishop where the king is until the assassins throw all into chaos. All the ryal stuff is a little neat, perhaps, but the plotting here is admirable.

I have no idea where this is going. But I'm impressed.

Good Omens: The Hitchhiker

 "We'd like to apologise for the wait and the conditions, but we won't. Cheer up. Things could be worse, and they will be."

There's plenty this episode to amuse, but... isn't this season sort of treading water at this point? The first two episodes were superb, but it's looking increasingly as though there just isn't tgat much going on, just the Gabriel plot thread really, and it's all being padded out with minisides.

This time the minisode, while not the best, is decent enough, by the League of Gentlemen gang and featuring wartime London, prestidigitation, Nazi zombies and a fantastic take on the bureaucracy of Hell. But... it's pretty much the main point of the episode.

Otherwise... well, Aziraphale picks up a hitchhiker who turns out to be Shax, she tells him she's worked out whrre Gabriel is, and she then proceeds to persuade Beelzebub to order her to lead a full-on demonic assault on the bookshop. That's literally it.

There's entertainment to be had, but arc-wise, this episode advances things not one iota. There's literally no reason for it to exist.

Knights of God: Episode 10

"To Canterbury!"

A lot happens this episode. At the outset, Gervase and Julia are outlawed and outcast; Hugo is disgraced and imprisoned; and Mordrin may wish to be crowned king, confirmed at the cliffhanger.

The whole direction of travel changes here. Arthur, it seems, has not forsaken the couple, and suddenly mentions a rumout that the king is alive... and the Archbishop of Canterbury, obviously no friend of the new Fascist religion, would possibly know. To Canterbury, then. It's a little deflating, however, that the only hope against Fascism is the monarchy and the established Church.

Things don't look good for Hugo, despite his refusal to sign the confession waved in front of him; he is to be tried and then hanged the following morning. But Gervase and Julia are in peril too, betrayed once more by the treasonous leader of the "Wastelands". Yet, with the help of Julia's father, they are able to reach Canterbury...

Exciting and intriguing. Not long now...

Good Omens: I Know Where I'm Going

 "So Elspeth here has all the opportunities because she's so poor."

"That's lunacy."

"No, that's ineffable."

The above quote says it all. Like last week's "minisode" (I've finally worked out what's going on with those: they're the historical flashbacks inserted into the episodes), Aziraphale learns a damn good lesson on moral ambiguity, and on the fact that seeing morality s something literally dictated from on high may not be the best idea. Here, he learns that lesson in 1820s Edinbugh, complete with bodysnatchers, laudanum, David Tennant getting to use his real accent and the anachronistic use of "Flower of Scotland".

It must be sais, fun though the episode is. Yes, Muriel's attempts and pretending to be a human police officer are hilartious, but the effect of her being there is to prevent the Maggie/Nina romance plot from having to move forward too quickly so other stuff can happen. Aziraphale discovers a few clues in Edinburgh, but it isn't much.

Whatever has been going on with Gabriel gets curiouser and curiouser, though. Plus Shax, and Beelxebub, have worked out where Gabriel is, and this means war. Still, fun though this episode genuinely is, with another sparkling script, I'll be glad if some more actual stuff can happen next time.

Better Call Saul: Off Brand

 "It's a name..."

This episode is a crossroads in several ways. It moves away from the Jimmy/Chuck sparriung of the first half of the season into other plot threads, and also makes a conscious choice to look ahead to Breaking Bad. Hence Gus deciding on the meth lab. The surprising cameo from Lydia. The first inkling we see of Don Hector's health problems.

There's also a nice wholesome scene between Mike and Stacey highlighting how sweet and wholesome their relationship is, utterly unlike all the other things in Mike's life. But there's nothing else at all wholesome in this packed episode.

We begin with Kim being magnificent in defending Jimmy, succeeding in limiting him to being barred for twelve months only. She does so much for the man with whom, sadly for her poor, doomed self, she is besotted. Besotted in spite of glimpses of his bullshitting self which she is nowhere near sufficiently stupid not to notice. There's one momernt in particular here, where Jimmy seems to disown Chuck in front of Rebecca, that his coldness really shows. And Kim doesn't fail to see it.

There is also much fascinating political skulduggery between Don Hector and Gus, with Nacho in the middle. It is he, as lieutenant, who exerts violent authority on behalf of Hector. And yet, when Hector threatens to use Nacho's father's business as a front for smuggling, suddenly Nacho has a motive to turn right against his boss. I've no doubt this will be a step in Hector's downfall.

