John Carpenter - My top 5 movie favourites

I was reading an article in a film magazine the other day entitled 'Great writer/Directors' "Excellent" I thought, particularly when i saw that the first edition was talking about one of my personal favourite directors. Then my heart sank when I saw one of the opening lines…..."Oh, John Carpenter. What went wrong? He's not that good any more is he?" 

Give me strength, or to be more precise, give the man a break. 

It has been something of a bugbear of mine for some time that even at the 'height of his fame' Carpenter never quite achieved the level of reverence that his work should have done. Here in the UK and other parts of Europe he is regarded as something of an auteur - it seems that in the States he is generally regarded as that guy that made one or two decent slasher films then went on to produce movies that started with "John Carpenter's….." A case in point is the first movie in my favourite 5 list below, Assault on Precinct 13, which bombed on it's release in the USA but went onto to great success a year later this side of the pond. As a matter of fact, it wasn't the only movie to struggle on it's initial release, more were to follow in the same vein. Even the success of Halloween, which is arguably his most important movie in terms of impact on not just the horror genre but on cinema as a whole, still didn't guarantee him the status other directors have enjoyed.

I haven't researched the total amount of money his films have grossed over the years. Nor am I able to quantify his impact on modern culture, for me it is immeasurable. Yes, some of his later films may not contain the quality of his 'classics', but he he is still producing some interesting and varied work, never afraid to pursue his art. If you must criticise people, criticise those who want to play safe, to cater to the greater masses. John Carpenter can never be criticised for that.

So, here it is. My personal favourite 5 films from one of America's foremost directors.

1) ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976)

Yes I know. Those of you that know this 70's classic will be immediately asking just what this movie doing on a sci-fi/fantasy/horror blog. Well it's my favourite Carpenter movie by a mile. It's my blog, my rules. So there.

'Well you took your sweet time getting here……"

It's a film that didn't do particularly well commercially or with the critics, which we'll see is a running theme for this list. The plot of the movie is basic and takes place over just a few hours ( A classic Carpenter modus operandi)  and has periods where little is happening or even said. It is what Carpenter does with the material, the creation of near unbearable atmosphere and tension, great action sequences and a simply stunning example of ensemble acting that makes this a movie classic.

The story begins with 3 separate story strands on a Saturday afternoon in LA that will eventually come together to form the tension filled second half of the movie. The first part features Lieutenant Ethan Bishop, played by the always excellent Austin Stoker, who has just undertaken a new assignment after receiving his promotion. He has been given the seemingly innocuous task of commanding an old police precinct (Anderson) during it's final hours before it is closed forever. The station is manned by a skeleton staff composed of another officer and two civilian secretaries.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles street gang called 'Street Thunder', who recently have had six of their members slain by the local police after recently acquiring a huge cache of automatic weapons. Vowing revenge they decide to drive around the streets looking for people to kill. Quite clearly, these are not nice people…..One of the gang shoots and kills a little girl and the driver of an ice-cream truck. The girl's father, in a helpless rage pursues the gang in turn shoots the gang member, whose fellow gang members chase the man into the Anderson precinct. The staff try to ascertain his problem, but by now he is in a catatonic state of shock, he is unable to explain to anybody what has happened to him.

The 3rd strand meanwhile sees a prison bus stopping at the Police station in order to get medical assistance for one of the three prisoners being transported to Death Row at the state prison. 

What then follows for the remainder of the movie is a classic siege scenario as what seems like hundreds of gang members have surrounded the station, cut off the power and now intend to kill everyone inside, forcing the few police and convicts to work together in order to live. 

The true genius in this film is Carpenters ability to turn what, is on the face of it, a standard urban cop thriller and give it the essential spirit of a classic horror movie. That is why this film  in this list. 

A fab short trailer for Assault on Precinct  13

2) THE THING (1982)

Quite simply, a film now regarded as as science fiction/horror classic, though at the time of release was another critical and commercial flop (so once again, to those who are quick to dismiss his later films, beware). It is another of Carpenters films that has a magnificent ensemble cast of familiar, but in this case not overly well-known, character actors. It has a great location, elements of true emotional tension and horror. Oh, it also has one of the finest and unsettling climaxes that you could ever imagine, an ending that has also courted controversy and deliberation amongst fans as to who is actually 'The Thing'.

