Things I Love - Somewhere In Time

I can't remember the first time I saw this film. In fact, I can't remember a time in my life when I hadn't seen this film. 

Image from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081534/

I should start by saying, I am not really a fan of soppy, romantic films (except for The Notebook!!), but for some reason this film really captured me. Let me try to explain why.

Somewhere In Time tells the story of a young playwright, Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve). On the opening night of his first play, he is approached by an elderly woman he doesn't recognise. She gives him a pocket-watch and says to him "Come back to me". He is bemused by this encounter. Several years later and, the now successful, Collier is suffering from a severe case of writer's block and decides to leave the city to find some inspiration. His journey takes him to the Grand Hotel, where he sees a photograph of a beautiful young actress, Elise Mckenna (Jane Seymour), who performed in a production at the hotel in 1912. He immediately falls in love and decides to find out everything he can about her. During his investigation, he finds a picture of Elise taken just before her death. Elise Mckenna is the same lady that gave Richard the pocket-watch 8 years previously. This knowledge and his intense feelings for her drive him to travel a strange path.

(I would like to think that anyone that sees this post and hasn't seen this film will give it a watch after reading this, so I won't give any more details)

But why did I love the film?

Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somewhere_in_Time_%28film%29

1. Christopher Reeve - he plays this role beautifully - from the bemusement of the original meeting, to the passion and the heartbreak. He is also very handsome. He also has a beautiful chemistry with . . .
2. Jane Seymour - you really do believe they love each other. 
3. The location - the Grand Hotel is the perfect location - so timeless and elegant. It is a character in itself.
4. The story - well written and though fantastical, is believable.
5. The Soundtrack - the music is sublime!! I cannot hear it without crying - it is so evocative. This, too, is a character in its own right. There are two pieces that mean the most to me. The first is a piece by Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. The second is the main theme written by John Barry. Perfect.

The film is based on a book, Bid Time Return, by Richard Matheson. The book has now changed its name to be the same as the film title. I recently read the book for the first time. It too is fantastic. Very cleanly written, with little 'waffle'. It differs slightly from the film in a few places, but overall, the book and the film are very similar. My personal preference is for the film.

I would love to hear thoughts from anyone else who has seen the film and also from anyone who watches the film based on this (fingers crossed maybe one of you will!).

Film (1980)

Starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer.

Directed by Jeannot Szwarc

Book (1975)

Author Richard Matheson

Original Title Bid Time Return

D r a g g i n g I t O u t

 

Sometimes, you watch a show and think

 

'Why did they drag it out for so long?'

There have been a few shows over the last few years that would have been greatly improved if they had not stretched the story out for a 22/24 episode series on US TV. A few, in particular, spring to mind - Flashforward, V and the last series of Torchwood. I'll come back to Torchwood but the other two were shows that I was really looking forward to - they had strong casts and interesting premises. But, jeebus, they went on! As for Torchwood, compare, if you will, the last series (Miracle Day) with series 3, Children of Earth.

• Children Of Earth was 5 episodes shown Monday to Friday in the same week. This was incredibly exciting. The characters were developed, but the small number of episodes meant that the pace was what made the show exciting.

• Miracle Day was 10 episodes shown weekly. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and loved the emotional resonance of learning more about Capt Jack's lost love. However, it was WAY too long! They could have easily cut out 2-4 episodes of this and the pacing, which was at best turgid, would have been at the same level of Children of Earth.

Some ideas are not meant to be stretched out over 22/24 episodes and 5 series. And that is OK. 

This is another reason why I like the cable networks approach of doing fewer episodes in a season - True Blood is 12 episodes and Game Of Thrones is 10. 

I don't mean that I don't want any 22/24 episodes seasons. I'd just like them to contain a story that suits that format.

Things I Love - This Life

Image from:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2006/dec/08/ilove1996

BBC Two

32 Episodes (1996 - 1997)

Reunion episode (2007)

I was 21 when This Life first aired in the UK and I watched it from the beginning. This was unusual for me at that time, as I watched very little TV (other than SM:TV on a Saturday morning while hungover!). I can't remember quite WHY I did choose to watch it, but I did.