Jimmy, of course, is not a lawyer for a year, and needs to do something else to keep Kim and himself afloat. He's desperate, creative... and then it happens: a TV commercial for TV commefcials. But he can't do it as Jimmy the lawyer. after some "Karloff" stuff... the character of Saul Goodman is born. Viewers had, literally, better call Saul.

This is, needless to say, exquisite.

Dunkirk (2017)

 "He's shell-shocked, George. He's not himself. He might never be himself again."

Obviously, this is no typical war film: it's Christopher Nolan, after all. We don't even see any Germans, just the effects of their bullets, bombs and especially planes. There isn't even a central character as such, just an ensemble cast whom we follow throughout. Then there's the famously non-linear narrative structure- the events at the beach taking one week; the events at sea taking one day; and the events in the air taking one day. Yet this is over-hyped, I think: the film is perfectly easy to follow, and the film is about much bigger things than its own structure.

This film  is an extraordinary achievement. There's plenty of heroism on display, but also shell-shock, fear and paranoia- the scene in which the British soldiers in a sinking boat threaten to throw overboard first a Frenchman and then a man from another regiment is deeply disturbing. But this is reality. It is not a gung-ho adventure story. That would not be Dunkirk. Yet we see the heroism of Collins and Farrier in the air, and the heroism of Mr Dawson, Peter  and George, civilians who risk everything- with seventeen year old George losing his life... at the hands of a panicking, shell-shocked British officer.

The cast- Tom Hardy perhaps excepted- is composed of character actors rather than stars, reinforcing that this is not a stirring action film but an honest attempt to depict what the evacuatrion would have felt like. Both the direction and the soundtrack are utterly peerless throughout, evoking the feel of besiegement and desperation. And the performance of Mark Rylance, in particular, is utterly sublime.

There is hope at the end, yes. The evacuation is a success against the odds. It's a nice choice to have Churchill's famed words be read from a newspaper by a young soldier. Yet we're left in no doubt that the road ahead is long and hard. Wars are not won by evacuations. Yet nor are they won without an army. Mere survival is not victory. But it does, of course, keep the hope of victory alive.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (2023)

 "I was stabbed, you extraordinary phallus!"

James Gunn is back at Marvel, presumably just this one and... yeah, this was never going to not be awesome, was it? Gunn doing Guardians of the Galaxy is pretty much guaranteed to awesome. It just is. And, ironically, the success of this Marvel film, at a time when Marvel needed it, may bode well for DC.

And yet it's not based on the most promising material from the comics. Sad though Rocket's origin was, I had a reaction of pure geeky joy to see some of the other animals from that Rocket Raccoon limited series from the '80s that my eight year old self read as a back-up story in Transformers. Yet this is hardly classic Marvel material. Neither is the High Evolutionary stuff, and certainly not the Counter-Earth stories from the early '70s issues of Adam Warlock in those dark days before Jim Starlin, shown here in very 1970s fashions as a tribute..

This, then, is not promising material for a film. Yet the end result is a triumpjh. The characters, the actors, the cast, all are exquisite. The directing, too, is extraordinary, with some particularly impressive set pieces.

It's a good choice to have the High Evolutionary- Chukwudi Iwuji is superb- as an unambiguous villain, and I enjoyed the way Adam Warlock was played for laughs, and seems to join the team. And that's what it's all about, the team. Every character is likeable. Every character has depth. They are a true family. Heart, humour, awesome direction... how could this film possibly not be amazing?

Good Omens: The Clue

 "Shoemaking and obstetrics. Those have always been the twin passions of Bildad the Shuhite."

This is, of course, wonderful stuff. The stuff about Job (took me a while to recognise Peter Davison under all that make-up) is a delight, the perfect way to show us how Crowley first got Aziraphale to doubt that God was truly all-wise and all-benevolent, while Crowley subtly shows himself not actually to be as bad as he pretends to be. All of the flashback stuff is a delight- and shows Gabriel to be an amoral git, the sort of bad manager we've all had, a proper contrast with the innocent Jim of today.

The plot is fun, too. Aziraphale simply has to get Maggie and Nina to fall in love to stop last episode's miracle looking suspiciois to the senior management of Heaven. There's the mystery of a jukebox in an Edinburgh pub which eventually turns all records into the one Buddy Holly b-side. And the fact that of course the children of God's favourite goody-goody are going to be insufferably entitled. This is the best comedy in yonks, yet it has real subtext too. We must never take our morals from authority, but from our hearts.