In this vastly superior version of the 1951 original the story begins with a  terrified Siberian Husky running across the frozen wasteland towards an American research outpost and being pursued by men in a helicopter shooting at it. Even after the dog finds safety with the Americans, the men in the helicopter  land and keep shooting until one of them is shot and the other accidentally blows himself up with a grenade. The Americans learn that the men in the helicopter are in fact from a nearby Norwegian research facility and so decide to fly over to the the Norwegians camp where they find it in ruins with every dead. That subsequent night at the American facility, the dog mutates into the Thing, and the American team realise what really happened to the other camp as they see that the Thing has the ability to transform into anything it kills. For the rest of the movie the men fight an ever horrific battle against the monster, whilst at the same time trying to work out which one of their own ever decreasing team is the Thing in disguise. 

Blessed with a budget that reflected the success of films like Halloween and Escape from New York, the film boasts a plethora of wondrously gory special effects. These in turn become gorier and gorier as the story progresses, the scene when the Thing appears from a dying mans chest and bites off the hands off the doctors arms has particularly gone down in horror folklore. 

However, 'conventional' critics at the time tended to focus heavily on these gory issues and completely ignored the clever pacing of the story and the claustrophobic atmosphere of suspicion and despair the men find themselves in. As a consequence The Thing suffered at the box office in competition with Spielberg's E.T (god help the taste of the general public) and it wasn't until a few years later that the film began to acquire its true status as an stunning piece of cinema. 

Looking back now with the benefit of time its clear to see that the movie is still visually and musically excellent (a fine score by none other the Ennio Morricone) and the much vaunted special effects still look reasonably fresh…….oh, and the feeling of paranoia, that you can't trust people who may not be as they appear still resonates from the actors.  As for the debate about the ending, specifically who of the survivors is actually infected…….hmmm.

                                                                                    The Cinematic trailer for The Thing

  

3) ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)

The first of the two films in this list to feature the delicious Adrienne Barbeau, who for the few of you that don't know, was the then wife of John Carpenter. The lucky, lucky man. The movie also contains something of a stellar cast, which considering the budget available ( only around 6 million dollars) says everything about the reputation Carpenter was starting to accumulate after the worldwide success of Halloween. Major names such as Donald Pleasence, Earnest Borgnine, Lee Van Cleef, Harry Dean Stanton all strut their fine stuff. Add to that, Kurt Russell ( already an established Disney actor), Isaac Hayes and the delicious Adrienne and you have a fine ensemble cast that project the fairly straightforward plot into the realms of classic status.

Adrienne 'Delicious' Barbeau.

Made in 1981,  Carpenter set the film 16 years in the future to 1997, a dystopian imagining where by this time crime has spiralled out of control, the prisons had become overflowing and now New York City is a maximum security prison where all prisoners are placed, with no chance of release. Here they are left to their own devices, which since its conversion 9 years before has now become a place of nightmarish proportions. No police or civilians are allowed to set foot on Manhattan as an enormous containment wall surrounds the island, and mines have been placed on all the bridges and tunnels treading to the prison colony.

The story begins on board Air force one, on which the US President is on his way to international peace summit with a cassette tape the holds the essential information for the  proposed treaty. Unluckily for him however, the plane has been hijacked by terrorists and is forced to crash onto the island. However, luckily for him, he is the President so gets first dibs on the escape pod which is jettisoned from the plane and disappears into the depths of the prison streets.

The Police chief (played by the always excellent Lee Van Cleef) offers a deal to an ex special forces soldier who has now become a criminal,  "Snake" Plissken , played by Kurt Russell (making his second appearance on this list). The deal is simple; If he manages against the odds to rescue the president and retrieves the cassette tape within 24 hours, Plissken will receive a full pardon. Snake reluctantly agrees to attempt the rescue after he has been injected with microscopic explosives that will rupture inside him. The explosives can only be deactivated in the final 15 minutes before they explode, thus ensuring that Snake does not abandon his mission and decide to 'leg it'.  If he returns with the President and the tape in time for the summit then he will be spared. The fact that no-one has ever set foot in the prison, or escaped from it is just a minor inconvenience...

"Just call me Snake"

The film is a tour-de-force of acting, plot rhythm and excitement. Yes the special effects aren't amazing. the computer graphics in particular haven't aged well. However, the atmosphere and raw emotion created by Carpenter and his ensemble of actors, together with the synthesiser soundtrack more make up for any shortcomings. Indeed, the film location (a burnt out area of St Louis acting as the Manhattan prison) serves as an extra character, providing a claustrophobic sense of city desolation. 

The movie trailer for Escape from New York

4) HALLOWEEN (1978)

One of those few movies that has morphed from being just a film in itself and worked its way into not only being a seminal example of the horror slasher genre, but has also become part of of wider cultural and public consciousness. 

