Movie Music Musings: Favorite Composers - John Williams

Favorite Composer?

When I mention my hobby of collecting and enjoying movie scores, one of the first questions I hear is, “What are your favorite scores?” The answer to that is never easy, mostly because it seems to change on a weekly basis. I go through phases with music, enjoying one style over another. Some film scores I like for nostalgic reasons, others I enjoy because they inspire my writing, others take me back into the world of the movie.

So depending on when you ask me I may be in one of these periods where I explore the work of one composer and try to get a well-rounded idea of what their work is like. While I may shift my attention to one composer, it doesn’t mean stop listening to a previous favorite or don’t listen to anything else. But I’ll find myself revisiting a certain composer’s material over and over again.

Originally this was going to be one post about my favorite composers, but the further I got into this, the longer each entry became. I decided to just go ahead and make this a series.

So I’ll give some insight into the composers who I keep coming back to, why I enjoy their work and give you some samples of what I think is their most accessible stuff. As I’ve mentioned before, my musical vocabulary is limited. This is not going to be in depth analysis of styles, but a more general and yes, fan based, approach.

First up, is one of the most famous film composers out there …

John Williams

My love of film music started with my love of Star Wars and so that means John Williams was the first composer whose work I really explored. For a long time I really only had six soundtracks by him, the Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogy. And when you want to talk about the classic John Williams sound, these are the scores that always get mentioned. 

What is amazing about Williams and is really obvious in these scores, is his ability to create so many varied and memorable themes. These themes also perfectly fit the characters and situations they are matched to. This creates a real fusion between the visuals and the music. The result is that when you hear a track from Empire Strikes Back or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom you will most likely remember exactly what moment it is from.

While I love his material from the late ‘70s and into the ‘90s, the man has not lost any of skills. His work on the first three Harry Potter films is truly magical and his music for Memoirs of a Geisha is great stuff.

But Williams had a major style shift at the end of the ‘90s. It revolved mostly around his action music style (and doesn’t affect his dramatic work much). In his earlier work, Williams could create action music that would work as it’s own set piece telling a story in a clear musical way. Some of the best moments in this are the Asteroid Field from The Empire Strikes Back and the Desert Chase from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

His later action music drops the use of themes and ceases to create a story with the music. Instead it goes for a more rhythmic approach, supporting the action with a wall of sound. You can hear this in the Star Wars prequels. The music is still very much Williams but it is less appealing to me than his earlier more theme centric material.

When it comes to film music, I love the adventure scores. The combination of action, drama and usually a little romance is what I end up listening to the most. But Williams is very adept at scoring dramas too. Some of his most dramatic scores are for Spielberg’s films: Schindler’s List, Empire of the Sun, War Horse and Saving Private Ryan. But for me, one of my favorites of his dramatic writing is the excellent score for Memoirs of a Geisha. He infuses a wonderful Asian sound with his typical style, great stuff.

Honestly I feel like I’m leaving out some of his best work. I haven’t mentioned Hook, Jaws, Close Encounters of a Third Kind, Superman, ET or JFK. But I’ve got to stop somewhere. The thing is, if you listen to some of Williams work and enjoy it, chances are you’ll find plenty more to dig into and enjoy.

What’s the best place to start with John Williams? It would probably be Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not only do you get the memorable main theme (The Raiders March), but you also get one of Williams’ best romantic themes with Marian’s Theme. His music for the power and majesty of the Ark is revealed in the awesome cue; Map Room: Dawn. There is also one of the best examples of Williams’ earlier style of action scoring in the track: Desert Chase.

Check out the end credits for the film below. It starts with Marian’s theme, goes into the Ark theme, then unleashes with the Raiders March, Marian’s Theme again and a wonderful reprise of the Raiders March. Adventure scores don’t come much better than this.

Next month we head to the far East with one of my favorite Japanese animation composers: Yoko Kanno.

Tarzan’s New York Adventure (1942)

Introduction:

For the sixth film MGM decided to wrap up the Tarzan series. But they wanted to do something a little different. What follows is the lightest and fluffiest of the Tarzan adventures.