Oh, and Jane Austen, that well-known bank robber, smuggler and spy, also wrote novels on the side. Who'd have thunk it?

Secret Invasion: Home

 "That's real one-term president stuff!"

So I gather this finale is widely disliked. Well, I loved it. And I think the issue here is that I see Secret Invasion, and I know I keen banging on about this, as Marvel doing John Le Carre style spy stuff- which is very different from James Bond spy stuff. John Le Carre's spies are not glamorousalpha males; they are tired, aging men who have lived too much of their long lives in a world of grubby deceit.

That's what we have here, and why this is such a briulliant little character study of old spy Nick Fury, whose deceptive career has bled into, and interrupted his home life. The moment where he kisses Priscilla wearing her Skrull face is a deep and very much foreshadowed moment between the two of them, yes: but it's also symbolic of Fury's yearning towards truth and reality.

This is a superb finale. Throughout we are given constant misdirection as to where Fury is and where Sonya is. Sonya gets to be the cool one- as I've said before, she's from the Ian Fleming school of spying, gurest starring in a John Le Carre novel.

We get an awesome set piece fight between two Skrulls. We get a bigoted US president outlawing all aliens, a contemptible act, and very Trumpian. Yet we get Sonya establishing an understanding with Gi-ah and the Skrulls. A lot may be being set up here. And Fury, of course, will return in The Marvels.

Don't be put off by the naysayers, I implore you, Think John Le Carre, and watch this.

Better Call Saul: Chicanery

 "My brother, whatever else may be said about him, is quite clever."

Before I write a blog post, I invariably look at iMDb in order to get the names of the less regular actors to put in those labels at the bottom. Thgis time, though, I couldn't help but notice that this episode had been rated 9.7. That is, it has to be said, a bit good. And I'm not surprised. This may be the finest courtroom drama since Witness for the Prosecution.

Other things happen too, though, although for once there's no Mike this episode. We see Kim having professional success with Mesa Verde, impressing her clients. Jimmy isn't ruining and destroying her career yet... but the foreshadowing is obvious. Then we have the flashback, tintred blue, of Chuck enlisting Jimmy to go to elaborate lengths to hide his "condition" from Rebecca. This, of course, is also foreshadowing.Yet there are other character moments, too. Chuck and Rebecca, with their cultured cosmopolitanism, do not live in Jimmy's world. And Chuck, while disapproving of Jimmy's tricks, is happy to benefit from them.

Yet the courtroom drama is, of course, exquisite, a masterclass in psychologicak manipulation and, well, chicanery. Jimmy's position starts out as extraordinarily weak, and yet Chuck is humiliated and destroyed. His outburst at the end is ironic- it makes him seem unhinged, persecuting his poor, innocent, doting brother, yet every word is literally, unambiguously true.

Good Omens: The Arrival

 “I don’t believe the Almighty has actually created a suggestion box.”

This isn’t just wonderful television. It’s pure bliss.

Take the pre-credits flashback scene, a two-hander between Crowley and Aziraphale set at the moment of creation. Isn’t it a sketch right up there with the very best of Monty Python, the perfect hook for potential new viewers, deliberately rigging off Life of Brian while being every bit as good? Yet with the added joyful depths of David Tennant and Michael Sheen as actors utterly on top of their roles, the perfect double act? It’s exquisite.

That’s before we even start with the superlative comedy genius of Jon Hamm. This is first class comedy. Yet it’s simultaneously deeper than that. The conceit- that reality is as Christian fundamentalists see it, but that God therefore works in very mysterious ways indeed- is nicely distilled for the benefit of new viewers. This first scene at once encapsulates who the characters are and what the series is about.

So where is this seriess headed? It appears to be mysterious political skulduggery between Heaven and Hell, with the Almighty as a deeply cynical player of ten dimensional chess: a valid theological viewpoint, I feel. No witchfinders, antichrist children or witch descendents this time, although we do have what seems to be the beginning of a rather sweet romance between Maggie and Nina, two of Aziraphale's fellow street retailers of quirky goods. 

We also have lots of splendid interaction between our favourite two celestial beings, lots of office politics in Heaven- Doon Mackichan is already promising as the ambitious Archangel Michael. But it seems Gabriel is persona non grata, exiled to Earth with neither wings not memories- or, indeed, clothing- and only a seemingly empty box. And no sooner do Crowley and Aziraphale resolve to shelter him than we find that anyone found doing so will be subjected to "extreme sanctions". And this means... oh dear.

This is exquisite. Far more than mere superb telly.

Secret Invasion: Harvest

 "It's really just a matter of taste. Cake or death."