The production of the film has itself gone down in movie folklore as It was made on a shoestring budget of only $320,000 and shot over just 28 days in 1978. In fact, the money to make the film was so tight that the main female lead (Jamie Lee-Curtis) was only paid $8000. There wasn't even enough money to buy a real mask for the Michael Myers character so instead a cheap William Shatner mask was purchased for a dollar and a film assistant was put to work with some left- over false hair and white spray paint to make a few adjustments. The money saving didn't stop there as the fake paper leaves used to simulate the late Autumn falling leaves had to be collected by one of Carpenter's minions after each shot in order to be re-used later in the movie.

At the last count, the film has so far grossed  over $70 million worldwide.

"I'm a bit bonkers I am"…..

The film begins on Halloween in a small Illinois town in 1963.  A young boy, Michael Myers, witnesses his older teenage sister,  and her boyfriend kissing in the living room. After seeing the two teenagers sneak up to his sisters bedroom  he puts on a clown mask, takes a butcher knife out of the kitchen, and waits until the boy leaves before entering her room and stabs her over and over again until she falls down dead. He then walks downstairs and wanders outside, with the knife still in his hand. Michael's parents, who have just arrived home, pull off the clown mask that Michael is wearing, to reveal the angelic looking face of the young boy.

This opening scene is a masterpiece of film-making. Designed to look like a continuing single, tracking, point of view shot  that serves to only very slowly make the audience aware that something terrible is about to happen. The final horror is on seeing the boy's face for the first time after he has butchered his sister. It is not the face of a monster. Watch the entire opening scene below if you don't believe me!

The stunning opening scene, in all its glory.

Some 15 Fifteen years later on the day before Halloween, Michael's Psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis (a masterful performance from Donald Pleasence), arrives at the sanitarium in which Michael has been institutionalised. However,  Michael has managed to escape, stealing a car then murders a trucker and stealing his uniform and heads for his hometown with the Doctor in pursuit . On reaching the town Michael breaks into a small store and steals a Halloween mask, a rope and a knife.

The following Halloween day, a young high school student Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee- Curtis) continually sees the mask-wearing Michael around town, but nobody believes her.  Then later at her house she sees Michael outside in the yard, staring into her room. Laurie is starting to become frightened. 

That night, Laurie is babysitting a young boy while at the same time her friend is doing the same with a young girl.  When her friend gets a call from her boyfriend to go and collect him to brings the girl to the house where Laurie is babysitting. But on her way to pick up her boyfriend her friend is killed by Michael, who was hiding in the back of her car. Meanwhile back at the original house another couple of Laurie's friends sneak in and head to the bedroom, where they have sex. While downstairs, the boy is skewered on the wall with a kitchen knife, then Michael strangles Lynda with a telephone cord as she talks on the phone with Laurie. Feeling worried, Laurie heads over to the house to investigate…….

                                                                                Perhaps my favourite scene from the movie.

It is a truly seminal film which provided the blueprint for numerous copycat slasher movies, which in turn became gorier and gorier as the years progressed ( not necessarily always a bad thing!). However, I feel the last word on the power of Carpenter's filming is that contrary to popular belief (and the conservative film critics), the level of blood and gore in this film is remarkably low. In fact he only blood seen is when Judith Myers is killed, on the body of the man Michael killed for his clothes and on Laurie's hand and arm after escaping from Michael. It is actually the emotional power of the casts performances that drives the film - Curtis is especially convincing as the scream queen turned plucky survivor ( strong women being a recurring theme in many of Carpenters' films. The music too once again adds to the various scenes that at times almost suffocate the viewer with an ever increasing panic. A masterpiece.

5) THE FOG

"Almost midnight. Enough time for one more story. One more story before midnight, just to keep us warm. In five minutes, it'll be the 21st of April. One hundred years ago on the 21st of April, out in the waters around Spivey Point, a small clipper ship drew toward land. Suddenly, out of the night, the fog rolled in. For a moment, they could see nothing, not a foot ahead of them. And then, they saw a light. My God, it was a fire burning on the shore. Strong enough to penetrate the swirling mist. They steered a course toward the light. But it was a campfire, like this one. The ship crashed against the rocks. The hull sheared in two. The mast snapped like a twig.And the wreckage sank with all the men aboard. At the bottom of the sea lay the Elizabeth Dane with her crew, their lungs filled with saltwater, their eyes open and staring into the darkness." ……………….