Summary:

It seems that Boy (Johnny Sheffield) is just around to get the plot rolling. This time he meets up with some men who are collecting lions for their circus in New York. After a series of adventures, in which Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) threatens these guys, the hunters take off in their plane with Boy in tow. They assume Tarzan and Jane (Maureen O’Sullivan) are dead. They thought wrong!

Now Tarzan is going to take to the streets. He’s going to find the men who took his son. He’s not going to let the law of the city rule him. He only knows one law – the law of the jungle! Yes sir, Tarzan is going to take out the garbage. Johnny Weissmuller IS Tarzan in “Above the Jungle LAW!”

Sorry, thought I was writing copy for a Steven Segal film. Anyway Tarzan, Jane and Cheetah the chimp head for New York. They get into all kinds of silly adventures. Tarzan tries to wear a suit. Cheetah freaks out some hat girls at night club. And Jane has to explain to Tarzan why you don’t’ take a shower with your clothes on. The movie climaxes with a trial, Tarzan on the run, and stampeding elephants. New York will never be the same.

Good Points:

• The movie seems to know its ridiculous fun and just goes with it
• The chemistry with the jungle family is still a joy to watch
• Tarzan’s romp through the city in the finale was fun

Bad Points:

• Lots and lots of Cheetah and hi-larious antics in the movie
• The finale is lacking excitement
• Animals and people of color are belittled and abused some more

Overall:

Light and fluffy and going for laughs, this Tarzan movie breezes by. If you enjoy the antics of Cheetah, then you might enjoy it more than I did. Overall it’s not a bad way for MGM to end the series, but it’s not something I will revisit any time soon.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 3

Sound: 3

Acting: 3

Script: 2

Music: 3

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 2

Total:  3

In Depth Review

So the final MGM Tarzan film finishes in a similar way Tarzan the Ape Man started – as a fish out of water story. But in Tarzan’s New York Adventure we get to see our hero navigating through the “stone jungle”. Since the series had evolved from rip roaring adventure into family fun, it is no surprise that this movie feels like it was made for young boys to go ape over.

The focus on laughs and silliness means we get less adventure and action. Most of the first act, occurring when the hunters arrive in the jungle is pretty typical. They show up. Tarzan tells them to go away. They refuse. They get into trouble, and Boy helps them. When they see Boy’s skill with the animals they hatch a plan to take him back to New York. But Tarzan isn’t about to let that happen and swings to the rescue with Jane on the same vine.

Then, the unexpected happens, an angry native cuts the vine that Tarzan and Jane are on. Of course it was kinda funny to see the little dolls go plummeting. But then the shock kicked in: in all these movies no one has thought to get the jump on Tarzan that way. Give that native an extra shrunken head in his envelope this year. The natives then ignite the brush around Tarzan and Jane. Thus Boy and the hunters assume our jungle man is a goner.

This is the set up to get Tarzan and Jane to New York to find Boy and take him back home. It also allows us plenty of scenes with Cheetah eating everything in Jane’s makeup case. Yep, most of the humor kicks in at this point as well. It’s pretty simplistic stuff revolving around the chimp doing goofy things. But Tarzan’s reactions to the modern world are pretty great too. Weissmuller provides plenty of great reaction shots when he first sees a taxi, or gets measured for his suit.

For me, the best scenes in Tarzan’s New York Adventure are when he discovers the shower and Jane has to explain its function to him. This must have inspired a similar scene in the old ‘80s flick, Crocodile Dundee. Now that I think about it, this Tarzan movie could have been an outline for the later film. The other classic scene is where Tarzan is put on the witness stand during the custody hearing. Yeah you read that right; Tarzan and his monosyllabic vocabulary are in a trial. Most folks will cheer when Tarzan gets fed up and hoists the lawyer over his head and tosses him.