Oh boy. Not that things have been uneventful so far, but it's all kicking off. Gravik is becoming truly unhinged, not only wanting armageddon for humanity but not caring how many Skrulls die in the process... and, courtesy of his superpowers, he survives an attempted revolt. At this point he commants his underlings by fear alone, not loyalty.

But Gravik appears to be winning, and Fury is on the run again, the footage of someone wearing his face murdering Maria now released to the world, and possibly a bit of a comment on deepfakes. Oh, and I misunderstood last episode: Gi'ah survived her execution via genetic jiggery-pokery.

Sonya continues to be awesome, best James Bond ever. MCU, can we have more Olivia Colman please? I'm so glad that we end, and head into the finale, with Fury and Sonya together. This truly is superb spy drama in the style of John Le Carre, not only in terms of plot but in terms of Fury as a world-weary central character, old and wizened. Nick Fury is... a sort of George Smiley, weird though that sounds.

Apparently this isn't as successful as Marvel would have liked. But it deserves to be.

Knights of God: Episode 9

 "Let him be a fisherman..."

The plot gets thicker and thicker in this pivotal episode which, presumably, thrusts us into the final narrative. The cliffhanger is unexpected: Arthur is not the fated enemy of Mordrin whom Gervase is programmed to kill, despite his name, for there are hints that this person is the "rightful king", as per Arthurian myth. We learn that Hugo slaughtered all the royals for the Knights... yet is some rightful king alive? Perhaps someone we have unknowingly met?

It is interesting that Mordrin may be seeking to crown himself... is he a Cromwell or a Julius Caesar in that respect? The parallel plotting between him and Hugo is utterly gripping... and ends the only possible way it could have, with Hugo in a cell, stripped of all status.

Yet Gervase and Julia are no better off. All faith is lost; with the programming, Gervase is seemingly of no use for his long-planned purpose, although Julia has faith. And then, another bombshell: a kangaroo court is demanded by the militia of the South Yorkshire "Wastelands", and realpolitik forces Arthur to outlaw them both, perhaps fortunate to escape hanging, although of course capital punishment is the recourse of the tyrant, a practice that does not behoove those who claim to believe in freedom.

The status quo is changed. This episode is eventful, fast-paced and deeply shocking. I'm genuinely clueless as to what will happen next.

Secret Invasion: Beloved

 "You are delusional!"

Yes, I know. I'm breaking my rules here, blogging the same series consecutively to catch up. But things have clicked and I'm in love with a show which I believe is misunderstood- it's Marvel does John Le Carre and a tour de force from Samuel L Jackson, an actor of the very first class, in that context. People who don't get it need to see the BBC's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and imagine that Karla is a green alien with pointy ears with a comic book history embracing cows and speakeasies. Anyway...

This is superb, spellbinding telly. We begin with Fury learning, through a carefully planted bug (on his own wife!) that Priscilla is in league with Rhodey… and (quite the bombshell, although something like this was coming) Rhodey is a Skrull, and the mole on the inside who is integral to Gravik’s plot to assassinate the President and blame it on the Russians. Suddenly it makes sense why Rhodey is acting as he is.

The scenes between Fury and Priscilla are exquisite, with Jackson giving us an acting tour de force as he confronts her. There are layers to their conversation, harking back to the flashback earlier. Suddenly, they both shoot, in the world’s most romantic shootout… and both deliberately miss. Ah!

We end with the big set piece as Gravik’s plans are carried out and the President saved. It’s sad to see Talos die, but at least he never knows the heartbreak of knowing Gi’ah is gone. Was he right? Will humanity justify his faith? We shall see.

This continues to be superb, underrated telly.

Iron Fist: Dragon Plays with Fire

 "It was someone much more treacherous than I..."

And so the season ends, at last. And the finale is, in the end, superb. What could have been a tiresome tale of false accusations turns out to be much deeper.

This is about Harold, the arch-manipulator, who always was the malevolent puppet master. I suppose we didn't need Gao to tell us it was Harold who arranged for the plane to crash, not wanting Danny's father to expose what was always his heroin operation. I'm sure I wasn't the only viewer who had more than an inkling.

But it's about more than that. It's about Ward redeeming himself, being loyal to Danny and enen showing some wise self-knowledge at the end. It's about Joy realising the terrible truth about her father, yet being perhaps easy prey for Davos trying to turn her against Danny as Gao smiles. It's about bad, abusive families and the damage they cause across the generations, some treatable, some bad. Colleen and Danny are a sweet couple but, as Claire says, they're both pretty damaged people.