The Fog tells the story of an abnormal, luminous fog that rolls in over a small coastal town in California, bringing with it the vengeful ghosts of sailors who died in a shipwreck of the coast  exactly 100 years earlier. It's not a perfect film by any means, there are numerous weaknesses and flaws, possible due to the over ambitious aims not being able to deal with another limited budget. Indeed, Carpenter himself regards is as one of his more imperfect productions, but it is film that has a special place in my heart, and not just because it once again features Adrienne Barbeau  - I 'm not an obsessive you know………

Adrienne Barbeau, still being delicious

The movie was made just after the huge success of Halloween and is one of the rare occurrences from this list of being a commercial success at the time of it's release, despite the problematic shooting and subsequent re-shooting of a number of scenes.

It begins with a simple lovely scene of an old sea-dog trying, and succeeding, in frightening the bejoopers out of some local kids with a creepy fireside story. 

We then hear that the town, Antonio bay is about to come together to celebrate the centenary of it's formation.  While the townsfolk prepare to celebrate, strange events are taking place in the area as objects suddenly move by themselves, television sets turn themselves on, petrol stations apparently come to life, and all the public telephones (remember them?) suddenly ring all at the same time. 

We learn that 100, the wealthy leper Blake bought a ship to transport his companions from a leper colony to California to build a town for them to live in for a better existence. However, while crossing a fog in a dangerous part of the coast, they were purposely misguided by the village campfire onshore, navigating the course of the vessel toward the firelight and smashing it against the rocks and killing all on board. The Fog is bringing the spirits of Blake and his crew to kill the residents…….

The fabulous opening scene to the movie - a perfect example of how a simple scene set up can be just as atmospheric as any moment of 'slash horror'

The Fog is a brave and ambitious attempt to manipulate story and character by running simultaneously a number of separate story lines which succeeds in making us relate to the residents of the coastal town by witnessing a real sense of community. All these strands are connected by Adrienne Barbeau's character as the late night voice on the local radio 9 and what a smooth sultry voice it is too), while playing playing her selections of easy Jazz. Indeed, this movie is another example of an excellent acting ensemble - Hal Holbrook is especially convincing as the priest tortured by the things he learns about his town. Visually too the film is stunning, in no small part aided by the skillful cinematography perfectly capturing the beauty and essence go the Californian coastline.

The music of John Carpenter

An often overlooked contribution to his movies is the music that Carpenter (the vast majority of which he wrote himself) provides for each production. Forced to write his own synthesiser music due to budgetary constraints in his first few movies Carpenter quickly realised the importance that music can provide. He's never content to let musical score simply accompany a film to fill the odd silence and occasionally add something to the overall effect. Instead the music often acts as a principle character in the story. 

The likes of Assault on Precinct 13 ( the music written in a staggering three day period), Halloween ( where perhaps he created arguably his most iconic piece of movie soundtrack) and Escape from New York would be far the poorer if Carpenter hadn't taken real care and passion to intimately wed the music to the cinematography itself. There are times, particularly in films such as Halloween when the musical score seems to be pushing the action along rather than the opposite way round. Moreover, as the music selection clip below shows, much of his music stands on its own merits as listenable in its own right.

A selection of music from his films……love it.

                                     











John Carpenter - Full filmography (Thanks to http://uk.movies.yahoo.com)

John Carpenter's The Ward (2011)	Director
John Carpenter's Ghosts Of Mars (2001)	Director
Vampires (1998)	Director
John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)	Director
John Carpenter s Escape From L.A. (1996)	Director
Village of the Damned (1995)	Director
In the Mouth of Madness (1995)	Director
Memoirs of An Invisible Man (1992)	Director
They Live (1988)	Director
Prince of Darkness (1987)	Director
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)	Director
Starman (1984)	Director
Christine (1983)	Director
The Thing (1982)	Director
Escape From New York (1981)	Director
The Fog (1980)	Director
Elvis - The Movie (1979)	Director
Halloween (1978)	Director
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)	Director
Dark Star (1974)	Director

The hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (part 2, the review)

I've seen it at last! I have to say that for the most part, the movie is mostly sensational, it really is. I have stayed away from attempting to write a detailed review, the dozens I have glanced over today mostly do it far more justice then I ever could do. However, I did want to say a few things, if only as an excuse to post more pictures from the film.

The plus points…..

One of the strengths of The Lord of the Rings trilogy was the casting of the multitude of characters. Time and effort had obviously been put into choosing the not just the main individuals but also those who had less 'air-time' - Craig Parker as Haldir is a perfect case in point with his emotive and sensitive portrayal of the doomed Elf……yes, Tolkien purists, I know that the movie took liberties with the book's account of Haldir's Elves. It worked I tell you, it worked!

"What do you mean, I'm too tall to be a Dwarf?"