But rest assured, this is a Tarzan movie, and he will be involved in an action scene or two. Of course without his trusty jungle friends, and trees covered with vines to deal with, Tarzan has to improvise a bit. He climbs buildings, swings across alleyways on telephone wires and pole vaults up a circus tent. Once the baddies know he’s around they do what they can to hold him off, but little do they know that Tarzan is a friend to all animals (kinda like how Gamera is a friend to all children). Once Tarzan arrives at the circus, he uses his patented call to summon the animals to his aid. And since there are Asian elephants pretending to be from Africa around (and since they keep in close touch with their Asian buddies in Africa, they spring to Tarzan’s side and proceed to stampede and rampage around.  All this noise and commotion sends our villains and their car flipping into a ditch. Still not sure how the physics of that worked out.

This movie marks two firsts for the Tarzan films. The main villain does not have a mustache of any kind. Second, the villains do not get eaten by animals of any kind. But the older gent, played by Chill Wills in this case, still gets killed for helping Boy.

Here is what it boils down to. This is the final appearance of the entire jungle family as portrayed the original cast. In that way, Tarzan’s New York Adventure feels more like a fun fill celebration of the whole franchise, than an actual solid story (kind of like Die Another Day in that respect). The humor is dialed way up, and the whole thing seems like a lark. There is a lot of Cheetah in this movie (more than the previous films) and my tolerance was pretty low for the chimp, so keep that in mind. But it was also great to see Weissmuller, O’Sullivan and Sheffield all throw in for one more fun filled romp.

And just because MGM ended the franchise doesn’t mean that Tarzan was going to retire. Nope, Weissmuller returned, with a new Jane, a new studio and a return to the jungle adventure.  

Live and Let Die (1973)

Introduction:

When Diamonds Are Forever wrapped, Sean Connery put his foot down and said, never again. And we all know how that went. So the producers brought in Roger Moore, and he became the James Bond for an entire generation of folks. But the odds weren’t in Moore’s favor, because his first film was based on one of Fleming’s most controversial books. Was this film going to allow 007 to surive into the ‘70s or kill him on arrival?

Summary:

Three British operatives are killed while investigating Dr. Kananga (Yaphet Kotto), the rich and powerful diplomat of a Caribbean island.  M (Bernard Lee) assigns his best agent James Bond (Roger Moore) to the case.  Bond finds himself in Harlem, New Orleans and finally the island of San Monique.  The lovely Solitaire (Jane Seymour) seems to be the key to the investigation, but to get to her Bond must face the iron hook hand of Tee Hee (Julius Harris), the dreaded Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) and the mysterious Mr. Big.  With help from Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), Felix Leiter (David Hedison) and Sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James), Bond just might be able to Live and Let Die.

Good Points:

• Moore, Seymour and Kotto provide some solid performances
• The first half of the film is a gritty throwback to classic Bond
• The musical score by George Martin brings the ‘70s funk to the Bond sound

Bad Points:

• The second half of the movie slogs to a halt
• The boat chase is one of the dullest action scenes in the entire series
• The humor comes across pretty forced

Overall:

This is one of those movies I feel bad for not liking. There are so many elements in place that are good and nearly work. But time and again director Guy Hamilton diffuses the entire thing, but throwing in a comic moment at the wrong time or editing an action scene into a bore. If you do see this one, see it for some fun performances and a solid turn in the role by Moore.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 3

Sound: 3

Acting: 4

Script: 2

Music: 4

Direction: 2

Entertainment: 2

Total:  2

In Depth Review

Let me get this out of the way, I like Roger Moore in the role of James Bond. I think he had a fun take on the character and could even give the part of bit of an edge when needed. Sometimes the scripts got a little too tongue in cheek and Roger had to play it pretty light. At those times, I roll my eyes but I’m usually along for the ride. But what is interesting about Live and Let Die is that we can actually see the franchise finding its feet.

First there was a new Bond to introduce, and lets be honest the last time this was attempted (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) the result was not to the producers liking. But Moore was more of a known quantity, being very familiar to audiences especially playing The Saint. Moore had plenty of acting experience and the decision was to let Moore tackle the role without trying to be Connery. We see it in his choice of drink (bourbon), his enjoyment of cigars, and in his more genial approach to the situations at hand. But we also see the darker side of Bond here (something that would pretty much vanish by the time The Spy Who Loved Me rolled around). When you watch the movie, you actually see a very accomplished performance as Bond, even if the movie around him doesn’t quite work.