The story centres on a a group of lawyers in training, sharing a house in London.

• Egg - played by Andrew Lincoln (now the lead in The Walking Dead). Egg is struggling to fit in as a solicitor and is not sure he has taken the right path. He is down to earth, loves football and is in a long-term relationship with. . .
• Milly - played by Amita Dhiri. Milly is very calm and focussed on becoming a solicitor. Some may say she is not a party animal, unlike . . . 
• Anna - played by Daniela Nardini. Anna is a vixen! She is strong and ballsy. And a little bit slutty! She also has her demons. One of them being . . .
• Miles - played by Jack Davenport (went on to star in the Pirates of the Caribbean films and the TV series Smash). Miles is arrogant and scared. Scared of not being perfect. And scared of his Dad. Anna and Miles have a strong attraction that is played on throughout the series. Miles does not have such a happy relationship with . . . . 
• Warren - played by Jason Hughes. Warren is welsh and gay. His openness causes Miles some discomfort along the way, but Warren is an immensely likeable and warm character. He is only in series one, during which he meets . . .
• Ferdy - played by Ramon Tikaram. Ferdy becomes Warren's lover, though he is not openly out and is engaged to be married to a woman. After Warren's departure at the end of series 1, Ferdy moves into the house in his place.

This Life was a quality show, as seen in the cast list. The writing was fantastic. The characters entirely believable and could be related to. It also had a fantastic humour.

But most of all it didn't hold back in the storytelling. The show was aimed squarely at the age group being portrayed by the characters and showing issues affecting them. And it did it in a very believable way - the characters messed up, made mistakes and swore! A lot. And shagged. A lot.

It is also an important show in the depiction of the gay characters within it. With Warren and Ferdy, we were given 2 gay men that weren't the stereotypical mincing queens, as it seems they had previously been depicted as. It showed the gay characters in such a light that showed that (shock horror!) they were just the same as straight characters, going through the same issues, having the same feelings. I found this fantastic.

Adults Only

Last night, I was dragged taken to the cinema by my husband to see the new film Evil Dead. Don't get me wrong, horror is one of my favourite genres. The reason for my lack of enthusiasm for this particular horror was twofold:

1. Getting a little bit sick of remakes.
2. Getting a lot sick of 15 rated films.

I understand the logic behind 15 rated horror and action films and I have enjoyed many of these offerings - in particular The Cabin In The Woods and the Paranormal Activity films. 

Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhead_%28Hellraiser%29

But I grew up in a time of Freddie Krueger, Pinhead and Jason. 

A time of proper, bloody, 18 rated, adult films. And not just horror films. Action films too, such as Die Hard, which I recently rewatched. It wasn't until said rewatch that I realised quite how much I am missing 18 rated films. Go and rewatch the first Die Hard, then watch the latest in the franchise and you will see what I mean.

The assumption by the studios that teens are the only demographic with the disposable income to spend at the cinema is insulting and galling. 

And this is why I am so glad to see the return of the 18 rated horror film in Evil Dead. This film is by no means perfect but I found myself engrossed in it. It is tense, grippingly so. Jane Levy in the main role is fantastic and proves her ability to carry the lead in a film as she has proven that she can carry the lead in a tv comedy in Suburgatory. It is beautifully shot, with the use of camera angles adding to the tension. They have managed to add in some backstory to the characters without making it schmalzy - not an easy thing methinks. It also had several nods to fans of the original, including Sam Raimi's Oldsmobile, without excluding newcomers.

I would like to think that Evil Dead being released with an 18 rating in the UK and hopefully being a commercial success will herald a change. 

And so, I would ask you to go and see this film. Make the studios aware that are people over the age of 18 in the world. 

Yippeekayay Motherfucker!

Things I Love - The Dresden Files

By Jim Butcher

I love reading. Always have, but it has only been recently that I have started reading fantasy fiction. I had tried several times, mainly when I was lickle, to read classics such as The Lord Of The Rings and I just couldn't. I think it's an imagination issue - I find it really difficult to take the author's words and translate them in to an image in my mind. So, I've found that I get on better with fantasy that is set on Earth as this doesn't require too much of my poor mind (please don't take this as a slight on this type of fiction! I'm slighting my mind and its slight powers). One such series is The Dresden Files.