The same can immediately be said of The Hobbit, again the cast is superb. For me, the really interesting friendship arc of the story is that of the one between Thorin and Bilbo. Richard Armitage as Thorin is excellent, providing the audience glimpses of depth within his character that the novel rarely examines. In the book we witness him superficially as grim and ill-tempered for the majority of the journey. Whereas director, Peter Jackson provides us with a real texture to Thorin's personality by adding the back story which was taken largely from the appendices of The Return of the King. It was great to see the relationship of Balin and Thorin expanded too, Ken Scott was marvellous as the former. This went a long way in answering one of my questions as to just how a short novel could be expanded into three long movies..... Oh me of little faith. 

   

'I do look like Ian Holme, honest!"

Martin Freeman is a wonderful Bilbo. He balances the combination of comedic and dramatic timing outstandingly. Some of the scenes are noticeably touching, particularly in some of the exchanges with the Dwarfs and especially when he decides to spare Gollum. Nothing is said, his facial expression is perfectly conveys his sympathy for the pathetic creature . His meeting with Gollum and the game of riddles, if anything, further improves on how it was conveyed in the book. Again the portrayal of Gollum was sublime, seeing the dual personalities arguing and competing against each other give a genuine depth to him that Tolkien was never ably to in the book.

A couple of minor quibbles…..

"No, I am not related to Jar-Jar Binks"

One significant disappointment was the inclusion of the Wizard,  Radagast the Brown, played by Sylvester McCoy. When I first heard that the character who had been omitted from the 'Rings' trilogy was to be included I was pretty happy, this is the wizard who refused to take stand against Sauron and to inspire Men, Elves, Dwarves and all free people of Middle-Earth for good. Instead  he "turned his back on the affairs of men and became more interested with the ways of nature", thereby protecting the world from Sauron in a much different way.

However, this movie sees him as nothing more than a hedgehog doctor who travels around on a sleigh pulled by rabbits. The scene where he and his rabbit sleigh evaded the Wargs while Thorin's band ran around like the Keystone Cops was frankly ridiculous. Radagast's free-floating intrusion into the main storyline again hints at a lazy plot-device. More importantly, he comes across as something of a clown, a figure to provide some comic interlude. 

"I'll just pop round to the pub over in Mordor"

My second 'teeny weeny' little gripe is in regard to one of the many strengths of the original work, which was Tolkien's strict observance of a time line presented in his books by constant referrals to phases of the moon……(cue cries of Geek Alert!!)…... As in the Rings trilogy, people who aren't familiar the books could be excused for believing that much of the story takes place with a few square miles in just a few days. Yet the story takes place over many many hundreds  of square miles over a period of months and years (the distance between the Shire and Rivendell is just over 300 miles itself), we never get the true feeling of that in the film….…just a minor gripe.

But lets accentuate the positives…..

I fully understand that for those who haven't not read the The Hobbit this film might feel a little long and perhaps boring in parts. That's something that seems to have been mentioned in one or two of the reviews from newspapers that frankly seem snobbish in their appraisal  - John Walsh's piece in the Independent was especially patronising and dismissive in both of the genre and its fans. 

Oh blimey does the film look good. The New Zealand scenery is as truly breath-taking as ever, the sets are exquisite, the special effects stunning. 

I thought the pace of prologue was perfect and I enjoyed immensely being immersed in the introductory scenes in Bag End. The linkage between the beginning of the Hobbit and the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring was particularly inspired. I loved the visual interpretation. I loved the Dwarfs and the Trolls. I loved revisiting the Shire and Rivendell ….and so did the packed cinema that I saw the film in.

I CAN'T WAIT FOR PART 2!

The hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

A short pre-amble …..

Tomorrow I'm finally getting to see the The Hobbit movie. Yes, yes, yes, I know I'm a bit late in seeing it. The world and it's dog has already seen what is arguably the most anticipated movie adaption ever. Well, maybe after The Lord of the Rings that is……

I mean, after all it's only perhaps the most important story that's played a part in my life. By rights there are some people that are happy to be called my friends ( some are even happy to be called my family) who were surprised that I wasn't queueing for a week to be first in the cinema…..However, in my defence, the last week has not only brought in the new year. No, it also brought with it a lovely cold ( I say major flu) bug that has made any attempt at concerted thought processing in my brain as easy as, well, as easy as bringing a J.R.R Tolkien novel to the big screen. Now I'm not one to wallow in self-pity (cue sounds of the odd guffaw from assorted family and friends) but I want to experience this movie with as clear a head as possible. Hence the delay. The fact that my local cinema has perhaps the best Nachos on the planet, and consequently there was no way I was going to let my cold bug spoil my enjoyment of them, has nothing to do with holding out for a few more days to see he movie.