Live and Let Die was always going to be a tricky adaptation. Nearly all the villains in the story are black, and there are some pretty unpleasant attitudes in it. What is interesting is that the movie is able to turn these into a strength. The villains lead by the debonair but deadly Dr. Kananga are some of the most competent and powerful Bond had faced yet. At nearly every turn Bond finds himself overwhelmed, outmatched and barely getting out of the situation by the skin of his teeth. When the movie is clicking, there’s a real sense of danger to the whole operation, and that’s because the bad guys are so good. Kotto plays his part with an intelligent malice. And his two henchmen, Tee Hee and Baron Semedi are very intimidating. The movie doesn’t make this into a white against black story – but a good versus evil story. And Kanaga is one nasty customer with a villainous plot that will turn half the U.S into heroin junkies.

How can I review this film without talking about Jane Seymour, looking absolutely beautiful in her costumes and practically glowing in each scene. She certainly is bewitching and we can see why Kananga and Bond are fighting over her. Sadly the part of Solitaire is underwritten, but Seymour does what she can with it. Yes, she’s basically the damsel in distress, but she never comes across as stupid or pointless (unlike the love interest in the next film The Man with the Golden Gun).

 Since we’re talking about things I like about the film, let’s get into the music. I know it’s a bit of a heresy to say this, but I’ve never much cared for the Wings version of Live and Let Die. It was always just a little too cheesy for my tastes. But I do have to say that the tune itself is solid and I like that it rocks (as much as Wings can be said to rock) taking the feel of the film in direction away from the more brassy and very ‘60s stylings of the previous films. Bringing that oh so modern touch, in a ‘70s way, to the score is George Martin. He takes the Bond theme, the title song and turns them into funky guitar lead tracks. You’ve got your wakka-jo-wakka guitar material and it works great. Yes, it immediately dates the film, but if the clothes and cars didn’t already do that for you – then you must be blind. Bond films are great gauges of popular culture and music is part of that.

Speaking of popular culture, one of the interesting things that happened as the Bond franchise left the ‘60s is that instead of being on the cutting edge of pop culture, Bond was taking what was hot and fitting it into the Bond template. Live and Let Die is a perfect example of this. Blaxsplotaiton films had just erupted onto the scene the year before with films like Superfly. So maybe the decision to give Live and Let Die the green light was more calculated than I originally figured. Add to that the more edgy feel of the first half of the film. This may be one of the first times we actually see James Bond in a less then glamorous spot, in the slums of New York. It all feeds into an interesting theme in this film.

I can’t remember where I read this, but someone compared Live and Let Die with the myth of Orpheus. In a sense James Bond visits the underworld and battles with the forces of death. This is lateral and figurative. Death is all over this movie – from the title, to the embodiment of death in Baron Semedi. Solitaire’s ability to see the fate (and death) of others plays a key role. Bond literally is pulled underground in the Filet of Soul restaurant. Mr. Big is called a king of the criminal underworld. Then there’s the fact that Bond is very much the alien in this film. He nearly always looks out of place in surroundings and seems unable to get the upper hand. Even the last shot of the film features the embodiment of death impossibly sitting on the front of rocketing train and laughing at the audience – as if to say, there is no escape.

It’s an interesting conceit and one that almost makes the movie more interesting then it turns out to be… almost.

What really ticks me off is that the first hour of the movie is actually pretty good. It’s gritty, it’s dark, and it’s got an edge to it. Moore isn’t playing it too lightly, and the humor is a bit more organic to the situations. Sure there are a few cheesy moments. For example, the entire pre-credit sequence is just too silly and it doesn’t work as a neat mini-movie, something that previous and future Bond films excelled at.

When the film crosses into the second hour the wheels start to come off. Bond arrives in New Orleans and the pacing just stutters to a slow crawl. Most of the chases and escapes from this point on are filmed and edited poorly, draining all tension from them. And some of these should work. The crocodile farm scene just feels limp, and the great stunt work there is lost. But the real issue is the boat chase. This should be, and could have been one of the greats. But Hamilton just botches the whole thing. There are some great stunts here too, with some crazy jumps and explosions, but the whole thing just feels like it goes on way too long and has no tension in it. Compared to the amazing chase down the Thames in The World is Not Enough – well there is no comparison.