I saw thend coming, too: K'un Lun is gone for the next fifteen years now. Yet Danny has learned a lot about himself, and what he wants to do as an Iron Fist: to be a hero. It's fitting that he and Ward are reconciled. Both of them have grown.

Yes, this series was uneven in places. But overall the final episodes are strong enough to make it a very impressive serial.

Secret Invasion: Betrayed

 "Well, I never cared much for golf, so,,, I'm thinking I might as well take up revenge,"

And with that, it suddenly clicks. I can see what Secret Invasion is trying to do, and why not everyone gets it. But I think I do: it's the MCU does the spy genre. But not as in James Bond... well, a bit... but far more in the sense of John Le Carre.

So many lies, so many games, so many betrayals, as per the title. Indeed, so many layers of betrayal. Gi'ah to Gravik. The rebel Skrulls to humanity. Priscilla to Fury, as we suspect from early on and is confirmed at the end. Yet... didn't he betray her through neglect, too? Heartbreakingly, we get to see them young and in love in 1998.

But what's so very Le Carre is how sordid it all seems, despite Sonya being there, on purpose, to represent a more fun side of the genre. What Fury and Talos do is not fun or glamorous; it grinds them down right into old age. And the scene in which Talos points out how him and his mates have guided Fury's career is quietly devastating... but not as devastating as Gravik catching and shooting Gi'ah, having suspected her all along. It was all a trap. Yes, Gravik want to engineer human nuclear extinction while a new race of "Super Skrulls" (hah, of course- harbinger of a certain quartet?) takes over what's left... but today's nuclear gambit was all to flush out Gi'ah. So she gives her life, on her father's say so, to save humanity. Has Talos thus been betrayed?

Brilliant telly.

Better Call Saul: Sabrosito

 "Sabrosisto tells me Gustavo's is bigger than yours."

Even by Better Call Saul standards, this is a bloody good episode. And Jimmy doesn't even appear until twenty-six minutes in.

More than most, this episode gices a fair amount of screen time and development to the whole ensemble cast while several plot lines move forwards. Yet it doesn't feel in any way functional, or like set-up.

We begin in Don Eladio's Mexican mansion that we remember so well from Breaking Bad, with the opening and closing shots both from the distorted view of the pool, in itself a stylish nod to the other programme. The entire scene has a yellowish tint, giving it an air of unreality. Yet Don Eladio emanates constant menace, as though the slightest misstep could mean random death, the ultimate stressful working environment.

And the direction of things, cartel-wise, is clear: Gus is performing much better than the humiliated Hector. And so Hector attempts to intimidate Gus, a serious mistake. He has violated Los Pollos Hermanos, Gus' legitimate business, with his legitimate employees. It's fascinating to see how he cares for his legitimate employees, and their genuine respect for him. He similarly shows respect for Mike and his integrity. Gus is cold, ruthless, a killer, yet he has his principles. He and Mike are two of a kind. Both ruthless, but both men of integrity, in their way. Both actors, too, are exquisitely good. Yet Giancarlo Esposito's subtle facial acting is, as ever, extraordinary.

We know how Hector will end up in a few short years, doubtless a consequence of crossing Gus. At last we have scope for Mike working for Gus, the two of them bonding over their shared intense hatred for Hector. And we know, in the long run, that Gus is going to continue to make Hector suffer.

Meanwhile, we have a fun little scene of Kim and Jimmy plotting- Kim gets a phone call montage!- to exchange Chuck's door repairer for, inevitably, Mike. A burglary, I suspect, is planned. They both know Chuck will have another copy of the tape. Jimmy is humiliated in accepting guilt, with restitution and humi8liation. The next step is to somehow avoid being disbarred, but plans are afoot; Kim has an admission from Chuck that the tape exists. Yet isn't she, a professional, sinkind to his level and slowly ruining herself...?

First class telly. Again.

Henry V (1944)

 "But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make."

It is, I suppose, extraordinary that I've waited so long to see and to blog Laurence Olivier's version of this play, made in no small part to boost wartime morale, a task at which it broadly succeeds. Yet it is, of course, a far richer achievement than that.

The early scenes are inspired. We begin with a panorama of the London of 1600, such a small city focused north of the Thames, with the Tower on the eastern edge and the Globe, with other theatres, situated just south of the river. We then see the Chorus, and the early scenes, played out in the Globe, with glimpses of backstage and much of the groudlings. This makes perfect sense, given the Chorus' pleadings for us to use our imagination to conjure up vast armies and battlefields which cannot be shown in a mere wooden O.