Anyway, I digress, back to the point. There are three novels that have had more importance in my life, for varying reasons, than any others; The Hobbit, The Catcher in the Rye and Dracula. Now apparently there has already been the odd movie version of the Transylvanian's various antics - and these in some form may well form the basis of a future blog entry. As everyone on the planet probably knows by now, this is the first cinematic adaptation of the adventures of Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin et al. The Hobbit has formed part of the fabric of my consciousness since it was read to me by our English teacher at primary school. I really wish I could remember his name and thank him for having the effect on my Fantasy education that he did. The sessions we had on a Friday afternoon when he would read passages, then get some of us to read other parts were a magical introduction to a world the entranced me beyond description. He even humoured me in my attempt to read The Lord of the Rings - I was 9 years old, I didn't get very far. He did draw the line at my wish to read The Silmarillion… Anyhoo,  It's not an over exaggeration to say that this story changed my life.

That introduction of mine to the story of Bilbo Baggins at School was about 37 years ago and I've been waiting ever since for it to be made into it's cinematic form. Am I nervous that a book that has played a large part in the imaginative and visual soundtrack of my life could be spoiled by the movie adaptation? (Yes, the makers of 'Dune', I'm talking about you). Well if the truth be told, I am a little nervous. I'm not sure why, as the Peter Jackson treatment of the other Tolkien book, the title of which escapes me…, I thought quite frankly was inspired. Yes it had its flaws, the non-appearance of Tom Bombadil being an obvious but understandable case in point. I personally know some Tolkien purists to this day who have refused to see the whole series. For me though, the whole visual perfection of Jackson's earlier Tolkien film transformation and the near perfect casting gives me little reason to worry.

However, I'm not a Tolkien purist (and believe me I'm not belittling them), so if one or two 'liberties' are taken with the story then so be it. I will admit to having the odd concern about he fact that Peter Jackson has decided to release three movies to tell the story, though there are enough gaps in the plot of The Hobbit ( Gandalf disappearing off on his adventures etc) that should counter any 'padding out' issues. I've tried to stay away from news of reviews as much as I could, wanting to experience the film as freshly as possible. The only word I have had is from the odd friend or two whose opinion I trust. Yes Kimberly Weinburger, people such as yourself.

We shall see, tomorrow will tell. I will let you know if my 'treasured book' works for me or not.

Sci-fi/fantasy movies and tv shows - A few rare or half-forgotten gems.

-

Yes I know. Some of you reading this blog (and big hugs and  a thank you to you if you are) may consider some of these entries as 'not bloomin forgotten at all', or possibly that some of them should actually fall into the 'should have bloomin stayed forgotten' category - particularly one or two of the TV shows. The fact is that from a purely personal standpoint, some of them have been forgotten at some point and then for some reason 'thrust themselves' as it were, back to the forefront of my tiny little mind. For instance, I was driving along the other day through the storms that we've been experiencing in the North of Scotland recently, when for no reason I started thinking abut a sci-fi show that I used to watch back in the 1970's. It isn't a show that is regarded as one of the pantheons of science fiction television, nor is it one that I would personally rank above others. It was a simply a programme that had a particular resonance, providing one of the many entertainment backdrops of my life. That in turn made me mull over some of the other shows or movies that at one time have held a special place for me.

Whenever 'best of' sci-fi shows are listed, they invariably include examples such as Star Trek, X Files, The Twilight Zone, Outer limits etc etc etc. All notable shows of course. Whether it is because of budget restrictions, creaking plots/acting or simply that it was the wrong time and the wrong place, there are sic-fi shows that seem fall into the limbo of remembrance.

So, this is not a 'best of' list. It's purely a subjective collection ( in no particular order) of six or seven shows that for one reason or another hold a special place in my Science fiction and fantasy heart. Its also my little attempt in helping to keep alive the memory of series that should not be forgotten, whether people like it or not!

1) The Quiet Earth, 1985. (Movie)

This obscure and completely underrated New Zealand film is another example of a late night discovery of mine on terrestrial television back in the day when British TV consisted of a grand total of 4 channels. It's gentle paced movie that comes with a plot concept of outlandish cleverness asking the question; What would happen if you were the last person on Earth? And if you were the last person, just what would you do?

Our protagonist, Zac Hobson is a scientist who has been working on a secret and as yet untested global energy grid project. He wakes up one day after an attempted suicide to discover that not only has there been a malfunction with the secret project, but also all human life seems to have disappeared.