The Dresden Files is about a man named Harry Dresden. He lives in Chicago and is a Private Detective. He is also a Wizard.

But my first encounter with The Dresden Files was not with the books. It was with the TV series. Sadly the show only ran for 12 episodes before it was cancelled by the US network it was showing on. As happened with other more famous shows (*cough* Firefly *cough*), the network hadn't treated Dresden too kindly and had shown the episodes out of order. When the show was on air in the UK, we didn't have the channel that it was showing on but we had seen a trailer for it and decided to put it on our DVD rental list. The discs came and we watched. 

Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dresden_images_downloads_desktop_cast_800.jpg

And loved.

I loved Paul Blackthorne in the main role as Harry, honourable but slightly goofy. Valerie Cruz as Murphy, the brave policewoman Harry works with. Terrence Mann as Bob, the spirit of a man cursed for eternity to reside in his own skull, never to pass on. The clever twists on oft-used tropes. The humour. The relationships. The possibilities that would never be. We recently rewatched the series and the pain of the cancellation has not lessened. I have tweeted a few times with one of the producers and he has said what he would have done in series two and it made me even sadder.

Anyhoo (wipes away a tear), whilst watching an episode we saw on the credits that the show was based on the series of books by Jim Butcher. I decided that these needed further investigation. So off I went to the library.

I read the books. More than that, I ravaged them. Every page. Then I bought them all. And read them again. The TV show had been my gateway drug. 

If the TV show is a raindrop, the books are an ocean. They start relatively simply, with each book dealing with one of Harry's cases. As they go on, the characters are developed, the scope of the storylines expand and you find yourself moving from the shallows into the Marianas Trench! Characters and storylines that are mentioned, are brought back in later books. This is one series where re-reading definitely pays off. 

One of the main things that I love about The Dresden Files is the author's voice - given to us through Harry - and through him we know that Jim is one of us - a nerd!! The books are littered with Star Wars, Evil Dead and Buffy quotes, creating a real link between the reader and Harry/Jim.

Although the TV show and the books have many differences, there are several things that connect them - Harry's out of date chivalry, the adventure, the fun, Harry's self-doubt, Murphy's frustration with Harry's idiosyncrasies, a world weary Bob, the dutiful Morgan, the duplicitous Bianca, Chicago, etc!

We are currently on the 14th book and Jim Butcher has said that he is expecting to write 20-ish, with a three book, apocalyptic finale. If you would like to know, here is the list of books in order:

Image from: http://www.jim-butcher.com/

Storm Front
Fool Moon
Grave Peril
Summer knight
Death Masks
Blood Rites
Dead Beat
Proven Guilty
White Knight
Small Favour
Turn Coat
Changes
Ghost Story
Cold Days
and Side Jobs - a short story anthology.

There are audio books of each of the novels, with all but Ghost Story, being read by James Marsters (Spike from Buffy).

There are also graphic novels:

Storm Front (adaptation of the novel)
Welcome to the Jungle (an original story)
Ghoul Goblin (an original story)

If you would like more information, the best place to go is http://www.jim-butcher.com/ 

Enjoy!! 

Things That Make You Go EWWWWWW

When was the last time that something you watched made you really uncomfortable?

I mean REALLY uncomfortable?

I wonder if you CAN remember? I'm guessing, you can't.

I can. But why does it matter??

It seems to me that we have got too comfortable. Our films and TV shows are crowded with brain numbing offerings. Things that allow you to just sit and turn off. Reels and reels of bad blockbusters about things that were toys when I was little. Hours of endless predictable dramas and procedurals - when was the last time you didn't guess the killer because they'd cast a big name in a guest role?? And I'm not even going to go for the (too easy) target of reality shows.

We do need this, don't get me wrong, I smise with the rest of em when Tyra's on! But at the same time, we also need things that make us feel uncomfortable. That make us think. That hold up a mirror to us and say "Is this you? Would you behave like this? Are you okay with that?". Things that stop us from having these viewing experiences passively happen to us. Sometimes we need something that we can get actively involved with.