Yet this is cinema, and the film soon shifts to allow us to see such incredible vistas. The matte paintings are obvious, but the effect is one of awe. This is, perhaps, whether we are looking at scenes of Elizabethan London or the muddy French battlefields of the early fifteenth century, a somewhat romantic, 1940s version of the past, reminiscent of The Adventures of Robin Hood. This is, perhaps, too clean and sanitised a recreation of an earlier age which, compared to Kenneth Branagh's version four decades later, does not quite feel lived in. While it is not necessary toshow blood and gore, the overall effect feels perhaps overly sanitised.

Nevertheless, the film is a triumph. Shakespeare stands and falls by acting, and Olivier's performance is spellbinding, the big speeches delivered to perfection. Olivier's style may be a little dated today, yes. That does not make it anything less than great.

One cannot help but see this film, released in the year of D-Day, through the prism of the time it was made. The heavy subtext of the horrors of war, that a war had damn well better be just for the suffering to be worthwhile, is unusually downplayed, the justness of resisting Hitler being clear. Yet the horrors are acknowledged, the humanity and the suffering. And the ending of the play, as Harry woos Kate through the language barrier, feels perhaps a little less odd here as it signifies the hope of peace that original audiences would have felt.

For me, this is not quite up there with Branagh's version. But it is great nonetheless.

Knights of God: Episode 8

 "You can call me Arthur..."

There was me thinking this episode was going to be about Gervase and Julia in the "Wasteland" with Don Henderson and his rough Yorkshire "terrorists", and at first it seems that way. Instead, Arthur turns up almost immediately.

There arev revelations. Brigadier Clark, seen palling with Arthur last episode, is Julia's father. And Mordrin is Arthur's son! Everyone- Gervase's parents included, gets together to plan their next move as Gervase suffers the inner conflict caused by Mordrin's suggestion in his mind, a suggestion he doesn't want to carry out.

The parley between Arthur and Mordrin seems to happen too easily- a dictator allowing himself to be searched for weapons by rebels as Hugo plots a coup behind his back? Yet the cliffhanger is deeply effective, with Gervase seemingly about to kill Arthur.

This continues to be exciting, although parts of the plot are becoming a little shaky in places. Still, we get lots of Patrick Troughton so all is right with the world.

Iron Fist: Bar the Big Boss

 "I know a good family therapist that could help... should any of you survive the night."

This is an excellent season finale, wrapping everything up, or at least wrapping enough things up. Yet there's an episode to go after the surprise cliffhanger. It'll be interesting to see where this is going.

The episode is all about family relationships.We see Ward for the first time in a while, offered freedom from the, er, psych ward by Bakuto and the Hand, causing an almightily dramatic hostage situation with a helpless Harold and Joy. Harold and Joy continue to have a lovely daddy/daughter relationship- poor naive Joy. Yet Harold's ultimate reaction to Wards's betrayal, the betrayal of the son he called a "disappointment" when seemingly about to be beheaded- is admiration. We learn that he, too, killed his father out of ambition. Which is, well...

Meanwhile we have the total breakdown of trust between Danny and his "brother", Davos, who continues to feel abandoned by his bettrayal of his duty to guard K'un Lun... and be with him. They clash over everything, not least the trustworthiness of Colleen, who goes on an admirable redemption journey with the loving help of Danny... who has regainedthe power of the Iron Fist. Fittingly, it is Colleen who defeats Bakuto. Yet she refuses to kill him out of ethics... only for Davos to do so, angrily fight Danny, and leave all mardy like. Well then.

We end with Danny and Colleen declaring they've found family in each other. Good, because it seems the Meachums, or at least Harold, have utterly betrayed them...

Superb telly. But what happens now?

Secret Invasion: Promises

 "I'm Nick Fury. Even when I'm out, I'm in."

This isn't really a Nick Fury show, but more of an ensemble. The different factions of Skrulls get a lot of screen time, with Emilia Clarke excelling as pressured double agent G'iah and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Gravik. Olivia Colman sparkles as Sonya who, it's now clear, is basically a female James Bond. This episode is pretty damn good, more so than the first.

But there's a lot of Fury, the once-lregendary old man who may have lost his mojo, as everyone keeps musing. There's some great character stuff for him, performed to excellence by Samuel L Jackson, an actor of the very first class. We learn that there are a million Skrulls on Earth(!) via his reminiscences of Jim Crow era Alabama. The scene with hiom and Rhodey is superb. There's a lot of fascinating musing, echoing The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, on what it means to be Black in America.