I think that at least one time in our lives, we've all fantasized about what we would do in a city where we were the sole inhabitants of a city. What would we do? How much fun could we have? Zac too faces this prospect for real as he alternates between feelings of horror and delight as he runs amok through the deserted city. He literally does whatever he wants, completely indulging himself with anything that catches his fancy from the empty shops stores and buildings, after a period of time taking ownership of mansion and believing himself to be almost divine in nature. Clearly, the isolation is further inducing the onset of insanity.  

Eventually his isolation is ended, partly by his discovery of other survivors, and also due to his increasing guilt as he questions his particular role in the destruction of all life on the planet. Are the fellow survivors real or are they just a figment of his fevered ever increasing imagination? The movie rather cleverly never fully makes this clear, so I'll leave that up to you to decide if you get the chance to see the film. And indeed you must, do not deny yourself!

I won't give away the ending as Zac and his friends stage a daring plan to re-dress the earth's balance. All I will say is that 'jaw dropping' might be one apt description.

The trailer for 'The Quiet Earth' - beware, there be spoilers within!

2) Gemini Man, 1976. (TV Series)

This short lived series featured Ben Murphy as secret agent Sam Casey,  a man who was injured in a diving accident which rendered him invisible (no, really, it did). The secret agency is named INTERSECT and luckily for our hero have found a way to regulate his invisibility by the use of a wrist watch, which is called a "DNA stabiliser". Phew, thank goodness for that! 

When Sam presses a button on the watch it makes him invisible, which funnily enough is rather a nifty trick to have when you're a secret agent. However (there's always a however in a sic-fi series) he can only manage this for 15 minutes per day or else he will become permanently invisible. Cue in each episode Sam going down to the last few seconds available on his watch before saving the day, of course.

Yes, I know it's hokum, cliched and predictable. But it is pure unadulterated enjoyable hokum from an era in Television which wasn't particularly inventive or risk-taking in pursuing fresh ideas in science fiction.

It was also an era when shows didn't immediately garner a following then they were ditched, often midway through first season production. This too was one of many shows cancelled in the 1970's, well before it began to reach it's potential - another prime example of this cut-throat approach to TV making is shown in the last of this very list. A pilot of the series aired on May 10, 1976, and the series began airing on September 23 of that year. As a matter of fact, we in the UK were a little luckier than our American friends because only 11 episodes were ever produced, only five of them were broadcast in the USA before the show was cancelled,  although the entire series was seen on this side of the Pond. 

And yet, this 11 episode series still holds a special place in the hearts of some of us die-hard sci-fi fans.

3) Quatermass, 1979 (TV serial)

No, this is not the classic 1953 serial or the couple of it's excellent sequels and subsequent movie adaptations that regularly feature in fond recollections of classic British science fiction. My choice for this list is the fourth and final television outing for the brilliantly crafted British scientist Bernard Quatermass, reaching British TV screens more than 20 years after the character's last appearance in Quatermass and the Pit. 

In this marvellous four-part series, Britain has crumbled and disintegrated into a mess of the  hippie-esque ‘Planet People’ cult, older deprived bunker-dwellers, and an over-zealous and notorious privatised police force that in some ways parallels the time it was made. In short, it is a country which has descended into virtual anarchy.

In this latest version, Professor Quatermass (played by the ever excellent John Mills) has ceased to be the strong-willed man of action that was seen in the earlier incarnations. Instead, he is now burdened by weariness and confusion, a man of out time in a society that he can barely relate to let alone understand. Quatermass is searching for his missing granddaughter who has joined  the Planet People cult  who believe that society is on a path to extinction and the only hope for humanity's salvation is from alien life. However, we know that they in in fact the victims of an extraterrestrial force which causes them to gather in vast numbers across the planet, before being harvested. Quatermass comes to the inevitable conclusion that there is only one, shattering solution to the theta to the planet. 

Again, this is a production that hasn't acquired the the level of appreciation in part to the success and love for its predecessors. However, it should be judged its more on it's merits as an immense piece of British science fiction. The adaptation is brutally uncompromising in it's depiction of anarchy and desperation that a society could find itself in. Believe me, speaking as a connoisseur of horror, there are some genuinely disturbing moments contained within each episode.

In addition, John Mills is his usual excellent self in the part of the genius professor trying to save what's left of humanity. His performance at the time was much criticised by Quatermass purists and some other critics who felt that the character had lost too much of the qualities that he originally had. Hence, in truth missing the point quite spectacularly of where the character was now in this stage of his life.  For me, this production is perhaps the most spellbinding and disturbing of all the exploits of Professor Quatermass adventures.