The final nail in the coffin is the abysmal character Sheriff J.W. Pepper, who is supposed to be HIGH-larous. Instead he’s so damn annoying that you are chanting for him to die. I get it, he’s supposed to be the honky southern police officer stereotype that blaxsploitaion flicks loved to smash. Clifton James plays the part to the hilt, with such over the top antics that I’m amazed any scenery was left standing. This hideous character injected into the languid pacing for the boat chase makes it one of the worst set pieces of the franchise.

As a whole, the humor really makes its appearance in the second half. There are some terrible one liners here and the whole chase on the airfield including an old lady learning to fly with James Bond is pretty cringe inducing.

The only thing worse is the amazingly stupid death for Dr. Kanaga. Death by inflation. Yes, he actually expands till he explodes. During my first viewing, I had to rewind the film to make sure I actually saw this. Was it supposed to be funny? Maybe ironic? I don’t know, but it is right up there with dressing James Bond up as a gorilla – but we’ll keep that for the review of Octopussy.

The last time I watched Live and Let Die this final hour killed the whole experience for me, and I declared it the worst of the official franchise films. But this time, I appreciated it a bit more. The first hour is pretty darn good. For a first crack at the role, Moore is up to the task. But the second half nearly kills it, nearly. There’s some fun to be had here, and if you’re in the mood for something a bit different in your James Bond flick, check it out. But when it comes to Moore's films, you might be better off with For Your Eyes Only or The Spy Who Loved Me.

Soultaker (1990) - MST3K Review

Summary:

Natalie (Vivian Schilling) just wanted to have some fun at Summerfest with her friends. But things go wrong after Zach (Gregg Thomsen) and his pal Brad (David Fralick) offer drive her home. On the way back, a mysterious man in black (Joe Estevez) steps into the road and causes the teens to crash. Amazingly they are unhurt, but now they start seeing the man in black (not Johnny Cash or the Dread Pirate Roberts) pursuing them. 

It becomes apparent that he is a dangerous killer with supernatural powers. One by one he hunts them down and takes collects their life essence. For Natalie there is no escape, because her destiny is entwined with the desire of a Soultaker.

Movie Review:

You know, Soultaker has a good story inside of it. You've got the angels of death wandering around taking souls. There is a hint of some kind of cosmic order, and an idea about reincarnation. There is a dark mystery to the title character, that hints at something deeper. The film could have been a lost gem, like Trancers.

It's just a shame that these kernels don't develop into a  successful movie. Vivian Schilling not only plays the lead but also dreamed up the story and wrote the script. She should have picked one roll over the other. The script needed another couple drafts by a writer with a clear idea of constructing a thrilling story.

But that leads to another question, what type of movie is this: straight horror or  supernatural thriller. If this was a horror film, then the Soultaker concept needed some streamlining. Something simple like the teens souls are jarred from their bodies and the Soultaker is coming for them. Now you have a prototype for Final Destination. If they were going for more of a supernatural thriller, more depth was required for the concept of the afterlife, the duties of the Soultaker, and the properties that a free soul possesses. Instead the script never has any fixed rules, and plays fast and loose to make things work. Because there are no rules, we don't feel any threat to any of the characters and any sense of danger is lost.

The acting is uneven. Schilling is pretty good as Natalie, keeping things fairly realistic for a character in that situation. Fralick provides a solid streak of sociopath for the drug dealing friend, Brad. Estevez is very good as the Soultaker. He is pretty menacing as he hunts down the wayward teens. But more impressive are later scenes where he adds a sense of lonliness to the character as he tries desperately to to convince Natalie to stay with him. Just like he did in his small part in Werewolf, Estevez takes the role and runs with it.