The Skrull plot deepens. The council of Skrulls seems to fall in behind Gravik... and the British Prime Minister, among others, is a Skrull! This is cool. If only people could tell screenwriters across the pond that prime ministers are addressed as just "prime minister". No "Mr" or "Madam". 

There's little else to whinge about, though. I'm enjoying the wit and intrigue. Even the torture scene was amusing. And, so far, the potentially dodgy premise of refugees as baddies hasn't crossed any blatantly unfortunate lines. Here's hoping the quality continues.

Shakespeare in Love by Tom Stoppard at the Little Theatre in Leicester

 “She has been plucked since I saw her last- and not by you.”

I saw this last night, the second play I’ve seen at this splendid establishments, whose players may be amateurs but are no less talented. The stage dressing, choreography and movements are intricate and uniformly excellent. There is a lot of physically demanding acting here, all pulled off with aplomb.

I haven’t seen the film, alas, yet, although enjoying this play so much means that the moment is doubtless soon at hand. But the script is superb. I mean, I’m sort of a massive Shakespeare and Marlowe geek. I know damn well whom the likes of Philip Henslowe and Ned Alleyne are. I appreciate the clever twist that Kit Marlowe’s death is not some kind of conspiracy here, but genuinely just an argument about the bill for a meal. Then there’s the clever metatextuality with how Will and Viola’s relationship echoes the play being written.

Despite the wit, though, the decision to have Viola irreversibly marry the baddie is devastating. Worse, they’re both immediately off to Virginia. In 1593: just Google “Croatoan” if you don’t get what I’m referring to. Certain, desperate death awaits. And yet… her and Will’s love burns bright. It would not have lasted, Will being an unhappily married father of indifferent quality.

This production, though, is worthy of a Shakespeare comedy and is utterly first class. The cast- dog included- are uniformly superb. Alas, the play’s run has now ended, but at least I got to see it. It was magnificent.

Iron Fist: Lead Horse Back to Stable

 "I wasn't chosen. You were. And you took it and ran."

Again we get a bloody good episode. You never quite know what you're going to get with Iron Fist, but this is two very good ones on the trot."

It's fascinating seeing the dynamic between characters here. First there's Danny and Davos, friends, brothers and rivals to be chosen as Iron Fist. Yet Davos sees his brother chosen instead of him... only for Danny to be seen to desert his post. Why? We're still not really told, although we see that Danny is supposed to guard the pass to K'un Lun until he dies. "You know what the rest of your life is going to be. Quite.

Then there's the newly reunited Harold and Joy, soon plotting with Danny and Davos to take down Bakuto. Joy has made financial jiggery-pokery possible, to lure Bakuto into a trap. Yet cracks begin to appear between father and daughter. Harold's new temper once more, and Joy's qualms about the plans to kill Bakuto.

Then there's poor Colleen, the only person in the show at this point who believes in Bakuto and the Hand. Even Claire, the conscience of the show, is disappointed in her. The attempted reconciliation with a bitter Danny doesn't go well, but her loyalties are divided. It's only when she's betrayed to Bakuto by her own former proteges- that must hurt- and about to be killed by the Hand that she heroically escapes, to be reunited by Danny. Yet she's broken, betrayed by the very thing she always believed in.

Intriguingly, Danny hints at understanding how she feels. There's more to be learbed here. But first, Bakuto...

Iron Fist hasn't exactly been consistent. But it looks to be headed for a strong finish. And yes, I know, Secret Invasion. I'll get round to it.

Better Call Saul: Sunk Costs

 "Just so you know, this isn't a typical week around here..."

And suddenly it's all go. We have two narratives, with both Jimmy and Mike, in which events are moving quickly and fateful decisions bdeing made. With Mike, we sort of know the eventual outcome. With Jimmy... I fear for Chuck. I'm calling it: Jimmy is right. Chuck will die alone. This very season.

It's fascinating seeing the calm conversation between Gus and Mike, Gus- not Mike- very much the alpha male, framed as a man of power against the unique New Mexico landscape. Mike agrees, having no choice, to let things lie with Hector. Yet he spies a loophole; Gus and Hector are rivals, not friends. So he merely moves his vendetta to more subtle means, involving trainers, overhead power lines and cleverness.

But Jimmy, oh Jimmy, arrested, put in those frankly unnecessary cuffs and that absurd orange jumpsuit, accused of crimes that could ruin him. And Chuck actually tried to claim it’s for Jimmy’s own good… but it’s not: the eventual preferred plea deal will disbar him. Chuck, as ever, wants to end Jimmy’s lawyerly activities.