4) Alphaville , 1965 (Movie)

Jean-Luc Goddard's futuristic masterpiece features a haggard FBI agent called Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) who is sent to an ultramodern city run by a master computer, where his mission is to locate and rescue an agent who is trapped there and also to  assassinate Professor von Braun, the architect of a state whose people are ruled by logic and science and have been purged of emotion with the aid of an almost-human computer called Alpha 60 that regulates all life in the city.. While on his mission, Lemmy meets and falls in love with Natacha (Anna Karina), the daughter of the scientist who designed Alpha 60. Their love becomes the most significant challenge to the computer's dominance.

Often referred to as a science fiction film without any special effects, Alphaville is quite rightly regarded in some quarters as a sublime piece of film making, in part satirising both film noir and Sci-fi without ever succumbing to blatant parody or insult. Not forgetting that it is also a wildly romantic allegory depicting a computer-controlled Orwellian society which has no room for with artists, philosophers, and lovers. 

On watching this movie for the first time some years ago my first reaction was to be both astonished and delighted in the most delicious of measures. All the elements of the film fuse together beautifully. Raoul Coutard's cunning black-and-white photography turns everyday objects and settings – a hotel lobby, a swimming pool, a room full of  computers, a jukebox, an old camera, the neon-lit Paris suburbs at night, into the contents of a genuinely authentic dystopian future. While the lovely soundtrack score from Paul Misraki brings moments of genuine tension and emotion.

The movie isn't easy to watch, indeed some call it baffling and incoherent in parts. Maybe that's the way great art should be.

5) 2046,  (movie, 2004)

This stunning film is a loose sequel to Wong-Kar Wai's 2000 ' In The Mood For Love'. Though anyone who hasn't seen the first film can easily watch 2046 as it works perfectly on it's own as a stand alone piece of work. Wong brings by equal measures a peculiar and breathtaking story which at face value seems to be about a man and the women he has loved, and lost. The story begins in the mid-'60s, recovering emotionally from a relationship with a married woman, journalist Chow plunges himself into a procession of romances that have no hope of success. He slowly becomes obsessed with the number of the room where he and the woman had their assignations motivates him to write 2046, a science fiction story about a place where people go to forget. The present-day sections are interwoven with the main character’s visions of a future in which robots interact alongside people and an enormous train system connects the world. 

2046 is a near-masterpiece; a beautiful movie about the extent of regret, lost opportunities, and heartfelt torment. The director Wong-Kar Wai succeeds in producing a heady mix of existential drama, romantic suffering and science fiction fantasy. Yes it has a slow pace which wouldn't necessarily fit well with some modern day audiences. However, the slow pace and emphasis on tone only helps you to lose yourself in the stories and let them simply wash over your conscious like a warm summer breeze. 

The deeply textured atmospheric qualities accompanied by a  beautiful and melancholic music score increase the emotional connection emotions to a level that stays with you long after you experience it first hand. 2046 should be regarded as one of the most original and thought-provoking movies ever made. - if only more people would see it.

6) Planet of the Apes, 1974 (TV Series)

My introduction to the Planet of the Apes universe wasn't via the classic Charlton Heston movie, or or indeed any of it's sequels in that progressively dire Movie franchise. No, it was through the short lived spin-off television series from 1974 that first became my introduction the post-apocalyptic world.

Set around a dozen years after the first movie takes place a second spaceship crashes on planet Earth, a planet where human civilisation has been virtually destroyed, and a dominant race of apes has supplanted them as the authority in the world. Unlike the early films, the humans in this version of the Ape planet can talk, read, and live side by side in communities with the apes, although always to assorting degrees under ape control.. The two survivors of the crash are quickly captured by authorities but catch the interest of a sympathetic young chimpanzee scientist, Galen, played by the excellent Roddy McDowell who was essentially re-creating his role from the movie franchise. With Galen's help the astronauts manage to escape and now roam the Planet trying to find a way back to their own time. All the while being hunted by the military commander General Urko, perhaps the most compelling character in the series, who seeks to suppress all technology and make sure the apes maintain their supremacy...

Planet of the Apes: The Television Series lasted only 14 episodes and was cancelled due to low ratings so abruptly it lacks any resolution, the final episode showing the characters adrift on a raft in the sea after once again evading the chasing Apes. Nevertheless it is a much loved series, perhaps even more so on this side of the Atlantic where there were brief attempts to have the show produced financially from this side of the pond whilst keeping the filming in America.