Our leading man, Thomsen is not very convincing. At the beginning of the film when he's hanging out with his friends and interacting with Natalie, he seems to be playing himself. But when he has to slip into serious protector mode, the effect is comical. Rounding out the cast is Robert Z'Dar as the lead Angel of Death. Z'Dar appeared in all kinds of straight to video horror, action and sci-fi flicks since the '80s and '90s. His features are perfect for an intimidating character. Unfortunately the film tries to make him mysterious by electronically altering his voice. Combined with his somber expression the effect is really goofy. Z'Dar made another appearance on MST3K in Future War.

Maybe the real deal breaker is the botched climax. The finale consists of the Soultaker chasing the remaining souls through a hospital. Because there are no clear rules for the souls or the Soultaker the audience has no clue what is on the line. What is the deal with the midnight deadline? How come souls have to open doors and can be affected by gravity? None of this is explored, we just get to watch our cast play hide and seek in a hospital. 

Still there is an ambitious film at the heart of Soultaker, and I kinda feel bad for coming down so hard on it. With a little more work on the script, this could have been a fun and memorable flick. Luckily there is plenty of great stuff for Mike the bots to delve into.

Episode Review:

Season Ten of Mystery Science Theater 3000 starts with a bang. They've got a solid sci-fi flick to mock and all kinds of special guests and antics in the host segments. I think the crew at Best Brains knew this would be the final season of the show and decided to do something a little special for this episode.

Things start off with a brand new opening credit song and title sequence. Now Castle Forrester is mentioned and you get some scenes of  Gorgo smashing up a building. This is a nice callback to the Comedy Central years that featured Joel and the bots watching a Godzilla film during the opening titles.

The host segments begin with Crow and Tom participating in a wet T-shirt contest. It's not what you think. Then the Satellite of Love begins to seriously malfunction. Mike and the bots ask Pearl for help, but she doesn't care and sends them the movie. At the next break a very annoyed Gypsy tells Mike that a mysterious ship is following them. Mike tries to take command but is less effectual than Captain Cameron from Star Trek: Generations. The next break starts with the Satellite hurtling out of control and our heroes in mortal peril. Unfortunately Pearl can't help because a Soultaker has appeared in the castle and is after Bobo's soul! Pearl takes matters into her hands and the Soultaker is revealed to be TV's Frank from the Comedy Central years! Frank and Pearl immediately hit it off and reminisce about old times (they were buddies in the Comedy Central years and delighted in mocking Dr. Forrester). Meanwhile, the mysterious ship saves Mike and the Bots.

In the next break the mysterious ship docs alongside them and it turns out that they are rescued by Joel Robinson (the original host of Mystery Science Theater 3000)! Joel and the bots reunite (with Joel even mentioning that Crow sounds kinda funny) and he tells them about his life after escaping from the Satellite. In the final segment Joel has fixed the Satellite and tells Mike and the bots that he can't take them back to earth. He feels that his years on the Satellite "made a man out of him" and that if Mike and bots stick it out, it might work for them too. Rejuvenated with that desire, Mike and the bots swear to carry on. Back on earth, Frank explains that he needs a soul. Bobo volunteers and then Frank and Bobo play a fun game of ring toss with Bobo's soul. Those guys!

As for the movie, Soultaker provides a ton of riffing fodder. The dated low budget special effects and silly looking props appear all over the place. Questionable acting combined with ludicrous  dialogue for some hilarious scenes. But mostly it's the late 80's vibe the whole movie has. Sure, it was released in 1990, but the whole look screams 1988. And as I've mentioned, cheesy '80s sci-fi make for some of my favorite episodes for Mystery Science Theater 3000.

In an odd twist of fate, this is one of those rare occurrences where the movie is almost interesting enough to distract from the riffing. The Soultaker concept is pretty neat and makes for some possible thrills. But in this case, it helps the show cook along at a good pace. The only real moment of slog occurs at the end when even Mike and bots are at loss with the endless hospital chase scenes.

It's a minor hiccup really, because there is so much to enjoy. The riffing tackles the oh so 80's Summerfest where Natalie and Brad meet cute. The visual effects of Soultaking provide plenty of comments. Mike and bots marvel at the oddity of Robert Z'Dar's face, wondering if he is storing nuts in his huge cheeks. They even provide extensive commentary when one character dares to imply that Led Zeppelin may be wrong. "What are you saying man? That Sabbath is wrong too?"