I said I could remember the last viewing experience that allowed me to REALLY feel uncomfortable. 

Black Mirror.

A series of films by Charlie Brooker and shown on Channel 4 in the UK. There have been two series, each containing three one hour films. For reasons that will become clear, I'm going to start with the latest episode first. I will try not to spoiler for those that haven't seen the show. But apologise if I have.

Series 2 Episode 3 - The Waldo Moment

This episode tells the story of a young man, Jamie Salter, who provides the voice of a popular animated character, Waldo. Jamie and his team decide to target a particular MP to be the next victim of the foul-mouthed Waldo. In terms of this post, this episode is probably the least ew-making out of the lot. I found it quite hard to connect with the main character and, therefore, less easy to empathise with him. It did have some interesting points but overall the least strong episode.

Series 2 Episode 2 - White Bear

Image from: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black-mirror/episode-guide/series-2

A young woman, Victoria, wakes up in a strange room with no memory of who she is and why she is there. She stumbles about the house trying to find information. She sees people outside and in other windows looking out at her. They are all holding phones, seemingly photographing her. Yet none of them will help. As the story continues, Victoria has flashbacks, memories of her and her partner and a child. She meets another young woman who tells her that most people have been affected by the transmission of a 'signal' which has turned them into 'zombie-like' people and in order to change anything they must find the transmitter and destroy it. At first, this felt like a similar premise to the Joss Whedon show 'Dollhouse' (link to imdb) where a signal turned the majority of the human population in to 'dolls' - blank canvases on to which a new personality can be painted. However, there is a twist. A BIG one. And you didn't see it coming. But it wasn't until after the episode that I started to feel uncomfortable. The twist will make you see Victoria differently. And you will understand the motives of the 'zombies' and the baying crowds. But I didn't want to think that I would have behaved in the same voyeuristic, pitchfork-y way that they did. The empathy that you are manipulated into feeling for Victoria allows you to see a story from the viewpoint of a character that you wouldn't normally- the baddie. And it is with this empathy that you view the crowd's/society's reactions to Victoria.

Series 2 Episode 1 - Be Right Back

Image from: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black-mirror/episode-guide/series-2

The first episode of the second series begins with a happy couple (never going to end well!). They have just moved into a picturesque country cottage. Ash has to take the hire van back. You know where this is going. Martha is next seen frantically phoning the hire van offices. She is informed that Ash never returned the van. Then the flashing red and blue lights. Cut to the funeral. Martha is sitting next to a friend and we learn that she too has recently lost a loved one. Almost reluctantly, at first, she tells Martha about an app, a service that allows you to stay in touch with your loved ones. Martha loses her temper with the friend and tells her that she is not interested. Not too long after this, Martha is lonely and desperate. 

Of all the Black Mirror episodes, this is possibly the most predictable. But in no way any less poignant. I have recently lost a loved one and can completely and utterly understand Martha's choice. My head screamed at her not to do it, but if I were in that situation, could I have walked away?

Series 1 Episode 3 - The Entire History Of You

Tonally, this episode feels like the first episode of series two. Set slightly in the future, we can now have an implant embedded in our brains that records EVERYTHING we see. Sounds good. We start with a couple, though we sense, not necessarily a happy one. The husband has suspicions about the wife and her male friend. He then obsessively watches the recordings of them over and over. 

Again, this episode is slightly predictable. And again you can empathise with the husband and his choice to take the path he does. But, again, this IS a choice and what would yours be? 

Series 1 Episode 2 - 15 Million Merits

Image from: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2257207/

imagine a future where reality shows are the big thing and people live their lives around them. Hmmmm. Two shows in particular - a singing competition and a porn show. Society has become the haves and have nots. The have nots go to work every day and literally power the lives of the haves. Their enticement is to earn enough credits that they may one day appear on one of the beloved reality shows and be freed from their drudgery. Bing, our hero, starts to fall for a fellow have not and, after hearing her sing, decides to save his credits to give to her to go onto the singing show. This was one of my favourite episodes, least of all because it stars one of my favourite actors, Daniel Kaluuya. He gives such an honest performance and has a great charm. You really empathise with his character and his search for SOMETHING decent. This is possibly the only of the Black Mirror episodes where you are rooting for the main character. 