And Kim, poor Kim, she who is graced this episode with a montage of her very own. At first Jimmy seems to refuse her offer, but she ends up representing him. This lovely, talented lady is going to be dragged down by a man so very, very unworthy of her love.

Obviously, this is superb telly. That goes without saying.

Mallrats (1995)

"And don't ever lose that nipple!"

Finding a quote for a Kevin Smith film is not exactly the most difficult thing ever, which says something in itself.

Ok, this isn't quite as good as Clerks. It's similar- a geek-cum-romantic comedy with slapstick, wit, heart and profound '90s-ness, but it doesn't have the art house look or the hard hitting ending, nor is thereas much depth behind the humour and the cool. This is Kevin Smith by numbers, with a moderately bigger budget.

But you know what? If this is what Kevin Smith comes up with when he's relatively uninspired, I'll take it. It may not be his best work, but it's still awesome. In fact, it's awesome for the deliberately Road Runner-esque scenes of Jay and Silent Bob trying to get past the security guard and destroy the stage. Stan Lee gets an awesome cameo. The Easter Bunny gets a damn good kicking. Some excellent points are made about Superman's sex life.

The performances are superb. Jason Mewes is excellent as Jay, and we see a lot more of him and Silent Bob, always a good thing. But it's the central comic performance of Jason Lee who holds the film together. The Blind Date-style conclusion is neatly done and, unlike in Clerks, the two sets of lovers are back together by the end. The slacker will forever remain a '90s trope; sunce the 2008 crash, and certainly now, it stands revealed as a luxury from a more prosperous era. But the geek, nonetheless, shall inherit the Earth/.

Knights of God: Episode 7

 "Being with you. That's all I ever thought of."

This middle episode is surprisingly eventful and fast-moving as we seem to be moving into a new phase. The world, and the characters, are well fleshed out by now. Of course, Gervase survives the cliffhanger- only to face another at the end, at the hands of a few terrifying Yorkshiremen from the "Wastelands"- but much changes between these two events.

Gervase and Julia are, indeed, reunited, and it's all very sweet. But they are thrust immediately into a shootout, in which Julia's kind farmer's wife benefactor dies heroically but with the young lovebirds escaping. Meanwhile Arthur delivers some more vague but fasdcinating exposition to an unknown military figure, not realising that Gervase, though otherwise himself again, is conditioned to kill him.

Elsewhere, Mordrin learns of Hugo's treachery; it seems this subplot is coming to a head sooner than expected. And it seems that next episode we will learn more of the people of the Wasteland.

I'm loving the world here, the dystopia with BBC computers, as well as the unpredictable plot. And the series keeps improving as it goes on. Thgis shouldn't be so obscure.

Iron Fist: Black Tiger Steals Heart

 "Wow. You are the worst Iron Fist ever."

Oh, Iron Fist, why so inconsistent? This episode is actually pretty good, all about lies, the murkiness of the truth, whom we should believe, whom we should trust. For 2017, it's a pretty accurate harbinger of the directions in which society has moved.

Joy, of course, has been lied to, in that she was not told of her father's resurrection. Now she knows, and Harold is busy gaslighting her, with some success. Yet his temper briefly shows, and he tells his first outright lie. Yes, by murderous means, Harold performs a boardroom coup, getting the Meachums and Danny reinstated. But is Joy beginning to see through him? It's all cleverly done, with much ambiguity.

But the A-plot, with Danny and Colleen, is even murkier. All starts in a lovey-doyey way, with both of them waking up together, the adorable couple. Then Danny is properly introduced to Bakuto, who shows him more about his powers... and shows him footage of an earlier Iron Fist, from 1948.

But secrets are being kept, as a conversation between the seemingly idealistic Bakuto and the certainly naive Colleen attests. And the secret is out- Bakuto, as much as Gao, is part of the Hand, and so is Colleen. The argument between the lovers is heartbreaking. Colleen is sincere... but Danny is right. Bakuto may be less brutal than Gao, but it seems clear that his wider goals are the same- he even slots right into Gao's place in Harold's life.

And then we find out who Sacha Dhawan is playing- Davos, sent to rescue Danny and return him to K'un Lun. Danny's doubts and anger have lost him his power, his chi. And he's accused of abandoning K'un Lun... why? Worse, the two of them are only able to escape because of Colleen deciding what side she's on. I'm genuinely excited to see what happens next, and I haven't always been with Iron Fist.