My favorite sequence of episode is when Natalie decides to take a shower. The bots get all excited the potential nudity. But then Crow gets something in his eye. He runs from the theater trying to find some eye wash. Meanwhile Mike and Tom tell him he's not missing anything at all - while the whole shower scene plays out. Poor Crow. The interplay between Crow and the guys is hilarious and Tom and Mike keep right on riffing the whole time. Great stuff.

In a way Soultaker is a great one for long time fans of the show. The special appearances by Joel and Frank always bring a smile to my face, and provide some good laughs too. Most dedicated fans rate this as a favorite based on the host segments alone. I find the riffing to be above average but not quite top notch.

I give this episode 4 soul rings out of 5.

This episode is available in the Mystery Science Theater Volume XIV.

The Flight that Disappeared (1961)

Introduction:

This popped up on Netflix download because we watched It! The Terror From Beyond Space. The premise sounded intriguing, so we gave it a shot. Was it a hidden gem or a buried bit of flotsam?

Summary:

It’s just another day and another job for the crew of a cross country flight from Los Angeles to Washington DC. Along for the ride are three scientists who are working on elements that could unleash the ultimate weapon – the most powerful atomic bomb ever created! Before you can say Rod Serling, the flight is targeted by an incredible force. As the plane climbs higher and higher, the crew is at a loss. Who has targeted these people and what does it want with them?

Good Points:

• An interesting premise
• Has some pretty tense scenes once the anomalies kick in
• The acting is pretty solid

Bad Points:

• Takes a pretty thin story and stretches it way too long
• Heavy handed in it’s moralizing
• You keep waiting for Mr. Serling to show up 

Overall:

Normally comparing something to The Twilight Zone isn’t a bad thing, but in this case, this feels more like a rejected story that got stretched way past it’s running time. While elements of it aren’t bad, the whole thing drags and the surprise ending isn’t too surprising. Not quite bad enough to riff on, and not quite good enough to be good find. Sadly, it’s just kind of there.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 3

Sound: 3

Acting: 3

Script: 2

Music: 3

Direction: 2

Entertainment: 2

Total:  2

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.   

Thor (2011)

Introduction:

Having grown up with a great love of mythology I was very familiar with Thor the Norse god of thunder and lightning. His adventures with his half brother Loki in the realms of the giants are the stuff of legend. But the only thing I knew about him as a comic book character was that he appeared in Adventures in Babysitting.

Summary:

On the inter-dimentional world of Asgard, Lord Odin (Anthony Hopkins) has been keeping the peace between his warlike people and the dreaded frost giants. His son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is next in line for the throne, but the young man is rash and aggressive. A few dead frost giants later, Thor has started a war and is banished from Asgard. This leaves the door open for his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to make a move on the throne.

But all is not lost, because Thor has been banished to a world known as Earth. There he meets the lovely scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who is fascinated by dimensional travel, and also Thor’s muscular arms. Now Thor must come to grips with his exile, figure out what Loki is really up to and stop the frost giants from invading Asgard and destroying his home. Stallen Skarsgard, Ray Stevenson and Rene Russo round out the cast.

Good Points:

• The world of Asgard is a visual wonder of high tech and Norse design
• The dynamic between Thor and Loki has serious potential
• Meets its popcorn movie targets 

Bad Points:

• Most of the Norse myth is twisted beyond recognition
• The plot is pretty flimsy and the love interest element is dull
• The events on earth aren’t too interesting 

Overall:

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film helmed by Kenneth Branagh, and he brings his operatic touch to the film. When the movie focuses on the intrigue and battles in the fantasy realm, the movie whips along with zeal. But once we hit earth, things get bogged down in set up for The Avengers. This same problem plagued Iron Man 2. And you end up with a similar grade here, an average summer fun flick that could have been a bit more interesting. But wow is Jaimie Alexander smoking hot as Sif the warrior valkyrie from Asgard. Make a movie about her!

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 5

Sound: 4

Acting: 3

Script: 3

Music: 3

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 3

Total:  3

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