However, the main point of the episode seems to be how we use people for entertainment purposes. The reality shows - porn and singing - are one in the same really, with the people involved there purely for our viewing pleasure. I've never been a fan of these types of singing competitions, but it should make you think if you are!

Series 1 Episode 1 - The National Anthem

I saved the best for last. One of the most uncomfortable and thought provoking hours of celluloid I have EVER seen. I dare you to watch this and not be affected.

Image from: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black-mirror/episode-guide/series-1

This episode is set in a parallel 'now' and starts with the British Prime Minister being awoken with the news that Princess Susannah has been kidnapped. A video is being shown on You Tube in which the kidnapper makes his demands. In order to free the Princess, the PM must have sex on live TV with a pig. Yes, a pig! What should he do? What will the consequences be of whichever choice he takes?

This episode works on two levels of making you feel uncomfortable. The first is obviously the choice in front of the PM. He is married, with a young baby. If he does this, what will the impact be? I found this incredibly difficult to watch. Can you imagine?

The second level is the reaction to this by the public on social media. The heartless way in which they demand that the PM goes ahead with the ransom demands with NO consideration for what this will do and treating it as pure entertainment. This was the most difficult to watch. I cannot imagine a day, where I would ask this of another human being and therefore could not take part in the online badgering that the public in this episode did. My eternal optimist would hope that the majority would be the same. My head says not.



Comments gratefully appreciated.

Fandom - Or Opinions You Wanted to Give But Were Too Afraid of the Backlash

So fandom. "What is this thing?" I hear you cry. It is TWO things:

1. The name of my friend's cat
2. The collective name of a group of fans for a particular show, such as The Vampire Diaries fandom or the Game of Thrones fandom. Fandoms have tended to thrive online on Facebook, Twitter and Tumbler and are mainly people who are obse care passionately about their fandom.

Image - author's own

I myself am a proud member of several fandoms -the main ones being Buffy the Vampire Slayer (including Angel the series), Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. I also am part of the Prince fandom and the Dresden Files fandom. 

One of my other fandoms, that I am SO happy with right now, is Veronica Mars. I started watching this because Buffy had finished, I wanted something to fill that hole and also some bloke named Joss Whedon had said in an interview that he too loved the show and that Buffy fans should watch it. And as a good fan, I did. 

And I'm so glad I did. WHAT A SHOW!! 

The sassy lead character (played to perfection by Kristen Bell), her (male!) best friend, the cases each week as well as the arc of who killed her BFF, Lilly Kane, LOGAN, the music, the setting, her Dad, LOGAN!! etc, etc.

And the writing? Sublime. So clever and witty but emotional and tender. 

From: https://www.facebook.com/shesamarshmallow?ref=ts&fref=ts

I was devastated by the cancellation of the show after three seasons. Since then, I have waited with baited breath for news of any developments, but alas there were none. Until a few weeks ago when Kristen tweeted that her and the show's creator, Rob Thomas, would be making a big announcement the following day. My battered heart dared not to hope and I genuinely believed that the news would be a cast reunion interview and photoshoot. With joyous laughter and much squeeing I was proved wrong! A Veronica Mars film was to be made IF enough funds could be raised through a Kickstarter appeal. The target was $2 million and this was raised within a few days breaking many Kickstarter records along the way.


I have heard criticisms of this - Why should fans fund a studio movie? The studio will sit back and make the money from it?

And do you know what I say to those people? Fuck off!! 

This is a story about a TV show that was so loved by its creators, cast and fans, that we wouldn't give up. By funding the film we are opening the door for a new way of making entertainment (hopefully) and proving the studios wrong at the same time! So often these nebulous people make decisions in my name, about what shows will be continued and so many times they've cancelled the great ones to leave us with the mediocre ones and the reality shows. By funding this, we are showing that we still have some say (If you haven't donated yet and would like to, you can here, but hurry up as it finishes on April 12th).

You can see from my list of fandoms at the start of this rant blog, that the majority of my fandoms come from Joss Whedon related shows. I have grown up along side Joss' work - starting with Buffy - and they have shaped a lot of the ways I think as an adult. He writes intelligent, thoughtful and funny shows, that show that being 'different' is not a bad thing. That being judgey and bullying is not good. Joss himself has done a lot of work with equality organisations and I like to think that I stand for many of the same things.

I had ME for a long time and we couldn't afford to have a computer or the internet so it has only been over the last 4 years that I have been on the internet with any regularity. Through it, I have met many amazing people, discussed many difficult topics and now taken part in my first podcast with the Rogue Demon Hunters, which I loved (linky). 

However, I have noticed, and it has increasingly PISSED ME OFF, that I only have to mention certain things and it causes certain "FANS" to become extremely rude, to the point of aggressive. In fact, it was only on Saturday I was called 'delusional' because I said I liked a certain character. 

"Tis a mere flesh wound!" I hear you say!

But I'm a 37 year old, strong woman. I'm not a young girl.

That didn't seem to stop a group of "fans" at a screening of Once More With Feeling a few years ago. A young lady, who didn't like the crowd's incessant bullying of Dawn, was shouted at and told to "toughen up"!!!!! BY ADULTS!!! (original post here and follow-up post here)

At what point is it OK to do this??

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good debate and thoroughly enjoy discussing the nuances of characters and plots. But it is not OK to be rude or nasty or BULLY other people because they disagree with your opinion!

If you read the original blog posts in the links above, it is VERY interesting to read the comments. It baffles me just how many of them seem to think that this was OK because the character is annoying!!! And miss the point of it that a young girl was bullied!!

So next time you claim to be a fan or part of fandom, consider which you want to be.

I know where I fall and it would be in front of the young girl at the Once More With Feeling screening - protecting her.

In The Flesh

In The Flesh is a three part series that has been showing on BBC Three in place of Being Human, at 10pm on a Sunday evening. The last episode showed on 31st March and I've been wanting to blog about since the credits rolled but I wanted to ruminate on it. And now, here I am. Fully ruminated!
In case you haven't seen or heard of the show, here's the trailer and a brief plot.

Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00szzcm/profiles/kieren

The main character of the show is Kieren Walker (Luke Newberry), a young man who has recently become a sufferer of Partially Dead Syndrome (PDS). Or zombie to me and you. We first see Kieren in a facility for PDS sufferers, in which they are being given a treatment that stops them from 'zombifying'. This treatment is what will allow the PDS sufferers to return to civilisation. And their families. And what they did while they were zombies.

And this is what Kieren must do. He must go back to the village he grew up in and deal with who he is now and what led him to be who he is now.
Within 5 minutes of the show starting I was hooked. And this is very unusual for me. There are very few shows that I felt this strongly about this quickly. Maybe Veronica Mars. Hard to think of others. But In The Flesh had me.

First of all, the premise of the show was very intriguing. I like zombie stories, including The Walking Dead, but it's not my favourite genre. Especially when the protagonist is the zombie! How do you make them likeable? Relatable? But from the off, this show managed to do just that. Kieren is an incredibly likeable character and you genuinely feel for him. He is the hero of the piece.
Secondly, there is a fantastic, British humour alongside the darkest of stories. I saw a quote from Joss Whedon just today that said:

"Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke."

Taken from:http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/219196-make-it-dark-make-it-grim-make-it-tough-but

Finally, In The Flesh did something that few shows can do and that is take you somewhere you never saw coming. From suicide and dealing with its aftermath, to dealing with sexuality, loss, anger, acceptance, family and religion. The writing was superb and throughout the show, but especially in the last episode, the cast were immense and the main reason, other than the writing, that you allowed yourself to support the zombie! They were also the main reason that I spent the last 20 minutes crying like a little baby!

Last year, BBC Three had another fantastic show on their hands - The Fades - which they let go in favour of Being Human. I was gutted. I SO hope that BBC Three don't do the same with this and that now Being Human is no more, In The Flesh becomes the flagship supernatural show on this channel.